Before the first chapter the author tells the reader that she wrote her first book when she was eleven and that if we want to, we will write a book also. This statement sets the tone for a book that lends itself very well to being a book that teachers will read aloud to their students and that some students will then choose to read for themselves.
The young Rosemary is given an intriguing golden watch accompanied by some precise but mysterious directions on a hospital visit to her sick Aunt Jo. Rosemary’s dreams, under the influence of the watch, become adventure reality as she tries to save her frenemy Jeremiah with the help of a new friend, Alejandro, and some helpful dream world friends.
Teachers are cautioned to read the book first as some images and scenarios may be troubling to some students.
Category Archives: Recommendation
Jazz for Lunch!
This book is a visual celebration of Jazz. Written in the rhyme, you can feel the music in the rhythm of the words as they connect the food prep of Auntie Nina and her young nephew to the sounds of different instruments. Each page has a few words in large, colorful fonts that jump off the page. The vivid illustrations match the excitement of the music. There are also nods to the legends of Jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk. The end papers have paragraph bios of the musicians mentioned in the text. This book would work well to introduce children to the joy of experiencing Jazz.
There’s a Ghost in This House
Every day students ask me for scary books. Here is one that is more Casper the Friendly Ghost than Elm Street. A girl moves from room to room in her 18th century house looking for ghosts that she has heard live there, but she never sees one. The fun is when you turn the translucent page that overlays where she is looking to reveal the playful ghosts that are having fun hiding from her. Each page has one or two short sentences. This book appeals to young children who enjoy the surprise factor in “lift the flap” books. The illustrations of the rooms are done in brown and cream contrasting the girl who has bright yellow and green. This palette also allows the white ghosts to appear clearly. One consideration, is the translucent ghost pages are less durable that the paper ones. Readers will also want to flip these back and forth several times to make the ghosts appear and disappear, so they will have more use. This is a delightful, engaging book that is a perfect fit for early elementary students.
I am Malala Yousafzai by Brad Meltzer
Another book in the Ordinary People Change the World Series, I am Malala Yousafzai, starts out with Malala introducing herself as an ordinary girl who likes pink, cupcakes, and pizza. The narrative quickly turns to how girls in her country are not treated the same as boys. It discusses the school started by her father and her quest to seek education. It does depict when she was shot and does show someone holding a gun. The illustrations show Malala as a young girl throughout the entire book. The end includes a timeline and photographs of Malala.
If You Were an Elephant
Young listeners and early readers can learn all about African bush elephants in this gentle book about our largest mammal. Hints of African patterns and soft sun-bleached colors add to the sweet, but factual story of elephant life. The book also included an “Amazing Facts about Elephants” page at the end that will have readers, young and old, wanting to share what they have learned about the lives of African elephants.
Sign Says Stop
This is a silly little rhyming “ready-to-read” book that stars a frog in pants trying to cross the street to get started on the day’s adventures. The wordplay encourages use of new words or call-and-response participation. The expressive face of the frog can lead to fun discussion of the drawings.
Elephants Don’t Like Ants! (and Other Amazing Facts)
Kids who have even a slight interest in elephants will enjoy this informative book. The first couple of chapters explain the differences between elephants in Africa and Asia, with photos and cartoon illustrations. The book also explains the special characteristics of elephants – did you know that their trunks have 40,016 muscles and can smell water up to 12 miles away?
Next, the book emphasizes how special elephants are – how they can remember things for many years, how attached they are to their family groups, etc.
At the end, readers are asked a few questions, to help them assimilate what they’ve read.
There’s a Lion in the Forest
This is a hilarious story of mistaken identity based in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. A toucan hears a growl and is sure it must be a lion. Capybara reminds toucan there aren’t any lions in South America. As the growls continue, they see a long lion’s tail. Then the coati sees a thick and menacing mane. Finally the creature emerges to convince the animals that there really is a lion in the forest; golden lion tamarin.
The rolicking repetative text and colorful illustrations make this a great choice for story time.
Up and Adam
Adam and his dog, Up are eating breakfast while his parents watch the news concerning the local cleanup after a large storm. The mayor cajoles everyone to keep working together for the community and ends her broadcast with, “Now, it’s time to get to work. Up and at ’em!” Adam heard a call to work for himself and his dog. Helping with lots of small tasks throughout his neighborhood, Adam’s cheerful greeting, willingness to help, and smiling face lighten everyone’s spirit. Finally Adam cooks batch after batch of cookies to share on the boardwalk.
Adam is identified in the endpapers as modeled after the author’s son who has Down syndrome. This story celebrates what Adam can do rather than focusing on how he is different. Through accepting and nurturing Adam for who he is, his cheerful and helpful nature resonated out into the community.
Use this book to promote a more inclusive community and to encourage community service.
Francis Discovers Possible by Ashlee Latimer
A lovely story showing a child coping with bullying for being overweight. Francis loves words and the class’s weekly word day. The teacher always has the class review earlier letters; ” A is for antelope…R is for rainbow.” When two of her classmate giggle F is for fat, like Francis, all Francis’s joy in words is frozen. Francis had associated her size and the word fat with positive things like puppies, cuddling, and family. Jericho and Tabitha made fat feel cold and small. The required apology didn’t help Francis let go of her feeling. It followed her all through school and to the park after school. After sitting for a while with her Baba, their conversation turned to “possible.” In their exploration of possible, Francis again found joy and acceptance of the world around her and her place in that world.
This book shows how small acts of bullying can greatly impact a child and their self perception. Wisely the story doesn’t show a fix, but rather shows that true recovery takes space, time, and caring which allows the child to process and recover.