Literary Tool Kit
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
By Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an alphabet book. In the story, the lowercase
letters race up the coconut tree. When all the letters have climbed the coconut tree, all
the letters fall out of the tree because they were too heavy. The capital letters, who
represent the mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles of the lowercase letters, then come to
make sure their letters are okay. When the capital letters arrive, they notice that “p” has a
black eye, “j” and “k” are about to cry, “l” is knotted like a tie, and that the other letters
have injuries also. Then after the sun goes down, there is a full moon. During the full
moon, the lowercase letter “a” double dares the other letters that they can’t catch him and
that he will beat them to the top of the coconut tree.
OWL Connection
Wonder: This book made me wonder what inspired the author to write this. Just
reflecting on it, the idea of letters racing up a coconut tree doesn’t sound like it would be
such a hit but it was! It states inside the book, that it was published in 1989! I was born
in 1993 and I was read this book as a child. I know teachers who still read this book to
their kids now in 2014, almost 25 years later. I would love to know what sparked this
story to come about. Maybe a family member of the author inspired this story because on
one of the pages it says it is for Arie Archambault, new baby boom boom.
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
By: Eileen Christelow
In the beginning of the book, the five little monkeys get ready for bed by taking a
bubble bath, putting on their pajamas, and brushing their teeth. Once their mother tucks
them into the bed, they decide to jump on the bed. As they are jumping on the bed, one
falls off the bed. The mother has to call the doctor and the doctor tells the mother “No
more monkeys jumping on the bed!” The story continues with four monkeys jumping on
the bed and another falling off. One by one each monkey falls off the bed. Eventually, al
the monkeys are injured and the mother finally able to get some rest.
OWL Connection
Link/Wonder: This story reminded me of when I worked as a teacher’s assistant
for first grade and I was able to read this book with my students. It was a great book
because it is so predictable and the students who aren’t great readers are still able to read
out loud with me. Every time I turned the paged the students would get so excited and
yell “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” On the last page of the book, I observed
the mother jumping on her bed. It makes you wonder, does the mother fall off her bed?
It’s funny how she agreed with the doctor when he told her kids not to jump on the bed
but then she didn’t listen to the advice at the end of the story. It also made me wonder
does the mother monkey injury herself by falling off the bed and if so, who calls the
doctor for her?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
By Bill Martin and Eric Carle
This book starts off with a brown bear being asked what does he see? He answers
that a red bird is looking at him. The red bird is then asked what does he see and he
answers that a yellow duck is looking at him. The book continues this pattern and
includes a variety of different animals. The animals include a blue horse, green frog,
purple cat, white dog, black sheep, and a goldfish. However at the end of the book, the
goldfish notices a teacher looking at him. When the teacher is asked what does she see,
she states children are looking at her. The children are asked the same question and the
answer by stating that their teacher is looking at them and they also repeat all of the
animals mentioned in the book to include in the list of what they see.
OWL Connection
Link: This book is so predictable and is a great read for younger kids. I
remember this being one of the very first books I read. I absolutely loved it. When I was
around three or four, I tried to read this book to my mother. Since the book follows a
pattern of stating a color on every page, I made a mistake that my mother reminds me of
every time we talk about this book. When I got to the page with the teacher, I read it as
“White teacher, White teacher, what do you see?” My mother thought this was hilarious
and decided to share the story of what I had done with my teacher, who had also read the
book to us in class. Both of them laughed together and would never let me forget this
embarrassing moment.
Pinocchio
By: N/A
In this story, there is an old man named Geppetto who lived with a goldfish, cat
and a friend named jiminy Cricket. Greppetto was a woodcarver. One day, he made a
puppet named Pinocchio and wished it was a real boy. A fairy granted his wish and
Pinocchio came to life with the touch of the fairy’s wand. When Geppetto discovered his
puppet had come to life, he called him his wooden son. The next day, he sends Pinocchio
to the store to buy some food. Along the way, Pinocchio was deceived three people.
A boy named Lampwick tricked Pinocchio into using his money to buy candy
instead of food and then ran off with the candy Pinocchio had purchased. When Jiminy
Cricket asked Pinocchio what happened to his father’s money, Pinocchio lied causing his
nose to grow longer. Pinocchio used what little money he had left to buy some groceries,
but on his way home he was tricked again. This time a sly fox tricked him into trading
the groceries for a ticket to a play. The ticket Pinocchio received later turned out to be
fake. Pinocchio was so upset he began to cry and was heard by a man named Stromboli.
Stromboli was a puppet master and was amazed that Pinocchio was a puppet
without strings. Pinocchio danced, sang, and turned cartwheels for Stromboli. Stromboli
told him as the star in his show. During the show, Pinocchio’s nose was so long that it
got caught in the strings of the other puppets and everyone laughed. Pinocchio was
embarrassed and wanted to go home, but Stromboli refused to let him go. Stromboli
locked Pinocchio in a birdcage. Luckily for Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket ran to get help
from Greppetto. When Greppetto arrives he frees Pinocchio and they all run home before
Stromboli can catch them. When they get home, Greppetto asked Pinocchio exactly what
happened and tells him he must tell the truth. Pinocchio tells the truth and his nose got
shorter each time.
OWL Connection
Observe/Wonder/Link: I decided to read this book for one of my literary tool
kit books because I don’t ever remember reading it as a child. Yes, I know that
Pinocchio told lies and his nose grew longer but only from seeing the movie. So I read
this book because I wondered what exactly the book was like. I thought it was a funny
story and would like to read it to my students or a family member one day. Hopefully,
use it to teach a character lesson about how lying is a good thing to do. Also I observed
that every time Pinocchio was about to make a bad decision, Jiminy Cricket was there to
warn him. I would use this fact to demonstrate how sometimes family members, friends
and teachers can be the Jiminy Cricket in their lives. I would be sure to also tell them
that although doing what they want to do may be tempting, the can also be consequences
for bad behavior.
Three Little Pigs
Retold by: Barbara Brenner
In this version of the three little pigs, the pigs lived in a house at the bottom of the
hill with their mother and the big, bad wolf lived in a house at the top of the hill alone.
The mother tells the three little pigs that it is time for them to go their own ways so they
pack up their bags and leave the house at the bottom of the hill. As they leave, their
mother warns them to watch out for the wolf because he eats little pigs. They came to a
place where the road split in three different roads and each pig decided to build their
house on one of the three roads.
The first pig built his house out of straw. It was not strong or a very good house
because he wanted to dance and play instead of work all day. The second pig built his
house out of straw. His house was not very strong or a very good house either because he
wanted to sing and play instead of work all day. The third pig worked hard to build his
house out of bricks and even made a floor of wood. After his hard work, he still had time
to rest and play. As each pig built their house, the wolf was watching them from up on
the hill.
The next day, the wolf goes to the first little pig’s house and asks him to let him
in. The pig replied “Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin”. Then the wolf huffs and
puffs and blows the first pig’s house down. The first pig got away just in time and runs
to the second pigs house. The wolf then goes to the second little pig’s house but is
disguised as a sheep. However, this didn’t fool the two pigs so when he asked them to let
him in, the pigs replied “No, no, not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin”. Then the wolf
huffs and puffs and blows the second pig’s house down. Again, they get away just in
time and run to the third little pig’s house made of bricks. The wolf repeats his question
and the pigs reply “Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin”. However, this time when
the wolf huffed and puffed he could not blow down the house. His face was red, his ears
turned blue, and his eyes begin to water but the house did not budge. The wolf tried to be
sneaky and climbed on the roof. He was going to try and go down the chimney. The
pigs heard him on the roof and decided to put a pot of hot water on the burning fire in the
fireplace. The wolf landed right in the hot water and ran right out the house. He did not
stop running until he got back to his house and he never came down the hill again.
OWL Connection
Observe: At the end of the book, it mentions that the wolf never came down the
hill again. He was still big but he wasn’t so bad anymore. It also mentioned that he
never eats little pigs anymore. I noticed in the picture on the last page, the wolf is sitting
in a bucket of water to cool his bottom off from the pot and is almost finished reading a
book titled, “How to Cook Chicken”. I just thought this was a funny detail that was
added to the story since the wolf is no longer eating little pigs. It also helps to give an
answer the question of “What will he eat now,” which is a question a child might have if
they are read or reading this book.
Exclamation Mark
By: Amy Krouse
This is a short book about exclamation marks. The exclamation point in story
stands out everywhere except for when he was asleep. He didn’t want to stand out so he
tries a variety of ways to avoid standing out. He’s confused and tries to squish his stem
away to become a period, however, he is unsuccessful. He thinks about running away but
then he meets question mark, who asks him a series of questions about himself. The
question mark asks him so many questions that the exclamation mark yells, “Stop!” The
exclamation mark was so surprised by his yelling, and continues to try to do it again. He
discovers that there were a variety of phrases that he could exclaim. He goes to show his
friends who are period and eventually goes on to make his mark.
OWL Connection:
Link: This story reminded me of the summer I worked as a teacher’s assistant at
an elementary school. I worked with kindergarteners that were going to the first grade.
The teacher I worked with was a graduate of VCU’s School of Education and she used
this book to teach kids about exclamation marks. I think it is a good book to introduce
the topic of punctuation because it includes periods, question marks and exclamation
points. I would definitely use this book in my future classroom because it is informative
about teaching kids that exclamation marks are used for exclaiming things. I think
another lesson that the students could learn from this book is that being different is what
makes each of them unique and that it is okay to stand out.
The Night Before First Grade
By: Natasha Wing
This is a story about a girl named Penny, who is beginning first grade. The night
before the first grade, the girl packs her backpack with markers and pens. She even plans
out her outfit for the next day, which matches her best friend Jen. She makes her lunch,
which consists of a peanut butter sandwich and that night, she has a dream Jen and her
are playing on the school jungle gym. Her parents are so proud of her because she will
be riding the bus to school in the morning. When she arrives at school, the principal tells
Penny and Jen that they had to split the first grade because there were some new students.
Jen and Penny discover that they are not in the same class but agree to be brave since
they are now in the first grade. Penny thinks her teacher Mr. Barr is hilarious and makes
a new friend in class. Penny’s new friend and her have a lot in common. During lunch,
Penny introduces her new friend to Jen. Surprisingly, Jen had a new friend that looked
just like Penny’s new friend. Turns out their new friends were twins named Tina and
Nina. Penny believes that this year will be twice as fun!
OWL Connection:
Link: This story made me think of how my future students will feel on the first
day of school. My goal would be to teach first grade and I think this would be a great
book to use on the first day of school. I think this book will relieve a lot of their anxiety
about being in a new class with kids that they may or may not know. When I younger, I
moved from Europe to the United States so I can definitely relate to how some of my
students may be feeling about starting school with a teacher.
Where the Wild Things Are
By: Maurice Sendak
This is a story about a boy named Max who wore a wolf suit and made mischief.
His mother called him “Wild Thing” and he replied that he would eat her up, so his
mother sent him to bed without dinner. That night, Max’s room grew into a forest with
vines that hung from the ceiling and the walls became a whole another world. He jumps
into a private boat and sails away for almost a year to where the wild things are. When
he gets to the place where the wild things are, he sees monsters with yellow eyes. Max
tells them to “Be still” and they were instantly tamed. The monsters decide to call Max
the “Most Wild Thing of All” and make him king. The monsters and Max spend a lot of
time together and then Max sends them to bed without dinner. While the monsters are
sleeping, Max realizes that he is lonely and wants to be with someone who loves him.
Then suddenly, Max smells delicious food from far away across the world and decided to
give up being king of where the wild things are. Max sails back to where he had come
from, but before he leaves the monster beg him to stay by saying, “Oh please don’t go –
we’ll eat you up – we love you so!” Max yells back, “No!” and waves goodbye. Finally,
he is back in his own room and his hot dinner is waiting for him.
OWL Connection:
Wonder/Link: This book made me wonder what inspired the author to write this
story. I also wanted to know when Max goes to the world where the wild things are, was
he dreaming or just playing and using his imagination? This was a book that the teacher
read to the students when I worked as a teacher’s assistant. The kids seemed to really
love the book and I can completely relate to them. I loved this book when I was growing
up. My mother would always read me a bedtime story and I remember this book being
one.
The Three Pigs
By: David Wiesner
The book begins with the wolf going to the three little pigs’ house to blow it
down. However, when he tries to blow down the pigs’ house, he blows each of the pigs
out of the book. The pigs then go on to explore different stories and rescue characters
from each story they visit. Eventually, they return back to their story and when the wolf
comes to blow down the last pig’s house the wolf is scared off by the different characters
that the pigs met on their adventure.
OWL Connection:
Link: Children would connect to this book because it puts a humorous twist on
the traditional story of the Three Little Pigs. It also incorporates a childhood nursery
rhyme, the cat and the fiddle, that children enjoy. When I was younger, I loved the story
of the three little pigs. So when I discovered the book when doing my illustrator project,
I fell in love with it. I would also choose this book, as one for my classroom library
because I think the children will really enjoy the twist of the story.
Doctor De Soto
By: William Steng
Doctor De Soto is a book about a mouse that was a dentist. He would practice on
many different animals along with his wife. Doctor De Soto and his wife refused to treat
cats and other dangerous animals. Before any of the patients were allowed in, Doctor De
Soto would look out the window to make sure they were not dangerous animals. One
day, Doctor De Soto looks out the window to see a fox with a bandage around his face.
He tells the fox that he cannot treat him since he is a dangerous animal. The fox begs
him so Doctor De Soto discusses it with his wife. Doctor De Soto’s wife tells him they
should risk it and lets the fox in. Doctor De Soto enters the fox’s mouth and sees the fox
has a rotten bicuspid and bad breath, which will have to be removed. However, the
doctor agrees to make him a new one. The doctor gives the fox some gas to numb his
mouth and the fox mumbles “Mmm..yummy, how I love them raw with just a pinch of
salt.” The doctor then decides to use a pole to keep the fox’s mouth open because he
knows exactly what the fox was dreaming about. The doctor uses his extractor to remove
the tooth and then tells the fox his tooth will be ready tomorrow at eleven o’clock. As the
fox was walking home, he wondered if he should eat the doctor after they had finished
the job. That night, the De Soto’s worried if they should continue with the job because of
what the fox had said earlier. The wife had a plan! The next day when the fox arrived,
Doctor De Soto placed a gold tooth in the socket and held up a large jug. Doctor De Soto
promised that the jug had a special treatment that would prevent toothaches forever and
he would be the first to receive the treatment. The fox agrees. The fox had made up his
mind that he would eat them after the treatment. Doctor De Soto applied the treatment
and when he was done he told the fox to close his mouth for a full minute. When the fox
tried to open his mouth, he couldn’t. The fox was stunned and tried to leave with dignity.
Doctor De Soto and his wife had outsmarted the fox and took the rest of the day off.
OWL Connection:
Wonder: This book made me wonder why Doctor De Soto’s wife decided to risk
letting the fox in but refused to treat other dangerous animals. The fox could have been
faking to have a dental problem from the very beginning. I wonder what the
consequences would have been if the wolf had been faking. Would they have gotten
away safely or would the fox have eaten them?
Cinderella
By: N/A
This is the story of Cinderella, who lived with her stepmother. Cinderella’s
stepmother did not like her and made her work very hard every day. Cinderella had two
stepsisters, named Drizella and Anastasia. Drizella and Anastasia loved to tease
Cinderella and never had to do any chores. One day, the family receives a letter from the
King stating that the Prince will choose a wife at the ball and that every girl in the
kingdom is invited. Cinderella is excited to go also, but her stepmother tells her she
cannot go to the ball. Once the family has left for the ball, a fairy Godmother appears
later and helps Cinderella prepare for the ball. Cinderella attends the ball, but must be
back before the clock strikes 12 o’clock. Cinderella has a great time at the ball with the
Prince but has to rush to get home in time. As she’s leaving, she loses her glass slipper.
The prince finds her slipper and is determined to find out whom it belongs to. He
searches all over to find out who can fit their foot into the glass slipper. Finally, the
Prince discovers that the glass slipper fits Cinderella perfectly. In the end, Cinderella
marries the Prince and they live happily ever after.
OWL Connection:
Wonder: This book always made me wonder why Cinderella’s stepmother and
stepsister didn’t like her. In the book, it never stated the reason and I was always so
curious. I always thought it was because they were jealous of her since Cinderella is
always clearly shown as the better-looking sibling. I also wonder where the author of this
story got their idea. For a story written so long ago, it has remained a popular story
throughout time. I wish we knew who the original author was.
The Polar Express
By: Chris Van Allsburg
The Polar Express is a story of a boy who is waiting up to see Santa. His friend
told him that Santa didn’t exist but he didn’t believe him. As he is waiting, he sees a
train standing still outside of his window. The boy goes outside and boards the train,
called the Polar Express, to the North Pole. The train was filled with children in their
pajamas. They traveled through the forest where wolves wandered, over mountains, and
over the great polar ice cap. Finally, the passengers reach the North Pole. It was a huge
city filled with factories, where the elves made the toys. Once they reached the center of
the North Pole, they were told that one of them would receive the first gift of Christmas
from Santa. The main character of the story was chosen to receive the first gift. When
Santa asks him what he wants, he states that he wants one silver bell from his sleigh. An
elf cuts the bell off one of the reindeers and everyone cheers. Santa then disappeared
away in the sky. As soon as the children are back on the train, they all ask to see the bell.
The boy had lost it, but it was too late to go look for it since the train had already started
to move. Then on Christmas day, the boy finds the bell under the Christmas tree. When
he shook the bell, he heard the most beautiful sound but his parents could not hear it and
think it’s broken. Then at the end of the book it states that at one time, most of his
friends could hear the bell but over the years it fell silent for all of them since the bell
only rings for the people who still believe.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book reminded me of a lesson that my mom’s friend used in
her classroom. Around Christmas time, the teacher rearranged the classroom to look like
the seats on a train in front of the smart board. The teacher also collected the tickets from
all the students to make it feel like they were getting on a real train. The students then
proceeded to watch the movie Polar Express since they had already heard the story the
day before. The teacher also passed out treats to the students while they were on the
train. I think this would be another wonderful idea to use in my classroom.
The Watsons go to Birmingham
By: Christopher Paul Curtis
This is the story of the Watson’s family. Mr. and Mrs. Watson have 3 children:
Byron, Kenny and Joey. During the book, Byron is a troublemaker. For example, he
played with matches in the house, killed a bird by accident, and permed his hair without
his parents’ permission. Mr. Watson decides to send Byron to stay with his grandmother
in Alabama for a little while, hoping to humble him and end his bad behavior. Byron is
very sneaky and tries to runaway the night before they left for Alabama, but his parents
are smarter than he is. His parents decide to make Byron sleep in their room for the night
so he can’t runaway. When they arrive in Alabama, Kenny has a near-death experience
after he almost drowns in Collier’s Landing. Luckily, Byron is there to save him and
after Kenny begins to have hallucinations about a “Wool Pooh”.
Then one day there is a church bombing. Joey, the little sister, was supposed to
be singing in the choir that day at the church that was bombed. The family rushes to the
church and Kenny finds a shiny, black shoe in the debris – but it wasn’t Joey. Joey was
okay and had avoided the bombing because she had gotten hot and decided to go on the
porch. Kenny has more hallucinations about the Wool Pooh after the bombing. After the
bombing, the family travels back home. Grandma Sands calls to tell them that four little
girls had been killed in the bombing, some were blinded, and others were sent to the
hospital. Near the end of the book, Byron invites Kenny into the bathroom to show him a
hair growing out of his chin and Kenny decides to check to see if he has a mustache.
Since Kenny has a lazy eye he never really looked in the mirror much. He starts crying
after he sees himself. Byron and Kenny have a long talk about the church bombing and
the Wool Pooh. Byron consults him and lets him know that nothing is going to happen to
him.
OWL Connection:
Link: This is one of my favorite books! Although it is very sad, there are also
some humorous parts in the story. For example, in the beginning of the book Bryon, also
known as By, gets his lips stuck to the car’s side mirror. I found this part absolutely
hilarious. Byron is conceited and is always admiring himself in the mirror. Instead of
shoveling the snow, Byron decides to give himself a kiss and due to the freezing
temperatures his lips get stuck to the car mirror. This part of the story reminded me of
two things. The first thing it reminded me of was the scene in the movie, Christmas
carol, when the boy gets tripled dogged dared to put his tongue on the flag pole and his
tongue gets stuck. The second thing it reminded me of is when my mother told my
brother and I the story of how she got her tongue stuck to a freezer when she was a kid. I
not sure what her reasons were for doing it, but my brother and I always thought it was a
hilarious story growing up.
Stellaluna
By: Janell Cannon
Stellaluna is a fruit bat. In the beginning of the book, an owl attacks her mother
and Stellaluna is separated from her. Stellaluna falls into the forest. She lands head first
into a bird’s nest. Throughout the book, Stellaluna tries to fit in with a family of birds.
The birds are named Pip, Flitter and Flap. Stellaluna ate bugs like grasshoppers, stayed
awake during the day, but one thing she couldn’t change was the fact that she sleeps
hanging by her feet. The birds tried to be like Stellaluna and hung by their feet.
However when the bird’s mother came back to the nest, she tells them not to do that or
else Stellaluna won’t be welcomed into the nest anymore. Soon, the birds learn to fly and
Stellaluna thinks she is one of them but Stellaluna couldn’t land on her feet. Stellaluna
and the birds decide to go practice flying the next day. During their flying practice, the
birds get tired and return home. Stellaluna continues to fly around and when she gets
tired, she hangs by her thumb on a nearby branch. Then a voice calls out to Stellaluna
and asks her, “Why are you hanging upside down?” Stellaluna was so confused and finds
out that she isn’t really a bird. Stellaluna tells the bat that gathered around her story. The
other bats thought she was strange for eating bugs, sleeping at night, etc. Eventually, she
finds her real mother and her mother shows her how bats are suppose to live. Stellaluna
invites the birds to meet her bat family. Although the bird and bats were different, they
agree that they are still friends despite their differences.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book is the same book that my mother used in her classroom for one
of her first lesson. I was given the opportunity of watching and helping my mother with
her lesson plan for this book. She used this book in a second grade class. The students
loved the story and it had a great message behind it. Since many of her students were
second English language learners, the book showed that even though they may have
different backgrounds, they can all be friends. This book just reminds me of the time
where I volunteered at the school to help my mom and how much fun I had working with
the children. I’m so excited to have my own classroom one day.
Green Eggs and Ham
By: Dr. Seuss
This is a story about Sam-I-Am and another character that does not have a name.
This is poetry book where Sam-I-Am persistently asks the other character, “Does he like
green eggs and ham”? The other character constantly says no. Sam-I-Am continues to
ask him if he would he eat green eggs and ham in different circumstances such as in a
box, on a boat, with a goat, etc. The answer from the other character is still no.
Eventually, the other character agrees to try them if Sam-I-Am will let him be and he
discovers that he actually likes the green eggs and ham.
Owl Connection:
Link/Wonder: This story made me wonder about how I could use this book in
my future classroom. I decided to use an idea that I got off Pinterest to showcase this
book in my classroom on National Read Across America Day or Dr. Seuss day. Growing
up, I never was too fond of the idea of having actual green eggs and ham on that day. My
school would serve us green eggs during lunch and I always found it so disgusting.
Instead, I thought it would be a better idea to melt some white chocolate pieces and put a
green M&M on them so that it looks like green eggs and ham, but it is really just
chocolate. When I saw this idea on Pinterest I just knew that I definitely wanted to use
this idea in my classroom one day. I wish my school had thought of this before they
decided to serve us such a disgusting meal!
How Animals Move
By: David Byrne
This book talks about how animals move. It discusses how animals move in
different ways because of their different shaped bodies. For example, fish have fins for
swimming and birds have wings for flying. The different ways that animals move around
include walking, running, jumping, crawling, slithering, swimming, flying, and gliding.
For each movement, it talks about an animal that moves that way. Then in the back of
the book, it provides a chart that compares each animal. The chart shows how some
animals are able to move in multiple ways. For example, it is stated in the chart that
some birds can walk, run, jump, swim, and fly.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book reminded me of how when I was younger my mother would
always take my brother and I to the zoo. We would visit the Smithsonian National Zoo in
Washington, D.C. often because admission was free. The zoo was always very crowded
when we went. My favorite part of visiting the zoo was seeing the elephants. The
Smithsonian National Zoo is also a very large zoo. I remember it seemed like we would
never see every single animal species in the zoo because it involved so much walking.
However, we would bring snacks, water, etc. and spend the entire day at the Smithsonian
National Zoo. It was great!
Ruby the Copycat
By: Peggy Rathmann
This book is the story of two girls named Ruby and Angela who are in Miss.
Hart’s class. Ruby is a new student at the school who loves to hop. Whenever Angela
does something, Ruby decides to copy her. For example, Angela states that over the
weekend she was a flower girl in her sister’s wedding and Ruby says she was also a
flower girl in her sister’s wedding. Angela also wears a red bow in her hair, so the next
day Ruby came to school with a red bow in her hair. One day Angela and Ruby both
came to school with red and lavender stripped dress, but during lunchtime Angela rushes
home and comes back to school in a black dress. Eventually Angela realizes Ruby is
copying her and writes a note to Ruby that says, “You copied me! I’m telling Miss. Hart!
P.S. I hate your hair by the way”. Ruby began to cry. After school, Miss. Hart sent
everyone home except for Ruby. Miss. Hart tells Ruby that she doesn’t have to copy
Angela and that she likes Ruby. Ruby looks at Miss. Hart’s nail polish and smiles. The
next day Miss. Hart asks everyone what they did this weekend; Angela says she went to
an opera and Ruby says she went to an opera too. However, when Ruby raises her hand
to share she has plastic fingernails painted the same color as teacher’s nail polish. Miss.
Hart asks her if she did anything else this weekend, she peels off the fingernails and says
she hopped. Ruby begins hopping around the classroom and the students join her. Then
at noon, Ruby and Angela hopped home for lunch together.
OWL Connection:
Link: When I was younger, I hated when my friends or people I knew copied
me. It was one of my biggest pet peeves. I remember when I younger, if someone asked
me where I got something from I would tell them I didn’t remember or that it was a gift
just so they wouldn’t be able to find it. I always wanted to be unique or a leader.
Although I was shy, I was never a follower and liked to stand out. I could totally relate to
how Angela felt in this book, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. However, in
the end of the book Ruby shares something she likes to do, which is to hop, and starts
letting her true colors show by being herself.
Jack Plays the Violin
By: Jessica Schultz
This book is about a boy who loves to play the violin. Jack played his violin everyday
and played for everyone. Jack also played baseball. During his baseball game, he has to
leave for a violin lesson. His teammates (Seth, Matt, and Brett) tease him and say that his
violin is not cool. Jack goes home and tells his father about his teammates telling him
that his violin didn’t make him cool. His father, who also played the violin, told him that
people can be mean when there is something they don’t understand and that someday
they will understand. After their talk, Jack and his father play the violin together. Then
there was a show at school and Jack’s teammates sat in the front row. Jack goes on stage
and plays the violin for the audience. Seth thought he was so good, Matt thought it
looked fun, and Brett wanted to learn to play. After school the next day, his teammates
apologized for making fun of Jack. Later, Jack’s teammates learned to play a musical
instrument. Matt learned to play the flute, Brett learned to play the drums and Seth
learned to play the violin.
OWL Connection:
Link: This story reminded me of my little brother who also played the violin
although he was never teased for it. He first started playing the violin in his middle
school music class. I, on the other hand, never learned to play a musical instrument
(except for the recorder in middle school, but everyone at my school had to learn to play
– and I didn’t enjoy it). I always wanted to learn to play the piano, but never took
lessons. At one point, I also thought I wanted to learn to play the guitar but that interest
was short lived. I got a guitar for Christmas and tried to learn, but I quickly became
frustrated and quit.
Jackie Robinson: He Led The Way
By: April Jones Prince
Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919. Slavery had ended more than fifty
years before but it didn’t seem that way. Schools, restaurant, public buses, and ballparks
were all separated by race. When Jackie Robinson was a little boy, his family moved to
Pasadena, California. They were the only black family on their block and their neighbors
did not welcome them. After college, Jackie wanted to play sports for a living but no
major team in any sport hired black players. However, there were all-black baseball
teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays. After World War II,
Jackie played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs. When Branch Rickey, the
president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, heard about Jackie Robinson from Clyde Sukefort, he
wanted him on his team! When Branch Rickey asked him to join, Jackie Robinson
agreed. In 1946, Jackie Robinson married Rachel Isum, his college sweetheart. On April
15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history as the first black ballplayer in the major leagues
at the Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. He played as their first baseman. When others harassed
Jackie, he kept silent. Jackie was named Rookie of the year. In 1949, Jackie Robinson
was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Jackie Robinson helped the
Dodgers get to the World Series six times. They lost five times, but in 1955 they finally
won. By that time, there were almost forty black players on major-league teams and in
other pro sports too. Jackie played in the major leagues for ten years and then became a
businessman. Jackie Robinson also became a father of three children. In 1962, Jackie
Robinson was the first black man voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and lived to be
fifty-three years old.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book reminded me of when my brother’s class was learning about
Jackie Robinson. After they had finished learning about him, his teacher arranged for
them to have a fieldtrip to see the Potomac Nationals’ Baseball game. My brother’s
entire class, their families, and the teacher all went to the game and cheered for the
Nationals. This was the first time I had ever gone to a baseball game and it was a very
memorable experience. I definitely enjoyed myself, although I didn’t catch a baseball
and our team lost.
First Day Jitters
By: Julie Danneberg
In this book Mr. Hartwell tells Sarah to get our bed so she doesn’t miss her first day at
her new school. Sarah says she’s not going and Mr. Hartwell tries to reason with her.
Sarah says she hates her new school and she has never been there before. Mr. Hartwell
tells Sarah that she liked her other school and that she will like this one also. He tells her
she will meet many new friends. Sarah still was not convinced that she should go to
school. Mr. Hartwell tells her that she needs to be downstairs in five minutes because he
is not playing games with her any longer. So, Sarah tumbled out of bed, stumbled into
the bathroom and fumbled into her clothes. Mr. Hartwell hands Sarah her lunch and they
drive down the road to the school. As they pull up to the school, the Principal greets
them. The Principal, Mrs. Burton, decides to show Sarah where to go. When they arrive,
most of the children were already in their seats. Mrs. Burton gets the class’s attention
and introduces them to Mrs. Sarah Jane Hartwell, their new teacher.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book made me think of how I could incorporate this book into my
classroom one day. I think it is a great book to use on the first day of school. On the first
day of school, most kids are nervous and shy about meeting this teacher. However, I
would read this book to my students on the first day of school because it shows that
teachers get nervous too. I think this would put a humorous twist on the first day of
school because I know I will be nervous on the first day of school, especially during my
year teaching!
How Animals Move
By: David Byrne
This book talks about how animals move. It discusses how animals move in
different ways because of their different shaped bodies. For example, fish have fins for
swimming and birds have wings for flying. The different ways that animals move around
include walking, running, jumping, crawling, slithering, swimming, flying, and gliding.
For each movement, it talks about an animal that moves that way. Then in the back of
the book, it provides a chart that compares each animal. The chart shows how some
animals are able to move in multiple ways. For example, it is stated in the chart that
some birds can walk, run, jump, swim, and fly.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book reminded me of how when I was younger my mother would
always take my brother and I to the zoo. We would visit the Smithsonian National Zoo in
Washington, D.C. often because admission was free. The zoo was always very crowded
when we went. My favorite part of visiting the zoo was seeing the elephants. The
Smithsonian National Zoo is also a very large zoo. I remember it seemed like we would
never see every single animal species in the zoo because it involved so much walking.
However, we would bring snacks, water, etc. and spend the entire day at the Smithsonian
National Zoo. It was great!
Ruby the Copycat
By: Peggy Rathmann
This book is the story of two girls named Ruby and Angela who are in Miss.
Hart’s class. Ruby is a new student at the school who loves to hop. Whenever Angela
does something, Ruby decides to copy her. For example, Angela states that over the
weekend she was a flower girl in her sister’s wedding and Ruby says she was also a
flower girl in her sister’s wedding. Angela also wears a red bow in her hair, so the next
day Ruby came to school with a red bow in her hair. One day Angela and Ruby both
came to school with red and lavender stripped dress, but during lunchtime Angela rushes
home and comes back to school in a black dress. Eventually Angela realizes Ruby is
copying her and writes a note to Ruby that says, “You copied me! I’m telling Miss. Hart!
P.S. I hate your hair by the way”. Ruby began to cry. After school, Miss. Hart sent
everyone home except for Ruby. Miss. Hart tells Ruby that she doesn’t have to copy
Angela and that she likes Ruby. Ruby looks at Miss. Hart’s nail polish and smiles. The
next day Miss. Hart asks everyone what they did this weekend; Angela says she went to
an opera and Ruby says she went to an opera too. However, when Ruby raises her hand
to share she has plastic fingernails painted the same color as teacher’s nail polish. Miss.
Hart asks her if she did anything else this weekend, she peels off the fingernails and says
she hopped. Ruby begins hopping around the classroom and the students join her. Then
at noon, Ruby and Angela hopped home for lunch together.
OWL Connection:
Link: When I was younger, I hated when my friends or people I knew copied
me. It was one of my biggest pet peeves. I remember when I younger, if someone asked
me where I got something from I would tell them I didn’t remember or that it was a gift
just so they wouldn’t be able to find it. I always wanted to be unique or a leader.
Although I was shy, I was never a follower and liked to stand out. I could totally relate to
how Angela felt in this book, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. However, in
the end of the book Ruby shares something she likes to do, which is to hop, and starts
letting her true colors show by being herself.
Jack Plays the Violin
By: Jessica Schultz
This book is about a boy who loves to play the violin. Jack played his violin everyday
and played for everyone. Jack also played baseball. During his baseball game, he has to
leave for a violin lesson. His teammates (Seth, Matt, and Brett) tease him and say that his
violin is not cool. Jack goes home and tells his father about his teammates telling him
that his violin didn’t make him cool. His father, who also played the violin, told him that
people can be mean when there is something they don’t understand and that someday
they will understand. After their talk, Jack and his father play the violin together. Then
there was a show at school and Jack’s teammates sat in the front row. Jack goes on stage
and plays the violin for the audience. Seth thought he was so good, Matt thought it
looked fun, and Brett wanted to learn to play. After school the next day, his teammates
apologized for making fun of Jack. Later, Jack’s teammates learned to play a musical
instrument. Matt learned to play the flute, Brett learned to play the drums and Seth
learned to play the violin.
OWL Connection:
Link: This story reminded me of my little brother who also played the violin
although he was never teased for it. He first started playing the violin in his middle
school music class. I, on the other hand, never learned to play a musical instrument
(except for the recorder in middle school, but everyone at my school had to learn to play
– and I didn’t enjoy it). I always wanted to learn to play the piano, but never took
lessons. At one point, I also thought I wanted to learn to play the guitar but that interest
was short lived. I got a guitar for Christmas and tried to learn, but I quickly became
frustrated and quit.
Jackie Robinson: He Led The Way
By: April Jones Prince
Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919. Slavery had ended more than fifty
years before but it didn’t seem that way. Schools, restaurant, public buses, and ballparks
were all separated by race. When Jackie Robinson was a little boy, his family moved to
Pasadena, California. They were the only black family on their block and their neighbors
did not welcome them. After college, Jackie wanted to play sports for a living but no
major team in any sport hired black players. However, there were all-black baseball
teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays. After World War II,
Jackie played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs. When Branch Rickey, the
president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, heard about Jackie Robinson from Clyde Sukefort, he
wanted him on his team! When Branch Rickey asked him to join, Jackie Robinson
agreed. In 1946, Jackie Robinson married Rachel Isum, his college sweetheart. On April
15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history as the first black ballplayer in the major leagues
at the Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. He played as their first baseman. When others harassed
Jackie, he kept silent. Jackie was named Rookie of the year. In 1949, Jackie Robinson
was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Jackie Robinson helped the
Dodgers get to the World Series six times. They lost five times, but in 1955 they finally
won. By that time, there were almost forty black players on major-league teams and in
other pro sports too. Jackie played in the major leagues for ten years and then became a
businessman. Jackie Robinson also became a father of three children. In 1962, Jackie
Robinson was the first black man voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and lived to be
fifty-three years old.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book reminded me of when my brother’s class was learning about
Jackie Robinson. After they had finished learning about him, his teacher arranged for
them to have a fieldtrip to see the Potomac Nationals’ Baseball game. My brother’s
entire class, their families, and the teacher all went to the game and cheered for the
Nationals. This was the first time I had ever gone to a baseball game and it was a very
memorable experience. I definitely enjoyed myself, although I didn’t catch a baseball
and our team lost.
First Day Jitters
By: Julie Danneberg
In this book Mr. Hartwell tells Sarah to get our bed so she doesn’t miss her first day at
her new school. Sarah says she’s not going and Mr. Hartwell tries to reason with her.
Sarah says she hates her new school and she has never been there before. Mr. Hartwell
tells Sarah that she liked her other school and that she will like this one also. He tells her
she will meet many new friends. Sarah still was not convinced that she should go to
school. Mr. Hartwell tells her that she needs to be downstairs in five minutes because he
is not playing games with her any longer. So, Sarah tumbled out of bed, stumbled into
the bathroom and fumbled into her clothes. Mr. Hartwell hands Sarah her lunch and they
drive down the road to the school. As they pull up to the school, the Principal greets
them. The Principal, Mrs. Burton, decides to show Sarah where to go. When they arrive,
most of the children were already in their seats. Mrs. Burton gets the class’s attention
and introduces them to Mrs. Sarah Jane Hartwell, their new teacher.
OWL Connection:
Link: This book made me think of how I could incorporate this book into my
classroom one day. I think it is a great book to use on the first day of school. On the first
day of school, most kids are nervous and shy about meeting this teacher. However, I
would read this book to my students on the first day of school because it shows that
teachers get nervous too. I think this would put a humorous twist on the first day of
school because I know I will be nervous on the first day of school, especially during my
year teaching!