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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.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Coming on Home Soon

Book Title: Coming on Home Soon


Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Illustrator: E.B. Lewis


Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons


Copyright Date: 2004


Genre: Picturebook – Historical Fiction


Brief Annotation: It’s wartime and women need to work to provide for their families. So when she hears of work available in Chicago, Ada Ruth’s mom must go, leaving Ada Ruth with her grandmother. The love and kindness shared between the three characters, Ada Ruth, her mother, and her grandmother, is beautifully portrayed in the words and the illustrations – the art conveys such depth of feelings. A story of sacrifice, hope, and love.


Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5 – A lovely story with heart and beautiful illustrations. There is so much that is said without always being directly said – this could allow a young reader to begin “reading between the lines” and interpreting behaviors, feelings, etc with what the author provides. Although this story takes place in an earlier time period, much of the situation and emotions are relevant to today. In addition, this is a beautiful book to add to the diversity in a classroom or home library.


Readers who will like this book: Young girls around Ada Ruth’s age (8-ish) will enjoy this story. Young girls whose mother is absent and/or they live with their grandmother may especially connect to this story.


Teaching Strategy from Yopp & Yopp: Preview-Predict-Confirm (p. 40-43); The illustrations in this book are so wonderful and convey so much. Have the children look through the book and use the illustrations to preview, predict, and confirm. After going once through the story, the students come up with words that they think appear in the text. They make predictions about what major topics might appear in the book and in what context certain words might appear. This is best done in small groups where there is less risk involved in using vocabulary and generating ideas.


Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: (Looking at the illustration on the cover) What do you think this little girl is feeling? Why do you think that? What might she be thinking about? Where do you think she is standing? (Do any children think she is standing in front of a window or door because it looks like light?)


Interest Level (age): 5-9

Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.6

List awards: Caldecott Honor Book

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