Even Juniors and Seniors in high school love story time. I remember the first occasion with which I decided to use a picture book as a springboard for writing or as an extension of a unit when fully grown kids wanted to know in anxious tones if they could sit on the floor in front of me like they did in elementary school to have a story read to them. I had their undivided attention and drew them into the story with voice and style. You know what they asked next, "Where's the milk and cookies?"
Title: Whoever You Are
Summary: How people see us and how we feel we fit in are crucial topics for children of any age. For Cooper, a biracial, half Korean-half English boy is tired of the names his cousin calls him and doesn’t know where he fits in. He thinks the grocery store clerk is making fun of him when he doesn’t understand the language and shoplifts in retaliation. The lesson Cooper learns is about language and how sharing life’s experiences can open lines of communication despite perceived differences.
These children’s stories may be geared for younger audiences, but my high school age students love them too. They will gather round as they did in elementary school with eager faces to hear a story told and fascinate at the illustrations just the same as when they were younger but now with a more elevated vocabulary to discuss atmosphere, tone, and other artistic qualities of these works.
I have selected these works for their themes and other Elements of Fiction as well as for how they fall under the larger curriculum choices I make in English Language Arts to help my students answer the question: What does it mean to be human?
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Leslie Staub
Publisher: HMH Books,
Copyright: 2007
ISBN-10: 0152060308
Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Books
Summary: This book represents what is common among us all: our humanity. Despite our differences we share pain, joy, and love. The book’s illustrations are bold and brightly colored making their way from culture to culture and across generations to depict our similarities.
Response: A book for its simple message: Our skin may be different colors, our religions, our cultures different too, but we are all the same: human beings on the planet Earth. Often teens get so wrapped up in their social scenes that they forget a whole world exists outside of their immediate circle. I strive to take off their blinders and open their view to the world we live in, presenting basic philosophical questions so they may develop their own philosophy of life. Not some rappers view or of their peers, but their own. And so I begin here.
Use in class: In order to have a conversation about themes in literature, students must understand that the author is conveying a message about the human condition- telling something about humans and life. This book can open an informal dialogue about some of those conditions.
Title: My Name is Yoon
Author: Helen Recvorvils
Illustrator: Gabi Swiatkowska
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Copyright: 2003
ISBN-10: 0374351147
Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award
Summary: Yoon is Korean and struggling to learn English. Her name means “Shining Wisdom” and Yoon thinks her name looks much happier in Korean calligraphy than English. This award winning illustrator creates beautiful images that show Yoon’s discontent in her new country.
“Swiatkowska's stunningly spare, almost surrealistic paintings enhance the story's message. The minimally furnished rooms of Yoon's home are contrasted with views of richly hued landscapes seen through open windows, creating a dreamlike quality…”
Response: One of the first questions we ask a child is “What is your name?” Not what do you like to be called - not a moniker, but our given name that announces our identity to the world which is either beloved by a child or denounced…This book not only tells about a child’s discontent in her new surroundings, learning a new language, but touches upon what we love about ourselves and how our name is attached to our self-esteem.
Use in Class: I would use this book in conjunction with the chapter, “My Name,” from Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. Not only will this activity tell you more about your students, but you can begin a conversation about why author’s choose certain names for characters and the meanings behind those choices.
- Activity: What’s in a Name? Partner Interview: what do you know about how your family chose your name? What does your name mean? Do you like it? Do you wish you were called something else? Do you have a nickname? Partner introduces the other through these interview questions. Write up the responses and present to your partner. Each student designs a colorful 4x6 placard for their name. Display on bulletin board the written responses and placards.
Title: Cooper’s Lesson
Author: Sun Yung Shin
Illustrator: Kim Cogan
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Copyright: 2004
ISBN-10: 0892391936
Age level: 6 and up | Grade level: 3-5
The oil painted illustrations are rich and moody. The book follows it’s biracial theme by telling the story in both English and Korean.
Response: Students will love this book for its universal, complex issues presented in simple terms. It’s a story about name calling, and identity. It’s about finding your “place. It’s about facing consequences for your actions. It’s about language differences and miscommunication, and it’s about finding friendship in unexpected places and people. I like how the author code-switches in the story- telling too, going back and forth between English storytelling and Korean words/phrases interwoven.
In class use: Since this relate-able story is rich in character and plot, those two elements of fiction are easily discussed. But reaching deeper, there are possibilities for discussion on conflict resolution and even some creative writing opportunities once the theme and message about the human condition is addressed.
Title: Too Many Tamales
Author: Gary Soto
Illustrator: Ed Martinez
Publisher: Puffin
Copyright: 1996
ISBN-10: 0698114124
Age level: 4 and older
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Maria dons her mother’s apron to make tamales, but when she puts on her mother’s wedding ring then believes it to be lost in the recipe, trouble ensues.
Response: This is a warm family story with a traditional holiday treat as a springboard for many interesting discussions about communal sharing of foods. In a diverse classroom, it is especially interesting to talk about traditional foods and celebrations, not just around the Christian Christmas holiday. Students love to talk about recipes that conjure favorite sensory memories, or funny anecdotes about family situations (although not always are they funny – be careful how you present your line of questioning) and these rich acrylic illustrations will delight your audience of any age: the faces are so expressive.
In class use: Food is such a rich part of family tradition.
- Activity: Create a class cookbook that contains: a favorite family recipe and an anecdotal story or poem to coincide with a memory of eating that food or the preparation of it. See Written With A Spoon for ideas. Stories or poems should develop a plot with rich, figurative, and sensory language.
Title: The Other Side
Author: Jaqueline Woodson
Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Copyright: 2001
ISBN-10: 0399231161
Age level: 5 and older | Grade level: 1 - 4
Summary: This is a story about segregation and barriers that keep townsfolk apart, but it is also about friendship. Clover, the African-American narrator is told by her mother to never cross the fence because it isn’t safe on the other side.
“Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.”
E.B. Lewis’ watercolor illustrations match the lyrical quality of this story.
Response: There are many barriers that keep us separate and “safe.” Students will find many metaphorical examples of such barriers. This story will open a conversation to community, state, national, and international issues about borders, fences, stereotypes, prejudices, etc. This story easily lends itself to setting.
In class Use:
- Activity: brainstorm the metaphor of a wall, a fence, a dividing line either visible or invisible.. Country borders, state borders, railroad tracks, highways, fences between yards, etc. Read this story before examining the extended metaphor in Robert Frost’s, Mending Wall or before reading Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird.
Title: The Legend of Mu Lan: A Heroine of Ancient China
Author: Wei Jiang
Illustrator: cheng an Jiang
Publisher: Victory Pr
Copyright: 1997
ISBN-10: 1878217143
Summary: Based on the poem from the Song Dynesty, this historically accurate legend is about the girl in China who went to war, disguised as her brother, in order to take her father’s place in the army. This story is told in English and Chinese with amazing watercolor illustrations that bring the story to life.
Response: Handed down through the ages, every culture has their myths and legends. I first heard of Mu Lan from the Disney movie, but later when reading Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, I learned another version. So now when my students are reading this novel, before we get to the chapter about Fa Mu Lan, I read this story. The students are enchanted, and my girls are inspired by the courage and bravery of the heroine.
In class use: A dialogue about family stories or cultural legends passed from generation to generation is important before reading Maxine Hong Kingston’s, Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. Prior to reading the chapter, “White Tigers” I share the story of Mu Lan to awaken the imagination of my students and provide a background (other than the Disney version) that will be elaborated upon in the chapter.
Title: This Land is My Land
Author: George Littlechild
Illustrator: George Littlechild
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Copyright: 2003
ISBN -10: 0892391847
Age level: 6 and up | Grade: 3-6
Summary: -“Littlechild's personal observations and autobiographical memories are woven with snippets of history in this short but powerful book. The author is a member of the Plains Cree Nation, the largest Indian nation in Canada. He grew up in Alberta and makes numerous references to the pain and suffering inflicted on his people. He mentions the fact that children were forcefully taken from parents to be "re-educated" in boarding schools, the cruelty and abuse many encountered there, and the unlawful seizure of land and other acts of injustice. The author's close connection to his immediate past is represented by a series of sepia-toned photographs of his ancestors, incorporated into some of his paintings. His art is powerful, primitive, and childlike in style-large shapes with little detail. He makes bold use of color, employing unusual juxtaposition. And in spite of the deep symbolism, the paintings are playful and fun. Although the information presented here is not in the form that is usually requested for school reports, it is insightful and deeply touching.” – School Library Journal
Response: This book is so rich in story and illustration that it may require more than one class period for viewing and discussion.
“I paint at night. I’m inspired to paint at night. I stand outside staring at the night sky and I begin to dream. The sky is like a doorway into the other world, the Spirit world.
I am inspired by the ancestors. When I look back on our history and see all the difficulties our ancestors had to face, I can only honor them. Through the wisdom of our Elders and the courage of all our people we have survived the past 500 years. I thank the Creator for Wahkomkanak, our ancestors.” – George Littlechild
In class use: The subject of junior English in most American high schools is American Literature. Most textbooks include one or two Native American “myths” and then move into a lengthy unit of the Colonists and their contributions to our canon of literature. I, on the other hand, begin with a lengthy unit of Native American authors, and a look at the oral traditions and storytelling of North America’s indigenous peoples. With this book as a springboard, an in-depth study of this author and illustrator will reveal what my students know and don’t know about our Native Americans.
Title: This Land is Your Land
Author: Woody Guthrie
Illustrator: Kathy Jackobson
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Copyright: 1998
ISBN-10: 0316065641
Age level: 4 and up | Grade level: P - 4
Summary: “This effort is what great picture books are all about. Guthrie's familiar song is teamed with Jakobsen's oil paintings that evoke the 1920s and '30s, yet are still relevant today as, unfortunately, soup kitchens, burned-out lots, and homeless families are still very much a part of the American scene. Double-page landscapes reflect the verses of the song and show the varied terrain of the United States. Interspersed between them are labeled vignettes that include song lyrics or quotes from Guthrie in the corners of each page. Children and adults can spend hours poring over these pages and enjoying the sights and shores, cities and towns, urban areas and the unsettled West that bring the song to life. The book ends with a short biography of the songwriter, photos and drawings of him and other folk singers of the era, a tribute by Pete Seeger, and the musical score. This is not just a celebration of Guthrie and his music. It will serve as a vehicle for classroom discussion on the Dust Bowl and the Depression and can also be used as a lead-in to a study of our country and its symbols.” – School Library Journal
Response: Woody Guthrie, the song writer is an American icon that most high school students know little about. I like how this book incorporated the folkart illustrations of Jakobsen’s as this is not an art form familiar to most students either. This is a book full of “Americana.”
In class use: When I get to Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, out comes the recordings and lyrics from Woody. This book can be used as a comparative study against the George Littlechild book too. As the review states above, this is an excellent vehicle for discussion of American symbols and patriotism.
Title: Walking With Henry
Author: Thomas Locker
Illustrator: Thomas Locker
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Copyright: 2002
ISBN -10: 1555913555:
Age level: 8 and Up | Grade level: 2-4
Summary: Beautiful majestic landscape paintings and the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau take the reader on a journey through the woods to enjoy Nature through the eyes of a Naturalist.
Response: Students are intrigued by the Transcendentalists and Thoreau, along with the Hudson River School artists so I had to include this book because so much of Thoreau’s philosophy was rooted in Eastern beliefs and the Tao. Many discussions spring from Walden Pond and Civil Disobedience excerpts.
In class use: As an avid birdwatcher, I usually walk into the first day of Transcendentalism introduction with my binoculars and survival guide in hand. Weather permitting, I take classes outside to write in our journals. This book helps me illustrate how to walk through Nature as an observer
Title: Planting the Trees of Kenya: The story of Wangari Maathai
Author: Claire A. Nivola
Illustrator: Claire A. Nivola
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Copyright: 2008
ISBN-10: 0374399182
Age level: 5 and Up | Grade level: K - 3
Summary: From the book’s first page:
“Think of what we ourselves are doing. When we see that we are part of the problem, we can become a part of the solution.”
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college in America, she found the streams dry, the people malnourished, and trees gone. How could she alone bring back the trees and restore the gardens and the people?
With glowing watercolor illustrations and lyrical prose, Claire Nivola tells the remarkable story of one woman’s effort to change the fate of her land by teaching many to care for it.
Response: I am always looking for stories of everyday people who do extraordinary things to share with my students. This true story of how one woman became a part of the solution exemplifies for our youth how one person can make a difference.
In class use: The inspiration from this story should lay the groundwork for a campus Service Learning project. Research would consist of how trees and gardens impact the environment and can serve to feed many. Project could result in a community garden. See Carver Elementary School in Amarillo, TX for support and ideas.
Jane Kurtz (Author)
Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)
Publisher: Amistad
Copyright: 2005
Reading Level: Ages 5 and Up
ISBN-10: 0066238137
Washington Post: One of Top Five Best Picture Books (2005)
Summary: “What if a lizard crawled in my suitcase? What if the people in my new school laugh at me? What if Grandmother back in Ghana forgets me?” These are questions Kofi sits up worrying about on his first night in America. But his sister, Abena knows a secret to help calm them and bring them closer to “home.” She begins telling her brother folktales from their homeland.
Response: We all can relate to the stories passed on to us around a fire, a family table, or before bedtime. They live in us and we tell them to the next generation in our care. Stories are our common thread in the larger human tapestry. The short tales in this book do the same. Children will love the messages, “Listen with your ears open, and “Hand come, hand go.”
Classroom Use: Looking at the illustrations: children will easily recognize the pictures that correspond to the folktales and the ones that relate to the actual story and be able to compare their qualities (folktales: vibrant and warm, like Ghana; in America: cool and dark). They should be able to write theme sentences that deal with the overcoming fears of a new place, going to a new school, and the importance of family. This is a good jumping off place to share folktales from other cultures represented in the class. Perhaps La Llorona from the Latin community, or Coyote the Trickster of the Native Americans. Students could ask their parents to tell them a story from their youth to illustrate and retell to the class.
Mary Williams (Author)
R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Copyright: 2005
Reading Level : Ages 7 and Up
ISBN-10: 1584302321
Coretta Scott King Award Winner
Response: The fact that we have so many displaced families who have fled wartorn countries in our own communities is enough reason to share this book with students. The author is careful to word the facts of death in such a way that will not scare the young, but will open a discussion about the trials and suffering those in the situations face. Some students may feel compelled to share their own stories. But as the title says, this is a story of hope; it is also a story of faith, courage, and love. In Garang’s father’s words: “Your heart and mind are strong. There is nothing you cannot do.” This story will open opportunities to talk about how education, faith, determination, and hope in the future are a part of all our lives.
Suggested Use in the Classroom: This book fits nicely as an interdisciplinary lesson in social studies and language arts as illustrated below:
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Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Peter Catalanotto
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Copyright: 1996
ISBN#: 0531070824
Genre: Children's
Age: 6 to 8
Lexile: 1120L
Summary: Solomon Singer is a lonely, middle-aged man living in a hotel for men in New York City. He walks the city streets longing and dreaming of his childhood home in Indiana. One night after a lonely walk, Solomon finds friendship in an unexpectedly kind waiter named Angel while visiting the Westway Cafe.
In the classroom: Often students confuse the difference between the subject of a story and the theme of a story. Subjects are expressed in a single word. Theme, on the other hand, is the author's feeling about the human condition expressed in a full sentence. This story lends itself to a simple analysis of subject and theme. First, students generate a chart and list all the subjects in the story. Then, in the corresponding column, students write a theme sentence that incorporates the subject. Finally, in the last column students write prompts modeled after the state test prompts. Each student then has several prompts from which to choose as the theme for their own reflective essay.
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Illustrator: John Wallner
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Copyright: 1990
ISBN: 0385410786
Genre: Children's
Age: 5 to 8
Summary: The subtitle of this little book is "Adventures in Poetry and Color." The colors of the rainbow are described in deliously vivid details expressed in similies and metaphors that delight the senses.
"What is Orange?
Orange is a happy day saying good-by in a sunset that shocks the sky."
In the classroom: We are always searching for quality examples for our students to explore the use of figurative language in order to bring their writing to life, and this book offers a means to that end. By asking the question "What is such and such a color?" then responding with imaginative, fun, creative, and unexpected snipets, students begin to understand how writers paint with words the way artists paint with brushstrokes. From here they can experiment with simile and metaphor to paint their own masterpieces with language.
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Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Copyright: 1996
ISBN: 0140544518
Genre: Children's
Age: 4 to 8
Lexile: AD570L
Summary: When the wolf explains his side of the childhood story, The Three Little Pigs, the reader gains a whole new perspective. The wolf feels like he's gotten a bad rap and as each of the little pigs loses their home, he explains his side of the tale.
Response: Every event has at least two sides, and in this story Alexander T. Wolf explains that he had a cold when he went to borrow a cup of sugar for his granny's birthday cake from the two little pigs who built their of straw and sticks. He didn't knock on the doors with the intention of blowing the homes down; he was sick and sneezing. This is how witty retelling goes and students just love the opportunity to hear the perspective.
In the classroom: This book offers opportunites to teach lessons in tone, diction, point of view, and voice. Using sarcasm effectively in writing takes practice and students will appreciate the practice in unravelling the art the author uses in this retelling of The Three Little Pigs. (See more zany deliveries of retold fairy tales by this author and illustrator in The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales)
Author: Istvan Banyai
Illustrator: Istvan Banyai
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0140557741
Genre: Children's
Age: 4 to 8
Summary: This wordless book illustrates how a camera lens can focus on a detail then pan out for a larger view of a subject. Upon opening the book, we get a glimpse of a starfish like creature. With a turn of the page we see this is in fact part of a rooster's comb. And so with each page turn, scenes recede in fascinating ways until finally we are looking at Earth from some point in the universe.
Response: While plotless, this book offers students an opportunity to explore their powers of observation and contemplate their place in a vastless universe. This may seem a heady, philosophical question for youngsters but for older students it provides a jumping off place for in-depth discussions and introduction to transcendentalism and existentialism.
In the classroom: As we look through the pages in Zoom, many interesting comments spring from the class about what they see and what predictions they make about what will come next. I like to find ways to expand these comments to learn more about their individual perceptions of who they are. In the beginning of the year, I use the Portrait Poem to discover in a non-threatening way who sits before me day after day. Sudents are often reluctant to delve into poetry and this adaptable format offers an easy introduction to the genre, yet reveals powerful insights about them as individuals.
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0140557741
Genre: Children's
Age: 4 to 8
Summary: This wordless book illustrates how a camera lens can focus on a detail then pan out for a larger view of a subject. Upon opening the book, we get a glimpse of a starfish like creature. With a turn of the page we see this is in fact part of a rooster's comb. And so with each page turn, scenes recede in fascinating ways until finally we are looking at Earth from some point in the universe.
Response: While plotless, this book offers students an opportunity to explore their powers of observation and contemplate their place in a vastless universe. This may seem a heady, philosophical question for youngsters but for older students it provides a jumping off place for in-depth discussions and introduction to transcendentalism and existentialism.
In the classroom: As we look through the pages in Zoom, many interesting comments spring from the class about what they see and what predictions they make about what will come next. I like to find ways to expand these comments to learn more about their individual perceptions of who they are. In the beginning of the year, I use the Portrait Poem to discover in a non-threatening way who sits before me day after day. Sudents are often reluctant to delve into poetry and this adaptable format offers an easy introduction to the genre, yet reveals powerful insights about them as individuals.
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Author: Robert Byrd
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Copyright: 2003
ISBN-10: 0525470336
Ages: 9-12
Summary: This book offers an in-depth look at one of our greatest thinkers, artists, and inventors. The reference book will capture the imaginations of readers above third grade during independent reading. Required group reading for younger students.
Response: I try to develop critical and creative thought in my students and this book offers me a way to introduce how "thinking outside of the box" can look in one person. References for further reading and websites makes this an excellent resource for a bibliographical study of one of humanities greatest men.
In the classroom: Throughout the year I bring great thinkers from history to my discussions and certainly Leonardo Da Vinci is at the top of my list. It is surprising how many students are unfamiliar with his accomplishments and contributions. I can add to their schema with this book.
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Author: Gail Meyer Rolka
Publisher: Paw Prints
Copyright: 2009
ISBN: 1442006064, 9781442006065
Grade: 7-12
Summary: March is the month we celebrate Women's History in the US. This book offers a glimpse of women who have made significant contributions within the context of their communities and over a span of centuries.
Response: Each short profile exposes students to the fact that women have made tremendous gains over the centuries and have been largely overlooked in history books until the end of the twentieth century.
In the classroom: While adding to a student's schema, I also like to use these profiles to illustrate main idea, supporting details, outlining, and how to write a summary.
