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June 2007 Children’s Books by the Month
This month we feature titles from Boyds Mills Press
Clink Clank Clunk!
by Miriam Aroner, illustrated by Dominic Catalano
Rabbit's drive into town with nine of his friends becomes a very noisy ride.
ACTIVITY
ROLE PLAY
Write the names of each animal on a card including an illustration, if necessary. Have 10 students each pick one card until every animal name is taken.Whoever is Rabbit will make believe he or she is driving the car and each animal will be waiting in turn by the side of the road to join in. The remainder of the class will be responsible for making the appropriate noises.Use this as an opportunity to reinforce the terms first, second, third, etc. or to create math problems asking questions such as, "There are 10 animals in the car. How many would be left if two jumped out?" or, "There are three animals in the car and two more join them. How many are there now?"
Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly
by Stephen R. Swinburne, illustrated by Bruce Hiscock
The migration of the cloudless sulphur butterfly from the Yucatan Peninsula to North America is an amazing flight.
ACTIVITY
MAP IT
Using a map similar to the one in the book, have students pinpoint all of the locations that are mentioned such as the Yucatan Peninsula, the Gulf of Mexico and the states that are visited by the butterflies. This can be done with push pins, string, yarn or even small paper butterflies. Depending on the grade level, students can calculate the average mileage covered by the butterflies each day.
Sofie and the City
by Karima Grant, illustrated by Janet Montecalvo
Sofie misses her home country of Senegal and thinks that the new city where she lives has too many people, is too noisy and is very ugly. When she meets Kenya and discovers they share a love of drawing, Sofie begins to see the beauty in her new home.
ACTIVITY
SHARING FEELINGS
During a class discussion, ask students to share times when they have been lonely and discuss how they felt about their surroundings. Did the colored chalk help Sofie to see things differently, or was it her new friendship with Kenya that made her feel better? Talk with your students about being aware of someone in their school or neighborhood who might be lonely and what they could do to make him or her feel better.
The Terrible Hodag and The Animal Catchers
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by John Sandford
Lumberjack Olee Swenson needs to protect the 40-foot-tall Hodag from the animal catchers who want to put him in the zoo.
ACTIVITY
MAKING INFERENCES
The story tells us that the Hodag helped to get rid of the lumberjack's mean boss. Keeping in mind that the Hodag was a kind creature, ask students to infer just how Olee's boss was gotten rid of. They can write their idea on a strip of paper and/or illustrate what they think might have happened to him. Display the varied response around the room.
Fantastic Farm Machines
By Cris Peterson, photographs by David R. Lundquist
This book presents the wonderful new machinery that is available to modern-day farmers compared to several years ago.
ACTIVITY
WHAT IS FUNCTION?
Make a list of the various machines presented in the book. Using the information provided, ask students to help you record the functions of each machine. Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast how these tasks are
accomplished today compared to years ago when much of this work was done by hand. As an extension, have students ask their parents to list other machines or technology found in today's households that were not available when they were their age. Discuss how these inventions make life easier.
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To see the May 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the April 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the March 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the February 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the January 2007 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the December2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the November 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the October 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the September 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.
To see the August 2006 Children's Books by the Month click here.
