Books Too Good to Miss!
Wonder by R.J. Polacio is an incredible read! This book will have you laughing and crying. It's an emotional rollercoaster with a wonderful organizational format simialr to many of the Jodi Picoult books. The chapters are written in the different voices of the characters. A great book to talk about point of view. Pay attention to the beginning and ending for writing workshop purposes. Of course, it's a great book to use with a discussion about voice in writing. Grades 4 and up.
De La Pena, Matt. 2011. A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
What to look for: Written in present tense; flashback written in past tnese; free verse poetic form; alliteration;
exquisite illustations by Kadir Nelson.
What to look for: Written in present tense; flashback written in past tnese; free verse poetic form; alliteration;
exquisite illustations by Kadir Nelson.
Markle, Sandra. 2011 Butterfly Tree. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.
What to look for: Written in first person and present tense; use of italics to show dialogue; hyphenated adjectives (blimp-sized, wind-tattered, golden-orange); similes; additional factual information and resources included
What to look for: Written in first person and present tense; use of italics to show dialogue; hyphenated adjectives (blimp-sized, wind-tattered, golden-orange); similes; additional factual information and resources included
Books Too Good to Miss
If you are old enough to remember using Jim Trelease’s The Read Aloud Handbook as a teacher in the 1980s (Or perhaps you remember your parents or a teacher reading from this book to you!), you will want to own his Hey! Listen to This: Stories to Read Aloud. This book isn’t new, but you may have missed it. It holds 48 treasures that both teachers and parents will enjoy reading to their children from Kindergarten age through fourth grade.
A special feature of this book is the wonderful introduction that Mr. Trelease provides for each story with suggestions for additional reads. My favorite from The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron is included in this anthology along with excerpts from classics such as Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith and Greyling by Jane Yolen. The selections will certainly tempt young readers to check out these books from the local or school library, or perhaps download them onto a Kindle or Nook!
http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Listen-This-Stories-Aloud/dp/0140146539/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1325017561&sr=8-5