The Little Mermaid by: Rachel Isadora (Modern Fantasy)

The Little Mermaid lived in a castle with her father, the sea king, her grandmother and her five sisters.  She would sit and dream of the day when she would turn 15, so she could take the trip above the waves to the land.  Finally when the little mermaid turned 15 she went straight to the land above the waves.  The first thing she saw was a ship with a handsome Prince aboard.  Suddenly, there was a terrible storm and the ship began to split into two because of the rough winds and rain.  The little mermaid immediately dove into the ocean so she could save the wonderful Prince.  When she brought him back to land she began to revive him until she noticed that there were people coming, so she had to quickly return to the sea.  One of the girls who was coming noticed the Prince and tried to help him, making the Prince believe she was the one who saved him.  When the little mermaid returned to the sea all she could think about was being with the Prince.  Her grandmother had told her that she had to forget about the Prince because mermaids live for 300 years and then turn into foam on the sea.  The only way she could have an everlasting soul like a human is if she marries one and he loves her forever.  The little mermaid knew that humans didn't like mermaid tails, so she went to the sea witch to get a potion for her to have legs.  The sea witch told her she could have a potion to get legs, but every time she walked it would feel like swords were going into her feet.  She also told her that if the Prince marries someone else, she will die and turn into foam the day after his wedding.  The little mermaid agreed and went to land to drink the potion.  The Prince found her laying by his house and they started to become close.  He would tell her that he almost died in a terrible storm but there was a wonderful girl who had saved him.  One day the Prince asked the little mermaid to be a bridesmaid in his wedding because he was marrying the girl who supposedly saved his life in that storm.  The sea witch decided to change her rules and allowed the little mermaid to kill the Prince so she could turn back into a mermaid. Last minute, the little mermaid wasn't able to kill the Prince and she ended up being taken by the children of the air who lived in the heavens.  The little mermaid never felt so free!

I would use this in my classroom by having them explain which parts of the story are realistic and which parts of the story are fantasy, and cannot happen in real life.  I would also have the students determine what the theme is of this story being that it is so prevalent.  They should understand that this story is telling them not to change yourself to make someone else happy.  I could also have the children read another version of the Little Mermaid and compare the two stories. 

Private and Confidential by: Marion Ripley (Realistic Fiction)

Brother and sister, Laura and Joe, were going through the mail one day and noticed a letter for their mother that said "private and confidential" on it.  Laura was sad because she was the only one in the family who didn't receive any mail.  Luckily, the next day at school Laura's teacher told the class that they had the opportunity to write a penpail in Australia.  There were only six boys to choose from, so Laura randomly chose Malcolm.  In her first letter to Malcolm she just described herself and told him how much she loved swimming and talking to her friends.  At the end of the letter she asked Malcolm to send a picture of himself along with his letter.  Malcolm was so excited and quickly wrote a letter back to Laura telling her how much he liked to swim as well.  Laura really enjoyed the letter and the picture that Malcolm sent of himself.  Laura immediately wrote him back, and waited three weeks for a letter back.  One day she checked the mail and she received a letter from Malcom's sister telling her that Malcolm was going to be in the hospital getting surgery for the next week because he is almost completely blind.  She also told her that Malcolm has to type his letters because he can't see to actually write them.  After receiving this terrible news, Laura knew a blind teacher at her school and asked to use her Brailling machine to type Malcom's next letter.  Ten days later Laura finally received a letter from Malcom, but it was also in braille!  When her dad asked her what the letter said she replied, "It's private and confidential!"

This is such a great book to use in the classroom because it can teach the student about what Braille is and how it is used.  This also teaches the children that just because someone is blind does not mean that they are a different person.  Laura thought Malcolm was perfectly normal the first letter she received and had no idea that he was blind.  Just because he told her he was blind does not mean that he is a different person.  In the book, they actually have the letter that Malcolm sent Laura in braille with an attached alphabet card to figure out what it says.  I would use that as an activity for the students to practice using braille so they can see what it is like for people who are blind.   

A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe by: David A. Adler (Non Fiction)

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811 in Connecticut.  After her mother died, Harriet left home to attend the Hartford Female Seminary.  She was very smart and talented, which led her to become a teacher at the school by the age of 16.  In 1872 Harriet and her family moved to Ohio, where it was free of slavery.  However, kentucky, which is right across the river from Ohio, was not free of slavery.  Harriet constantly read newspaper articles about the slavery going on and advertisements posted for runaway slaves with a reward promised for their return.  She continued to put her writing skills to work and wrote geography textbooks, stories, and articles for newspapers and magazines.  In 1844, Harriet began to write her most amazing work, Uncle Tom's Cabin.  It was about Tom who was a slave that was mistreated by his owner, Simon Legree.  Her book showed everyone the horrors of slavery and was one of the main causes of the Civil War.

This book is a great way to introduce who Harriet Beecher Stowe is and how she affected the American people.  I think it would be a good idea to also teach more about Uncle Tom's Cabin after reading this biography of Stowe.  I would have the students make a bubble map titled: The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe.  They would fill in the bubble map with facts about Stowe and how she affected the American people.         

The Snowflake by: Neil Waldman (Non Fiction)

The Snowflake is a picture book that shows how the water cycle works.  It goes through the cycle of how water travels from earth to the clouds by showing the life of a single snowflake.  Each month of the year has it's own page, and explains the transformation of the snowflake (water) for that month.  The story discusses how one water droplet freezes, melts, evaporates, condenses, and then freezes again.  Instead of it being just an informational book, it tells a creative story of one single snowflake.

I would use this in the classroom to teach the students about the water cycle.  The fact that this book explains the water cycle through a narrative story will give the students a diifferent perspective instead of just a chart explaining the cycle.  It will peak their interest and keep them engaged throughout the story.  After reading the story, I would have the students make a flow chart of the places the snowflake went.  Then, after explaining what the symbolism of the story really means, they would make another flow chart of the actual stages of a water droplet with the correct terminology.  

Cinco De Mouse'o! by: Judy Cox (Multicultural)

This is a story about a mouse who attends a Mexican Fiesta for the holiday of Cinco de Mayo.  I used Wordle for this because they use a large amount of words that represent the Mexican culture and Cinco de Mayo.  I typed in the words that you could discuss with your students so that they could have a better understanding of what happens during that holiday. 

I would use this book in the classroom to teach the students about the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.  It is a good book to teach about the holiday because it uses a lot of terminology connected to the Mexican culture.  Not only will this book discuss Cinco de Mayo, but it will also teach the students about the culture as well.

The Boy Who Lived With The Seals by: Rafe Martin (Multicultural)

This is a Native American story about a boy who lived with the seals. I used wallwisher to summarize this story. (link is posted right below)

I would use this book in the classroom to talk about Native Americans and the different tales and short stories that they tell within their tribes.  I would lead a discussion with the entire class to see how they feel about these tales that the Native Americans tell and believe in.  Do they believe in the tales themselves? Are they real or do the Native Americans make them up?

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/melzie12

Cindy Ellen by: Susan Lowell (Folk Literature)

Cindy Ellen is the daughter of a rancher in Mississippi who just got remarried to a horrible woman with two mean daughters.  The step mother and step daughters treated Cindy Ellen like a slave and made her do all the work around the ranch.  There was a rodeo and square dance coming up, and the step sisters were very excited to attend.  Cindy Ellen wanted nothing more than to go to the rodeo and square dance. As Cindy Ellen was waiting at home while the step sisters were at the rodeo, her fairy godmother appeared out of thin air and gave her everything she needed to be the perfect cowgirl.  When she arrived at the rodeo, she rode her horse and impressed the entire crowd, especially Joe Prince.  Unfortunately, Cindy had to leave at midnight to go back home.  The next night she attended the square dance and danced with Joe Prince the entire night.  When she left at midnight, the sparkly spur fell off of her cowboy boot.  Joe Prince tried to fit the spur on every girl's boot until it fit Cindy Ellen's.  Cindy and Joe Prince lived happily ever after.

I would use this in the classroom to comapre and contrast this Cinderella tale with the original.  I would have them choose which story they liked better and explain why.  They could maybe pick out which parts of the story demonstrate the wild western lifestyle.  Reading this story will help the children see the Cinderella story through a different view, and maybe will make the theme clearer to some of the students.     

The Night of the Fireflies by: Karen B. Winnick (Multicultural)

Miko and her brother Toshio were excited about the releasing of the fireflies in their hometown in Japan.  In Japan, there is one night every summer that a large amount of fireflies are released for all of the children.  Miko was especially excited to gather around and see the beautiful light of these fireflies.  Her brother, Toshio, set up a lantern on one of the tree branches for them to place all of the fireflies that they caught that night.  Miko was only able to catch one firefly, and carefully placed it in the lantern.  When Toshio was off trying to catch a few more, Miko took the lantern off of the branch so she could take the fireflies home with her.  As she was trying to find Toshio in the woods, she tripped and dropped the lantern.  She was very sad because a few of the fireflies flew out, but she quickly put the cover back on.  Her and Toshio walked back home and decided to let the fireflies go so that they could be free.  Miko was sad to let them all go, but looked forward to the night of the fireflies next summer.

I would use this in the classroom to introduce the Japanese culture.  The Night of the Fireflies is a big event in the Japanese culture.  Fireflies were a very common thing to see in Japan for many years, but recently they have been disappearing, so they are raised and saved to realease one night during the summer each year for the kids.  This is one tradition that you can teach students about their culture.  I could also use this book to teach the class about fireflies as well.     

Sleeping Beauty the Graphic Novel by: Martin Powell (Folk literature)

The King and Queen of Welsh Kingdom were happily married, but always felt like something was missing.  One night as they were taking a walk they passed a creature who was lonely himself.  He told them that wishes do come true and that they will be granted a child in the near future.  Not long after that visit, the King and Queen were granted a sweet princess.  They had a celebration feast and invited the 12 Good Fairies.  Each fairy gave the princess a magical gift such as the gift of happiness, wisdom, love, modesty, graciousness, etc.  However, there had been a thirteenth fairy at the dinner who was not invited due to her unlucky number.  The thirteenth fairy planted a curse on the princess and said that she would die on her 15th birthday.  Luckily, one of the twelve fairies softened the curse by having the princess go into a sleep for one hundred years instead of dying.  After one hundred years of sleep, along came the prince to awake the princess and they lived happily ever after.

I would use this in the classroom by having the students compare this story to the original Sleeping Beauty.  I would also discuss the benefits of reading a graphic novel compared to a regular story.  As an activity, the students could make their own small graphic novel of another folk tale such as, Cinderella or The Three Little Pigs.  

The Gingerbread Girl by: Lisa Campbell Ernst (Folk Literature)

After the gingerbread boy ran away and was eaten by the fox, the lonely old woman and the lonely old man decided to bake a gingerbread girl to keep them company.  While she was in the oven, all they could think about was if she was going to run away like her brother.  The oven door wasn't even open all the way before the gingerbread girl took off running from the lonely old man and woman.  Now, the little gingerbread girl knew she was smarter than her brother, so she out ran the farmers, a pig, a cow, a pack of dogs, and the school children.  Within a short amount of time, the gingerbread girl ran right into the fox who was waiting patiently to eat her.  She hopped right on the fox's back for a ride across the river as he tried harder and harder to get her to move towards his head so he could take a bite.  Little did he know, the gingerbread girl was much smarter than her brother and wrapped his snout in her licorice hair.  Hooray for the gingerbread girl!  The lonely old man and the lonely old woman will never be lonely again.

I would use this in the classroom to help practice with characters, setting, and sequence of events.  In this story the gingerbread girl passes a few different characters as she is running, so it would be a good opportunity for the students to sequence the events.  This book could also be used to compare and contrast the story of the Gingerbread Boy if you read that to the class as well.  A Venn Diagram would be a good idea to use to compare and contrast the two stories.      

The Color of Home by: Mary Hoffman (Multicultural)

Hassan is a young boy who recently moved to America with his family from Somalia.  On his first day of school in America he starts to feel homesick and doesn't feel like he belongs.  Although the other children make him feel welcome, he doesn't speak English, which causes him to become frustrated.  One day the class was instructed to paint a picture of anything that they desired.  Hassan began to paint a bright, uplifting picture, but soon altered it to become dark and full of red blood.  When his teacher asked what his picture meant, he explained that his uncle was killed during the war in Somalia and was not able to move to America with the rest of his family.  The next day at school Hassan decided to make a new painting of a happy family with bright colors.  He later brought the painting home, and told his mother to hang it up on the wall to bring the colors into their new "home".

I would use this in the classroom to promote acceptance of someone who might not be the same culture or speak the same language as you.  I might have them share with the class a time that they felt homesick, or a time that they felt like they didn't belong.  This book could also be used as part of a social studies lesson about the wars that happen in Somalia, or about what a war is in general.  As an activity, I would have the students draw or paint their own picture of how they would display their "home".  They could paint anything that they felt depicted what their sense of home is.  Once they were finished, I would have them share to the class and explain why they painted their home as they did.    

Rules by: Cynthia Lord (Chapter Realistic Fiction)

Catherine is a young girl who just wants to live a normal life.  The only thing standing in her way is her autistic brother David.  Catherine is expected to babysit David regularly, and makes sure to inform David of all the rules he needs to follow to appear to be normal.  She has a very difficult time accepting that her brother is autistic and is quickly embarrassed by anything that David does that is not considered "normal".  At David's occupational therapy, Catherine meets a young boy named Jason who is in a wheelchair and is unable to speak.  As they become closer and closer, Catherine also becomes friends with her new neighbor, Kristi, who she has been waiting for.  Struggling with the embarrassment of her autistic brother, her close friendship with a handicapped boy, and the hope for acceptance from Kristi, Catherine learns what it means to accept someone and be comfortable with who they are.

I would use this in my classroom to introduce the concept of acceptance and tolerance for anyone that is different or handicapped.  I would have the students read about two chapters a night, and then discuss our progress during class.  After we finished the book, the students would write a reflection about one thing that makes them different from everyone else, and explain why they want to be accepted for who they are.  They would also have to explain how they would feel if they were not accepted, and what they would do in that situation.