Book Reflections

Dinorella

1.     Author(s): Pamela Duncan Edwards

(Illustrator): Henry Cole

2.     Date of Publication: 1998

3.     Title: Dinorella

4.     ISBN #: 0590689487

5.     The level (what grade level): K-3

6.     Topic (what it is about):  It is a version of Cinderella and focuses on doing kind works and helping others. Additionally it could be used to fight bullying.

7.     The storyline: Dinorella is based around by her dinosaur step sisters.  They have the chance to go to the “Duke’s” party and her step sisters told her she could not attend.  Dinorella’s fairy taradactol transform her outfit and helps her get to Duke’s party.  When she arrives Duke is being dragged off by a carnivore and no one was helping him.  She builds up her courage and throws her diamond earring at the carnivore.  When he looks around to see who it was he saw the reflection of Dinorella’s glasses and we thought she was the devil.  This scared off the carnivore and Duke began looking for the owner of the diamond earring.. Dinorella hide her self and when the fairy taradactol saw what was happening she stepped in and made Dinorella show herself to the Duke.  Duke immediately feel in love and they lived happily ever after.

8.     Why you liked it: It showed a female who was timid but took a chance and helped someone in a situation that was dangerous for her.

9.     What you might be able to do with it in a class: You could use this story in any classroom and discuss bullying and have the class come up with ideas on how they can aid someone who is being bullied like Dinorella did.

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Cinderfella and the Slam Dunk Contest

1.     Author(s): Elizabeth Burton

Illustrator: Lynn Offerdahl

2.     Date of Publication: 1994

3.     Title: Cinderfella and the Slam Dunk contest

4.     ISBN #: 0828319669

5.     The level (what grade level): 1-3

6.     Topic:  It is a version of Cinderella that is geared toward males and focuses on rewards for kindness.

7.     The storyline:  Cinderfella lives with his Step father and two kind step brothers.  He is lazy, demanding, and plays tricks on his step brothers.  When it comes time for a slam dunk contest at the Chicago Bulls arena his step father grounds him and says he has been so cruel he is not to attend.  Cinderfella sincerely regrets being so mean.  Michael Jordan, Cinderfella’s Godfather appears and grants his wish of going to the contest and includes a blue Porsche sports car.  Jordan also had put a spell on him to win the contest.  When he made the winning shot he had to run home leaving his new tennis shoe behind.  That night his step-brothers come home and tell him about the winner and he apologizes to them for all the wrong he has done.  A young princess is going door to door trying to find who the shoe fits.  When Cinderfella tries it on it is the perfect fit and he wins a castle on a hill and lives happily ever after with Cinderella.

8.     Why you liked it: It was a different version of Cinderella that boys could relate to.  Additionally instead of Cinderfella being a damsel in distress like most Cinderellas he was the one who had to learn a lesson rather than his step family.

9.     What you might be able to do with it in a class: It would depend on the grade level but if I were working with the upper grades (5th or 6th) I would read them Cinderfella and then read Cinderella and have them compare the differences between the two books and look  at how gender of the main character played a major role in how the story played out.

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A Baby Sister For Frances

1. Author: Russell Hoban

2. Date of Publication: 1992

3. Title: A Baby Sister for Frances

4. ISBN: 978-0694700189

5. The Level: grades 1-3

6. Topic:

This book sufficiently teaches children how important every role is inside of a family unit.  It is great for children whose parents are expecting another child soon or have recently had another child, to help them cope with the change of responsibilities in the family.

7. Story Line:

This book told a story of a young badger named Frances who felt as though her parents no longer needed or cared for her because she had a new little sister that occupied much of their time.  Frances decided to “runaway” one night and the parents were able to convince her what an important part of the family that she is and how special it is to be a big sister.

8. Why I liked it:  It is a great story that a lot of young kids can relate to. It also comes from a series so if the kids get into reading the series the meanings and lessons in the stories will affect them more because they can build a relationship with the characters.

9. What you might be able to do with it in a class:

Have the children think of their favorite hobby (cooking, drawing, riding bikes, etc.) and have the children create a rhyme that goes along with it as Frances does.

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Stellaluna

1. Author: Jannell Cannon

2. Date of Publication: 1993

3. Title: Stellaluna

4. ISBN #: 978-0152015404

5. The Level: Grades 1-3

6. Topic: Diversity.  This book does a great job showing children that although they may see differences between other kids and themselves that does not mean they cannot find common hobbies and become great friends.

7. Story Line: This book talked about a young bat that got lost from her mother and begins to live with birds.  She changes her ways to fit in with the bird family.  Stellaluna eventually finds her mother and lives with bats again, doing all the things that bats typically do.  She invites her bird friends to come do bat things with her and they discover that although they are great friends their lives are different and they cannot do everything the other one can.

8. Why I liked it: I like it because in a round about way it teaches children that diversity is okay and to appreciate the differences between everyone.

9. What you might be able to do with it in a class:

Research bats and birds as a class during library time and then make a large venn diagram and have the children write facts they learned about each animal in the appropriate sections.

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Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella

1. Author: Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Illustrator: Eddie Flotte

2. Date of Publication: 1998

3. Title: Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella

4. ISBN #:  978-1885008091

5. The Level: age 4-8

6. Topic: Diversity.  This is an excellent book to show children the differences in cultures.  This book shows how important spirits are to Cambodian people. Also the father staying alive shows their emphasis on families only working as a whole unit with both a male and female head of household.

7. Story Line:

This Cinderella story had major differences from the American version.  Angkat’s father is wrapped around her stepmother’s finger and actually ends up turning against “Cinderella” as her stepmother and one stepsister do.  Angkat befriends all the animals and they eventually end up helping her get to the ball where the prince accepts her as his princess.  Her family then conjures up a plan and successfully kills Angkat.  The prince is terribly distraught.  He allows Angkat’s stepsister to stay in the palace.  When her parents arrive home they found that a sturdy bamboo had grown where Angkat had been slain.  Her dad rids of it in fear that it is her spirit haunting them.  The Prince went on a hunting trip where he found the cluster of bamboo that Angkat’s father had removed.  He could feel Angkat’s presence there and he ordered his men to move it to the palace.  A special spirit allows the prince to see Angkat again.  She comes back and becomes queen and her family is chased out of town by the animals.

8. Why I Liked it:

I like this book because it shows children, through a familiar tale, the differences between cultures.  They are able to subtly see how different cultures few certain things as more important than others.

9. What you might be able to do with it in a class:

Read two different Cinderella Stories.  (One from Cambodia and one from the U.S.). Create a venn diagram as a class that points out the differences between the two cultures in the stories.

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Lon Po Po

1. Author/Illustrator: Ed Young
2. Date of Publication: 1996
3. Title: Lon Po Po
4. ISBN #: 978-0698113824
5. The Level: Ages 4-8
6. Topic: Lon Po Po is a Chinese version of little red-riding hood.
7. The Storyline:Lon PoPo’s mother leaves to go visit her mother in a different town.  She leaves her three daughters home with instructions to not open the door for anyone.  The wolf saw the mother leave and takes his chance to go get the kids.  He shows up at their door pretending to be the grandmother that their mother just left to go see. The children let him in and he does everything he can to avoid the children seeing his true identity.  The oldest daughter discovers his secret first and devises a plan to get the wolf out.  She promises the wolf delicious nuts and offers for her and her sisters to climb a tree to pick her some. The wolf agrees.  The eldest sister lets her siblings in on the information and together they successfully carry out their plan and kill the wolf.  They go back into the house and lock the door until their mother gets home the next day when they relay the story to her.
8. Why I liked it:  I like the story because you can compare it to the American version of Red Riding hood and the students can learn how cultures differ in values and daily life.
9. What you might be able to do with it in a class: Turn it into a safety lesson. Have the kids design an escape route from their house in case of emergencies.  Have them go home and talk about it at a family meeting to get their parents involved and get their parents to sign off on it.

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Alphabet Under Construction

1. Author/illustrator: Denise Fleming
2. Date of Publication: 2002
3. Title: Alphabet Under Construction
4. ISBN: 978-0805081121
5. The level: baby- Kindergarten
6. Topic: Learning the alphabet
7. The Story line: Every page in the book shows the mouse decorating each letter of the alphabet with some sort of material that also begins with that letter (ex: buttons covering the “B”).
8. Why I like it:  I think it is a fun way for children to learn the alphabet and begin to connect letters to every day items that they see.
9. What you might be able to do with it in class:  I would assign each student a different letter from the book and have them decorate a printed letter sheet that I give them.  They will attach whatever material from the book that is related to that item on to the sheet to cover the letter they have been assigned.  Once the entire class is finished I will bind all of the pages together and we will have our own classroom alphabet book that the kids can use and take pride in the fact that they helped make it.

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The Golden Slipper

1. Author: Darrell H.Y. Lum
2. Illustrator: Makiko Nagano
3. Date of Publication: 1994
4. Title: The Golden Slipper
5. ISBN #: 978-0816734061
6. The Level: 9- 12 years old
7. Topic: A Cinderella story from Vietnam
8. Storyline: Tam’s mother had died when she was young.  Her father remarried and after her half sister was born her father died of a broken heart due to the way his oldest daughter was being treated.  Tam was now responsible for all inside and outside chores. Tam befriended all of the animals on her land with advice from a mysterious woman dressed in royal colors.  Soon after all of the animals began exhibiting the royal colors on the fur, feathers, or scales.  When it came time for the ball the animals helped her quickly finish her chores and magically change her clothes.  She lost a slipper on the way to the ball.  The prince found it and once he discovered it fit Tam’s foot he made her his princess and they lived happily ever after.
9. Why I liked it: This version is very similar to America’s but it can show children the difference in chores that Vietnamese children have and the different animals that are important to their culture.
10. Activity to use in the classroom: Have the students create their own Cinderella story after reading ones from all over the world.

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Zen Ties

1. Author/Illustrator: Jon Muth
2. Date of Publication: 2008
3. Title: Zen Ties
4. ISBN #: 978-0439634250
5. The level: Ages 4-8
6. Topic: Community Service and Being a good neighbor
7. Storyline: This book is part of a series.  A group of siblings have befriended a panda bear.  The bear, Zen, has his nephew come into town.  As a group they all go to visit Miss Whitaker.  The kids are scared of her at first because she has yelled at them in the past.  Zen helps Miss Whitacker and the children get along and grow to enjoy one another’s company.  In the end the kids see how small acts of kindness can do a lot to brighten the day of another.
8. Why I liked it: Zen Ties teaches children to give people a second chance, you never know what is going on in their life that makes act the way they do.  It encourages children to do kind acts and shows them how big of an impact they can make just through little acts of kindness.
9. Activity to use in the classroom: Start an after school program to bus the kids to and from a retirement home once a month.  Pair the kids up one or two to each senior citizen and have them plan an activity to do with their assigned friend.

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Star of the Week

1. Author/Illustrator: B. Saltzberg
2. Date of Publication: 2006
3. Title: Star of the Week
4. ISBN #: 978-1406301779
5. The level: Ages 4-8
6. Topic: Bullying
7. Storyline: This book is about a hamster who gets to be the star of the week in his class room.  This gives him the ability to share his favorite food, toy, and hobby with the class.  During each presentation something goes wrong so the rest of the class has a laugh at Stanley’s expense.  He decides that maybe being star of the week wasn’t as cool as he thought but his teacher encourages him to finish what he started.  The last day he shares his favorite hobby with the class and although Polly Seedeater attempted to poke fun of him again the class fell in love with his activity and Stanley decided that the week was actually a good and enjoyable experience.
8. Why I liked it: This book teaches kids to follow through with what they have started and to always be themselves no matter what their peers may say.
9. Activity to use in the classroom: Start “star of the week” for your classroom and ensure that the kids learn and use courteous manners.  Additionally do squiggle drawings for morning exercises to get their creativity juices flowing.