My Hippie Grandmother

My Hippie Grandmother
Written by: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrated by: Abby Carter
Candlewick Press, 2003
16 pages
Poetry

This book is about a joyous little girl who is telling about her grandmother through poetry.  She tells all about what they do in one day.  From working in the garden to eating wheat-and-honey bread to picketing city hall.  In this book the little girl portrays how much she loves spending time with her hippie grandmother. Find out more about their story by reading My Hippie Grandmother! Flower power forever!
            Abby Carter used a mixture on watercolor and gouache to create the illustrations in this book.  Carter said that by illustrating this book it reminded her a lot of her childhood because her mother was also a hippie. She captures the true hippie theme from grandmother’s stringy long hair to the outrageous clothing the grandmother wears.  Each picture adds more emphases to the texts meanings.
            I would use this book to show students that not all older people are same. I would have the students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast their own grandparents to the little girls Hippie grandmother.  Then I would also have the students write a paragraph about how they want to be when they get older.  Next I would have my students create their own pictures of older people and how they see them in comparison to the story.

Mother Goose

Mother Goose
Written by & Illustrated by: Dan Yaccarino
Golden book, 2003
39 pages
Poetry

In this book Dan Yaccarino adds a twist to the familiar realm of Mother Goose.  He put the classic Mother Goose poems in a city setting, giving the rhymes a new fresh perspective.  In this book Mary's lamb follows her to school in a taxi and Miss Muffet meets a spider in a dinner! Find out more of Yaccarino's unique additions to Mother Goose!

            Dan Yaccarino does a great job at portraying the many characters in this story.  He uses clean lines, unusual palette, and eye catching patterns to make this book.  Yaccarino uses very clean markings, there are no smudges.  Each illustration adds character to the text.

            For this book I would have my students make up their own poems. Then I would have them compare their rhymes to the original.  I could also have the student’s count how many stanzas are in theirs and in the stories for a math lesson.  Each student would then have to tell the rhyme schema. For example, A-B-A-B.

Dirt on My Shirt

Dirt on My Shirt
Written by: Jeff Foxworthy
Illustrated by: Steve Bjorkman
Harper Collins publishers, 2008
25 pages
 Poetry

            This book is a collection of poems that are about a neighborhood filled with friends, family, fun, and more.  Comedian Jeff Foxworthy wrote these books to capture the essence of being a child.  In these poems you'll meet uninvited friends, Tommy Huff, Cousin Boris, Aunt Foo Foo, and even grandma. Many of the poems can relate to children on their everyday lives.  Children are bound to love the humorous and affectionate poems in Dirt on My Shirt!

            Bjorkman first starts off his illustrations using only a pencil. Then when he is satisfied with the picture he outlines it and adds color by painting.  He ends each picture by adding a little watercolor to the background.  Bjorkman likes to have the illustrations drawn around the text to incorporate what the child should be imagining as the poem is read.

            Dirt on My Shirt is a great book to use to demonstrate rhyming words and medial sounds in words.  While reading the book you can point out the words that rhyme and also give examples for the students to understand how middle sounds have the same sound but do not rhyme. You could also have the children pick their favorite poem and allow them to draw their own illustrations to go along with it.  Next, you could have the children draw a picture of a place they have always wanted to visit and then on the back you could have them write a paragraph about that certain place.  It could be real or imaginary; it's all up to the students’ imagination.

The Three Little Gators

The Three Little Gators
Written by: Helen Ketterman
Illustrated by: Will Terry
Albert Whitman & Company, 2009
30 pages
Traditional Literature

                This story is a rewrite of the original Three Little Pigs.  This book is about three little gators and their mama who live in an east Texas swamp.  After their mama tells them it's time for them to set out on their own, they each go out to build their own homes. But as they are leaving she tells them to watch out for the Big-bottomed Boar. Go on an exciting journey with The Three Little Gators.
                Will terry uses great acrylic illustrations for this story.  He covers almost every page with his illustrations.  The text is placed around the illustrations.  On one of the pages he has the text placed vertically on the side of the page so you can see the illustration of the boar better.
                First for this story I would read the book aloud and then have the students retell the story back to me in sequence order, by using props previously made.  Then I would have the students rewrite their own version of The Three Little Pigs like Ketterman did.  They could do it about people, animals, or anything the ant to do it about.  I would also do a science lesson about what all animals are found in a swamp.  Each student would have to list as many animals they could think of.

The Gospel Cinderella

The Gospel Cinderella
Written by: Joyce Carol Thomas
Pictures by: David Diaz
Joanna Cotler Books, 2004
37 pages
Traditional Literature

                There's a singing Cinderella? Without a glass slipper?  This story is about a mother named Queen Mother Rhythm.  Who has a baby daughter with a voice as flavorful as licorice.  But one day the Queen took her baby to the river in a basket and a horrible hurricane came by and swept the sweet baby girl away. Find out what happens to the baby by reading The Gospel Cinderella.

                David Diaz is an award winning illustrator he uses bold, stylized works that make you want to actually experience what's going on in the story.  Each page is full of vibrant colors.  The pictures take up all the space on the pages.  The text is equally distributed throughout the book on each page.

                For this book I would allow my students to guess and write down what they think the story is going to be about.  Then after reading the book I would have my students match up what they had gotten right.  Next I would have my students make up their own Cinderella story.  Each student would be allowed to write a short paragraph about what they would want their Cinderella story to be.