Esperanza Rising - From Riches to Rags...

I truly enjoyed this reading this book! Esperanza Rising is set in the early 1930s, twenty years after the Mexican Revolution and during the Great Depression. It tells the story of a young Mexican girl's courage and resourcefulness when at the tender age of thirteen she finds herself living in a strange new land. Esperanza, whose name means "hope" in Spanish, is born to a world of pampered comfort and privilege on a large and successful ranch. But when her father is killed by bandits, she and her mother are eventually forced to flee their life of privilege and travel to the United States where they survive as best they can as migrant farm laborers. Esperanza is faced with poverty, depending on others for food and the clothes on her back, yet Esperanza still looks at the people around her through the eyes of the wealthy. Those people are poor and dirty and uneducated, not her. Gradually, through her mother’s example, she begins to see the shame she brings to her mother through her actions. When her mother falls ill with Valley Fever, Esperanza learns the value of family and friends. She finds ways to care for her mother and cope with the difficulties of making a new home, rising again like the mythical phoenix in the stories her grandmother told her when she was a child.
This story reminded me much of my own life at a young age growing up in a migrant family. I could relate to the story, especially when she describes working in the fields. I like the way she incorporates fruits to tell each chapter. Growing up I never read books like these, now I am finding many stories like this one that I could relate to and that could have been great if I was introduced to them at a younger age. This book goes on my favorite books list for sure!

Olivia Saves the Circus

I love Olivia Saves the Circus as a picture book and read aloud. Olivia tells her own story about saving the circus during her turn to tell the class about her vacation at school, all of which comes from her vivid imagination. Olivia, as the little confident pig that she is, always loves to be the center of attention. She then begins to tell her story about her day at the circus. Her story of course describes how all the performers were out sick with ear infections, but luckily she knew how to do everything! She tells her class that she tamed lions, walked on tightropes, performed on stilts, juggled, and rode a unicycle. She also becomes a clown, she swung high on the trapeze and becomes the Queen of the Trampoline. After telling her story she is very proud of all that she had done at the circus, but the teacher had her doubts!

This book is excellent for children ages 3-7. It captures their attention with the great pictures and the great imagination of the witty little pig Olivia. Students are sure to enjoy this great book as I did!

Everyone's story matters!

I love this book! The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is about a man who loved to read and write. All day of everyday he would read a book or writing in one. One horrible day a strong wind came by and ruined all of his books, then his world turned colorless. He looked up and saw a colorful women hanging by an umbrella of books! She brought him to this place filled with books where he could read for days, months, and years about anything. He started to get older and grew tired of the books he was reading. When he realized it was time to go he said goodbye to the books, but that wasn’t the last person to stop by the place Mr. Lessmore had left. After Mr. Lessmore was gone a little girl arrived and she began to read the story of Mr. Lessmore which took her through his journey of life! I especially like the part in the book where Mr. Lessmore is sharing books with others. He says “Everyone’s story matters”, no matter how big or small the books may be. This is a great way to tell students that no matter how big or small the book about them might be it still matters!

Chapter 5 - Traditional Literature

Traditional literature, folk literature, or oral literature is the standard tales, stories, and poems of people that have been passed down by word of mouth through many generations. Since traditional stories have been handed down orally, no one knows who told the tales first. However, there is a reason why folk literature has traveled around the world, and this reason is because it meets a variety of human needs. These needs include: the need to explain the natural world in the absence of scientific information, the need to articulate our fears and dreams, thus making them accessible and manageable, the need to impose some order on the apparent random, even chaotic, nature of life, thus helping us to understand our place in the universe, and the need to entertain each other, as well as ourselves.

                Traditional literature provides children with values, and it is important that children become familiar with the rich heritage of folk literature that has come down to use from cultures around the world. Traditional literature also presents children with framework for the literature, drama, and art they will come across later in school. Children are also provided with entertainment and pleasure because they enjoy reading and hearing folktales. Traditional stories also contain strong rhythm, rhyme, and repetition of patterns that are created for the children’s developing memory and imagination.

                Teachers can have students use multicultural traditional literature pieces to compare different versions of the story. It helps children understand the personal dimension and standards of behavior of a culture and at the same time reduce stereotypes. For instance, when studying history or social studies, children can learn a great deal about a particular country and its people by analyzing traditional tales from that country. Traditional tales can be used to introduce and expand on many topics.

Traditional Literature for your Classroom Library

Chapter 9 - Poetry

Amazingly, poetry is the first genre children hear through nursery rhymes and lullabies and as they grow older they continue to listen to poetry through raps, riddles, and games they might play with friends.

I've learned that poetry is another way of introducing children to new vocabulary and the power of word choice and word order to deepen and broaden knowledge, understanding, and perspective. Poetry is much more than a story, it shaped to build up an emotional rhythm or effect. In order for children to be familiar with this genre they must be exposed at an early age to a range of poetry and engage in a variety of forms of response to poetry.

Children love poetry because it can be fun, it rhymes, and it can about anything such as animals! When introducing children to poetry it is important to allow them to explore and use their imaginations to produce a poem. The best way to allow them to begin is to have them listen to a variety of poetry. Including pictures may also allow students to understand what they are listening to as well.

The best thing about poetry is that it can be about anything. Allowing students to create poetry for any subject is key. Students enjoy writing in a different style rather than the traditional essay format. Students learn more when they are given a different way to learn and to apply their learning. Many students see poems as rapping or making music, which at any age kids love! 

Poetry for your Classroom Library

Chapter 6 - Modern Fantasy

When you can find books where children can engage, have fun, and learn all at the same time, you’ve found a great tool for teaching. With modern fantasy books I think that is just what you can do. You can allow students to engage in stories where animals talk, where people, aliens, and monsters come together and share one world and relate it to a lesson or real life situations. Students will benefit from having the opportunity to learn through a book and see books from a different perspective other than from a textbook or lecture.

There are also two different types of modern fantasy. There are low fantasy and high fantasy stories. A low fantasy stories takes place here in our world but with aspects such as magic that would make the event impossible and not true. A high fantasy story takes things from our real world and completely moves them to another, non-existent world. The features of low to high fantasy are: Magic, Other Worlds, Good vs. Evil, Heroism, Special Character Types and Fantastic Objects.

I believe modern fantasy is a good type of literature to have in the classroom because it frees children’s imagination while it teaches them life lessons. When children can imagine and read things that perhaps are not possible in real life, it takes them to a different place from reality, which keeps the children engaged and learning at the same time. Teachers can come up with a lot of activities when it comes to fantasy, the point of fantasy is to do what otherwise is not expected and still learn!

Modern Fantasy Books for your Classroom Library

Chapter 8 - Historical Fiction

            Historical fiction allows us to see into experiences from people and events of the past while also getting to see the author’s personal spin or understanding of it. These pieces of literature tell a story of the past where the characters could have or did exist, the setting is authentic, and the plot is believable. Historical fiction is also when an author writes about their own experiences that can be beneficial for students as well. These are generally firsthand accounts even thought they are written in a fictional format. Both help a reader to understand and connect with history and historical events.

            Textbooks are not always effective in making connection between people and the past. Historical fiction consists of imaginative stories grounded in the facts of the past. The benefits of exposing students to historical fiction literature are that historical information is presented in a way that engages students to a sense of realism which they can understand. Historical fiction books can teach any portion of history. Although textbooks provide a sequential highlighting of history over time, historical fiction books provide more insight to specific events.

            I was never a great fan of history, much less reading historical fiction books. I could never really relate to the time or people in history, so it was difficult to understand anything to do with history. One thing I did become interested in was reading and learning on the Holocaust. I became interested when we were given historical fiction books to read on the Holocaust. We didn’t only read textbooks but I had the opportunity to read a book that I could relate to more and learn at the same time. I think it is great to use historical fiction as an  addition to history lessons as it brings history to life and to some it brings it to life in a more engaging way. When using this type of literature in the classroom, I think a lot of discussion is beneficial. It helps create a deeper comprehension and also allows students to present their personal feelings regarding it.

Historical Fiction Books for your Classroom Library

Chapter 10 - Nonfiction: Biographies and Informational Books

            Teachers should be open to teaching with nonfiction books; they are great for students at any age. Exposing children to nonfiction features will allow them to grow and think into what is used later in school and at the workplace. Many times when students are tested, they are asked to answer questions or to write on categories that are nonfiction. Students enjoy learning information from nonfiction books than traditional textbooks. When a teacher can use nonfiction books to teach on a topic, students tend to be much more engaged because they contain pictures and illustrations that are real and fun!

            Teachers should consider the role of children preferences, text accuracy and multicultural understanding when choosing nonfiction books for the classroom. How content is organized and presented affects the overall value of a piece of nonfiction. Classroom libraries must reflect the interests of all children, and high-quality, visually, intellectually, and emotionally appealing nonfiction should constitute a significant part of the collection. Some benefits of nonfiction books include, that they offer a key to success in later schooling, they are ubiquitous in the larger society, they are the preferred reading material for some children, they addresses children’s interests and questions, they build knowledge of the natural and social world, and they include many important text features.

            I have grown to love nonfiction books now that I am an adult, but as a child, reading nonfiction books meant reading a long book with lots of paragraphs and pages. I never enjoyed reading nonfiction books because they were simply boring. Today, nonfiction books are so much different than years ago. They have evolved into more attractive books filled with colors, pictures, activities, and so on.  As teachers, we will need to help students see the attractive side of nonfictions, by choosing great books that will engage students and help them learn.

Nonfiction Books for your Classroom Library

Chapter 12 - The New Literacies: The World of Online Children's Literature

According to our textbook, children today are digital natives. Children ages 8-18 spend an average of 90 minutes a day using the computer. Even young children come to school having either firsthand experience or experience with their parents’ or siblings’ use of e-mail, cell phones, iPods, and digital cameras. Although children come to school already familiar with digital media, they do not necessarily know how to fully access and engage with them.  Teachers can use these tools to extend children’s understanding, motivation, and engagement with children’s literature in authentic ways that also extend opportunities to acquire the skill and strategies needed to live and work in the rapidly changing technological world.

Digital texts have become the new word for books! With all the possibilities there are to change the look of a book, from color to size of the font and even the option to listen to a book instead of reading it. These unique features of digital texts often result in an enriching experience that expands our traditional view of storytelling. Educators must be prepared to teach students the skills and strategies they need to successfully read and comprehend across multiple media.

Although there are many benefits of digital texts like creating a more meaningful reading experience for children when reading, it is important for students to be very familiar with how to use the navigation controls. Teachers must model and guide students through the process many times to ensure that student are actively engaged in a successful read aloud experience and do not become frustrated. Teachers must also ensure that students are not distracted by the interactive features and games rather than reading the text.

Online Books for your Classroom

Link: The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Link: The Nightmare Room - R.L. Stine Books

Link: Giggle Poetry

Chapter 11 - Diverse Perspectives in Children's Literature

It is important for children to see their own cultures and values reflected in the book they read. The ability to see other cultures and life experiences is important in developing children's perspective, insight and possibilites as they progress to becoming citizens of the world.

Categories of Multicultural Literature:

Cultural Diversity
• African Americans, Latino/a Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians
• Culturally neutral: include culturally diverse characters but the topics of the books are about something else
• Culturally generic: books that focus on culturally diverse characters but include few details that differentiate a culture from the larger American culture
• Culturally specific: books that incorporate specific, culturally authentic details that define characters, plots, and themes

Religious Diversity
• Schools where religious diversity is honored to help children develop and preserve their cultural identity and understanding of their history, literature, art, and music

• Introduce children to content about religion rather than about the practice of a particular region
• Include a wide variety
• Don’t promote/degrade any religion
• Facilitate students awareness of religious differences

 • American Indian Spirituality
 • Hinduism
 • Buddhism
 • Judaism
 • Islam

Other Diverse Perspectives
 • Aging, gender equality, exceptionalities, language, social diversity, family structures

 Benefits of Multicultural and International Literature
• Positively affects students attitudes toward a wide range of diverse perspectives
• Reading and deep discussion of culturally specific multicultural literature increases students’ ability to examine the values, beliefs, and events in their personal and collective lives and the ability to view literacy as an empowering force in the classroom.

Research has show that the use of multicultural literature that accurately depicts the experiences of diverse groups may improve the literacy achievement of students of diverse backgrounds by increase in their motivation to read, their appreciation to understand of their own language and cultural heritage, their respect for their own life experience as a topic for writing, and cross-cultural understanding.

Diverse Books for your Classroom Library

Chapter 7 - Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is a popular genre with children. Although it is described as untrue, it reflects contemporary places, people and situations that may be real. Since our society is diverse and human nature is complex, realistic fiction reflects all of the sensitive topics common in our world: divorce, death, abuse, sexuality, and poverty. Some of the benefits of realistic fiction are that it can offer children the opportunity to observe the decision-making process when it comes to moral issues. It also allows children to understand that many problems that they face are problems that others are facing as well and they are not alone.

The following are categories of realistic fiction:
Survival/Adventure: Exciting fast-paced plot with the conflict often between person and nature. Characters control much of the action and change as a result of the action.

Mystery: Marked by suspense with fast-paced action and logical solution that is foreshadowed through the presentation of clues. Action centers on finding an answer to the focus question: who did it? What happened? Where is it?

Humor: Characters are involved in funny situations and the actions that follow heighten the humor.

Animals: Characters grow and change as a result of a realistic relationship with an animal.

Sports: Action revolves around the tensions and thrills that accompany particular sport.

Family: A strong need for family, both traditional and nontraditional, is depicted as characters show responsibility, loyalty, or unity to overcome conflicts.

Growing Up: Characters cope with increasing independence from adults and confront the accompanying conflicting feelings and difficult choices and challenges.

The core of good realistic fiction is in its credibility: How believable are the characters and the setting? Is the plot believable and is the theme meaningful? Realistic fiction should include characters that act like real people that show change and development throughout the story.

Realistic Fiction Books for your Classroom Library