Little Tree

Teaching gives us the great pleasure of reaching out to young learners who are vastly different from one another. Some of our students are bold and confident, while others are more cautious and avoid risks at most costs. Little Tree, by Loren Long, will connect to your risk averse students by introducing them to a forest full of trees and animals whose diverse personalities mirror the students in our own classrooms.. Some trees immediately grow and change without fear or prodding. However, Little Tree enjoys life just as it is. He loves his little forest and the way his leaves cool him in the heat of summer. He wants things to stay the same, so when the seasons change, Little tree holds tightly to his leaves when all of the other trees begin to lose their foliage. He is afraid. Through thoughtful use of dialogue (in all of the ways we teachers want to help students use dialogue), the forest animals encourage Little Tree to drop his leaves so he can grow.  Careful placement of ellipses across pages invite page turns, which is sure to inspire young writers to try on this feature in their own writing. As seasons come and go, Little Tree resists dropping his leaves. As he does, he is unable to grow in the “just right” ways trees grow. Will Little Tree drop his leaves and take a risk in order to reach his full potential? Little Tree is a great SEL (Social Emotional Learning) book building and maintaining a safe learning community for learners.

Mentor Text Ideas- Ellipses; SEL; Dialogue

Listen to Our World

Listen To Our World, written by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, is paired with Melissa Sweet’s illustrations rich with watercolor, handmade paper, and mixed media. The images are sure to inspire children to try on Sweet's technique as they create their own illustrations to pair with their stories. The story begins with a view of children and mothers rich with diversity. Each child is greeted by their mother and encouraged to listen to the sounds of their world. Sweet’s whimsical illustrations in both horizontal and vertical page spreads bring to life caretakers and their young and their sounds from habitats across the world (a great way to tie in some science!)- The parrots from the top of a kapok tree in the rain forest “Squawk!”; Gila monsters in the desert “Hiss”; Eagles soar above mountain peaks. “Weee-aaa!”; In the jungle, monkeys swing from vines. “Eeee!”; Pandas enjoy bamboo in the forest. “Grrr!”; Crocodiles move through the swamp. “Snap!”; Kangaroos hop through the outback savanna. “Click!”; Little lions playfully “Roar” on the plains; The father penguin stays close to his baby at the South Pole. “Ha ha ha ha!”; Elephants on the grassland drink and graze. “Honk!”; Whales swim in the sea. “Wahhh!” Each page turn is greeted with Sweet's use of typography, which is yet another way to show children how to play with language and text. The story ends the way it began with a loving glimpse of a child with their mother. Only now it is bedtime and the world becomes quiet. The last pages give the reader facts about the animals and their habitats.

Mentor Text Ideas- Onomatopoeia; Animal Habitats; Watercolor Illustrations; Typography

Ideas Are All Around

Teachers of young writers can all relate to hearing, “I don’t know what to write.” Philip Stead’s new book, Ideas Are All Around, gives readers a glimpse into finding the extraordinary details in an ordinary day. Without ideas, the writer becomes the narrator. The narrator’s voice illuminates the happenings while on a walk with Wednesday, a cute, scruffy dog. The illustrations are created with Polaroid photographs, collage, and monoprint techniques. They offer a peek into the world around them with a special emphasis on the animals who share this rural space with Wednesday and his walker. Along the way, they meet up with Barbara, a friendly neighbor who inspired the cover art of the blue horse. Seeing some spilled blue paint on her porch, Barbara says, “How wonderful… A blue horse!” This very horse moves across the pages leading Wednesday back to Barbara after many adventures on his walk. Barbara reminds us all that ideas are all around us. This book is sure to inspire writers of all ages to look and listen in closely to their world as a way to find inspiration and ideas.

Mentor Text Ideas- Getting Ideas; Memoir; Photography Illustrations