Too Many Tamales

Soto, G. (1996). Too many tamales. New York: Puffin.

     This is a book that I can sadly make many connections to! Maria and her mother were making tamales for their family Christmas celebration. The author Gary Soto provides the readers with a bit of foreshadowing at the beginning when Maria reveals that she has always wanted to wear her mother's diamond ring. I automatically predicted that Maria would sneak her mother's ring on at some point. This provides a great opportunity to have students make predictions. Maria does slip her mother's ring on and continues making tamales. It is not until after cousins, aunts and uncles come that Maria realizes she is no longer wearing the ring! She begins to panic and makes her cousins eat each and every tamale hoping someone will bite down on something hard! Of course they are stuffed and miserable by this time and still no ring!  This is where I begin making connections - I actually lost a ring of my mothers and panicked! Maria realizes that she is going to have to own up to her mistake and admit to her mother that she has lost her ring. Soto develops Maria's character through her actions - we learn that she is impulsive because she cannot resist wearing the ring, somewhat bossy because she forces her cousins to help her look for the ring, and humble because she realizes she has made a mistake and learns from her mistake. Soto writes the story using a chronological plot that focuses on character against self as the story is written in the order in which the events occur and Maria is battling her self and the choices she made throughout the story.
     This is a great story that I would highly recommend for first, second and possibly third grade. It is an excellent example of the multicultural genre because it is about a Hispanic family and is built around one of their traditions - making tamales for Christmas.
      Some questions to ponder are:

• Can you make any text to self connections to this story? Have you ever done something similar to what Maria did? How did you feel?
• How would the story be different if Maria's mother had not been wearing the ring all along?
• What is the theme of this story? Use details from the text to support your answer.

Esperanza Rising

, gRyan, P. M. (2007). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Inc.


          Esperanza Rising is a beautifully written book that explores the topics of migrant workers, racism, discrimination, familial relationships, growing up and death. Esperanza is a young girl living on a profitable ranch with her mother, father and grandmother. Also living on their farm are the many servants and workers who help her father run his farm, including her friend Miguel and his parents. The story opens with a prologue introducing Esperanza and her father Senor Ortega and giving readers a glimpse into the depth of the relationship.Sadly, Esperanza's father is murdered by bandits the night before her birthday and her mother is faced with the prospect of marrying her evil brother-in-law to keep their ranch and their wealth. The Ortega's only option is to leave Mexico. They travel with Miguel and his family to California. On the way Esperanza is faced with a series of obstacles in which she must accept that her life and lifestyle is changed. Once they reach California they are forced to work in a migrant camp. Here they are met with challenges such as striking and sickness. When Esperanza's mother is forced into the hospital Esperanza is left to make their way in the United States. How will she help her mother and make a life for them in the United States?
          I was really impressed with this Pura Belpre award winning book. The plot was written in a progressive chronological format with the events being told in the order in which they occurred and with the conflict being presented (they are forced to live poorly and work in a migrant camp), climax (Ramona Ortega, mother, gets sick) and the solution occurring afterwards (you need to read it to find out this part!!). There is a great deal of character development throughout the story, Esperanza grows and learns constantly throughout the story - whether she is realizing that she is no longer like a princess or she is dealing with the struggles of working life.
         This was a really great read and I would love to use it in my classroom. Although I have some readers who may be ready to read this independently I would love to use it whole group. I've mentioned before that I have a difficult time making time in my schedule to teach social studies and science in isolation. This book would be excellent for teaching about different cultures, social issues such as discrimination, as well as history lessons since this story deals with the Mexican Revolution, the Great Depression and migrant camps. What really stuck with my was the author's notes in which Pam Munoz Ryan reveals that this story is actually based on her grandmother's life and she also gives details about the involuntary deportation of Mexican workers during this time - which was a history lesson for me.
         Some questions to ponder are:

• What connections can you make between this story and Cinderella or versions of Cinderella (Esperanza Rising is very much the opposite of this rags-to-riches stories)?
• What connections can you make between this story and your life? Have you ever felt like Esperanza felt during __________? (Given part of story)
• There are a lot of opportunities to infer and predict in this story - What can you predict will happen next? What can you infer Esperanza, Miguel, Marta, Ramona (any character) is feeling? Justify your answer.

The Aviary

O'Dell, K. (2011). The aviary. New York, NY: Random House.

       The Gleendover mansion holds a great deal of mystery for young Clara Dooley - locked rooms, ghostly presences, creaky stairs, and shuttered windows. As mysterious as mysterious as the decrepit house is, the world beyond is even more unknown, because of a vague heart disease her mother tells her she has, Clara has never ventured beyond the grounds of the Gleendover place. Clara's mother Harriet and Ruby help run the household for sweet, gentle Mrs. Gleendover, the widow of a world famous magician. Along with the four humans who occupy the house, five screeching, creepy birds live in an aviary in the backyard. Upon the late Mr. Gleendover's request the birds are kept like kings. Clara is extremely frightened by the birds and their clatter and chatter. Clara leads a quiet, peaceful (although unsatisfied) life until two major events occur - Mrs. Gleendover's passing and her introduction to the spunky Daphne. Upon Mrs. Gleendover's death Clara begins finding clues that may turn her world upside down while revealing the truth about Mrs. Gleendover's past, the mysterious birds and Clara's unknown family members. Clara and Daphne will dig up dirt until they find the answers they are looking for - little do they know that their journey will require the help of five feathered friends in the backyard.
       I had originally planned to blog about Mrs. Peregrine's House of Peculiar Children for my fantasy blog, however after reading that text I decided to take Amazon's advice and buy another book other reader's had read and bought The Aviary. I was immediately taken by this book and read it in one day and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with others. Throughout this text I was trying to determine what sort of conflict the author was setting up, it seems at times as though it is character against character because Clara constantly battles her mother's overprotective ways. However, upon completion and reflection I decided that it is character against self because Clara works through the entire story to better herself and to overcome fears (such as making friends, leaving her home and disappointing her mother) and eventually does.
       Some BIG questions to ponder:

• What do the birds represent? What predictions can you make about the purpose the birds in the story.
• Who are you more like, Clara or Daphne? How so?
• What is the theme of this story?

I am an avid reader and this is one of the best I've read lately. Highly recommended!

The Three Little Pigs

Marshall, J. (2000). The three little pigs. Penguin Groups.          

                       James Marshall puts a hilarious spin on this classic folktale. In typical James Marshall fashion this story is retold with a few extra details that may split your sides.

                        As in the original story there are three little pigs, each of whom sets out on his own and builds their own house. One of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks. The Big Bad Wolf visits each pig and chases them to their siblings abode, repeating his mantra - Little pig, little pig, let me in until he comes to the last little pigs house. Here the pigs gather and try different ways to trick the wolf, inviting him to a carnival and eventually cooking him in a pot of soup.

                        This story would be great to compare and contrast to other versions of this The Three Little Pigs.  You could use it to discuss perspective and point-of-view. It would also be good to introduce the elements of a folktale.

                         Some questions to ponder are:

• How is this story similar and different to other versions of The Three Little Pigs?
• Which version would you rather read?
• Who is the more likable characters? The wolf or the pigs?

                   After reading up on this book, I found that there is an online version on Weston Woods where the story is animated and read aloud. This could make the story even more interesting to students.

Song and Dance Man

Ackerman, K. (1988). Song and dance man. New York, NY: Scholastic INC.

                        This magnificently told story is about a show-stopping grandfather and his easily entertained grandchildren and their trip down memory lane as the "Song and Dance Man" (the grandfather) relives his glory days on the stage as a performer.

                       The story takes place in a dusty attic that holds treasures from Grandpa's past. He carefully takes each memory out of a box and brings it to life for his grandchildren. He sings, dances, tells jokes, pulls quarters from their ears. All the while his grandchildren claim they enjoy this show more than anything they might see on television. The story is told in third person and the characters are not extremely developed, however students could use the illustrations to infer the character traits and personalities of the grandfather easily. The illustrations paint him as happy, glowing and laughing.

                         This book would be great to use as a method for improving fluency, students could listen to the story on tape, tape themselves and use repeated readings. It is also good for inferring character traits and making connections. I was immediately drawn to this story because of the amazing illustrations, they are incredibly life-like and done in color pencil. This story is a Caldecott Medal recipient.

                        Some questions to ponder are:

• Do you think Grandpa misses his former life?
• Do you think you would like to know Grandpa?
• Can you make any text-to-self connections between this text and your own life?

                       This is a great read and I am really excited to use it in my classroom!

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

Steptoe, J. (1989). Mufaros beautiful daughters, an african tale. New York, NY: Scholastic.

                        Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a beautifully illustrated book written and illustrated by John Steptoe. It is a Caldecott Honor Book and well-deserving. The illustrations are very detailed with many warm colors used.

                       This story takes place long ago in an African village. The main characters are two sisters, Mufaro's daughters. Manyara, the antagonist, a rude and hateful young lady who feels she is entitled to be queen. The protagonist, Nyasha, is kind, hard working and helpful. While working hard in her garden, Nyasha encounters  and befriends a small garden snake named Nyoka. Eventually, the king of the village decides he is ready to take a wife. Mufaro wants both of his daughters to have this chance, however, Manyara steals out late in the night so that she may have a headstart on Nyasha. On her journey to the city, she comes across a hungry young man and an advice-giving old woman, both of whom she is incredibly rude to. When her family finds her missing the following morning they begin looking for her. They also stumble across the two characters on the path and Nyasha is kind and giving to them both. Once they reach the city, Manyara runs out of the castle in terror, frightened by the five-headed monster inside. Nyasha then ventures to find the monster, all she finds is her serpent friend Nyoka. Nyoka reveals himself to be the king. He also tells Nyasha that he was also the hungry boy and the old lady and thanks her for showing him kindness and compassion and asks her to be his wife.

                      Orginally I was drawn to the cover of this book, which is absolutely beautiful. After reading it I was intrigued by the parallels between this text and Cinderella. Every year I teach a unit about Cinderella stories from around the world. This will be a great addition to that unit. It can be used to compare and contrast the two stories. It also has the key elements of a folktale so would be great for introducing folktales.

                       Some big questions for students to ponder are:

• How is this story similar/different from Cinderella?
• Which of the sisters would you rather be friends with?
• What lesson or moral can you infer from this book?

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Scieszka, J (1989). The true story of the three little pigs! By A. Wolf. New York: Viking.

        This knee-slapper is a great introductory lesson for teaching point of view. Scieszka retells the original fairy tale from the Big Bad Wolf's point of view with a hilarious spin on what really happened!

 

 

 

        The setting of this story is similar to the original version, a wooded area where the three pigs have constructed houses of straw, sticks and bricks. The characters are also the same however their roles are reversed - the three pigs are rude and crude with hateful attitudes while the protagonist wolf is simply on a mission to bake his dear granny a birthday cake. The pigs run into a similar fate as the wolf travels from house to house but the wolf has a clever justification for his devouring of the pigs. When the wolf encounters the last little pig he runs into a BIG problem with even BIGGER consequences.

         The True Story of the Three Little Pigs would be a great introduction for point-of-view and perspective. It would also be a great text for comparing and contrasting similar books with similar characters and recounting folktales - all of which are huge in the Common Core standards for third grade. To really hit home on the point-of-view side students could conduct a trial for the wolf in which they must defend their point-of-view. This would also easily lend to the use of a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two versions of the story.

         I was drawn to this text because a colleague of mine had recently used it in her classroom and raved about the participation and excitement it had ignited in her students and how easily the concepts and topics were to present based on the text. I am very excited to use this in my next point-of-view unit! Some BIG questions to ponder are:

• How is this text similar/different to other versions of The Three Little Pigs? Which do you prefer? Justify your answer.
• How would this story be different if the wolf was a chicken or other weak animal?
• Why do you think wolves are used in so many stories to depict evil characters? What other animals could be used in the place of an evil characters? What animals would seem silly as an evil character?

I can't wait to use this book in my classrom - I've already bought a helpful unit on www.teacherspayteachers.com . I'm looking forward to using it!

 

 

 

 



Train to Somewhere

Bunting, E. (1996). Train to somewhere. New York: Clarion Books


         This is another great read by Eve Bunting - one of my favorite authors. Bunting writes about difficult topics in a way that is relelavent and meaningful for children. This book could easily be used in classrooms with students from third grade and above, possibly even venturing into 2nd grade. This of course is dependent upon the purpose of the reading.
          This heartwrenching story takes place in the mid 1800's during the peak of Orphan Train placing outs. A small band of orphans and their headmistress Miss Randolph leave New York City in search of new homes and families to love them. At each stop the narrator, Marianne is hopeful that her mother will be waiting for her and at each stop she is disappointed. Each station brings heart break for Marianne as she is split away from her friends and not chosen because she is not young enough, strong enough, sweet enough or pretty enough. As the train slowly rolls into Somewhere, Illinois Marianne is the only orphan remaining on the train - will her mother finally be there to take her home, will she find the family she has always longed for or will she return back to New York City with kindhearted Miss Randolph?
        I was at first drawn to this book because I have use a few Eve Bunting books in my classroom to introduce and expand upon a variety of reading strategies and concepts and really enjoy her writing style and topics. I was also immediately interesting in the illustrations (by Ronald Himler) which are very detailed and yet mysterious at the same time. I can't wait to use this book in my third grade classroom to work on inferring character traits, motivations and feelings. There are so many dynamic feelings and actions going on in Train to Somewhere and students can really feel for Marianne and the other orphans and infererences will flow quickly. I am really excited about using this text and I think my kids will love it!
         BIG questions to ponder about this text are:

• How would this story change if Marianne's mother had been at one of the stops? What if she had passed away rather than leave Marianne, how would this impact Marianne's motivations and feelings?
• How would this story be different if it took place in the present rather than the past?
• How does is this text similar/different from other Eve Bunting texts?

      Again, I think this text could be used in a variety of settings with a variety of age groups - I just can't wait to use it with my 3rd graders!   

Introduction

           Hello! I am Ann-Hill Thomas! I teach 3rd grade in Bardstown, Kentucky. I am 16 weeks away from earning my Master's in Reading and Writing. I am really looking forward to having some extra time back! I really love my job, my kiddos are my world and I love seeing them make connections, problem solve and grow each day.
           I live in Lebanon, Kentucky with my husband who is also a teacher and a basketball coach, and our very badly behaved dog, Boomer. When I'm not working on school things I am usually shopping, spending time with family and friends and exercising. I am currently working through the Insanity cycle with my favorite teacher friends - yes we are crazy!