Chester's Way

Chester's Way

Written by: Kevin Henkes 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books; Pap/Cas edition September 1997
Genre: Animal Fiction

Readability Lexile: 570

Summary:

This is a book about two best friends that do everything together. They have their own way of doing things and they really like it. They do not want to change the way that they do things. There is this new girl that moves into town that wants to be their friend but they do not want to be friends with her because she does not do the same kind of stuff that they do. They get bullied and she helps them and stands up to them and scares the bully away so they all become friends.

Evaluation:

This is a good book to about not judging people before you get to know them. IT is a book that has great pictures and text that help us to get really involved in the story. The characters grow and accept her as their friend. They also have strengths and weaknesses. When reading this book aloud I was able to hear the characters voices and personalities come out from my own words. It also teaches students about judging others and how it is not a good thing to do.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- the theme of this book is judgments. When you judge someone before you know them you do not get a chance to see what they are really like. You could be completely wrong so it is not good to judge people.

-          Plot- The plot of this book is about two boys who are best friends running into someone who wants to be friends with them but hey are too stuck in their own ways to accept her. But she turns out really nice and helps save them from a bully.

-          Characterization- You are really able to get to know the characters in this story and go on their journey with them. You are able to see their emotions, personality, and way they act.

Mini Lesson:

When reading this book I would use the theme to teach my students that it is not good to judge others. I would show a picture of someone and they would write down what they think about them. I would do this with about 5 different pictures. Then I would show them clips of them on the TV and they would be able to see that they are probably a lot different than they thought they would be.

Illustrations:

The illustrations are great. They are colorful and fun. They draw the reader into the book and show what the text is trying to say.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary

Julius, the Baby of the World

Julius, the Baby of the World

Written by: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books in September 1995

Genre: animal Fiction

Readability Lexile: 460L

Summary:

This book is about a mom dad and son that have a new baby come into their family. The older son is really jealous and does not like it that he does not get all the attentions so he says not so nice things about the baby. When someone else starts to say things about the baby the older brother decides that the baby is really cool and stands up for him. He ends up liking that they have a new baby in the house.

Evaluation:

This is a great book to read to children who are about to get a new sibling. It shows that the feelings are okay to have but the baby can be really cool. It also gives them something to relate to so they do not feel alone. This book really teaches children the value of family and sticking up for each other. When reading the book aloud I can hear the characters talking and coming to life. The language also sounds natural. The character grows through the book and has his strengths and weaknesses.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- The theme of the book is having a new baby in the house and adjusting. This is something that happens all the time for children of this age so it is really nice to be able to read this to them so they do not feel alone.

-          Plot- The plot of this book is about learning to cope with a new baby in the house. At first he does not like the baby but then he stands up for it and learns that he loves it and the baby is actually really cool.

-          Characterization- You are really able to learn a lot of the characters feelings and emotions in this book. You get up close and personal with him.

Mini Lesson:

I would teach a mini lesson to adjusting to new things. The students would figure out something that they are scared to adjusting to and then write one thing or a few things that would help make it easier.

Illustrations:

The illustrations in this book are really good. They show what the text is saying and are really fun and exciting to look at. It helps the story to go more into depth.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary

Wemberly Worried

Wemberly Worried

Written by Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books in April 2010
Genre: Animal Fiction

Readability Lexile: 170L

Summary:

This is a book about how a mouse is really worried about going to school. She is worried about everything so going to school is something that really scares her. She is worried about not fitting in and not standing out. After going to school she sees how fun it is and is excited to go back.

Evaluation:

This is a book that most every kid can relate to: being scared. Wemberly is worried about not fitting in just like most kids are. It is really important to kids to be popular and to fit in. When reading this book the reader can have a lot of text-to-self moments. This is a very believable book that you see happening in real life. School is something really scary to kids at first and after reading this book it could help them to become more strong and ready to face school. The character had growth in this book that develops from the beginning to the end. She has her strengths and weaknesses. When reading the text out loud you can hear the characters voices coming out through it and the language seemed natural.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- The theme of the book is not being afraid anymore and facing your fears. Wemberly faces her fears and learns that it is not so bad after all.

-          Plot- The plot is about a young girl going to school and is really scared. She goes to school, faces her fears, and learns that school is not so bad after all.

-          Characterization- You really get to know the character in this book. You get to learn the emotions and fears that she faces.

Illustrations:

The illustrations are really exciting and fun to look at. They are colorful and descried what the text is trying to tell us.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten's First Full Moon

Written by: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 7th edition (March 2, 2004)
Genre: Fiction

Readability Lexile: 360K

Summary:

This is a book about a cat that thinks the moon is a bowl of milk so she spends her time trying to drink the milk. She stays out late and never gets the milk that she thinks is but it is the moon. She ends up going home and her milk was waiting there all along.

Evaluation:

This is a good book and it is unique from the author’s other books. His other books tend to be about mice and about situations that people seem to face. It is a good book that gets children involved in the text and the pictures. You get to see how the cat is persistent in trying to get the milk. You get to know the cats personally and the illustrations help us get to know her even more. I can see how much the cat wants to get the milk and it makes me want to root for the cat to get some. IT has a happy ending where milk is waiting at home for it.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- The theme is about going out and getting something that you want. You keep trying and trying until you succeed. It seems as if the cat does not succeed because it never gets the milk from the moon but it heads back home and ends up getting the milk anyways.

-          Characterization- This story really gets us to recognize the cats personality and wants. The cat wants the milk so bad that it will almost do anything for it.

Mini Lesson:

The mini lesson I would do is have my students write something that they have worked really hard to get and if they got it or not. They would have to write about how they felt during this time and if they would have changed anything to do better.

Illustrations:

The illustrations in the book are mostly black and white and gray, but they are still really interesting and they relate to the text showing us what the text is trying to tell us.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary to young child

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Written by: Suzanne Collins
Published by: Scholastic
Genre: Science Fiction
Readability Lexile: 810L

Summary:

In the United Stated (or what is left of the ruins) is now called Panem. There are 12 districts’ that surround the harsh capital. The way the capital keeps the districts in line is the hunger games. The hunger games are a fight to the death that is aired on live TV. The winner brings riches to their districts, but even more goes to the capital. Katniss lives with her mother and younger sister is forced into it even though she sees it as a death sentence. She has already been close to dying before so this is like second nature to her. If she wins she will have to go against her new love or survival as humanity.

Evaluation:

This is a good book that helps readers question what they are reading and use their imagination. This is something that does not happen in real life so it is interesting to learn about. It also helps students to relate to what they are reading because the characters struggle just like readers do. They might not struggle in the same way, but they still have struggles to face. The readers are able to have text-to-self moments. When reading the book aloud I could picture the characters reading the book, and the language sounded natural.

Literary Elements:

-          Plot- The plot of this book is about going in the hunger games for survival and to help her family survive. She falls in love with her competitor so it is hard for them to kill each other.

-          Characterization- You are really able to get into the characters head with this book. You are able to feel their emotions, recognize their personality, and understand their struggles. They also overcome problems and have strengths and weaknesses.

-          Theme- The theme of this book is the culture that they are in. It is a messed up culture where killing becomes entertainment and people watch it live. This is like what happened in Rome but it would never happen in our world today.

Mini Lesson:

I would use this book for plot. I would have the students, after reading the book; write what they would do in this situation. It would be a creative free write that would help people activate their own voice in their writing.

Target Audience:

Middle School

County Fair

County Fair

By: The Clever Factory

Published by: The Clever Factory in 2009

Genre: Fiction/Series

Readability Lexile: ?

Summary:

This book is about animals going to the county fair. They first cotton candy that they all decide to share, then play games and eat snow cones. They go to a baking contest and enter their favorite cake. They leave the fair happy with a ribbon that says that they won first place.

Evaluation:

This is a good book that involves the senses. It is a scratch and sniff book where you are able to smell the foods that are at the fair. The illustrations are very colorful and bring the text to life. It also has rhyming in it which is good for early readers. When reading the book aloud I can hear the characters talking and the language sounds natural. The is not and growth in the characters and they do not seem to have strengths and weaknesses.

Literary Elements:

-          Style- This book uses its illustrations to activate the senses. It has the illustrations where you a scratch and sniff so it is like you are there at the fair with them.

-          Plot- This book is about going to the fair with friends and having a good time.

Mini Lesson:

I would use this as a mini lesson to teach students about different smells. It would kind of be like a science lesson to teach them different smells that things have.

Illustrations:

The book has really good illustrations that go good with the text. It also involves scratching and sniffing.

Target Audience:

Young children

Little Kitten

Little Kitten

By: Kait Eaton

Published by: Igloo in 2010

Genre: Push-Pull-Turn and Lift Book

Readability Lexile: ?

Summary:

This is a book about a kitten playing hide-and-seek with other animals. She is in the garden and finds a caterpillar, lady bug, snail, frog a bunny. She also plays hide and seek with two mice there. She goes to the pond and plays hide-and-seek with the ducklings. She then goes to a wooden area and plays hide-and-seek with squirrels. At the end of the book all of the animals that the kitten finds have to find the kitten.

Evaluation:

This is a high literature book. Not only is it a push-pull-turn and lift book but it also teaches shapes, colors, numbers, and opposites. It is a very interactive book that involves the reader to be active with it. The illustrations are really detailed and colorful. It is a board book so it is hard for readers to break when interacting with the book. It teaches the readers many different things and is fun at the same time. It also asks questions to get the reader even more into the book.

Literary Elements:

-          Style- The style of this book is a push-pull-turn and life book. It has wheels that you can spin. When you do all of these things you are able to see new images and texts that appear.

-          Theme- The theme of this book is hide-and-seek and finding things. It is also to teach children to learn in a fun and interactive way.

Mini Lesson:

I would use this book to teach a mini lesson on numbers. I would have the students try to find the number of certain things in the book that it asked for. I would then have the students draw their own picture and write a sentence at the top of what they wanted someone to find.

Illustrations:

The illustrations in this book are really colorful. They also are interactive and the text is within the pictures. You can understand what the text is saying by looking at the pictures and finding what they ask for. The pictures are also really interactive and you can move them.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary