Erin's Reading Blog

  Title: Journey Through Japan Author: Richard Tames Genre: Informational nonfiction Ages:2 and up Teacher evaluation: I love this book for classrooms when we are studying Geography and get to Japan it would be a great book to use for any grade level to find out little information about the country that is very informative.  Summary: This book begins by giving the facts about Japan the size, population capital, cities, and landmasses or water parts. We begin to learn about Japan and how different it is from all other countries. They have a special language, food, art and clothing. Tokyo the capital of Japan is densely populated and it is very modern. The Sumida River is a river that you can take a double decker boat up to visit all different monuments and pieces of Japanese culture. Mount Fuji is the most famous mountain in Japan we learn all different facts about it. They also have 5 different lakes that experience freezing and warm temperatures. They have a bullet train that...

  Title: Ultimate Field Trip 3- Wading into Marine Biology Author: Susan E. Goodman Photos by: Michael J. Doolittle Genre: Informational Nonfiction Grades 3 and up Teacher Evaluation: I chose 3 and up for grade levels of this book because it could be read in higher grades. picture books are not only for elementary school. we should still read to children in higher level classes. I would use this book when learning about different ecosystems. Science classes would learn a lot when learning about ecosystems from this book.   Summary: This book begins speaking about how the ocean changes every 6 hours. The temperature changes and the calmness of the water changes often. Marine Biologists are people who study life in and around the sea, so they are studying why these things happen in the sea. There are tides that often get smaller and they make animals appear in tide pools. Tide Pools are like a city with all different animals. Tides work because of gravity. While studying at...

Title: The Heart Our Circulatory System Author: Seymour Simon Genre: Informational Nonfiction Grade level: 3-7 Teacher evaluation: This is a great book to be used in a science classroom. It is very informative with a lot of images to help explain what is happening. It really helps that the information is very detailed with easy words that can be used for any grade level.  Summary: The beginning of the book tells us how hard a heart works and how it pumps our blood around our body. Your heart has all different parts of it that do different things to help keep you alive. there is a valve, different atriums, ventricles and arteries that do all different things. Your blood is made up of blood cells white and red. you also have plasma that has proteins minerals and sugars that we need. It tells us all about red blood cells and how common they are. The muscles in the heart squeeze to pump the blood. blood flows at all different speeds to all different places in the body. The red blood ce...

 Title: Today's World Energy and Light Author: Peter Lafferty Genre: Informational Non fiction Age level: 2-4 grade Teacher evaluation: this is a great informational non fiction book you could read a different page everyday when speaking about a different area in science. There are a lot of fun activities that can go along with the different scientific experiments as well.  Summary: The book is all about energy and light it begins talking about how everything is built out of matter explaining what matter is, and then it moves on to mass and weight and how the center of gravity effects everything. It then speaks about force and momentum. Force is the push or pull, speed is how fast something is moving, and momentum is what is needed to stop a moving car. We learn what kinetic and potential energy is, and how things heat and how it travels, it tells us how sound travels. It speaks about electrons, magnets and currents. It talks about colors and how they mix. It ends with speakin...

 Wonder Title: Wonder Author: R.J Palacio Genre: Realistic fiction, Book dealing with Special Needs topics, - based off of a true story Ages: 10-14 year olds Teacher evaluation: This book is a very good read that teachers can read to their students, or that students can read if they are old enough. Since I want to teach younger grades I would not be able to read this book to them, because it is too complex. But if I were to teach older grades such as 4-6 I would read this book to my students. It is a longer chapter book, so I would allow my 6th grade students to read it, but elementary students would probably not be able to fully comprehend it. It also has a movie that is based off the same story, so I would allow my students to watch the movie as a fun day once we are finished comprehending the book. I would also have this book relate to science lessons, or I would relate it to equality or inclusivity.  Summary: Auggie a ten year old boy who was born with a facial deformity. ...

 Dreamers Title: Dreamers Author: Yuyi Morales Illustrator: Yuyi Morales Genre: Historical fiction Ages: 4-10 Teacher Evaluation: This was an AMAZING story. It is another great book to read when you have students who may have just immigrated to America. It really went into depth about the struggles, and how they overcame them. It may give people hope of a better future. The author based the book off of herself, with a fictional storyline. She illustrated the book, and she added photos that reflected what happened to her when she moved her.  Summary: In the beginning of the book it begins showing the mom welcoming her baby. One day they packed up all their things, and they crossed a bridge to another place. They became immigrants. It looked unfamiliar. They were scared. They did not understand the language. They went all around the land until they found a library, and they were amazed. They got a library card, and they loved books. they learned to read and speak english through...

 A Packet of Seeds Title:  A Packet of Seeds Author: Deborah Hopkinson Genre: Historical fiction Grades 1-4  Teacher Evaluation: This is a great book to read when you have a new student, or a student just moved from far away. It makes it seem like it is not as hard as it should be, and would possibly give them comfort. you could also have all the students make a bag with seeds, and tie it with a lavender ribbon just like in the story.  Summary: Annie can tell her mom does not like where she lives, but she knows her mom would not as her dad to move back home. She misses home so much that she does not even name her own baby, but the older daughter knows what will cheer her up. Annie and her brother get an area read, and their mom notices the land, so she gets the seeds that her sister gave to her before they moved west. They plant the seeds and they become ready to start their new life. 

 Star in the Storm Title: Star in the Storm Author: Joan Hiatt Harlow Genre: Historical Fiction Ages: 11-14 Teacher Evaluation: I may use this book as an easy first read chapter book. It has some very good vocabulary, and it also is very mysterious with a happy ending, but it is at times difficult to read since it is a book based in a different country with different language.  Summary: Star in the Storm is about a girl Maggie, and her dog Sirius. She lives in Newfoundland, and the town made a law banning dogs that do not herd sheep. They banned them because there had been multiple sheep found dead, and people assumed it was Sirius. Maggie decided to keep Sirius as a secret. She finds a place to hide him in a cave. But one night there is a horrible storm, and a boat crashes into the rocks at a bay. Maggie knows Sirius can swim very well, so she takes him out of hiding and to the place of the crash. When they arrive there he jumps into the water to try and save the many people ...

 Once a Mouse Title: Once a Mouse Author: Marcia Brown Illustrator: Marcia Brown  Awards: Caldecott Medal Age Group: EC- 8 Teacher Evaluation: I would definitely use this book in the classroom. It can teach the students a lot of lessons about being kind to everyone and remembering where you came from.  Summary: Once A mouse tells the story of a Hermit who sees a mouse in trouble. He sees the mouse is going to be eaten by a cat, so he turns the mouse into a cat. A dog then comes looking for the cat, so he turns the cat into a big dog. Then a hungry tiger comes looking for the dog, so he turns the dog into a tiger. The tiger had so much proud, so the man told him to stop being so arrogant, and that without the man he would just be a little mouse. The tiger got mad and tried to eat the man, but the man read the tigers mind. He then sent the tiger off into the forest, and never saw him again. 

Title:  Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10 Author: Judy Finchler Illustrator: Kevin O'Malley Genre: Realistic Fiction Ages: 5-10 years old Teacher Evaluation: This is a great book to read when the students start to wonder what you do. It is good to let the students know and also learn boundaries. If a student sees you at the grocery store they then need to know to say hi and move on. It will really help to set boundaries.  Summary: Students believe their teacher lives in the classroom. She always has the next day's work ready for them. They think her and the other teachers eat at the cafeteria, they also go to play in the gym. They think the teachers room has bunk beds. They also get lots of water at the water fountain. Miss Malarkey was seen moving into the same apartments students live in. They also saw her doing normal things like being barefoot, taking out the trash, and having a party. They then had a game in the complex with all the other kids. 

 Rachel Parker, Kindergarten Show-Off Title: Rachel Parker, Kindergarten Show-Off Author: Ann Martin Illustrator: Nancy Poydar Ages: 5-12 years old Teacher Evaluation: This is a great book if you have students who may be competing with one another. It is good to show that they can share with one another instead of going against each other.  Summary: Olivia is 5 years old She is in kindergarten, and everyone says she is good. She has her teacher Mrs. Bee, mom and dad, and her cat Rosie. She hops around her bed, looks out the window and sees a moving van next door. When Olivia gets to school she tells Mrs. Bee she has news and tells the class she is getting new neighbors. She sees her new neighbors and goes over to introduce herself. Her neighbors name is Rachel. They are going to both be in Mrs. Bee's class. In class Rachel and Olivia sit next to each other. The two end up competing. They both can read. After school Olivia goes to Rachel's to play and it is a mess! She mee...

 The Night Before Mother's Day Title: The Night Before Mother's Day Author: Natasha Wing Illustrated by: Amy Wummer Teacher Evaluation: This is a great book for teachers to read to younger students before mother's day. It will teach them how they can pamper their amazing parents/ guardians. It would be important to children who may only have dads, or 2 parents of the same sex, or maybe in foster care. Just let them know they should thank someone who they are grateful for.  Summary: It was the night before mothers day and dad had a plan to get mom. out of the house. He put her sneakers by the door so her running friends would pass by soon. Mom left and they got to work. They started making cake with frosting, and fancy cards with coupons. When mom came home she found a mess, and she wondered what was wrong. The next morning they got her a giant bouquet and gave her all of her gifts. They pampered her all day. Dad made a gourmet brunch. they celebrated the best mom ever, an...

 The Night Before Summer Vacation Title: The Night Before Summer Vacation Author: Natasha Wing Illustrated by: Julie Durrell Genre: Realistic Fiction Ages: 6-9 years old Teacher evaluation: This is a great book that would be good to read before summer vacation of spring break to prepare their students for all the excitement that will be coming. It would be very exciting for them to be able to get excited for vacation instead of sad about leaving school. It does not really go with a certain unit unless you are talking about very specific safety equipment for the outdoors Summary: It was the night before vacation and the family was so excited to leave. The dad got everything checked off of his checklist as he  got it ready. The mom got all the snacks. They got all their outdoor activities ready also. They got their luggage's all ready and packed up all the clothes. They stuffed every inch of the car with supplies. Once they finished packing they ate their last meal at home an go...

 Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage Title: Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage Author: Jane O'Conner Illustrated by: Carolyn Bracken Genre: Realistic Fiction Age level: 1-4 grade Teacher Evaluation: This is a GREAT book for a science classroom, and it would also work in a language arts class as well. They are talking about how leaves change in the Fall season, and how their are so many unique kinds of leaves and colors. It also uses a lot of vocabulary words, and then it gives the definition of the words after them in a simple way. I would Definitely use this book in my classroom. It would be a great edition. Summary: The book starts with Fancy Nancy realizing fall has begun. She is very excited because she loves Fall. Her parents are raking the leaves, and she wants to help. She gets all warm because it is cold during fall, and then she goes outside to examine the leaves. She names the leaves, and their colors. JoJo her brother helps her to rake up the leaves. She is then picking out t...