Junie B. Jones - Boss of Lunch

Junie B. Jones: Boss of Lunch is written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. It was published in 2002 by Random House Children's Books.

Lexile Level: 330L    Ages: 6-10

Summary:

     Junie B. Jones: Boss of Lunch is an early chapter book.

     Junie B. Jones gets a new lunchbox in the mail, and her interest in lunch time at school begins to grow. At lunch one day, she learns that Mrs. Gutzman, a lunch lady she used to adore, still works at her school. Upon learning this, Junie B. sprints to the kitchen and finds her. Mrs. Gutzman enlists Junie B. as a lunch helper, giving her gloves, an apron, and three different jobs to perform in the kitchen. In the end, Junie B. comes to learn that being a lunch helper isn’t all its cracked up to be, and the school lunch is especially gross!

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     I really enjoy the Junie B. Jones books because they give students important messages through a short chapter book.Throughout the Junie B. Jones: Boss of Lunch book she is learning valuable life lessons. Therefore, I found this book to be realistic. Taking on lunch duty at school is a important and hard task and this book shows that this is a hard task but it also shows tolerance and acceptance, problem solving, and the way Junie B. reacts to each situation. I think that the author's main point was to show students to try new things and sometimes it may not be what you like, for instance Junie B. Jones found out that school lunches are GROSS!

     Another part of this book I found great was every time a  new word would come up it would be described. For example, "That one is an eaglet. I said." "An eaglet is a baby eagle"

     There are a few illustrations scattered throughout the chapter book and these illustrations capture the important parts of the story. In the beginning an important part is when Junie B. Jones gets her brand new lunchbox so the illustrator, Denise Brunkus, made sure to include Junie's excited expression with her animal decorated lunchbox.

Literary Elements:

      There are spots of onomatopoeia scattered throughout this story such as the work ICK that is brought up multiple times. The main themes of this books are the lunch room, elementary school, responsibility, and growing up. The setting of this story was in the elementary school and the lunch room.

1. Onomatopoeia: words like ICK!
2. Themes: responsibility and growing up
3. Setting: elementary school and the lunch room

In the Classroom:

     For this lesson I would have students write a story about something new they tried and if they liked it or not. Some questions I would pose are:

• What is something new you have tried?
• Did you like it?
• Why or why not?
• Would you ever do it again?
• Did you choose to do this or did someone ask you to do it?
• How often/long did you have to do it for?

 

 

Park, B., & Brunkus, D. (2002). Junie B. Jones, boss of lunch. New York: Random House. 

Mouse

Mouse is written by Angie Sage. It was published in 2001 by Penguin Group.

Lexile Level: N/A      Ages: 9-12

Summary:

     Mouse is an early chapter book.

     Mouse is Izzy's best friend, they do everything together. Except one thing, school. One day Mouse is determined to go to school with Izzy, so he sneaks into her backpack. At school she has lots of excitement on what turns out to be a truly magical day.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

      Mouse is a great introductory chapter book for younger students. It is a sixty page book that has a picture on almost every page. The chapters are also very short ranging from six to eight pages. This story has a great message that is told from the Mouse's point of view. The mouse spends his days at home bored while Izzy is at school so he finds a way to secretly spend the day with her. I do not think this book is realistic at all because a mouse cannot talk back to a human or give themselves a bath, but it is a creative fiction story.

     The illustrations in this book are bright and colorful that makes it exciting to keep reading. The mouse is displayed in almost all of the illustrations and his expression is clear, whether he is angry, happy, sad, or scared. There is also great detail in the illustrations when mouse is going to take a bath there is a bathroom background that has bubbles floating around, bathroom tiles of all colors, and a mirror that has a clear reflection.

Literary Elements:

     Angie Sage uses onomatopoeia throughout Mouse for example the words aaargh, er, ow, and eurgh. Sage also uses personification because the main character mouse is given human characteristics such as talking. The characters in this story include Mouse and Izzy.

1. Onomatopoeia: er, ow, eurgh, aaargh
2. Personification: mouse can talk
3. Characters: Mouse and Izzy

In the Classroom:

     I would use this book as an introduction to chapters and what a chapter is. As students are becoming aware of chapter books they should be introduced to fun and colorful stories as they transition from picture books. I would also use this book to explain to students what personification is.

The Tooth - Online Rescource (4)

This book is written by Avi Slodovnick and illustrated by Manon Gauthier. It was published in 2010 by Kane/Miller Book Publishers.

Lexile Level: AD740L     Ages: 5-8

http://www.storylineonline.net/the-tooth/

Summary: 

      The Tooth is a young girl named Marissa that wakes up with a tooth ache because she ate too much candy. Rather than going to school her mom takes her to the dentist. She experiences the morning hustle in a busy city, careful to hold her mom's hand tightly. Then she sees the most unusual sight, a homeless man. In the waiting room Marissa watches the man from the window. Noticing that most of the people walked straight passed the man. Marissa gets her rotten tooth pulled and gets it back in an orange envelope. She is reminded to put the tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy. While back on the street Marissa pulls away from her mother and runs up to the homeless man. She gives him her tooth and tells him to put it under his pillow.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     The tooth is a moving book. The little girls learns about a lot on her trip to the dentist. She meets a homeless man on her way and is so curious about him. After the dentist trip, she decides to give the tooth to the man so that he will get money the next morning. She did not know why this man was sitting on the street with a box, but the beauty in this story is that she did all she could do in her situation. Marissa did not have money all she had was a tooth, most children want to keep their teeth and earn money, but Marissa was different she cared about someone else well being. 

     From the title The Tooth no one would guess that the book is about giving to someone else in need. It would be a great story to read to students because it talks about helping others and that not all homeless people are negative. When walking on the street there are homeless people who are grouchy even in movies they are depicted as grouchy, but this book shows that their are homeless people that are kind and thankful for what is given to them. 

     This book was illustrated by Manon Gauthier. I personally disliked the illustrations. The characters Marissa, her mom, and the people on the street looked dirty. The illustrations looked rushed and not to detailed. Although, I felt they were drawn wrong, they did follow along with the text well. The city is depicted as a gray towering presence while the main characters pop in color against the gray. The homeless man is also shown in color though the other people on the street are the same gray as the city itself. 

Literary Elements:

     The tone of this story is hopeful, generous, and caring. This is shown through Marissa wanting to help the homeless man. The characters are Marissa, her mom, the homeless man, and the dentist. The setting of this story is in the large city streets and the dentist office.

1. Tone: hopeful, generous, caring, thoughtful
2. Characters: Marissa, her mom, the homeless man, and the dentist
3. Setting: the dentist office and the street

In the Classroom:

     I would use this text to introduce helping others and what it means to help others. As a class we will have a discussion about who has ever helped any one and what did they do. After the discussion the students will have to think of one kind thing to do for another peer. They could write a kind letter, offer to throw their garbage away, give them a compliment, or ask to sit by them at lunch.


Slodovnick, A., & Gauthier, M. (2010). The tooth. Tulsa, OK: Kane/Miller Book .

The Land of Lost Thing / El Pais de Las Cosas Perdidas

This book was written and illustrated by Dina Bursztyn. It was published in 2011 by Pinata Books; Bilingual edition.
Lexile Level: AD430L     Ages: 5-7

Summary:

     The Land of Lost Things is a bilingual book about a young boy wanted to draw, but his blue pencil was missing. He looked inside his pencil box. It was empty, but there was a narrow path. He followed the path and arrived in a forest of blue pencils. Continuing to explore he found a missing button, hair comb, scissors, and everything else he had ever lost. He followed the path through the mountain of mittens, the garden of lost umbrellas, and the flock of flying socks. He catches a sock and looks through the hole in the sock and went back to his pencil box.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     I found the illustrations in this book to be a bit odd. When I was doing some research on the writer/illustrator Dina Bursztyn I found an article that was discussing whether the character is a boy or a girl. To me, the character looks like a young boy, but I could see how some readers see the character as a girl.There was also a discussion over which race the character is, on some pages he has darker skin and on other pages he has lighter skin. Unfortunately, I found the illustrations inconsistent. One thing I did find nicely done was the boy’s exploration is depicted with the whimsical art in digital collage, opaque watercolors and markers.The reader can clearly tell he is walking through a garden of umbrellas or a mountain of gloves.

     I think this was a good story but there is room for improvement. The plot for younger students is believable because younger children lose things all the time and they go on a mini adventures to find there missing item. This book is bilingual and on each page there is a English on the left page and Spanish on the right page. I found text was a bit slow and awkward and much more could have been done with this story. The ending is also very abrupt and could leave the reader confused. Altogether, I think the illustrations pulled the story together to make it an enjoyable read for both the English readers and the Spanish readers. This may not be a story I would use as a read-out-loud maybe just a book I would have in my classroom. I think it would be OK to do a read-out-loud when you have Spanish speaking students.

Literary Elements:

     The main character in this story is the young boy who is trying to find his blue colored pencil. The tone of this story starts out sad because he cannot find his blue pencil, but as he begins to explore "the land of lost things" he cheers up because he is finding so much lost stuff, like his comb and scissors. The setting of this story is in the young boys home and it moves into the path of his pencil case.

1. Character: the young boy
2. Tone: sad to happy
3. Setting: the boys home and pencil case

In the Classroom:

     An activity I would do with my students is have them think about something they lost that was important to them. Once they know the item have them write a paragraph about that item.
Including:

• What is the item?
• Where did you(or think you) lost the item?
• Did you find the item?
• How long was it missing for?
• Where did you find it?

 

 

Bursztyn, D. (2011). The Land of Lost Things/El Pais de Las Cosas Perdidas. Pinata Books.

Binky to the Rescue

Binky to the Rescue is written and illustrated by Ashley Spires. It was published in 2010 by Kids Can Press, Ltd.

Lexile Level: GN360L     Ages: 7-10

Summary:

      Binky to the rescue is about a black and white cat named Binky. Binky thinks he lives in a shuttle in outer space so he is always chasing the aliens in his home, which are really flies. One day while chasing a alien he falls out of a window and now he thinks he is in outer space. He uses a hose for oxygen, ties himself to a garden gnome so he does not fly away, and he takes notes on all the mysterious aliens. His humans find him and bring him inside, but he realizes he left his favorite toy Ted outside. Binky makes a plan to go back to space and get Ted. After two failed attempts he decides to dig a hole. He avoided all of the aliens and got Ted back! Back inside he realizes that Ted is ruined so the humans take Ted into another room and brings Ted out as good as new.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     If there were no words in this graphic novel the illustrations could tell the story and the same message will be received at the end. Being a graphic novel there are all different size illustrations. On some pages there are nine small boxes, on another page it has three longer boxes, and on some pages the whole page is one image. I think that this gives the book character and makes it easier for a student to follow. Spires uses a muted, limited palette of colors mainly browns, blues and greens with just a tiny splash of color, for example the red hat on a garden gnome. There is also great detail in the images, Binky and the humans have distinct characteristics. The bees and flies are easy to tell apart even from a far and the house/outside garden looks realistic. 

     This is a graphic novel for any gender, but maybe leaning more towards boys because of some of the humor.  It is a very creative story and gets the reader to think outside of the box. This book has realistic and unrealistic sections. I found the beginning and the end to be realistic because cats do chase flies and they do want their favorite toy to be fixed, but the middle of the story was unrealistic because a cat cannot swing from a rope off of the ceiling fan or paint themselves to match the wallpaper. This book is a comedy for young readers and the unrealistic sections of the book make it a comedy. It is an adventure book and will be great in a classroom to introduce graphic novels and adventures.

Literary Elements:

     This book has onomatopoeia several times on every page. Just the fist page has the words sproing, pumf, vwhosh, thump, tuck, bzzzzz. The setting is in the humans house or as Binky thinks the space station. Binky also ventures outside in the garden or as he thinks outer space. The characters in this graphic novel are Binky, Ted, and the humans.

1. Onomatopoeia: Bzzzzz, Thump, Whosh

2. Setting: In the house and outside

3. Characters: Binky, Ted, and the humans

 In the Classroom:

      After reading I would discuss animal habitats, ask what pets students have at home, and have them write stories on what they think their animals think about or do while they are gone. Once they have brainstormed their ideas they can create a small comic strip that illustrates their story. These can be put on display so all the students can read about their classmates pets. 

Spires, A. (2010). Binky to the rescue. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.

    

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The book is written by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Forney. It was published in 2007 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Lexile Level: 600L    Ages: 12-17

Summary:

     The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel that is narrated by a 14 year old Spokane Indian, Arnold or Junior, who is a hydrocephalic, meaning he was born with water on the brain. Arnold takes us on a journey through his life beginning with the important people in his life. We read about Oscar, his best canine friend and Rowdy, his best friend the tough-guy. 

     Moving on, Arnold talks about his experience at school. He uses a textbook that has his mother's name in it which he ends up throwing at his teacher, Mr. P. Mr. P comes to visit Arnold and tells him he needs to get out of the reservation because he is intelligent and can do more with his life. So, Arnold takes Mr. P's advice and transfers to the white school in Reardan. Arnold's parents are OK with hides decision but Rowdy becomes very upset over the news and  punches Junior in the face.

     Arnold starts at Reardan High School, where he meets a beautiful blonde Penelope and gets picked on by Roger, the jock. As his time at Reardan progresses Arnold punches Roger in the nose, but Roger does not fight back. He begins to respects Arnold. Penelope and Arnold become close when he finds out her secret, she is anorexic. They become so close Arnold takes her to the winter dance. Through his time at Reardan, Arnold has been passing as middle-class, Penelope finds out that he is poor and feels sorry for him. Penelope and Arnold become semi-girlfriend and boyfriend.

     Arnold becomes friends with Gordy who is the school genius. Gordy teaches Arnold how to really read  book and other joys of learning. While attending Reardan Arnold starts to realize he is a part-time Indian. He is Junior on the reservation, where he is disliked, and at school in Reardan he is Arnold. To feel more like home, Arnold tries out for basketball. With some encouragement from his coach, he makes varsity. The first game is on the reservation where he is playing against his ex-best friend Rowdy. Rowdy ends up knocking Arnold unconscious. In the rematch, Arnold's team wins. 

     During the remainder of the book, Arnold goes through a series of losses. He loses his grandmother who is hit by a drunk driver and he loses his dad's best friend Eugene who was shot in the face. Unfortunately, he also loses his sister Mary in a trailer fire. The end of the book is a   reconciliation between Rowdy and Arnold. The play a game of one-on-one basketball.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     This book was very much a comedy that talks about everyday (some serious) issues. The novel addresses racism, sexual references, and swearing. I do think a middle school class would enjoy this novel because of its humor. I didn’t really like some of the racist, sexist, homophobic language that was used, but it felt authentic to the characters. Reading the novel it was like listening to students talk to each other in my placement, it was normal. Although, it addresses these crude topics it has a stronger meaning.

      A coming of age story with identity, doing something better with your life, and breaking down stereotypes. This novel seems realistic the story is from Arnold/Juniors point of view and it shows what he goes through as an Indian boy attending a White school. The setting is accurate. Arnold tells the reader about the reservation and how much alcoholism is around. He also mentions the fighting that occurs and how families stick up for each other. For example, on page 61 Arnold writes a list of "The Unofficial and Unwritten Spokane Indian Rules of Fisticuffs". The setting goes back and forth between the reservation and Reardan and Arnold makes sure the reader knows the distinction between the two.

      The comic illustrations by Ellen Forney are wonderful. They bring the story together by illustrating Arnold's wit and comedic voice. They make the novel interesting to read and a middle school student would be happy to read a novel with illustrations. Some of the comics bring more dialogue into the story, for instance, on page 120 there is a comic called "how to pretend you are not poor" and it has five boxes each with an excuse to get out of things that require money.

Literary Elements:

     There is symbolism in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Page 11 is an example, Arnold had a dog named Oscar who fell ill. He asked to take his dog to the vet, his family said no they will take care of it on the reservation. His father shots Oscar. The death of the animal, who is a completely innocent, becomes a symbol for the senseless destruction caused by poverty on the reservation. In fact, Arnold mentions Oscar's death as the worst thing about poverty: it's even worse than being hungry. The setting of this novel takes place in two locations. One is on the reservation where Arnold lives and the other is in Reardan where Arnold attends school. Towards the end of the novel Rowdy and Arnold climb a pine tree showing imagery. "I don't know if anybody else has ever climbed that tree. I look at it now, years later, and I can't believe we did it. And I can't believe I survived my first year at Reardan" (Alexie 226). This pine tree is imagery because Arnold gives a description of the tree (how tall it was) and then once he and Rowdy were at the top he gave a description about the view. From his descriptions as the reader we can visualize the tree and the view.

1. Symbolism: Oscar = poverty
2. Setting: the reservation and Reardan
3. Imagery: the tall pine tree and the view

In the Classroom:

     (For the whole book) With this book I would have my students do small group discussions. I would also have them do the container with a lid activity because there are multiple characters the students can chose from to represent. In their small discussion groups I would have them share their container objects and then discuss their favorite and least favorite part of the book.

     (For chapters throughout) Breaking the book up into sections will encourage the students to predict what might happen next. For each of the chunks of book I will have the students bring in a list of questions (appropriate) and have four small discussion groups. Each student will be encouraged to participate as they will each have to bring in questions.


Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Colors! Colores!

This book is written by Jorge Lujan and illustrated by Piet Grobler. It was published in 2008 by Groundwood Books.

Lexile Level: NP (Non-prose)     Ages: 5-8

NP: Non-Prose

The NP code is for any book comprising more than 50% non-standard or non-conforming prose. NP books do not receive a Lexile measure, merely the NP code. Some common examples of non-prose content are poems, plays, songs, recipes, and text with non-standard or absent punctuation.  (Lexile.com)

Summary:

     Colors! Colores! takes the reader through a journey through the celebration of colors. John Lujan takes the reader through day to night using a range of colors. We see children and an antelope inhabiting this delicate world. This bilingual book presents a gorgeous vision of a planet in nature. From descriptions of greenery, the rising sun, nights arrival, and the moon.

Evaluation and illustrations:

     This book visually looks like a picture book, but it is actually a fully illustrated collection of 11 poems (one poem for each color). Each poem appears in English and directly underneath is Spanish. The best part of the poems is when the colors were mentioned they were written in the color said in both the English and Spanish sections. For example,

"I saw a lake.

I saw a flower.

I saw the twilight.

... Violet!

Vio un lago, 

vio una flor,

vio el ocaso,

violeta!"

With the author doing this it makes it easier for the students to find the correct color in their opposing language. For instance, if the student is reading English and wants to know what green looks like in Spanish then they can easily find the word. 

     Piet Grobler made eye-catching watercolor paintings for each poem. His drawing are simple and unique and captures the colors Lujan is describing in all the right ways. The second time reading this story I noticed there was an antelope placed on all the pages (besides one) this antelope provides a link between the following pictures to create a cohesive whole. One issue with the illustrations is the red and the orange pages almost look the same. The orange page comes first and it looks like the color orange, but then the red page comes straight after and looking back and forth the red looks like orange.

Literary Elements:

     Since they were poems there were some that rhymed, for example: 

"Brown. 

A coconut floating down, 

a rock far from town,

where an antelope is watching".

There were also some similes throughout. One example is "the color pink, bright as a little girl's nose, makes everything smell like a rose". There were also metaphors, one example is "Yellow rolls through the sky like a warm gold coin". 

1. Rhyming: Most of the short poems rhyme

2. Simile: There are not many, but there are two on the pink page

3. Metaphor: The color yellow uses a metaphor.

In the Classroom:

     I would use this book in my classroom for my ELL students (English Language Learners) or students who want to know Spanish. This book is simple and will help students accurately find the word for a certain colors.

     I would also use this book to introduce poetry. These are simple poems that can be an example for younger students. I would have my students pick five colors and similar to the author Jorge Lujan create poems for those colors. They could describe anything the student wanted such as, a notebook or the color of their pet. Along with writing the poem they can also create illustrations that displays the colors accurately. 

Lujan, J., & Grobler, P. (2008). Colors! Colores! Groundwood Books.

FISH FISH FISH

FISH FISH FISH is written by Lee Nordling and illustrated by Meritxell Bosch. It was published in 2015 by Graphic Universe.

Lexile Level: NP (Non-Prose)    Ages: 5-10

NP: Non-Prose

The NP code is for any book comprising more than 50% non-standard or non-conforming prose. NP books do not receive a Lexile measure, merely the NP code. Some common examples of non-prose content are poems, plays, songs, recipes, and text with non-standard or absent punctuation.  (Lexile.com)

Summary:

     FISH FISH FISH is a graphic novel that is also wordless. It gives three stories through three points of view with zero words and all the stories end up connecting. On the top of the page we follow a little yellow fish who swims alone in a big ocean. In the middle of the page we follow a hungry barracuda who is searching for something to eat. On the bottom of the page we follow a school of fish who band together and find strengths in numbers.

Evaluation and illustrations:

     This graphic novel is different from others, it is telling a story through three perspectives and it does not use words at all. It gives students a choice: they can read it one story at a time or read all three stories at once. Personally, I found it easier to read the stories all at once, by reading each strip across, the character's stories sometimes don't make a lot of sense separately. Student's could have some confusion while reading because the stories are intertwined and they may loose whose story they are reading. Also, I found the problem and solution apparent from page one, but the message is still amazing.
 
      The colorful cartoon illustrations are very vibrant and visually interesting, easily keeping younger readers interested. Meritxell Bosch made his illustrations very detailed, for example, there is a few pages that the setting goes from the open ocean to a sunken ship. On this ship we see the fish and barracuda swim through cracks or holes and Bosch also included old furniture that sunk with the ship such as, a broken mirror, a picture, and a  broken canyon. Towards the end of FISH FISH FISH, there were two illustrated pages (that were not split into the three perspectives) this was a great addition to this graphic novel because it shows how the three perspectives came together. 

Literary Elements:

     The main characters of this graphic novel include the yellow fish, the barracuda, and the school of fish. There is also a few characters that have smaller roles such as jellyfish, starfish, and a killer whale that tried to eat the barracuda. The point of view is from three perspectives the yellow fish, the barracuda, and the school of fish. Of course, the setting is under the ocean, but there are some places they swim to like the sunken boat, a sunken statue, and in coral reefs. 

1. Characters: the yellow fish, the barracuda, the school of fish
2. Point of view: told through three perspectives
3. Setting: in the ocean

In the Classroom:

      This is a great book to use for point of view. For a mini lesson before I did a read-out-loud i would have the students illustrate what they think will happen from one of the fishes point of views. They could choose the yellow fish, the barracuda, or the school of fish and create 3-5 illustrations. After reading the story have students share if they were right about their fishes role in the story. Then, the multiple perspectives coming together can start a great discussion about understanding and looking outside your own story. So as a class we would discuss this and end with a writing prompt about point of view.

• From this story what did you learn about point of view?

• Whose point of view was your favorite? and why?

Nordling, L., & Bosch, M. (2015). FISH FISH FISH. Minneapolis, MN: Graphic Universe.

I am Jazz - Online Resource (3)

I am Jazz is written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and it was illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. It was published in 2014 by Penguin Young Readers Group.

Lexile Level: N/A     Ages: 4-8

Read on: Audible.com

Summary:

     I am Jazz is a true story about a transgender child that takes the reader through her life experiences as Jazz Jennings. From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing.Until one day Jazz and her parents went to the doctors office where the doctor explained that Jazz was transgender and she was born that way.

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     This is an inspirational story and one of the authors is actually Jazz Jennings, who the story is about. It takes us through a young child's life as she finds herself to be transgender and in the end gets all the support possible from her family. There are always negative stories about families who find out their child/sibling is transgender, but this does the opposite. It shows an accepting family doing what they can to make sure their child is happy in her own skin.

     The illustrations helps explain what Jazz is trying to show the author. Readers are taken through her journey with upbeat watercolor illustrations that are a good complement to the cheerful tone and positive message of the story We see Jazz happy, we see her upset, we see her as a boy and we see her as a girl. The images are easy for the child to understand what is happening on each page. They great thing about this story is it is told in an order so through just looking at the pictures one can see Jazz's transition into a girl.

Literary Elements:

     There is conflict in this story, the conflict is that Jazz is confused, she is caught between who she truly is and the body she was born in. There are powerful themes, those are self-worth and acceptance. The overall mood of the story is positive and cheerful. There are a couple times when the tone drops to negativity, like when we see Jazz get bullied.

1. Conflict: Jazz is stuck in the wrong body.
2. Themes: self-worth and acceptance
3. Mood: cheerful, positive, and happy

In the Classroom:

     I am Jazz is a great book to have in the classroom to show positivity on a tough subject. I would take this opportunity to discuss with students that they may be friends with a student who identifies as transgender or maybe someone in their family. It is important for students at a young age to know that being transgender does not make them any different from anyone else, they were not born who they really are.


Herthel, J., Jennings, J., & McNicholas, S. (2014). I am Jazz. NY, NY: Penguin Youngs Readers Group.

Born to Read

This book is written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown. It was published in 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf

Lexile Level: AD670L      Ages: 3-5

Summary:

     Born to Read is about a boy named Sam who knows from the time he is a little baby he is "born to read". Sam has a patient mother that reads him a book after book. When he is slightly older Sam reads everywhere he goes, he reads in bed, in the hall, in the tub, at the mall, and while playing basketball. Later, he attends a bike race, he wins. Back home Grudaloon comes to town and steals the children's toys. Sam saves the day by bringing Grudaloon books so he can collect the stolen toys. "Yes, readers can go anyplace!"

Evaluation and Illustrations:

     The illustration in this book are effectively executed Marc Brown creates the adorable main character Sam. He has red hair that sticks up into a cowlick and big blue eyes. Also in his illustrations, Marc Brown puts picture books throughout, specific books. We see the books "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", "The Cat in the Hat", and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom". Overall, the illustrations are gorgeous and tell the story well.

     This book is great because it encourages reading, but I do think it is a bit heavy-handed. Sam entered a bike race which was against much older, more experienced cyclists. Sam is never shown practicing for the race, only reading a book about bike repair and the message seems to be that if you read enough books about the sport/activity you will win. I felt the bike race was disconnected from the rest of the book. Without this section the book may have been more believable.

 Literary Elements:

     The main character is Sam we follow him on his adventures through reading. In this story Judy Sierra has similes. One of those is "Uphill, downhill, like a rocket". Judy uses throughout this story Rhythm. Constantly there are sentences such as "passing by the pizza place, Sam spied a poster: Cycle Race!" On every page there is rhyming.

1. Character: Sam
2. Simile: "Uphill, Downhill, like a rocket"
3. Rhyming: There is rhyming on every page

In the Classroom:

     I would use this book for a lesson on rhyming. Judy Sierra constantly rhymes in Born to Read. I would have students write words that rhyme and eventually turn those words into a short paragraph or poem.


Sierra, J., & Brown, M. T. (2008). Born to read. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

White Socks Only - Online Resource (2)

This book is written by Evelyn Coleman and illustrated by Tyrone Geter. It was published in 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company.

Lexile Level: AD630L     Ages: 5-9

http://www.storylineonline.net/white-socks-only/

Summary:

     White Socks Only is about a young girl who asked her grandmother to go to town by herself, in turn her grandmother told her a story about the time she went into town and had an experience with the "Chicken Man". The story went: she went into town with two eggs in her pocket to test if they will fry on the hot pavement and they did. She was ever so hot and decided to get a drink. Not knowing any better she took a  drink from a water fountain that has a sign "Whites Only". A large white man came over and yelled at her, as she was getting yelled at there were a group of black people coming to drink out of the fountain. Then, the "Chicken Man" came and took a long drink from the fountain and everyone went silent. After that the "Whites Only" sign was removed from the fountain. 

Evaluation and Illustration:

      I found this book to be high quality text. It is about a very important topic in America's history, segregation. The story shows segregation through a child's eyes. She did not know any better, she just wanted a drink of water. The great thing about this story is the colored bystanders all took a stand with this young girl to make a change. It gives an insight to students about the inequality between whites and colored back in history and that its things like drinking from a fountain that helped improve equality. 

     The illustrations in this story are child friendly and told the story accurately. The illustrations were very reflective of African-American features. The only thing I thought was a bit odd was that the white man in the story appeared to have an African-American skin color and features.

Literary Elements:

     The main characters in this story were the young girl and her grandmother. Some of the other characters are the "Chicken Man", the white man, and all the bystanders. The setting of this story is in America back in the 1900's-1930's where cities were segregated. Lastly, the themes of this story is strength, curious, innocent, strong-willed, and perseverance.

1. Main characters: the girl and her grandmother

2. Setting: America in the 1900's-1930's

3. Themes: Perseverance, strong, brave

In the Classroom: 

     I would use this book in the classroom to bring up the serious topic, segregation. As a class we will talk about how students feel about segregation and why there were signs that said "Whites Only". This is a great story to introduce Americas past and how it has changed over time. It would be a great story to lead into a lesson on historical movements about the African-American community in the United States and social justice in the world today.

Coleman, E., & Geter, T. (1996). White socks only. Morton Grove, IL: A. Whitman.

The Art of Miss Chew - Digital Mentor Text Assignment

This book is written by Patricia Polacco. It was published in 2012 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Lexile Level: 630L    Ages: 5-8

     In this video I will give a brief summary of the book, state the purpose and themes, and a mini lesson you can use in the classroom.

Polacco, P. (2012). The Art of Miss Chew New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Enjoy!

The Keeping Quilt - Digital mentor text assignment

This book is written by Patricia Polacco. It was published in 1998 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Lexile Level: 920L     Ages: 4-8

     In this video I will give a brief summary of the book, state the purpose and themes, and a mini lesson you can use in the classroom.

Polacco, P. (1998). The Keeping Quilt New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.



Enjoy!

 

The Lemonade Club - Digital Mentor Text Assignment

This book is written by Patricia Polacco. It was published in 2007 by Philomel Books.

Lexile Level: AD740L    Ages: 5-9

     In this video I will give a brief summary of the book, state the purpose and themes, and a mini lesson you can use in the classroom.

Polacco, P. (2007). The Lemonade Club New York: Philomel Books.


Enjoy!

 

Oh, Look! - Digital Mentor Text Assignment

This book is written by Patricia Polacco. It was published in 2004 by Philomel Books.

Lexile Level: N/A     Ages: 5-10

     In this video I will give a brief summary of the book, state the purpose and themes, and a mini lesson you can use in the classroom.

Polacco, P. (2004). Oh, look! New York: Philomel Books.

Enjoy!

Biography of Patricia Polacco - Digital Mentor

     The author that I chose for my digital mentor text presentation is Patricia Polacco.

     In the following video, I introduce Patricia Polacco, the books that I chose to present in the next four videos. and the different crafts of writing, with a couple excerpt that show the authors craft.

     As mentioned, there will be four videos to follow that will go in depth for the books Oh, Look!, The Lemonade Club, The Keeping Quilt, and The Art of Miss Chew. In these videos I will give a brief summary of the book, state the purpose and themes, and a mini lesson you can use in the classroom.


Enjoy!

Luna

Luna is written by Julie Anne Peters. It was published in 2004 by Little, Brown and Company.

Lexile Level: 500L     Ages: 14 and up

Summary: 

     Luna is a novel that focuses on the O'Neil family and the journey of a transsexual teen, known as Luna.The book is told through the eyes of Luna's sister, Regan. Regan is a typical sixteen-year-old girl: she's angry at her parents, self-conscious, and awkwardly obsesses with a boy in her chemistry class. But Regan is the keep of an enormous secret-her sibling is transgender and identifies as a female. This books deals with the strong bond between Regan and Luna as they go through this tough time, adolescence. Through the ups and downs of this novel, the siblings truly love and respect each other.

Evaluation:

     What was great about this book is all the flashbacks Regan shows the reader. She takes us back to times in her life that fills in the curiosities of the reader. This is also a great book because it talks about a serious topic, being transgender. It addresses gender expectations (from the parents), overcoming challenges, and being yourself. This book deals with a very mature topic and I would introduce it to a high school class.In the classroom this book can be informational for students who do not know much about being transgender or it could be inspiring for students who are transgender or have a family member (sister, brother, cousin, parent) who identifies as transgender.

Literary Elements:

     The image of a butterfly comes up over and over again. For example, Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, I thought. An exquisite and delicate creature, unfolding her wings and flying away. Except in Luna's case, the butterfly is forced to rein in her wings and reinsert herself into the cocoon ever day. Every single day, she has to become this shell of a person (Peters 126). It is fitting because Luna wants emerge as a beautiful girl and show her true colors. There is also symbolism, Luna's chest acts as a symbols because she has to guard herself carefully, showing Liam to the world and not letting Luna come out. Lastly, Peters uses an allegory, the basement. The basement is the place where Luna can safely be herself without fear. An example, The parental units pretty much designated the basement as our private space. We had our bedrooms and shared bathroom down there, plus the big room where we could hang out and watch TV. Mom and Dad rarely ventured downstairs, and when they did they always announced themselves (Peters, 33).

1. Imagery: butterfly
2. Symbolism: Luna's chest
3. Allegory: the basement

In the Classroom:

     As I mentioned above I would use this book in a high school classroom. This book would be a great asset for a health class for a discussion about sexuality and what the difference between being transgender and being gay is because some students may not know. In a regular classroom, I would have the students pull out the literary devices that they found important and how it makes the story flow.


Peters, J. A. (2004). Luna. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

How I Learned Geography - Online Resource

This book is written by Uri Shulevitz. It was published in 2008 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Book.

Lexile Level: AD660L     Ages: 5-10

Website: http://www.storylineonline.net/how-i-learned-geography/

Summary:

     How I Learned Geography is a story about a family driven from their home by a "war that devastated the land" the family flees. One day, the father returns from the market not with the bread for supper but a wall-filling map of the world. "No supper tonight" mother said bitterly. The map helps Uri escape from poverty and misery and into a world of wondrous fruit groves, deserts, and mountains. 

Evaluation and illustrations:

      How I learned Geography is beautifully illustrated picture book that introduces students to ten real locations in the world such as Egypt, Indonesia, and Venezuela. The illustrations, in this book, recreate memories of those places he has visited with just a map and imagination. While reading the book the students can try and guess the different places the illustrations are showing and it helps them understand where Uri is traveling and what these locations look like. Uri Shulevitz uses watercolor and ink illustrations to add further depth as he switches from monochromes palettes to a chorus of colors spotlighting how the map stirred his imagination.

     Not only are the illustrations beautifully done there is also a wonderful message. The message is about hope that one day Uri will get to travel the world and get away from poverty and war. This book has a few difficult words throughout, Shulevitz manages to tell the story of this important time on his life with simple effective sentences.

Literary elements:

     On occasion How I learned Geography has similes. For example one of the similes is "He chewed a small crust of bread as if it were the most delicious morsel in the world". The setting of this story started in Poland and as the story continued they moved to a country east of Poland where they lived with a "rich" couple for shelter. The tone of the story starts sad with dull colors because it focuses on the families poverty. The tone shifts into bright fun colors that focuses on imagination and creativity.

 1. Simile: "He chewed a small crust of food as if it were the most delicious morsel in the world"

2. Setting: Poland and then a country east of Poland

3.  Tone: Sad to happy.

In the Classroom:

     The lesson I could do with my class is have the students create mental maps of the world. This would be a great lesson for a geography unit about countries and locations. For a lesson focused on the craft of writing I would have students extend their learning by creating rhymes with exotic place names they find on maps, like the boy in the story.


How I Learned Geography. (2016, December 07). Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://www.storylineonline.net/how-i-learned-geography/ 

Waiting

Waiting is written by Kevin Henkes. It was published in 2015 by Jacket Art.

Lexile Level: 260L        Ages: 5-8

Summary:

     Five animals sit patiently on a windowsill, waiting and watching the world outside. The owl waits for the moon; the pig waits for the rain; the bear waits for the wind; the puppy waits for the snow; the rabbit waits for nothing in particular. Occasionally, gifts will appear on the windowsill, and a new friend might arrive, but together they all wait. One day a cat with patches joins them, and the windowsill friends receive a big surprise!

Evaluation and illustrations:

     This is a good story, but this story is unrealistic. Stuffed animals or porcelain toys cannot sit and wait for something to occur because they are not real. Although the characters are unrealistic the theme of this story is meaningful, it is teaching children that they will sometime in life have to wait. Whether it be in a line or for something to occur, like snow.

     The illustrations will definitely be interesting for students because they show the owl, pig, bear, puppy, and rabbits reactions while waiting. We see the animals sleeping, smiling when new gifts appear on the window, happy expressions when what they are waiting for arrives, and we see them scared when a terrifying thunderstorm rolls in. Henkes also gives us a look through the window and we see a rainbow, lightning, clouds shaped just like bears and umbrellas, icicles, fireworks, the moon, rain, wind, and snow.

Literary Elements:

     Kevin Henkes uses personification in Waiting. He gives the porcelain and stuffed toys life as if they are human, but really they do not have emotions and do not have the ability to wait. There is also foreshadowing. These animals are waiting for something and from the title of the book and explanations giving what they are waiting for will soon happen. He also uses foreshadowing when he mentions other toys come to visit but never stay foreshadowing a toy will come and stay, which does happen. The setting of the animals is important because it shows that they are waiting for things to occur outside and it also explains how the toys that join them end up disappearing because they fall off the windowsill and break.

1. Personification: giving the toys human-like traits
2. Foreshadowing: what they are waiting for will eventually arrive
3. Setting: the windowsill

In the Classroom:

     A mini-lesson I would do with the class is have them do a writing prompt about something they have had to wait for. It could be waiting for their parents to pick them up, waiting for summer to arrive, or waiting for the mailman to stop at their house. In this prompt they should write about what they wait for, how it makes them feel to wait, and if they are patient while they wait.

Henkes, K. (2015). Waiting. New York: Jacket Art.

BABYMOUSE: Bad Babysitter

Babymouse: Bad Babysitter is written by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. It was published in 2015 by Random House Children's Books.

Lexile level: GN220L      Ages: 7-10

Summary:

     Babymouse found an expensive sooper scooter in a magazine but was to expensive for her. As soon as Babymouse is offered a babysitting job from Penny, even with her lack of experience she thought YES! I will get enough money to buy the scooter. First, she babysat for Mrs. Ladybug it turned into a disastrous time. Then she recieves a call from a family with three monkey triplets, without hesitation she takes the job because all she can think about is the scooter. Again it did not turn out very good. Despite her failures she takes another job with a owl family. She succeeds! She helps the shy owl come out of his shell and make friends on the playground. She saved up enough money to but her sooper scooter and felt good because she earned it.

Evaluation and illustrations:

     One negative about Babymouse: Bad Babysitter is it a book that appeals to girls more than boys. The whole book is black, white, and pink and the page numbers are heart shaped. This may make a boy embarrassed to read a novel that is full of hearts and pink. I have talked to a group of students at my placement about the Babymouse books and only girls had read the book. I think if not all of the books had hearts and pink more boys would be appealed.

      On a positive note, Babymouse is filled with themes that students can relate to. For example, hard working students are often hard working and trying the best they can to earn good grades we see through Babymouse that hard work can pay off.

 Literary elements:

There are a couple themes in Babymouse: Bad Babysitter and those are the power and importance of friendship, facing and overcoming fears with the help of friends, family, and creative thinking, the gift of giving is more powerful than that of receiving, and working hard. Babymouse got the opportunity to babysit even though she had no experience. Despite this she ended up having a positive influence on an owl that helps her reach her goal of buying the sooper scooter. There is also onomatopoeia throughout the story. On occasion there are words like hop, zoom, sploosh, ring, whunk, etc. There is also foreshadowing in Babymouse. We see it when Penny offers the babysitting job to Babymouse and she gets nervous and mentions she has never babysat before. It foreshadows how her experience will go.



1. Themes: facing fears, creative, working hard
2. Onomatopoeia: zoom, hop, sploosh
3. Foreshadowing: Never babysat before so it will turn out bad

In the Classroom:

     This text could be used in the classroom as an example of graphic novels and how they are written. Some students enjoy writting graphic novel stories rather that regular stories and the Babymouse series is a positive example.
       A mini-lesson for this book or series is to teach inferences. A activity could be to search and discuss the many wisdoms and truths Babymouse learns in each book. Discuss how wise or somewhat misgiving they may be and why. 

   
Holm, J. L., & Holm, M. (2015). Babymouse: bad babysitter. New York: Random House.

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no Combina

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match is written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Sara Palacois. It was published in 2011 by Regent Publishing.

Lexile Level: AD580L     Ages: 5-7

Summary:

     Marisol McDonald has orange-red hair and nut-brown skin. Polka dots and stripes are one of her favorite clothing combinations to wear. To Marisol, being mismatched makes perfect sense. Other people are confused about Marisol and try to get her to change. Marisol's friends present a challenge "You couldn't match if you wanted to!" So the next day Marisol takes up the challenge and tries to conform. She wears clothes that are all the same color and plays only pirates at recess. Marisol realizes that she has to be true to herself, so the next day she puts on her favorite mismatched outfit and declares "My name is Marisol McDonald and I don't want match because ... I don't want to!"And when she finally gets a long-promised puppy, he is a perfect fit.

Evaluation:

    This book is a good for English language learners because each page is written in English and Spanish. (shown in the image below). Bilingual books facilitate connections by visually contrasting the two languages. You open the book and there they are, right in front of you. The student doesn’t have to spend hours trying to decipher the language in order to understand the content. Instead, with a little bit of preparation in the stronger language, they can focus their attention on building up the weaker language.

  The message of this book is powerful because it is showing individuality. Marisol is made fun of because of the way she dresses, the food she eats, the games she plays at recess, and the art she creates. Others don't stop her though she is a little girl who loves herself. When her friends don't want to play with her, she makes fun by herself.  Ms. Apple, the teacher, gives her a note that tells her she likes her just the way she is.That shows Marisol that individuality is great and she can be mismatched and happy.

Illustrations and elements:

     Monica Brown shows a variety of themes in Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match those are diversity, family, identity, compassion and obstacles. Marisol's family is a large part of her life and they support her and her choice to mismatch. She faces the obstacle of being judged by her classmates for being mismatched but she overcomes this obstacle from the support of her family and teacher. The style of writing is first person. The quality of writing is simple with both narrative and character dialogue. The setting of this story is at Marisol's school, home, and on the playground with a wide range of characters. There is Marisol, Ms. Apple, Marisol's friends, Ollie, Marisol's parents, and Kitty the dog. 

1. Themes: diversity, family, identity, compassion, and obstacles
2. Style of writing: first person
3. Setting: Marisol's home, school, and the play ground

     The illustrations show the different cultures of Marisol's family. Marisol has red hair from her Scottish heritage (her dad's side) and darker skin from her Peruvian heritage (her mom's side). Marisol speaks both English and Spanish. She eats foods that are both North American and South American mixed together and the illustrator Sara Palacios does a wonderful job showing the clear cultural differences. 

In the Classroom:

     After the students read this book, hopefully they will understand the beauty of cultural differences and Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match encourages happiness in uniqueness. A lesson the class could so is...

Have students participate in a unique art lesson where everyone follows the same directions in their own way. The directions include:

• Draw four straight lines from one side of the paper to the other.
• Draw five circles anywhere on the paper.
• Draw one curved line that starts at one edge of the paper and ends somewhere in the middle of the paper.
• Color in two of the circles.
• Fill in three areas of the paper by drawing squiggles, geometric shapes, or whatever you like.

Once the unique drawings are completed, display them and discuss how they are the same and how they are different. Notice that each piece is unique to the individual artist even though everyone received the same directions.


Brown, M., & Palacios, S. (2011). Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. Regent Publishing.

A Long Walk to Water

The author of A Long Walk to Water is Linda Sue Park. It was published in 2010 by Clarion Books. 

Lexlie Level: 720L    Ages: 10-12

Summary:

    A Long Walk to Water is a captivating story in which the author describes the lives of 2 different people. Both are born in different times and different places, but share a common struggle through their lives in many hardships and sorrows. The first story is about Nya, an eleven-year-old girl living in Southern Sudan who must make two long walks a day to fetch water for her family. The second story (the main story) is based on true life experiences of Salva Dut, who is forced to flee Southern Sudan when he is eleven years old because of the war. He spends many years as a refugee in countries outside of Sudan and in the United States before returning to Southern Sudan to drill wells which brings water to remote villages.

Evaluation:

      This story is remarkable because it is based on a true story. Salva gave the reader a detailed description of his life from a young age to adulthood. He showed the reader that one who has a simple can turn it around into something great. As we follow Salva's story we see him walking to school at age eleven to get a better education to walking through deserts to seek shelter and safety to being a Lost Boy in America and continuing his education and turning into an incredible leader.

     One negative with A Long Walk to Water is Nya's story. It felt hard to connect to Nya's story because the main focus was on Salva. Salva had an incredible story, but Linda Sue Park could have made Nya's story longer and detailed just as much as Salva's so it is easier to connect with her and her struggle with walking long distances to get water for her family.

Literary elements:

     First, Linda Sue Park used animal symbolism throughout the book. She uses cows as a symbol for wealth and status, we see this when Salva reflects back to his family and talks about the cows his father owned. She also uses vultures and crocodiles as a symbol for death and danger. This symbolism occurs when they are forced out of a refugee camp and forced to cross crocodile infested waters. Park also used animals for the literary devices: simile, foreshadowing, metaphor. The simile is when Salva finds his uncle for the first time, he describes his mouth opening and closing "as if he were a fish". The foreshadowing is hearing the lions roars at night which lead to death. Lastly, the metaphor is for the water drill being as tall as a giraffe. Finally, point of view: A Long Walk to Water is written in third person from Salva's point of view. The novel says " Leaving the airport felt like leaving his old life forever," (96). This quote shows that it is written in third person by Salva.

1. Symbolism: animals (cows, lions, vultures)
2. Literary elements: simile, metaphor, foreshadowing (shown through animals)
3. Point of view: written in third person from Salva's perspective

In the Classroom:

     I would use this book in my classroom to teach the craft of writing. Linda Sue Park wrote this novel with two stories going on and that could be a technique students may want to pursue.

     I would also use this book to show students the importance of pursuing their dreams and doing something great. The students can explore Salva's website and find ways to help raise money for his organization.



Park, L. S. (2010). A long walk to water: based on a true story. Boston: Clarion Books.

My Two Blankets

My Two Blankets is written by Irena Kobald and Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. It was published in 2014 by Little Hare Books. 

Lexile level: AD330L      Ages:9-10

Summary:

     My Two Blankets is about a refugee girl who has moved country due to war, and does not understand the new language, the new ways of living, or the new ways of being. Named "Cartwheel" by her Aunt, the girl struggles to understand who she is in this new country. Cartwheel finds comfort in her blanket she had found in her previous home. She eventually met a girl the same age and they would do fun things together, like go to the park. "Cartwheel's" new friend would bring words for "Cartwheel" to say over and over again. While learning these new words she started to weave a new blanket that grew to be just as soft and comfortable as the old blanket.

Evaluation and illustrations:

     My Two Blankets is a great story for older students because it relates to current events. In the news there is always mention of refugees fleeing to other countries to gain a better life and this book is a great representation. The Author Irena Kobald mentions at the end of the book that it is based on a true story, her daughters story. The main message this book is giving the reader is the power of friendship and kindness.
     This book captures the reality of what many refugees face-- loneliness. This is shown well through the illustrations. Freya Blackwood effectively uses imagery and color to enhance the story and provide the reader with distinct differences between Cartwheel and the girl. Blackwood uses color to represent where Cartwheel is from, the land or her country (orange, red,  and brown). The girl is shown with contrasting colors (blue, green, and pale yellow) to highlight the differences between her and Cartwheel and where they live. This also reflects back to Cartwheels blanket. Cartwheels first blanket is red. orange, and brown and as she weaves her new blanket she adds blues, greens, and yellow. 

Literary Elements:

          The plot is written in first-person narration of the girl from Sudan (Cartwheel).  The reader learns of her emotions through the metaphorical descriptions: hearing the unrecognizable language all around her was “like standing under a waterfall of strange sounds … cold … alone.” The ‘blanket’ is a metaphor. Freya Blackwood uses symbols from African culture and lays Cartwheel within the design of this blanket, almost making it more of a ‘place’ of which Cartwheel is a very integral and colorful part. The blanket is a metaphor for comfort and security because Cartwheel is in this strange new country. Another literary element is symbolism, it is shown through both words and images, to give Cartwheel a soft, warm place to wrap herself in.

1. Plot: Written in first-person: Cartwheels perspective.
2. Metaphor: The blanket
3. Symbolism: Cartwheel has a comfort space that she fades away from because of kindness and empathy.

In the Classroom:

    First, I would show students the cover of the book, with title, and ask what their feelings and thoughts are about the book before reading. Then we will read the book and look for responses to the book and compare them to how students feel now, after having read the book. After a discussion, the students will work together to create a blanket that would welcome a new student to the school, which will be displayed.


Kobald, I., & Blackwood, F. (2014). My two blankets. New York: Little Hare Books.