Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Kinney, J. (2009). Diary of a wimpy kid: dog days. New York, NY: Abrams Books.

Gregory continues to write in his diary during his summer vacation. He loves spending time inside the house watching movies or playing video games. His mom, however, has been trying to encourage him to spend more time doing outdoor activities. Nevertheless, it seems that every time Gregory tries doing things outdoors, something always goes wrong. He even gets into an argument with his friend Rowley, and almost gets his father arrested. Although things didn't always go according to plans, Gregory knew everything was going to be alright now that summer was almost over.
In his book, Kinney told the story through Gregory's point of view.  This is important because it allows readers to know exactly what the character's actions and thoughts are.  The diary format and the style of writing allows readers to relate to the character in the story.  The pencil drawn illustrations add an  extra dose of entertainment to the story.

If you liked Diary of a wimpy Kid: Dog Days, you'll probably enjoy reading more of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Visit Jeff Kinney's website to find more of his collection. http://www.wimpykid.com/

Bridge to Terabithia

Patterson, K. (1997). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Jesse Aarons meets Lelie Burke after she becomes the fastest runner in in the fifth grade. The two became friends, and soon found a secret place in the woods where they could allow their imaginations to run wild.  Jes and Leslie really enjoyed the time they spent together in the land they named Terabithia. Their secret world, however, comes to an end when Jesse gets the horrible news that his friend Leslie had an accident when visiting Terabithia by herself. Patterson adds an unexpected twist to this story of fantasy and imagination. In the end, Jesse decides to share the magical kingdom with his younger sisters, whom he had taken for granted before.


Watch the book trailer for Bridge to Terabithia: http://vimeo.com/18862933

It's so amazing

Harris, R. 1999. It's so amazing. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

It's so amazing is a book about the human body. Young readers will be able to get answers to questions they might have about their own body, and how it develops. It describes differences about the male and female body, as well as the development from being an infant to becoming adult.  Michael Emberley used the typical bird and bee to discuss the topics in the book.  His use of comic strip style is sure to entertain readers of any age.  The book is organized in a way that readers can choose to read the entire book, or select certain topics to read.

This is a good book to integrate when learning about life cycles in class, specifically, human development.

Three pigs

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York, NY: Clarion.

This story of The Three Pigs adds an unexpected twist to the traditional story we all know.  The little pigs escape the wolf and find some new friends along the way.  At the end of the story, they all return to the brick house. The illustrator’s interesting artistic style gives the characters a sort of 3D look, as they appear to come out of the pages.  There was also a change in the color of the illustrations as they turn from color to pencil sketch to color again.

Watch the book trailer for The Three Pigs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U41VWexL6gE&feature=player_embedded

It's a book

Smith, L. (2011).  It's a book.  NY: Roaring Brook.


Here we have a cute story that reflects in a funny way the common use of technology.  While the monkey in the story is reading a book, the jackass who is used to his computer does not understand what thebook is and its simple use. When he finally takes a look at the book, he is hooked and won't return it to the monkey.  The whole composition of the book is clean and simple.  The illustrator uses a light color pallette for his simple but enjoyable art. 
This is a great book to discuss with students the importance of integrating both technology and books into learning!

As an extension activity, allow students to illustrate a bookcover for their favorite story book.

Spiders

Bishop,N. (2007). Spiders. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Spiders is an informational book that brings us up close to the world of spiders. We learn about their body composition, its food, its ability to make webs, amongst many other things.  In his book, Bishop brings us close up photos of a variety of spiders that will appeal to both children and adults.  In the bottom corners of each page he offers a short description of what we see in the photos.  In addition, an index is included for quick reference to key words. Last, but not least, he offers a glossary of important words!

As a follow up activity, students can create a poster where they list interesting facts about what they learned.  They'll enjoy adding their own illustrations!

Good Masters, Sweet Ladies

Schlitz, L.A. (2007). Good masters, sweet ladies. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Good Masters, Sweet Ladies is a collection of short plays. Each play tells the story of a person's life in the Middle Ages. Through each character, the reader learns about the many different traits that existed during this period of time. We learn of the difficulties of the poor, pilgrimages, and even the life of the wealthy. In her book, Schiltz also includes side notes to help readers better understand each play. Robert Byrd, uses ink and bright watercolors in his illustrations to enhance every story. The book includes a Table of Contents and a Bibliographical Reference.
If you enjoyed reading this book by Laura Amy Schlitz, you might also like her book, A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama.