"Julie of the Wolves" by Jean George

Julie of the Wolves was written by Jean George. Julie of the Wolves is an absolutely captivating story of a young girls journey from civilization to the wild and her struggle to choose between the two lives. The story starts off with thirteen year old Miyax (Julie) lost in the wilds of the tundra. Julie's only hope of survival was to learn the ways of a wolf pack to obtain food and protection. Will Julie befriend the wolves and live through the harshness of the tundra or will she be over come by her allies and eaten? The story keeps you guessing all the way through and it sucks you in like no childhood novel could. It was an all time favorite for me as a kid. 

There were no illustrations in this book except for the front cover. On the front cover we see a lone wolf and an Eskimo girl in a parka. This is symbolic of Julie and the wolf role I believe she takes on in the story. The intended interest level for Julie of the Wolves is for middle school age children on up. The genre of this book is folktale, narrative fiction, children's story. One of the biggest literary devices found in the story Julie of the Wolves are similes and metaphors.  

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading Julie of the Wolves with students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, What do you think is going to happen to the girl?, TWhat do you think the significance of the single wolf is to the story?, Do you think the girl and the wolves are friends?, etc.
• After reading Julie of the Wolves teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that Julie will return to the wolves?, What person view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think Julie befriended the wolves?
• What did Julie have to do to be accepted by the wolves?
• Why did it disgust Julie that her father hunts out of a helicopter?
• Why did the hunters shoot one of Julie's wolves?

Character Analysis

• Describe the Julie? 
• Describe the Julie's wolf pack? 
• What do the wolves and Julie have in common?

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example camped outside, hunted your own food, had a wild life pet or friend, been in the snow, worn a parka, etc.

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been the struggle between holding on to old traditions and accepting new ones, family, identity, the importance of braking a communication barrier, etc.

Interactive Fun

• I think it would be nice if the teacher could do an activity where she gives students magazines and have them retell the story with the images they find. Or if they have access to a computer lab attempt to make a trailer using pictures they find on the web and their own text. 

"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham was written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham is a  great classic children's story the author keeps the readers engaged with wacky characters and creative vocabulary. The story starts off with a guy named Sam-I-am trying to talk another guy into trying something new, green eggs and ham. The entire story Sam-I-am asks the guy over and over if he would eat green eggs and ham in different locations or with different things but the answer is always the same, no. Sam wears on the man eventually and he gets him to try the green eggs and ham. And the guy loves them so much he says he will eat them with anything and any where Sam likes.

The illustrations in Green Eggs and Ham are simplistic drawings. I think that children will like them because they are something realistic to their own drawing capabilities. What I love most about them is that they tell the story along side the text. I think the illustration are a very important aspect and aid to the text in the story. One of my favorite images from the story was the one at the end of Sam and the guy who didn't want green eggs and ham holding an empty plate. 

 

 

The intended interest level for Green Eggs and Ham is for Kindergarten-second grade. However I believe that it can be applied to children of all ages as far as being used in literature. The genre of this book is fantasy, comedy, and classic.

One of the biggest literary devices found in the story Green Eggs and Ham is personification. Personification is when human qualities are given to non-human things like animals or inanimate objects. I think this story would be an excellent teaching aid for introducing students to the ideal of what  personification is. One of the first images and wording of personification that readers encounter comes from some of the very first pages of the story. The animal creatures are walking, talking, writing, driving cars, etc. and these are all examples of personification. 

 

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading Green Eggs and Ham to students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book a long with a few images to get them thinking about what the story might be about.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, Do you think someone will eat the green eggs and ham?, The story is called TGreen Eggs and Ham why do you think the eggs are green?, Why does the creature look disgusted on the cover?, Why is the ham green?, etc.
• After reading Green Eggs and Ham teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that he liked the green eggs and ham?, What person view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think that sam was asking so many questions?
• Do you know why the creature finally ate the green eggs and ham?
• Why was the food so important?
• Why was Sam important in the story?

Character Analysis

• Describe the Sam? 
• Describe the the man who didn't want the green eggs and ham? 

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example being trying something new before, not wanting to eat something, having someone not listen when you tell them no, etc.

Sequencing Skills

• Teachers can expand on student sequencing skills by asking students to draw several pictures about their favorite parts of the story and then having them put their pictures in order of how they occurred in the story. 

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been its good to try new things, etc.

"That's Not Your Mommy Anymore: A Zombie Tale" by Matt Mogk

That's Not Your Mommy Anymore was written by Matt Mogk and illustrated by Aja Wells. That's Not Your Mommy Anymore is a terrific, terrifying, and silly children's story the author keeps the reader engaged until the end of the story. The story starts off with a little boy describing all the wonderful things mom do for their children. Then the book takes a dark turn as the boy describes all the signs that your mommy is changing into something that isn't your mommy anymore. And the boy goes on to describe ways to get safe if your mommy is a zombie.

The illustrations in That's Not Your Mommy Anymore flow with the story perfectly. What I love most about them is that they tell a sort of story all on their own if a child couldn't read they could get the jest of the story just by the imagery. I think the illustration are a very important aspect and aid to the text in the story. One of my favorite images from the story was the end image of the mommy zombie eating that rat. It was gruesome yet comical. 

The intended interest level for That's Not Your Mommy Anymore is for second grade- fourth grade for context not reading level. The genre of this book is fantasy,and comedy. One of the biggest literary devices found in the story That's Not Your Mommy Anymore is rhyming. Rhyming occurs when two end words sound the same. I think this story would be an excellent teaching aid for introducing students to the ideal of what rhyming is. On the first page of the story rhyme can be seen. An example is: "Mommy has the kindest eyes. Mommy likes to bake you pies."

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading That's Not Your Mommy Anymore to students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book a long with a few images to get them thinking about what the story might be about.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, What do you think is going to happen to the boy?, The story is called That's Not My Mommy Anymore but what do you think is wrong with the mommy?, Why does the mommy look so scary?, Why is the boy scared?, etc.
• After reading That's Not My Mommy Anymore teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that the mommy will scare the boy?, What person view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think that the boy ran away?
• Do you know why the mommy wasn't the boy's mommy anymore?
• What did the mommy do before she turned into a zombie?

Character Analysis

• Describe the boy? 
• Describe the mommy? 

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example helping a parent cook a meal, singing with a parent, cleaning with a parent, being scared, etc.

Sequencing Skills

• Teachers can expand on student sequencing skills by asking students to draw several pictures about their favorite parts of the story and then having them put their pictures in order of how they occurred in the story. 

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been imagination, always have plan, etc.

"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat was written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat is a  great classic children's story the author keeps the readers engaged with wacky characters and creative vocabulary. The story starts off with a rainy day and a boy and girl sitting inside staring out the window with nothing to do. They were extremely bored and then all of a sudden a cat with a hat walked in and promised them fun. He told them they could play all sorts of games and their pet fish disproved and said, "He should not be here when your mother is out". The cat in the hat stressed the kids out more than gave them fun by making a mess and doing crazy, wacky things. The cat was sure to clean up his mess before their mother came home easing their tensions. And their mother came home and the children decided not to tell her about their crazy day.

The illustrations in The Cat in the Hat are simplistic drawings. I think that children will like them because they are something realistic to their own drawing capabilities. What I love most about them is that they tell the story along side the text. I think the illustration are a very important aspect and aid to the text in the story. One of my favorite images from the story was the one of the cat in the hat releasing thing one and thing two.

 

 

The intended interest level for The Cat in the Hat is for Kindergarten-second grade. However I believe that it can be applied to children of all ages as far as being used in literature. The genre of this book is fantasy, comedy, and classic.

One of the biggest literary devices found in the story The Cat in the Hat is personification. Personification is when human qualities are given to non-human things like animals or inanimate objects. I think this story would be an excellent teaching aid for introducing students to the ideal of what  personification is. One of the first images and wording of personification that readers encounter comes from some of the very first pages of the story. The cat walking in the door wearing clothing and talking were all examples of personification. 

 

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading The Cat in the Hat to students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book a long with a few images to get them thinking about what the story might be about.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, What do you think is going to happen to the cat?, The story is called The Cat in the Hat do you think the story will be all about him?, Why does the cat look so happy?, Why is the cat wearing a hat?, etc.
• After reading The Cat in the Hat teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that the cat is good or bad?, What person view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think that the cat made a mess?
• Do you know why thing one and two were such troublet?
• Why was the fish so worried?
• Why weren't the children having fun?

Character Analysis

• Describe the children? 
• Describe the cat? 
• Describe the fish?

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example being bored, not wanting to disappoint a parent, making a mess, cleaning a mess, having a pet, etc.

Sequencing Skills

• Teachers can expand on student sequencing skills by asking students to draw several pictures about their favorite parts of the story and then having them put their pictures in order of how they occurred in the story. 

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been awareness of strangers, imagination, etc.

Interactive Fun

• I think it would be nice if it is possible for the teacher and a counter part to act out the story of The Cat in the Hat for the class. Or use a story book video of the book like in the video I found below. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQW8AfBdea4

"Parts" by Tedd Arnold

Parts was written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold. Parts is a such a great, silly, children's story the author keeps the reader engaged and laughing through out the read.The story starts off with a little boy with a big problem. The boy is questioning everything that grown up say, and he is very worried that bad things are going to happen to him. So the boy begins to take precautions to ensure his safety. For example one day the boy found a piece of fuzz in his belly button and he became so worried because he thought all his stuffing was going to come out. More and more possibilities send the boy into a panic until he remembers it dad has masking tape and he tapes his self together real good so he doesn't fall apart. This is such a sweet, and funny book my daughter has away loved it and laughed very hard each time we have read it to her. And its one of a series. 

The illustrations in Parts are to die for. The tell the story of what a little boy is thinking about as he goes through his day. The illustrations are absolutely essential to the story and without them I really don't think the reader would be able to appreciate the text as much. The help make light heart of a boys fears while teaching the reader body awareness and safety. One of my favorite images from the story was the image of all the boys stuffing coming out. I think this is a great book that children can relate to because often times there are some silly things that kids find scary. 

The intended interest level for Parts is for Kindergarten-second grade. However I believe that it can be applied to children of all ages as far as being used in literature. The genre of this book is fantasy, and comedy.

One of the biggest literary devices found in the story Parts is rhyming. Rhyming occurs when two end words sound the same. I think this story would be an excellent teaching aid for introducing students to the ideal of what rhyming is. On the first page of the story rhyme can be seen. An example is: "I just don't know what's going on or why it has to be. But every day it's something worse. Whats happening to me?"

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading Parts to students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book a long with a few images to get them thinking about what the story might be about.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, What do you think is going to happen to the boy?, Why do you think the boy looks so nervous on the cover of Parts?, What parts do you think the book is about?,  etc.
• After reading Parts teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that the boy feels better after talking to his parents?, Will the boy still worry about his body falling apart?, What view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think that the parents decided to talk to their son?
• Do you know why the boy was so scared?
• Why was the boy worried about all his hair falling out?
• Why did the boy tape himself up?

Character Analysis

• Describe the boy? 
• Describe the boy's parents? 
• What does the boy think about what his parents told him?

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example having parents, having fears, having toys, every finding lint in their belly buttons, ever have a piece of hair fall out, etc.

Sequencing Skills

• Teachers can expand on student sequencing skills by asking students to draw several pictures about their favorite parts of the story and then having them put their pictures in order of how they occurred in the story. 

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been safety, body awareness, etc.

Interactive Fun

• I think it would be nice for the teacher to read the story to the students and ask engaging question page by page. 

"The Pout-Pout Fish" by Deborah Diesen

The Pout-Pout Fish was written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna. The Pout-Pout Fish is a great children's story the author keeps the reader engaged through creative a creative vocabulary and silly illustrations right until the end. The story starts off with a blue fish who is extremely glum and gloomy. He is a very sad fish who feels it is his place to spread the dreary-wearies throughout the sea and to everyone he meets. The fish meet many swell creatures of the sea but none of them seem to be about to turn his frown upside down. One day a fish swims right up to him and changes his world in an instant. 

The illustrations in The Pout-Pout Fish are terrific. What I love most about them is that they add humor to the story. The story is about this doom and gloom fish but when I read it to my daughter she was laughing at all the fish's funny pout faces. I think the illustration are a very important aspect and add to the text in the story. One of my favorite images from the story was the image of the fish who landed a smooch on the blue fish's pout. I think that the illustration are an important part of the story and the book would be very different without them. This book is appropriate for kindergarten through third grade but I believe everyone could enjoy this story. The genre of this story is a narrative fiction. 

 

One of the biggest literary devices found in the story The Pout-Pout Fish is personification, and rhyme. Personification is when human qualities are given to non-human things like animals or inanimate objects. I think this story would be an excellent teaching aid for introducing students to the ideal of what personification is. One of the first images and wording of personification that readers encounter comes from the very second page of the story. When the fish starts to describe his self to the reader. Since animals cannot talk in real life this is an example of personification. Rhyming is found throughout the book since every other line rhymes. "Along comes a clam, With a wide winning grin, And a pearl of advice for her pal to take in."

Classroom Application:

Critical Thinking Preliminary and Post Reading Questions

• Before teachers begin reading The Pout-Pout Fish to students they should begin by showing students the cover of the book a long with a few images to get them thinking about what the story might be about.
  Teachers should ask questions about the chosen images to get the students engaged and problem solving. Some question that could be asked include: What do you think this story is going to be about?, What do you think is going to happen to the fish?, The story is called The Pout-Pout Fish but why do you think the fish is sad?, Why is the fish laying down?, Why is the pink fish smooching the blue fish?, etc.
• After reading The Pout-Pout Fish teachers should expand on the reading by asking questions that will get students thinking about the future and what happened in the story. For example: Do you think that the blue fish will always be happy now?, What person view point was the story told in and give an example to defend your response?, etc. 

Demonstrating Cause and Effect

• Why do you think that the pink fish kissed the blue fish?
• What made the blue fish happy?
• Why was the the blue fish so gloomy?
• Why did creatures of the ocean try and cheer up the blue fish?

Character Analysis

• Describe the blue fish? 
• Describe the pink fish? 
• What do the two fish have in common?

Personal Connections

• Teachers should ask students what things from the story they can relate to their own lives. For example helping to cheer up a friend, being sad before, having friends, getting a kiss, swimming, etc.

Sequencing Skills

• Teachers can expand on student sequencing skills by asking students to draw several pictures about their favorite parts of the story and then having them put their pictures in order of how they occurred in the story. 

Summarizing the Story

• The teacher can call on students to help summarizing what happened in the story they just read. The teacher should ask each student to add to the summary before summarizing herself/himself about what happened in the story. 

Theme

• The teacher should ask students to write down what they think the purpose or theme of the story was. It could have been the power of friendship, cheering up someone who is sad, etc.

Interactive Fun

• I think it would be nice if it is possible for the teacher and a counter part to act out the story of The Pout-Pout Fish for the class. I found a video a video online of someone reading the story in song and I thought that was really neat, defiantly something children might like. I think students would really enjoy  it and it would give them another visual and audio element to relate back to the story. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lron1wlXfxU