Welcome!

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.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Book Title: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Author(s): Richard and Florence Atwater

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: Robert Lawson

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Copyright Date: 1938

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction (animal) novel

Brief Annotation: A fan of polar exploration by night and a house painter by day, Mr. Popper writes to his hero, Admiral Drake, who sends him an antarctic penguin in return! After turning their refrigerator into an ice box, the penguin starts to drop in spirits! Before they know it, the Poppers have a whole house full of penguins. To earn their keep, Mr. Popper attains his dream of working with penguins, even if it is as unconventional as as a performing vaudeville act of penguins!

Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5--This book was just as enjoyable to read as I remember it. What a fun topic--penguins in the house! It's a great reminder that kids can grow up to work with anything they're passionate about.

Readers who will like this book: Readers who will like this book are those who love working with animals! Elementary students are at a very fun age where they can get passionate about a particular species or breed, so indulging in a grown-up with the same passions can be fun!
Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: If you got to live with one animal, which would it be? Would you live in their home or your home? How?
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1 comment:

  1. Suzy Kaback & FamilyMarch 31, 2012 at 6:06 AM

    Great pre-reading question. It's playful, but gets at the heart of Mr. Popper's personality--that he could pull off living with penguins!

    Have you seen the movie? If so, what did you think about how they translated this story to the screen?

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