First I would like to announce my winner of the Mari L. McCarthy’s e-book on journaling. It is KATE! From Kate’s comment, I can tell she is a journaler (is that a word?), and so I am very happy she won the book! Good luck to both Kate and Mari.
Second, my little one has her first cold. UGH! I realize this is no big deal, but I am a worry-wart parent; and I just feel sorry for the little thing trying to breathe through her nose and then through her mouth. I know how crappy I feel when I have a cold, and so I can only imagine poor Katie. But anyway, my post is short and sweet because I have been up with her tonight. Then our kitchen sink is leaking, from underneath!!!!!, and so I was trying to help my husband with that. All of these excuses. . . 
Anywho on to the book. . .
I chose to write about The Fathers are Coming Home to keep with my father theme from last week and Bob Shea’s Oh, Daddy!. Katie received this Margaret Wise Brown book as a gift, and she loves it. It is so simple (maybe too simple for some, but that’s why younger children may love it) with wonderful illustrations by Stephen Savage. It celebrates a father’s love–a human father, a bunny father, a fish father, and so on.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. If you are in a classroom, a book like this can be difficult for some students if they live with their mothers only or if their fathers are deceased. I like how Brown brings in the animal fathers, too; and so if you have students like this, you can focus more on the animals when you discuss the book than on the human father in the book. If you don’t have anyone in your class who might be upset with this book, you can always do a shared writing activity, such as: With my dad, I like to _______________________________.
2. What other animal fathers do children know about? Could they write a page or two (as a class) adding some more animal fathers to the book? Study the pages about animals, and how Margaret Wise Brown included them in the story. Then, write a page or two about a new animal.
3. I saw one mom on Amazon.com talk about how her child likes to count the kids in each illustration as all the fathers have different amounts of children. So, you can do a math type activity here, too. Once you count the children, you can ask questions: “Who has the most?” “HOw many more does _____ have than _____?” and so on.
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Bear as main character
*Rating: Ugly Pie is the ideal picture book–cute story, wonderful illustrations and a takeaway activity.
Short, short summary:
Ol’ Bear is hankerin’ for Ugly Pie, but he doesn’t have all the ingredients. All he has is some molasses. So, he goes out looking for Ugly Pie. As he comes to each of his friends, they offer him a kind of pie, but Ol’ Bear really wants that Ugly Pie. They do give him some ingredients each time; and by the time he gets home, he can make his Ugly Pie. He sings a cute rhyme each time, too: “My-oh-my! But I’m still itchin’ for some Ugly Pie.” The very end of the book is a recipe for all the little cubs out there who are hankerin’ for Ugly Pie.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Obviously, kids will want to make the recipe just like Ol’ Bear, but bring some math instruction into it. For advanced students, you can ask them to double or half the recipe. For some students, they just need practice with reading a recipe or even following directions. Look over your objectives you need to teach (at home schools, too) and use this as a fun activity and lesson!
2. Ask students to write about a time they were “hankerin’” for something and what they did to get it!
3. Word choice (one of the six plus one traits of writing) is very strong in Lisa Wheeler’s Ugly Pie from the playful use of language on the first page to the little rhyme Bear sings throughout. Ask students to pick a “favorite” word to tell you when they hear you read it aloud. Make a list on chart paper of these favorite words. Hang in the room for students to use in their own writing. (Personally, my favorite word is “hankerin’”.)
photo by Theresa Thompson www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Friday My Radio Flyer Flew is a simple, sweet story with absolutely amazing, amazing illustrations. Your young readers will LOVE it!
Short, short summary: A young boy finds his dad’s Radio Flyer red wagon in the garage. His dad takes him for a ride in the wagon, and a boy notices a plane. He gets an idea that he can make his wagon fly, but the week isn’t working out so great. Rain and several failed attempts bring him to Friday. And by the title, you can tell that somehow on Friday My Radio Flyer Flew. By the way, I am in love with Zachary Pullen’s illustrations!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Let students tell you if they think the boy is actually flying on Friday or if he and his dad are pretending to fly. Ask students to support their answers with clues from the illustrations.
2. This is a good time to talk with students about safety! On Thursday, the boy takes several tumbles in his Radio Flyer. Is it a good idea to build a ramp and try to make the wagon fly without adult supervision? I hate to dampen the spirit of adventure and all, but you can work in some safety education here–especially wearing a helmet with bicycles, skateboards, and roller blades.
3. Since there are so few words in Friday My Radio Flyer Flew, after a few readings, students could read some or all with you–especially when you get to Friday. Here’s the text: “Finally on Friday. . .I focused. . .and my Radio Flyer. . .flew. . .and flew. . .and flew!” With each “flew,” students could read louder!
I am telling you–you have to check out this book and its illustrations, especially if you are a Radio Flyer lover. Are you a Radio Flyer lover?
*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Tiny bug and You as main characters
*Rating: I wish I would have had this idea for Can You Make a Scary Face?
Short, short summary: A bug gives the reader commands such as “Stand up,” “Sit down,” and “Do the chicken dance.” But then, he wants you to pretend a tiny, tickly bug is stuck in the reader’s shirt. And then a giant, hungry frog comes, and the bug wants you to scare him away! So, he tells you to make a scary face, but it turns out that the tickly bug is a pretty big scaredy-cat.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. This book has a built-in activity. The bug is telling the students what to do. You should have the students do the activities with the bug. It is a great book for a winter recess activity and/or a PE or music warm-up.
2. As a shared writing activity, write more pages for the book. You and your class can add more pages before the bug asks you to make a face. What can the bug ask the readers to do? Have fun creating these pages with your class or your children.
3. This book is great for drawing attention to the endmarks: periods, question marks, or exclamation marks. Because the print is big and there are few words per page, students can focus on the punctuation marks. They can also read the words with you, and practice intonations, etc that go with question marks, periods, and exclamation marks.
