The Classics!

I feel as though both of these Disney Movies promote positive and loving relationships between people. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite movies. I love how the story shows the not so close relationship between the two children and their parents. Mary Poppins comes to take care of them and ends up giving them the fantasy world and all the love they are craving.
Lion King is another favorite of mine. It tugs at your heart strings when Simba's father dies, leaving him without a parent. He grows up with his Mom and friends but misses his Dad terribly. His Dad speaks to him through the clouds and tells him to be strong. Simba grows up to become a great Dad himself.
Both The Lion King and Mary Poppins are great for children to experience. They are filled with excitement and adventure, but at the same time have great messages.

Kudos to Mom!

http://www.kaboose.com/index.html

I found this great website that revolves around the relationship between kids and their Moms. This fun website has many features for both. There are many interactive online games kids can play. Children can play, "Mominator" which is a game in which kids have to clean a room, by targeting the germs! Another fun game is titled, "Mom Mania by Motts". Kids have to be the mom and feed her hungry children with Mott's products. These games are fun and promote healthy and clean living habits! Among these fun "Mom" games are also vocabulary, math, and sports games. For moms, this site offers recipes, crafts, and parenting advice. It is a fun website and user friendly. The children's section is recognizable and easy to navigate through. This site also offers coupons for Moms and health guidelines and tips for healthy children. There are a few advertisements on the page, but overall, most of the sidebar information is related to Kaboose. I really enjoyed exploring this site and could see it be very fun and useful for both Moms and their kids!

The Fossil Girl of Lyme Regis...

Author: Laurence Anholt
Illustrator: Sheila Moxley
Title: Stone Girl, Bone Girl; The Story of Mary Anning
Publisher: Orchard Books, 1998
Genre: Biography
Pages: 32
Reading Level (Lexile): 520L

This book has not received any awards. I found it within the children’s section under biographies in my local library.

Plot Summary: This colorful biography tells the story of little Mary Anning. She survives a lightning strike when she is just 15 months old and her father knows she is special. She grows up on the cliffs in Dorset, England. She is always digging in the dirt, trying to find interesting things. She ends up finding “the sea monster” the townspeople have always talked about. It ends up being fossils from an ichthyosaur, or “fish lizard” and scientists from all over come to marvel at her findings. Mary had always been made fun of and called “stone girl”, but never cared and kept on doing what she loved. The fossils she found as a young girl can now be found in many museums all over the world.

I had never heard of Mary Anning before and was excited to learn about her life. Her father reminded me of my grandfather. He was a craftsman and made wonderful things for people. My grandfather, too, makes furniture and has a workshop. As a child, I can remember going downstairs to see him working away in his amazing workshop.

Stone Girl, Bone Girl would be a great story to share with students. The illustrations are awesome and really complement the story. I think students would be engaged, especially when she finds the prehistoric fossil. This story could be used to introduce fossils to students and to begin a discussion on dinosaurs. I could foresee using this book with older students as well, because the reading level is a little higher. Students could research more about Mary and her findings, as well as where the fossils she found are located in different museums.

Would You Take a Chance?

Author: Eileen Lucas
Illustrator: Kimanne Smith
Title: Prudence Crandall; Teacher for Equal Rights
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 2001
Genre: Biography
Pages: 48
Reading Level (Lexile): 570L

This book has not received any awards. I found this book in the children’s biography section of my local library.

Plot Summary: Although this book is a biography, it reads like a story of Prudence’s struggle in Connecticut. In the 1830’s, Prudence opened a school in Canterbury, CT. It was a successful school and many parents thought Prudence was a great teacher. Sarah Harris was a friend of one of the students and wanted to come to the school. Prudence accepted her, despite her skin color. The town went crazy. Prudence continued to do what she thought right, and eventually opened a school for African American Girls. The townspeople continued to display their anger and hate towards Prudence and the girls. Prudence was arrested for breaking the law and faced several trials. She eventually was forced to close the school.

This book relates to my theme because Prudence showed her love towards her students no matter what color their skin was. She never gave up, despite the hateful acts that the townspeople did to her. She stood up for what she believed in. Her special relationship with Sarah Harris is what she was proud of. She knew Sarah had the right to go to school just like anyone else.

This biography was unlike any other I had read before. I hadn’t really heard of Prudence Crandall before. It was interesting to read about what Connecticut was like in the 1830’s and how African Americans were mistreated in the North as well as the South. Her spirit is that of a true teacher, one that believes in their students and their right to learn.

Prudence Crandall is an “On My Own” Biography, one that is written with easier terms for students to understand. Students in grades 1-3 would be able to read this biography. Other features I liked were the author’s note and afterword section. These provide more information. As a teacher, this is great for building background knowledge on Prudence, as students are probably not familiar with her. I think this biography would great to be used with children in grades 4 and 5 as well. It could be paired with social studies and learning about that time period in our country’s history. Students could use this book to research her life, among any other sources they could find on the internet. The colorful illustrations also add to the story and would allow students to picture the time period and clothes people wore.

A House of....

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Title: A House of Tailors
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 176
Reading Level (Lexile): 750L

Patricia Reilly Giff is an award winning author, but this book has not received any awards. I found this book in the children’s section of my local library.

Plot Summary: Dina is a 13 yr old girl growing up in Germany, during War in 1870. She works with her mother to sew as many pieces as she can. She can’t help but have admiration and eyes for the soldiers. Dina is forced to leave Germany and go live with her Uncle in Brooklyn, NY. She dreams of America and how her life will be better there. When she arrives, she is not treated as well as she thought she would be. She works hard and eventually grows to love her family. She even saves her cousins from near death experiences.

A House of Tailors fits in nicely with my theme of Relationships. Dina misses her mom and Germany, but knows she has a better life in America. She can’t quite figure out her new family, but works extra hard to impress them. She grows to love them and live happily.
This book, set in the late 1800’s, does remind me of other Historical Fiction stories that I have read. What makes it different is the style of writing Giff uses. As the reader, you can really connect with Dina and feel for her situation. I think it is a good portrait of what a girl’s life would be like in a family of tailors, in that time. The story as it takes place in Brooklyn, also depicts a time when the epidemic was very serious.

A House of Tailors would be a good book to use with upper elementary level students. Even middle school students would benefit from reading this story. Because it is Historical Fiction, teachers could pair this story up with other facts or Nonfiction pieces that give information around this time period. Teachers could also use this book to compare what a 13 yr old girl’s life was like back then with how girls live today. I think this book lends itself well to also allowing students to create authentic projects, like journal entries, newspaper articles, timelines, etc.