Yuck, A Love Story

Yuck, a Love Story

Governor General’s Literary Award winning Picture Book

Gay, Marie-Louise & Gillmor, D.  (2000).  Yuck, a Love Story.  New York, NY:  Stoddart Kids.

This picture was obtained from: http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/12/28/macro-micro-and-moonlight-yuck-a-love-story/

“She’s yucky,” Austin told him. 

“Who is?” Sternberg asked.

“Amy,” Austin said.”

-page 11 of Yuck, A Love Story

A Little about the Book:

Yuck, A Love Story is about Austin, a little boy who is in love with his new next door neighbour, Amy.  Austin claims he does not like her and displays the typical younger kids love towards Amy.  For example, Austin goes over to Amy’s house and builds her a Apatosaurus.  When Amy looks at it she says Apatosaurus’s have small brains, and Austin all offended replies she does also.  Amy invites Austin to her birthday party.  Austin than goes and lassoes the moon for Amy and gives it to her for her birthday.  At the end both Austin and Amy are friends. 

The Illustrations:

Yuck, A Love story won the Governor General’s Literary Award for its illustrations.  The pictures are well drawn and contain eye-pleasing combination of colors.  My favourite illustrations of the book are pages 2 and 3, which depict Austin and Amy’s first meeting.  The illustrations pay attention to detail, but still provide a cartoonish aspect to them.  I enjoy how all the characters look like bobble-heads; it reminds me of comics I used to look at as a child.

Themes:

·         Being a good neighbour

·         friendship

Age Level:

Yuck, A Love Story is appropriate for children four years old and up.  Although the younger, the child the less likely they are o understand Austin loves Amy.  Children should be able to read Yuck, A Love Story by themselves by the age of eight years old and possibly sooner. 

Personal Response:

Yuck, A Love Story was extremely interesting.  I enjoyed the story, and loved the illustrations.  When I was done reading Yuck, A Love Story, I was smiling due to being reminded of myself as a child and how I would say I didn’t like a boy but in fact had a crush on him.  There is definitely humour in the story, which children would over look, but adults would catch right away.

As much as I like Yuck, A Love Story, I also believe adults need to take the time to explain to children some of the things Austin says to Amy can be hurtful and are very mean. 

Teacher Ideas:

Add to the Book

Have the students write a page to add to Yuck, A Love Story.  The page should state what Austin runs into on one of the twenty-two countries Austin goes through while trying to capture the moon for Amy. 

When students have finished their pages, combine the pages and they have a class book.

Language Arts

This activity encompasses the language arts curriculum by getting the students to be creative and write an original adventure Austin experiences.  Have the students write, edit, and share their adventure.

Social Studies

You can incorporate the social studies curriculum by getting students to focus on a country they are currently studying.  For example in Grade 3, the students can focus on Peru, India, Tunisia, and the Ukraine.  Have students incorporate aspects from the country in their illustrations, and possibly activities, which occur in the country in their story.

Art

Have the students draw and color their own pictures.  You can be creative and allow students to use different textiles, mediums, and objects to draw and paint the pictures.  In addition, have students pay attention to the illustrations present in the book, and ask them what they like about the illustrations.  Have them incorporate some of these things in their illustration.

Order the book here:

Buy Yuck, A Love Story here

Eat it Up!

Eat it Up

Cookbook

DeMariaffi, Elisabeth.  (2009).  Eat it up.  Toronto, Ontario: Owl Kids.

This picture was obtained from: https://owlkids.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=200

A Little about the Book:

Eat it up is a cookbook designed for kids to learn how to cook meals, snacks, and dessert.  The cookbook is great because it teaches children about safety, cooking terms and techniques, and the utensils used when cooking.  The recipes are all very simple, and taste great.  The cookbook also incorporates cartoon characters and comic strips to keep it kid friendly.  In addition, the names of the recipes are very creative.

The Illustrations:

The illustrations turn a typical adult genre of reading into kid’s material.  I find all of the cartoon characters to be cute and funny, and the comic strips to be a creative way of introducing the recipes and tips.  My four-year-old son just loves the cartoon characters.  His favourite one is Robin.

Themes:

·         Healthy eating

·         Cooking and preparing food

·         Kitchen safety

Age Level:

This cookbook is appropriate for kids between the ages of 4 and 11.  For the younger kids an adult needs to help read, and cook, but they are capable of following the illustrations for the step-by-step procedures.  The older kids would be able to read the cookbook, and create the recipe with minimal adult help.

Personal Response:

I love this cookbook.  Not only do kids get experience with creating healthy meals, they also learn math, read, and follow directions.  The best part of the cookbook is when the kid is finished reading and following directions they are rewarded with homemade food. 

The language used in the book is very kid friendly.  Any words, which may cause confusion for a child, are bolded and can be looked up in the glossary at the front of the book.  The cartoon characters add a comic relief to cooking, and make cooking inviting to all children (including the stubborn boy who thinks cooking is for girls). 

I cannot praise this book enough.  I love using cookbooks as a piece of literature with children.  They learn so many life skills, and have fun doing so.

Teacher Ideas:

Mathematics

Have the children measure out the ingredients for the recipe and pour it into their bowl. 

Make a word problem for the children to solve.  If there are __ people in our class, and the recipe makes enough food for 4 people, how many times should we make the recipe?

Explore shapes.  Have the students look at the shapes of the fruit or vegetables being used and explain what shape they look like.  Have students group them according to a similar characteristic.

Time.  Have students keep track of time while the food cooks. 

Language Arts

Reading.  Get the students to take turns reading one of the steps. 

Following directions.  Read the procedure or have students read the procedure themselves.  Allow the students to follow the directions themselves to make the food (make sure an adult helps with the cutting and actual cooking).

Writing.  Have the students write out the procedure themselves.  They then will have a copy they can each follow.

Order the Cookbook Here:

Click to buy Eat it Up

Duck on a Bike

Duck on a Bike

A fiction picture book

Shannon, David.  (2002). Duck on a Bike.  New York, NY: The Blue Sky Press.

This picture was obtained from: http://365books365days.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/duck-on-a-bike-david-shannon/

“Ne-ee-igh” said the Horse.  But what he thought was, “You’re still not as fast as me, Duck!”

-page 11 from Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

A Little about the Book:

Duck on a Bike is about a duck who decides to ride a bike around the farm yard.  Duck rides the bike passed a dog, a cat, pigs, a goat, a horse, a rooster, a mouse, a cow, and a sheep.  Then a group of children ride their bikes passed the animals to the farm house.  When the children go inside of the house all of the animals ride their bikes.

The Illustrations:

The illustrations are eye-catching, bright, and very interesting.  My four year old son found the pictures to be very entertaining and wanted to look at each one in depth.

Themes:

·          Farm animals

·         Riding Bikes

·         Following the leader

·         Attempting something new

Age Level:

Duck on a Bike is a great story for kids between the ages of 3 and 7.  The story is easy to follow and humorous for children.  The reading level of this book would be around Grade 2.

Personal Response:

I enjoyed the story a lot.  The illustrations were amazing, and captivating.  The story itself was simple, but addicting.  I read this book over and over again a few nights in a row.  Duck on a Bike is a story I would use in a classroom, and recommend as a bed time story for any child!

Teacher Ideas:

Duck on a Bike would be great to use for a Farm Animal unit.  The following is a list of websites full of activities to use with Duck on a Bike.

http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/06/duck-on-a-bike/

This website includes a synopsis of the book, and a list of literacy activities.  There is also a list of questions to ask the students before and after reading the book, and tips for reading the book.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mpaperduck.htm

This website provides instructions on doing a duck paper craft.  The craft is a great template and can be used for children in Kindergarten to Grade 2.  You can make the craft detailed by allowing the students to decorate their duck with feathers.  To make a great bulletin board display, put up a farmyard backdrop, and have everyone make a duck and a bike and display it throughout the farmyard. 

Listen to the Story Here:

Click here to listen to a reading of Duck on a Bike

Muhammad Ali: Sports Series

Muhammad Ali

 A non-fiction chapter book

Barber, Terry.  (2007). Muhammad Ali: Sports Series.  Canada:  Grass Roots Press.

This picture was obtained from: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/feature-muhammadali_65.html

“Ali never found the theif who took his bike.  He found magic in a boxing gym.  The name Ali is known around the world.  Ali may be the best boxer ever.”

                -page 45 from  Muhammad Ali

A Little about the Book:

The book Muhammad Ali is a biography of Muhammad Ali’s life.  The book starts out talking about Clay getting his bike stolen, which resulted in his desire to be a boxer.  Clay than changes his name to Muhammad Ali so he no longer sounds like a slave.  Muhammad goes on to win an Olympic gold medal, which he throws in the river, and fight against racism.  This book highlights Muhammad’s accomplishments in and out of the boxing ring.

The Illustrations:

The book, Muhammad Ali, uses photographs of Muhammad Ali’s life.  The pictures provide the children with a visual of how Muhammad Ali, and a visual to go along with the story being told.  The photographs add more depth to the book.

Themes:

·         the life of Muhammad Ali

·         Boxing

·         The fight to overcome racism

Age Level:

Muhammad Ali is set up as an early chapter book.  This book is suitable for children between the ages of seven and eight years old.  The Grade level would be between Grades 2 and 3.

Personal Response:

I really enjoyed Muhammad Ali.  I learnt a lot of new information about Muhammad Ali’s life.  The writing structure was very easy to follow, and engaging for the reader.  I enjoyed how the chapters were set up in a manner, which would be equivalent to a chapter in someone’s life.  Overall, the book was easy to follow and flowed nicely.  I would definitely recommend this book for anyone to read.

Teacher Ideas:

This book would be great to use for social studies as a resource for learning about important individuals in our history.  Muhammad Ali would be a great book to use for a sports theme for an English unit.  I would also recommend this book for boys who struggle to finish a book, or dislike reading, but do like sports.    

A Chair for my Mother

A Chair for My Mother

Williams, Vera.  B. (1982).  A chair for my mother.  New York, NY:  Greenwillow Books.

This picture was obtained from: http://www.alywilliams.com/blog/

“Sometimes mama is laughing when she comes home from work.  Sometimes she’s so tired she falls asleep while I count the money out into piles.  Some days she has lots of tips.  Some days she has only a little.  Then she looks worried.  But each evening every single shiny coin goes into the jar.”

                -page 6 from A Chair for my Mother by Vera Williams

A Little about the Book:

First, it needs to be noted that A Chair for my Mother is a Caldecott Honor book.  The story is about a young girl whose desire is to purchase a chair, to replace the furniture lost in a previous house fire, for her mother to relax in after waitressing.  When the girl’s mother comes home from work the girl and mother count out the tip money the mother received for the day and deposit some into a jar.  The child’s Grandmother also contributes money to the fund.  When the jar is full, the girl and her mother go to the bank and exchange the money for ten-dollar bills, which they then use to purchase a comfortable flower patterned chair.

The Illustrations:

The illustrations resemble ones, which a child would draw and color.  In each picture, a story is being told, and the reader is captivated by the bright colors used. 

Themes:

·         Helping out someone in need

·         Working together to accomplish a goal

·         The love of a family

Age Level:

The story would appeal to a child between the ages of 5-8.  I would recommend the book for a child in Grade 2-3 to read by them self. 

Personal Response:

I felt the story was decent.  The story itself was not over engaging.  I must admit there was a great underlying message to the story about how working together can help achieve a goal.  I also appreciated how it did include not only the daughter, mother and grandmother helping make the mother’s life better, but also the community working together to help re-establish a household for the family after their previous one burnt down.  I do recommend others to read the book.

Teacher Ideas and Links:

This book would be great to use for Character Education.  The following is a list of websites, which teachers could use in correspondence with this book.

http://ilt.dpsk12.org/stories/storyReader$31

This website provides activities teachers can use with this book.  The activities focus on language arts and math.

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/a_chair_for_my_mother.php

This website provides resources to use A Chair for my Mother as a whole unit.  There are activities available to use the book as a focus in Science, Social, Language Arts, Math, Art, and Bible studies.  A list of possible field trips is also included on this website!

Listen to the Story Here:
A Reading of A Chair for my Mother on youtube

Let's Get Things Started

Hello everyone,

To start with I would like to introduce my blog.  This blog is all about children's books!  In the next few months I will be reading children's books and posting information about the books on here.  The books will be aimed at children between the ages of newborn to about 11 or 12 years old.  Along with information I will also be posting my thoughts about the book, and any other interesting things I come across related to the book!

Now a little about me.  My name is Amber.  I am a 23year old student at the University of Alberta.  I am currently in my last year of my Bachelor of Education degree!  I love children and in fact have two 4 year old boys!  My hobbies,which I must admit I have very little time for now a days, include sports and watching the Oilers play.  I also like to bake and make crafts with the boys. 

I have to admit this is my first blog ever!  I hope to be posting something on here every week if possible!

I look forward to talking to everyone about all the books I read in the next few months!