Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

us.macmillan.com

Title: Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

Author: James Rumford
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade level(s) appropriateness: 2-4
A brief synopsis/review: Ali is a young boy who lives in Baghdad, a dangerous place that is facing bombs and missiles. He loves playing soccer and listening to loud music. He especially loves calligraphy, the ancient art of drawing letters. His inspiration for writing calligraphy comes from Yakut, the most famous calligrapher in the world.  Ali compares himself to Yakut, as both use the art of calligraphy to disappear from the terrors of war.
Theme(s): Calligraphy, Arabic, Muslim, Islamic culture, Iraq War, Baghdad, family, culture, freedom, personal perseverance and strength
Noteworthy features or issues with text: The book was created in the spring of 2003, as Baghdad self-destructed and its people struggled with rebuilding a new Iraq. Pages are illustrated with calligraphy and their English meanings. The illustrations and calligraphy connect to the story being told by Ali. The art work accurately depicts the Iraqi culture.
Teaching ideas: This book could be used as a read-aloud for a lesson on exploring diverse cultures (multiple cultural perspectives) and/or times of war. Students could learn to write their names in calligraphy. Students could compare and contrast their culture with Ali's culture using a Venn diagram. Similar to Ali who uses calligraphy to bring him peace, students could write about how their hobbies/interests bring them tranquility and peace (coping methods in times of stress). The book could also be used when introducing cursive to your students- explore the similarities and differences between cursive and calligraphy.
Curriculum tie-ins and/or related activities: This book could be used for any unit on culture and/or diversity. Students would gain the perspective of Ali and be able to see the world from his eyes. The book would help to create a culturally responsive classroom.
Read aloud suitability: Yes, can be read aloud.
Connections to other texts/content areas: Students could explore art history when examining the various colors, shapes, and images found throughout the story. Other books that also portray the Arab culture are Sitti's Secrets, Saving Sky, Persepolis, and The Kite Runner.
Other additional comments: Silent Music is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Take a listen to James Rumford as he introduces and shares some of the backstory for creating Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad: http://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=4918&a=1

Love That Dog

mbpublishing.com

Title: Love That Dog
Author: Sharon Creech
Genre: Realistic fiction- novel in verse
Grade level(s) appropriateness: 3-7
A brief synopsis/review: Jake, the narrator and main character, complains about writing poetry and believes that only girls write it. His teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, continually assigns poetry activities to her class, so it's inevitable for Jake to avoid poetry. However, he comes to love writing poetry when he writes about his dog, Sky. 
Theme(s): Writing, school life, perseverance, inspiration
Noteworthy features or issues with text:
* Free-verse poems
* First person point-of-view
* Easy to read and understand
* Can be used for a quick read
* Builds confidence for those struggling to read and write poetry
* Diary format- written poetry develops throughout the story
* A collection of the student's poetry, shows transition throughout the school year
Teaching ideas: Jake writes poems that are shaped like the things they describe. Students could write a poem in the shape of what their poem is about. In the story, Jake admires Walter Dean Myers and writes a letter to him. Students could write a letter to their favorite author, telling the author why they love his/her work and what it means to them. Students could choose one of the poems that was written by a famous poet (featured at the end of the story) and research the poet's life and then give a presentation to the class. Students could also select their favorite poem and use that poem's form to write one of their own.
Curriculum tie-ins and/or related activities: This book could be connected to any subject area- write a poem on any topic. The poems included in the book could be used for instruction. Also, students could look back to the book (diary) for ideas when writing. 
Read aloud suitability: Yes, can be read aloud. However, students should see how the poetry is written on the pages.
Connections to other texts/content areas: Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech is a sequel to Love That Dog. Again, this book could be used in any content area.
Other additional comments: This book has won many awards such as ALA Notable Children's Book, IRA/CBC Children's Choice, New York Times Bestseller, and Carnegie Medal Finalist.

Check out Sharon Creech's "Teaching Poetry: Tips for Making Poetry Accessible and Fun for Students" teacher guide: http://sharoncreech.com/pdfs/SharonCreech_TG_DogCat.pdf

Thunder Cake

Title: Thunder Cake

www.eduplace.com

Author: Patricia Polacco
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade level(s) appropriateness: 1-3
A brief synopsis/review: The story about young Patricia Polacco and her Russian grandmother, Babushka. With the help of her Babushka, Patricia conquers her childhood fear of thunderstorms. The two of them go outside to gather the ingredients for Thunder Cake, a special recipe that will put an end to Patricia's fear.
Theme(s): Cooking, weather, grandparents and grandchildren
Noteworthy features or issues with text: The literature reflects Patricia Polacco's life growing up in Michigan with her Babushka. Patricia Polacco is the main charatcer, written in 1st person narrative. She is also the illustrator and the pictures go along with the text.
Teaching ideas: Bake Thunder Cake for your students. Students would love this! :) As a class, you could also create your own recipe for a thunderstorm- ingredients would be things you hear and see during a thunderstorm. You could then have students draw and write how they feel during storms. Another idea could be to have students draw a picture of something they are afraid of and discuss how they would conquer this fear. You could have students take the Thunder Cake quiz on Patricia Polacco's website: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/fun/quizes/thunder.html.
Curriculum tie-ins and/or related activities: For social studies, students could explore a region/country their ancestors were from. They could discuss their ancestors journey to America.
Read aloud suitability: Yes, this book can easily be read aloud to your class.
Connections to other texts/content areas: Similar to Thunder Cake, other Patricia Polacco books depict her life growing up such as The Art of Miss Chew, Thank You, Mr. Falker, Keeping Quilt, and many more.
Other additional comments: I read this book to my first grade class during student teaching. As a class, we made the recipe for My Grandma's Thunder Cake. My students loved it!

Check out Patricia Polacco's webpage, featuring author information, books, current news, activities, and a forum: http://www.patriciapolacco.com/