Archive for the ‘Reading Skills’ Category

Not All Princesses Dress in Pink Written by Jane Yolen & Heidi E. Y. Stemple; Illustrated by Anne Sophie Lanquetin

*Picture book, preschoolers through first graders *Young girls as main characters *Rating: Here’s what I said on Goodreads: “I like this book. I think the message is important. I picked it up because my two-year-old is in love with the Disney princesses, and her favorite color she informed me is pink. So, the only complaint [...]

April 11, 2013 in Elementary Educators, Making Personal Connections, Picture Book, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Reading Skills, Shared Writing, Writing Skills, Yolen, Jane
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Using Finding My Place to Teach (and Write!) Protagonist and Antagonist

Teaching protagonist and antagonist and studying how the author created each one can help students understand story elements better and their own fiction writing. (If you are a writer, this can also help you!) When I do school visits about my writing process, I share with students information about my main protagonist, Anna Green (13-years-old), [...]

April 10, 2013 in Book Club Possibility, Elementary Educators, Finding My Place by Margo Dill, Middle Grade Novel, Middle School Teachers, Reading Skills, Writing Skills
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Sophie’s Fish by A. E. Cannon; Illustrated by Lee White

*Humorous picture book for preschool to 2nd grade *Little boy as the main character *Rating: Sophie’s Fish is everything a picture book should be. It’s kid-centered and focuses on their imagination and comprehension of problems. It also has a great twist at the end! I love this book and would recommend it to anyone. Short, [...]

March 11, 2013 in Cannon A. E., Elementary Educators, Making Personal Connections, Making Predictions, Personal Connections, Picture Book, Prediction Skills, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Reading Skills, six traits of writing
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Boot & Shoe by Marla Frazee

*Picture book for preschoolers through 2nd graders *Two dogs as the main characters *Rating: I have been a fan of Marla Frazee since I discovered Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (with illustrations by Marla). I was excited to read a book she wrote and illustrated and about animals–which my daughter loves. Super cute book! Short, short [...]

March 4, 2013 in Elementary Educators, Frazee Marla, Making Personal Connections, Picture Book, Reading Skills, six traits of writing
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Katie Woo: Moving Day by Fran Manushkin Illustrated by Tammie Lyon

*Early, early chapter book (like Amelia Bedelia), realistic fiction *6-year-old girl as main character *Rating: Well, I’m in love with the character, Katie Woo–this is just one book in a series. Young girls will eat these up and want more and more. Love the illustrations, too! Short, short summary: In Katie Woo: Moving Day, Katie [...]

February 28, 2013 in Art activities, Chapter Books, Creative Writing activities, Elementary Educators, Making Personal Connections, Manushkin Fran, Reading Skills
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A Cat Named Mouse: The Miracle of Answered Prayer by Anna Alden-Tirrill (giveaway)

I have a special book to share with you today for chapter book/middle-grade readers (ages 8 to 12 or so) titled, A Cat Named Mouse: The Miracle of Answered Prayer. This book is inspirational or Christian fiction for kids with a heavy emphasis on prayer and Bible verses. It would be perfect for a homeschool [...]

February 18, 2013 in Alden-Tirrill Anna, Book Club Possibility, character education, Elementary Educators, Helping Girls and Women Around the World, Journal Writing, Making Personal Connections, Middle Grade Novel, Middle School Teachers, Reading Skills
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Traveling and Voice: Some Thoughts on Finding My Place

Today, I have a few things to share with you about Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg: a story about my recent “book tour” , a story from someone who bought the book, and a quick lesson on VOICE, one of the 6 + 1 traits of writing–so let’s go! Going On a [...]

February 13, 2013 in Book Club Possibility, Elementary Educators, Finding My Place by Margo Dill, Middle Grade Novel, Middle School Teachers, Reading Skills, six traits of writing
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For the Love of Pete (An Orphan Train Story) by Ethel Barker

This is a book I am EXTREMELY excited to tell you about for several reasons. . . I helped to edit this book in its beginning stages in 2009, as part of my Editor 911 business. It is a terrific HISTORICAL FICTION book for upper middle grade/tween/younger YA audience by a delightful author. Ice Cube [...]

February 11, 2013 in Barker Ethel, Book Club Possibility, Books With Social Studies Content, Elementary Educators, Journal Writing, Making Book to Book Comparisons, Making Predictions, Middle Grade Novel, Middle School Teachers, Reading Skills, six traits of writing
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LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

* Concept book (ABCs) for preschoolers through first graders *Peas as the main characters *Rating: LMNO Peas is a cute book, going through the ABCs with the peas doing different jobs is clever. Some of the jobs were a little strange, and I wanted more of a play on the LMNO Peas idea, but my [...]

February 7, 2013 in ABC books, Art activities, Baker Keith, Books With Social Studies Content, Elementary Educators, Making Personal Connections, Picture Book, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Reading Skills, Rhyming Words, Shared Writing
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Hippo and Gorilla: Interactive Picture Books for Your E-Reader

Hippo and Gorilla are two loveable characters, (remember The Odd Couple?) who face problems children will be all too familiar with–things like crashing model airplanes (Airplanes), eating too many donuts (Donuts), and a rainy day birthday (Bathroom Beach) . Illustrator and author Bryan Langdo has created cute, humorous picture books for children. But what makes [...]

January 31, 2013 in Books with Health Content, Cause and Effect, Elementary Educators, Langdo Bryan, Making Personal Connections, Personal Connections, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Reading Skills
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