Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You was a picture book written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram. The story is about a young rabbit named little nutbrown hare who is determined to show his mother how much he loves her. Throughout the story he and his mother embark on a little competition to see who loves who more.

The illustrations in the book contain light warm watercolors. This book is definitely a good book for really young readers as it is a good tool with encouraging them to express their feelings.

I would read this story out loud to my students and ask them questions like:

• How much do you love your parents?
• What kinds of ways did Little Nutbrown Hare show his love for his mother?
• How do you show your parents how much you love them?

A motivational activity I would do with my students is have them all stand up together and practice different they can show how much they love their parents using their arms and legs. Also, each student can make his or her parents a card that tells them how much they love them.

Sam McBratney has been writing children's books for more than thirty years. Some of his other works include Just You and Me, Guess How Much I Love You In The Summer, and Let's Play In The Snow.


McBratney, S. (1994) Guess how much I love you. Somerville, MS: Candlewick Press

Green Eggs And Ham

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss is a very popular picture book amongst children. The story is very simple. Sam wants his friend to try green eggs and ham but his friend refuses. So throughout the book, Sam is trying various different ways to get his friend to try them until he finally gives in and discovers he likes green eggs and ham.

The text in the story will keep young children entertained with its unique use of word play. The illustrations are very imaginative and will capture the attention of any reader.

In my classroom I would go around the room and have each student take a chance to read a portion of the story until we finish it. At the end I would ask questions like:

• Would you eat green eggs and ham?
• why do you think Sam's friend didn't want to eat the green eggs and ham?
• What could you learn from this story?

As a motivational activity, I would have my class make green eggs and ham and then try it to see what they think. For another motivational activity, I would write the rhyming words from the story on the halves of green plastic eggs. Once finished I would take them apart and mix them up and have my students practice word rhymes by matching the appropriate halves.


Seuss, D. (1960). Green eggs and ham. New York, NY: Random House Children's books

Cinderella

Cinderella is written and illustrated by Marcia Brown. It is her own version of the classic fairy tale. The story is about a girl named Cinderella who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. When the prince of the land decides to host a ball, Cinderella is anxious to go but knows she will be forbidden. Her fairy god mother appears and transforms Cinderella into a beautiful princess and makes it so she can attend the ball but only until midnight. When Cinderella gets to the ball she immediately catches the attention of the prince and they dance all night. However, at the stroke of midnight Cinderella runs out of the ball leaving behind one of her glass slippers and leading the prince on a search to find the women who fits the glass slipper.

I would read this story aloud to my students and ask them questions througout the story like:

• Where was Cinderella's favorite place to sit in the house?
• Why were Cinderella's stepsisters jealous of her?
• Why did Cinderella's fairy god mother have her find a pumpkin?

A motivational activity I would have my students do is decorate pumpkins to look like carriages and give a prize for the best pumpkin. Also, for another activity, I can have my students make crowns to decorate and wear on their heads.

Marcia Brown is a American writer and illustrator of more than 30 children's books. She has won numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association.

The Blacker The Berry

The Blacker The Berry is a book of poems geared towards African-American children. The poems focus on the various colors of skin that African-American children may have and it highlights them in a way that shows the beauty of having darker skin. The illustrations are captivating and feature oil painted pictures and very detailed expressions. The twelve poems each highlight a different skin tone and are both educational and uplifting for some young children.

Since the poems are geared towards outlooks I would ask my students questions about themselves like:

• What is you unique about your outlook?
• What do you like most about yourself?
• What is one thing you like about one of your classmates?

A motivational activity I would do with my students is have them each make their own poem about themselves similar the ones in The Blacker The Berry.

Another motivational activity I would have my students do is cut out pictures of items that describe them from magazines and then make a collage out of them. We will then make a tree out of all the collages to post on the bulletin board to showcase the various unique features of every student.

Joyce Carol Thomas is a African-American poet,playwright, and author of more than 30 children's books.


Thomas, J. (2008). The blacker the berry. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers

Allen Jay And The Underground Railroad

Allen Jay And The Underground Railroad is a nonfiction story written by Marlene Targ Brill and illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. This true story focuses on an eleven-year boy named Allen Jay whose family's farm is a stop on the Underground Railroad. His parents are secret conductors o the Underground Railroad and they give food and shelter to slaves escaping from the south. One day, Allen's father asks him to help a runaway slave and this story tells about all the events that happened after.

This story was very interesting as it gave you a glimpse of a true event surrounding the Underground Railroad. This book was very educational for any young reader since the Underground Railroad was a important happening within history.

The illustrations consisted of many colors blended together to form the objects or individuals. They gave the story a kid-friendly visual to go with the text.

I would read this story out loud to my students to make sure they understood the broken English along the way. After, I would ask them questions like:

• What did Allen Jay's parents do for slaves?
• What are some reasons why Allen Jay was afraid?
• Why do you think the Jay's helped slaves escape?

A classroom activity I would have my students do is make a collage using words from magazines that they think relate to slavery and the Underground Railroad. Another activity I would have my students do is sit in a circle on the floor and each of us share a story about a time when we helped someone in need.

The author Marlene Targ Brill is an award winning author who has written many nonfiction and historical fiction books for all ages.

Brill, M. (1993). Allen jay and the underground railroad. Minneapolis, MN: First Avenue Editions

The Rainbow Fish

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a favorite picture book of many young children. With its vibrant colors and glittering illustrations, it immediately grabs any readers attention. The story is about a fish who had sparkling scales which made him the most beautiful fish in the sea. He was admired so much that the other fish wanted him to share his scales with them so they could be pretty as well. The rainbow fish refused and the other fish were upset and would ignore him whenever he swam by. The rainbow fish became sad and lonely because none of the the other fish would look at him. However, after some good advice, the rainbow decided he needed to share his pretty scales with others and he gave all the fish one of his scales until he only had one himself.

This story teaches its readers a valuable lesson in sharing. Sharing is a very important factor in the goings of young children and this book gives them a glimpse of what could happen if they don't share with others.

After reading the story aloud to my students, I would ask them questions like:

• Do you think the other fish were right to ignore the rainbow fish?
• What would you do if someone refused to share their things with you?
• What lesson did the rainbow fish learn?

A classroom activity I would do with my students is have them each make their own rainbow fish and then post them all on a classroom board with blue backing to make it look like a fish tank. Also, I would have each student come up with a reason why sharing is important. I would give them a sentence that says "Sharing is important because...." then I would have them read what they wrote out loud.

Marcus Pfister is a Swiss author and illustrator of children's picture books. He has written many other books involving the rainbow fish like The Rainbow Fish Opposites and The Rainbow Fish Colors.


Pfister, M. (1992). The rainbow fish. New York, NY: North-South Books Inc

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone is a folktale classic since the story has been retold for many years. The story focuses on three little pigs who each build a house; one of straw, one of wood, and one of brick. The wolf comes along and blows down the house of hay and wood to eat the pigs inside. When he gets to the brick house, he is unable to blow it down . So instead, he tries to trick the pig into coming out. However, his tricks do not work and in the end he becomes the meal instead of the pig.

This story is a great read for young children as it tell the age old story of The Three Little Pigs with a little twist. The illustrations are colorful and descriptive. The author did a good job with incorporating them within the story.

After reading the story aloud to my class, I would ask them some questions relating to the story like:

• What did you like about the story?
• What did the pig do to avoid the wolf?
• How did the pig get rid of the wolf?

A classroom activity that I would love to do with my class is have them perform a small play. I would have them make masks for the characters in the story and build each pigs house out of cardboard.

Another activity I would do with my students is read to them a different three little pigs story and then compare and contrast that version with the first version we read. I would make a chart on the board and then have each student take turns writing one similarity or difference on the board.

Galdone, P. (1970). The three little pigs. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company