Name: Susan Fuentes
Reading Log #8
Book 1:
Author/Illustrator-Leo Lionni
Title and date of publication-Swimmy, 1963
Genre-Fantasy
Format-Picture book
Award-Caldecott Honor
Summary- A little fish devises a plan to help him and his new
friends hide from the big fish.
Reflection- I really like this story about working together to
trick the bigger fish is like working together for the greater
good of the whole. Children can see teamwork in action as the
little fish tells the others of his idea. I believe the author
constructed an interesting framework when creating this
story from the viewpoints of fish. This story is
consistent with the framework with animals (fish)
behaving as they should, being curious and wandering
around, even threatened in their own environment. His
unusual perspective, the view of the fish, invites the
reader to follow page by page to see what happens to the
little fish. The illustrations are simple but pleasing to
young readers. The author uses simple vocabulary as well
to keep readers involved yet not overwhelmed by its text.
The author wants the reader to see it as a fish would.
He includes other sea creatures in the setting of the
story to help the reader connect with the environment of
the fish. The theme is worthwhile to open up discussions
on point of view and how unknown territories can be
dangerous. I think this book is a great teaching tool on a
discussion for little ones about working together. Some
ideas for this story would be to have students imagine
that they are the little fish and write/illustrate a
different solution to the problem than what Swimmy had
planned. Students could also research other sea
creatures that are in the story and create a scenario
with them. The following is a website full of activities for
teaching with Swimmy,
http://www.angelfire.com/la/kinderthemes/swimmy.html.
Book 2:
Author/Illustrator-Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith
Title and date of publication-The Stinky Cheese Man and other
Fairly Stupid Tales, 1992
Genre-Fantasy
Format-Picture Book
Award-Caldecott Honor Book
Summary- A very silly book with twist on enchanted tales.
Reflection-The author creates a twist on the traditional tale of
The Gingerbread Man with the character being changed to
resemble cheese. It shares the some narrative motifs with the
traditional story as well, for example, when the stinky cheese man
replies “Run, run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me I am
the Stinky Cheese man”. The story also shares other common
motifs with The Gingerbread Man such as the characters, the
trials he faces and the nemesis (the fox) at the end of the story.
The author uses repetition of language to encourage listeners to
participate in the story. The vivid illustrations and humorous
text keep listeners actively engaged. There are many
possibilities for this to stimulate creativity. This story can be
used to stimulate creative drama and writing. Students could
write their own version depicting a different character than that
of the Stinky Cheese man. Students could also retell the story
using props to check for understanding and comprehension. A
Venn diagram would be great to compare and contrast The
Gingerbread Man with The Stinky Cheese Man. Create a list of
real fairy tales. Find the real fairy tales that make the
fractured tales in the book. Discuss which tales students prefer?
Students could also access the following sitehttp://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fractured_fairy.htm
for ideas on how to write their own fractured fairy tales.
Book 3:
Author/Illustrator-David Shannon
Title and date of publication-No, David! 1998
Genre-Fantasy
Format-Picture Book
Award- Caldecott Honor
Summary-A hilarious story about a naughty little boy named
David.
Reflection-My little boy absolutely loves the series of David
Shannon stories. I can certainly relate to the issue that the
Mother faces with David on a daily basis. I believe the author hit
the jackpot with relating this to something that young readers
can identify with as well. Kids can relate to hearing the dreaded
“NO” often. The author uses very simple illustrations and text
that is very appealing to the young reader. Another appealing
factor of this story is that young readers can relate to and laugh
at David’s adventures as well. It is a great book for read alouds
and discussions. Children often comment on doing some of things
in the story. As each page is turned David is always finding
trouble of some kind but it hooks children because it familiar to
them. I love the David Shannon books. I believe that it is useful
to discuss how we should behave and compare it to the behavior
of David in the story, No, David! Another idea is to have
students write No (and their name) and illustrate/write about
picture followed by the correct response, Yes (name). Invite the
students to bring in favorite books from home that depict family
relationships. Share the books during reading time. Compare
stories and engage students in discussions about the books.
Book 4:
Author/Illustrator- Beverly Cleary
Title and date of publication- Dear Mr. Henshaw, 1983
Genre-Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Format-Chapter Book
Award-Newbery Medal
Summary-It’s about a young boy who has difficulty accepting his
parents divorce and is told through his pages in his diary.
Reflection-This story was not quite what I was expecting. The
story takes place through the diary of a kid named Leigh. The
author introduces his characters through letters in the story.
The author portrays Leigh as a sensitive yet bit of a loner young
boy, and Mr. Henshaw as an exasperated adult who gives silly
answers. Details are only revealed through Leigh’s letters and
diary and are often personal. Readers can easily relate with Leigh
as he shares his thoughts and feelings. He comes to realize that
he likes writing even if started out as pretend letters. Students
often do not like to write and so they may identify with Leigh and
can feel encouraged to keep a journal or daily log. Some ideas of
using this selection in a class would be journal writing on selected
topics, newspaper articles of interest, or even writing letters to
the editor about a current issue. Create a storyline to show
progress of Leigh’s relationship with Mr. Henshaw. Students tend
to get excited when creating things, so create a lunchbox alarm
like Leigh did in the story (students could work in collaborative
groups).
Book 5:
Author/Illustrator-Patricia MacLachlan
Title and date of publication- Sarah Plain and Tall, 1985
Genre-Historical Fiction
Format-Chapter Book
Award-Newbery Medal
Summary-This story is about a family that needs a mother and
the woman who fills the position.
Reflection- This is a sweet and heart touching story. It isn’t an
action field adventure full of twists and turns but one that
emphasizes the characters who long to be loved. It is told in a
different era where it is difficult to pinpoint the geographic
setting. The story is set on the American Prairie where horses
are the mode of transportation. Young readers may have trouble
identifying with Sarah and some of the situations that she faces.
It shows an era were women were legal property and denied
privileges that we take for granted today. There are different
points of view given throughout the story to help the reader see
different opinions on issues. This book is a little complex yet
intriguing. It can used for read alouds to promote discussion of a
different era. Students could also compare and contrast the
days or issues that Sarah faced with modern times. Students
could write an ad for the paper for creative writing. The
following link is a great resource for teaching the story in a
classroom.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/reading/sarahplainandtall.htm.