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. 

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.