Daniel's Page

DescrIption - 

"Carlo and The Really Nice Librarian" by Jessica Spanyol follows the story of Carlo, his sibling, and his father going to the library. The story initially starts off with Carlo being scared of the librarian only to find out the librarian was very nice and the appearance of the librarian (an alligator) did not mean the librarian was scary.

Explanation of why it belongs in this category - 

The book "Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian" does a good job of humorously delivering the theme that it is better to not judge books just by looking at the cover. The writer presents a clear and concurrent theme which is delivered throughout the text.

Use in the classroom - 

I think that this read could be used to provide an example of background themes within texts. The book can be read then 

Description - 

The picture book "Black Out" by John Rocco is an interesting take on picture books in general. It follows the graphic novel format consisting of boxes to organize the different views of the story; simultaneously using voice bubbles to imitate the characters speaking. The story follows a small family living in New York City when the power goes out and they are unsure how to spend their time, so they leave the comfort of their apartment.

Explanation of why it belongs in this category - 

I think while this pick strays away from the traditional writers story mentor text, I think it does deliver the concept of organization very well. Yes, the text does not consist of long/short form story elements but instead presents the concepts of grabbing the reader's attention, transitioning between different parts of the text and ends with a very satisfying conclusion about the family and how they had withstood the power outage. 

Use in the classroom - 

I think that although, the text does not conform in a way which would normally belong in this category; I think the potential for breaking down steps such as transitions throughout the text can allow for analysis on the various ways the writer had portrayed the transitions in the reading. This may help writers struggling to understand ways to transition in their writing by breaking the transition presented in the mentor text down.

Description - 

This is the follow up book to "The Day the Crayons Quit" by the same author, Drew Daywalt. The book follows the different crayons that Duncan had lost along his adventures, and follows in particular Hot Red crayons' adventure through out the world via post cards. Duncan realized throughout the stack of postcards left by past crayons that there was no longer room in his current crayon arsenal for ALL of his crayons, so he solved this issue by creating a home for all of his crayons to simultaneously live together.

Explanation of why it belongs in this category - 

I think this book belongs in this category because it shows the different voices and perspectives of separate crayons throughout the text. Also identifying different perspectives that can further the text.

Use in the classroom - 

This book could be used to talk about perspective in writing, who is the speaker, using the various different perspectives of the separate crayons and where they were left can show different ways voice is shown throughout the text.

Description - 

"All the Water in the World" by George Lyon and Katherine Tillotson is a poetry book about the water cycle and how it ends up where it ends up, how it comes from where it comes from, and where it was in the beginning.

Explanation of why it belongs in this category - 

I think this book belongs in this category because of some of the vocab the book uses which perfectly fits the meaning despite it being advanced. 

Use in the classroom - 

I think this would be good when talking about vocabulary and word choice.