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You have accessed the blog site for Choosing and Using Books for Children. Throughout the term we'll use our blog to record the books we read and the ideas we have for using them when we're teachers. By the end of March, our class will have read at least 280 books. Happy reading!

Two important protocol actions for EVERY post:
1. Underline or italicize all book titles (choose one formatting style and stick with it--underline OR italicize for all book titles)
2. Add your name in the "label" box before you post each documentation.

One important recommendation:
Create your documentations in a separate Word document, then cut and paste in a blog post.

Basic Documentation

Book Title:

Author(s):

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist:

Publisher:

Copyright Date:

Genre:

Brief Annotation:

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

Readers who will like this book:

Teaching Strategy from Tompkins or Yopp & Yopp (you'll link a strategy to at least 10 of your 40 books) :

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Optional, but noted as extra effort:

1. Interest Level (age):

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade):
Use book wizard to help with the previous 2 areas


3. List awards

4. Does this book have a book trailer? If so, cut and paste the web address here.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt

Book Title: Stitchin’ and Pullin: A Gee’s Bend Quilt

Author(s): Patricia C. McKissack

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: Cozbi A. Cabrera

Publisher: Random House

Copyright Date: 2008

Genre: Poetry picturebook

Brief Annotation: All of the free verse poems in Stitchin’ and Pullin’ describe the art of quilting through the eyes of a young girl who was recently invited by her family to make her first quilt. She writes of Gee’s Bend, a rural community in Alabama with a past rooted in slavery and plantation work, which is now celebrated for their beautiful quilts, and of the Gee’s Bend women, a strong community intent on continuing the tradition. She also writes of own her family and the meaning and significance of the fabric that is quilted together, as well as the social importance of the process of quilting. Through this collection of poems, readers are made aware of the art of quilting, which serves many functions, from keeping a family warm to showing runaway slaves a path to freedom to keeping stories alive in fabric pictures.

Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5—This book does an amazing job of relaying the significance of quilting in many southern communities and the multitude of purposes it serves. By reading poems written from the perspective of a young girl, readers are able to gain a more personal perspective and feel how important this step of making her first quilt is to the narrator. The accompanying paintings are both rich and warm, drawing viewers in and inviting them to carefully study the fine detail and bold colors.

Readers who will like this book: Younger and older readers alike who appreciate and enjoy poetry; readers who like history and learning about different time periods through means other than a textbook; quilters, who will relate to the descriptions of this unique art form

Teaching Strategy from Tompkins or Yopp & Yopp (you'll link a strategy to at least 10 of your 40 books) : Quilts. What better way to respond to this book than to make a class quilt! As described in Tompkins, “Students make quilts to extend their comprehension and to celebrate a story that they’ve read or a topic they’ve studied” (p. 94). Students could use a variety of art forms in making their square, from painting or decorating with collage materials to writing a quote or their own poem. Squares are then put together to make a class quilt. Another activity could involve having students bring in a meaningful piece of fabric and describe to the class why it is special. This would demonstrate the fact that quilts tell a story and that each individual piece plays an important role in the construction of the final product.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: What are some cultural traditions your family participates in? What does this activity or celebration mean to you and your family?

Optional, but noted as extra effort:

1. Interest Level (age): 6 and up (amazon.com)

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 1—5 (School Library Journal)

3. List awards: Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers", Starred Review—Kirkus Reviews, Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices

4. Book trailer: http://leebennetthopkinsaward.blogspot.com/2011/04/2009-honor-book-stitchin-and-pullin.html

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1 comment:

  1. Suzy Kaback & FamilyFebruary 12, 2012 at 4:47 AM

    I have a lot to say about this book. First, I haven't read it, but I was just observing a student teacher last semester who was teaching her fourth graders about the Gee's Bend community. I got very interested in it, but had no idea this book existed. I'm going to forward the title on to my other student because I know she'll be grateful for the resource.
    Second, your documentations are written beautifully; your words really show an appreciation for the content and artistic quality of what you read. Thank you for the effort you're putting into creating such lovely tributes to what you're reading. (I haven't seen a documentation for a book you're lukewarm about, but I'm sure you'll write about those with equanimity!).
    Third, I see a potential textset emerging around the idea (not theme) of quilts--Have you read Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson? I own it, so if you're curious, let me know. Also, have you read The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco? That would be a good complement to a study of quilting, too, especially if the focus was on the stories quilts (and quilters) tell.
    Finally, I don't think there is a more logical strategy match for this book than the quilt idea from Tompkins--how apropos.

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