Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The Harry Potter series is a wonderful fantasy chapter book series listed in our textbook. I love this series because J.K. Rowling immerses you into the magical world of Hogwarts with the peculiar characters and her wonderful writing. Harry Potter is definitely a book series for older students because of the length, concepts, and also the word difficulty.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book of this series. This story begins with a somewhat typical family life of the Dursleys and their nephew Harry Potter. It soon becomes very clear why this book is a fantasy chapter book when Harry is whisked away by an oversized character named Hagrid. Harry is soon immersed into a magical world and finds that he himself has magical powers. Throughout the book Harry goes on various adventures with his newfound friends Ron and Hermione.

The magical world that J.K. Rowling creates includes wizards, wands, trolls, a three headed dog, talking pictures and many magical creatures just to name a few. This series would be a wonderful series to encourage imaginative writing in older students. J.K. Rowling does a wonderful job at making the characters in the story come alive with her descriptions and word choice. “Nothing like this man had ever been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, bucked boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-mooned spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albert Dumbledore.” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, pg. 12)

Big Questions:

What magical power do you wish you had?

Would you like to visit Hogwarts? Why?

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

Where the Wild Things Are is a story about a mischievous boy named Max who is always getting into trouble. Max gets sent to his room because of mischief and that very night his room grows into a forest and Max finds himself in the land of the “wild things”. Max explores this world, finds some friends, and becomes “King of the Wild Things” along the way.   

Where the Wild Things Are is a story that I enjoyed hearing and reading when I was a little kid. I remember that the illustrations were my favorite part because they made me feel that I was in the forest myself because of the rich colors. The media is child like because it is in colored pencil. The illustrations have texture which help to portray a roughness to the story.

This story is a wonderful book to read to students because it lets their imagination go wild I have read this book several times to my students and it is very appealing to boys. I think a lot of students can relate to the main character Max and can see themselves in the story. Even though the story itself is simple the concepts allows students to imagine themselves in the story and sparks their interest.

Questions:

What would you say to a “wild thing” if you could meet one?

Do you wish you could go to the land of the Wild Things?

The Mixed-Up Chameleon

Carle, E. (1984). The Mixed Up Chameleon. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

The Mixed-Up Chameleon is a great story written by Eric Carle. It is a fantastic story about a chameleon who wants to be anything and everything but himself. The chameleon did not live a very interesting life until he saw a zoo and changed into the many different animals. Throughout the story the chameleon says that he wishes to be many animals because of the different traits and abilities they have. In the end the chameleon realizes that he is unique in his own way and can do things that the other animals can’t do which is what makes him not so boring.

This story is a great resource to use when teaching students the importance of being themselves. The chameleon changes into different animals throughout the story but in the end realizes that being himself is good enough. Children in the primary grades would benefit from hearing the story because they might see themselves as boring but this story helps to teach that being yourself is always the best in the end.   

The illustrations in the story give a child like perspective with vivid bright colors and a colored pencil like media. The illustrations have a lot of texture because of the media that is used which helps to set a whimsical “mixed-up” mood to the story. The bright colors and simple lines are very attractive to young readers and get them excited to read more.    

Questions:

Have you ever wanted to be someone else? Why?

How would you persuade the Chameleon that being himself is always best?

The Polar Express

Van Allsburg, C. (1985). The Polar Express. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

The Polar Express is a wonderful story that makes one believe in magic again. In the story an old steam engine arrives on Christmas Eve night to take children to the magical city of the North Pole. On the train the children see many wonderful things and are given many fabulous treats to eat. When they arrive at the North Pole the children are greeted by elves and are shown the magic of Christmas. The main character in the story is chosen by Santa Clause himself to pick the first present. The present he receives is a bell that only rings for those who believe in the magic of Christmas.

The illustrations in this book have to be some of the best in a children’s picture book I have seen. The colors are bold and seem to pop off the page. There are a lot of line combinations of both heavy and light lines which give the illustrations depth and dimension. The illustrations look almost like photographs which give a realistic style and draw in the reader.    

I love reading this book to my students because the author’s choice of words encourages students to use their senses and really picture the story in their heads. The author does a brilliant job of describing the setting, characters, and plot with his word choice. This book is a great resource to use when teaching students to use descriptions in their own writing. I read this book to my students every December right before break and they love it! On the day when I read The Polar Express I have them all wear their pj’s to school and they get to drink hot cocoa when I am reading the story. I love seeing the eyes of the students when they hear the story because most students around the age range I teach still believe in Santa and the students who were questionable often believe again after hearing the story. Even my third graders this year were glued to each page while I was reading aloud.

Questions:

Would you hear the bell ring? Why or why not?

What would you do if the Polar Express came to pick you up?

Golem

Wisniewski. D (1996). Golem. New York Clarion Books

Golem is a story set in Prague and is about persecution of Jews and other people because of their religious beliefs. A rabbi created a giant made out of clay to protect the Jews. The giant was made for only one purpose and then was destroyed. I choose this book because it is a very dramatic picture book in which the illustrations help to tell the story. The conflict in the story is person-vs-person.

The illustrations are done by David Wisniewski the author and are very abstract. The illustrations look as if they are collages of paper placed on the page. I believe the darker tones and texture of the illustrations help to capture the intense mood of the story and help to convey the author’s purpose. This story has a very strong plot that could be too intense for younger readers. I would probably feel more comfortable reading this to older students rather than primary because the content and storyline might be hard for them to understand. Some of the vocabulary would also be very difficult for younger readers. This story would be good for older readers to discuss author’s purpose, plot, and conflict.

Questions:

Did the rabbi do more harm than good by creating Golem?

What is fair for the rabbi to create Golem then destroy him?

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Scieszka, J. (1989). The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs By A. Wolf. New York:  Scholastic.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is a wonderful spin on the classic tale of the Three Little Pigs. The story is told by the “Big Bad Wolf” and gives his point of view of what really happened. The wolf feels he has been misunderstood and would like to tell his side of the story. Throughout the story the wolf gives his reasoning for all the events that happen in the classic tale. The story shows the wolf as a kind character that has been misunderstood.

This story fits into the genre of the week because it is a wonderful picture book for students of both primary and intermediate. The illustrations done by Lane Smith really capture the reader’s attention and add to the storyline. The illustrator uses a cartoon like artistic style with lots of texture and darker tones which I believe help to create the mood of the story for the reader.  

I have read this book several times to the students in my class at various grade levels and they all have loved it. I believe this book really sparks the interest of the students and gets them talking about literature. I have had whole group and small group book talks of this book with students from 1^st grade to 3^rd grade and all students were excited to give their opinion on this book. This is a great story for students to hear because it helps them to realize that every story has two sides.     

Questions:

What is the author’s purpose for the story?

I wonder what reaction the three little pigs would have to wolf’s side of the story?

Introduction to me

Hello! I am a teacher in Northern Kentucky. I have taught for 5 years and love it! I have taught grades 1st-3rd, I am currently teaching 3rd grade. My favorite thing about being a teacher is seeing my students faces when they learn new things. I enjoy doing experiments and hands-on activities in my classroom. I am half way through the Master's program at the University of the Cumberlands and I am excited for what I am going to learn in this class. I have a newborn named Riley who is 3 weeks old. My husband and I couldn't be more thrilled about her and are looking forward to this exciting time in our lives! We also just built a new home which is very exciting. I love spending time with my family, being outdoors, traveling and shopping! I enjoy reading at home and also to my students. I recently read the book "How to Steal a Dog" to my students and they loved it.