Grandfather Twilight

Title: Grandfather Twilight

Author and Illustrator: Barbara Helen Berger

Copyright Date: 1984

Genre: Fiction

Theme: night, twilight, sleep, personification

Grades: Preschool and up

Awards: Parent's Choice Foundation Award for Illustration, Washington State Governor's Writer's Award (Source)

Summary

The story follows the nightly ritual of Grandfather Twilight, a kind old soul who lives deep in the forest. Each night he takes a pearl from his chest and proceeds to go on a walk. As he goes, the pearl becomes larger and larger with each step, but still he walks on.

What will happen to Grandfather Twilight and his pearl before he returns home? Read this book to find out.

Pre-reading Activity

The character of Grandfather Twilight is a great example of personification. Hold a mini-lesson on what personification is, the attributing human characteristics or feeling on inanimate objects or phenomena. Then present them with the title of the book and the front cover. Ask them who they think Grandfather Twilight is and from his name and the way he is shown, what do they think will happen in the book.  

During Reading Activity

While the story is going, stop and offer chances to predict what is going to happen. With the large number of pages that lack text, have students analyze the pictures for how they continue the plot without the text. What is going on in the picture and what does that say about what's happening in the story?

Post-reading Activity

After the story is over, younger students can write about their own nighttime rituals. What do you do when you are going to bed? Do you take a bath, change into pajamas, hear a bedtime story? 

Older students may find it fun to write their own story of how night phenomena  occurs. Possible questions to answer with a story could include the following: How do the stars shine? What makes a shooting star? Who are owls asking questions of? Why does it get dark when the sun sets?

Author and Illustrator

Barbara Berger worked as an artist for ten years before focusing on children's books. Since then, she has written and illustrated ten books, including Animalia, Thunder Bunny, and A Lot of Otters, combining different styles of art from Tibetan to Medieval illuminated manuscripts. For her work she has received many awards, including the prestigious Golden Kite Award for Picture Illustration. She currently lives in Washington. (Sources: here and here)

Reflections

This was my favorite bedtime story growing up, only rivaled by Goodnight Moon. It's calming tone and gorgeous illustrations make it a great story for when you are putting a little one down for bed or sharing a quiet moment with a class. Whether its to examine literary elements such as personification or mood or just as an entertaining treat, this book is sure to please. I highly recommend it. 

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here. 

Barbara Berger has shared her thoughts on the strong response fans of this book have given her, in this section from her website:

"Over the years, many people have told me about the peaceful hush that comes over a child, even a roomful of children, with the reading of Grandfather Twilight. When I created the book, I could only hope that something of the serenity I feel, myself, at twilight might come through the words and art. But I never dreamed that so many children would truly love it as they do, ask for it over and over again, find solace for fears of the dark and sometimes, even for the loss of a parent or grandparent. I never dreamed that Grandfather Twilight would have such a wonderful long life as a book, nor such a wide reach among children and adults alike, from the youngest to the oldest. To this day, it seems a miracle to me." (Source)

Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast

Title: Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast

Author: Valerie Scho Carey

Illustrator: Johanna Westerman

Copyright Date: 1992

Genre: fiction, traditional folktale

Theme: ghosts, Great Britain, thankfulness

Grades: 2-4

Summary

Maggie Mab is a woman living by herself in Northern England. She is very poor, but is always happy to help out neighbors and strangers with the little she has and ever complains about her situation. One night coming back from a neighboring farm, she comes across an abandoned pot full of gold. Although she could use the money to make her life easier, Maggie's first thought is to take it home to keep it safe from robbers so it can be returned to its proper owners. Strangely, this pot of gold transforms into a lump of silver, but this is only the start of a very bizarre night for Maggie.

What do these strange happenings have to do with the legendary Bogey Beast and what lessons about thankfulness can readers take from this tale? Read this book to find out. 

Pre-reading Activity

This book tells a traditional folktale from Northern England. Because it is set in a country/culture that your student may not be familiar with, it would be a good idea to set it up a bit before reading. Show where Northern England is on a map, or even show pictures of the area. It may also be a good idea to go over some of the culturally specific or other unfamiliar words nd phrases for the students so they won't be thrown off by them when read in the text. Some words to go over could be: churning butter, toppling-over, shawl, and bogey beast. With the context given by these words, especially the bogey beast, students will better be able to enjoy the story. 

During Reading Activity

This book is filled with interesting comparisons such as "poor as the sound of a tin bell," "neat as a chapel cleaned for Sunday," and "lazy as a badger in winter." After a quick reminder of metaphors and similes  have the students make a list of comparisons they come across during the reading.  

Post-reading Activity

Using their individual lists, make a class list of metaphors and similes used in the book and as a class or in pairs, have students take them apart to determine the greater details they tell. For example when Maggie is considering being rich and "lazy as a badger in winter," she is referring to how badgers usually asleep all winter since they hibernate. So this comparison says that Maggie thinks she would be extremely restful and lazy if  she became rich. 

After exploring the similes and metaphors from the story, it would be fun for them to write some descriptive comparisons themselves, in as part of a story or standing on their own. 

Author and Illustrator

Valerie Scho Carey's love of storytelling comes from listening to her parents stories as a child and has led to her studying history and stories from many cultures. Along with this book, she has written five books for children, winning awards for The Devil and Mother Crump and Harriet and William and the Terrible Creature. She currently lives in Michigan. (Sources: book jacket and here)

This book was Johanna Westerman's first picture book she's illustrated. Since then, she has illustrated seven other books, including I like Cats and Little Swan, and received very positive reviews for her work. She continues to create artwork and illustrate books. She currently lives in California. (Sources: book jacket, here, and here)

Reflections

This book was always a favorite of mine, even when I found it a bit spooky. Looking back at it as an educator, I can see it is a great resource for a variety of reading topics such as folklore and metaphors and similes. Although it may be scary for very young students, second graders and up will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here. 

Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears?

Title: Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears?

Author and Illustrator: Jennifer Veenendall

Copyright Date: 2009

Genre: educational fiction

Theme: sensory overload, sensory processing disorder, disabilities, school

Grades: Kindergarten and up

Awards: Foreword Book of the Year (2009), International Book Award Finalist (2010) (source)

Summary

Our hero Izzy has recently started the first grade but hasn't been having the greatest time so far. You see, Izzy has a sensory processing disorder which makes her very sensitive to noise, touch, visual distractions, etc. With all of the bright lights, colorful art on the walls, kids talking and bumping into her, she sometimes gets so overwhelmed she can't take it anymore.

Can Izzy's teacher do anything to help her? Will Izzy ever enjoy the first grade? Read this book to find out. 

Pre-reading Activity

Before reading this book, try to get the class to understand what it feels like to be overwhelmed. This could be as simple as asking for some students to share a time in their lives where they've felt overwhelmed and to describe how they felt. 

If the students are old enough and you do it safely, you could also try creating an overwhelming experience for the students to feel that way themselves. Teachers should explain that they are going to be reading a book about a very special little girl, but first they are going to do an experiment. The teacher could hand out a timed math quiz to the class, but have far more questions than the students will not be able to finish (this will add some stress). Then while it is going on play a video that is distracting and have a loud conversation on the phone (adding visual and auditory distractions). After a very short period of time, stop the quiz and collect the papers. Discuss with the students what they thought about the quiz. do they think they did well? Why not? How did they feel? Explain that they just had an experience like someone who has a sensory processing disorder, and that you are going to be reading a book about a girl named Izzy who experiences feelings like this very often. Also make sure to let the class know you aren't going to be using the quiz for anything and to not worry about it.   

Post-reading Activity

In the story, the author describes many classroom changes that Izzy's teacher made to help her work better and to concentrate. Have a short discussion reviewing some of these changes, that not only benefited Izzy but the entire class. Then have them apply these types of changes to their on class. Have them write a paragraph about what they think are the distractions in their own classroom and what changes they would make if Izzy were to become a student in their class. It might also been good to take some of the students ideas and actually apply them to the room in order to help them concentrate.

Author and Illustrator

Jennifer Veenendall is an occupational therapist who works in schools in Minnesota. She is passionate about helping students with sensory processing needs by creating environments that meet their needs so that they can learn and enjoy school. In efforts to share knowledge about this group of special needs and tips for teachers on working with students with these needs, she has written two children's books about sensory processing disorder, including this book and Arnie and His School Tools: Simple Sensory Solutions that Build Success, both of which are International Book Award Finalists. She currently lives in Wisconsin. (Source)

Reflections

I think this book is a great resource for teachers. It's plainly written so students of any grade can understand it if you read it to them, but still full of great tools and strategies for teachers to think about for their own rooms. Its informational page, bibliography, and resource list all provide teachers (and parents) with tons of information on this particular disorder and ways of finding more. This book would be a good one to share if there is confusion about a student in class who may have this disability or for just spreading awareness of others with disabilities in the community so misconceptions can corrected. I highly recommend this book. 

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here. 

Tyrannosaurus Math

Title: Tyrannosaurus Math

Author: Michelle Markel

Illustrator: Doug Cushman

Copyright Date: 2009

Genre: Fiction

Theme: Dinosaurs, math, problem-solving

Grades: K-3

Awards: WINNER Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices (Source)

Summary

From the moment when he first cracked out of his egg, the dinosaur hero of this book sets himself apart from his friends with his unique passion; he loved math. Throughout the book, Tyrannosaurus Math uses math skills to learn about his world and solve problems that arise in his life; showing examples of addition, counting by fives, pictographs, and even fractions. 

How does Tyrannosaurus Math save the day with his amazing arithmetic abilities? Read the book to find out.  

Pre-reading Activity

Before diving into this book, teachers may want to get their students thinking about the hidden math people use everyday. Teachers can ask students to share a time in their lives they use math outside of the classroom. Students may require an example from the teacher as an ice breaker to help them get their brains going. Teachers can give examples such as counting out coins for a parking meter, use multiplication to scale up amounts of ingredients needed for a recipe for a large party, or using division/fractions to split up a pizza equally among friends. With students thinking and sharing about this math in their own lives, explain that you are going to be reading a book about a very special dinosaur who also uses math in his life and that they should look for what math skills he uses.

During the Reading Activity

This book, along with having a story narrative, is full of math problems. Teachers might find it amusing to put sticky notes over the answers to the math problems and see if the class can solve the problems along with Tyrannosaurus Math.

Post-reading Activity

After reading this book, students can take time to write their own math stories in emulation of this book, either starring themselves, their own character, or even as another Tyrannosaurus Math adventure. Teachers may also benefit from using this style of storytelling and characters for presenting word problems; having a continuous narrative with multiple problems, since the phrase "word problem" seems to strike students with fear.

Author and Illustrator

Michelle Markel started out writing as a journalist who's articles appeared in famous newspapers including The Los Angeles Times and The Wall St. Journal. Today she writes for children, being the author of seven books, including The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau and Dream Town. She currently lives in California. (Sources: book jacket and here)

Doug Cushman is responsible for the artwork for this and many other children's books. He has either written or illustrated (often both) over 120 books. He has illustrated Douglas Wood's "Can't Do" series and Bethany Roberts' "Mice" book series, and is the author and illustrator of the Dirk Bones mystery series. He currently lives in Paris, France. (Sources: book jacket, here, and here)

Reflections

While math and reading may not always seem like the easiest subjects to combine, this book does so nicely. Students will enjoy the story and teachers will like how it answers the frequent question students have about math, "When am I going to ever need to use this in real life?." This book provides many real life examples of real math use, while also serving as a more friendly alternative to word problems that is just begging to be copied by teachers. This is another book I recommend for all classrooms, especially with reluctant math users. 

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here. 

That Book Woman

Title: That Book Woman

Author: Heather Henson

Illustrator: David Small

Copyright Date: 2008

Genre: Historical Fiction

Theme: Appalachia, history, Social Studies, reading, librarians, school

Grades: 2-5

Awards: Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award (NY), Beehive Award Master List (UT), CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Christopher Award, Golden Sower Masterlist (NE), Great Lakes Book Award, Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List, Keystone to Reading Book Award (PA), Parents' Choice Award, Storytelling World Award, Storytelling World Award Honor Book, "Stories for Young Listeners, Texas Bluebonnet Master List (Source)

Summary

Cal, his Pap, Mama, sister Lark, and the rest of his family live on their farm high up in the Appalachian Mountains, away from schools, towns and other people. Lark always seems to have her head in a book, but Cal feels that since he knows how to help run the farm, there isn't a need for "dumb old books." One day a visitor, a woman wearing pants, arrives on horseback to give Cal's family some books for free. Not only does she visit once, but she returns again and again to exchange those books for new ones.

What will the Book Woman do when winter hits the mountain? Will Cal's disapproval of reading ever change? Read this book to find out.

Pre-reading Activity

Before reading the story, it would help to get students to understand the educational situation Cal's family and other families living in the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression. Start by talking to the class and asking how far away they live from the school. Some will live in close walking distance and some need a car or bus ride. Ask them how easy it would be to get to school if they had to walk because cars would be much too expensive to own and there weren't any school buses. Then how hard it would be if they had to walk miles to and from school? Then what if that distance included going up and down a mountain? Then what about during blizzards?  Would you be able to do that and still work a full day of work on a farm? Explain that during the Great Depression, children living in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky were put in this exact situation. Because of all of these challenges, many children never went to school, and so they learned things like reading in a different way.

During Reading Activity

This book is a great one for tracking changes in characters throughout the story. Classes could take notes on Cal's feelings toward reading at the beginning, middle, and end of the story, as an example of character evolution. 

Post-reading Activity

After the story has been read, students can make connections to their own life by writing a response, with a prompt such as "Has there ever been a time in your life when you changed your opinion about something you disliked like Cal did? What caused you to change your mind?." It also may be good for students to write a comparison piece, describing how they learned to read (in an organized school, with a building, teachers, etc.) and how Cal and other Appalachian students during that time period (at home, teaching themselves and each other with materials provided by the Pack Horse Librarians). 

Author and Illustrator

Heather Henson worked at HarperCollins Publishers in Brooklyn for years editing other people's books before returning home to Kentucky to write her own. Along with That Book Woman, she has written five other books, including Grumpy Grandpa and Making the Run. She currently lives in Kentucky. (Source: book jacket and here)

David Small has won numerous awards for his work illustrating over forty children's books including the Caldecott Medal for his work on So You Want to Be President?. Not only does he illustrate other authors' books, but also is an author himself, including being the author and illustrator of the classic book, Imogene's Antlers. He currently lives in Michigan. (Source: book jacket and here)

Reflections

I am sadly unknowledgeable about the history and culture of those living in Appalachia, and so I found this book no only enjoyable but also educational for me. I learned a lot about this often overlooked part of history and the country, and I'm sure students of all grades would take away something new as well. I loved how it was written with the dialect of the region represented and respected and of course the art is fantastic. I highly recommend it.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Desk Stories

Title: Desk Stories

Author and Illustrator: Kevin O’Malley

Copyright Date: 2011

Genre: fiction (graphic novel)

Theme: desks, school, humor

Grades: 2-4

Awards: 2012 IRA-CBC Children's Choices

Summary

This book is made up of six separate stories, all about a different take on the school desk:

1). “History Man”---a humorous history of desks through the caveman times, the Middle Ages and today. What type of desks did they use in the past?

2). “Trapped!”---John, a very bored student finds himself being chased and then trapped by his desk. Will he be alright?

3). “It Came From Within”---Sara, a “perfect student” is good at everything in school and isn't afraid to rub it in. One day she feels something warm and furry in her desk and learns a very important lesson in humility. What was the thing living in her desk?

4). “Desk Time Jokes”---A collection of classic school themed jokes.

5). “Desktec”---Readers get unprecedented access to the secret plans of Desktec about new desk technology. What will the desk of the future be like?

6). “Sue Smallton: The Incredible Shrinking Supergirl”---Sue, our super-heroine must shrink down and explore her desk to return a barrette.  What dangers will she encounter?

Pre-reading Activity

It could be fun to have students have a guided thinking session. Have them think about their desks in ways they may not have thought before. Think about all of the things they do at it; work, read, play, draw, eat, etc. How important is it to you? What if your desk could talk. What do you think would it say? What would it do if it could move? Have them share a few answers for each question. Then explain that the book you are going to read looks at desks in an imaginative way and that it can be fun to think about things in different ways.

Post-reading Activity

After the book, students can have a chance to write their own creative stories, taking an ordinary object and looking at it in a different way. They can pick an object (book, a food, classroom pet, etc.) and then use prompts inspired by the stories:

What would happen if the subject were alive/could talk?

What would that object be like in the future?

What if you could shrink down and go inside/hang out with your object? What would happen?

This would students to be able to write a story that can be funny and of interest to them and they will probably would like to share it. (I later found that the publisher's website has a review of this book that also suggests using it as a model for creative writing. It's entirely a coincidence but I'll link their page here.)

Author and Illustrator

Along with Desk Stories, Kevin O'Malley has written and illustrated the similar style book, Backpack Stories, and worked a plethora of other books such as Slugs in Love, Humpty Dumpty Egg-splodes, and the Miss Malarky book series. He currently lives in Maryland. (Source: book jacket, here, and here.) 

Reflections

This is a fun book with a variety of story styles to attract readers. These stories are short enough that a few could be shared during a story time, while also able to fill a lesson's worth of discussion in themselves. This can allow teachers to fill a whole week of read-alouds without changing books. This would definitely grab the attention of reluctant readers.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Rick and Rack and the Great Outdoors

Title: Rick and Rack and the Great Outdoors

Author and Illustrator: Ethan Long

Copyright Date: 2010

Genre: fiction (graphic novel)

Theme: animals, outdoors, friendship, humor

Grades: 1+

Summary

In three adventures, Rack the deer tries repeatedly to get his friend Rick the raccoon to enjoy outdoor activities with him, resulting in humorous consequences.

1) “The Big Fish”---Rack tries to teach Rick the joys of fishing, but Rick only finds it boring, repetitive and stinky. How will Rack fix the smell problem?

2) “Mystery Tracks”---Rack and Rick go on a hike on when they stop for a break, Rick discovers some mysterious animal tracks. Who could they belong to? A tiger? A rhino? A dragon?

3) “Canoe Leak”---Rack teaches Rick how to canoe and the importance of life jackets.

Pre-reading Activity

Before reading the story, it would be a good idea to have the students think and share with a partner any experiences they may have had in fishing, tracking or canoeing/boating. What types of things did they use? What rules did they have to follow? How did they do the activity? Then make three webs, one for each activity, with connected information. Doing this will access the students’ prior knowledge and assist those who have no experience with these activities, gain some information about them to use as context for the stories.

During the Reading Activity

Because of the three short stories in this book, you have multiple opportunities to practice skills like making predictions. Using their background knowledge and the thought webs, students can make predictions about what they think Rick and Rack will do at multiple points during each little story. As they go along, their predictions will either be correct or incorrect, and more will be created. Because the three stories are independent, you can either break them apart into three separate days of prediction practice or one big day with multiple examples. 

Post-reading Activity

Using the three stories as examples, and the easily followed format as a pattern, students may find it fun to create their own Rick and Rack story about a different outdoor activity. This book would serve as a good example to use in teaching students how to create a graphic novel, and would allow them to practice their writing skills (in writing the story and planning the graphic novel) and allow for creativity and practice with art skills.

Author and Illustrator

Ethan Long is not only a talented illustrator and author of children's books(such as Chamelia and Soup for One), he also has worked for television. Not only having created work for Scholastic and Harcourt, Long has Nickelodeon as a client of his and is the creator of the Playhouse Disney program Tasty Time With ZeFronk!. He has won many awards for his work and currently lives in Florida. (Source: here and here.)

Reflections

This is a great example of a book that can be used to teach graphic novels to younger grades. It’s well written, has an easy to follow story, is laid out in a simple way, and most importantly, it is very funny. The three stories in one book aspect, gives it great flexibility in the classroom. You have the option of spreading it out over multiple reading periods (but I guarantee your class will beg for “just one more”). I recommend this book for any younger grade classroom and will point out that the Balloon Toons series has many different graphic novels with a variety of characters that could also be useful in classroom libraries.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Luke on the Loose

Title: Luke on the Loose

Author and Illustrator: Harry Bliss

Copyright Date: 2009

Genre: fiction (graphic novel)

Theme: city, children

Grades: K-2

Awards: Junior Library Guild Selection

Summary

A young boy named Luke went for a walk with his father in Central Park. When he notices a group of pigeons, he begins chasing after them, traveling across the city and causing all kinds of problems. Because of his running loose there is a traffic jam, dropped ice cream, and even an interrupted marriage proposal.

Where will the pigeons bring Luke to next and when will he ever stop chasing them? Read this book to find out.

Pre-reading Activity

You can tap students background knowledge on what a city is like and what they may find there, in order to help them to be better able to understand the setting of the story and identify the people, actions and objects found in the illustrations.

Post-reading Activity

In this book, there is little text, other than the dialogue and sound effects. It might be fun to try and use the illustrations in the book in order to create a picture book version of the story. This would involve students writing narration of the pictures to describe what is shown only through illustration in this format. This would help them practice proper sentence creation and sequencing without having to think of their own topics since they have the story already available to them as a scaffold. The list of city things from the pre-reading activity might serve as a useful word wall for their writing.

Author and Illustrator

Luke on the Loose is Harry Bliss’s very first graphic novel, but not his first as a cartoonist or illustrator. He has worked with award winner authors on books such as Which Would You Rather Be? and Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken, and works on the New Yorker as a cover artist and cartoonist. He currently lives in Vermont. (Source: about the author page)

Reflections

Besides being a really fun, this book is a great example to use when introducing graphic novels to students. Teachers can easily show how to approach and read a graphic novel while not worrying about difficult formatting or overly complicated stories. Students learning English would also love this book as well, being able to use the pictures as context for the words, or to still understand the story if the words prove too difficult. I highly recommend this book for those introducing the graphic novel format.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

The book's publishing company, Toon Books, has a great lesson plan using a Reader's Theater about this book, available here. 

I Want My Hat Back

Title: I Want My Hat Back

Author and Illustrator: Jon Klassen

Copyright Date: 2011
Genre: Fiction

Theme: animals, lost and found items

Grades: Preschool-3

Awards: Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Honor, SCIBA Book Award finalist, Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin), E.B. White Read Aloud Award, Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee, E.B. White Read-Aloud Picture Book finalist, Bank Street Irma Black Awards, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices List, Texas 2x2 Reading List Selection, ALA Notable Children's Books, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, CYBIL Award – Shortlist, the Horn Book Fanfare, New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, New York Times Book Review 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books

Summary

A bear, loves his red conical hat, but one day he finds it missing. He embarks on a search through the woods looking for his prized possession. He asks each of the animals he runs into if they've seen his hat, but they each say they haven't. 

Will bear ever find his hat, and wasn't that rabbit acting kind of weird? Find out the answer to these questions and more by reading this book.

Pre-reading Activity

Before reading this book, you can have your audience get into the mindset of the bear by recalling a time in their life when something they loved went missing. What did they lose; a toy, a pet, item of clothing, a person? How did they feel when it was missing? What did they do to find it? How did they feel after finding it and having it back? Afterwards you can explain that the story they are about to read is about a bear who lost something he loved (his hat) and what he does to try and get it back.

Post-reading Activity

This would be a fun book to turn into a reader's theater type project. With a large cast of characters, and one that can be easily added to, a large group can take part in the play and the repetitive structure and clear spoken text of the story makes easy conversion to dialogue that even the youngest students can learn. Students can have a blast making simple costumes to play the characters, such as paper antlers, bunny ears, and of course, a red conical hat. This would make a very nice project for an open house or other presentation to families. 

Author and Illustrator

While this is his first book he wrote and illustrate, Jon Klassen has been the illustrator on numerous projects in print and on film. He worked as an ilustrator for the animated film Coraline, the book series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, and won the 2010 Canadian Governor General’s Award for his illustrations for Cat's Night Out written by Caroline Stutson. He's from Ontario, Canada and  currently lives in California. (Source: book jacket and here.)

Reflections

This is easily one of the best new books I've come across in a long while. It just begs to be read outloud and performed with silly voices. I have read this to both students and adults and both groups loved it. I can't recommend it high enough.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Click the video below to watch the official book trailer for I Want My Hat Back.

You can make your own hat like the bear's, thanks to a fun activity from Candlewick Press. Found here.

Keeper of the Soles

Title: Keeper of the Soles

Author: Teresa Bateman

Illustrator: Yayo

Copyright Date: 2006
Genre: Fiction

Theme: Shoes, Death, Cheating Death

Grades: 2-4

Awards: Horn Books Fanfare List - Best Books of 2006

Summary

Colin, a talented and well-loved shoemaker, helps put wonderful shoes on the feet of the rich and poor alike. One dark night, Death knocks on Colin’s door. He has come from Colin’s soul. Looking at Death’s bare feet, Colin comes up with a clever plan to save himself.

What plan does Colin come up with and is he successful in saving his soul? Read this book to find out.

Pre-reading Activity

Before reading this book with younger students, teachers can access students background information about shoes. Teachers can ask for students to think of as many different types of shoes they can name. There are many different answers they may give such as boots, sneakers, sandals  flip flops, high heels, platform, clown, bowling, etc. With this list, teachers can explain how some shoes are better at some times and silly during others (Snow shoes are really useful in the snow, but silly during good weather). Then explain how in the story they will be learning about a cobbler (someone who makes shoes) who makes a variety of shoes for a very special customer, for many different purposes.

With an older group of students, teachers could have a short lesson on traditional story archetypes. This would involve talking about how multiple cultures may tell stories differently but there are some categories that many different stories can fall into. For example each culture tends to have their take on creation stories, folk tales, heroic quest, etc. One example of a traditional story pattern present in many cultures is the story of someone cheating death. Examples like the story of Sisyphus from Greek mythology, the man who caught Death in a sack (from "Godfather Death" from the Brother's Grimm), the image of playing chess with Death, and even cartoons like The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (where not only do the heroes trick the Grim Reaper out of getting souls but also force him to become their best friend forever). This story is another example of this type of story (and even references the chess with Death story on the cover).

Post-reading Activity

In the title of the story there is a joke made about the homophones soul and sole, both of which have importance in the story. Teachers of younger students can use this as a place to teach a lesson about these potentially confusing types of words. The teacher can create sentences with blanks where two related homophones would go and have students determine which spelling of the word would go where. Like in the following examples:

Death came to Colin’s home to take his _____ and walked out with new boot with a leather _____. (soul/sole)

Susan was wondering _____ that dress she wanted to _____ to school today. (where/wear)

Older students may find it fun to test their creativity by creating their own outwitting death story. What different ways can they think of tricking the Grim Reaper?

Author and Illustrator

Along with writing, Teresa Bateman also works as a storyteller and school librarian. She has written twenty books, including Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who?: The Story Behind Some of America's Patriotic Symbols and Fluffy: Scourge of the Sea. She currently lives in Washington State. (Source: book jacket and here.)

Yayo, also known as Diego Herrera, is a renowned cartoonist originally from Columbia. His artwork has been published in the United States in newspapers, books, and magazines, and has had exhibitions in Brazil, Russia, Canada, Japan and Turkey. This children's book was the first one he illustrated. He currently lives in Montreal. (Source: Book Jacket and here.)

Reflections

I found this book to be a fun story that kids would enjoy. Its pattern of Colin thinking of a new type of shoe each time Death came to the door, allows students make predictions of what kind he will try next and its nice ending of befriending Death will leave readers smiling. I think this book deserves a place in your library.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.