Annotated Book List

KEYSTONE TO READING BOOK AWARD LISTS

2005-2006

Annotated Primary List

Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson

Hilda the hippo loved to dance but her neighbors in the jungle did not love her dancing. She tried knitting and singing but wasn’t happy. Water ballet was the answer! Your students will find the rhythm and rhyme in this story very appealing!

Idea: Learn a new dance step and teach it to your class!

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Vashti does not see herself as an artist until her teacher encourages her. This powerful tale reminds all teachers of how they can make a difference in their students’ lives.

Idea: Have an art show where all students display their work.

Animal Tracks, Wild Poems to Read Aloud by Charles Ghigna

Charles Ghigna (a.k..a. Father Goose) has written another terrific collection of read aloud poems about animals. The play-on-words and entertaining illustrations by John Speirs make this book a winner.

Idea: Read many, many poems, tongue twisters, rhymes, and riddles aloud throughout the day.

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

Have you ever wondered how big the eye is on a giant squid? Wonder no longer because Actual Size illustrates the correct height and width - 12” across. Interesting facts on each animal and insect are found at the end. Use this book in science class to help students understand the actual size and shape of the creatures they are studying.

Idea: Students will love creating their own Actual Size book.

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Librarian Molly McGrew makes a wrong turn and drives her bookmobile into the zoo. After enjoying Molly’s many titles, the animals turn to writing their own tales.

Idea: Decorate the school library as a zoo. Have students write stories about animals and have them read their tales aloud to stuffed critters in the zoo.

Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio and Howard Fine

Little Runt wants more space in bed with mama and papa pig and “sisters Rose and Flo, and big, blue-ribbon Ed.” He successfully shoves each family member off the straw pile only to find himself lonely and scared.

Idea: Follow-up this wonderful book with “Roll Over” and other finger plays and rhymes.

Hurty Feelings by Helen Lester

Though Fragility the hippo was a solid piece of work with a sturdy exterior, Fragility was fragile. Anything and everything hurt her feelings. Even the most benign compliment would offend oversensitive Fragility and cause her to break down in tears. Her friends stop speaking to her for fear of another fit, but Rudy, a bully elephant, has other ideas. In the face of real insults, will Fragility learn to take a compliment?

Idea: Use to promote a group discussion of social situations concerning emotions, feelings, and bullying.

Animals Asleep by Sneed B. Collard III

This picture book presents the sleep behaviors of a wide variety of creatures from all over the world. Readers learn how orangutans weave a sleeping nest, mother pandas nap with their babies, and sea otters “sack out in a nearby kelp bed.” People aren’t the only ones who enjoy a good rest. All animals have a biological need for sleep, but some animals snooze in ways that seem startling - if not absolutely impossible!

Idea: Connect with a nature or health unit. Students can select an animal and do more in- depth research on other aspects of its behavior.

Uncle Andy’s: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol! by James Warhola

It’s 1962 and the seven Warhola (Uncle Andy dropped the last ‘a’) children, their junk dealer daddy and their momma from rural Pennsylvania are off to see the Wizard of Pop Art and their Grandmother Bubba in New York City. Through James’ eyes, we see the things that made his family visits memorable. Uncle Andy’s offers an exciting and unique perspective on one of the most influential artists of our time.

Idea: Introduce your students to one of the great artists of the 20^th century. Have them create their own art from unusual objects. This can also lead to the reading of other biographies, books on art, and families.

My Teacher for President by Kay Winters

Using simple, sparse text, this book summarizes the basic presidential duties. It does this using two spreads that draw analogies between what Oliver’s teacher does in her daily teaching tasks and how that relates to presidential duties she’d have if elected. In a funny and fun way, it provides a great tribute to the teachers of the world.

Idea: Have students use the format of this book to make comparisons between other people and their jobs. Other books on this topic include Duck for President by Doreen Cronin and So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George.

Annotated Intermediate List

Race for the Sky, The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore by Dan Gutman

In this fictionalized diary, Johnny Moore, a real person who witnessed the Wright brothers experiments, tells of his relationship with the Wrights and his role in the events leading up to their first flight. Over the course of three years, he forms a friendship with the odd brothers from Ohio, improves his writing and grammar skills, and even gets a chance to ‘fly!’

Idea: Have students list the “good” and “bad” things that airplanes have wrought. Students can also begin to keep their own journals. This is also a great book for teaching “voice” in writing.

The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney

You can learn a lot by observing another species. Humphrey, a likable hamster, narrates this novel about the daily adventures in Room 26, as well as his weekend adventures when he gets to sleep over with different students. Humphrey learns to read, write, shoot rubber bands, turn off TVs, teach English as a second language, and more. Humphrey’s presence makes a positive difference in the lives of the people he meets.

Idea: Have students write a pet’s point-of-view narrative about the adventures of their own pet or a pet they would like to have. This also could lead to a discussion about the importance of knowing the whole story before making judgments.

Artic Lights, Arctic Nights by Debbie Miller

Imagine a land where the sun rises at 1:58 a.m. in the summer and shines for less than three hours in the winter. Children will see and read about the dramatic changes in light and temperature, as well as the reaction of arctic wildlife to these changes during the span of a year.

Idea: After reading this book students will enjoy getting out the almanac and comparing sunrise and sunset times in Alaska and Pennsylvania. Comparing average monthly temperatures would be fun, too.

The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This is a fictionalized account of Mary Pickersgill’s commission to create a colossal flag to be flown over Fort McHenry, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Told through the eyes of Mary’s 12-year-old daughter Caroline, readers get a sense of the times. When finished, the flag measured 30 by 42 feet and weighed 80 pounds. Whether or not this flag or another smaller flag was the one flying over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” is still debated by scholars today.

Idea: Mary’s flag still exists and is on display in the Smithsonian Institution. Check it out on the Smithsonian’s web site www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/starflag.htm.

My Teacher Likes To Say by Denise Brennan-Nelson

A wonderful collection of idioms, proverbs, and clichés and their history told in poetry and expository text. Many of them are still used today. Children will be intrigued to learn where “Do you have ants in your pants,” “Great minds think alike” and many other such expressions originated. The illustrations only add to the fun.

Idea: After reading the sayings in the book, students might enjoy making their own collection.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

What do M&Ms and art have in common? They are the beginning of a sixth grade friendship between Petra and Calder. The friendship grows when a thief steals a valuable Vermeer painting on its way to Chicago, their hometown. The thief leaves clues in the newspaper, but tracking down the painting isn’t easy. The two children must figure out what a set of pentominos (mathematical puzzle pieces) and their very nervous teacher have to do with the artwork. The book’s illustrator, Brett Helquist has hidden a pentomino message in several of his illustrations for readers to solve.

Idea: If your students enjoyed this book they may enjoy The Westing Game and A View from Saturday.

Shredderman, Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen

This fast-paced, first book in the Shredderman series will especially be a hit with middle grade reluctant readers. Bubba Bixby is the school bully and Nolan Byrd is the school nerd, or is he? As Shredderman, Nolan becomes a superhero, “flying though cyberspace, fighting for truth and justice!” You have to read to see what happens to Bubba.

Idea: Students can learn more about the Internet Superhero and his other adventures at www.Shredderman.com.

In the Shadow of the Mammoth by Patricia Nikolina Clark

At eleven summers, Zol is approaching the age where boys prove their manhood by going on their first mammoth hunt. This story, set over 12,000 years ago during the ice age, is Zol’s quest for courage and the chance to honor the memory of his father, killed several years before during such a hunt. The story is full of adventure as Zol is almost drowned, attacked by a long-toothed cat, and comes face-to-face with a mammoth.

Idea: Students might enjoy learning more about life during Zol’s time.

Last Modified 01/24/2010 Website Coordinator: Eric C. MacDonald