The Ink Drinker

Book Title: The Ink Drinker

Author(s): Éric Sanvoisin

Illustrator: Martin Matje

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Copyright Date: 1998

Genre: Easy Reader - Mystery

Brief Annotation:

A bookstore owner’s son can’t think of anything duller than books. Reading actually causes him agony. When the boy is asked to look after the store for a minute, he doesn’t believe his eyes when he sees a creepy customer take out a straw and begin sucking the ink right out from the book. When he follows this shady character to his abode (a tomb in a cemetery), the man tells the boy that he is a vampire and that he had to give up drinking blood because it gave him a bad liver, but no matter, because books hit the spot. Of course, the boy was surprised to wake up the next day unsure whether or not he actually just met a vampire. But as he observes his wrist more closely, he notices “Draculink” etched in. The books began to call to him, “Come, come browse through us!” He promptly began drinking down the books, but he wasn’t just drinking the ink. He was also experiencing all of the adventures he gulped down. All of the sudden, he was fighting for his life against the notorious pirate, Captain Flint! Pretty cool stuff. “I had become an ink drinker. And for the first time in my life, I relished being the son of a bookstore owner.” This book is the first in Savoisin’s Ink Drinker series.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – I enjoy the boy’s character. He’s stubborn and adventurous. I also loved the fact that he

was living all the stories he drank down. It’s a humorous mystery and a really easy read with great illustrations.

Readers who will like this book:

Stubborn readers and anyone who likes a comedy about vampires.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

How many of you know what vampires drink? What if it didn’t drink blood? What if it drank ink? Why would it do that?

1. Interest Level (age): 8

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 3.4

Actual Size

Book Title: Actual Size

Author and Illustrator: Steve Jenkins

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Copyright Date: 2004

Genre: Picture Book – Concept Book - Size

Brief Annotation:

Jenkins recreates beautiful images of some of the world’s largest and smallest animals in their actual size!! Using a collage technique, the reader will get to see animals like the Giant Squid’s eyeball (12 inches across) and the jaws of the saltwater crocodile (two feet long). You’ll be anxious to see which wondrous animal pops up next!

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – Too often we run in to pictures of caterpillars and sharks shown at the same scale. The fact that Jenkins’ animal pictures are all real life size representations adds that much more interest and validity to his work. All of the attention is on the pictures, with just a few words describing each animal. He leaves more detailed information about each animal he chose in the back – great for the beginning of a research project!

Readers who will like this book:

Animal lovers, scientists, and I think any child would find something to enjoy in this book.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever wondered what the actual size of a bear is? Or a crocodile? Or a gorilla’s hand?

1. Interest Level (age): K

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.5

Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book

Book Title: Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book

Author and Illustrator: Betsy Bowen

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Copyright Date: 1995

Genre: Picture Book – Counting

Brief Annotation:

Bowen takes us through Northwoods in twelve steps. In spring, everything is coming back to life and it’s time to get to work. It’s time to plant and get ready for harvesting. Summer is the shortest season, but that’s when most of the food needs to be harvested and canned so the family can enjoy blueberry pie in the middle of December. Summer’s also the time to make some fun memories before the winter months freeze all of the lakes and rivers. Once the weather gets a bit cooler in the fall and winter, it’s time to close everything up, and enjoy the fruits of their labor with so rhubarb pie and wild rice soup.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

3.5 – Bowen’s wood cut prints are definitely distinguishable and perfect for the seasonal motif in the story. I also liked reading about how a farming family gets by in such a cold part of the state! I don’t know if I would use it as a read aloud with a big group because it gets a bit wordy, which makes the counting aspect of the book seem kind of insignificant. I thought that since there were twelve steps, each page would be dedicated to a month, but it jumps around a bit, focusing more on the seasons.

Readers who will like this book:

Readers interested in life in the Northwoods would enjoy this book.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever been up in the Northwoods? Which season was it?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 1.0

Oliver Button is a Sissy

Book Title: Oliver Button is a Sissy

Author and Illustrator: Tomie dePaola

Publisher: Harcourt Jovanovich publishers

Copyright Date: 1979

Genre: Picture Book – Gender Bias

Brief Annotation:

Oliver doesn’t enjoy sports because he doesn’t think he’s particularly good at any of them. But he does know that he enjoys drawing, dressing up, and dancing – and he’s good at them, too. Though Oliver’s father and his classmates constantly taunt him, he continues to do what he loves. At the school talent show, Oliver will get the chance to really show what he’s made of and there’s nothing “sissy” about it.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – I like this story because it is a personal tale told to reflect dePaola’s childhood and could definitely apply to gender stereotypes today. Nothing comes from teasing and taunting except cruelty, and just because a person may not do what they are expected to do, doesn’t mean they cannot be successful. I mean, look at Tomie dePaola!! He published over 250 for heaven’s sake! So this was a great reminder about the difference between doing what we’re “supposed” to do and doing what’s right.

Readers who will like this book:

Anyone who has felt the burn of gender bias and hopefully students that might have been the teasers on the other end.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

What kind of games do you like to play in your free time?

What if you liked to play football and you liked to dance in the ballet? Is it possible?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.8

3. Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8r6UyTeZjA

Next Stop, Grand Central Station

Book Title: Next Stop, Grand Central Station

Author/Illustrator: Maira Kalman

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Copyright Date: 1999

Genre: Picture Book – Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Brief Annotation:

Kalman takes you through the bustling world that is Grand Central Station in New York City. You’ll see the subway cars, businessman, women with tiny dogs, and all of the people the keep this underground world alive and working.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – I love that Kalman writes about real people she met in the station, both the workers and the patrons. Her illustrations show all of the life and movement in the Station just as I

imagine it.

Readers who will like this book:

Readers interested in taking a glimpse at one of the words busiest underground railways. Readers interested in seeing what a group of different people do at exactly the same time. It’s a wonderful thing to observe all of the different things we do throughout the day.

After Reading activity:

Pick a time during the weekend for the children to record all of the things going on in their house. All of the students could bring in their observations and share how different and similar their home life is.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever experienced the subway?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.8

The Original Mother Goose

Book Title: The Original Mother Goose

Illustrator: Blanche Fisher Wright

Publisher: Running Press

Copyright Date: 1992

Genre: Nursery Rhymes

Brief Annotation:

A collection mother goose poems based on the 1916 classic.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – I grew up with this particular edition and I always feel nostalgic when I see this copy. The illustrations and the purple fabric cover are a great addition to the nursery rhymes I grew up

with.

Readers who will like this book:

A younger crowd of preschoolers or kindergartners would enjoy this delightful read. Great for

read alouds and bedtime.

After/During Reading:

It would be great to research Mother Goose further – If she actually existed, where she came from, where all of these stories originated from, etc.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Do you have a favorite nursery rhyme? Where do you think all of these interesting names came from?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 3.5

Safe at Home

Book Title: Safe at Home

Author(s): Mike Lupica

Publisher: Penguin Group

Copyright Date: 2008

Genre: Sports Fiction novel

Brief Annotation:

If Nick Crandall is sure of anything, it’s baseball. At times he feels like baseball is the only thing he’s ever sure of. So when Nick is asked to move up to the varsity baseball team as a seventh grader, his confidence in himself and everything around him shrivels into almost nothing. All of his uncertainty about his game, and about his adoptive family and friendships are all put to the test. And yet all three of these aspects of Nick’s life help him find his way back “home” again.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

4 – Like many of Lupica’s novels, he ties sports and life into a great story with lessons learned. I think any reader can relate to Nick’s dilemma and want to be as brave as his best friend, Gracie.

Readers who will like this book:

Sports fans, readers involved with adoption, moving, and readers who like a good sports story filled with challenges and accomplishments will enjoy this book.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the one thing you loved to do was changed?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be adopted?

1. Interest Level (age): 8

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.6

Riding to Washington

Book Title: Riding to Washington

Author(s): Gwenyth Swain

Illustrator: David Geister

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Copyright Date: 2008

Genre: Picture Book – Historical Fiction

Brief Annotation:

Janie wasn’t the most well behaved child and she didn’t always know when to hold her tongue. But when she got the chance to ride on a bus to D.C. with her dad and a bunch of strangers to see Dr. King, she speaks up at exactly the right time and place. This took her by surprise! Especially since she didn’t even think she had an opinion about civil rights – she just knew what was “right” and she realized that maybe Dr. King had it right, too.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – The illustrations and the writing made for a great story about a tremendous point in U.S. history. And I think the friendship formed between Janie, a young white girl, and an older black woman sends a very strong and lovely message. It says that there are more things in life that unite us rather than divide us.

Readers who will like this book:

This would be great during a civil rights unit. Young historians and children interested in learning more about that day when all the buses drove over to D.C. to see Dr. Kings famous “I have a dream” speech.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

What do you think it would be like if you were in the crowd watching Martin Luther King Jr. speak?

If someone said you couldn’t use their public restroom because of the color of your skin, what

would you do?

1. Interest Level (age): 6 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 1.0

City Dog, Country Frog

Book Title: City Dog, Country Frog

Author(s): Mo Willems

Illustrator: Jon Muth

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Copyright Date: 2010

Genre: Picture Book – friendship

Brief Annotation:

It’s springtime and Dog finds himself in an unfamiliar place: the country. He used to his city life, but soon runs into a friendly frog. Frog shows dog how to have fun in the country. Summer rolls around, and Dog’s back in the country but he shows Frog how he has fun in the city. Now it’s fall, and Frog is too tired to play, so Frog and Dog sit and remember all the fun they had in the summer and the spring. Winter comes, and Frog is nowhere to be found. Dog is very sad. Spring comes once more, and Dog doesn’t know what to do. All of the sudden, a Chipmunk asks Dog what he is doing. “Dog smiles a froggy smile” and befriends the little guy.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – This would be a great book to have when discussing the importance of friendship, and the fear of new places and losing friends. The simplistic writing along with the pattern of the seasons would make this a great read aloud.

Readers who will like this book:

Young readers who have pets, who have ever moved, gained friends, or lost friends

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever moved to a new place?

Did you find a friend?

Have you ever lost a friend?

1. Interest Level (age): 7 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 1.6

Sam and the Tigers

Book Title: Sam and the Tigers

Author(s): Julius Lester

Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Publisher: Puffin Books

Copyright Date: 1996

Genre: Picture Book – fable

Brief Annotation:

Little boy, Sam, tells his mother, Sam, and his father, Sam, that he wants to pick out his own

clothes now. And they’re the brightest clothes in town – the sun would be jealous of Sam’s clothes! As Sam struts down to school in his new get up, a tiger appears! The tiger growls at Sam and says he’s going to eat him, but Sam convinces Tiger to take his bright red shirt instead. So, Sam escapes unharmed this time… until another tiger appears! Then another, then another! Pretty soon, Sam doesn’t have any of his fine clothes left. Let’s see if he’s clever enough to get them back from those greedy tigers.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5 – Lester has a great knack for language and along with Pinkney’s illustrations this tale is really fun to tell. It has all of the makings of a an Aesop fable, but it has quirky, modern characters and a clever boy with a sense of style at the center of it.

Readers who will like this book:

Young readers would get a kick out of this story – It’s a fun bit of storytelling. Also, it would be a great history lesson to learn about the origins of this story from the Little Black Sambo for older readers.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever asked your parents if you could choose the clothes you wear to school?

What did would you wear if you could choose?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.8

Smoky Night

Book Title: Smoky Night

Author(s): Eve Bunting

Illustrator/Photographer/Artist: David Diaz

Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company

Copyright Date: 1994

Genre: Picture Book – Historical Nonfiction

Brief Annotation:

When the Los Angeles riots break out in the streets of their neighborhood, a young boy and his mother learn the value of getting along with others no matter what their background or nationality.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

4 – The history behind the Los Angeles riots is very heavy and complicated. This book does credit to the feelings felt during the riots, but expresses them in a way that speaks to a younger audience. The story seems simple, but there are many strong themes – such as hope, anger, togetherness, love, helping one another, and racism.

Readers who will like this book:

I think readers interested in reading a historical nonfiction about peace during a chaotic time would enjoy this book. Readers that would like to learn more about what happens during riots. Also, readers interested in mixed mediums in illustrations would find this book very beautiful.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

What is a riot? How does it start?

Who is affected by riots?

If you were friends with rioters, do you think you would join them or tell them to stop?

1. Interest Level (age): 5 and up

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.5

3. List Awards:

Caldecott medal winner

Bud, Not Buddy

Book Title: Bud, Not Buddy

Author(s): Christopher Paul Curtis

Publisher: Yearling

Copyright Date: 1999

Genre: Historical Fiction Novel

Brief Annotation:

“It’s Bud, not Buddy.” Living by the advice of his dear mother who passed, Bud Caldwell refuses to be talked down to or belittled by any body. Even when he’s kicked around from foster home to foster home, and even when he’s told that he’ll never meet his father again, Bud is not discouraged. Bud has his own rule book - titled, Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. So, with suitcase in hand and just a few pamphlets his mother gave to him before she passed, Bud ventures through Michigan in search of his father. Though this story takes place during the Great Depression, the weakness that America was feeling did not deter Bud's spirit one bit.

Your Rating (1-5) and why:

5! Bud is only ten years old, but that doesn’t keep him from staying strong and keeping smart, even when everything around him doesn’t seem to make any sense. I think this would be a great book to use during themes about adventure, hope, harmony (both musical and spiritual), friendship, family and historical themes about the Great Depression and racism.

Readers who will like this book:

I think any child would like to read about a boy that makes his own rules. I also think this would be a fun read aloud to go along side any of the abovementioned themes.

Yopp & Yopp p. 62-66:

Literature Maps

Create a Literature map together, mapping out Bud’s journey and all of the characters he meets along the way. Also, include categories that will help strengthen the theme you are studying. For example, have the children look for examples of friendship, trust, luck, challenges, harmony (or lack there of), and how the Great Depression affected the characters in the story, etc.

Question to ask about this book before a read aloud:

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were an orphan?

If you had a chance, any chance at all, to find one of your parents, would you look for them? Even if weren’t 100% sure that they were even your parents at all?

1. Interest Level (age): 10

2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.2

3. Awards:

Newberry Award and the Coretta Scott King Award 2000

4. Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_P0sThuLEo