Brown Girl Dreaming

Woodson, J. (2014).  Brown girl dreaming.  NY:  Penguin.

Summary: Jacqueline Wilson describes her childhood, growing up in the 1960's. She explains about her time divided amongst Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. Each area provided a different experience and an extremely different culture. This gave Ms. Woodson the unique ability to write her experiences, particularly those related to the civil rights movement. It was evident that Jacqueline Woodson wanted to be a writer of poetry, even if her status was such a struggle for her. It is amazing to see how she overcame everything and succeeded.

Review: This book is written in poetic verse. Young readers will definitely fall in love with the touching story about Jacqueline Woodson. How she overcame everything and became the poetry writer she always dreamed of. This lovely story shows students to be persistent and never give up.

Book trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GTeXUxxUs

About the author:

https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

The Three Pigs

Wiesner, D. (2001).   The three pigs.  NY:  Clarion.

Summary: The Three Pigs collect materials and build houses made out of straw, sticks, and bricks. When the wolf appears to blow down the houses, they are the ones that are blown away. The three pigs enter and wander around other popular children stories. Through their adventures, they collect friends along the way. When they decide it is time to go back home, their friends are there to help them get rid of the wolf.

Review: It is a fun book to read aloud to young children. I love how it starts off like the traditional story, but everyone is surprised when there’s a sudden turn. The illustrations are terrific. You can clearly see the detailed expressions shown on the animal’s faces. Definitely a must read!

About the author:

http://www.davidwiesner.com/

Read aloud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkyL8hRZUe8

Balloons Over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. NY: Houghton

Summary: Tony Sarg was the famous puppeteer who came up with the brilliant idea of having the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Since he was a child, he loved being an inventor and creating puppets. This amazing job turned out to become his career. Macy’s asked him to create a puppet parade for their story and it was a huge success. He was then asked to make an even bigger parade in the streets of New York. Each year, the puppets got bigger and bigger. Thousands of people now wait to witness this special day each year.

Review: This book is written in such an amusing way. As you turn the pages you can see the vibrant colors from the beautiful illustrations that show the amazing puppets Tony designed. Children will be delighted to learn about this man that came up with the idea of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It is an easy read perfect for second and third grade students. 

Book trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONXv_7sXQdA

Read aloud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2391pvhv2I

About the author:

http://melissasweet.net/

It's a Book

Smith, L. (2011).  It’s a book.  NY: Roaring Brook

Summary: A monkey is trying to read a book, and the jackass seems to only be interested in computers and technology. He questions what a book can do and explains that a computer can do so much more. Annoyed, the monkey takes away the computer and hands him the book. The jackass can’t believe how amazing it is and refuses to give it back.

Review: It is a funny little book to read aloud to our children, especially those that don’t put their phone or tablets down. Nowadays, children depend so much on technology and they usually forget about books. This book definitely shows how ignorant we can be by leaving out the traditional ways of learning. 

Book trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU

About the author:

http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/LaneSmithBooks/Lane_Smith_Books.html

Mirror, Mirror

Singer, M.  (2010). Mirror, Mirror.  NY:  Dutton.

Summary: Mirror, Mirror is a collection of fairytales that are told in reverso poetry style. Each story shows two different points of view. When the poem is read one way it has a meaning, and when it is read in reverse, the meaning completely changes. Topics such as romance and adventure are presented. 

Review: It is a very different book that might be a bit confusing to small children; however, it can be fun to read.  I love how it includes the traditional fairytales that we are use to hearing. I definitely recommend this book to poetry lovers or to those that what to study poetry a little more deeply. Illustrations go perfect with each poem.

About the author:

http://marilynsinger.net/