Once a Mouse By: Marcia Brown

Once a Mouse  By: Marcia Brown

Charles Scribner & Son;  New York

Copy right: 1961

            This is an award winning illustrated book. There is so much detail in each and every picture, they are wonderful visually.  The story is of a mouse who is turned into other animals by a hermit to protect itself.  This really is a story about being happy with whom you are. Because the mouse was so unhappy with himself he changed from one animal to the next forgetting who he really was. Eventually the hermit sends the mouse back to the forest as a mouse because he was so ungrateful for the gift he had given him. This book seems to be written for kindergarten to second grade students.  It really does teach a lesson in accepting yourself for who you are and you are at your best when you are being yourself. 

            The text to text connection I made was from the book “the absolutely true story of a part time Indian”. Both stories had characters who wrestled with accepting their selves.  While it’s true that one is a boy and one is a mouse, the insecurity is universal.  Text to self connections would be easy for all students to find.  I personally have grappled with self esteem issues as I am sure many other have.  Text to world connection is the universal theme of people all over not being content with who and what they are.

Are you ready to play outside By: Mo Willems

Are you ready to play outside  By: Mo Willems

Hyperion Books; New York

Copy Right: 2008

(Award Winner)

            This is a great book for new readers.  Not only are the words simplistic enough for them to understand, but they will enjoy the story. It is the story of two friends, an elephant named piggie and a pig named Gerald.  They are so excited at all the things they are going to do outside until it starts raining. After much complaining by Gerald they decided to give playing in the rain a chance after seen some worms do it.  They have a blast; they do everything they were going to do in the sunshine.  Then it stops raining.  In an effort to continue the fun Piggie blows water from his spout and made it rain more for his friend Gerald.

            This is a book of friendship, one that most students will make a text to self connection with.  They will also recognize the fun of playing with friends and playing in the rain, or of making the best out of a bad situation. This is one in a series of many Elephant and Piggie books. It was a fun and light hearted book that I would recommend to any young classroom.

I Spy Fly Guy By: Tedd Arnold

I Spy Fly Guy   By: Tedd Arnold

Scholastic Inc. New York

Copy Right: 2009

(Award winner)

            Such a cute book!  The story is about a boy who has a pet fly he names “fly guy”.  He likes the fly even more because the fly can say his name…Buzzzzz.   One day while playing hide and seek fly guy hides in his favorite spot, the garbage can so he can eat at the same time.  Unfortunately for all, the garbage man comes and dumps the can in his truck.  Buzz and his dad go the dump and call for fly guy to no avail.  Finally Buzz remembers that they are still playing the game and announces “I give up, you win” and out pops fly guy.

            There are a lot of books in this series and I think most young kids would really enjoy buzz and fly guy’s adventures.  I made no text to text connection with this book.  It had such a quant and simplistic humor that no other book stood out to me.  I think children would have a great time with this book and really find it humorous that a boy and fly could be friends.

The Funny Little Woman By (retold): Arlene Mosel

The Funny Little Woman   By (retold): Arlene Mosel

Pictures by: Blair Lent

E.P. Dutton; New York

Copy Right: 1972

(Award Selection)

            This was a fable of an old Japanese woman who loved to make rice dumplings. While chasing a dumpling that had rolled away she fell in a crack in the earth and was met with a mean “Oni”.  They took her to their house and forced her to make them rice with a magic spoon that only required one grain of rice to make a pot full.  Eventually the old woman escaped back to her home with the wooden spoon.  She used that spoon to make countless rice dumplings and sell them, making her the richest woman in Japan.

            The reading level is easy enough for second grade in this book.  Students will enjoy a foreign fable, especially since it has scary monsters in it.  I made a text to text connection with the book “The bamboo Grove”.  While this was related to Japanese culture and the other with Korean, they are both based on cultural fables passed from generation

The higher power of lucky By: Susan Patron

The higher power of lucky   By: Susan Patron

Illustrations by: Matt Phetan

Atheneum Books for Young Readers; New York

Copy Right: 2006

            This book is about a ten year old girl named Lucky who struggles with the lose of her mother.  She lives in an extremely small town with her dad and is eventually joined by her father ex-wife a new caregiver. Lucky is so hyper vigilant that her new mother will leave her and is convinced that is exactly what is happening when she stumbles on a suitcase and legal looking papers.  Lucky is devastated and decided she has no choice but to run away with her dog in tow.  She doesn’t get far when she finds her friend Miles injured and stops to help him.  She couldn’t have chosen a worse time to run away because now they were in the middle of a desert sandstorm.  The story does have a happy ending for Lucky. She discovers that her fears were unwarranted, that the papers she found were actually adoption papers.  You could feel Lucky’s emotions throughout this book and you really rallied that her life turns out okay.

            What I liked about this book was that it showed that not everyone’s life is a fairy tale, but you can still have happy endings.  I felt a text to self connection with this book with Lucky’s fear of loss, since I came from a divorced family.  I think this will really resonate with some children who face similar issues.  My text to text connection came with the book Because of Winn-Dixie.  Both characters had lost their mother and it influence who they were and what they were searching for.

Nic Bishops Butterflies and Moths By: Nic Bishop

Nic Bishops Butterflies and Moths  By: Nic Bishop

Scholastic

(Required Selection)

            This book was filled with beautiful photos. Each page gave details about life cycles, habitat, characteristic, and diet.  I can’t express how detailed and close up the photographs were.  The text is for an older audience, but the pictures would be visually stimulating for any age group. This would be a wonderful book to share with a class or use as a reference source. I did make numerous texts to text connection just based on my recent reading.  I was reminded of a recent book “cows, cats, and kids”, another book that had very descriptive photos and gave a lot of information about the subject matter.  The only text to self connection I made was reflecting on how beautiful some butterflies are and remembering when I was younger how excited I would be to have them in my yard.

Because of Winn-Dixie By: Kate Dicamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie   By: Kate Dicamillo

Candlewick Press; Cambridge Massachusetts

Copy right: 2000

(Realistic Fiction)

            This was such a sweet book, I really enjoyed reading it.  The main character is Opal, who just recently moved to a new town in Florida with her preacher father. Opals mother left when she was just three years old and her father doesn’t like to talk about her mother. When she asks for ten things about her mother she finds out that they both have red hair, freckles and are quick runners.  Mostly they both like stories, to which Opal starts collecting so that she can one day retell them to her mother.  Opal makes lots of friends in the town, including a dog she finds at the local super market, Winn-Dixie, to which she names the dog after.  This really is a story about friendship and forgiveness.

            I remember my daughter read this book in fourth grade and loved it, I now see why she liked it so much.  Nine to eleven really is the perfect age for this book.  Students will be able to make a text to self connection on so many different levels.  Understanding friendship and a friendship with an animal is one example.  Some may understand the struggle of a missing parent or loved one. While other will recognize the value of making friends.  My text to text connection was with the book the mightiest heart.  I thought of the connection the pet and their owners had and how they gave the owner that wanted-loved feeling they needed.  Text to world connection I made is that this is a universal experience that some have.  There are children all over the world who have questions about absent parents and who struggle to find their place and are saved by invaluable friendships.