Amanda Lamb
April 8, 2020
CIRG 653
Module 9
The impact of reading is irrefutable. Clay (2014) advises teachers share books with
children through read alouds and book introductions. “…parents and teachers will read aloud to
children of any age, introducing them to texts that they cannot yet tackle themselves…Reading to
children and allowing interaction provide rich opportunities for new learning about texts.” (p.
186) Reading aloud gives teachers opportunities to model good, fluent reading and excites and
motivates readers.
Book introductions are used when students are reading new stories independently. Clay
(2014) says for children that like shared reading (read alouds), rich introductions can encourage
them to be more independent as readers (p. 186). “Rich introductions to new stories make these
stories easier to read the first reading” (Clay, 2014, p. 187) She also states introductions allows
students to have relatable social interactions about new books that explore, test out, and draw on
their knowledge (p. 189-190) Book introductions allow teachers to respond to student needs;
whatever skills students possess or lack can be addressed effectively (Clay, 2014, p. 197).
Annotated Bibliography
Books 1-10 from American Library Association’s 2013 Notable Book Winner
1. Klassen, J. (2012) This Is Not My Hat. Candlewick Press.
A small fish steals a giant fish’s hat. He doubts the fish will notice nor care, and swims for
tall grass where no one will find him. A crab sees him, and when the giant fish swims up, he
points him toward the little fish. The story ends with the giant fish swimming away with the hat
on, with the little fish nowhere in sight. I would incorporate this in my classroom by asking
students to illustrate and write the end of the story: what happens to little fish? The only
stipulation? The little fish is living!
2. Bell. C. (2012). Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover. Candlewick Press.
Robot is coming to Rabbit’s for a sleepover, where they will do all the things that Rabbit has
put on his list: make pizza, watch TV, play Go Fish and then go to bed. Things do not go to plan,
and this makes Rabbit frustrated, while robot stays relaxed and problem solves. At the end of the
day, Robot recalls the day’s “data” which reminds the pair that they had a good day, even though
Amanda Lamb
April 8, 2020
CIRG 653
Module 9
things didn’t go according to plan. I would ask students to illustrate and label a plot chart with
this story, identifying story problem(s), events, climax, and resolution. (Gunning, 2016, p. 432)
3. Reynolds, A. (2012). Creepy Carrots. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Jasper loved carrots, until they started to follow him! He thought he heard and saw them
behind him, but when he’d turn around, nothing would be there. He even thought they were in
his shed and room, still nothing. He was convinced, however, they were all around! Therefore,
he went to Crackenhopper field and closed the carrots in so they couldn’t escape. Both Jasper
and the carrots were relieved to be rid of each other! I would have students work in pairs to
create opinion proof about whether Jasper was really seeing carrots. (Gunning, 2016, p. 431)
4. Willems, M. (2012). Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Balzer + Bray.
This is a twist on the classic story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In this story, the
dinosaurs cook chocolate pudding and plan a trap for the little girl, by traveling “somewhere
else” which happened to be the woods nearby. Goldilocks uses a ladder to get to the pudding and
after looking at the giant chairs and beds, she decides she doesn’t belong there. She is able to
leave through the back door just before the dinosaurs get there. I would turn this story into a
story theater for the students to practice and act out in groups. (Gunning, 2016, p. 436)
5. Hosford, K. (2012). Infinity and Me. Carolrhoda Books.
Uma questions infinity while looking at the night sky. She asks people from school and
family what they think infinity is, each one giving a different answer. Then, she questions
activities that she could do forever. In the end, the love for her grandmother made her realize just
how big infinity is. I would utilize quality talk to discuss the following authentic, critical
thinking question “What is infinity?” Then, I would have students respond in literary journals as
Uma, answer the question “What about grandma makes you love her to infinity?” (Gunning,
2016, p. 419)
6. Jeffers, Oliver. (2019). This Moose Belongs to Me. Philomel Books.
In this story, Wilfred owns a moose, Marcel. Wilfred and Marcel do everything together, and
Marcel follows Wilfred’s rules most of the time. While walking one day, Wilfred and Marcel
meet a lady who also claims the moose is hers, and Marcel doesn’t listen when Wilfred wants
him to leave. While heading home alone, Wilfred stumbles and gets tangled up. Marcel comes to
the rescue, and the pair make an agreement that Marcel can follow the rules when he wants too. I
would implement this in the classroom by posing the four levels of questioning that Gunning
(2016) mentions on page 424 to guide discussion of the story.
7. Woodson, J. (2012). Each Kindness. Nancy Paulsen Books
In this story, Chloe has a chance to befriend a new student, Maya, but instead, she turns her
away. Chloe and the others would even talk about her and make fun of her. One day, Maya
didn’t come to school and the teacher demonstrated how kindness affects people using water and
stones. Chloe couldn’t think of anything kind she had done and promised herself she would be
kind to Maya when she came back, however, Maya never did. I would use the reader response
approach with students to discuss this story. I would ask “What main feeling did it stir up?”
“Does this selection make you think of anything that has happened in your life?” (Gunning,
2016, p. 417)
Amanda Lamb
April 8, 2020
CIRG 653
Module 9
8. Rappaport, D. (2012). Helen’s Big World. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
This picture book biography depicts the life of Helen Keller from childhood through college,
public speaking, and social causes. I would use this book to kick start a project-based learning
PowerPoint project about extraordinary people who overcome adversity to meet their goals. The
purpose would be to find information about the person they choose to learn about. While
compiling research, students will participate in Buddy Buzz by marking two passages that are
funny, exciting, or sad. (Gunning, 2016, p. 441; 470)
9. Applegate, K. (2012). The One and Only Ivan. HarperCollins
This story is told from Ivan’s point of view. Ivan is a gorilla that resides in the mall as
entertainment. He spends his time watching TV, eating, and making art. Bob the dog and Stella
the elephant are his animal friends that also live at the mall. When Ruby, a baby elephant comes
along, she begins learning Stella’s tricks. Stella dies from an infection in her leg and Ivan
promises to take care of Ruby. Ivan paints a brilliant mural that spells HOME, and thanks to the
help of the janitor and his daughter, himself and Ruby are taken to a zoo. Ivan and Ruby are
happy, and the daughter comes to visit them at the zoo.I would read this novel aloud to students
and have them complete the character analysis chart Gunning (2016) provides on page 431
throughout the story.
10. Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. Knopf Books for Young Readers
August Pullman is a boy born with a disfigured face that lives with his mom, dad, and sister
in New York. After being homeschooled, he is surprised when his parents enroll him into a prep
school for 5th grade. August becomes friends with Jack, a boy he shares many classes with and
Summer, a girl he eats lunch with daily. Julian, a popular boy, teases and spreads rumors about
August. Over time, those who were siding with Julian begin being kind to August and Jack.
Students begin sticking up for August and at the end of the school year, he is given an award for
the impact he had on others. I would read this novel aloud to students and have them complete
the character analysis chart Gunning (2016) provides on page 431 throughout the story. I would
also have them illustrate and label the plot chart from page 432.
Books 11-20 from United States Board on Books for Young Children’s 2020 Outstanding
International Books List
11. Blackcrane, G. (2019). The Moose of Ewenki. Greystone Kids.
Gree Shrek, a Mongolian elder is hunting when he kills a female moose by mistake, leaving
her baby behind. He takes the baby in, calling it “little moose” and it quickly becomes part of the
camp, even joining the reindeer herd. As Gree ages, he realizes that “little moose” shouldn’t be
among humans and releases him back into the wild. I would incorporate this book into whole
group literature circles with book 12, 13, 14, and 15 to compare how loss and resilience is
portrayed in each book. Students would respond to text in dialog journals, sharing using an
author’s chair if desired. (Gunning, 2016, p. 418; 419-422)
12. Orbeck-Nilssen, C. (2019). Vanishing Colors. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
Amanda Lamb
April 8, 2020
CIRG 653
Module 9
A mother and her daughter rest in their war-torn town while the mother tells a story of a large
bird that comes from the mountains at night and protects them from danger. The girl wakes up in
the night and sees the bird, who gets her to talk about life before the war. This reminds her of the
good memories that she has, bringing the pair courage and hope for a fresh start. I would
incorporate this book into whole group literature circles with book 11, 13, 14, and 15 to compare
how loss and resilience is portrayed in each book. Students would respond to text in dialog
journals, sharing using an author’s chair if desired. (Gunning, 2016, p. 418; 419-422)
13. Dekko, E. (2019). Paws and Edward. Kids Can Press.
Paws the dog is old and prefers to spend his days sleeping and dreaming and Edward, his
human, stays close by. The two do everything together until Paws falls into a sleep “without
dreams.” Edward is devastated, but when he finally falls asleep in the park, on the bench Paws
used to lie on, he dreams of Paws happy. I would incorporate this book into whole group
literature circles with book 11, 12, 14, and 15 to compare how loss and resilience is portrayed in
each book. Students would respond to text in dialog journals, sharing using an author’s chair if
desired. (Gunning, 2016, p. 418; 419-422)
14. Meddour, W. (2019). Lubna and Pebble. Dial Books
Lubna’s best friend is a pebble; pebble makes her feel safe and always listens to her. When
arriving at a temporary home, she meets Amir, and they quickly become friends. When it is time
for Lubna to move to a better place she is happy yet sad to leave Amir. Lubna makes the tough
choice to give Amir her pebble, realizing that her new friend needs pebble more. I would
incorporate this book into whole group literature circles with book 11, 12, 13, and 15 to compare
how loss and resilience is portrayed in each book. Students would respond to text in dialog
journals, sharing using an author’s chair if desired. (Gunning, 2016, p. 418; 419-422)
15. Basil, K. (2019). A Sky Without Lines. Minedition.
Arturo and his mother are separated from his father and brother by a country border. In the
story, Arturo dreams of tunneling underground, swimming through the see, and flying with his
brother through the sky to the moon, where there is nothing keeping them apart. I would
incorporate this book into whole group literature circles with book 11, 12, 13, and 14 to compare
how loss and resilience is portrayed in each book. Students would respond to text in dialog
journals, sharing using an author’s chair if desired. (Gunning, 2016, p. 418; 419-422)
16. Abidia, X. (2019). The Farmer. Holiday House
Farmer Paul works while his village rests. He mows, rakes, and grows plants, which are
beautiful and abundant. However, his luck turns when drought hits and his plants wither.
Luckily, animal friends quickly come to his aid and save the crops. As simplistic as the story is, I
think this is a great story to begin the year with to remind children how important and helpful
friends are. I would ask students to rewrite the ending and share using an author’s chair.
17. Tanco, M. (2019). Count on Me. Tundra Books (NY)
This story follows a girl who wants to find her passion. She tries tennis, karate, dancing,
cooking, art, and music, but realizes that her love for math is her passion! She goes on to tell
readers why she loves math and includes information on fractals, polygons, concentric circles,
Amanda Lamb
April 8, 2020
CIRG 653
Module 9
solid figures, types of trajectories, and various sets at the end of the story. I would utilize project-
based learning to have students develop a television ad of their passion (working in teams –
finding a shared passion). The goal would be to persuade someone to try the activity. (Gunning,
2016, p. 470)
18. Vilela, F. (2019). Along the Tapajos. Amazon Crossing Kids
Caua and Inae are siblings in Brazil. The time has come for summer to turn to winter, which
means it rains every day, all day. Because of this, it is time to move. Once settled into their new
home, the children realize Titi, their turtle, isn’t with them. They decide to row back to get him,
saving him from an anaconda! I’d use strategic literature discussions with students for this book.
I would ask questions Gunning (2016) recommends for summarizing, making connections, and
looking back (p. 423).
19. Yoshitake, S. (2019). The Boring Book. Chronicle Books.
A boy questions what makes things boring and not boring, what boring means, and what
other objects may think “I’m bored.” At the end, his dad reminds him, “…no matter how bored
you are, it’s up to you to make things fun.” To implement this in the classroom, students would
answer critical thinking questions “What makes something boring?” “Can anything be boring?”
“What is boring to you that might not be boring to someone else?” in dialog journals. I would
take the responses and share similarities and stand outs with the class (Gunning, 2016, p. 418)
20. Vermette, K. (2019). The Girl and the Wolf. Theytus Books
A little girl gets lost when she wanders too far from her mom while picking berries. A grey
wolf talks to the girl when she becomes scared and panicked, saying “Take a deep breath, close
your eyes, then look. What do you see?” She does what he says, eventually finding her mother.
She goes on to tell everyone the story of the wolf who helped her in the woods. I would ask
questions using the reader response approach such as “Was there anything in it that surprised
you?” (Gunning, 2016, p. 417)
References
Gunning, T. G. (2016). Creating Literacy Instruction for All Students. Ninth Edition. Pearson
Merrill Prentice Hall. Pages 417, 418, 419-422, 423, 424, 431, 432, 436, 441, 470,
Clay, M. M. (2014). By Different Paths to Common Outcomes: Literacy Teaching and Learning.
Aukland, New Zealand: Global Education Systems (GES). Pages 186, 187, 189-190, 197
