Whales and Dolphins by Anton Ericson

 

This Eyes on Nature book provides the reader with a look into the world of whales and dolphins.  Each page provides facts on these wonderful mammals, such as: “The majority of whales, including all dolphins and porpoises, have teeth.  But they don’t chew.  They swallow their food whole.” This book also has great pictures throughout the whole book.

You could use this book in a unit on animals- especially a unit on mammals.  Many students have misconceptions on whales and dolphins and believe that because they live in water, they are fish.  You could confront these misconceptions and have these students see how whales and dolphins are mammals, and not fish. 

 

Woolly Mammoth by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

 

 The Woolly Mammoth is a great nonfiction picture book that helps the reader find out what Woolly Mammoths really are.  In this book, there are facts on the left and right sides of the page, while there is an actual story going on in the book.  The facts on the sides of the page explain what is being told in the story in the center of the page.  

You could use this book in the classroom when discussing the Animal Life unit.  Have your students research an animal and write a story about it.  Then, have them put facts on the side of the pages to explain certain things they have talked about in their story.  

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

 

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a great fantasy book for students.  The town of Chewandswallow was just like a regular town- except it didn't rain rain and it didn't snow snow.  The weather provided the townspeople of Chewandswallow their meals- breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Whatever the weather served, that is what they ate.  Everyone loved this, until the portions started getting bigger and so did the food.  Something had to be done! 

I would want to read this book to my students while doing a weather unit.  We could talk about how this book IS a fantasy and how this could never really happen in our lives.  We would talk about what does happen with the weather.  I created this PowerPoint presentation based on the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  I created a breakfast and a lunch page.  I would show this PowerPoint presentation to my students and then have them create a page for dinner. 

The Boxcar Children- Graphic Novels created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

 

This is the first graphic novel that highlights on The Boxcar Children series.  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden are brothers and sisters.  They are also orphans.  Their parents died and they had a grandfather that they had never met before- that they didn't think would like them.  One night, there was a storm and the children found a red boxcar that they would make their home. 

A really neat activity to do with your students would be to read The Boxcar children series and the graphic novel series.  Have your student compare/contrast the different texts.  Another activity would be to have your students read a book and use this website to create their own comic strip (graphic novel). 

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

 

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is a nonfiction book about a man who walked between the Twin Towers.  It is about a man named Philippe Petit who was a tightrope walker.  One day, after much practice, Petit walked between the Twin Towers on a tight rope.  

This book could be used in the classroom at any time, but I feel like it would be especially useful around September 11.  Most of your students will know about the Twin Towers and what they used to be- and this book could really instill what the Twin Towers were.  It could create a lot of discussion about 9-11 and introduce some of the younger students (2nd grade) to nonfiction texts.