Lit Block Book Blog

This popular Dr. Seuss book is inspiring for even adults. This book emphasizes the saying "when one door closes, another one opens." There are many opportunities in life, you just have to go out and get them. As with any Dr. Seuss book, there is humor and wit in the wring of this book. I would say the intended audience for this book is 2nd to 3rd grade, but it is fitting for anyone at any age. An activity I would do with this book would to have students share with the class what they want to be when they grow up. The can dress up as this person whether it be a rockstar, a doctor, or to be just like their mom or dad! This gets students thinking about the future and gets them motivated to look beyond school life and set goals to get to the place they want to go! 

This book's title alone is guaranteed to grad the attention of any potential reader, because what would happen if an old lady swallowed a fly? And furthermore, who has ever heard of an old lady who swallowed a dog, or a horse? This book is humorous and full of unusual plot twists making readers sit on the edge of their seats waiting to read about the next crazy thing this old lady will swallow. This book's intended audience is 2nd grade. An activity I could do with this book is have the audio song version of the book play, along with the YouTube music video playing and have each student have a card that represents an animal the old lady swallowed. Every time the students heard the name of what was on their card, they have to stand up. This is such a fun activity for students because it gets them up and moving and also engaged in the reading. There are many versions of this book and many audio songs that could be used! 

The Pete the Cat series has become an instant hit with elementary schools around the nation. Something about Pete and his catchy, groovy songs pulls students in and leaves them wanting more. This book is no different! This book, Pete the Cat is rocking his new school with this school shoes and is exciting to show them in the hall, in the classroom, and of course, in recess! The intended audience for this book is kindergarteners. In this book, it is Pete's first day back at school- just as it is kindergarteners first year in school, This book would be great to read on the first day of school. An activity I could do with this book would be on the first day of school, after reading this book, would to get students' thought on their first day of school excitements or anxieties. This would be something to keep through the year, and at the end of the school year show the students how far they have grown and gotten used to the routine and expectations of school. It probably won't be as scary as they initially think! 

Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs, right? Well, sometimes not everything is as it seems. And this is no different than this rendition of the three little pigs. These types of stories are great to share with students because it gets them seeing different sides of every story. Firsthand accounts and secondhand accounts are also a great mini lesson to include in these types of books. The intended audience for this book is 3rd graders. These students are old enough to know the traditional story and are old enough to be able tot think of this story in a different light. An activity I would do with this book is have student collaborate in groups and come up with their own version of the three little pigs. The students would then share and compare and contrast their stories with the originals and the other groups' renditions as well. 

This children's picture book is probably in my top 5 all- time favorites. This book, cleverly written and beautifully illustrated, lets the readers follow the story of a little boy and a tree who loved that boy- so much so that the tree would do anything for that little boy, even when he got older and sometimes abandoned the tree. This book emphasizes that value of friendship and sacrifice. The intended audience for this book is 1st or 2nd grade. Children this age should be able to realize the people in their life who are like the tree- people who love so much they would give them everything they had. An activity I would do with this book is to have each student make a tree and have 5 or 6 leaves. On every leaf, they would write something they loved about a specific person or something they were thankful that specific person did for them. This could be a great activity during Thanksgiving time! 

This book is great for addressing diversity in the classroom- especially for an inclusive classroom. Andy, the main character in this novel, has autism and spend most of his recess time alone on the playground. The other students don't quite understand Andy, but a new girl to the school tries to befriend Andy. The intended audience for this book is 2nd grade. At his age, students are more apt to realize the difference between themselves and other students- especially those who are in need of special aids. Children this age are curious and just want to understand their peers. An activity I could use for this book are to have the students come up with ways to befriend other peers who may be little different than they are- whether it be different skin color, different disabilities, or different family backgrounds. Diversity in the classroom is so important and it is imperative to create a positive and accepting classroom climate. 

This book is a very unusual book that I would classify as a children's horror novel. Coraline comes across a secret passage corridor that leads to an alternate universe consisting of her "other mother" and "other father." Everything is the same in this alternate world, except her other mother with buttons as eyes seems to be giving Coraline the attention she has always wanted and longed for from her real mother. Will Coraline decide to stay in this other world or will she soon realize that she misses her real mother and want them back from the wicked other mother? The intended audience for this novel, I would say, would be 5th grade. Students younger than this I feel would get lost in the plot or get lost in Coraline's plan to get her parents back. An activity I would do with this book would be for my students to design a plan to trick the other mother into letting them go back to the real world. The students would have to write their plan in sequential order with specific instructions. This activity would be a great ordering activity as well as descriptive writing activity!

Willy Wonka's doors are finally opening again....but only 5 children are allowed in. Charlie Bucket is lucky number 5. The mysterious chocolate factory will be inherited by one of the 5 children. Wonka is looking for an honest, priority conscious child who he could trust with his pride and joy. Charlie Bucket may just be the person Willy Wonka has been looking for. This book has an intended audience of 4th grade. This relatively easy read allows the readers to dive deep into the setting of this novel and enjoy the creativity Ronald Dahl puts into his writing. An activity I could do with this book would be to have students create their own chocolate bar to sell as they became the new owner of the chocolate factory. They would have to design the wrapping and come up with a catchy slogan to go along with their invention. Let students have fun with their creativity and allow them to have brain breaks- which this activity would be great for! 

This book is one of my favorite children's picture books that emphasizes being unique and being yourself. Humu didn't like being so different with his colors, unlike all his other fish friends who were one color. Humu goes to the magic whale and wishes to be the color of the sand. The whale grants his wish and says if he regretted his decision he could get his colors back in three days time. Humu went back to his fish friends and soon realized he regretted changing who he was. The intended audience for this book is 2nd graders. These students are now noticing differences between themselves and other students. It is a good idea to start promoting a healthy and accepting classroom environment more than ever. An activity I would use with this book would be to have each student write one good and nice thing about 3 students on a sticky note. The teacher would make sure every student had the same amount of sticky notes of nice things about them. The students would post their positive note under their person's name. This would promote a classroom community, and a family feeling between the students. 

Little Max was sent to bed without supper- and he was not too happy about it. So he decides to sail away to where the wild things are and become their king. When Max finally decides to come home, his supper is waiting on him, still hot. This book offers elaborate illustrations and a fun "get away" theme for children. The intended audience for this book is K-2nd graders. An activity I would do with this book would be for the student's to draw their ultimate "get away" place that they rule over. After they had finished, they would present to the class, explaining why they included what they included in their special place. This gives students an opportunity to show pride in their work and also help them get over a potential fear of speaking in front of peers. The more practice the better! 

Ever felt like you have been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Ever felt unlucky? Well, welcome to the life of Stanley Yelnats- the main character of this children's novel. Stanley's family may be the unluckiest family of all time- all thanks to their dirty, stinking, good-for-nothing grandfather. Stanley gets sent to this juvenile detention camp for being accused of stealing a pair of shoes. At this camp, they dig holes..and lots of them, looking for a hidden treasure from the past of Kissing' Kate Barlow. During his time at this camp, he becomes close with another camper, Zero, who eventually helps Stanley break his family's curse. The intended audience for this novel would be 5th or 6th graders because of the length and some of the vocabulary. An activity I would do for this novel is for students to write to a prompt asking them what they would do if they found the Kissing' Kate Barlow treasure and had all the money they could think of. It s always fun to think of all the things you could do and would buy if money wasn't as option. And to students, that is no different. 

Dr. Suess is great for any elementary school classroom. His books are usually thought provoking, while also teaching fundamental lessons on language- as in this case rhyming! Rhyming is an important lesson for early childhood students to learn. Word families, word walls, and sometimes sight words have rhyming as a big foundation to these words- which is why this book is great to read to these students. I would say this book's intended audience is K-1st grade. An activity I would do with these students is split them into groups, give each group a core word, and have them come up with as many rhyming words as they can in a minute. A few rounds would be played and they will have been exposed to so many different words in a short amount of time, while also brainstorming! I feel like that would be a great rhyming activity. 

This novel follows an orphan boy by the name of Bud, Not Buddy. He carries around a suitcase that is very special to him that contains a collection of his mother's things. One of the most special things in that suitcase is a flyer of a jazz band with the main guy on the front- Bud thinks that guy is his father. After a terrible foster home experience Bud takes off to find the man he thinks is his father. This novel is intended for 5th or 6th graders. The historical context and some language fits this age group's maturity. An activity I could do with this book would be to have the students do a "show and tell" type activity for them to bring one thing they would take in their suitcase if they had to leave their home. This would make students think what is really important to them, along with realizing what is important to their peers. 

This book is one of the most interesting books I have ever come across. The illustrations are very cleverly drawn to where you could see two different things (a duck or a rabbit) depending the way you look at it or the angle you are look at it from. The whole book, the author argues whether or not what he sees is a duck or a rabbit. I would say the intended audience for this book is ANYONE! I enjoyed reading this as a college student. It is thought provoking and shows how diverse everyone's thought are. An activity I would do for this book to show students that not everyone thinks the same would be to give each student a blank piece of paper with just a box drawn in the middle. Each student would then have to show their creativity by extending the box into something more than just a box (maybe a robot, or a piano, or anything else they could think of). The results would be amazing and show students that just because people don't think alike, it does not mean they are wrong.

Bridge to Terabithia is a classic children's novel that follows a best friend duo, Jesse and Leslie, through their fifth grade year. Leslie being the new girl on the block crosses all traditional gender lines as what girls should or shouldn't do in the old, country town. Jess and Leslie then come up with a place of their own, Terabithia, where they can be themselves to the fullest. This book's intended audience I would say to be 4th or 5th grade. It is a chapter book that is quite lengthy. There are concept in the book (like death) at the end that are more suited for older elementary readers. However, this book would be great for the teacher to read to 3rd or early 4th graders. An activity I would do with this lesson would be for the students to make a text to self connection and for them to come up with their own Terabithia. The students would have to draw their own land, and explain in writing why it was so special and what special features were in their special places. I would display this work in the classroom or out in the hall so my students would feel encouraged to further display their creativity and good writing skills throughout the year.

This book is so great for students learning about numbers and sequential order. While the new caterpillar is going through this stage of his life, he is quite hungry; eating everything he can find. As the book goes on, the caterpillar eats more, and more, and more food...until he gets in his cocoon and turns into a butterfly. I would say the intended audience for this book would be K-2. For the younger grades, I would focus more on the number learning this book has to offer, while for 2nd grade I would focus more on the sequential ordering (first, second, third, then, last). An activity I would use this book for in the classroom is have the students retell the story in sequential order using picture cards representing what the caterpillar ate. This would get students back into the text and get students to use their application/relation skills to tell the story using cards instead of words, but also in the correct order.