multi-cultural

ALLY The ACCEPTING ALLIGATOR 

By: Kim Trumbo - Illustrated by: Fanny Liem

Presented by : Nicole Cashman 

Summary of the story:  This story was about an alligator named Ally who was friends with all the other animals. Ally talked about how each animal was different, but that didn't stop her from being friends and playing with them. Ally said some of her friends have fur-some don't, some have paws, others have claws, some are white, and some are brown, some fly, and other stay on the ground. One day a unicorn came and Ally wanted to play with her. Ally friends said they did not want o play with the unicorn because she looked different and made Ally go play somewhere else. Ally went home and asked her mother why her friends would do that because she really wanted to play with the unicorn. All's mother told her to be brave and ask the unicorn to play. Ally couldn't wait for the next day. The next day Ally found unicorn and became friends. They were playing when Ally's friends showed up wondering what was going on. Ally told them that it doesn't matter that the unicorn looked different, the everyone looked different and she wanted to be her friend. All of Ally's friends soon started playing with unicorn and everyone became friends. 

Setting - Forrest

Characters - Alligator, Wood/ forrest animals, unicorn, alligators mother

Theme - Everyone looks different 

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are very colorful which keeps the reader interested. You can tell by the illustrations that this book is meant for younger children. The illustrations flow well throughout he book, making it easy for a child to re-tell the story in their own words by just looking at the pictures. 

Pattern -  The pattern in this book was rhyming. 

Reader response questions - 

1. Can you tell another difference the animals have?

2. How do you think unicorn felt when no one wanted to play with her?

3. What character traits did Ally have?

Activities - 

1. Rhyming activity - have students find and write the rhyming words from each page.
 (graphic organizer style)

2. Class difference- Make a chart to show the difference in everyone in the classroom. 
(Topics /Data could be - hair color, height, show size, color of eyes)

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book can teach many lessons. I think this book teaches how everyone is different in some way, other's feelings, bravery, and friendship. This book would be great to introduce to incoming kindergarten student's in the beginning of the school year. I believe teaching children early that peoples feelings matter and also how to respect and be kind to someone even if they are different from you. 

References - 

• Ally The Accepting Alligator | Children's Book VIDEO. Kameron Trumbo. (June 30, 2016). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7y5hKb_hs0&t=56s

The Sandwich Swap 

By: Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio

Presented by : Nicole Cashman 

Summary of the story:  Lily and Salma were best friends. They did everything together at school like play, draw, swing, eat lunch. Everyday for lunch Lily had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Salma had a hummus and pita sandwich. Each girl everyday thought that the other girls sandwich looks and smelled gross and wondered how they could eat that everyday for lunch. Neither of the girls ever said anything about the others lunch until one day it just slipped out. Your sandwich looks gross! When Lily told Salma that, Salma replied with No, your sandwich looks gross! Both girls were very upset and their feeling were hurt. They did not play with each other for the rest of the day. The next day at lunch the girls sat at different lunch tables and the rumors of the sandwich fight had spread to the whole lunch room. Soon everyone was taking sandwich sides an yelling insults to each other that had nothing to do with the kind of sandwich. The next thing you knew, someone yelled FOOD FIGHT, and the lunch room turned upside down. The next day the girls sat at the same table but didn't talk. Finally Lily asked Salma if she wanted to try her sandwich. Salma said sure, do you want to try mine. Lily said she would like that. The girls counted to 3 and took a bite of the other sandwich. Both girls ended up liking the others sandwich. Salma and Lily presented the principal with an idea for an event for the entire school. 

Setting - School / Lunch Room

Characters - Lily and Salma

Theme - Try new things / Be kind to others and their feelings

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are very detailed and makes the book and characters come to life. The illustrations flow smoothly with the text in the book. The illustrator used a nice balance to pictures vs text and made it to where the reader could re-tel the story by looking at the pictures. The pictures also had bright colors which kept the readers interest.  

Reader response questions - 

1. Why did Lily and Salma feel "ashamed" during the food fight?

2. What event did Lily and Salma create for the entire school?

Activities - 

1. After getting parent permission from each child that participates, have each student bring in their favorite snack food to share with their classmates. Each child will try and new snack food to see if they like it or not. 

2. Class Vote - What is the classes favorite sandwich. Use graph to record data so that children/students have a visual to look at. 

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book can teach many lessons. I think that it teaches how to respect others opinions and feelings, it teaches that sometimes you have to try new things before you think you don't like something, it teaches that things you say that might not be that bad turn into something that is really bad. I think that many children to can relate to this book, the characters, and the issue that is in the content. 

References - 

• Tami Reads “The Sandwich Swap" By: Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio. Tami Dunn. (June 26, 2016). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcFgp1Pe0NM&list=PLa762OxYSEJLJdSSyA7DT0JjK3Qnngc9X

Fantasy

There's An Alligator Under My Bed

By: Mercer Mayer

Presented By: Nicole Cashman 

Summary of the story:  This story is about a little boy who has an alligator under his bed. Every night when it was bedtime, he would have to carefully get in his bed without the alligator hearing him. He knew the alligator was there, but every time we would look, the alligator would hide. HE thought by calling his mom and dad, they would see the alligator. The little boy called his mom and dad, but they did not see the alligator either. So he knew he had to come up with a plan and it was up to him to get rid of the alligator. The little boy got out of bed quietly and went downstairs to the kitchen to gather alligator bait. He grabbed all kinds of food . In the garage he left a peanut butter sandwich, fruit and the last piece of pie. He started from the sandwich and made a path/trail from the garage, down the hall, up the stairs, all the way to his bed and he waited and watched. It worked, the alligator came out from under the bed and started eating all the food all the way to the garage. When the alligator went into the garage, the little boy slammed the door and locked it. The little boy was so proud of himself for making a good plan to get he alligator out from under his bed. He went upstairs to go to sleep. While laying in bed, the little boy thought, I hope dad can get in his car tomorrow. He decided to leave his dad a note and leave it on the garage door.

Setting - House.

Characters - Little Boy, Mom and Dad, and Alligator.

Theme - Plan to make a scary thing go away

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are so life-like that it really makes you feel that the little boy is real, the alligator is real, and that you are really in a little boys room. This book has very good illustrations for a non-reader to look at the pictures and re-tell the story in their own words and it be pretty similar to the actual text/ content.   

Pattern - I would consider the alligator bait (food) was a pattern. The book told the reader what food the little boy put down and where and then repeated it as the alligator ate it. 

Reader response questions - 

1. What food/drink did the little boy put next to his bed to get the alligator to come out?

2. Do you think Dad will see the alligator in the morning when he gets in his car? Why or why not?

Activities - 

1. Write a short story about something some one would think would be under their bed and what your plan to get it to come out would be?

2. Graphic Organizer - What food did the little boy use to get the alligator to come out?

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book is a story to read to (K-2nd grade). I think this book is a good way to teacher children that if you think about something, you might be able to come up with a plan to solve your problem. The little boy was very resourceful in this book and came up with a good plan. This book could also be used talk to children about silly things they may think are there and that hey are afraid of, but really they aren't. 

References - 

• Read Aloud - There's an Alligator Under My Bed - by Mercer Mayer. Red Apple Reading. (April 10,2016). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N20nSvXSZFI

Mystery

Pete the Cat and the Mising Cupcakes

By: Kimberly and James Dean 

Presented by: Nicole Cashman 

Summary of the story:  This story is about Pete and his friend Gus making cupcakes for a cupcake party they were throwing for their friends later that day. After making 10 cupcakes and lining them up on the window ledge, Pete and Gus noticed that 2 cupcakes were gone. They wondered what could have happened to them. Pete and Gus went outside to the window to look for clues. They saw their friend Squirrel and said that he took the cupcakes. Squirrel said it was not him and told them where he was when the cupcakes were take. As the 3 of them searched for more clues, they noticed 2 more cupcakes were gone. They saw their friend Alligator and said he took them. Alligator said it wasn't him and where he was when they were taken. Now the 4 of them searched for clues and noticed 2 MORE cupcakes were gone. They saw their friend Turtle and said that he took them. Turtle said it wasn't him and told them where he was when the cupcakes went missing. Now that all the friends were together, they look and searched for clues. They then saw that ALL the cupcakes were gone. They spotted Grumpy Toad and said you took all the cupcakes. Grumpy Toad told his friends that he took the cupcakes. He only wanted one but couldn't stop eating them till they were gone. He told his friends that he was sorry. All the other friends said that because Grumpy Toad took all of the cupcakes, he was not allowed to come to the cupcake party anymore. Pete told his friends that Grumpy Toad made a mistake but said he was sorry. Pete said that everyone deserves a second chance. Pete's friends agreed and let Grumpy Toad come to the party. Grumpy Toad was so thankful that he was still allowed to go to the party, that he brought new cupcakes to share with all of his friends. 

Setting - Daytime at Pete's house/backyard.

Characters - Pete the Cat, Gus, Squirrel, Alligator, Turtle, and Grumpy Toad.

Theme - Mystery of the disappearing cupcakes. Another theme was accepting others apologies and giving someone a second chance. 

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are painted so colorful. The illustrator paints all of the illustrations for the Pete the Cat book and does such a great job using silly facial expressions and colors to draw in a reader. In this book the missing cupcakes disappeared by 2 and it was nice that the illustrator used the text/content to tie into his illustrations, making them a resource for kids to use when counting the cupcakes. 

Pattern - In this book there are 2 patterns. The first pattern is rhyming. Every last word in a sentence rhymed with the last word of the next sentence throughout the entire book. 
The second pattern is a counting pattern. This book used counting down from 10 by 2's. 

Reader response questions - 

1. What clues did you see in the pictures that would help you to find out who took the cupcakes?

2. Why did Pete want to give Grumpy Toad a second chance?

Activities - 

1. Write a mystery short story and put clues in your illustrations.

2. Graphic Organizer - Gave someone a second chance (in the middle circle) and in the outside circles put things someone has done to you.

3. Graphic organizer - Rhyming words

4. Math activity - Counting by 2's

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book is a story to read to (K-2nd grade). This book not only was a form of mystery, but also could be used in a math lesson. This book taught many different things like looking for clues, rhyming, math, forgiveness, second chances, and making things right after making a mistake. I think there are many lessons and activities this book can be used for, even in little recess arguments that (little) children have. 
I loved the illustrations in this book. All of the Pete the Cat books are always so bright and colorful and the silly expressions and things that Pete has and does, keeps the reader wanting to read more to find out what happens. I really enjoy the all of these books and plan on having a collection in my classroom.   

References - 

• Pete The Cat and the Missing Cupcakes Children's Read Aloud Story Book For Kids By James Dean. Kids Stories 4 You. (October 16,2016). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d74tIWKn1Vk

Historical Fiction - Henry's Freedom Box

Henry's Freedom Box 

True Story from the underground Railroad 

By: Ellen Levine 
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

Presented by: Nicole Cashman 

Summary of book - 
Henry Brown was a child slave who didn't know his age because slaves didn't have birthdays. Henry and his family (mother and siblings) worked for a master that was good to him and his family but Henry's mother knew that children slaves could be sold at anytime, so she was always afraid of that happening. 
One day Henry's master called him and his mother to see him. Henry was nervous in hopes that his master would set him free (as some master's would). Henry's master was very ill so he told them he was giving Henry to his son. He told Henry to work as good as he did for him, obey him, and never to tell a lie. Henry had to say goodbye to his family and left o be a slave picking tobacco leaves. Henry's new master would often poke his slaves with a stick for not working fast enough and if any of the slaves made a mistake, they would be beat. 
One day while Henry was in town, he met Nancy, a woman slave. Nancy made Henry so happy and filled with joy that he wanted to sing. He knew he couldn't because slaves were not allowed to sing in public. 
A few months later, Henry asked Nancy to be his wife. Henry and Nancy worked for different masters, so they had to get permission to marry from each of them. After Henry and Nancy were married, they had 3 children. Now Henry knew how his mother felt and feared everyday that his children would be sold or given away. 
Henry was working in the factory one day and another slave came to him to tell him that his wife and children were just sold. Henry was devastated at he thought that he would never see his his family again. 
Henry was done being a slave and came up with a plan for freedom. Henry's plan was to mail/ship himself somewhere where the people didn't believe in slavery. With the help of his friend James and Dr.Smith, Henry was shipped out on a journey to freedom. If Henry made it, he soon would receive a middle name and a birthday. 

Setting - Late 1700's early 1800's

Characters - Henry, Henry's Mother and siblings, The Master, The Master's Son (New Master), Nancy, Henry's children, James (Henry's Friend), and Dr. Smith.

Theme - Freedom from Slavery using the underground railroad.

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are paintings done by Kadir Nelson. The illustrations make Henry come alive and help the reader to relate to Henry as a person and as well as his experiences being a slave. These illustrations flow well with the text/content of the book, giving readers the resource of looking at the pictures to help with the comprehension of the vocabulary. 

Reader response questions - 

1. Before students read this book - What do you know about the Underground Railroad?

2. Why did Henry want to be free from slavery?

Activities - 

1. Map out the route that Henry took on his journey for freedom?

2. Put on a play to re-tell the story of Henry's Freedom Box.

3. Make a freedom box as a class. How big would a box have to be to be able to fit an adult man inside to ship him? Do you make holes for air, if so how big will the holes be? 

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book is a story to read to (3rd-5th graders) when learning about history, slavery, or the Underground Railroad. I think that emphasizing that this story is based on a "true story" will catch students attention and get them excited to read and learn about Henry. I love the pictures in this book and the details really make the characters come alive. 
The only thing I wish this book had was more information at the end. I want to know if Henry ever talked to his mother after he was given to another master, if he ever got to see or speak to his wife Nancy or his children again. Don't get me wrong, I love that his freedom plan worked and he made it out of slavery, I just would like more information to his story! 

References - 

• Henry's Freedom Box | Children's Books Read Aloud. Story time with Miss. Nancy. (December 29,2017). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE5ukrt8eLU