Laura+Chitwood+Reviews


 * __ 2012 Caldecott Winner – //A Ball for Daisy// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Raschka, C. (2011). //A ball for daisy//. New York, New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. 978-0-375-85861-1

Summary: I was not expecting this out of this book. The entire book is pictures, no words. However, the story is about a dog that has a red ball that it really loves. The dog loves playing with the ball. The ball eventually busts and Daisy is very sad. Daisy gets taken to the park and meets another dog with a blue ball and they play together and Daisy is obviously happy. The owner allows Daisy to take the blue ball home with her. This makes Daisy very happy.

Liked/Disliked: At first I wasn’t crazy about the idea that the book didn’t have any words. The first time I looked through the book I “understood” the story, but it didn’t have a lot of meaning. However, I decided to look through the book again and really focus on every single picture and focus on all the details. When I did this, the book definitely took on a different meaning and I honestly didn’t even realize that I wasn’t reading words because it seemed as if there were words in my head as I understood the story.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development, summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
 * Strand: Reading Literature
 * Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
 * Grade: Kindergarten
 * Standard #: 2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key detail

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 22- Story Retelling. I think having students retell this story to focus on the ideas and details presented in the story would be a great way to have them think about the character(s) and their actions in depth.


 * __ 2008 Caldecott Honor Book & Multicultural Book – //Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Levine, E. (2007). //Henry’s freedom box: A true story from the underground railroad//. New York, New York: Scholastic Press. 978-0-439-77733-9

Summary: //Henry’s Freedom Box,// is about Henry “Box” Brown who was a slave in Richmond, Virginia. After finding out that his wife and kids were sold to another owner and he would never see them again he decided he would mail himself in a box to get out of the grips of slavery. With help from a few friends he got in a box and was addressed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he had a few friends. He arrived and his first day of freedom was March 30, 1849.

Liked/Disliked: I absolutely loved this book. I loved that the book is a true story and it is about overcoming evil and finding good. I really liked the illustrations as well, in my opinion; they really added depth to the story.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
 * Strand: Reading Literature
 * Cluster: Craft & Structure
 * Grade: 3
 * Standard #: 6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Classroom Activity: Students will write their own stories using the same point of view as the narrator and/or characters from //Henry’s Freedom Box//. The story should consist of a character or characters that are experiencing slavery and are trying to find a way to freedom. This activity will allow students to see from a different point of view than their own.


 * __ 2006 Caldecott Honor Book – //Zen Shorts// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Muth, J. (2005). //Zen shorts//. New York, New York: Scholastic Press. 0-439-33911-1

Summary: The book was about two brothers and a sister meeting a bear, Stillwater. Throughout the book the kids would complain about something and Stillwater would tell them a “story” that would relate to whatever they were complaining about or their problem. Each “story” that Stillwater would tell had a moral behind it that the children should take to heart and live by.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked the fact that this book did insert the “stories” by Stillwater. I think it was a great way for children to learn how to look at the world and problems in a better light.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Interpret words or phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
 * Strand: Reading Literature
 * Cluster: Craft and Structure
 * Grade: 4
 * Standard #: 4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g. Herculean)

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 31- Questioning the Author. Students will use this literacy strategy to help them better understand the story – specifically the words and ways in which the author uses in //Zen Shorts// to tell the old stories or somewhat morals and lessons of life. Students will be able to develop questions along the way to check for comprehension, have think-alouds with their partners and use the application strategy to help guide their understanding.


 * __ 2009 Newbery Honor Book – //The Surrender Tree// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Engle, M. (2000). //The surrender tree//. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. 978-0-8050-8674-4

Summary: //The Surrender Tree//, is a book of poetry about Cuba’s struggle for freedom. The story is told in poems by a few different characters, with the main one being Rosa, a healer. Rosa and her husband, Jose, and others tell of their plight to escape slavery and the brutality they faced daily.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked that this is a non-fiction book, written about Cuban’s fight for freedom, which I have not read a lot about. I also like that the author chose to write the story from a personal perspective and it is written in free verse.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational text independently and proficiently.
 * Strand: Reading for Informational Text
 * Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
 * Grade: 5
 * Standard #: 10 By the end of the year; read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently

Genre: Non-Fiction/Poetry

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 28- Scaffolding Academic Reading. I chose this literacy strategy for this particular book because I felt like this book needed a lot of “talk” and guidance from the teacher. //The Surrender Tree// is a very “heavy” book as it deals with slavery and the brutality of such a heinous act of violence. The book does a great job in portraying it in this light, thus the need for the teacher to facilitate the learning that can and will occur from the reading of this complex text. The strategy allows the teacher to facilitate the learning through various ways and a lot of discussion, which I feel are important with this type of text.


 * __ 2009 Corretta Scott King Author Award – //We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Nelson, K. (2008). //We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball.// New York, New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children. 978-0-7868-0832-8

Summary: //We Are The Ship,// is the story about the negro baseball league. The book tells the story of how the league got started in the early 1900’s. At that time there was no rule saying that “negro’s” couldn’t play on a professional baseball team, but the owners in private decided to not allow them to play. Thus, causing them to ban together and form their own league. The book follows the story of the league and discusses many of the great players to play baseball.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked the illustrations; they were very colorful and really added to the story. I also liked the fact that this is a true story that is being told. I am sure that some students, especially boys, would probably like to read this book if they are into sports, specifically into baseball. However, I don’t know if it is because I am a woman and baseball is not my favorite sport, but the book wasn’t that appealing to me, although reading and learning about some of the history about it was.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS): a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. c. Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically). d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
 * CCR: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
 * Strand: Writing
 * Cluster: Text Types and Purposes
 * Grade: 5
 * Standard #: 1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Classroom Activity: For this activity students will be using comprehension and understanding of the characters and history (facts) to create their own original piece of writing. Students will be asked to write their own “story” about the Negro baseball league. They will need to create characters and tell the story from the point of view of one of the baseball players.

**__2006 Orbis Pictus Honor Award – //ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room//__**

APA Citation with ISBN: Jackson, D. (2005). //ER vets: Life in an animal emergency room//. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 0-618-43663-4

Summary: The book is about Emergency Room Veterinarians. The book allows the reader to see what goes on in the emergency room of a vet clinic. The book covers topics such as vitals, a brief history of pets, things that might be toxic to pets, how to deal with a death of a pet and how to administer first-aid to a pet.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked all the great information that was provided throughout the book about how to take care of an animal. I like that the book had a section on death and how to deal with things of that nature for younger kids. I also liked the various colorful pictures the book provided that were taken at a real emergency room vet clinic.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
 * Strand: Reading Informational Text
 * Cluster: Craft and Structure
 * Grade: 3
 * Standard #: 4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area

Genre: Non-Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 29- Connect It. In this strategy students will take what they already know and connect it with the new knowledge to build on their comprehension and understanding. Students will use what they learn in the book – which is domain specific – in this case all about animals, and will build upon it using this activity and strategy with guidance from the teacher. The teacher will access prior knowledge and allow students to read the text focusing on the words used that are specific to animals and Animal ER’s. The students will make the connections by accessing prior knowledge and pairing it with the new knowledge learned while reading.

**__2011 KY Bluegrass Award for grades 3-5 – //Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle//__**

APA Citation with ISBN: Dennis, B., Nethery, M., & Larson, K. (2009). //Nubs: The true story of a mutt, a marine & a miracle//. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company. 978-0-316-05318-1

Summary: The book is about a soldier that was serving in the war in Iraq that met a dog with its ears cut off. The soldier decided to name him Nubs. Each time the soldier and his team traveled to this outpost they would see Nubs, play with him, take care of him and feed him. The dog ended up traveling 70 miles in two days through the harsh landscapes of Iraq to find his friend the soldier. Needless to say, the soldier ended up getting the dog back home to the U.S. and they are now best friends.

Liked/Disliked: More than anything I loved the fact that this is a true story. If the book would have been fiction, it would have been a good story, but since it is a true story of overcoming trials – trial to triumph for Nubs – it makes the story so much more appealing and enjoyable.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
 * Strand: Reading Informational Text
 * Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
 * Grade: 3
 * Standard #: 7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Genre: Non-Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 25- Double-Entry Journals. In this strategy students will use the information gained from the illustrations and text to demonstrate comprehension. This particular strategy allows students to use journal entries to explore the text as they read. I thought this would be a great strategy for this specific book since it is non-fiction, and it has so many components – i.e. war, characters (dog and humans), different countries (Iraq), etc.


 * __ 2009 KY Bluegrass Award for grades K-2 – //Dogku// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Clements, A. (2007). //Dogku.// New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. 978-0-689-85823-9

Summary: This book is about a dog named Mooch. Mooch shows up on the back steps of a home and the family takes him in. The whole story is about what the dog does and if the family will keep him. In the end the family decides to keep him and everyone is happy. The name Dogku comes from the fact that the story is about a dog but the entire book is written in Haiku.

Liked/Disliked: I do like the uniqueness that this book brings by the entire story being written in Haiku. However, I have to be honest and say that is also part of the thing I didn’t like about the book. At times I felt that the story could have been better if it were just written in free verse instead of having to be restricted to something.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media in formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
 * Strand: Speaking and Listening
 * Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration
 * Grade: 2
 * Standard #: 2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media

Genre: Fiction/Poetry

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 12- Choral Reading. This strategy will allow students to read together to help with reading fluency. This strategy will be very helpful, especially because this book is written in Haiku. This might be a new form of writing to second graders and will allow them to experience it in a safe environment that will promote confidence by reading along with others.


 * __ International Book – //The Keeping Quilt// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Polacco, P. (2001). //The keeping quilt//. New York, New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. 0-689-84447-6

Summary: //The Keeping Quilt// is about a family that migrated to the United States from Russia. The first one to come to America was Great Gramma Anna. One of the only things she had to remind her of home was an old dress and babushka. When she out grew them she took them and sewed them together with a few of her other families members things and it became a quilt. This quilt was always a part of all the important things that occurred in this family’s life from weddings, to engagements, to a baby blanket.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked that this book does give a little background about being from Russia. I also liked that this is kind of a sentimental book that teaches young children that there is personal value and sentiment in things that might appear “old” or worn out.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development, summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
 * Strand: Reading Literature
 * Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
 * Grade: 3
 * Standard #: 2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 44- Attribute Webs. Students will use the strategy of the attribute web to help develop the understanding of the main character or idea of //The Keeping Quilt//. This is a great activity for this particular book because of the meaning behind the quilt in the story. This activity will also allow students to understand a bit more the mind-set of immigrants and what they had to face.


 * __ E-book & Multicultural Book (Written in English and Spanish) – //The Boy Without a Name (El Nino Sin Nombre)// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Shah, I. (2007). //The boy without a name//. Retrieved from [] 978-1-883536-93-0

Summary: This book is about a boy that did not have a name. When his parents had him, the wise old man told them that he had a special name for him, so not to name him yet. The boy went several years without a name, except everyone called him “Nameless”, until one day he went with one of his friends to the wise old man’s house to get a name. The wise old man pulled a name from the “name box” and Nameless became Husni. The wise old man gave Husni and his friend good dreams as well.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked the fact that the book was written in English and Spanish. English was always on the left page of the book, and the Spanish translation was always on the right page of the book. I also liked all the wonderfully bright pictures throughout the book. I didn’t particularly care too much for the story in general as it didn’t really seem to have too much of a point or moral of a story. I suppose it was supposed to be a book written strictly for enjoyment, but I didn’t seem to get enough out of the book to enjoy it that much.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development, summarize key supporting details and ideas.
 * Strand: Reading Literature
 * Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
 * Grade: 2
 * Standard #: 2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson or moral

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 24- Character Mapping. I chose this strategy for this book because I think it is important that students realize and understand that there are different cultures out there that have a different point of view than they do and see and do things differently. I think, second graders probably don’t understand this very much, they think everybody thinks like they do. In this literacy strategy students will map out the characters (the two boys) in the story and will be able to see how they are different from them and see how they are like them.


 * __ E-book & Multicultural Book (Written in English, also available in French, Hebrew, Korean, Russian) – //The Rocket Book// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Newell, P. (n.d.). //The rocket book//. Retrieved from [] 0804805059

Summary: This book is about a rocket that Fritz, a Janitor’s bad boy, found in a basement as he was snooping around. When he found the rocket, he decided to light it. The rest of the book is spent telling what happens as the rocket enters each floor of the building. The rocket is finally stopped on the 21st floor by a tenant making ice-cream.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked the fact that the book was written in a poetic way. I don’t think the book is considered “poetry”, however, it is definitely written in rhyme and verses. I think it gave the book character, and also was able to tell the story pretty well. I also liked that there was only one illustration on the page where the words were and it was of a small hole. As the rocket entered each floor the hole got bigger in the illustration. The other side of the page was used for the full page illustrations, which were a bit lacking in my opinion. This book is somewhat old (I think it was first published in the 80’s possibly ), so for that time period it might have been a decent book, but I feel like that today we have so many more great books out there.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS): a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
 * CCR: N/A
 * Strand: Reading Foundational Skills
 * Cluster: Fluency
 * Grade: 4
 * Standard #: 4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: Since this book is a book written in poetry, students will use this book as a guide and write their own story in poetry. The topic can be anything they want, but the story must make logical sense as this book does, and the poetry must rhyme as the book does.


 * __ International & Multicultural Book (Written by a Chinese Author about Chinese Traditions) – //A New Year’s Reunion// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Li-Qiong, Y. (2011). //A new year’s reunion//. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. 978-0-7636-5881-6

Summary: //A New Year’s Reunion,// is about a little girl, Maomao, and her father. Her father, in order to support his family, “builds houses far away” and only gets to come home once a year on Chinese New Year. At first Maomao is a little hesitant because she hasn’t seen her father in so long, but they once again become very close for the few days he is home. He gives her a special coin the first day he is there and she gives it back to him to take with him while he is away this time. She is very sad to see him go, and looks forward to him coming home next year for New Year’s.

Liked/Disliked: I really liked that the author of this book is from China and continues to live there. I like that the story is loosely based around many of the families that she grew up with and families that are still there. She adds at the end of the book, “The family in this book is a fictional one, but there are in reality over 100 million migrant workers in China, many of whom work hundreds or sometimes thousands of miles away from home, returning only once each year, for just a few days, at New Year’s”.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
 * Strand: Reading Informational Text
 * Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
 * Grade: 5
 * Standard #: 3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 50- Learning Logs. Students will use their Learning Log as a way to help with comprehension and somewhat of a “notes” taking as they read. Students will be asked to read the //A New Year’s Reunion// and use their learning logs as a way to jot down or note the important relationships and interactions between the characters and events and ideas that are happening in the book. In the end, students will use what they collected in their learning log to discuss what they learned about the Chinese culture that they didn’t know before and to analyze and compare how it is different than their own culture.


 * __ Multicultural Book (geared toward boys) – //By My Brother’s Side// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Barber, T. & Barber, R. (2004). //By my brother’s side//. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc. 0-439-80315-2

Summary: //By My Brother’s Side//, is a book about twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber. The storyline is about not giving up, particularly this was difficult when Tiki hurt his leg and had to wear a brace. In doing so, he had to sit and watch his twin brother Ronde still get to play sports. In the end, Tiki’s leg heals and together they win their last big football game, together, “side by side”.

Liked/Disliked: I liked that the book is about football and therefore geared more for boys. What I disliked about the book was I felt that the story line could have been a little more exciting. Although the moral of the story was to never give up (and ultimately we know that these boys did succeed and became pro football players), I found the story to be a bit boring.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS):
 * CCR: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from text.
 * Strand: Reading Informational Text
 * Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
 * Grade: 3
 * Standard #: 1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to text as the basis for the answers

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 32- My Web of Questions. Students will use the activity My Web of Questions to help guide them through their reading and comprehension of the text. Students will create a web of questions to use throughout reading to help them in their understanding of what they are reading.


 * __ Multicultural Book (Written in English and Spanish) – //Floating on Mama’s Song (Flotando en la cancion de mama)// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Lacamara, L. (2010). //Floating on mama’s song.// New York, New York: Katherine Tegen Books. 978-0-06-084368-7

Summary: //Floating on Mama’s Song,// is a book about a family when their first born daughter turns 7, they begin to float in the air when they sing. Singing makes them very happy. However, the singing causes everything that hears the music and makes them happy to float. Some of the neighbors got mad because their animals were floating in the air and they were afraid they would get hurt. Mama promised to never sing again. Of course this didn’t make her happy, and eventually she decided to do what is best for her and makes her happy and she sings again, which brings unmatchable joy to her life.

Liked/Disliked: I liked several things about this book. I loved that the book has both the English and Spanish translations. The English is at the top and then the page has a little symbol in the middle, then the Spanish translation. I liked the story that the singing caused something very different to happen to the family and it brought them joy. What I didn’t particularly care for was the illustrations. Although these illustrations may be appealing to some people, I don’t care for them, in my opinion, they are too unrealistic (of course, I guess that follows in suit with the theme of the book since people do not really float when they sing).

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS): a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary
 * CCR: N/A
 * Strand: Reading Foundational Skills
 * Cluster: Fluency
 * Grade: 1
 * Standard #: 4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Genre: Fiction

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 11- Paired-Assisted Reading. This is a great book to allow students to help develop their fluency skills in reading. The book is fairly easy to read and has a good flow to it. This literacy strategy will allow students to work on their fluency as they are paired with a partner to read the story.


 * __ Poetry – //Thanks a Million// __**

APA Citation with ISBN: Grimes, N. (2006). //Thanks a million//. New York, New York: Greenwillow Books. 0-688-17292-X

Summary: This book of poetry includes 16 poems. Many of the poems include words of thanks or follow that sentiment. Also, some of the poems, especially the few at the beginning seem to be words of thank to a teacher, which seems to be someone that has made a big impact in the authors life.

Liked/Disliked: I love poetry, and I absolutely love this book. These poems are easy to read and understand. I think it would be a wonderful read for young students and would even be a great book to use in the classroom to help teach a poetry unit.

Curriculum Connection (grade level, KCCS): a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
 * CCR: N/A
 * Strand: Reading Foundational Skills
 * Cluster: Fluency
 * Grade: 4
 * Standard #: 4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Genre: Poetry

Classroom Activity: From Promoting Literacy Development – Strategy 15- Readers Theatre. //Thanks a Million// is a great book to use for the literacy strategy of Readers Theatre. In allowing students to “act” out this book of poems, students are helping to fine tune their fluency skills. I think it is particularly hard for students to have the fluency they need with reading poetry. Thus, making //Thanks a Million,// a perfect book and Readers Theatre a perfect strategy to use.