This blog is a project for my Children's Literature Class at California State University, Sacramento. This blog will categorize and outline children's books that I have found to be educational and important for the instruction of children. I will add to this list throughout my professional career.
It is my intent that other educational professionals, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles of children will also be able to use this list as a quick reference for teaching certain topics and presenting new themes in the classroom and for bedtime stories.
As an older sister to six children, an example to children in my church and community as well as the girlfriend of a man with two boys aged 12-15 it has become obvious to me that children do love to read and also love to be read to.
Friday, May 16, 2014
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Publish Date (Reprint): October 14, 2002
Summary: The youngest daughter of the Sea King desires to be a part of the human world. She sees a young boy whom she falls in love with on her 15th birthday. This young prince cannot know she is a mermaid and cannot know she even exists. The Little Mermaid, in an act of desperation, makes a deal with the Sea Witch to grow legs and meet her prince. The catch is, though, that the Sea Witch has cut off The Little Mermaid's tongue.
Source: Tatar Text
Age Range: All ages
Quality: Being a classic and traditional fairy tale, The Little Mermaid is perfect for children of all ages. It illustrates the consequences of jumping head first into tough choices.
Life Connections
- Death
- Making educated choices
- Family
- Can introduce Denmark and Hans Christian Anderson
Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Publish Date: October 14, 2002
Summary: The youngest daughter of a merchant sacrifices her life for her fathers. Belle lives a life of luxary at the Beast's palace for a few months but eventually becomes homesick for her family. The Beast allows her to visit her family but she must return within a week. Can she keep her promise? How will the Beast react if she doesn't?
Source: Tatar Text
Age Range: All ages
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Author: John Boyne
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Publish Date (Reprint): October 23, 2007
Summary: Bruno and his family moved to a new home in a new town, far away from his friends. Bruno is very bored in his new home and begins wandering around the home. He stumbles onto a concentration camp where he meets a boy in striped pajamas. A friendship begins to blossom as the two compare lives and realize they are very different from each other.
Age Range: 9th grade and up
Quality: This book is very tragic and might be hard for some students to understand. If used properly the book can introduce the atrocities of WWII and concentration camps.
Life Connections
- Death
- Understanding history - WWII, concentration camps
- Friends in unlikely places
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
Author: Gayle Foreman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publish Date (Reprint): September 17, 2007
Summary: The book is narrated by a 17 year old girl who is involved in a tragic accident involving her mother, father and her younger brother. She sees herself, after the accident, lying in a pool of blood, and then follows her body and her family members around a hospital she was life-flighted to. Throughout a 24 hour period, Mia remembers her first kiss, when her younger brother was born, when her dad returned to grad school and a myriad of other memories leading up to the accident. During this time period, Mia has to make one of the hardest decisions she ever has had to make, whether to return to her body on Earth, or die. Family members come and go throughout the whole book to visit the ICU where her body is struggling to survive, and she hears their deep pleadings with her to stay.
Age Range: 9th grade and up
Quality: Excellent source for understanding death. This book is non-religious with no mention of any higher being, but addresses death as a part of life.
Life Connections
- Death
- Making educated choices
- Family
- Memories vital to remembering loved ones.
Urgency Emergency! Big Bad Wolf by Dosh Archer
Written & Illustrated by: Dosh Archer
Publisher: Albert Whiteman & Company
Publish Date: September 1, 2013
Summary: Oh no! Wolf is choking and is brought to the hospital. While the doctors are trying to help him, a little girl in a red coat comes in looking for her grandma. Is this a coincidence?
Age Range: K-3 and up
Quality: A twist on the beloved fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Kids will love the humor in the updated version and will love the pictures as well.
Life Connections
- Fairy Tales
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin
Publisher: Little Simon
Publish Date: September 17, 2007
Summary: Farmer Brown's cows have found a typewriter! And they know how to use it! They start leaving him notes in hopes of having a better living situation but Farmer Brown ignores them at first, until the cows refuse to produce any milk. How does Farmer Brown and the cows reach an agreement? You'll just have to read it to find out!
AR Book Points: .05
Awards: ALA Notable/Best Books, Book Sense Book of the Year, Publishers Weekly Best Book
Source: www.arbookfind.com
Awards: ALA Notable/Best Books, Book Sense Book of the Year, Publishers Weekly Best Book
Source: www.arbookfind.com
Age Range: K-2
Life Connections
- Life is not easy
- Sometimes you have to compromise
- Barnyard Animals
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Author: Michael Lewis
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Publish Date (Reprint): September 17, 2007
Summary: A depiction of the life of Michael Oher, #74 of the Baltimore Ravens. Oher's childhood was unlike many children's lives. At the age of 13, Michael does not know his real name, his father or how to read or write. Through miracles performed by members of his community and adopted family Michael learns how to read and write and is eventually granted a scholarship to Ol Miss. Through determination, hard work and a little bit of luck, Michael Oher is drafted into the NFL.
Age Range: 9th grade and up
Quality: This book provides a look into an American child whose life is unlike most, but identical to those in his neighborhood and surrounding areas. Michael Oher is essentially homeless and is given many opportunities to help him succeed. His community and family love him and help him succeed. Children will identify with this because Michael is a real character in a real situation and overcomes the things that could potentially hold him back.
Life Connections
- Life is not easy
- Helping others succeed can bring happiness to both you and the recipient.
- Understanding determination
- Understanding different life situations
Thursday, May 15, 2014
How The Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend by Jerry Oughton
Author: Jerry Oughton
Illustrator: Lisa Desimini
Publisher: Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin
Publish Date: March 3, 1996
Summary: A retelling of a Navajo legend. The First Woman writes the laws of the land in the sky and is tricked by the Coyote.
Age Range: K-3 and up
Life Connections
- Learning about Native American Myths and Legends
- Learning about Fairy Tales
Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside of a Cereal Box
Publisher: Joanna Cooler Books
Publish Date: August 9, 2005
Summary: Written in free verse, this story describes how young Yolanda deals with the tragedy of September 11. She keeps poems and letters she finds in and around Ground Zero in a cereal box. She collects dust around New York City with the intent of returning it to Ground Zero, hoping to silence the ghosts and bring her uncle back to life.
Age Range: 13 and up
Life Connections
- Understanding Hispanic (Puerto Rican) culture
- Understanding events in history
- How to deal with tragedy and death
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