Module 15: Heather Has Two Mommies

Heather Has Two Mommies

Book Summary:

Heather Has Two Mommies is a story about a young child with two mothers.  The story begins by telling readers about Heather, her favorite things, and what she enjoys doing with her moms.  Then, Heather goes to school where her teacher reads a story about a family with a mother and a father.  This ignites a discussion between Heather and her classmates about how she does not have a father and that, instead, she has two mothers.  This prompts the teacher to talk about how all families are different and special. 

APA Reference of Book:

Newman, L. (2015). Heather has two mommies. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Impressions:

I enjoyed reading the story Heather Has Two Mommies.  This story does an excellent job of describing how families come in all shapes and sizes.  This book would be a wonderful addition to any elementary library collection as it introduces students to differences and acceptance amongst each other.  As anyone can appreciate, this subject matter is very sensitive and difficult for young readers to comprehend.  Heather Has Two Mommies does an excellent job of conveying the importance of accepting the different makeups of their peers’ families. 

Professional Review:

Kirkus Reviews

Heather has two mommies--and a new look! Newman's picture book about Heather and her mommies first appeared 25 years ago as the product of desktop publishing and a determination to create a story reflecting family diversity. This updated version includes new illustrations by the commercially successful Cornell, which supply humor and avoid lesbian stereotypes that dogged earlier versions. In keeping with prior, small-press revisions, the updated text omits reference to alternative insemination, and the story resists focusing on angst Heather feels over having two mommies. No one teases her or otherwise makes a big deal of her particular family's configuration. Instead, validation is the order of the day, and when a circle-time conversation about families arises on the first day of school, Heather's teacher has her pupils draw family pictures. Although Heather is initially worried that she might be the only child without a daddy, the artwork reveals diverse family constellations--one child has two daddies, one has a mom, a dad and a stepfather, some have siblings, one depicts a grandmother and pets. "Each family is special," Ms. Molly affirms. "The most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other." When Heather's mommies pick her up at school, they delight in seeing her picture. Welcome back to Heather and her mommies. 

Source:

Heather has two mommies [Review of the book Heather has two mommies, by

L. Newman]. (2015). Kirkus Reviews, 83(2). Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/leslea-newman/heather-has-two-mommies/

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson)

Library Uses:

This story would be excellent to use for grades K-2 at the beginning of the school year when covering the families unit.  Just as the students in the story did, after reading the students could draw a picture of their family and share with the class.  They may also choose to write about their own family.  As an extension, the students could use the Tellagami app to take a picture of their drawing and record themselves as they tell about their family.

Module 14: Once I Ate a Pie

Once I Ate a Pie

Book Summary:

In this free verse poetry book, readers learn about thirteen different dogs and what they like as well as do not like to do.  Each dog shares his/her perspective of their life and provides readers with a small glimpse into their typical day.  Some like to sleep all day, some like to bark, some have tiny things, and some like to borrow from others.  Throughout this story, the authors use different font sizes and shape words into certain forms in order to place an emphasis on that particular word for the readers.     

APA Reference of Book:

MacLachlan, P. & Charest, E.M. (2006). Once I ate a pie. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Impressions:

I enjoyed this free verse poetry book and I believe that younger students will as well.  This book would be excellent to use when teaching younger students how to write their poems.  Using mentor texts that rhyme can be daunting to young writers.  Utilizing free verse poetry is an excellent way to provide encouragement during this type of writing.  This books also provides examples of how creative and fun poetry can be.   

Professional Review:

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Free-verse poems about 14 individual dogs sprawl across oversize spreads accompanied by large oil illustrations. The poems and paintings together delightfully capture each distinct personality in few words and with broad strokes of the brush. The fonts change often and reflect the poet's words-rising and falling, sometimes in bold type, growing larger and smaller and dancing over the pages. The format allows for plenty of white space, emphasizing the postures and personalities of the pups and helping the playful fonts to stand out. The overall result is an entertaining visit with some very appealing canines, and a book that perhaps could serve as an inspiration in the classroom for young poets trying to describe their own pets. One wishes that the breeds were listed somewhere, but all in all, this title is still a real treat.

Source:

Constantinides, J. (2006). [Once I ate a pie] [Review of the book Once I ate a pie, by

P. MacLachlan]. School Library Journal, 52(5), 114-115. Retrieved from

http://www.slj.com

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson)

Library Uses:

As previously mentioned, this would be an excellent resource to utilize when teaching younger students how to write their own poetry.  During and after reading, the librarian should point out and note the way certain words within each poem is bigger, smaller, or shaped differently than other words on that respective page.   Afterwards, the students can write their own free verse poem in which they use different font sizes and/or shapes.  The students could also work in groups in order to write their poem and draw the illustration(s).  Once the students have created their own poems, they should be encouraged to share their creation and form of writing with the entire class.   

Module 13: Red Ted and the Lost Things

Red Ted and the Lost Things

Book Summary:

Red Ted is a graphic novel about a stuffed toy bear who is accidently left on a train by his owner, Stevie.  He is then placed in a room upon a shelf with all the other items that have been lost, discarded or left behind on the train.  Red Ted is confident that Stevie will come back for him, but Crocodile, the lost toy next to him on the shelf, assured him that his owner will never come back.  So, Red Ted decides that he will set off and find Stevie!  With a little help from Crocodile and a cat that they meet along the way, Red Ted is reunited with his owner.  Crocodile also finds a new home with Stevie. 

APA Reference of Book:

Rosen, M. (2009). Red Ted and the lost things. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Impressions:

I find graphic novels very difficult to read and follow.  Through discussions with my peers, this book was recommended as it is directed for younger students and they thought that my kindergarten students would enjoy it.  Overall, I enjoyed this story.  It is a very sweet tale that most readers can relate to as we have all misplaced or lost something at one time or another.  I believe this is an excellent story to use when introducing young readers to graphic novels as it is not overcrowded with text and pictures.  They are simple and easy to understand.  

Professional Review:

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

When Red Ted (a small, reddish-brown stuffed teddy) is accidentally left behind on a train, he is taken to "the Place of Lost Things." He isn't too worried at first ("Stevie will come and find me. She loves me as much as she loves cheese"), but the musings of a skeptical stuffed crocodile ("I've been here a very long time, and no one has ever come to get me") soon provoke him into action, and he decides to go looking for Stevie. Crocodile wants to come along, and so the two escape together. With the help of a friendly, cheese-loving cat (clearly prompted to help in part by her expectation of a cheesy reward), the two stuffed animals overcome obstacles until they finally manage to find their way to Red Ted's home and to happiness. The storyline is simple and familiar (Vulliamy's Small, BCCB 10/02, is a stellar recent example), but Rosen gives it new life through the engaging and distinct personalities of his animal characters: optimistic Red Ted, gloomy Crocodile ("We're still lost, aren't we? I knew things would go wrong"), and the wise, practical cat ("You want to go home, but you don't know the way. Ah, that's how it is sometimes, my dears"). The book intermixes traditional picture-book format with the paneled narrative of a graphic novel, with much of the text in dialogue bubbles, a format that makes the book suitable for reading alone or aloud. Stewart's mixed-media illustrations are quiet and enchanting. Backgrounds and lesser characters (such as Stevie's mom and, more mysteriously, the cat) are rendered mistily in muted tones, while the two stuffed animals and Stevie are crisply delineated with thin, dark outlines and brighter hues, a look that suggests their figures and dialogue balloons are separately layered onto the backdrops. The style is English cozy in the vein of Shepard and Fortnum (illustrator of the Paddington Bear books); Red Ted is adorably clad in an oversized sweater, while the tiny-limbed Crocodile has an amusingly plump, green corduroy body. Age-appropriate pathos and humor make this a winner for the preschool and early elementary set and, undoubtedly, for their fond adults as well.

Source:

Hulick, J. (2010). Red Ted and the lost things [Review of the book Red Ted and the lost things,

by M, Rosen.]. Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 63(5), 214. Retrieved from http://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Project Muse

Library Uses:

During and after reading Red Ted and the Lost Things, the librarian should discuss the style of writing author Michael Rosen used to tell this story.  The librarian and students should note the speech bubbles that he used to give each character throughout the story a voice and how he used squares to inform readers of what the characters were doing.  The librarian could then allow the students to create their own story using speech bubbles.  For younger students, the librarian may provide a piece of paper in which there is one speech bubble already provided for the students to use.  The students would simply need to create their character and write what he/she is saying.  For more advanced students, the librarian could provide a paper with premade boxes in which the students draw multiple illustrations and speech bubbles for their text.