Historical fiction

Fleischman, P. (1990). Saturnalia. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

In this novel, Paul Fleischman tells a many-sided tale of masters and servants while telling the story of the Puritans' Indian Wars. It is set in Boston in 1681. Fourteen-year-old William lives a contented life as an apprentice after being captured six years before but he is increasingly anxious to learn more about his Indian past. This book is intended for ages twelve and up and would be an appropriate historical fiction selection for a middle school reader. Saturnalia was an actual feast celebrated by the Romans to celebrate a reversal of roles (of servants and masters).

Sis, P. (1993). A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North is the story of Jan Welzl. With the help of Eskimos, Welzl survives a perilous journey from central Europe to the Arctic regions in the late 1800s . Inspired by the memoirs of this Czech folk hero this book mixes the actual words of Welzl and tall tale. The illustrations, also done by Peter Sis, were done in colored inks and watercolors - they are great and lend to the feel of the story. It was the New York Times best illustrated book of the year and an ALA notable children's book. This book is recommended for ages 5-10 but could easily be used in an elementary or middle school classroom when studying explorers or tall tales. Even though it is a picture book, it is a great historical selection for a middle school class because of the story and the images are so sophisticated. A Small Tall Tale is also a fantastic survival story. It would be great for teaching standards on survival, Eskimos, explorers, or tall tales.

Sis, P. (1991). Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

In this pictorial storytelling, also by Peter Sis, Christopher Columbus overcomes a number of obstacles to fulfill his dream of sailing west to find a new route to the Orient. Most students know who Columbus is but they do not know a lot about him and his journey. I would use this book in sixth grade Social Studies at the beginning of the year when we cover the European explorers. We also talk about maps and how little the explorers knew about the globe and where things were located. Although this book is recommended for elementary grades, it could easily be used in a middle school classroom.

Poetry books

Nelson, M. (2005). A Wreath for Emmett Till. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

A Wreath for Emmett Till is a book of sonnets written in memory of Emmett Till (1941-1955). Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African American boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955. This event was an important event in the civil rights movement. There is a short biography in the back so students can learn more about Emmett Till as well as notes on all of the various sonnets. The illustrations, done by Philippe Lardy, are beautiful! This book is a winner of the Coretta Scott King award and is also a Printz Honor Book. This book is appropriate for middle school students buy could also be used into high school. It would work in the middle school curriculum when studying poetry or the civil rights movement. I will definitely use this book in my Social Studies class because I do lots of assignments where my students write different forms of poetry on famous people.

Fleischman, P. (1988). Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. Harper & Row, Publishers.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices is a wonderful poetry book written to be read aloud by two people. It is a winner of the Newbery Award. It is great for use in elementary and middle school classrooms to teach about insects or poetry. These poems make you experience the sounds of the insects and the celebration of life. Eric Beddow's illustrations just help to bring the insects to life. This book is perfect for a seventh grade interdisciplinary unit involving insects and poetry. I have used it in the past and it is very fun and challenging for students to read and try to create their own poetry for two voices. Fleishman has also written a companion book, I Am Phoenix, about birds.

Sidman, J. (2005). Song of the Water Boatman. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Song of the Water Boatman is a new favorite for me. The poems about pond life are outstanding and each page also contains a factual paragraph about the animals and life found at the pond. The poems are a variety of styles. There is also a glossary in the back of the book to assist with the vocabulary. It is no surprise this book was awarded the Caldecott. The art in this book is composed of prints created by Beckie Prange and the prints are gorgeous and outstanding. Printmaking is so fun to do in art and can be done with elementary or middle school students. Song of the Water Boatman can be used in the elementary or middle school to teach poetry or science (pond life, insects, animals, plants, life cycles). I would use this book as an example of a class project incorporating print-making, poetry, and content (science or social studies). This book is beautiful and a must-have.

Picture Books

Aardema, V. (1975). Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. New York, NY: Pied Piper Books.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears is a book by Verna Aardema with pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. It is the Winner of the Caldecott Medal for 1976. The story is based on a West African folk tale. The full-color illustrations are outstanding and fit the story very well. It could connect to the standards in middle school in Social Studies when studying Africa and Language Arts when studying folk tales. It also has a lot of information about animals in a specific area which would fit the Georgia standards for seventh grade Life Science. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears is a picture book written for young children. In this story, a mosquito tells a lie to an iguana, who puts sticks in his ears so he won't have to hear and ends up scaring another animal. All of these actions lead the animals to panic. In the end, an baby owl is killed and the mother owl is too devastated to wake the sun and begin the day. The animals meet to find out who is responsible. The mosquito is eventually found out, but it hides in order to escape punishment. So now it constantly buzzes in people's ears to find out if everyone is still mad.

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the Wild Things Are. Harper Collins Publishers.

Where the Wild Things Are is a classic picture book written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. It is appropriate for elementary as well as middle grades students. It is the winner of the 1964 Caldecott medal for its outstanding illustrations. Maurice Sendak's books can be used in middle school to discuss his representations of the Holocaust found within his books and to talk about immigrants and immigration. Where the Wild Things Are is a picture book based on the adventures of a naughty boy named Max. He is sent to his room without supper and has a series of adventures dressed in a wolf suit. Many people used to think the images in this book were too "grotesque" but Where the Wild Things Are is now regarded as an American classic.

Wiesner, D. (1999). Sector 7. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Sector 7 is a "true" picture book in that it contains literally no words. Illustrated by David Wiesner, this book tells the story of a boy on a school trip to the Empire State Building. On this trip, a boy is taken by a friendly cloud to visit Sector 7, where he discovers how clouds are shaped and channeled throughtout the country. This would be a great book for any grade level. I would use it in my sixth grade science classroom to introduce types of clouds and weather. Picture books like this could also be used in language arts for students to write their own story based on the pictures. I have used David Wiesner's books while teaching Social Studies, Reading, Life Science, and Earth Science.

Bemelmans, L. (1977). Madeline. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Madeline was originally published in 1939. The book was such a success that it became series written by its author, Ludwig Bemelmans. The series is in print as well as film. It has been made into a tv show and a line of toys for children. Madeline can be helpful in elementary school for early readers and also character education as it shows bravery and kindness in the face of adversity. It can also be used in middle school Social Studies to illustrate life in France in the 1930s. In "an old house in Paris that was covered with vines," Miss Clavel oversees the education of 12 little girls, the littlest of whom is the mischievous Madeline. Despite her size, Madeline continuously frightens Miss Clavel with her adventurous antics. When she come down with appendicitis, Madeline is rushed to the hospital where, some two hours later, she awakens to find a scar on her stomach! The scar proves quite interesting to the rest of the girls when they make a special trip to visit her in the hospital. Ludwig Bemelmans's rhymes and drawings of the girls in "two straight lines" lend a Parisian flavor to make Madeline a timeless children's favorite

Carle, E. (1987). The Tiny Seed. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Eric Carle's picture books are distinctive and instantly recognizable. While best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Tiny Seed, originally published in 1970 is one of my favorite Eric Carle books. It is suggested for ages 4-8 and is outstanding for teaching the life cycle of a plant in the elementary grades as well as in a seventh grade life science class. It also teached the important character trait of perseverance as a tiny seed overcomes numerous obstacles to become a sunflower. Poetic but simple text and lovely collage pictures dramatize the life cycle of all plants, as one tiny seed grows into an enormous sunflower, which then produces more seeds in its turn.

Welcome to Molly's Blog

Hello -
Welcome to Molly's Blog for MEDT 7465! This is my review of children's literature I am reading and reviewing this summer. Currently, I teach sixth grade science and social studies to gifted students. I love picture books and use them frequently in both of my classes. I also encourage my students to read historical fiction and poetry. In both of these classes, we also do lots of writing. This blog will profile some of my favorite books as well as some new ones I have discovered. I hope you enjoy it!