Oh! The Places You'll Go: Best Gift for Really Anyone

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Oh! The Places You'll Go

By: Dr. Suess

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Copyright: 1990

Genre: Fiction, Character Education, Picture Book

Grade Level: Any Age

Brief Synopsis:

Illus. in full color. "Don't be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it's not 'Climb Every Mountain,' kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss' familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two-page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss' message is simple but never sappy: life may be a 'Great Balancing Act,' but through it all 'There's fun to be done.'"--(starred) Booklist.

About the Author:

Dr. Seuss- It s difficult to imagine the children s book landscape without Dr. Seuss, who is, almost half a century after The Cat in the Hat, the best-recognized children s book writer in the country. But until Dr. Seuss -- a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel -- reinvented the genre with his colorful and exuberant Sneetches, Grinches, Zaxes, and Zooks, children s books were often little more than literal-minded lessons and cautionary tales intended to transform young readers into productive citizens.

Themes: - Inspiration for life

- Helping to guide a person's path in life

- Encouragement to reaching your goals

Pre-Reading Activities:

- Have students write a list of their goals in their journal.  They can be long term or short term.  For the short term goals have them set a date and try to reach it by the end of the year.

Post Reading Activities:

- Have students try to write a story like Dr. Seuss. They can try to use inventive, silly words in their stories.  After they are finished they will read it aloud to the class. Drawings should be included as well with their writing portion.

Reflection: This is another classic book that I could not leave out of my blog.  It is an inspiration for many people and is a very popular baby and graduation gift.  I actually quoted the last line of this book in my graduation speech in front of thousands.  Dr. Seuss creates very fun and educational books for children, but they are also something that adults still enjoy.  Definitely a book that needs to be kept in my classroom at all times.

Links:

Book Info. and author bio.

I'll Love You Forever: A Classic Favorite

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I'll Love You Forever

By: Robert M. Munsch

Illustrator: Sheila McGraw

Publisher: Firefly Books

Copyright: 1995

Genre: Fiction, Character Education

Grade Level: 1st or 2nd

Brief Synopsis:

A sentimental favorite about a mother's love for her child that has sold more than 15 million copies in paperback since its publication in 1986.

About the Author:

Robert Munsch is the author of more than 25 books for children including The Paper Bag Princess and Stephanie's Ponytail. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Sheila McGraw has illustrated six children's books, including the best-selling I Promise I'll Find You and has written children's and adult craft books Papier Mâché for Kids and Painting and Decorating Furniture.

Themes: - Loving people no matter what

- Growing up and Moving Out

- The Love of a Mother to her children

Pre-Reading Activities:

- Have students write a letter to their mother's or guardians about how much the love them.  This can be done around the Valentine's season and can be displayed in the hallway for the school to see.

Post Reading Activities:

- Have the students react to the story with a partner. What did they like about it?  What feelings did they have while reading it?

- Ask the students about the style that the author writes in.  What do they notice about the writing? (Repetition, Flow in the sentences)

Reflection: This has always been one of my favorite books and my mom has read it to me since I was a little girl.  This is a story that will never grow old or fade away because it is special to so many people.  I love the repetition of the words and it makes it easy for children to read along with their parents before bed.  The pictures are very cute that go along with the sincere and touching words.  The wrap around to the end it was gets me...when he begins saying the same lines back to his mother.

Links:

Book Info.

Author and Illustrator Bio.

Let's Talk About Down Syndrome: What is it all about?

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Let's Talk About Down Syndrome

By: Melanie Apel Gordon

Publisher: New York : PowerKids Press

Copyright: 1999

Genre: Special Needs, Nonfiction

Grade Level: 2nd or 3rd

Brief Synopsis: Describes what causes Down syndrome and how it affects those children who have it, stressing how they can be helped to lead happy lives.

About the Author:
Melanie Apel Gordon is a published author of children's books and young adult books. Some of the published credits of Melanie Apel Gordon include Let's Talk About Dyslexia, Let's Talk About Head Lice (Let's Talk Library), Let's Talk About When Kids Have Cancer (Let's Talk Library), and Living with Adversity (Let's Talk Library).

Themes: - Learning about down syndrome
- Diagnosing and Testing for down syndrome
- Growing up with Down Syndrome

Pre-Reading Activities:

- Have the students do a book walk and explain to a partner what they see, and how they see the book is set up.

Post Reading Activities:

- Have the students each get a Chapter to focus on.  They are responsible for reporting back to the class about what they read.
- Students will make a poster about Down Syndrome after having heard all of the presentations and information.

Reflection: This book is very informational for those that do not know what down syndrome is.  It is very simple writing and is easy for all ages to understand.  It puts the important terms in bold so while reading it is easy to pick out the words that are new. This book would be great for a classroom who needs to understand this Disorder.

Links:

Melanie Apel Gordon Bio.

All Dogs Have ADHD: A Look into Understanding ADHD

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All Dogs Have ADHD

By: Kathy Hoopmann

Publisher: Kingsley, Jessica Publishers

Copyright: 2008

Genre: Nonfiction, Coping Book, Special Needs

Grade Level: 5th or 6th

Brief Synopsis:

Following the style of the award-winning All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome, charming color photographs of dogs bring to life familiar ADHD characteristics such as being restless and excitable, getting easily distracted, and acting on impulse.
This delightful book combines humor with understanding to reflect the difficulties and joys of raising a child with ADHD and celebrates what it means to be considered `different'. This absorbing and enjoyable book takes a refreshing approach to understanding ADHD.
Kathy Hoopmann is the author of the award-winning book, All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She has also written the Asperger Adventure series for younger children; Blue Bottle Mystery, Of Mice and Aliens, and Lisa and the Lacemaker as well as an Asperger teen fiction book, Haze, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Currently she lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.

About the Author:

Kathy Hoopman-  is an Australian author currently living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. She is the author of ten books for children and teenagers published in Australia, the UK and the UAE. Her acclaimed Asperger Adventure series: Blue Bottle Mystery, Of Mice and Aliens, and Lisa and the Lacemaker, was shortlisted for a variety of literary awards and has been translated into five languages.

Themes: - Coming to an Understand about the symptoms of ADHD

- Explaining ADHD to a parent or Child

- Comparing a dog's Activites to a person with ADHD

Pre-Reading Activities:

- Give students a black and white picture of a dog.  Have them fill in the dog with facts they already know about them.  How do they act?  Why do they act this way?  We need to begin by getting a sense of how dogs act before comparing them to people.

Post Reading Activities:

 - Have a student with ADHD bring this home to their parent to read.  Have the Parent and child write a note back to the teacher about what they learned from the book.

- List 10-15 things they got out of the book.  I am reading and showing the students pictures from the book.  They then have to take those 10-15 things and relate their desciptions to some one with ADHD.

Reflection: This book's title may put some people off from reading it because it might seem like they are comparing a  person's actions to those of a dog.  This will help people who have never experienced ADHD and the comparison to a dog is more relatable.  The pictures are very playful and fun and help to explain each symptom that is brought up.

Links:

Book Info.

Kathy Hoopmann Bio.

Autism and Me: Sibling Stories

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Autism and Me: Sibling Stories

By: Ouisie Shapiro

Photographs By: Steven Vote

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Copyright: 2009

Genre: Non-Fiction, Special Needs, Coping Skills

Grade Level: 2nd, 3rd, or 4th

Brief Synopsis:

About the Author:

Ouisie Shapiro- she is a writer and producer specializing in sports documentaries. She is a three-time Emmy award winner whose most recent shows include "Joe Louis, America's Hero...Betrayed" and "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football," both for HBO sports. Ouisie is the author of " Autism and Me: Sibling Stories." She is working on a book about bullying and a documentary about Vince Lombardi. She holds a graduate degree in journalism

Steven Vote-he is an internationally recognized Australian photographer. Now, after almost 20 years of working in advertising and editorial photography, Steven’s fine art work is coming to the surface. While living in New York City, Steven saw a unique charm in taxis.

Themes: - Learning about the symptoms of Autism

- A glimpse into the life of austistic children

- Siblings telling of their experience living autistic siblings

- The power of love to heal

Pre-Reading Activities:

- Have the students write a short essay about one of their siblings.  If they don't have a sibling have them write it about a close friend or cousin.  In their essay they will include; a description of their sibling, things they do together, and what makes them special.  This will help lead into the story.

- Teach students what autism is.  We will have a whole group discussion about Autism and it will be open to questions from the students once I have presented all of the information

Post Reading Activities:

- Have partners choose a sibling group from the book to read about and then have to report back to the class.  This will help students practice recall and share. 

- After reading the book to the class ask the students to give examples of autism throughout the book. Was it aways the same? What was different from story to story?  What does this book teach you?

Reflection: I really enjoy the setup of this book and its own way of explaining what autism is.  I love that it gives real life stories and experiences of children around the age of who the reader is.  Some students have never encountered autism before and this will give insight on how to treat students with autism.  This book reminds teachers to be empathetic to all students because you may not know everything that is affecting them all the time.

Links:

Book Info.

Ouisie Shapiro Bio.

Steven Vote

"If you see a kid with autism on the street, don't yell at her if she's doing something wrong. She can't help it. Autism is really challenging," explains Christian, who tells about life with his sister, Mary Gwen, a beautiful girl who loves to swim. In these moving essays, Christian and many other kids tell what it's like to live with siblings who have autism. Sometimes they can't talk much. Sometimes they have tantrums. It can be tough for a family, but there are happy surprises, too. "Autism has helped us to become a better family," adds Christian. "It teaches us patience and understanding." Ouisie Shapiro's inspiring book shows how children - and all of us - can grow in wisdom, acceptance, and love. Steven Vote's warm photos capture the rich emotional life of these amazing families.

The Alphabet War: Living with Dyslexia

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The Alphabet War: A Story About Dyslexia
By: Diane Burton Robb
Illustrator: Gail Piazza

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Copyright: 2004

Genre: Nonfiction, Special Needs, Coping Book

Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2nd

Brief Synopsis: Adam starts school, and although he loves stories, he can't seem to get the words to make sense. Over the next few years, he slowly despairs of ever learning to read. Instead, he imagines that he is being held captive by an evil king who torments him with vowels. His parents hire tutors to help, but it isn't until a specialist comes in at the beginning of third grade and diagnoses him as dyslexic that things start to look up. For Adam, it has become a much bigger problem than just learning how to read-he must also find the self-confidence that years of failure have robbed from him. His new teacher helps him see that reading will always be hard for him, but that it is possible. The pastel illustrations adequately convey Adam's emotions. Although the text often tells rather than shows the boy's plight, the subject matter is handled with respect for his feelings at every stage of the process, and does not oversimplify or sugarcoat the difficulties of dyslexia.-

About the Author:

Diane Burton Robb- she is a published author of children's books. Published credits of Diane Burton Robb include The Alphabet War: A Story About Dyslexia.  There was not much to find on this author.
Gail Piazza- she is a home economics consultant with a Master's degree in Food and Nutrition. For over thirty years, she has developed and tested recipes and styled food for movies, television commercials, print ads and packaging for an extensive list of high-profile clients, such as All-Clad, Emerilware, Krups, Farberware and Lenox Corporation.

Themes: - Learning about dyslexia
- The frustration students feel when they do not understand something
- Struggling in school leading to violence towards others
- Teacher's need to take notice of student's behaviors to help in finding learning disabilities.

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Have students read a passage in which the words were not all spelt correctly and many of them should have the words being jumbled.  This will create for the class what it feels like to suffer from dyslexia.  They will answer questions like, how did you feel while reading this passage? and what helped you get through the reading?
- Talk to students about using pictures in the book to help them enhance their understanding of what is occurring.  his book is full of fantastic pictures they display the characters emotions and the students she be prepared to be looking for these hints in the words as well and the pictures.

Post Reading Activities:
- Write a letter to Adam suggesting ways to help him read with dyslexia.  How can the student help Adam to  not give up on school and reading?
- Students will fill out a story map of the events that happen in this story.  What does Adam do to get from the beginning to the ending?  What were the steps leading to the turning point?  They will fill this out alone and then hand in for clarification.

Reflection: I really was captured by the title of the book because it is very clever.  Sometimes students can feel defeated and overwhelmed with reading especially if they have a disorder like dyslexia.  It is important that students don't use the disability as an excuse to give up, and this book helps to encourage students suffering from dyslexia not to give up.  The illustrations are amazing at capturing Adam's emotions, from sad to overjoyed, throughout his journey.  This book would be good for both students wanting to learn about dyslexia and students suffering from dyslexia.

Links:
Book info.

Gail Piazza Bio

Miss Little's Gift: Teachers that Inspire

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Miss Little's Gift
By: Douglas Wood
Illustrator: Jim Burke

Publisher: Random House Children’s Book
Copyright: 2009

Genre: Nonfiction, Special Needs

Grade Level: 1st- 4th

Brief Synopsis: Douglas is the youngest, smallest, and newest student in his second-grade class, and he doesn’t like reading. He doesn’t like sitting still. And he doesn’t like Miss Little, especially when she makes him stay after class day after day, forcing him to sound out lines and blobs and squiggles when he’d rather be throwing a football. Luckily Douglas likes the pictures in the book Miss Little has chosen for him, pictures that remind him of the lake his family visits every summer. Award-winning author Douglas Wood — the boy in the story — alludes to scenes from The Little Island, the first book that enticed him to read, in a tale that will resonate with many children with ADHD. It is also a heartwarming ode to a special teacher whose gentle persistence changed one little boy’s life forever.

About the Author:
Douglas Wood- he has been called Minnesota’s “renaissance man” — author, artist, musician, naturalist, wilderness guide. As a writer of books for children and adults he has almost two million copies in print, including the classics Old Turtle and Grandad's Prayers of the Earth. Among his many honors and awards have been the Christopher Medal, ABBY Award, International Reading Association Book of the Year, Minnesota Book Award, Midwest Publishers Association Book of the Year, Parent's Choice Award, Barnes and Noble Star of the North, and Story Telling World Award.
Doug's Spring 2009 release, Miss Little’s Gift, is the story of Doug’s difficulty in learning to read, and of his most inspirational teacher.
As a musician, Doug writes music featuring vocals, 6- and 12-string guitars, piano, fiddle, and banjo. He has four recordings currently available.
In performances and speaking engagements across the country, Doug continues to reach audiences of all ages with his superb blend of storytelling and musicianship, personal warmth and light-hearted humor, and the rare ability to lift the human spirit.

Jim Burke- he illustrated many celebrated picture books including Jane Yolen's Naming Liberty, and is the author-illustrator of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.  Jim Burke lives in Beacon, NY with his wife and their young daughter.

Themes: - Learning about ADHD
- Finding Ways to learn and cope with ADHD
- Trusting in a teacher to guide you in the right direction
- Learning to find the joy and excitement in reading

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Ask students what they know about ADHD.  Read the author's Note to the class from the end of the book and discuss.  From this get into what a memoir is.  Mini-lesson on memoir and fill out a note sheet on memoirs and file them with all notes taken about book genres.
- Ask students of times that they have struggled in school.  This will help the students relate to the character while reading.

Post Reading Activities:
- Have students write a letter to a teacher who has inspired them in some way.  They will include; explain at least 3 reasons why they inspire you, who they are and when they had you, explain what you are doing with your life now.  Send all letters out to their teachers of choice.
- Throughout the reading ask students questions for clarification because they may not be getting the underlying message right away. 

Reflection: This book was nonfiction, but it told the story of the author's childhood of dealing with ADHD in school.  I like that the story was about someone who has left a lasting effect on his life because most students also have a person in their life like this.  This pictures in the book help tell the story of his struggle with reading.  We need to also think like this teacher and not give up on struggling students, even if you have to put in the extra effort too.

Links:
Book Info.

Douglas Wood's Bio.