Under the Sea

The Blue Whale 

Written and Illustrated by: Jenni Desmond

Published by: Enchanted Lion Books, 2015

Nonfiction

Have you ever wanted to know more about the largest living animal on Earth? The Blue Whale, allows readers to dive into some fascinating facts about blue whales in ways that relate to the average human. Metaphors are used throughout the book to help readers better understand the facts listed. Did you know every blue whale has unique markings similar to that found in a human fingerprint? What about that the heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car? You will discover these facts plus many more as you dive into this incredible book!

The illustrations in this book were created by Jenni Desmond using watercolors and acrylic paint. The photos were then scanned to a computer and photoshopped as needed. The pictures themselves include humorous depictions that help readers relate to the facts given. For example, there is a picture of 50 humans standing inside of a blue whales mouth to show how large the area is. The pictures are also created to accurately depict the animal. There is even a page to show the true size of a blue whales eye right in the book!

One way I would use this book in my classroom would be to read this book with a 1st grade class. After reading the story, I would ask the students to identify the main idea and some key details of the text. The students would create a foldable graphic organizer for their learning activity and share their work with their peers. 

An Out of This World Vacation!

If You Decide to Go to the Moon 

Written by: Faith McNulty     Illustrated by: Steven Kellogg

Published by: Scholastic Press, 2005

Science Fiction

Have you ever thought about taking a trip to the moon? This book will tell you everything you need to know if you were to decided to go to the moon. From blast off to landing, If you Decide to Go to the Moon is packed full of helpful information that any astronaut would need to know such as the things they should pack, the way space will look and feel, and all of the surprising things you will experience once you are in space and on the moon! Get ready to grab your space suit after reading this fantastic journey!

The Illustrations of this book are done using watercolor. There is a great variation of style however, when it comes to the pictures of life on Earth and once the rocket makes it to space. The pictures on Earth show lots of color and scences that are meant to look cartoonish while the pictures of space and the moon are created to look as realistic as possible. The illustrator puts more realistic detail into these pictures so that the reader can get a better idea of what the moon and space would actually look like. 

To use this book in the classroom, I would read the story to a sixth grade class to introduce space science. We could first read this story, then do some research on the moon. The students could research the moon and write their own short narrative about what they would do if they decided to go to the moon. This book could also lead to a STEM lesson where students could use materials to construct their own rocket ships!

Quitting Time!

The Day the Crayons Quit 

Written by: Drew Daywalt      Illustrated by: Oliver Jeffers

Published by: Phiomel Books, 2013

Modern fantasy

One day while at school, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found a stack of letters addressed with his name. As he reads through the letters, Duncan comes to realize that all of his crayons have decided to quit! Gray Crayon is tired from coloring all of the big elephants and whales. Beige Crayon is tired of constantly being called light brown. And Yellow and Orange Crayon cannot agree of who is supposed to color in the sun. Will Duncan ever be able to make all of his crayons happy or will they leave him colorless?

The illustrations of this book are what make the story worthwhile! There is no traditional typed text in this story but rather pictures of letters written with crayon, appearing to be written by the crayons themselves. Their are also crative drawings appearing to be drawn by Duncan, that are used to show exactly what each crayon is tired of. The illustrations are lively and full of color which perfectly captures the imigination of a child with a box of crayons. 

One way this book could be used in a classroom would be to discuss the format for writing a letter with second graders. The teacher could use the crayons' letters to Duncan as examples and have the students write their own letter to their crayons using the letter styling they see within the book.  

Ten Lucky Leprechauns Book Talk

You Hold Me, I Hold You

You Hold Me Up 

Written by: Monique Gray Smith     Illustrated by: Danielle Daniel 

Orca Book Publishers, 2017

International literature

What are some ways that we can hold each other up? This book helps students see and make connections to many ways in which they can "hold each other up" through showing support and friencship to one another no matter the situation. This book is full of encouragement and helps promote a risk free classroom environment that students will feel safe and accepted in. A must read for any classroom!

The illustrations in this book are composed of bright watercolors and acrylics. The pictures themselves, however, are fairly simple with little detail and consist of mostly lines and circles. Each illustration promotes diverse cultures and interests by displaying different groups of people doing activities such as cooking, playing, and making music.

One way that I could use this book in the classroom setting would be to read this story to kindergarten or first grade students during the first week of the new school year. After reading, I and my students would participate in creating an anchor chart to build our classroom rules together. This activity would allow the students to set their own expectations based on the the supports seen throughout the book. This will make the rules more meaningful for students because they created them and allow them to feel a sense of unitity.  

Happines from within

 Happy in Our Skin

Written by: Fran Manushkin    Illustrated by: Lauren Tobia

Candlewick Press, 2015

Diverse literature 

Have you ever thought about how wonderful it is to have skin? "It keeps our outsides out and our insides in." This book highlights the different physical features of a biracial family and how even though the children's skin may look different than their light-skinned mother, they all share similarities. This book is a great read for students as they can relate their differences with the family from the story and find acceptance in everyone, no matter how different they may seem!

The illustrations in this book are classified as mixed media illustrations. The illustrator uses many different methods such as watercolors, electronic media, oils, and pencil to create the amazing images. The images themselves demonstrate a vast variety of diversity in that they contain people with many differences. Some images contain people of different races and genders. Other include people with disabilities, birthmarks, glasses, etc.

I would choose to teach this book in a kindergarten setting, with my content focus being art. I would first share this story with my students then have them create a self portrait to share with the class. The students will highlight things that make them different in their portraits and share them verbally with the class.