A Chair for My Mother

 

A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams is a multicultural Realistic fiction that is based on a little girl named Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother whose house was destroyed in a fire.  Rosa's mother works really hard as a waitress at the Blue Tile Diner. After the fire, Rosa, her mother and her grandmother moved into a new house and was given many things. But they needed a big comfortable chair.  Therefore, this family got a jar that they used to save their coins in with the hopes of buying a new chair for all of them to enjoy. At the end of the story the three of them takes a picture in their new chair.



A Chair for My Mother is also a picture book that was also illustrated by Vera B. Williams.The book is considered a picture book because it has a combination of text and  art.  The Media and Techniques used in this book are oil painting and acrylic. The style art used is Folk art and Naïve art.

 

Activities:

• Retelling the Story: Have children retell the story including characters, plot, setting, and theme.
•  
• Decorate  coin jar and come up with a theme for saving:  Ask children if there is anything that they want to save for specifically and decorate jar and write their purpose for saving on the coin jar.
•  Create a character scrapbook for the main characters

The Author:



 

Vera B. Williams is an American children's writer and illustrator.  She award winning author and is known best for A Chair for My Mother.  Vera has written many children books that represents diversity like Cherrie and Cherry Pits and Home.

 

Reference:

1. Williams,V.B.(1982/1998) A Chair For My Mother. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

 

 

 

 

 



Llama Llama red Pajama

Llama Llama red Pajama is one of many in a series written by Anna Dewdney. In this particular book mama llama is putting baby llama to sleep. After she reads him a story and goes to do other things baby llama grows impatient. He cries and screams for mama. When she comes she explains to him she is always there for him even if she cant be there when he wants.

Llama llama red pajama expresses the virtue of patience to children. The book explains how when you want something it may not happen when you want it to happen but it will happen. I feel it also explains a small part of the role of a mother. It shows how mama is busy in her duties but she still loves baby very much and is always with him. It's great for children to read.

Anna Dewdney illustrated this picture book using the Acrylic and Pastels media and technique.  The illustrations of Llama Llama red Pajama reflects Representational Art. 

This is a fantasy picture book because the author took realistic events and told a story.  A. Dewdney used two talking Llama to carry out real life like events. The pictures are very vivid and lively.

 

Activities :

 SEQUENCING 

• .Select 5 students. Pass out the 5 pictures in random order.
•  Have the students discuss what happens in the story.        
•  Line up the students with the pictures in order of the story

 

LLAMA BINGO 

Each student has a card with different pictures of the story.

The teacher will show in different order a picture from the story, students will color the picture called with red crayons.

The students that finish first will be the winner of the game

Create a theme song for this book

 

 

 

Reference:

1. Dewdney, A (2005) Llama Llama red Pajama. New York: Penguin Group

Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School

This is a Fantasy children book that is about a small boy named Harry getting ready for his first day of school. He brings his bucket of dinosaurs to school with him for security. Harry is nervous at first on his teachers reaction to the dinosaurs, but they eventually help break the ice in the class room

Ian Whybrow has a large collection of "Harry" books. The Dinosaurs are featured in several of them: "Harry and the Bucket of Dinosaurs" and "Harry and the Dinosaurs have a Happy Birthday" are a few. Whybrow's works were first published in 1989. He has over 100 children's books in over 27 different languages. Ian even illustrates. Personally I feel the books I have read by Ian Whybrow are great for kids. They are easy for the kids to read with enough challenge and the illustrations help my two grade level kids figure out the tough words.

This book was illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. Adrian Reynolds has collaborated with Ian Whybrow to create a collection of books about Harry and his dinosaurs.

 

 

Fun Activities your child can do at home:

Write a story about a boy / girl who discovers 'bucketful of action figures in an attic. What might they discover? What adventures will they have?

Can you think of any special tricks to help you to learn the spellings of different dinosaur names and how to identify each dinosaur by name?

What do you know about dinosaur?

Reference:

Whybrow, I (2006). Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School. New York: Random House Children's Books

 

Ira Sleeps Over

Ira Sleeps Over 

 Bernard Waber wrote a children's book titled Ira Sleeps Over which is about a young boy named Ira, who is nervous about his first sleep over encounter. The entire book Ira is debating on whether or not he should take his teddy bear to the sleepover. In the end his friend had his own teddy bear and Ira felt comfortable enough to get his teddy bear.  This book is a great tool to use to teach children not t be afraid to be themselves and to be confident in who they are.

 

 

 

    Ira Sleeps Over is a contemporary realistic fiction book because this story uses real like characters and it  talks about things that are happening everyday. The story takes place in a contemporary setting. The children travel to school and each others home, which is in a child's daily activity. 

 

 

When having a discussion about sleepovers with me children I would choose to use this book .  Its a great introduction to the subject, helping them understand the events to come and what to expect. I feel as though the book can help a child  with the apprehension of being away from there home because it explains how much alike the two young boys really are. Ira never should have been embarrassed about taking his teddy bear to his friends house because he had one too.    

 

Activities:

1.After reading this book aloud I would ask the children to answer open questions like:

• What was Ira's sister like in the book compared to his parents?

What was the major problem Ira was having? How was it solved?

What were the activities they wanted to do during the sleepover?

 

2. Make the children give you a reflection of the story and what they learned from it.

 

 Reference

Waber, Bernard(2000)Ira Sleeps Over. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.