20) Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

I teach the first grade and I wanted to read them a novel, as time-filler and to get them used to the idea of not always having pictures to look at in the books they read.  I chose the classic story Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.  I'm counting this as one of my 100 novels read this year, since I did read it in its entirety and if I didn't count things like this I'd surely never get through this challenge! haha.

It's the classic story of Wilbur the pig, who is rescued by Fern and then raised in Zuckerman's barn.  He befriends a spider named Charlotte, who uses her miraculous web-spinning powers to write words in her web to encourage Mr. Zuckerman to view Wilbur as "some pig!" in order to save Wilbur from being turned into bacon.  The kids loved the story, and after we finished we watched the 2006 live-action film version of the book starring Dakota Fanning.  It was also well-received.

A very classic children's tale, and book 20 in my quest to read 100 books in 2010.

12) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Tale of Despereaux is a children's novel, for ages 7-12, but I read it because I'm planning on reading a novel to my grade one class starting after March Break, and this was the novel they voted for.

However, I've decided I'm going to have to overrule their votes, and choose something else.

This story is just a little too "doom and gloom" for grade one kids.  It's the story of a little mouse, the only one to survive his litter, to a family who doesn't really believe he'll live long anyway.  He can read, and he falls in love with a story of a knight and a princess -- only to later come across Princess Pea who lives in the castle he calls home.  He falls in love with Princess Pea, but is banished to the dungeon so the rats can kill him because he broke the number one mouse rule -- do not be seen by the humans.

It continues on gloomily from there.  There's a creepy jailer in the dungeon who helps Despereaux, but there are some other characters who are pretty evil -- the rat, Roscuro, and the little girl Miggery Sow with the "cauliflower ears" she developed from years of abuse.

Yeah.  So not something I'm going to read to my going-on-seven-years-old students.  I thought it was going to be a fun little adventure novel -- nope.  It is the winner of the John Newberry Medal for American Literature for Children, but it's just not something I want to read to my class.

I think instead we'll read Charlotte's Web, it has its sad moments but it's a little more appropriate for this grade.

12 down, 88 to go!

Christmas Gift Ideas Continued: Kid Books

Looking for some great stories for the young ones in your life?  Here are some of my favourite children's book authors and a few recommended titles -- these are all well-loved by the kids I've taught and baby-sat for!  (The pictures are nabbed off Amazon, my favourite site for ordering books online).

1) Melanie Watt (*Canadian Author):

My grade two practice teaching placement taught me all about Melanie Watt's characters Scaredy Squirrel and Chester.  I recieved two Scaredy Squirrel books as a parting gift from the class, and I'm hoping to collect more of the set.  These books are great because there are teaching points in them about types of text, there's also lots of humour, and kids are enthralled by these loveable, kooky characters.

2) Kevin Henkes:

My personal favourite is the classic, Chrysanthemum, about the little mouse with the BIG, UNIQUE name. Kevin Henkes writes as well as illustrates his books, and his books are beautiful and classic.  They have a nice message, and they're enjoyable stories.

3) Jane O'Connor:

Fancy Nancy stories are so amusing to read ("amusing is a fancy word for fun").  Little girls LOVE the sparkley illustrations, and all of the "fancy" words that Nancy uses.  These stories are also great for teaching children about Word Choice and being descriptive as Nancy uses many of those "million dollar words" that make the writing more descriptive and interesting.   

4) The Classics
Just because I can't leave them off a list, don't forget these classic storytellers!

Robert Munsch -- my personal faves are The Paperbag Princess, Mortimer, Stephanie's Ponytail, and Pigs, but you can't go wrong with any Munsch story!

Paulette Bourgeois -- I personally want to collect the entire Franklin the turtle series, don't you?

Mercer Mayer -- I love the Little Critter series.

Stan & Jan Berenstain-- I grew up with The Berenstain Bears, and I hope kid's today are still reading and enjoying these stories; I know I cherish my large collection and will be reading them to my own kids one day!

Don't Kiss The Frog: Princess Stories With Attitude

This will be the first in a string of "Christmas Gifts Ideas" posts.  I also recommended these kid's books last Christmas, check them out too!  I think books make fabulous Christmas gifts, don't you?

I'm currently baby-sitting a family of three, the oldest child is a five-year-old girl who is very GIRLY, but is also a leader type.  I was looking to get her and her brothers each a little Christmas present, and I found THE MOST AWESOME BOOK at my local Chapters store.  I've never heard of this one before.

It's called, "Don't Kiss The Frog: Princess Stories With Attitude" and it's an anthology of stories chosen by Fiona Waters.  The inside of the book jacket describes it as follows:

This collection of six stories about princesses with attitude turns fairy-tale traditions upside down.  Meet princesses who tame dragons, rescue princes, win prizes, and have hidden talents.  Spells don't always work as expected, happy endings come with a twist, and life as a princess isn't always all it's cracked up to be.  Full of humour, charm, and lots of sass, each enchanting story is enhanced by beautiful illustrations.  This sparkling anthology is essential reading for modern little girls who love their tiaras but want something more than "happily ever after".

I couldn't help but read through the book myself tonight.  The illustrations grab you first, even within the text itself the words are written in various fancy fonts.  It's very fun to look at, let alone read.  The stories themselves are cute and funny. Mom's and Dad's alike would share a laugh with their daughters as they read about these Princesses with Attitude.

I think this would make a really cute Christmas gift for that little Princess on your list, who you still want to assure can be the girl who tames the dragons, who chooses her own prince, and who can compete alongside knights and win.

Available Online Here:
Amazon  (Canadian)
Amazon (American)
Chapters Indigo.ca 

Great Novels For The Younger Crowd

With Christmas coming up, I thought I'd share some great series' of books that were quite popular with students in my recent Teacher's College placement (which was in a grade four classroom). I encountered some different younger reader novels that I want to highlight in case some of you out there haven't heard of these. I am a huge advocate for literacy and reading as a hobby for all children - even the "reluctant readers". Find them the right books, and they'll catch onto it I promise you!

The following work for grade two to grade four students; think about your child's reading skills and interests because that will make the difference in whether or not they enjoy these books, but this might give you an idea for some books to check out.

1) Geronimo Stilton

This series is about a mouse detective named Geronimo Stilton. Students love these stories, because there are illustrations and within the pages, the font changes size and colour at times, making it a visually pleasing novel for younger readers (the link above has some sample pages you can read for a few of the stories). The stories are little mini-mysteries. Very enjoyable, I would say the reading level is targeted towards grade 2 and 3 students, but the grade fours were still enjoying these stories immensely.

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (USA)

2) Magic Tree House

In this series, main characters Jack and Annie, travel through time and around the world via their magic tree house. They encounter many interesting characters in their adventures, including real people from various historical time periods. The stories are entertaining as well as educational. I have seen boxed sets of this series in various book stores, and recently at Costco.

Teachers - Random House also has a link for a Magic Treehouse Classroom Club, to explain how to use the books in the classroom setting.

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (USA)

3) And Then It Happened

This book series is especially well loved by Grade 4 and Grade 5 boys (but also good for grade 3 and 6)! If they like adventures and think the bathroom is the funniest room in the house, they will LIKE this book series. Each chapter is a miniature story, told in the first person by a boy whose name you don't learn until book 7. It's the story of the main character, and his two best friends, and the hijinks they get into. Very good for getting boys who "just aren't that into books" into them.

The only issue is, it's hard to find these online! But you can order directly from the link above (if you are in Canada or the U.S.), OR just look in your local bookstore (I did end up finding some copies in my local Chapters book store).

Brady Brady

Ever heard of Brady Brady? The kid so wrapped up in hockey that his family has to call his name twice to get his attention?

This is one of my most favourite kids' series. My youngest brother (Scottie Scottie; he's as hockey obsessed as Brady!) owns 7 of the 11 hockey-themed stories written by Mary Shaw and Illustrated by Chuck Temple.

These stories are bright and colourful, and are fun to read. Kids love them from my experience (I read them to a kindergarten class I was working with last year, and to a foster child I was recently providing support services for)! If you read the stories in order you are introduced to some of the main characters, and the storylines do sometimes build upon what was read in the earlier books.

Now that I see there four more books that my little brother doesn't own, I'll be on the hunt to complete his collection - even though he's getting a tad old for children's books, it's a nice collection to have. I've also noticed on the website that there's a baseball themed Brady Brady and a football themed one; so perhaps this is a new direction the author is going in. These books are great for little boys (the recommended ages are grades 1 -3, but children younger than 6 can enjoy them too), who love sports and as an added bonus for parents or educators: they have a positive message in them too!

You just can't go wrong with Brady Brady!

Where can they be found online?

Brady Brady Official Website

Amazon (Can.)

Amazon (U.S)

P.S. As is now a little more clear, this blog isn't just for novels; I'm going to review kids' books, non-fiction, anything I read and think I should share!