The Curious Garden

 

TITLE: The Curious Garden

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Peter Brown

PUBLISHER:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers   PUBLICATION DATE:  2009    GENRE: Picture Book         READING LEVEL: Ages 3-6

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Small boy discovers a struggling garden and decides to try and bring the garden back to life.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: The students will go outside and discover something that is growing. The students will write about how they think this living object ended up where they found it.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Curtis Watson, Valdosta State University ECSE

LABELS:  Community, Gardens

I Need My Monster

 

TITLE: I Need My Monster

AUTHOR: Amanda Noll ILLUSTRATOR: Howard McWilliam

PUBLISHER: Flashlight Press    PUBLICATION DATE:  2009              GENRE: Fiction Picture Book  READING LEVEL: Ages 5-8

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This story is about a little boy who unlike most children is not really afraid of the monster under his bed, but he needs his monster to sleep.  Unfortunately his monster has gone fishing.  Several new monsters show up but none are good enough for the little boy.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: After the read aloud students will draw their favorite monster.

Awards:  Golden Sower Primary 2011-2012

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Curtis Watson, Valdosta State University ECSE

LABELS: Award-winning, Fiction, Monsters.

Whose Ears Are These?

 

TITLE: Whose Ears Are These?

AUTHOR: Peg Hall ILLUSTRATOR: Ken Landmark

PUBLISHER: Nonfiction Picture Books     PUBLICATION DATE:  2011 GENRE: Non-Fiction    READING LEVEL: Ages 2-4

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This is an informational text about different animal ears and the specific things they use their ears for.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Matching activity – students will match the picture to the clue regarding the different animal ears from the text.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Curtis Watson, Valdosta State University ECSE

LABELS: Senses, rabbit 

Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten

 

TITLE: Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten

AUTHOR: Trisha Shasken ILLUSTRATOR: Gerald Guerlais

PUBLISHER: Picture Window Books  PUBLICATION DATE:  2011  GENRE:Traditional Books (Euro.)             READING LEVEL: Years 4-8

BRIEF OVERVIEW: The story of Little Red Riding Hood as told by the Wolf.  The wolf’s side of the story is much different than Little Red’s side.  He says that she wasn’t a very nice little girl.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will compare and contrast this story to the original using a graphic organizer/ story maps.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Curtis Watson, Valdosta State University ECSE

LABELS: Point of View, Comparison

The Elves & the Shoemaker

TITLE: The Elves & the Shoemaker

AUTHOR: Jacob Grimm ILLUSTRATOR: Jim Lamarche

PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books                 PUBLICATION DATE:  2003

GENRE: Traditional Books (Euro.)         READING LEVEL: Grade 1-3

BRIEF OVERVIEW: A poor shoemaker and his wife are visited by two elves during the night. The elves make many beautiful shoes for the shoemaker to sell and become rich.  The shoemaker and his wife return the favor by making clothes for the elves.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: After the read-aloud students will tell a partner about a time they did something nice for someone without expecting something in return.  Students will then write about their experience.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Curtis Watson, Valdosta State University ECSE

LABELS: Helping, Fantasy.