Little Blue Truck's Halloween

Little Blue Truck's Halloween

By. Alice Schertle

Illustrated by. Jill Mcelmurry

This book is great for this time of year.  I just got this book for my son last week and we took it to his preschool to share it with his classmates. The little blue truck is the main character. The toad drives the little blue truck. It was halloween and they were going around trying to find friends who were dressed up for the halloween party. Every time they would come up to a new friend they would guess who was that friend behind the mask? Ass they go down the road more and more they pick up more friends each time they stop. By the end they show up to the party, everyone goes inside other than the little blue truck and toad. They had curtains up and behind them were the little blue truck in hi costume, he was a ghost and toad pulled the sheet of so everyone would know who it was. He beeped and beeped his horn from excitement.  

Readers Activities

Who do you want to be if you were in this story? Color a picture.

Which character is the most exciting for you, write a story about them.

Readers Questions

Who was the the characters in the story?

Who was a sport in bringing everyone to the party?

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree

By. Shel Silverstein

The giving tree is a great book about a boy and a tree getting older.

The tree loved this boy that came to her each day. The boy continued to grow as the tree well was the tree. Of course the tree lost leaves, flowers and branches along the way, but the tree continued to be the tree. She love the boy and continued to be there whenever the boy would come to see her. He carved a heart with his initials and the trees in the tree. Latter on when the boy got older he carved his initials and a girls. The tree was so giving every time the boy would ask for something. He asked for her branches and she gave them to her. He asked if he could have her trunk so she said of course she gave it to him. The boy grew older and older and realized he didn't need much more in life. So he sat on her stump and thats how the story ended. 

Readers Activities

What was your favorite part of the story? Wright about it.

Can you draw a tree that you admire and like?

Response Questions

Do you think the tree was very giving?

Do you think the tree ever wondered why the boy needed so much from her and never got anything in return other than spending time with the boy?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

This is a story is about a rabbit that was very loved, but did not know what love was or wasn't realistic to what he was. He was a doll to some, but he was a fancy one. He was made of glass and had fancy things with him. He first was a gift to a little girl that loved him so much. She lost him at sea, it was not her fault. He was lost at sea for awhile. He goes through trails and tribulations. He did not understand what love was until the last few chapters. He was with a young girl that became ill. He realized that he was loved and realized how to love someone back. I feel like the end of the story he found his way home in a since. 

Class Activity

Please draw your favorite stuffed animal or favorite toy. Then tell us a story of why you love and appreciate it.

Response Questions

Why was Edward the way he was?

When did he realize he was loved and when did he know what love is?

Otis And The Scarecrow

Otis And The Scarecrow

Otis a tractor who is supper friendly and wants to be friends with everyone. Otis and his friends from the farm seemed curious. They were curious about scarecrow. He seemed mad or angry, he looked that way the most and did not talk when they tried to talk to him and become friends with them. Otis and the rest of the friends went on there way like a normal day.The farmer put the scarecrow up to help keep birds away from the crop. The animals and Otis tried through out the season but the scarecrow did not answer when talked to or would change expression. The crows came back when the harvest was picked. The seasons changed and the farm kept moving forward. The scarecrow stayed and continued to be a scarecrow. The rains moved in and the animals and Otis did not like that the scarecrow had to stay out in the rain all by himself so they went to him and stayed with him. They decided that the scarecrow being around friends was better than him being by himself and he would be happier. 

Reader Activities 

What is the your favorite part of this story? Why is it your favorite part? Would you change the ending? 

Reading Questions

Why did the scarecrow never smile or show feeling?

Who was the most important part of this story?

Long, L. (n.d.). Otis and the scarecrow.

Fort Sumter's Cat Jack The Cat That Went To War.

Fort Sumter's Cat Jack the cat that went to war

This book is about a cat, this cat is a unique cat that tells a story about himself going through history. Jack the cat comes in the city in the summer, he discovers what the city has to offer. Then something looked like fireworks, they realized that it was not. It was a war that started in the area. Jack understands that he has to do his duty and decides to go to Fort Sumter. He was in the action, something spoked him so he decided to stay inside and out of the way. He was able to get out and go fishing. The fort was under attack, it became to much for the soldiers and power of the guns. The fort turned into rubble. Jack decided to leave the fort and went home, like the soldiers did too. Jack is the most unusual cat. 

Reader Activities

I would like the kids to draw a fort and write a little story on what they would imagine it would be like to be at a fort in a war.

Reader Response Questions

Would you like to go to a fort?

How would you handle going to a fort in a war?

Jack the Cat Went to War: Fort Sumter's Cat

Text copyright 2001 ny Russel Horres

Illustrations copyright 2011 Kate Sherill

November for Beginners!

November for Beginners

Related Poem Content Details

BY RITA DOVE

Snow would be the easy

way out—that softening

sky like a sigh of relief

at finally being allowed

to yield. No dice.

We stack twigs for burning

in glistening patches

but the rain won’t give.

So we wait, breeding

mood, making music

of decline. We sit down

in the smell of the past

and rise in a light

that is already leaving.

We ache in secret,

memorizing

a gloomy line

or two of German.

When spring comes

we promise to act

the fool. Pour,

rain! Sail, wind,

with your cargo of zithers!

 

This Poem is a great poem to get you in the Fall spirit. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I feel like this poem is giving us a insight if what Fall is going to look like. A lot of spirit and a lot of people getting ready for the holidays. 

Readers Activity

Draw a picture of what you think Fall is? Write a poem that goes wth your picture. 

Readers Response

What is your favorite time of the year? 

What is the best thing about Fall?

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/detail/55630

Curious George Haunted Halloween

A Halloween Special!

Title: Curious George Haunted Halloween
Author: H. A. Rey
Grade 1st
Ages 5-7

Curious George is a cute little monkey that loves the man with the yellow hat and lives a life of finding himself along the way. This year he was spending Halloween in the country. There was a story going around town, everyone would say hold on to your hat. There was a scarecrow with a pumpkin on for its head and it had a hat. Well the pumpkin disappeared one year and only the hat was left. Since then they have called the scarecrow No Noggin and since then anyone that goes by him on Halloween night would lose there hat, to this suppose No Noggin. Well of course George was curious and wanted to learn more and find out more about this story. George and Allie kept looking into it. On Halloween they saw bill and bills hat flew off his head and they followed it into a cave. In the cave they realized there were a lot more hats full of acorns. They realized that the scarecrow was not taking them, Jumpy the squirrel was using them to put his nuts in. So later that night George went home and made his costume into No Noggin. So he could celebrate and join the festivities. 

Readers Activity

I would want the class to go around the room and find something that was interesting and see if they could come up with a story and see if they had any good ideas like george did?

Readers Response 

Did George and Allie Find what they were looking for?

Did George like how the store ended, when he figured it out with Allie?

H. A. Rey

Mr. Rey was born in Germany, a great place for people to be interested in the love of animals and drawings. He married writer Margret Waldenstein. He traveled the world and came up with great stories. They fled to Paris when Hitler army invaded. This is where he came up with the idea of Curious George.

Rey HA, Fallon J. Curious George haunted Halloween (Cgtv reader). Harcourt Brace and Company; August 26, 2014.

  

Otis And The Puppy

Otis And The Puppy

Otis is a puppy is a cute story about a tractor and a puppy. Otis is a tractor on farm. He is friends with all the farm animals. The farmer brings home a pale with something in it. The farm animals and otis are curious to see what is making a noise from the pale. Then popped up a puppies head. Everyone gets attached to the puppy. The puppy plays hide and seek with them all. One day the farmer made a dog house and put it outside of the barn. The dog did not like to be outside by himself, so Otis went outside and staid with him to make him feel comfortable. One day they were all playing hide and seek and the puppy went way to far out and got lost. Otis kept looking and tried to find him. He found him and they had to find there way home. They finally found there way home. 

Otis and the puppy is cute book and a great book for ages Pk- 2nd grade.

Activity 
1. I want the kids to get into a group and talk about the time that they have had with friends and they can remember how they helped a friend out.
2. I want the kids to draw a picture of there friend and them self and then be able to explain it to the class.

Response Questions
1. Does Otis ever give up on looking for his friend?
2. Do you think Otis is a great friend and why?

Author

Loren Long is a best seller and a great author. He has made so many best selling books including Of thee I sing by Barack Obama. He lives in Cincinnati Ohio. He lives there with his family and has a studio and has visitors all the time.

Resources 

http://www.otisthetractor.com/books.html

Long, L. (2013). Otis and the puppy. New York: Philomel Books.

How Do Dinosaurs Go To Sleep?

How Do Dinosaurs Go To Sleep

    How Do Dinosaurs Go To Sleep is a story about how a dinosaur goes through all kinds of things before going to bed. Which really is a metaphor for a kid going to sleep. The dinosaur goes through the things he wants to go through so he doesn't have to go to bed. The dinosaur doesn't like the dark, wants to make sure there is no monster in the closet, wants a bedtime story, wants his blanket, screams and cries he does not want to go to bed, wants a bath, brushes his teeth, wants to snuggle, gets sleepy and waves or says goodnight. The dinosaur aka the kid does all the things that a normal kid try's to do and wants to do before they go to bed. 

    This book is story book, and it has humor. It is for Pk-1st grade. It is a good bed time story for the younger grades to read before bedtime.

Activity

I think this would be a great read before nap time for Pk and Kindergarten. They could read this book and write about what they usually do before bedtime and the different things they do. They could discuss and color a picture to show the class.

Readers Response Questions

The first question is how many different dinosaurs do they use in this story?

The second question is how many of theses things do you do at night?

Author's

Mark Teague is an American author that has written over 40 books. He is a New York best seller. How Do Dinosaurs Go To Sleep has sold over 14 million copies. His current city is in New York. 

Jane Yolen has written over 300 books. She has been called the Hans Christian Anderson of America the Aesop of the twentieth century.

References

http://janeyolen.com/about-site/ 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/mark-teague

Yolen, J., & Teague, M. (n.d.). How do dinosaurs go to sleep?

Poem: Leaves

Poetry Time

Poem: Leaves

Poet: Elsie N. Brady

Grade: Any

This poem is about the fall season. It talks about how the earth changes in the fall season. This poem will get everyone ready for fall!

Leaves

by Elsie N. Brady

How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow.

This poem is a great way to get into the spirit of fall. It talks about how the leaves began to fall and move with the wind. They began to lay and stay in the earth. The trees lt go of there leaves so they can have more later on and new ones.

Student Activity

For this Activity I would like the kids to make a poem about there favorite season of the year. When they are done I would like to them to go around the classroom and listen to two students and there poem.

Reader Response Questions

How did you like the poem?

How did it make you feel? 

What is one thing that you really like about the poem?

Elsie N. Brady. "Leaves" 

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/fall/mbrady.htm

Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

      Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is such a cute book. My son and I read it a lot and we sing and read together. Pete the Cat is a cat that has a shirt that losses 4 buttons total. Each of the buttons are four different colors. Pete the Cat goes through the day and each time something happens and a button pops off. Every time the button pops of they sing a song. " My buttons my buttons my four groovy buttons. He never cried, he just kept going on the day like nothing was wrong. By the end of the story he has no buttons and still does not cry. He finds out that he has his own button, his belly button. 

    Pete the Cat is a story book, humor and comedy. Some of the thymes and subjects are counting numbers and singing songs with colors as well. K3-2nd grade can read this book.

Activity

    The class can go into groups and discuss how many colors, numbers, they see in the book. They can go to each kid in the class and see what everyone has come up with. They can draw a picture of what is there favorite scene in the book. I want the kids to realize that things happen in everyday life and we have to either work with it or just move forward. There is no reason to get upset when the unexpected has happen.

Readers Response Questions

The first question is how many colors where on the buttons?

The second questions is how many buttons where there?

The third question is where is the final button that Pete the Cat finds?

Author

Eric Litwin was born in New York in 1966. He was a former teacher and now as he says a recovering teacher. One day realized how different kids were between kindergarten and third grade. He realized that kids loose interest and do not appreciate reading like they use too. He decided he wanted to introduce music and interactivity. He calls this style multi learning approach. 

Litwin, E., & Dean, J. (2012). Pete the cat and his four groovy buttons. New York, NY: 

Harper. 

 http://www.ericlitwin.com/my-story

Bintou's Braids is a multicultural book written by Sylvuanne Diouf. Illustrated by Shane Evans.

Bintou's Braids is about a little girl who wants to have braids. Her family do not want her to have braids. They tell her a story of a little girl who had braids but no one else has them. The girl was very  mean and did not have many friends because of the way she is toward others. Bintou still wants to have braids. She talks about the braids with her grandma. She see's that her sister and all of the other ladies have braids and still wants them. She has four little tuffs on her head and does not think she is pretty. The older ladies have braids and gold coins that hang from the braid. She goes to the beach one day and see's that there are two men out on a boat that flipped over and are having a hard time getting back to shore. She goes and finds fisherman to help rescue the men. After that all of the town and her family where so thankful. They ask her what do you want in return. She says I want braids in my hair. Her mother says she can have them. She went to bed that night and dreamed about her having braids and yellow and blue birds. She woke up and told her grandma and she started playing with her hair. She started to put birds in it that were yellow and blue. She looked at her hair and realized how pretty she was. She stilled had the four tuffs plus the birds. 

Bintou's Braids is a folktale book. Her grandma told her the story of braids of the girl. This book is for grades K-3.

Activity

After reading this book kids can see how hearing stories from the past can be a influence on there life's in the present. Life lessons happen each and every day. The kids could go around the room and talk to there peers and ask them if they have any stories that applied to there life right now. For example my dad had always wanted a toy plane. His parents would not let him have it. They wanted him to work hard for it. They did not want to just hand it to him. The kids need to write down to life lessons they have learned about life lessons.

Readers Response Questions 

How was the girls response to her not getting the braids right away?

Why do you think you should embrace the way you look?

Should you question what your family wants you to do?

What have you learned about this culture?

Author

Sylvuanne Diouf is a award winning historian of African Diaspora. She writes about of the black history. This book was a great way of talking about there culture in a kids perspective. Her books are Slavery’s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons and Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. 

Website: Received September 2,2016, From, 
http://asp.tumblebooks.com/Result.aspx?m=Author&key=Sylvianne%20Diouf