Thanksgiving Day at Our House

AUTHOR: Nancy White Carlstrom       Illustrator: R.W. Alley
PUBLISHER: Aladdin               PUBLICATION DATE:  2002

GENRE: Poetry                      READING LEVEL: 3 years old and up 

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Poems for the holiday season that will leave you with feelings of thankfulness.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: 2nd grade- Students can write a poem about Thanksgiving day at their house. Once everyone has written their poems we can compare what people do.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Bree Danforth, Valdosta State University

Pumpkin Circle

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: George Levenson/ Shmuel Thaler

PUBLISHER: Tricycle Pass        PUBLICATION DATE: , 2002

GENRE:  Nonfiction picture book          READING LEVEL: grades 1-4

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Pumpkin Circle is an informational book describing all of the stages in a pumpkin's life and what all it needs to survive.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:The teacher will have the students draw a pumpkin life cycle and label the different steps using colors and pictures.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Alena Franks, Valdosta State University
           

In The Haunted House

Title: In The Haunted House      Author: Eve Bunting       Illustrator: Susan Meddaugh
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt                                 Publication Date: 1990
Genre: Fiction                            Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Overview: This is a fun story that describes what one might see inside a haunted house. It contains lots of spooky rhymes, silly and goofy illustrations.
Activity: This is a fun seasonal story that will be read only if all children can participate in the holiday festivities. Students will write/illustrate their own short story about a Haunted House.
Reviewed By: Jamie Shea-Valdosta State University
Labels:  Holiday/Seasonal,  Scary, Fun                  

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

TITLE: My First Thanksgiving
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR : Kathryn (Nancy) Davis

PUBLISHER:  Little Simon           PUBLICATION DATE:  2010

GENRE:  Board book/Historical Fiction         READING LEVEL:  K-1ST Grade
BRIEF OVERVIEW: This book teaches children about thanksgiving and how the pilgrims came to America.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will use finger paint to create a turkey for thanksgiving.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Tameka Hughes. Valdosta State University

The Polar Express

TITLE:  The Polar Express

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Chris Van Allsburg

PUBLISHER:                         PUBLICATION DATE: 1985

GENRE:   Made into a Movie               READING LEVEL: 3rd grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW:A little boy gets on a train that takes him to the North Pole. While he is there, he receives the first gift of Christmas, which was a bell. Every year he can hear the bell ring because he continues to believe.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students would be given construction paper cut outs of a train. They would have to create the train with all the parts given. They would use a sheet of directions to put every part in the right place. This would teach how to follow directions, shapes, and colors.

 

Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Agnes Rosenstiehl  

PUBLISHER: Toon Books               
PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2008

GENRE: European Traditional Books            
READING LEVEL:  5-8 years 

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Lilly starts off by asking her teddy bears what he likes to do. As the four seasons pass, they take on various adventures. In the spring she goes to the park; in the summer she goes to the beach; in the fall she picks apples; and in the winter she plays in the snow.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have a lesson with the students on the four seasons of the year and have the class act out the different things we can do (action verbs) during each sentence (We swim in the summer. and We snowboard in the winter.) Students can then create a pamphlet on the four seasons using illustrations of them doing seasonal activities.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Tachovia Kendrick Valdosta State University Teacher Candidate 

Thank you, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrator: Matt Faulkner
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2002
Genre: Nonfiction/Informational Picture Book
Reading Level: 4th-5th Grade
Brief Overview: This book is about the history of Thanksgiving and how Sarah Hale used persuasive letter writing as a means to get Thanksgiving made into a national holiday. This book encourages persuasive writing and touches on important topics such as women’s rights, schools for all children, and the abolition of slavery.
Integrated Activity: Write a formal letter to the principal of your school about a school rule you believe should be changed or a holiday you believe the school should celebrate. Give your reasons why.
Reviewer’s Name and Affiliation: Erica Hicks, Valdosta State University