~ David Benedictus
Illustrated by Mark Burgess
This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne-a worthy sequel to The House at Pooh Corner and Winnie-the-Pooh.
Watch the videos about the book and Jim Dale as he reads from the book
Fantastic Mr. Fox
~ Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Format: Paperback 96 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0142410349
Released: August 16 2007
Publisher: Puffin
Ages: 9-12
Themes: animals
Price: $7.50
Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like ... well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.
This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers.
When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it.
Fiction Activities
Vocabulary List for Fantastic Mr. Fox
Lesson Plans for Fantastic Mr.Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox A matching game to reinforce characters in
this popular Roald Dahl novel. http://www.quia.com/custom/2198main.html
Reading Quiz http://www.puiching.edu.hk/~pc-ckc/fox.htm
Novel Study http://www.tlt.ab.ca/projects/Div1/Grade3/fantasticfox/foxy.html
Vocabulary PowerPoint FantasticMr. Fox
EThemes http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000553.shtml
Rainbow Journey Two http://www.e-magine.education.tas.gov.au/n-touch/surftherainbow/projecttwo/fox.htm
Lesson Plans http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading48/lesson_plans_for_fantastic_mr.htm
Vocabulary Exercises Activity1 http://www.shorncliss.qld.edu.au/000884.asp
& Activity 2 http://www.shorncliss.qld.edu.au/000885.asp
Fantastic Mr. Fox NovelStudy http://www.tlt.ab.ca/projects/Div1/Grade3/fantasticfox/foxy.html
Novel Study http://www.lgsd.k12.nf.ca/imc/PrimaryNovels.asp
Buy the book - amazon
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When You Reach Me (Hardcover)
~ Rebecca Stead (Author)
Sixth-grader Miranda lives in 1978 New York City with her mother, and her life compass is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. When she receives a series of enigmatic notes that claim to want to save her life, she comes to believe that they are from someone who knows the future. Miranda spends considerable time observing a raving vagrant who her mother calls the laughing man and trying to find the connection between the notes and her everyday life. Discerning readers will realize the ties between Miranda's mystery and L'Engle's plot, but will enjoy hints of fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's novel is as much about character as story. Miranda's voice rings true with its faltering attempts at maturity and observation. The story builds slowly, emerging naturally from a sturdy premise. As Miranda reminisces, the time sequencing is somewhat challenging, but in an intriguing way. The setting is consistently strong. The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
This author has turned to children's books, and applied a wonderful quirky humour. The story has new kids, bullies, alligators, eco-warriors, pancakes, and pint-sized owls .... a hilarious Floridian adventure!
Go to http://www.pivotalkids.com/hoot.htm to read about the book, and find links to these
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
The escapades of the Greek gods and heroes get a fresh spin in the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, about a contemporary 12-year-old New Yorker who learns he's a demigod.
more synopsis ... also provides links to:
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is scheduled to release on February 12, 2010 in the United States.
Read an extract
Hear the first part of the book, as read by the author.
Video interview with Rick in North Carolina
Video interview with Rick in Cincinnati
For Teachers ...
The Lightning Thief: A Teacher’s Guide.
A complete Lightning Thief unit
The Lightning Thief: A Reader’s Guide.
Rationale. A curriculum rationale, based on NCTE models, for those teachers considering Percy Jackson for classroom use.
Literature Circle Questions
Biographical Information on Rick Riordan.
A Readers Theater from Lightning Thief.
Percy Party event guide.
Project ideas.
Crazy hair
by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean
The duo responsible for The Wolves in the Walls (2003) return with another chaotic picture book popping with bright collage and multimedia imagery.
---Listen to the author, Neil Gaiman reading his poem
“All right, Noah, dear. It’s time to leave,” says Noah’s mom. Noah has other plans. “No,” he says. And then says it again. And again. And each time, his nos get crazier and crazier.
It’s a lot of fun and will feel familiar to any parent up against a child’s tireless opposition, and kids (maybe) will recognize their own silly stubbornness. The educational use of various languages extends the book’s age range a bit, too.
Watch a trailer of the book
Rattletrap car
by Phyllis Root
The internal rhymes, alliteration, and creative car sounds make a perfect read-aloud. The watercolor illustrations are full of action as the rattletrap car bounces off the road and seems to rush off the page. The words for the car sounds bounce, too, in their larger, uneven fonts. The illustrations contribute humorous detail capturing the family's alternating despair, inventiveness, and glee at moving again.
3 excellent Library/Classroom Suggestions
Lesson Idea on using onomatopoeia
Examples of Art by Jill Barton
Read and listen to the book online
After meeting a bevy of baby animals -- including a clever monkey, a hairy warthog, and a dusty lion cub -- the baby in this story discovers the most precious creature of all...itself, of course!
With an exuberant rhyming text by bestselling author Mem Fox and adorable cut-paper illustrations by Caldecott-Honor recipient Steve Jenkins, this book is an irresistible celebration of the joyful connection between parent and child.
---Take a guided tour of the private writing space of author Mem Fox.
---Listen to the author, Mem Fox reading the book aloud
" ... kids function best when they're real clear about exactly what's expected of them ..."
