Thursday, April 21, 2011

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Poetry from far across the Universe

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Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars
By: Douglas Florian
Publisher: Harcourt Books
Copyright: 2007

Genre: Poetry, Outer Space

Grade Level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th

Brief Synopsis: The author takes us through a journey in space.  Each planet in the Solar System has a poem to describe it.  Each poem in unique in its own way, and there are even poems to describe space outside of the solar system.  Each page in this book leads into the next page. 

About the Author:
Douglas Florian- he was born and raised in New York City, and educated at Queens College and the School of Visual Art. Florian was a cartoonist for the New Yorker before a chance encounter with William Cole’s anthology of children’s verse, Oh, That’s Ridiculous (1977), inspired him to try his hand at the art.  Florian’s illustrated poetry books for children often incorporate elements of collage, watercolor, and gouache on a surface of primed paper bags. He frequently takes the natural world as his subject, using wordplay, neologisms, rhyme, and humor to engage young readers.  Florian lives in New York City with his family.

Themes: - Exploration of Space
- Variety in Forms of Poetry
- Creating Descriptions for things around you

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Teach or review the planets in the Solar System.  Students can work with a partner to draw out the order of the planets and other parts of the Solar System.
-Begin the poetry unit in class.  Go over the different types of poems a day or two at a time.  Don't overwhelm the students with all of the poem types at once. Give students a chance to practice on sample poems and have them describe th structuring of the poem. 
Post Reading Activities:
- After viewing these Solar System poems written by Douglas Florian have students choose one part of space to write their own poem about.  Have students stick to one Poem type to focus on, so that they all get practice on the same structuring.  They will also be able to see the same type of poem in many different ways because of the different space topics they are writing about. 
- Have students continue with the Solar System subject, and do their own project based on whatever portion of outer space they are most interested in.  They will also be graded on presenting the project as well.
- After much practice with the Solar System, check students understanding by doing this fun activity.  Fill a Garbage bag with different sized balloons that represent the different parts of our solar system, each labeled.  After explaining the rules to the class and safety rules, throw the balloons in the air.  Each student will grab the closest balloon and put themselves in order without talking.  The goal is to work together and get the fastest time.  This can be practiced many times, and it is a quick and efficient evaluation of understanding the order of the planets and parts of the solar system.
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Reflection: This story is very visually stimulating for any reader.  Each page offers an illustration to capture the students' attention, and also adds to the description given in its poem.  I also really liked the cutouts in each page that give a sneek peek to what the next page will contain.  This lends itself to discuss foreshadowing in a story or illustrations and also doing a book walk before beginning to read the book to get student predictions.  This subject specific book makes it perfect to introduce or review the topic of outer space to the class.
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Guyku: Getting Boys Interested in Poetry

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Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys
By: Bob Raczka
Illustrator: Peter Reynolds
Publisher: Houghton Mufflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Copyright: 2010

Genre: Poetry, Nature

Grade Level: 3rd, 4th, or 5th

Brief Synopsis: This book is full of Haikus to peak a young boy's interest.  It takes the reader from season to season describing nature around us, directing its attention on things young boys like to do.  Each page contains a simple illustration that perfectly fits along with the haiku it is drawn for. 
When you’re a guy, nature is one big playground—no matter what the season. There are puddles to splash in the spring, pine trees to climb in the summer, maple seeds to catch in the fall, and icicles to swordfight with in the winter.  Nature also has a way of making a guy appreciate important stuff—like how many rocks it takes to dam up a stream, or how much snow equals a day off from school. So what kind of poetry best captures these special moments, at a length that lets guys get right back to tree-climbing and kite-flying? Why, guyku, of course!

About the Author:
Bob Raczka- He was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the oldest of four guys.  He is the father of two guys, Robert and Carl.  The smart and beautiful girls who put up with his guyness are his wife, Amy, and daughter, Emma.  He has written a nonfiction series, books about seasons, and books of poetry.  He was inspired by what he loved to do in his childhood when writing this book.  This video is of Bob describing what Guyku is to him.

Peter Reynolds-  He is a professional writer, storyteller, and illustrator.  He has always loved to draw and has written books to really inspire people to keep their dreams alive to becoming great artists.  He has a twin brother who is also creative, and when they were little they would use their dad's photocopier to "publish" their own books.  He owns a bookstore, The Blue Bunny, and company, Fablevision, both located in Massachusetts.  This video is Peter describing his experience with illustrating for Guyku.


Themes: Beauty can be found in all of nature
Little boys sense of adventure outside
How to write a Haiku
Nature's weather through the seasons

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Lesson on writing a haiku. Three lines of poetry themed around nature with; first line being 5 syllables, second line being 7 syllables, and third line being 5 syllables.  Clap out the syllables together, so that the students know what they are counting out.  Once you teach the lesson give the student a practice sheet where they have to count out the syllables in a sentence on their own.
- Review the 4 seasons with the class and what type of weather happens in each season.  Have them fill in a graphic organizer for each season.  In each of the 4 boxes there will be the name of the season and they will either write in or draw what happens in each season including; activities, weather, or clothing worn.
- Write out their favorite memories of playing outside.  Have them choose one season and then write one memory that they have of playing outside during that season.  With their memory they will create an illustration to display their images from their memory.

Post Reading Activities:
- Choose one haiku from the book and draw out the syllables from each line with their own illustration of the description in the haiku.  This will reiterate the 5,7,5 pattern of the haiku, and these can be displayed around the room.
- Take a field trip to a local park.  Before you go have a review lesson on adjectives, and how to describe things around them with adjectives.  When you go to the park model some descriptions and adjectives of things around the park.  Then tell them to let the nature inspire them.  They will take these adjectives they have written on their index cards, and use them to write their own haiku when you get back to the classroom.  These will proudly be displayed in the hallway for the school to see the class haikus. 
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Reflection: This book is great for those boys in your classroom that are very hesitant to explore poetry.  This author really wanted to write haikus for boys and caters to topics that that they, in particular, might be interested in.  The format of the book being broken into the 4 seasons also lends a lot to the lessons that can be taught using Guyku.  Besides adjectives, students could also explore their senses that are triggered by going ouside.  The playful illustrations also help to bring each haiku alive in this story.  This book can provide great inspiration to all students to try their hand in writing haiku. 

Links:
Book Info.

Pecan Pie Baby: Sibling Jealousy of the New Baby

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Pecan Pie Baby
By: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated By: Sophie Blackall
Publisher: Penguin Group; Putnam Juvenile
Copyright: 2010

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book, Multicultural Literature

Grade Level: Kindergarten- 2nd grade

Brief Synopsis:
Gia is tired of hearing about the new baby. It hasn't even been born yet, but everyone, even her friends, seem fixated on it. Gia thinks things are fine just the way they are! And she's worried: if the baby's such a big deal now, what's going to happen to Gia's nice, cozy life with Mama once it's born?
Beloved author Jacqueline Woodson and Sophie Blackall have created a heartwarming story for kids adjusting to the idea of a new family member. Young readers will be reassured by Gia's eventual understanding that the baby won't ruin the special bond she has with her mom, and might even be a sweet addition to the family.

About the Author:
Jacqueline Woodson- she is the author of many award winning books.  Through her stories she likes to show how love can come in many forms. Woodson currently lives in Brooklyn, where she writes full-time and can be found in the mornings hanging out in Prospect Park with her dog, Maus.  She says she was inspired to write Pecan Pie Baby when "Jackson-Leroi – our son – was on the way and Toshi – our daughter – had decided, once she knew it was a boy, that she didn’t want a baby in the house after all. By then, of course, it was way, way, way too late. She’s since come to like him but she does complain about him breaking her toys! And yes, both of them love pecan pie. But I actually don’t like it very much."
Sophie Blackall- She began as an illustrator for magazines mostly, and made paintings for art exhibitions.  When she had two children she moved from Sydney, Australia to New York and did her first book Ruby's Wish.

Themes: - Coping with a new baby
- The role of being an older sibling
- Highlighting family traditions
- Easing a child's nerves about losing a parent's attention

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Have students brainstorm, using their own graphic organizers, their own special family traditions.  These can include anything...just things that they do with their loved ones that are special to them.  This will get them thinking of how each family is special in its own way.
- Have two students get together to compare and contrast their families.  In modern times it is evident that families come in may different shapes and sizes.  A classroom can become even more accepting of each other with this activity because they will able to see visually what they have in common and what differences make them unique.  This will also help them to compare and contrast their family to the family in Pecan Pie Baby as it is being read.

Post Reading Activities:
- Students will fill in a "Pecan Pie" with all of the ingredients (details) from the story.  This will allow them to practice retelling a story after they have read it.  They can bullet their details and list as many things from the story that they remember without looking back in the book.  The paper "pecan pies" will be displayed around the room for students to refer to if they forget how to recall details in a story.
- Students will re-read the story and highlight special words or phrases that the characters say that may express their feelings.  Ex. in the story Gia refers to the baby as a "ding-dong baby" many times.  How does this express what Gia is feeling?  This can be done in small groups with teacher assistance if needed.
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Reflection:  This is a cute story to relieve children's stresses about a new baby arriving in their family.  It would be good for parents and teachers alike for this purpose.  I like the authors addition of personal experiences to add to the family in this story.  The way the characters speak to each other really reflect on their personalities.  I love that they come up with a nick name for the baby, and that the baby already has something in common with the sister before it is even born.  This book will settle a lot of kid's fears of losing their parent's attention when their is a new addition to the family.  The illustrations are also very welcoming to young readers.  This book made me realize that it is important to include stories to help students cope in the classroom library.

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Yoko Writes Her Name: Learning to Appreciate Others

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Yoko Writes Her Name
By: Rosemary Wells
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Copyright: 2008

Genre: Fiction, Multicultural Literature

Grade Level: Kindergarten- 3rd grade

Brief Synopsis: The main character, Yoko, is a young cat who is very excited to be starting Kindergarten.  Her excitement quickly fades when two girls from class make fun of her Japanese writing of her name.  This happens right after the teacher tells Yoko how beautiful her writing is.  The girls tell Yoko she will never graduate Kindergarten, and Yoko becomes very worried that she is doing something wrong.  A fellow classmate takes an interest in Yoko and he begins teaching her English writing in exchange for her to teach him Japanese.  After this the whole class, except the two girls, becomes interested in Yoko. Her Japanese writing becomes a big hit in her classroom.  In the end everyone has a successful graduation that includes both English and Japanese language.

About the Author:
Rosemary Wells- She is a multiple award winning author of children's books.  She has written other stories in this series called Yoko and Yoko's Paper Cranes.  She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.  This video is an interview with Rosemary as she describes her life growing up and what inspires her.

Interview with Rosemary Wells from Weston Woods on Vimeo.
- Japanese calligraphy in the story is done by Masako Inkyo.

Themes: - Feeling left out or different from a group
- Getting to know and appreciate people around you
- Celebrating our differences
- Offering a helping hand to those who need it.

Pre-Reading Activities:
- Students will interview a partner and then present the information to the class.  Make sure the students partner up with someone they don't normally work with.  In conclusion have a discussion with the students with the focus being getting students to realize that by getting to know each other will help them better work together.  They will learn to appreciate each other based on their similarities AND differences. 
- Give a mini-lesson on how the author and illustrator work together to produce the characters' emotions.  Examples to discuss would be : emotions expressed through facial expressions and words that show us feelings.  Walk through a book together and model what to look for.  Have students quickly practice finding character feeling and emotion a short book with a small group. 

Post Reading Activities:
- After finishing a read aloud of the story have students focus on the feelings that Yoko experiences throughout the story.  Have them fill out a graphic organizer of when Yoko experiences specific emotions.

- Have students experiment with Japanese language.  Give them simple expressions to practice writing.  They can be creative with this and decorate their Japanese expression to be displayed around the room.
- Have students respond to Yoko Writes Her Name, and include how they felt the teacher could have responded differently in the story?, How could the class have made Yoko feel more included into their classroom from the very beginning?

Reflection:
I really enjoyed this story to introduce students to thoughts about tolerance.  I am a huge advocate for making sure my classroom is always accepting and tolerant of everyone, and that everyone feels just as safe and open to expressing themselves and participating.  Yoko shows us her Japanese culture and is more comfortable with writing in her Japanese language because she is not familiar enough with English.  A Kindergartener can relate to this because school is so unfamiliar to them even with having English as their first language.  ESL students would feel connected to this story even more because they may experience very similar situations as some people may not know how to act around new languages.
Yoko feels lows and highs when participating in school activities, and a lot of her feelings are based on how she is treated by those around her.  By having Yoko and classmates drawn as cats help to make students critque the book and what happens without feeling like it is highlighting their own behaviors.  It helps to put the story at a distance for the students.
Students can learn a lot about accepting others no matter what differences they may have.  I would talk about celebrating our differences instead of looking down on them...just like Wells does in this book!!!
I love the Japanese caligraphy that is added on each page of this book.  They can be used in my activity of introducing simple Japanese expressions to have students practice writing.  I believe students would be very excited to try this activity because it is different from what they are used to, and those that do practice the Japanese culture will take pride in the whole class taking notice to their language.
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Sunday, April 17, 2011

¡Quiero Ayudar! Let Me Help!: A Cinco de Mayo Celebration

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¡Quiero Ayudar! Let Me Help!
By: Alma Flor Ada
Illustrator: Angela Domínguez
Publisher: Children’s Book Press
Copyright: 2010

Genre: Fiction Multicultural Holidays Foreign Language

Grade Level: 1st- 3rd grade
                     or secondary Spanish classes

Brief Synopsis: A family parrot named Perico is trying to find some way to help with the planning of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations.  Every time Perico tried to help someone he is shooed away.  At last in the end he finds the perfect way to help in the Cinco de Mayo fun in San Antonio, Texas. 


About the Author:
Alma Flor Ada- She is an award winning children’s book author, gifted translator, and professor at the University of San Fransisco.  She is an avid leader in the field of bilingual education in the U.S.  She is also a poet, storyteller, educator, mother, and grandmother. With a Ph.D. in literature and a lifelong love for stories, Ada has mastered the art of retelling traditional folktales and nursery rhymes from across Latin America. A native of Cuba who has also lived in Spain, Peru, and the United States, Ada writes poetry, picture books, and novels that offer rich, multicultural perspectives for all children.
Angela Dominguez- Born in Mexico City and grew up in Texas.  She always loved to read and draw as a kid.  Let Me Help is her first children’s picture book.  In December of 2007, she graduated from the Academy of Art in San Francisco with her MFA in illustration. Since graduating she has worked with a variety of publishing companies including Feiwel and Friends, Children’s Book Press, Abrams Books, Random House/Tricycle Press, and Holiday House.

Themes: Persistence will pay off in the end
No matter what age or size there is always a purpose for everyone
Learning about Cinco de Mayo
Not fitting in or finding one’s place

Pre-Reading Activities:
-Introducing a culture’s holiday.  Topic: Cinco de Mayo.  Teach a mini lesson on Cinco de Mayo to the whole class.  What does it mean (translation)?  Why do they celebrate it?  Who celebrates this holiday?  After the mini lesson have students answer questions about the holiday after reading a quick excerpt about it.  This will help check for the student’s understanding.
-Mini lesson on interpretation.  Model how to interpret a piece of literature with the students during a read aloud.  What is the author trying to get across to the readers?  Have the students do a turn and talk with a partner with a sample reading.

Post Reading Activities:
-Have students plan their own Cinco de Mayo celebration for the class.  It must stay authentic to true Spanish culture , traditions, and food.  They will be graded on their portion of the material presented to the rest of the class.  This includes food ideas, music ideas, etc.)
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-Have students write the parrots adventure in a sequence.  What did he do first, second, third, fourth?  After practicing with the story’s sequence they will write their own sequence of what they did that day.  They will illustrate their steps once their writing has been checked.  Reiterate that they should be using transition words like First, then, next, lastly, etc.
-Relate to the characters in the story.  Have students write of a time they were trying to be helpful to someone, and no one wanted them around.  How did their story end?  Was it the same as Perico’s ending?  The students will do a read aloud of their story for extra practice.  This story can be written in their personal journal.
-If it is a secondary Spanish class have them translate the story into English and then check their translation with the English they give in the book.  This can lead into them writing their own children’s book in Spanish.

Reflection:
This story is a great choice to use for ESL Spanish speaking students because they will be able to see the Spanish right next to the English.  It is a wonderful introduction book when teaching about different cultures.  If this was used to teach about Spanish culture it would have to be paired with authentic teaching and experiences, so as not to just touch on the holiday of the countries.  Putting the character as a pet parrot to a Spanish family puts the view from the outside looking in.  This allows students to see the culture from the outside, but doesn’t actually include them in it. 

Links:
Alma Flor Ada Bio
Angela Dominguez Bio

Wabi Sabi: Finding the Simple Beauty All Around

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Wabi Sabi
By: Mark Reibstein
Illustrated By: Ed Young
Publisher: Little Brown and Company Hatchette Book Group USA
Copyright: 2008

Genre: Fiction Japanese Poetry

Grade Level: 3rd or 4th

Brief Synopsis: A cat named Wabi Sabi lives with her master in Kyoto, Japan. The story begins when her master is asked what the name Wabi Sabi means. Her master answered, “That is hard to answer.” After this Wabi Sabi decided to venture off on an adventure to find out the true meaning of her name. This story is written with a haiku on every page along with regular text.

About the Author:
 Mark Reibstein- he is an English teacher and writer who has lived in New York, California, Hawaii, Japan, and Thailand. While living in Kyoto, Japan he met a cat named Wabi Sabi and was close friends with her for 10 years. This clearly is his inspiration for this story, and he was able to take something from his life and give them their own adventure. Mark and his daughter now live near San Fransisco with good friend Arlo, also a cat. 
Ed Young- Ed Young, winner of the 1990 Caldecott Medal, has illustrated over 40 books for children, four of which he has also written. Ed Young was born in Tienstin, China. He grew up in Shanghai and later moved to Hong Kong. He came to the United States as a young man on a student visa. A graduate of the Los Angeles Art Center, Young has since taught at the Pratt Institute, Yale University, Naropa Institute, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He currently lives with his wife in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. When he was young he thought he could “disappear” into his own world. He brought his own drawings to life.

Themes: Finding the real beauty around you
Learning the haiku writing style
Exploring your surroundings
Beauty found in nature

Pre-Reading Activities:
-Introduce Haikus to the class with a mini-lesson as a whole group. Come up with a class Haiku using the school environment for inspiration.
-Have the students look up the meaning of their own name using the internet, and create a visual definition by writing their name with pictures around it that explain the meaning. This will lead into the story when Wabi Sabi tries to find the meaning of his name.
-So a picture walk through the story Wabi Sabi with the class. Ask them for predictions and opinions about what they see in the illustrations. Ask them why they think the illustrator decided to use things in nature to create the settings and characters in the book.

Post Reading Activities:
-Students will write their own Haiku. I will give them the format of what to include in each line and they will pick their own topic.
First line 5 syllables
Second line 7 syllables
Third line 5 syllables
Haiku is written with details of the senses and of nature. A seasonal reference and transition are usually added into a Haiku.
-The students will take things from nature and create their own illustrations using Wabi Sabi’s illustrations as a model and guide. We will go outside to find things from nature to use in their illustrations. The students will then have to write a paragraph describing what they find simply beautiful about their creation.
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Reflection: Wabi Sabi comes alive through the illustrations on each page. This paired with the beautiful haiku written allows for the reader to completely visualize and come to understand the story’s meaning. This story can be used in multiple ways to introduce Japanese teachings and beliefs. This story teaches the student about the beauty that exists around them in the simple things. It can help them open their eyes to their surroundings, and not taking the little things for granted. It also demonstrates to the students the belief of Shintoism by many Japanese and their immense respect for nature. The Japanese Haiku writing throughout the book with translations at the end make the story authentic. I like this book because of its incredible potential in many areas of curriculum.

Links:
Mark Reibstein Bio.
Ed Young Bio.

Ramadan Moon: A Muslim Perspective

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Ramadan Moon
 By: Na’ima B. Robert
Illustrator: Shirin Adl
 
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Limited
Copyright: 2009

Genre: Multicultural, Informative, Fiction

Grade Level: Any

Brief Synopsis: The month of Ramadan is a very exciting time for Muslims to celebrate mercy and appreciation.  It is a time for fasting during daylight, prayers throughout the day, visits to the mosque, and being especially kind to others.  The young girl narrating this story tells how she is watching the progress of the moon each night from one new moon to the next.  At the end of Ramadan the Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, which is also described in this story. 


About the Author:
Na’ima B. Robert- Na’ima B. Robert is “Muslim, Black, mixed-race, South African, Western, revert and woman all in one”. Scottish on her father’s side and Zulu on her mother’s side. She was born in Leeds and grew up in Zimbabwe.  She attended University of London and has worked in marketing, performing arts, teaching, travel, and tourism.  All of these things inspire her when writing now.  When she became a mum she began writing children’s books.  She has converted to Islam and married a Ghanaian convert.  She now lives between South London and Egypt. 
Shirin Adl- Shirin Adl was born Shirin Saramad in Harlow in 1975. A little while later she left England for Iran and decided to stay there as it seemed like a good place for growing up. She got her degree in illustration at Loughborough University.  She also designs greeting cards, and Ramadan Moon is her first children’s book.Shirin currently lives in Oxford with her lovely husband Mr. Adl.

Themes:
Understanding what Ramadan is and how it is celebrated.
Following the lifestyle of a Muslim family
Learning to be humble and grateful
Being charitable towards others
Learning the cycles of the moon

Pre-Reading Activites:
-Group work about the Islam religion.  Have students break into 4 groups.  Each group will become an expert about one portion of the Islam religion. (History, Holidays and Food, Prayer, and Restrictions/Limitations)  Once each group has found the information for their criteria they will present their information to the class in a short presentation.  They have the choice of how they want to visually present the information. (Powerpoint, poster, or handout)
-Mini- lesson or review on the moon cycle.  Have the students draw out the moon cycle after discussing it so that they understand what is going on when the young girl describes it during Ramadan.  Islam bases their religion on the Lunar cycle, which is why the moon cycle is so important.
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-Have students define words from a word wall by first writing the definition, then drawing a picture, and lastly putting the word in a complete sentence.  This will help lessen the confusion when the students come to these words in the story.

Post Reading Activities:
-Have students think of their favorite holiday and write a short story about it with vivid illustrations. 
*With older kids you can ask them to answer the following questions after writing their story. 
            - Why is this holiday important to you?
            - Is this holiday celebrated by your religion and why is it celebrated?
            - What unique family traditions do you follow pertaining to this holiday?
-Compare and contrast Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr with another holiday that the student celebrates.  They can use a Venn diagram or be creative with their graphic organizers to compare and contrast.
-Create a project of choice to explain the aspects of Ramadan including: fasting, prayers, celebration, moon cycle, and charity.  This can be done in a variety of ways like poster, shadow box, diorama, song, skit, etc.  Again I would let the students have a choice in how they present.

Reflection:
When I began reading this book the vibrant illustrations were what first peaked my interest.  The title gives away the topic of the book, so I knew what I would be getting in to.  I liked that the narration is done by a young girl, and this allows young children to put themselves in her shoes.  The author also does not put any distinct location of where the young narrator lives.  I believe this is smart because they all readers can put themselves in this story, and they will not feel like this only happens in some far off distant place. 
I love that the illustrations are using different materials and fabrics that make you look deeper into what is being shown.  It is great that the moon is shown on almost every page so that the reader can follow along with what the moon cycle looks like on each day of Ramadan.  This book portrays the importance and excitement that both Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr hold for Muslims.  This book is best for those interested in learning more about the Muslim holiday.  This is also a great book for Muslim students to read and show off and have pride in their religion.  It would also help the student explain their customs to others (peers and teachers).

Links: