Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic.
I absolutely loved this book! My daughter had read all three and with the movie coming out, I saw this as an opportunity for us to do something together. I had to read the book first though. Boy am I glad I did! Now we have plans to see the movie together!
This novel takes place in a futuristic setting that parallels with our modern world. There are hints as to the geographic location of the different districts in the book. Because of a rebellion by one of the districts, every year there is a reaping. A boy and a girl from each district are chosen and must participate in the Hunger Games. From beginning to end, I could not put this book down! Katniss, one of the main characters, is a young girl from District 12 chosen for the reaping. The book is told from her point of view - a first person point of view. Through the book she faces all four of the types of conflicts. She struggles against herself when she has to make critical decisions about how to play the games. She struggles against other human and nonhuman adversaries as part of the games. She struggles against elements of nature through the games. Probably, the biggest conflict though comes with society - what is right and what is wrong with the world in which she lives.
Katniss is the protagonist in the book. Because the book is told from her point of view, the reader gets to know her on a personal level. This is partly the reason for not being able to put the book down. The reader almost becomes Katniss and wants to know what happens to her. Many of the other characters that participate in the Hunger Games are more flat in nature. They really help to develop the plot. The reader only sees one side of them - for example, Caesar. He interviews the contestants before the games begin. He is used to more fully develop the other characters through his interviews.
Through using the Mark my Word strategy, students can mark vocabulary they are not understanding. For example, the term "reaping" may need to be explained. Tributes is another term that would be important for this book. Students may mark that word as well.
Many of the elements of the book come from a futuristic setting. This leaves the reader to ponder: (1) What will our world be like 50 or 100 years for from now? (2) Could we become Panem? Explain.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. New York: Scholastic.
As a young orphan boy, Hugo takes care of the clocks in the train station. His love for fixing things like windup toys gets him in trouble. He meets an old man that has a secret of his own along with the old man's foster daughter, who carries her own secret. The author brings together all these secrets in a novel that seems a lot like a movie playing as you read it. Of course, the movie adaptation of this book has just been released! I first heard of automatons on the CBS Sunday Morning news show. This book was mentioned in their story about automatons. When I read the syllabus for this class and saw the book listed as a choice, I knew it had to be one I read.
The illustrations in this book are remarkable. They are used in some cases to help explain some of the more mechanical aspects of the story, such as the films that become an integral part of the plot. In the drawings, the illustrator will lighten the area around the part of the picture in particular he wants to draw the reader's attention to. Mingled in with the realistic drawings are photographs of old films that are important to the setting as well. Sometimes the illustrations tell parts of the story as well. Then the text, which is written on simplistic, white paper, will continue the story.
As a picture book for older readers, the story comes to life through the pictures. They are so realistic they make the reader feel as if they are looking out from behind the clock face, down into the train station. Older children can relate to keeping secrets and not wanting others to find out about their living situations. The book could also be used in an art class to discuss pencil and ink drawings. Science classes could use the books to study gears, automatons, and other mechanical aspects mentioned in the book.
Big Question: Why is Hugo's friendship with Isabelle so important to him?
As a young orphan boy, Hugo takes care of the clocks in the train station. His love for fixing things like windup toys gets him in trouble. He meets an old man that has a secret of his own along with the old man's foster daughter, who carries her own secret. The author brings together all these secrets in a novel that seems a lot like a movie playing as you read it. Of course, the movie adaptation of this book has just been released! I first heard of automatons on the CBS Sunday Morning news show. This book was mentioned in their story about automatons. When I read the syllabus for this class and saw the book listed as a choice, I knew it had to be one I read.
The illustrations in this book are remarkable. They are used in some cases to help explain some of the more mechanical aspects of the story, such as the films that become an integral part of the plot. In the drawings, the illustrator will lighten the area around the part of the picture in particular he wants to draw the reader's attention to. Mingled in with the realistic drawings are photographs of old films that are important to the setting as well. Sometimes the illustrations tell parts of the story as well. Then the text, which is written on simplistic, white paper, will continue the story.
As a picture book for older readers, the story comes to life through the pictures. They are so realistic they make the reader feel as if they are looking out from behind the clock face, down into the train station. Older children can relate to keeping secrets and not wanting others to find out about their living situations. The book could also be used in an art class to discuss pencil and ink drawings. Science classes could use the books to study gears, automatons, and other mechanical aspects mentioned in the book.
Big Question: Why is Hugo's friendship with Isabelle so important to him?
When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry...
Bang, M. (1999). When Sophie gets angry - really, really angry. New York: Scholastic.
Temper, temper, temper...that is what my mom would tell me when I was little and became angry over something. Sophie, on the other hand, handles her anger in another way. The trick is for her to find a way to calm down. How does she do it?
The colorful illustrations bring this book to life. All of the jagged lines and bright red colors around Sophie and other characters represent the anger Sophie feels when she has to share. The illustrations of trees on the page where she cries show her stature as she is walking up the hill to her favorite place. Her bent back seems symbolic of the defeat she feels when Mom tells her she must share. In contrast, the color of her tree, white, represents the calmness she feels after she has had time to cool off.
This book is considered a concept book. It highlights the emotion anger. There is very little text. The illustrations do the majority of the telling of the story. As a matter of fact, the reader could tell the story using the pictures only. This would be an excellent book for younger students to use to talk about their feelings.
Big Question: What do you do when you get really angry about something?
Temper, temper, temper...that is what my mom would tell me when I was little and became angry over something. Sophie, on the other hand, handles her anger in another way. The trick is for her to find a way to calm down. How does she do it?
The colorful illustrations bring this book to life. All of the jagged lines and bright red colors around Sophie and other characters represent the anger Sophie feels when she has to share. The illustrations of trees on the page where she cries show her stature as she is walking up the hill to her favorite place. Her bent back seems symbolic of the defeat she feels when Mom tells her she must share. In contrast, the color of her tree, white, represents the calmness she feels after she has had time to cool off.
This book is considered a concept book. It highlights the emotion anger. There is very little text. The illustrations do the majority of the telling of the story. As a matter of fact, the reader could tell the story using the pictures only. This would be an excellent book for younger students to use to talk about their feelings.
Big Question: What do you do when you get really angry about something?
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Duck on a Bike
Shannon, D. (2002). Duck on a bike. New York: Scholastic.
Haven't we all done something that others thought was crazy or a waste of time while others thought it was awesome? That is exactly what Duck did. He saw a challenge (riding a bike) and decided to give it a try. Along his journey, the reader hears the opinion of his other barnyard companions. Is he successful in learning to ride the bike? You'll just have to read the book to see.
David Shannon uses a doublespread for his illustrations. This reflects the continuation of Duck's journey as he attempts to learn to ride the book. The flyleaf contains illustrations of the ribbons that often fall from the handlebars of a bicycle. The front flyleaf represents one side of the bicycle, and the back flyleaf represents the other side of the bicycle. The story is contained between the two sets of the ribbons, as the main action occurs on the bicycle between the two sets of ribbons as well. The title page is a doublespread as well. The focus of the picture is on the size difference between Duck and the bicycle, making the reader wonder how Duck will do on the bike. The end page contains an illustration of a big tractor and Duck examining it. This leaves the reader wondering if Duck will move on to bigger things.
This book is a picture storybook. Both the words and pictures tell the story. For example, when Duck travels past the horse, the horse thinks that Duck is still not as fast as him. Shannon's characterization of Horse portrays the horse as a haughty animal by the sneer of Horse's lip and the tilt of his head.
Big Question: When have you tried to do something new? Explain.
Haven't we all done something that others thought was crazy or a waste of time while others thought it was awesome? That is exactly what Duck did. He saw a challenge (riding a bike) and decided to give it a try. Along his journey, the reader hears the opinion of his other barnyard companions. Is he successful in learning to ride the bike? You'll just have to read the book to see.
David Shannon uses a doublespread for his illustrations. This reflects the continuation of Duck's journey as he attempts to learn to ride the book. The flyleaf contains illustrations of the ribbons that often fall from the handlebars of a bicycle. The front flyleaf represents one side of the bicycle, and the back flyleaf represents the other side of the bicycle. The story is contained between the two sets of the ribbons, as the main action occurs on the bicycle between the two sets of ribbons as well. The title page is a doublespread as well. The focus of the picture is on the size difference between Duck and the bicycle, making the reader wonder how Duck will do on the bike. The end page contains an illustration of a big tractor and Duck examining it. This leaves the reader wondering if Duck will move on to bigger things.
This book is a picture storybook. Both the words and pictures tell the story. For example, when Duck travels past the horse, the horse thinks that Duck is still not as fast as him. Shannon's characterization of Horse portrays the horse as a haughty animal by the sneer of Horse's lip and the tilt of his head.
Big Question: When have you tried to do something new? Explain.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Bark, George
Feiffer, J. (1999). Bark george. New York, NY: Scholastic.
This book centers around a pup named George. His mother is trying to teach him to bark - a very necessary criteria for a dog. However, poor George can only make other animals sounds. So the mother takes him to the vet to discover what the problem is. Does George finally figure out how to bark?
As a picture storybook, the composition of the visual elements stresses the importance of this ability. The characters are centered in the middle of each page, and the pages create a doublespread. The book is illustrated in an cartoon style - exaggerated rounded figures and very little to no background on the pages. For example, on page 6 George's mother is illustrated with an exasperated look on her face. Her facial features are exaggerated to illustrate her feelings with George.
Children can relate to this book because they have encountered situations in which they had to learn to do something new. For example, children have to correctly learn how to say new words as well. This was a favorite book of my son. It makes an excellent read-aloud as well.
Big Question: When did you have to learn how to do something new and had trouble learning it?
This book centers around a pup named George. His mother is trying to teach him to bark - a very necessary criteria for a dog. However, poor George can only make other animals sounds. So the mother takes him to the vet to discover what the problem is. Does George finally figure out how to bark?
As a picture storybook, the composition of the visual elements stresses the importance of this ability. The characters are centered in the middle of each page, and the pages create a doublespread. The book is illustrated in an cartoon style - exaggerated rounded figures and very little to no background on the pages. For example, on page 6 George's mother is illustrated with an exasperated look on her face. Her facial features are exaggerated to illustrate her feelings with George.
Children can relate to this book because they have encountered situations in which they had to learn to do something new. For example, children have to correctly learn how to say new words as well. This was a favorite book of my son. It makes an excellent read-aloud as well.
Big Question: When did you have to learn how to do something new and had trouble learning it?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The True Story of the 3 Little pigs by A. Wolf
Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the three little pigs by A. Wolf. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
This picture book demonstrates how conflicting stories can arise from the same event. Point of view is the focus of this story. With the majority of the pictures being encased in frames, the book reminds me of a scrapbook. The cover and back are illustrated to look like old newspaper clippings. Colors range from dark to neutral in tone. Pages are decorated with scrapbooking materials such as buttons and words cut out of different materials.
Told from the wolf's perspective, he was only wanting to borrow a cup of sugar when accidents happened that were beyond his control. A. Wolf couldn't help those tragedies. Those pigs (and everyone else) have it all wrong. He didn't intend to harm those 3 little pigs? Or did he? Students can identify with this because they will encounter different versions of stories from their friends in their everyday lives. This picture book makes an excellent read-aloud selection. At the high school level, I could use this book to teach point of view in conjunction with the original story.
Another excellent use of this book would be to use it to demonstrate voice. A. Wolf clearly has a distinct voice, filled with sarcasm and rhetorical questions. Older students could relate to this - even high school students.
Big Question(s): Why does the wolf mention cheeseburgers, second helpings, and so many other references to human food? Why did the wolf get so mad when Granny was mentioned?
This picture book demonstrates how conflicting stories can arise from the same event. Point of view is the focus of this story. With the majority of the pictures being encased in frames, the book reminds me of a scrapbook. The cover and back are illustrated to look like old newspaper clippings. Colors range from dark to neutral in tone. Pages are decorated with scrapbooking materials such as buttons and words cut out of different materials.
Told from the wolf's perspective, he was only wanting to borrow a cup of sugar when accidents happened that were beyond his control. A. Wolf couldn't help those tragedies. Those pigs (and everyone else) have it all wrong. He didn't intend to harm those 3 little pigs? Or did he? Students can identify with this because they will encounter different versions of stories from their friends in their everyday lives. This picture book makes an excellent read-aloud selection. At the high school level, I could use this book to teach point of view in conjunction with the original story.
Another excellent use of this book would be to use it to demonstrate voice. A. Wolf clearly has a distinct voice, filled with sarcasm and rhetorical questions. Older students could relate to this - even high school students.
Big Question(s): Why does the wolf mention cheeseburgers, second helpings, and so many other references to human food? Why did the wolf get so mad when Granny was mentioned?
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