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Books that I am loving this year
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From: Lisa Von Drasek <lisav>
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 12:02:00 -0500
Number one in fiction is Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Di Camillo. Candlewick. Every year I choose a book to read aloud to 4th and 5th grade. It has to be a new book that the kids haven't read before. It has to be spellbinding. I have found that the best classroom management tool I have is a book that the kids are dying to have me read more of. Two years ago I hit gold with Harry Potter. Last year, it was The Trolls by Polly Horvath. This year it is Winn Dixie. For those who don't know it... Motherless, 10 year- old, India Opal Buloni along with her father, the preacher move to a small town in Florida. Opal's life transforms when she meets up with a huge, mangy, stray dog at the Winn Dixie grocery store produce department. Eccentric characters, strong sense of place, and a dog with a big heart and great sense of humor populate the short chapters. I've been reading it aloud to eight sections and I'm still not sick of it. The kids are begging to stay past their time in the library. They have retained the plot and characters even though each group comes every two weeks. Who hasn't felt loneliness and how hard it is to make friends? We all just need a dog like Winn Dixie.
On the historic fiction front- Fever 1793 by Laura Halse Anderson, S&S, Set in Philadelphia, during the devastating Yellow Fever epidemic which took the lives of over 5,000 people, Anderson seamlessly weaves the tale of a sixteen-year-old merchant class girl with details of Colonial daily life, commerce and customs. A compelling read.
Poetry- Mammalabilia, Doug Florian, Harcourt, A luscious collection of short poems accompanied by quiet yet exuberant paintings.
Non-fiction- Ida B. Wells, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin. A biography of a courageous, independent, strong woman that is rich in detail, containing a numerious original source documents and archival material.
Let It Shine : Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, Andrea Davis Pinkney
,Harcourt, Illustrated.. Ten short profiles written with the cadence of oral tradition included are the well known such as Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells and Harriet Tubman to the less well known to children , Shirley Chisholm, each chapter accompanied by stunning painting by Stephen Alcorn.
Picture Books Rain, Manya Stojic, Crown, Strong brushstrokes, bold colors, and precise words tell the story of the cycle of rain on the African savannah and its effect on the animals who live there.
I Walk at Night, Lois Duncan illustrations, Steve Johnson, Lou Fancher. A cat's nocturnal musing accompanied by haunting, multi-media paintings. Quiet humor and elegant illustrations.
Best Picture Books to read aloud over and over again-
For younger.The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, Steven Kellogg, Illustrator. Back in print - re-illustrated. Has the four-year-olds rolling in the aisles.
For a little older- Kiss the Cow, Phyllis Root, Will Hillenbrand, - An easy to tell American tall tale about a stubborn and curious little girl and her family's magic cow. Sweetly illustrated with the soft palette of the prairie.
Lisa Von Drasek Children's Librarian Bank Street College of Education 610 West 112th St NY NY 10025
lisav at bnkst.edu
Received on Tue 05 Dec 2000 11:02:00 AM CST
Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 12:02:00 -0500
Number one in fiction is Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Di Camillo. Candlewick. Every year I choose a book to read aloud to 4th and 5th grade. It has to be a new book that the kids haven't read before. It has to be spellbinding. I have found that the best classroom management tool I have is a book that the kids are dying to have me read more of. Two years ago I hit gold with Harry Potter. Last year, it was The Trolls by Polly Horvath. This year it is Winn Dixie. For those who don't know it... Motherless, 10 year- old, India Opal Buloni along with her father, the preacher move to a small town in Florida. Opal's life transforms when she meets up with a huge, mangy, stray dog at the Winn Dixie grocery store produce department. Eccentric characters, strong sense of place, and a dog with a big heart and great sense of humor populate the short chapters. I've been reading it aloud to eight sections and I'm still not sick of it. The kids are begging to stay past their time in the library. They have retained the plot and characters even though each group comes every two weeks. Who hasn't felt loneliness and how hard it is to make friends? We all just need a dog like Winn Dixie.
On the historic fiction front- Fever 1793 by Laura Halse Anderson, S&S, Set in Philadelphia, during the devastating Yellow Fever epidemic which took the lives of over 5,000 people, Anderson seamlessly weaves the tale of a sixteen-year-old merchant class girl with details of Colonial daily life, commerce and customs. A compelling read.
Poetry- Mammalabilia, Doug Florian, Harcourt, A luscious collection of short poems accompanied by quiet yet exuberant paintings.
Non-fiction- Ida B. Wells, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin. A biography of a courageous, independent, strong woman that is rich in detail, containing a numerious original source documents and archival material.
Let It Shine : Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, Andrea Davis Pinkney
,Harcourt, Illustrated.. Ten short profiles written with the cadence of oral tradition included are the well known such as Rosa Parks, Ida B. Wells and Harriet Tubman to the less well known to children , Shirley Chisholm, each chapter accompanied by stunning painting by Stephen Alcorn.
Picture Books Rain, Manya Stojic, Crown, Strong brushstrokes, bold colors, and precise words tell the story of the cycle of rain on the African savannah and its effect on the animals who live there.
I Walk at Night, Lois Duncan illustrations, Steve Johnson, Lou Fancher. A cat's nocturnal musing accompanied by haunting, multi-media paintings. Quiet humor and elegant illustrations.
Best Picture Books to read aloud over and over again-
For younger.The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, Steven Kellogg, Illustrator. Back in print - re-illustrated. Has the four-year-olds rolling in the aisles.
For a little older- Kiss the Cow, Phyllis Root, Will Hillenbrand, - An easy to tell American tall tale about a stubborn and curious little girl and her family's magic cow. Sweetly illustrated with the soft palette of the prairie.
Lisa Von Drasek Children's Librarian Bank Street College of Education 610 West 112th St NY NY 10025
lisav at bnkst.edu
Received on Tue 05 Dec 2000 11:02:00 AM CST
