A Book or Two: Children's Literature Reviews

Find a perfect children’s book to share or read, and information on new, classic, and favorite children's literature, reviewed by university professors, teachers, librarians, graduate students, and teachers-to-be! Browse A Book or Two by title, genre, or topic! HAPPY READING! This is a closed site, to prevent inappropriate postings. You won't be able to add your own comments. Communication should be sent to the site organizer, Dr. Deb Marciano (dlmarciano@valdosta.edu).

Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts

10/23/14

Magritte's Marvelous Hat

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: D.B. Johnson

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PUBLICATION DATE: 2012
GENRE: Fiction READING LEVEL: 1^st Grade
BRIEF OVERVIEW: A painter buys a hat that floats above his head. The hat helps him paint better, but one day flies away. Eventually, however, the painter tricks the hat into returning.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: The children will bring a favorite hat to school and wear it while painting. (Ask: Did it help you paint better?)
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Serena Martin, Valdosta State University ECSE
LABELS: Art, Reading, Dogs, Hats

10/21/14

Small Brown Dog’s Bad Remembering Day

TITLE: Small Brown Dog’s Bad Remembering Day

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mike Gibbie/Barbara Nascimbeni
PUBLISHER: Dutton Juvenille PUBLICATION DATE: 1999

GENRE: Humor READING LEVEL: ages 3-7.

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Small Brown Dog woke up forgetting everything! He can’t even remember his name. He has to go all around town to ask questions and try and remember who he is.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have students write down things that they do to help remember who they are if they ever forget. Fill in the information on a “dog tag” with their name on it.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Katie Prescott, Valdosta State University ECSE.

Up in Heaven

TITLE: Up in Heaven

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Emma Chichester Clark

PUBLISHER: Random House PUBLICATION DATE: 2004

GENRE: Juvenille Fiction READING LEVEL: Kindergarten

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Arthur’s dog, Daisy goes to heaven. Daisy watches Arthur and helps him move on.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have students draw a picture of a dog in dog heaven.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Katie Prescott, Valdosta State University ECSE

10/15/14

Where the Red Fern Grows

TITLE: Where the Red Fern Grows

AUTHOR: Wilson Rawls

PUBLISHER: Yearling; Reprint Edition
PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 1996

GENRE: Classic Fiction READING LEVEL: Ages 8-12

BRIEF OVERVIEW: A boy works hard to buy his two redbone hounds so that he can live out his dream of becoming a great coon hunter.
INTEGRATED IDEA: Students will write about the significance of the title Where the Red Fern Grows in correlation to the story.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Brittney Watts, Valdosta State University ECSE

9/14/14

A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka

A Ball For Daisy author and illustrator: Chris Raschka
Copyright: 2011 Reading Level: Ages 3-7
Book Description: Daisy is a playful puppy who loves her ball. She and her owner make a trip to the park to play where she finds another dog to play with her and her ball. The ball pops and Daisy is sad. The good news is that the other dog brought a new ball for them to play with and Daisy gets to take it home.

Integrated Ideas: Students will revise the book and the story line and then explain the main idea and plot to the teacher through sign. The students will gather their reasoning for the feelings of the book’s character, Daisy the dog, based off of their visual interpretations from the author’s illustrations. After the students describe the story, they will then play an outside game with a red balloon. If the students pop the red balloon, then another student must be willing to share their blue balloon with the class.

Reviewer's name and affiliation: Bethany A. Loggins, Valdosta State University