Goodnight iPad is a parody of the classic children's book story entitled Goodnight Moon. Goodnight iPad was written by Ann Droyd and published in 2011. I read this story online as an e book which was very ironic due to the fact that the book uses the exact structure of Goodnight Moon but changes the words in the text to revolve around technology. Reading this book as an e book allowed me to understand the text from a different perspective while also using technology which is what the story i centered around. Within a classroom, this book would be a great resource to use in order to introduce parallel structure to students. Through using technology, and the availability of Goodnight iPad on the internet, students could compare both texts in order to compare and contrast the text features and structures with one another.
We Are in a Book!, is a children's picture book written by Mo Williams. As an elephant and piggie book, this story is part of Mo Williams larger collections of books targeted towards younger children that introduces them to the topic of dialogue between characters. The words in this story are very basic an each character's dialogue usually only consists of a few words. For this reason, elephant and piggie books are great texts to use in Kindergarten classrooms to help students recognize site words and begin early reading skills. The images within the text are very simple as every page contains a picture of elephant and piggie themselves exchanging dialogue with on another. The main focus of each picture is in regards to the characters facial expressions and such emotions allow early readers to use context clues from the pictures in order to determine words they may be unsure about. One drawback to this text is that it is rather lengthy as it is 57 pages, however the text reads very smoothly and is an easy read for students. The length allows students to pick up on repetition throughout the story and in turn recognize words more smoothly by the end. If you are a teacher working with students who are learning to read, I strongly recommend that you use Mo William's texts to help them extend their knowledge.
Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin was written by Chieri Uegaki and Qin Leng in 2014. This modern story tells the tale of a little girl who strives to play the violin in a talent show but faces much opposition from her brother. A unique aspect about this story is that it is centered around Javanese history and introduces readers to basic Japanese as Hana refers to grandfather throughout the text as her ojiichan. Infusing Japanese culture throughout the text, the author uses dialogue to help the readers truly connect with Hana's emotions as she strives to overcome the fear and lack of self confidence she has for performing in public. This text is geared towards upper elementary school students as the author uses rather lengthy paragraphs on each page and it would serve as a great read aloud. Another aspect in which to incorporate this text into the curriculum would be through teaching an integrated lesson combining the arts, ELA, and social studies as the story is based around the Japanese culture while incorporating a young girls love through music.
Stella's Starliner is a children's picture book written by Rosemary Wells in 2014. This story is a science fiction text that tells the tale of a little girl named Stella who lives in a special house called the Starliner. This house is different from others as it is made of silver and she lives with happily there with her mother and father. The plot quickly switches as a few kids from the neighborhood tell Stella her family is poor and that she lives in a tin can and these comments cause Stella to reevaluate her happiness in her home. This story is very marketable towards younger children as it teaches a lesson surrounding happiness and how the love that people have towards their families is what truly defines happiness rather than money itself. Another interesting aspect of this story is that the illustrations were created using watercolors, gouache, pastel, ink, and colored pencils. As a story target towards younger readers, the cartoon images associated with the story allows readers to truly comprehend the text. This story would serve as a great read aloud for teachers to use within the classroom as it teaches a larger lesson about life that all students should grow up hearing.
Harlem, is a children's picture book poem written by Walter Dean Myers in 1997. The illustrations in this story tell a tale of their own as the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, and they were created by Christopher Myers. The first time reading this story poem through, the words seemed to have a rythm as if they could be chanted or sung. Little did I know that this story is a chorus about the charisma and charm present within Harlem. The front flap inside the book revealed this to me and it was such a surprise as I did not read the flap until I had read the story through once with no previous knowledge. The visuals within this text are extremely intense and descriptive as the reader will become truly captivated by not only the text, but the illustrations as well. This poem is told in more of a free verse format as there are hardly any rhyming words present throughout the text. The author also uses many pauses and breaks to separate the words even though it does not necessarily designate the end of a sentence. Full of information in regards to the culture of Harlem, this text would serve as great resource to teach children the ideas of poetry while integrating it into aspects of the social studies curriculum as well.
The President's Stuck in the Bathtub is a children's poetry book about the presidents. It was written by Susan Katz and illustrated by Robert Neubecker in 2012. This particular book contains a plethora of information and it is one that I wish I had stumbled upon prior to completing my unit for my second grade class in regards to social studies. A unique aspect about this book is that every page is broken down into separate poems that depict each president's uniqueness to serving the country. This picture book serves as a current and up to date resource to use in the classroom as it covers every single President of the United States from George Washington through our current president Barack Obama. Each poem within the text is individualized to portray characteristics and fun facts about each president that encourages readers to giggle and become engaged in the text. Many of the facts about the presidents I myself did not even know so this book served as a great refresher for myself to learn more facts about each president. In extending children's knowledge even further, this text serves a great resource to encourage students to apply their prior knowledge while reading the poems about each president as many of the poems infer to historical elements such as the poem about George Washington and how he lived everywhere except the White House because it had not been built yet. Each poem within the text is also unique as they all follow various rhyme schemes. Some poems are free verse, some are ABAB, and some follow an even loser rhyming pattern. The poems present within this story serve as an excellent way for teachers to integrate ELA in to the social studies curriculum as well.
What Do You Do With An Idea is a children's picture book written by Kobi Yamada in 2013. This book is extremely interesting as it follows a little boy as he goes from having an idea, to nurturing it, to watching his dream unfold before his very eyes. This simple and short story portrays such a strong message for readers as it teaches them to never give and always follow their dreams. One of the best aspects about this story is that although the sentence structure is very simple and easy to follow, it truly is a story for children and adults of all ages. The positive vibes that I recieved while reading this book caused me to instantly read it again and even read it to my friends who are entrepreneurship majors as the theme portrayed throughout the text is very deep in the sense that it can be extended to apply to everyone. This book is also extremely notable as it received a gold medal for Recognizing Excellence in Independent Publishing. As an extremely inspirational text, this book could be incorporated into many aspects of the curriculum or even stand alone as a read aloud for students as they will instantly fall in love with it just as I did.
Over the past year and a half, I have grown to love and appreciate graphic novels in relation to children's literature. I was never exposed to such medians of telling stories as a child and honestly I was extremely terrified to try something new by reading a graphic novel. Through reading a variety of graphic novels over the past year, I have come to truly appreciate them as they offer readers a new way to interpret a novel rather than just simply reading words on a page. The graphic novel, Hidden, is no exception to my new found love of graphic novels. Hidden is an exceptional story written by Loie Dauvillier, Marc Lizano, and Greg Salsedo in 2012. Hidden tells the story of a grandmother's experience of the Holocaust as she recounts the events she had to overcome during this time to her granddaughter. The story is extremely easy to follow and it is full of a vast amount of information regarding the Holocaust. The pictures present within the story allow readers to visualize what they are reading and in a way make the words into an actual movie within their heads. Although graphic novels can often be difficult for readers to understand and follow, this story would serve as a great introduction for readers who may not be extremely confident in their ability to read graphic novels. The words and pictures present within this story allow readers to truly visualize when the characters are speaking and follow their thought process in order to better understand the story structure as whole.
Prior to reading Seedfolks, I was not really sure what to expect. The text is extremely short as it is only 87 pages and I often get confused when reading books with multiple characters. However, this piece of literature could not have been more surprising to me as I loved it more than I could have ever envisioned. This story was writing by Paul Fleischman in 1997 and it was illustrated by Judy Pedersen, and it follows thirteen different characters as they all find common ground among a vacant lot within their hometown and they each begin growing some sort of vegetable in order to create a community garden. Many of the character's overlap in a multitude of manners and therefore this text is extremely easy for readers to keep track of each individual characters importance. The chapter's are also titled with each character's name to ensure readers understand who they are reading about prior to reading each chapter. As a truly inspirational story, this novel serves as a great way to show readers the importance of communities and would pair great as an ELA integration into a social studies unit involving communities and their relationships. Although this story is a chapter book, it is very simple in its text structure and would be very appealing for upper grade elementary school students to read.
The Kamishibai Man was written and illustrated by Allen Say in 2005. This text differs from the other Allen Say stories I read as it is more intricate in it's design. At the start of the story, Say includes a forward which explains to readers the definition of kamishibai so that readers can use their schema and infer throughout the duration of the story. Within this particular story, Say explains to readers how the creation of television took away from the importance of oral stories that the kamishibai man would tell to the children. This story introduces readers to the Japanese tradition of paper theater and its importance with their culture. The kamishibai man returns at the end of the story to tell his stories one again as he longed to return to his old days of using paper theater to entertain children. The story concludes with an afterword as Say explains the history behind kamishibai and offers readers an inside to truly understanding the importance of paper theater as being a "poor man's theater" following World War II. The incorporation of this book into an upper-grade elementary curriculum would serve as a strong resource to help readers understand more about Japanese culture and importance of preserving such elements of history such as the tradition of kamishibai. 
One of Allen Say's most widely known texts is entitled Grandfather's Journey, and it was published in 1993. One key aspect of this text is that Allen Say both wrote and illustrated the story, and it is a Caldecott Medal winner for the illustrations present within the text. In researching Say' work, he described his writing process as one where he first draws the pictures and then later comes up with text to correspond with the pictures in order to tell the story. Within this particular text, Say describes his grandfather's decision to the move to America while detailing his own love for two countries and the constant struggle he undergoes for being in love with two separate countries. The illustrations in this story serve as resource to guide readers as the paintings tell a story of their own and are very visually en-capturing to readers. Within the text itself, this story would appeal to younger and older readers alike as the words are very simple but they key concepts behind the text can be extended into a social studies unit in order to further explorer the concept of immigration and assimilation into a new country.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky was written by Faith Ringgold in 1992. Faith Ringgold is an African American artist and author who is best known for her famous quilts. These quilts become prevalent within her story as at the end there is a quilt hanging from the sky symbolizing the 100th anniversary of Harriet Tubman's first flight to freedom. This story is filled with historical information regarding Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad and would serve as a great way to integrate ELA and social studies within the classroom. This story is unique as it is told from an African American's point of view as they were directly affected by slavery and escaped using the underground railroad. At the close of the story, there are two pages full of information regarding Harriet Tubman. It goes on to tell the historical story of the underground railraod and even includes a map with arrows showing the way the railroad worked and where people traveled. The author's voice is very prevalent throughout the story however the story tells the tale of two girls who escape in the clouds to experience the underground railroad for themselves.
The Magic Horse of Han Gan is a children's historical fiction book written by Chen Jiang Hong who is a famous Chinese author and illustrator. Throughout the story of The Magic Horse of Han Gan, the author tells the story of Han who was a famous painter but only liked to paint pictures of horses. His paintings were extremely vivid and his horses that he painted were always tied up to prevent them from coming to life as Hans proclaimed. However, the story tells the tale about the day that one of his horses was brought to life and went out to fight in battle until many years later the horse was gone and magically returned in one of Hans' paintings. This story introduces children to the idea of cultures and traditions within the Chinese community. At the end of the story there is a note for readers to read that describes the horse as an old Chinese legend that was believed by Han Gan himself. Although it is up to reader interpretation to decide whether they believe the story is true or not, the story serves as way for the reader to understand a culture other than their own. 
Daniel Beaty is an award winning African American author who writes children's books such as Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me which was published in 2013. This story is extremely realistic in the sense that it deals with an issue very close to the heart of many students within a classroom; the issue of broken families. The main character in the story, who remains nameless, struggles with accepting the fact that his father will not be home anymore to say "knock knock" and help him navigate through the crazy thing called life. As the story continues, the father writes a note to his son with his dreams for him. This note explains that he wants his son to knock down all the boundaries that face him in life and overcome them. The story explains to children that they have the strength winthin themselves to follow their dreams as they are growing up. The illustrations in this book are very intense as the picutures also have miniscule pictures within them that display deeper meanings within the text. Through paying close attention to the detail within the pictures, the reader is able to better understand the little boys emotions and his fathers reasoning for leaving him behind. The author's note at the end of this story explains Daniel Beaty's purpose for writing the story as his father was incarcerated when he was merely only three years old. This allows readers to truly connect with the author and see the world through more than one perspective after reading the story and seeing the young boys struggles and how he overcomes them. 
Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident is a science fiction children's picture book written by George McClements in 2008. This story is unlike any of the other children's picture books I have read so far this semester as it features superheros in the text. Baron von Baddie is an evil supergenius who tries to outsmart his nemesis Captain Kapow. Baron von Baddie freezes Captain Kapow so that he can in turn take over the world with his evil actions, however he soon realizes being bad is no fun when there is noone there to stop him. As the story comes to a close, Baron von Baddie unfreezes Captain Kapow and in turn is taken back to jail where he stays for three hours before escaping again. George McClements uses many elements in this text which make it a really fun book for readers to read. The story is told from an onlookers point of view and it has a large amount of the author's voice as he tells the story and adds many comical comments to make the story funny. The illustrations in the text also add to its science fiction feel as the superheros are all cartoons and the readers can use these cartoons to aid in reader comprehension. Many of the illustrations also contain word bubbles which display each individual character's thoughts. These word bubbles serve as a different way for readers to read dialogue throughout the story. Take a look at an example above of the word bubbles that are present throughout the story!
Written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Diana De Groat, Sunshine Home is a realistic children's picture book that was published in 1994. The story follows a little boy named Timmie as he goes with his mother and father to visit his grandmother at the Sunshine Home after she experiences a bad fall and must stay in a wheelchair. This story truly tugs on one's heart strings while reading it as many readers can directly relate to how Timmie and his parents feel when they visit someone who is in a rehabilitation center or nursing home. Throughout the story, Timmie learns to overcome his fears and is no longer terrified of the Sunshine Home rather he helps his parents and his grandmother all be honest and share their feelings with one another. In a classroom, this would be an excellent story to keep on the shelves for readers to read. It is extremely relatable to readers who are experiencing something similar in their own home lives and serves as a resource to help readers see the positive in all situations. The descriptive pictures add to the realness of the story it truly feels that you are right there with Timmie and his family while reading the story. The realistic elements of this story helps readers understand that everyone has struggles that they must overcome in life and by relying on the people they love, they will be able to come out of every single situation stronger than ever before.
Nurse Clementine is a realistic children's picture book written by Simon James in 2013. This short story allows readers to follow the main character Clementine as she experiments with her passion for being a nurse. Throughout the story, Clementine is constantly coming to the rescue to help members of her family who have minor injuries however towards the end of the story, Clementine gets to use all of her nurse skills to help her brother safely come down from being stuck in a tree. This story would most appeal to younger elementary school students as there are not many words on each page and the pictures truly aid in reader comprehension. This book would be extremely useful for students who are interested in the medical field as the last two pages of the book are filled with cartoon pictures of different medical tools with their definition underneath. The simple structure of this text is easy for beginning readers to follow along and there is even repetition present when Clementine is using her nurse skills to make each member of her family feel better. Overall, Nurse Clementine is a feel good children's story that helps readers understand the importance of following your dreams in order to fulfill
Pop! The Invention of Bubblegum is an information text that was written in 2010 by Meghan McCarthy. This picture book is an excellent resource for children as it contains a plethora of facts regarding the creation of the treasured childhood treat of bubblegum. The author takes readers on a journey to follow Walter Deimer as he perfects the perfect recipe to make bubblegum. Set in the 1920's, this story's vivid use of images allows readers to feel like they are part of the bubblegum making process themselves.
The story has a very simple structure as
the words are easy to read and the narration of this story is very
straightforward. There is text on almost
every page and they story is told in chronologically order as readers follow the many trial and errors it took to perfect the bubblegum recipe. The whole story contains narrative text as the story of Walter Deimer’s
creation of bubblegum is being told for readers to follow along. Along these same lines, the book contains a
majority of expository text as it is revealing accurate information
regarding the creation of bubblegum. An aspect of this story that truly makes it stand out and extremely informational for readers is through the page at the end of the story that includes
more information on Walter Diemer, facts about bubble gum, and references to
quotes that can be found within the text. Through reading this, readers are able to understand the whole story of Walter Deimer and recognize that the elements within the story were true in regards to how bubblegum came to be. All in all, Pop! The Invention of Bubblegum serves as a fun informational text for readers about the creation of something many people love so much. Through this, the text encourages readers to look at even the littlest things in a new manner as it encourages students to question and explore the history of many things they love so dearly.
Jacqueline Woodson is a three time award winning Newberry Honor Author and her book Feathers is no exception to this award winning spirit. Written in 2007, Feathers tells the story of Frannie who is sixth grade student growing up during the 70's. This story serves as a great resource for ELA integration into a social studies unit as the story centers around the many issues associated with discrimination during this time. Readers are able to see the divide present between the African American students and the white students as their town is essentially divided by a railroad track where the African Americans live on one side and the white people live on the other. This stereotype holds true in school as well as it was often the case that the children attending these schools were in turn divided by color depending on which side of the railroad tracks they lived on. The novel truly begins to come to life after "Jesus Boy" arrives at Frannie's school and becomes the subject of much bullying within the classroom becuase he is a white boy attending school on the African American side of the tracks. As the story unfolds, Frannie begins to learn more about herself than she ever envisioned and she also begins to recognize the effect bullying can have on an individual. 
Growing up, I read a plethora of Andrew Clements books. In fact, he was one of my favorite childhood authors so when I walked into the library and saw his newest publication The Map Trap sitting on the shelf, I just knew I had to read it. The Map Trap was published earlier this year in July of 2014 and was probably one of the easiest books to read that I have ever read. From the start of the story, Clements draws readers in as they instantly feel a connection to the main character Alton Barnes. Alton Barnes has had a love for creating maps ever since he was as little kid, however his maps are unique in the sense that they do not necessarily serve for the means of directional use. Rather, his maps also chart other things such as the way he believes his teachers brain is wired and they also expel his true feelings on the people close to him in life. Alton keeps these maps at school in his locker, however after showing them to one of the cool kids in his class his maps all of a sudden go missing. The story takes readers on an exploration with Alton as he figures out who indeed stole his maps, however Alton in turn learns a lot
Written by Rebecca Stead and published in 2009, When You Reach Me is a science fiction children's novel that is also a winner of the Newbery Medal Award. While reading this book, I honestly found it very difficult to follow along and do not know that I would necessarily recommend it for an elementary school student to read. The plot is extremely complex and is probably best suited for a middle grades student. When You Reach Me is a text that should be read multiple times in order for it to be understood in its entirety, however its intense plot allows readers to truly focus in with their attention in order to understand the book in its entirety. The story is based around a girl named Miranda who begins recieving notes from a stranger. Throughout the story, Miranda struggles to solve the many mysteries associated with recieving these notes, while in the end learning more about herself and her friends than she could have ever imagined. As the story draws to close, readers soon realize that the strange notes are coming from the Laughing Man who is in turn essentially an older version of Sal. 
As a winner of the Newbery Honor Award and a New York Times Best Seller, Three Times Lucky is a children's chapter book written by Sheila Turnage in 2012. Prior to reading this book, I was told it was a historical fiction novel however as I continued to read through the book it became clear that this novel is classified a suspense story. The plot centers around the two main characters, Mo and Dale, who take it upon themselves to investigate a murder mystery within their hometown. As they work together, they begin discovering connections between their personal lives and the mystery at hand as both Miss Lana and the Colonel end up being kidnapped and held for a ransom. This story encourages readers to pay close attention as they read in order to piece together key details of the story to solve the mystery. 
Reading this story pulled on my heartstrings as it explores an extremely relatable topic that many students in my future classroom will identify with. Broken households are becoming more common as time goes on and this story provides a positive message for readers as it encourages them to find something that they love doing and give it their all. Not only does this story provide a strong overall message for readers, but it also exposes readers to the history of the famous artist known as Pablo Picasso. Honestly before reading this story, I had no previous knowledge of Picasso's blue period. Reading this story encouraged me to research more about the interesting life of Picasso by extending my knowledge outside of the literature I read. Within the classroom, this book would be a great resource to encourage children to take charge of their own learning and make connections between the material presented in the book and Pablo Picasso's life himself. Afterall, that is the most amazing thing about children's literature. It helps students form connections and internalize information in ways that they are not necessarily most comfortable with. By thinking outside of the box and drawing those larger life connections, Emily's Blue Period models the importance of connecting common life issues with intellectual thought through understanding the true meaning of art.
