Week 4

Tea with Milk is an excellent picture book to teach about multiculturalism and feeling accepted in a culture different from your own. This picture book is about a Japanese girl, May, who first lives in America and then her family relocates to Japan. In both countries, May never felt like she fits in. She struggled with this for many years and tried to find her place by searching for the right career. May is challenged with many cultural restrictions. But, she eventually becomes comfortable with herself when she meets a man who also never felt comfortable in Japan and likes his tea with milk (an American way of drinking tea in a country where they don't use milk). Teachers could use Tea with Milk to discuss children's experiences about feeling different, whether it is because of culture, race, religion, health reasons, bullying, etc. This realistic fiction is a fantastic resource to use in classrooms. :)

Week 3

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an excellent read for reluctant readers because it is funny and easy to relate to. But most importantly I feel the format is appealing to them for a variety of reasons. First, there are entertaining pictures that many novels do not have. Secondly, the text is formatted like a diary so it does not look like a heavy read. My students went wild to buy Diary of a Wimpy Kid at the book fair and were then passing it around the classroom. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for reluctant readers but higher readers as well. The purpose of this book is to entertain any type of reader the child is.

Week 1

A picture book I recommend to teachers is "Babushka's Doll" by Patricia Polacco. To begin with, I love Polacco's stories. They all have an excellent lesson/theme to be identified. This story in particular teaches the reader to not be selfish and treat others the way you to want to be treated. The author does this by telling a story about a granddaughter, a very bossy little girl, and her sweet, old grandmother. One day the grandmother had to leave the house and the granddaughter demanded to play with a specific doll. Once the grandmother agreed and left, the doll came alive! However, it was not pleasant because the doll bossed around the little girl. She was not happy by this, at all. When the grandmother returned, the doll returned to being a toy and the little girl was happy to have it gone. After that experience, the granddaughter never treated her grandmother badly again. Overall, "Babushka's Doll" can be used with grades 2-5. Students can make strong connections, have rich discussions about the theme, and learn a lesson.

Week 2

One of my favorite young adult novels to read with my fifth graders is titled "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli. Although the language is not challenging, Spinelli's lesson to be taught and discussed is very appropriate. Briefly, the novel is about two seventh grade boys named Crash and Penn, who could not be more different from each other. Crash is athletic and popular, whereas, Penn is dorky and strange. At the beginning of the book, Crash and his friend pick on Penn in any way possible. But when Crash begins to experience some family problems, he begins to discover how Penn and himself are very similar. As the story continues, Crash and Penn begin to develop a friendship that is stronger than any other Crash has ever had in the past. Overall, this novel is an excellent book to use to discuss bullying, differences in each other, characterization, character development, and relationships. I highly recommend it for grades 4-6. The students love the plot, characters and the humor the author uses. Enjoy!

:)