Mrs. D’s Reads

I read a new book last week by an author and illustrator that I have admired for a long time. I decided this week I would send you an author recommendation rather than individual titles.

Diane Stanley is one of the most skilled and prolific children’s authors and illustrators in the business. She has written in many genres and for many ages.

I first learned about this author through reading her excellent picture book biographies. In some of these titles she is the author and illustrator, in others she works in partnership with someone else. All of them stand up as some of the best written, and best-researched, non-fiction books for children there are. I have used her biographies in my high school classroom and have also watched my daughter pour over them since she first discovered them a couple years ago. This is what biographies should be like.

My favorite titles in this genre are:

Charles Dickens
Shakespeare
Shaka: King of the Zulus
Cleopatra
Peter the Great

These biographies are really designed for older students, probably 4th grade and up, but a younger student might also enjoy them.

In the picture book category, Stanley has written and illustrated many books, some fairy tales as well as some modern original stories.

My favorites are:

Saving Sweetness
Raising Sweetness
Goldie and the Three Bears

She has also written middle reader novels, mostly mysteries. Her newest novel, Bella After Midnight, is an inspired retelling of the Cinderella story in which our heroine is more Joan of Arc than fairy princess. Stanley’s Bella earns her rewards through loyalty and integrity rather than obedience. This is just the sort of Cinderella I would want my own daughter to read about.

Check out more of Stanley’s work at her website:

http://www.dianestanley.com/

The Penderwicks : A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (National Book Award Winner)
by Jeanne Birdsall
Grades 4-6

My daughter and I read this one together and we both fell in love with this high-energy family of sisters and the way they take the world by storm. It reminded me of the family in Saffy’s Angel, which I also loved. I also like the way each of the characters gets a chance to grow and change. That’s not easy for the author to accomplish with so many sisters to keep track of.

Touch The Poem
by Arnold Adoff
Grades K-6

What a nice collection of poems, focused on senses and bridging the gap between the senses and language. The photographs are an essential compliment to the words.

Seven Blind Mice (Caldecott Honor Book)
by Ed Young
Grades K-6

I love this simple tale, and for older kids it could be a great jumping off point for discussions on bias, judgement, and understanding many points of view. The visuals are great, and the language is for all ages.

You may have seen some of these wonderful books, but they are worth rediscovering….

Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei (1997 Caldecott Honor Book)
by Peter Sis
Ages 6-up

I am a big fan of Sis’ work. His illustrations and his stories are complex and challenging, and they can be understood on many levels. Many of his books have such detailed illustrations that they are not easy to share with a larger group like a classroom, but Starry Messenger has visuals that work for a classroom, and then more detailed pieces to reward students who move in for a more independent look. Definitely an all ages book.

The Book of Bad Ideas
by Laura Huliska-Beith
Kindergarten-Grade 6

Kids will have fun with the silly “bad ideas” in this book. (Bad Idea #828: Throwing a surprise party for your imaginary friend). I can see lots of fun writing, art or even history activities with this one.

Surviving the Applewhites (Newbery Honor Book)
by Stephanie S. Tolan
Grade 5-8

My daughter and I both loved this fun story about a misfit family and the misunderstood boy who comes to live with them. While the ending might seem a little optimistic, the characters ring true, and the boy’s process feels sincere.

Is it really March already???? I can’t believe it.

Here are some picks for this week…

Buddha Boy
by Kathe Koja
Grades 5-10

I just finished this quick but powerful read. It is, in many ways, the classic story of the bully, the outcast, and the kid in between who has to make a choice. But the ideas and questions it poses are more complex than that. I am definitely impressed by this one.

The Gardener (Caldecott Honor Award)
by Sarah Stewart
Grades 2-6

The format of using the letters, especially letters that are from someone in an entirely new situation, provides a wonderful way for the author to show us the realities of the Great Depression instead of telling us. I think Stewart and David Small (the illustrator) are a wonderful match for each other. Check out their other books too, including “The Library” (One of my favorites, of course).

How Would It Feel?
by Mary Beth Goddard
Grades K-4

I can see all sorts of possibilities for the classroom in this book. The language and imagination are wonderful, and the possibilities for science extensions, writing, and art are many.