This document provides summaries of several children's books along with suggested classroom activities. For the book "Sea Stars" by Avis Harley, the summary suggests having students research their favorite sea animal from the poems and present their findings to the class. For "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Levine, the proposed activity involves assigning students to be the "teller" who gives commands and the "doer" who must obey, to explore the theme of Ella's curse of obedience. For "Carver" by Marilyn Nelson, students are asked to make connections to George Washington Carver's life, narrow it to three connections, and write a poem to illustrate one connection along with a parent.

1. Poetry
Good Sports By Jack Prelutsky
&
Sea Stars By Avis Harley

2. Through his poetry,
Prelutsky celebrates
winning and losing,
playing well and not
paying well, and
enjoying a sport
whether you are good
at it or not.
Grade Level: 1-3

3. Classroom Activity
This books gives the teacher a
chance to teach students about
action words (verbs). A fun activity
could be to as reading the book
the students can act out the action
words. Also, for a take home
assignment would be for students
to pick their favorite action word
and draw it and bring it in the next
day and share it to the class. For
the older or more advanced
students their take home
assignment could be to write their
own action words poem.

4. This book is a collection of
poems about sea animals. It
* Non-Fiction includes a wide range of
animals, from the well-known sea
ISBN#: 1590784294
otters and beluga whales, to the
less familiar sea cucumber and
pipefish. Each poem has a
corresponding picture, and there
is a "looking deeper" section at
the end of the book which gives
more details about each animal.
Harley, A. (2006). Sea Stars. New
Your, NY: Wordsong.

5. Classroom Activity
Since this book is a middle school grade level a more independent
assignment would be better. I would ask students to pick their favorite animal
from the poems and ask them to further research that animal and make a
small presentation to present to the class so the whole class can learn about
the different animals.

6. Traditional Literature
Epossumondas by Coleen Salley
&
Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine

7. ISBN#: 0152167486
Grade Level: k-2
Epossumondas is a possum who
takes everything his mother says
way to literally, but is still his
mother loveable, silly and fun
possum.
Salley, C. (2002). Epossumondas.
Austin, TX: Harcourt, INC.

8. Classroom Activity
Before I read the book to the class I
would only show them the pictures
and after they see all the pictures I
would ask them try to make a guess
of what they think the story is about. I
will record their guesses on a poster
and then the next day we would read
the book aloud and then compare
and contrast their predictions to what
actually happened in the book.

9. At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy Grade Level: 5-8
named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of
obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey.
Another girl might have been angry or sad by this
affliction, but not Ella.When her mother dies, leaving her in
the care of her father, and later, a loathsome stepmother
and two horrible stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being
seems to be condemned forever. But her intelligence and
saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a
quest for freedom and self-discovery, trying to track down
Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending
elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. All the
elements of Cinderella are included, most importantly the
happy ending.
Levine, G. C. (1998). Ella Enchanted.
New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher
INC.

10. Classroom Activity
Ella’s curse is that of obedience. For
my classroom activity I would make
one student the “teller” and another
one the “doer”. The teller would be in
charge of telling the “doer” to do
things (jump, walk, pick up a
pencil…ext) and the “doer” must
obey, like Ella in the story. Everyone
would get a chance play both parts
and then I would ask them to write a
summary of which role they liked
playing the best and how each role
made them feel and how the think it
made Ella feel having to obey
everything someone told her to do.

11. Multicultural Literature
Carver By Marilyn Nelson
&
Suki’s Kimono by Cherri Ueqaki

12. ISBN#: 0439443393
Nelson tells the story of George
Washington Carver's life through a
series of poems that act like
snapshots in a photo album. She
begins with a poem about Carver
and his mother being stolen from
their owner when they were slaves.
John Bentley is sent after them but
can only find baby George who he
returns to the Carvers who raise him
with his brother Jim. The poems go
on to tell of Carver's search for
education, his resourcefulness, and
his spirituality.
*Poetry
*Biography
Nelson, M. (2002). Carver: A Life in African-American Culture
Poems. Ashville, NC: Scholastic INC.
Grade Level: 7-8

13. C
Classroom Activity
This book of poems goes through the life of George Carver’s life from
when he was very young to much older. This allows for students to make
text-to-self connections. First, I would ask the students to list all the
connections they felt with this book and then the would narrow their list to
three connections and then, finally, write any type of poem they would
like. I will ask them to take this assignment home and share with their
parents what connection they made and ask if their parents had any input
about that connection because partens could give the student a different
point of view and think of something that the student didn’t and help them
to develop their poem. Then I would ask students to illustrate somehting
that goes along with what their poem what about and
share it with the class.

14. Suki loves the blue kimono her Grade Level: 1-3
grandmother gives to her at her
last visit and Suki is going to
wear it on the first day of
school. Despite her sister’s
ridicule Suki wears her kimono
with pride. Some of the other
students at school look at Suki
strange but during show-and-
tell Suki tells her kimono’s story
and all the students are very
interested and Suki teaches
them about her culture.
Ueqaki, C. (2003). Suki’s
Kimono. New York, NY: Kids
Japanese Culture Can Press.

15. Classroom Activity
After a read-aloud of the book the students
will participate in an art activity where they
make and design their own kimonos from
a paper grocery bag. The students will
have the chance to be creative and paint
the kimono how they want and then have
the opportunity to show off there kimonos
as I teach them a dance like the one Suki
teaches her class. This will take some
extra research for the teacher to learn the
cultural dance.

16. Modern Fantasy
The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater
&
The Monster Garden by Vivien Alcock

17. When shoelace heir
NeddieWentworthstein and his family
take the train from Chicago to Los
Angeles in the 1940s, he winds up in
ISBN#: 0618594442
possession with an Indian turtle
artifact whose owner is supposed to
be able to prevent the destruction of
the world, but he is not exactly sure
how and it is up to him to figure out
the mystery.
*mystery
Grade Level: 3-5
Pinkwater, D. (2007). The Neddiad. New York, NY:
Houghton Mifflin Company.

18. Classroom Activity
This is a great book to teach students about
predictions. I will read the book up until the
conclusion, then I will ask the student to
predict how Neddie will solve the mystery or if
he will even solve it at all. I will ask students to
draw out their predictions rather than writing
them. We will share our predictions and then
read the ending of the story and compare our
predictions with the conclusion of the story.

19. ISBN#: 0618003371
Grade Level: 3-5
In the story, matter produced in the lab of
a young girl’s father grows into a kind-
hearted and wise monster.
However, Monny the monster suffers
rejection when people in the community
find her unacceptable because she is
different and taking care of the monster.
Her rescuer sadly releases Monny to find
a better and kinder place.
Alcock, V. (2000). The Monster
Garden. New York, NY: Sandpiper.

20. Classroom Activity
For this book I would make it a book that
the students read at home with their
parents. For each chapter I would ask
students to think of an item that was
significant for that chapter. At the end of
the book the student will have a story box
filled with item significant to the book. The
students will bring in their box to share
with the class and the students will see
how they interoperate the book differently
by what each student thinks is important to
the story.

21. Realistic Fiction
Squashed in the Middle by Elizabeth Winthrop
&
Hoot by Carl Hiaason

22. Everyone in Daisy’s African-American family
speaks for her. When she tries to speak for
herself, no one listens. The breaking point Grade Level: k-3
comes when her friend invites her to a
sleepover. Mother says that Daisy has never
slept at someone's house, and her sister insists
she will come home in the middle of the night.
Daisy announces that she is going to Rosa's
anyway, but no one hears. When the family
finally goes in search of her, they discover a
Daisy they never knew.
ISBN#: 0805064974
Winthrop, E. (2005). Squashed in
The Middle. New York, NY: Henry
Holt and Company.

23. Classroom Activity
This story has a lot of characters that students can relate to. I would ask each
student to pick a character in the story that they somehow connect to. For
example, if student has a bossy older sister they would compare and contrast
the character in the book with their own family member and make a vin
diagram showing the differences and the similarities.

24. This Novel is an ecological
mystery, made up of endangered
miniature owls, the Mother
ISBN#: 0375829164
Paula's All-American Pancake
House (soon to be built over their
burrows), and the owls' unlikely
allies, three middle school kids
determined to beat the screwed-
*Newbery Honor up adult system. The student
Book raise enough awareness and fight
hard enough and save the owls
habitat.
* Mystery
Hiaasen, C. (2004). Hoot. New York, NY: Knopf Books
for Young Readers.

25. Classroom Activity
Through out this novel the setting is in an owl
habitat in Florida. This is a great opportunity to
incorporate science and literature. Before
reading the book students will research the
burrowing owls and their disappearing
environment so they have a good
understanding about what they are reading.
Then after the novel has been read students
will be divided into small groups and will come
up with solutions to how they can help save
the owls environment and what they can do.

26. Historical Fiction
Worth by A. LaFaye
&
F is for Freedom by RoniSchotter

27. 11-year old Nathaniel and his family live in
Nebraska in the late 1800s, trying to work a
farm to earn money. Nate was in a farm
accident and is not crippled and cannot
perform on the farm like he used too.
Nate’s father adopts an orphan boy to
takes Nate’s place in working the farm.
Nate is hurt that he has been replaced and
makes life hard for John. But the boys
realize they have to same goal and saving
the farm and have to find ways to work
together.
LaFaye, A. (2006). Worth. New
Grade Level: 5-8 York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books
for Young Readers.
*Scott O’Dell Award

28. Classroom Activity
This book deals with a lot of conflict
that students could relate to. At the
point in the novel when the conflict
between the two boys begins I will
ask students solutions they think
would help and/or resolve the conflict.
Students will divide into small groups
and make a pros and cons sheet of
the solution they decide on as a
group.

29. Grade Level: 2-5
Amanda’s parents reveal that their house on the
Hudson River is a station on the Underground Railroad
and that she must keep it secret. Amanda’s whit helps
save some of the slaves and by spending time with the
runaways Amanda becomes friends with a girl named
ISBN#: 07894226412
Hannah, the slave family's curious and vivacious
daughter, and teaches her to read and write a few
letters. Amanda disobeys her father and takes Hannah
outside to explore the meadow. When slave hunters
spot them, the girls flee into a camouflaged tunnel that
Amanda knows of, not realizing that it is an escape
route for slaves. Later that night, she guides the family
through this tunnel to the boat that will transport them to
Canada.
Schotter, R. (2000). F is for Freedom. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersly
Publishing INC.

30. Classroom Activity
An activity that would work well with
this book is a Feelings Chart. Teach will
pre-make a chart that has important
events and the characters. After
reading the book students will then
write on post-it notes how they think the
character felt when that even
happened. This activity helps student
learn about the story’s plot sequence
and also the character perspective.

31. Non-Fiction
Seeds by Ken Robbins
&
Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life by
Candace Fleming

32. Grade Level: k-3
This book is illustrated with
photographs that show many
types of seeds and how they are
dispersed and explain how these
seeds grow.
Robbins, K. (2005). Seeds. New York, NY: Atheneum
Books for Young Readers.

33. Classroom Activity
This book is a great introduction for
students to learn how to plant a seed and
learn responsibility of taking care of a
plant. The students can document a plant
with a camera and use them to display all
this different stages of a plant.

34. Grade Level: 6-8
The author of this book
illustrates Ben Franklin’s life
ISBN#: 0689835493
through a scrapbook structure
and uses anecdotal boxes to
highlight events that occur
through out his life.
Fleming, C. (2003). Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being
a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life.
New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young
Readers.

35. Classroom Activity
Because this book is in
scrapbook format of Ben
Franklin’s life the activity will be
for the students to create their
own scrapbook about their life
and talk about the events that
have happened in their lives.