Schroer 1
Annotated Bibliography
By: Cassie Schroer
May 2016
Schroer 2
Contents
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear……. …4
If You Give a Moose a Muffin……………………………………………...... 5
No, David!...... 6
Goldilocks and the Three Bears………………………………………………….7
Owen……………………………………………….……………………….……8
Don’t’ Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ………………………………………………...... 9
Knuffle Bunny………………………………………………………………………….10
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie…………………………………………………………11
Stregna Nona……………………………………………………………………...... 12
Where the Wild Things Are………………………………………………………..…..13
The Very Hungry Caterpillar…………………………………………………………..14
This is not my Hat………………………………………………………….…….……15
The Three Pigs……………………………………………………….………………..16
The Napping House…………………………………………..………………….……17
A Sick Day for Amos McGee………………………………………………….……..18
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day…………...... 19
Giggle, Giggle, Quack……………………………………………………….……… 20
Grandfather’s Journey…………………………………………………………21
Jumanji………………………………………………………………………...22
Locomotive……………………………………………………………………23
Sacagawea…………………………………………………………………….24
Show Way……………………………………………………………………..25
Schroer 3
Do You Want to Play with my Balls?...... 26
Aesop’s Fables………………………………………………………………….27
One Hundred Favorite Folktales…………………………………………………..28
Myths………………………………………………………………………………29
Children’s Treasury of Lyrical Poetry……………………………………………..30
To Kill a Mockingbird……………..………………………………………………31
Stone Fox…………………………………………………………………………..32
A Long Way from Chicago………………………………………………………..33
The Giver…………………………………………………………………………..34
Number the Stars…………………………………………………………………..35
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer…………………………………………………..36
Betsy-Tacy…………………………………………………………………………37
Fault in Our Stars………………………………………………………………….38
Because of Winn-Dixie……………………………………………………………39
Charlotte’s Web……………………………………………………………………40
Esperanza Rising…………………………………………………………………...41
Maus………………………………………………………………………………..42
Pippi Longstocking…………………………………………………………………43
Schroer 4
Schroer 5
Title: The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear
Author: Don and Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Copyright date: 2010
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Colored pencil and ink
Author’s style: Easy read for young children
Description of the art/visual detail: Big pictures that cover all of the page
Synopsis of the story/content: The story is about a mouse that has just picked a strawberry but a big hungry bear is going to come and take the strawberry. The mouse goes all around hiding the strawberry and guarding what he has. The mouse then ends up eating the strawberry and the bear never shows up.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The pictures are very big and tell the story. They are also colorful and fun to look at.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would be good to read to young children because it is short and easy to follow.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? A stereotype could be that bears come and steal other people’s food.
Personal opinion: I like reading this book for a quick little enjoyment. Does not take long to read and can be funny.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this book to talk about sharing and helping others when it comes to getting different things in life.
Schroer 6
Title: If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Author: Laura Joffe Numeroff
Illustrator: Felicia Bond
Copyright date: 1991
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Water color paint
Author’s style: Continuous. If this happens, this will happen.
Description of the art/visual detail: Picture showing what is happening in the text.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a boy and a moose. The boy gives the moose a muffin then since he got the muffin he will want something else. He gets the next things and wants something more. The story keeps going on and eventually leads the reader back to getting a muffin.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The illustrations are funny to look at and go along with what is being read. You wouldn’t always need to words or a young child could read the story by looking at the pictures.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This is very good to read aloud because students can help read by knowing what comes next. Young children would also know what is being said by looking at the pictures.
Personal opinion: I like this story because it’s in a circle and leads the reader back to the muffin that was in the beginning.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Teachers could use this when talking about moose or learning about different foods like muffins.
Schroer 7
Title: No, David!
Author: David Shannon
Illustrator: David Shannon
Copyright date: 2000
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Pencil and water color
Author’s style: Showing what might be bad for children to do. Not many words.
Description of the art/visual detail: Big pictures that cover the entire page.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a boy named David that is doing things he should not be doing. His mom is always telling him no or to stop what he is doing. At the end she tells him that she loves him.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Funny illustrations that show what David is doing wrong.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would be an easy book to read a loud and you could have students read pages because there are not many words and the words are ones most students would know in kindergarten.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? This could show students what is bad and they could want to try some of the activities.
Personal opinion: This would be an easy book for a young student to read on their own because there are not many words and the words are all easy.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this book when talking about obeying parents and other adults. How the adult wants the best for the child and is trying to protect them and keep them safe.
Schroer 8
Title: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Author: James Marshall
Illustrator: James Marshall
Copyright date: 1988
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: ink and watercolor painting
Author’s style: Story telling
Description of the art/visual detail: Large illustrations that cover the entire page. Cartoon look to the photos.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a young girl going into the woods and coming across a house. The house belongs to three bears that happen to be out on a bike ride. The young girl goes into the house and helps herself to what she finds. She first tries the porridge. Then the three chairs. Then finally the three beds, she eventually finds one she likes and falls asleep. The three bears then come home to find their items touched and moved. The bears make their way upstairs and find the young girl. She wake up and gets scared so she jumps out of the window. The three bears never saw the young girl again.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The illustrator creates detailed illustrations of what is happening in the story. You are able to know what is going on even without the words.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would be good to read aloud because you could have students make predictions as to what might happen next.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? You could discuss just going into other people’s homes and taking their things.
Personal opinion: I enjoy this story because it is a classic that has been passed down.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this when talking about making predictions and also for students to learn to retell a story.
Schroer 9
Title: Owen
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Copyright date: 1993
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: watercolor paints and black pen
Author’s style: Storytelling
Description of the art/visual detail: Illustrations are medium sized with white in the background. The illustrations are in different sized boxes on each page.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a young mouse named Owen. Owen has a yellow blanket that he carries with him everywhere. His parents attempt to get Owen to give up the blanket but it did not work. Owen eventually has to start school but he cannot take his blanket to school so his mom came up with the idea to make the blanket into a handkerchief. Now Owen is able to carry his handkerchief around instead of the blanket.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The illustrations show what is happening throughout the story. On some pages there are multiple illustrations to show the progression of the story.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This story would be good to read aloud because students could predict what will happen next.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Allowing students to have blankets in school and to what age can they carry a blanket around with them.
Personal opinion: I enjoyed this story.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this story when talking about having to let certain items go in life and how that could be hard.
Schroer 10
Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Copyright date: 2003
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Pastel drawings, crayon texture
Author’s style: Large pictures with central image, not much text
Description of the art/visual detail: cartoon like, simple colors to look at
Synopsis of the story/content: A pigeon is trying to convince the reader to let him drive the bus while the bus driver is not around.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why?
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would a good read aloud because you could have discussions after certain pages.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Peer pressure and if you should let someone do something if they are not supposed to.
Personal opinion: This is cute and short book.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Peer pressure can be discussed and how students should say no.
Schroer 11
Title: Knuffle Bunny
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Copyright date: 2004
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Graphics, cartoon-looking, black and white
Author’s style: Text bubbles are used, not many words
Description of the art/visual detail: texture, lines
Synopsis of the story/content: The story is about Trixie and a bunny named Knuffle Bunny. One day they take a trip to the laundromat with daddy. Then Trixie realizes that Knuffle Bunny is gone so they have to find where he went.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The illustrator shows emotions on the character’s faces.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would be good because you could have class discussion at certain parts of the book.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Getting lost in the city.
Personal opinion: I think this is a cute book for students to read either alone or in a group setting.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? You could talk about how you need to stay with an adult when out in public and how it is not safe to wander off on your own.
Schroer 12
Title: If you Give a Mouse a Cookie
Author: Laura Numeroff
Illustrator: Felicia Bond
Copyright date: 1985
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Fiction, fantasy
Description of the art/visual detail: Bright colors, central image
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a boy who gives a mouse a cookie. The mouse then wants a glass of milk and after that keeps asking for more things until it comes back to getting a cookie.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Funny images to go along with the text.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Yes because you could stop and discuss if a mouse would really need all of the things asked for.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Good story for young children.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Talking about what a mouse would need.
Schroer 13
Title: Stregna Nona
Author: Tommie de Paola
Illustrator: Tommie de Paola
Copyright date: 1975
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Juvenile Fiction
Description of the art/visual detail: colorful and vivid
Synopsis of the story/content: The story is about Strega Nona the grandmother witch and Big Anthony who works for Strega Nona. She is a very helpful woman. Strega Nona has a pot that she sings to and it makes endless pasta. Big Anthony is to not touch the pot when Strega Nona leaves town, he does touch the pot. Then pasta overflows everywhere because he does not know how to make it stop. When Strega Nona returns she makes Big Anthony eat all of the pasta.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Shows the story in pictures.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Good for discussion topics such as responsibility and honesty.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Doing something when you are not supposed to.
Personal opinion: This is good for imaginative readers.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? You could talk about cause and effect. If you do something this will then happen in return.
Schroer 14
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Copyright date: 1963
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Imaginative
Author’s style: Fiction/ Fantasy
Description of the art/visual detail: Large pictures
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about Max dons and how some mischief gets him sent to bed without any supper. A forest grows in his room.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Detailed pictures that go along with the text from the story.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Great for discussion, intense read!
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Judging someone or something by his or her appearance.
Personal opinion: Interesting book
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book?
Schroer 15
Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author: Eric Carle
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Copyright date: 1969
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Fantasy
Description of the art/visual detail: Colorful, bright
Synopsis of the story/content: There is a hungry caterpillar that eats his way through different types of food. He then is satisfied and forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep. When he wakes up he is a beautiful butterfly.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Happy because of the colors used throughout the story.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Very good! Can talk about many different topics.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Such a cute story for children!!
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Numbers, life cycle, insects, food, colors
Schroer 16
Title: This is Not My Hat
Author: John Klassen
Illustrator: John Klassen
Copyright date: 2012
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Dark background with color on top
Author’s style: Fiction
Description of the art/visual detail: black underwater, shows movement of the fish with bubbles behind the fish
Synopsis of the story/content: The story is about a little fish that stole a hat from a big fish. The little fish confides in the reader and another fish in the sea.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Calm with the plain background and color on top.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Good! Can talk about different topics.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Cute for young readers
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Could talk about how you shouldn’t take things that are not yours.
Schroer 17
Title: The Three Pigs
Author: David Wiesner
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Copyright date: 2001
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings and graphics
Author’s style: Fantasy
Description of the art/visual detail: vibrant and vivid, drawings and graphics
Synopsis of the story/content: Twist to the original story of the three little pigs.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The art is amazing and is a huge part in the story. I would say the art is the main focus.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Good! Rhymes
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Bullying
Personal opinion: Cute story and a new twist
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Have the students make their own story about the three little pigs. Practice retelling in a new way.
Schroer 18
Title: The Napping House
Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Copyright date: 1984
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Realistic Fiction
Description of the art/visual detail: The art is very colorful and show a lot in one image
Synopsis of the story/content: The story is about a “napping house” and all of the people in the house that are sleeping.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Large photos that show detail to what is happening in the text.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Excellent!
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Cute story for children
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Have the students change the book to something this is opposite. Talk about how this could be an antonym.
Schroer 19
Title: A Sick day for Amos McGee
Author: Philip C. Stead
Illustrator: Erin Stead
Copyright date: 2010
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Fantasy/Fiction
Description of the art/visual detail: bright colors, large pictures
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about friendship and how Amos’s friends are there for him when he was sick.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Calm and friendly, shows the reader a good atmosphere.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Great! Can talk about friendship
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Cute story for young children
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this book to talk about what you would do on a sick day.
Schroer 20
Title: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Ray Cruz
Copyright date: 1987
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Black and white drawings
Author’s style: Realistic Fiction
Description of the art/visual detail: Bright colors, unity
Synopsis of the story/content: Alexander is the main character and he is having a very bad day. Nothing seems to go right for him.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Large pictures that fill the page and show what is happening.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Great!
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: Cute story for children
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could discuss having a bad day and how everything will be okay.
Schroer 21
Title: Giggle, Giggle, Quack
Author: Doreen Coronin
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Copyright date: 2002
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Fantasy
Description of the art/visual detail: Colorful, light colors
Synopsis of the story/content: The farmer Brown goes on vacation, his brother Bob is left in charge of the farm. He makes trouble on the farm.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Funny showing what is going on in the text.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Cute book could discuss the different animals.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? None
Personal opinion: I would read this book with children
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could discuss different animals that are found on the farm. Could also talk about having responsibilities when taking care of something.
Schroer 22
Title: Grandfather’s Journey
Author: Allen Say
Illustrator: Allen Say
Copyright date: 1993
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Picture Storybook
Author’s style: Narrative
Description of the art/visual detail: The images are big and fill almost the entire page. The images are done in color and are detailed.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a boy that is telling a story about his grandfather’s life and moving to the United States from Japan. The grandfather moved when he was a young boy. He travelled all over the United States until he fell in love with California. He then moved back to Japan when he was a little older to marry his childhood sweetheart. The couple moved back to California and raised their family there. When his child was grown they moved back to Japan. The daughter got married and then the little boy was born. His grandfather always wanted to go back to California but never made it. In the end the boy went to California when he was little older to see what his grandfather had always talked about.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The tone is calm throughout the story. The colors are consistent throughout.
Schroer 23
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would be a good book to read aloud because children can make connections to their own families.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? It did discuss a war starting and bombs destroying the city where the grandfather grew up so you could use this to talk about the war in Japan.
Personal opinion: This book received the Caldecott Award. I enjoy the images in the book because of the color that was used. It is very calming.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? This book could be used when talking about ancestors and past family members.
Title: Jumanji
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Copyright date: 1981
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Picture Storybook
Author’s style: Dialogue and narrative
Description of the art/visual detail: All of the pictures are done in black and white. The pictures are large and cover one page, the other page has the words.
Synopsis of the story/content: Jumanji is a game that two children find while in a park near their home. They bring home the game to see what it is all about. While playing some weird things start to happen such as animals appearing in their home all over the place. Another thing that happened was there was rain falling inside of their home. The two children realized they needed to beat the game to get rid of everything that was starting to happen. The children eventually finish the game just before their parents returned home.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The tone builds up throughout the story because you want the kids to play the game but do not want them to get in trouble when their parents arrive home.
Schroer 24
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This book is good for reading aloud because you have the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and further the discussion on the book after you are done reading.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? I did not notice any in this story.
Personal opinion: This received the Caldecott Medal. The text can create a picture in your head of what is happening before you look at the pictures in the story. The pictures are detailed and keep the readers interested. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Teachers could use this book when it comes to different games and learning about what comes along with new games. To know how to play a game one needs to read the instructions fully.
Schroer 25
Title: Locomotive
Author: Brian Floca
Copyright date: 2013
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Watercolor, ink, acrylic, and gouache
Author’s style: Telling about people moving west hoping to start a better life, mainly by trains.
Description of the art/visual detail: Detailed illustrations, large on all pages, help to tell the story to the reader.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story shows how people were moving west around the 1860s. Trains were becoming the popular way of transportation and this book shows that.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The colors in the illustrations seem calming and help to tell the story to the reader. The illustrations are large and detailed.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This book would be great to read aloud because there are so many mini lessons within the one book. You could find many different topics to discuss throughout the story.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes?
Personal opinion: This book is awesome!! The illustrations are amazing and you can learn so much information from the text about locomotives and moving westward.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher could use this book to talk about many different topics such as what was happening around the year of 1860 and how that was impacting the movement westward.
Schroer 26
Title: Sacagawea
Author: Barbara Witteman
Copyright date: 2002
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Photography
Author’s style: Biography
Description of the art/visual detail: Pictures were taken of different areas or people
Synopsis of the story/content: This is a biography about Sacagawea
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Tells her story and what happened during her life, talks about her exploring the new lands.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This is an informational text so it would be good to use when starting a new unit on Sacagawea and moving westward into the United States.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Sacagawea was a Native American working with white men so this could show how she went against what people were doing at the time and helped the men.
Personal opinion: I do enjoy this book because I like learning about Sacagawea, she has always been an interesting person to learn new information about.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? A teacher can tie this in with the Europeans moving into the Native Americans land and how this was affecting the two groups in different ways.
Schroer 27
Schroer 28
Title: Show Way
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Hudson Talbott
Copyright date: 2005
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Picture Storybook
Author’s style: Narrative
Description of the art/visual detail: The backgrounds are dark but then there is color that pops out on the page. I like the look of all the different images in this book.
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about a family that has been sold into slavery. It follows each female born and how they went through life. A lot of the lives are the same but as the story goes on things start to change for the ladies in the family.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? The tone is calm throughout and easy to follow. A lot of things repeat so that makes the story flow.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? This would make a good read aloud because you are able to ask different questions and the students can think about their own families and relate the story to themselves.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? This book talks about being sold into slavery so that topic would need to be discussed to younger students.
Personal opinion: I enjoyed this story because it showed change throughout time and how things do change but the family stays the same.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? This would be a good book when talking about black history and what they have had to fight for throughout their lives.
Schroer 29
Title: Do You Want to Play with my Balls?
Author: Cifaldi Brothers
Illustrator: Santiago Elizalde
Copyright date: 2012
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Drawings
Author’s style: Dialogue
Description of the art/visual detail: calm colors
Synopsis of the story/content: This story is about children playing with balls.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Shows what is being said in the text.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Good for children. Not good for adults.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Talking about balls… All how you interpret what is being said. Sounds bad to adults but children probably wouldn’t understand.
Personal opinion: I would probably not read this book to children.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? Colors and numbers
Schroer 30
Title: Aesop’s Fables
Author: Munro Leaf
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Copyright date: 1941, 1969
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: Ink drawings
Author’s style: Fables
Description of the art/visual detail: Black and white, detailed drawings
Synopsis of the story/content: An author that puts together different tales to teach a reader about a lesson.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Shows what is happening in the words.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? These are good to read aloud because as a class you can discuss the lesson that comes from the short reading.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? There was some foul language but when looking at the context you can see that the word is meant in a different way.
Personal opinion: I enjoy reading different fables because it discusses a life lesson some can be taken seriously and others might be humorous.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? After reading fables as a class, you can have the students discuss the lesson that can be learned from the reading. Students can either agree or disagree with each other.
Schroer 31
Title: One Hundred Favorite Folktales
Author: Stith Thompson
Illustrator: Franz Altschuler
Copyright date: 1968
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: pencil/ink drawing
Author’s style: Folktales
Description of the art/visual detail: Black and white
Synopsis of the story/content: There are one hundred different folktales found within this book for people to read.
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? There are not many drawing found within this book but when you come across one they are very detailed and can tell a story.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Yes because these are short folk tales so you would not have to read the entire book instead just read one here and there.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes?
Personal opinion: I like to read folktales especially the ones I know because then I can remember the different versions that I have heard throughout my life. I also like that they are short so then it does not take long to read through one. Some of these folktales are also movies so it is cool to see how different people interpret the same folktale.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? As a teacher you would not want to sit down and read the entire book. Instead discern which folktales would be meaningful to the students in the class. Some of these folktales can teach lessons in life so students could get real life examples and relate them to their own life.
Schroer 32
Title: Myths
Author: Alexander Eliot
Illustrator: Emil Buhrer
Copyright date: 1976
Identify the kind(s) of picture book: photographs taken
Author’s style: Informational
Description of the art/visual detail: Digital images
Synopsis of the story/content: Collection of myths
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? Showed information to the reader
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Yes because students like to hear about different stories and you can learn new information
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes? Most myths are not real yet some people believe that they are. It is hard to understand some stories because you want to believe in them but you know they are not true
Personal opinion: I do not enjoy reading myths because they are not true.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? You can learn new information that people may believe or come up with.
Schroer 33
Title: Children’s Treasury of Lyrical Poetry
Author: Francis Turner Palgrave
Copyright date: 1894
Author’s style: Poetry
Synopsis of the story/content: This book contains a collection of different lyrical poetry
What tone(s) does the illustrator create? Why? I believe that poetry is calming and has a nice flow when you are reading aloud because the words flow from one to the next.
To what extent is it good for reading aloud? Yes because students need to experience different types of writings. It is also good to hear poetry read aloud because it can help students to read more fluently by hearing what it should sound like.
Describe any controversial messages conveyed in the pictures or the text. Are there any stereotypes?
Personal opinion: Personally I enjoyed this older book of poetry because it shows the reader that poetry does not change and you can learn from the past when reading older books.
Classroom connections: How and for what could a teacher use this book? In some cases since this book is older there might be older language found in the book. You can then use this time to talk about how our language has changed over time and is still changing today.
Schroer 34
Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Awards: Pulitzer Prize
Reading Level: 5.6
Publisher: Harper Collins
Copyright date: 1988
ISBN #: 978-006-093546-7
Number of pages: 323
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting (time and place): Maycomb, Alabama around 1933-1935
Main Characters: Scout, Jem, Atticuss, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell
Minor Characters: Dill
Synopsis: Scout’s father takes on the task of defending a black man accused of rape. The story shows that the world is not fair and not everyone is treated the same.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Racial views
Personal opinion: Good story on how to work hard for something you are passionate about.
Classroom connections: Talking about racial topics and the N-word
Schroer 35
Title: Stone Fox
Author: John Reynolds Gardiner
Awards: A New York Times Outstanding Children’s Book of 1980 and A Library of Congress Children’s Book of 1980
Reading Level: 3.2
Publisher: Scholastic
Copyright date:1980
ISBN #: 0-439-09510-7
Number of pages: 81
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Adventure
Setting (time and place): Wyoming
Main Characters: Little Willy, Grandfather, Stone Fox
Synopsis: Little Willy finds his grandfather sick in bed one day. Little Willy then has to do everything for the two of them. He then finds out that they owe a lot of money to the bank so Little Willy signs up for a race with his dog.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Depression, sickness
Personal opinion: I personally liked the story and that it kept you on your toes wondering what would happen next.
Classroom connections: Talking about working hard for what you want in life.
Schroer 36
Title: A Long Way from Chicago
Author: Richard Peck
Awards: Newberry Honor
th th Reading Level: 4 to 6 grade
Publisher: Scholastic
Copyright date: 1997
ISBN #: 0-439-24092-1
Number of pages: 148
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting (time and place): Small town in Illinois during the Great Depression
Main Characters: Grandma Dowdel, Joey Dowdel, Mary Alice Dowdel
Synopsis: Joey remembers all of the summer visits to his grandmother’s home during the Great Depression. He would stay there for a week at a time. There are different events that happen each visit.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Helping others, Competition
Personal opinion: Grabs the reader’s attention at different points in the book
Classroom connections: Talk about the Great Depression, helping people in need
Schroer 37
Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Awards: Newbury Medal
Reading Level: 5.9
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright date: 1993
ISBN #: 0-553-57133-8
Number of pages: 179
Genre: Science Fiction
Setting (time and place): Futuristic North America
Main Characters: Jonas, The Giver, Gabriel
Minor Characters: Mom, Dad, Sister
Synopsis: Jonas lives in a world that is supposed to be perfect. When Jonas turns 12 he gets his lifelong job. He is assigned to be the new Giver. Jonas learns a lot about the community during his time of training.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Government, laws
Personal opinion: I enjoy this book, I like talking about the different topics found in the book
Classroom connections: Creates a lot of discussion on the rules and how things are decided.
Schroer 38
Title: Number the Stars
Author: Lois Lowry
Awards: Newbury Award
Reading Level: 4.5
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Copyright date: 1989
ISBN #: 0-440-40327-8
Number of pages: 137
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting (time and place): Denmark during WWII
Main Characters: Annemarie, Ellen Rosen, Uncle Henrik
Synopsis: Annemarie’s family assist the Danish Resistance by helping their friends get out of Denmark while the Nazi’s were invading.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Holocaust, WWII
Personal opinion: This book has good discussion topics that can be addressed within the classroom
Classroom connections: Holocaust, WWII
Schroer 39
Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
Awards: None
th th Reading Level: 7 to 9 grade
Publisher: Dover Publications
Copyright date: 1998
ISBN #: 978-04640075
Number of pages: 212
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Setting (time and place): St. Petersburg, Missouri, around the mid-1800s
Main Characters: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Aunt Polly, Becky Thatche, Joe Harper
Synopsis: Tom Sawyer loves adventure and will do anything. Tom and his friend Huck Finn witness a murder and the cover up by Joe. Tom continues to explore around even though he is scared.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Racism
Personal opinion: This book has a lot of adventure and is fast paced.
Classroom connections: Racism, Life in the 1800s
Schroer 40
Title: Betsy-Tacy
Author: Maud Hart Lovelace
Awards: None
rd th Reading Level: 3 to 6 Grade
Publisher: Harper Trophy
Copyright date: 1940
ISBN #: 978-06-440096-1
Number of pages: 129
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Setting (time and place): Deep Valley, MN
Main Characters: Betsy, Tacy
Minor Characters: Thelma, Joe
Synopsis: Betsy and Tacy become best friends and go on many adventures together. The two girls are neighbors.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Friendship, Moving to a new house or town
Personal opinion: Cute story
Classroom connections: Can talk about having to make new friends
Schroer 41
Title: Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Awards: TIME Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of the year
Reading Level: High School 9-12
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright date: 2012
ISBN #: 0-525-47881-7
Number of pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Setting (time and place): Indianapolis and Amsterdam, between 2008 and 2012
Main Characters: Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus “Gus” Waters
Minor Characters: Mrs. Lancaster, Mr. Lancaster, Peter Vann Houten, Patrick
Synopsis: This book is about a teenage girl who has been diagnosed with lung cancer and goes to a support group. She is not completely willing to go to the support group but that slowly changes when she starts to meet new people.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: Cancer, Emotions, a “girly” book
Personal opinion: I love this book!!!
Classroom connections: Cancer, depression, death
Schroer 42
Title: Because of Winn-Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Awards: Newbury Honor
Reading Level: 4.1
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright date: 2000
ISBN #: 0-7636-0776-2
Number of pages: 182
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Setting (time and place): Naomi, Florida
Main Characters: India Opal Buloni, Winn-Dixie, The Preacher, Gloria Dump, Miss Franny Block, Otis
Synopsis:
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping:
Personal opinion:
Classroom connections:
Schroer 43
Title: Charlotte’s Web
Author: E.B. White
Awards: Newbery Honor
Reading Level: 4.4
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Copyright date: 1952
ISBN #: 978-0-06-026386-7
Number of pages: 184
Genre: Fiction-Classic
Setting (time and place): Farm, 1950s
Main Characters: Wilbur, Charlotte, Fern
Minor Characters: Homer, Templeton, different barn animals
Synopsis: This story is about a young girl named Fern. Her family lives on a farm. When their pig gives birth one of the pigs is the runt and will have to be taken away. Fern does not want that to happen so she convinces her father that she will take the pig and take care of it on her own. The story shows their adventure as time goes on. The story also includes a spider named Charlotte.
Personal opinion: I personally think this is a cute easy read for many students. The story is one that many students would enjoy.
Classroom connections: A teacher can use this book to discuss farm life and how that is used in our lives.
Schroer 44
Title: Esperanza Rising
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Awards: Pura Belpre Award and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
Reading Level: 5.5
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Copyright date: 2000
ISBN #: 0-439-12041-1
Number of pages: 253
Genre: Historical Fiction with ethnic/minorities emphasis
Setting (time and place): Mexico, California during the Great Depression
Main Characters: Esperanza Ortega, Miguel, Abuelita, Mama (Ramona Ortega), Marta, Papa (Sixto Ortega), Isabel, Tio Luis and Tio Marco
Minor Characters: Marisol and Senor Rodiriguez, Hortensia and Alfonso, Juan, Josefina and the Babies
Synopsis: This story is about a young girl that has to move from Mexico to California with her family during the Great Depression. She goes from having everything she wanted to not having much at all. She now has to begin hard work on a Mexican farm labor camp.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: The author shows the hardships that some people may had to go through when moving to a new place to find work. During this time people were just trying to make ends meet so any job was necessary. The children may have even had to work to help buy food for dinner.
Personal opinion: I think this is a great book talking about different cultures and what was happening during the Great Depression. This book shows how in life you have to work hard for what you want.
Classroom connections: A teacher can use this story to discuss immigration and the hard struggles people faced during the Great Depression.
Schroer 45
Title: Maus
Author: Art Spiegelman
Awards:
Reading Level: 6.8
Publisher: Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Copyright date: 1973
ISBN #: 0-394-74723-2
Number of pages: 159
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting (time and place): 1935 Czestochowa
Main Characters: Vladek, Anna
Synopsis: This is a graphic novel talking about someone’s personal experience with the holocaust. You can see how they went through life and dealt with their struggles. Not one story will be the same and how they felt was real.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: This is a real life story so the other was showing how they may have actually felt during a certain time in their life and having to deal with heavy issues.
Personal opinion: I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this for older students because it is a deep topic. The topics in the book can stir up different emotions and feelings that you need to be prepared to deal with.
Classroom connections: You can use this book when talking about the holocaust because it is a different way of reading yet you feel like you learn so much about the people within the story.
Schroer 46
Title: Pippi Longstocking
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Awards: Hans Christian Andersen Medal
Reading Level: 5.2
Publisher: Viking Penguin Inc.
Copyright date: 1985
ISBN #: 0-670-55745-5
Number of pages: 160
Genre: Fantasy
Setting (time and place): This is not mentioned in the book. It takes place at Pippi’s house which is called Villa Villekulla.
Main Characters: Pippi, Annika Settergren and Tommy Settergren
Minor Characters: School teacher, Pippi’s father is mentioned, police officers, Pippi’s horse and monkey, fire chief, Mrs. Settergren, Mr. Settergren,
Synopsis: Pippi is a young girl that just moved into the house across the street from Annika and Tommy. Pippi does not have her parents with her because her mother had died when she was a baby and her father was out at sea on his ship. Pippi goes on many different adventures throughout the book and does not listen to adults in the way that children should. In the end the siblings father comes to bring them home while Pippi is still left alone in the house without any parents.
Evaluate for signs of author’s worldview and stereotyping: The author could be stereotyping the way that parents take care of their children. This shows that not all parents are there for their children and a lot of kids grow up alone. The author also shows Pippi not respecting adults which could be hard for children to read because they will want to do the same.
Personal opinion: I personally think this is a great book for students to read about adventure and finding new things to do. In this book the characters spend a lot of time outside which I think it is great. More readers need to see that in books because then they will get new ideas.
Classroom connections: As a teacher you would have to make sure to discuss the topic of listening to adults. This is something Pippi does not do the best, she thinks she can just do Schroer 47 whatever she wants. This would be something to talk about with the students so they know this only happens in the story and they still need to respect adults in their lives.