Uncle Sam's Kids When Duty Calls

Author/Illustrator: Angela Sportelli-Rehak

About the Author:

Angela Sportelli-Rehak is the mother of three and the wife of a Lieutenant Colonel. She is an author of books for and about military families.  She has written the entire Uncle Sam's Kids series.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: K-3

Synopsis:
This book is about  a boy named Nick who it in the Uncle Sam Kid’s Club.  His troop, 109, will be competing with other troops to win a tour of the USS Liberty Bell, which is a large aircraft carrier.  Nick goes home to tell his parents about the competition because he is very excited.  Nick’s dad tells him that day that he is being deployed on the USS Liberty Bell for six months.  Nick and his two sisters are sad but their dad tells them everything will be alright and he will be home soon. Nick and his troop decide to make a Care Sackpack for the troops and they won the contest!  The day comes for Nick’s tour and his dad’s deployment and Nick is very excited but still sad.  The troop got to take a tour of the entire ship and saw the mess hall, the sleeping areas and the control panels. When it was time for the ship to depart Nick and his family said goodbye to his dad and he assured them it would go by quickly.  After their father had been gone for a while the kids began to miss him a lot, so they decided to make him his own care sack pack to remind him of his family.  They got a letter back from their dad telling them how much he missed them and that he would be home soon. Finally came the day for their dad to come home the kids made a big sign and held it up as he got off of the ship. They were happy to have their family back together again.

Pre Reading Activity:

Before reading this book you should talk about the military with your class and ask them what they already know. Some may know more than others but all of the students should be aware of what the men and women in the military do for our country.

Post Reading Activity:

After reading you could have your students write a letter to someone that is deployed thanking them for everything they do.

You can also have your students think of different ways to show that they care for the people in our armed forces, such as the care sack pack.

Reflection:

This book was extremely touching and I think should be in every classroom. A lot of students do not understand or know anything about the military but they should know how much they do for our country.  This book also made it very easy to understand what was going on and I believe it can be read as early as kindergarten.

Dinosaur Time

Author/Illustrator: Peggy Parish/Arnold Lobel

About the Author:

Peggy Parish was born on July 14, 1927

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 1-3

Synopsis:This is a great beginning reader about dinosaurs. It explains how to pronounce the names of each dinosaur and gives basic information about them. It's great for kids who want to read about Dinosaurs when most books on the topic are going to be way too difficult for them to read on their own. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Make a KWL chart to see what the students know and want to know about dinosaurs.

Post Reading Activity:

Finish the chart to see what the students have learned when reading this book.

Reflection:

I was very happy with this book because there are not many informational books at such a low level for kids.  This book allows students to know more about an interesting topic. This will also get children more interested in reading because they can read about what they like.

And Tango Makes Three

Author/Illustrator: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell/Henry Cole

About the Author:

Peter Parnell was born in 1953. He is an American Playwright who is also known for co-writing books such as And Tango Makes Three. Justin Richardson is an American author best known for co-writing And Tango Makes Three.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: K-2

Synopsis:
This book is a true story about two male penguins that lived in the Central Park Zoo.  These two penguins did not fall in love with female penguins but fell in love with each other.  Unfortunately they were unable to lay their own eggs because they were both male so they tried to hatch a rock, but that didn't work.  So the zoo keeper took an egg from another couple that could not care for multiple eggs and gave it to the two male penguins. They did everything right in order to hatch their egg. The egg finally did hatch and out came Tango.

Pre Reading Activity:

Discuss with the children what they think the book will be about based on the front cover.

Post Reading Activity:

Have the students draw a picture of their family to show how everyone's family is different.

Reflection:

This book is banned in some schools because Tango has two daddies and not every school wants to expose young children to that concept.  I think this book should be in the library of every school because it is reality.  Not all children have  a mom and a dad and children should know that all families are different whether they are raised by grandma and grandpa or two moms.  Everyone's family is unique but they are still a  family.

The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

Author/Illustrator: Joanna Cole/Bruce Degen

About the Author:

Joanna Cole was born in August 1944 in Newark New Jersey.  She is an author of children's books and is most famous for her Magic School Bus series.  Cole has written over 250 children's book including the Magic School Bus books.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 1-4

Synopsis:
The Magic School Bus is at it again, Ms. Frizzle and her students shrunk themselves and wound up inside a beehive.  They had been learning about bees in school and went to visit a bee keeper, who was running late, but they found themselves inside the hive.  The story tells children everything that happens inside the beehive and shows pictures to help them visualize the actions.

Pre Reading Activity:

Have the students predict what will happen in the story based on what they see on the front cover.

Post Reading Activity:

Have the students pretend they are in the Magic School Bus and they are exploring another setting other than a beehive.  The students will need to look up information and then write a story about what they would see inside the environment they chose.

Reflection:

I think the Magic School Bus books are great because although they are fiction the facts they share are true.  I this book the students were learning about bees and what happens inside the beehive.  Pretending they are traveling inside the hive with Ms Frizzle and her class will help the students to remember the facts more because they felt as if they were a part of the action. I think that this can be used with a wide range of kids and tailored to fit each child's needs.

I Love My Brother! A Preschooler's View of Living With A Brother Who Has Autism

Author:  Connor Sullivan

About the Author:

Connor is the older brother of a boy with Autism. This book explains his view on living with his brother, Sean.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: K-2

Synopsis:
This is a story from the point of view of four year old about what it is like to live with a brother that has Autism.  Connor explains what daily activities are like and what he enjoys doing with his brother.

Pre Reading Activity:

Activity:

Have the class predict if they think Connor enjoys living with his brother.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity:

After reading the story have the students draw a picture and write about their family and how they are all different just like Connor and his brother, Sean.

Reflection:

I think this book should be a part of every teacher's classroom library.  There are not very many books out there can explain what it is like to live with someone who has Autism, especially for children.  This is excellent because it is completely from the view point of a four year old and even has pictures drawn by him to explain how he feels.