Emily Henley

Activity 6.2 Exploring New Books

1. What book and author won the Caldecott Medal in 2016. Briefly describe this book.
a. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, illustrated by
Sophie Blackall, written by Lindsay Mattick (Little, Brown/Hachette). This is a
story about a vet who rescues a baby bear and their journey. At the end, the bear
meets a boy named Christopher Robin and it inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
2. What book and author won the Caldecott Medal in 2012. Briefly describe this book.
a. A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of
Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.). This is a
picture book about a dog who breaks something they love and dealing with the
loss of it.
3. What book and author won the Newberry Medal for 2017. Briefly describe this book.
a. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (Algonquin Young
Readers/Workman). This is a book about a girl who is raised by a witch that
scares a village. When she comes of age and gains her magic, people from the
village come to defeat the witch and she must protect the witch.
4. Name one of the The Children’s Choice Book Awards for 2018. Briefly describe this
book.
a. The Losers Club BY: Andrew Clements. This book is about a 6th grader who
loves to read. His principal enforces a rule of “paying attention” so he knows he
cannot read in class anymore. He starts a “Losers Club” to be alone and read his
books. Only he finds out, more students, even ones he does not expect, join the
club.
5. Pick four authors who are new to you and watch the brief interviews with them (Reading
Rockets and Adolescent Lit websites). Be prepared to write a brief summary of what you
learned about each author (2-3 sentences). (.5 points for each author sharing)
a. Alma Flor Ada – She was taught to read by her grandmother. She made reading
come to life for her and it made her love reading. She loves words. Her mother
sang ancient mid-evil ballads to put her to sleep and it taught her to love words.
When she found these words in books, it sparked excitement in her.
b. Julie Andrews – (What?! The sound of magic! Love her.) Her writing started
with her daughter asking her to write a story. Her husband encouraged her to
finish writing and it turned into a book. She was Julie Edwards, then Julie
Andrew-Edwards and then Julie Andrews. Her 1st 2 novels were for young adult.
Her first young children book, with her daughter, wrote a truck book because the
grandson couldn’t find a book about this topic and it was what they wanted.
c. Sid Fleischman – writer, but was not his plan. He has written 60 books.
Newbery-Winning book The Whipping Boy. Writes 1-2 a year. His books are
translated into around 20 languages. Lives in California.
d. Emily Jenkins – author or children’s books and chapter books. Dad’s a
playwriter and his last name is without the S, Jenkin. She went with her dad to
work and this is what inspired her to become a writer. She noticed how when her
dad was working how the story telling changed with scene changing, lighting
changes, and adding costumes. It inspired her to tell stories in print.
6. State and briefly describe one book you would recommend for the following grade levels.
(This can be the result of your internet explorations or library/bookstore visits): (.5 points
for each level)
a. Preschool – Kindergarten: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – “The 26 characters in
this rhythmic, rhyming baby book are a lowercase alphabet with attitude. "A told b, and b
told c, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree'"--which probably seemed like a good
idea until the other 23 members of the gang decided to follow suit. The palm tree
standing straight and tall on the first page begins to groan and bend under its alphabetical
burden. First the coconuts fall off, then ("Chicka chicka... BOOM! BOOM!") all the
letters also end up in a big heap underneath.” Goodreads.com
b. 1st – 2nd grade: The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin – “One day in
the pumpkin patch the strangest little pumpkin hatched.... Spookley the Pumpkin was
different. All the other pumpkins teased him, until Spookley proved that being different
can save the day!” Goodreads.com
c. 3rd – 4th grade: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs – ‘In this hysterical and
clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young
readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.””
Goodreads.com
d. 5th - 6th: How to Steal a Dog – “Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father
left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car.
With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to
live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set
on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of
five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All
she has to do is "borrow" the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What
happens next is the last thing she expected.” Goodreads.com
e. 7th -8th grade: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – “Harry Potter has never
even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four,
Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are
swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a
great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing
news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!” Goodreads.com
f. 9th – 10th grade: The House on Mango Street “Told in a series of vignettes –
sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl
growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other
books in our time have touched so many readers.” Goodreads.com
g. 11th – 12th grade: Ready Player One – “IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly
place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the
virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles
hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's
obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and
fortune to whoever can unlock them.
But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to
kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to
win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.”
Goodreads.com
7. Using the BookWizard tool available at scholastic.com, name the title of one book hat is
similar to Charlotte’s Web. The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett.
8. Use the BookWizard tool available at scholastic.com, and find a book that is similar to a
book that you enjoy reading to students. A book I have read a lot is “How to Steal a Dog”
by Barbara O’Connor. A book-a-like is Lety Out Loud: A Wish Novel by Angela
Cervantes.
9. Describe the web resource that you found most interesting/helpful. – I have never used
any of these websites to find books so I really enjoyed reading through them. The one I’d
be most likely to use is the Adolescent Author because I am working with middle school
students and their emotional trials.
10. Describe an additional web resource for finding out about books for students in Prek –
12th grade (not listed). I use Goodreads all the time, Pinterest and firstbook.org.
11. Describe a book or author that you discovered in this activity that you would like to
explore further. – I don’t think I could narrow it down to just one book. I purchased The
Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan, so I will probably read that first.