Naughty Little Monkeys

Naughty Little Monkeys

Written by Jim Aylesworth

Illustrated by Henry Cole

Jim Aylesworth, 2003

29 pages

Picture Book

            The colorful cover and amusing title are what brought me to pick up this book!  In this ABC rhyming book entitled Naughty Little Monkeys, Mom and Dad are going out for the night, and they leave their twenty-six monkey children home alone!  One can only imagine what kind of monkey business they get into!  How much trouble will they cause before Mom and Dad get home?  Don’t monkey around; pick up this book to find out!  

            Henry Cole’s bright and vibrant illustrations go along with the text of this book; they depict the monkeys’ mischievousness very well.  Henry Cole enjoys using acrylic paint and colored pencils in his artwork, so I am assuming he used those same mediums in the illustrations in this book as well.  Cole used a great amount of detail to show character’s facial expressions throughout the book and to depict the monkeys’ mischievous activities.  He even put each of the monkey’s names on their pajamas!  The vast majority of his illustrations are doublespreads, showing a large scene of monkey mischief.  I really enjoyed Henry Cole’s illustrations of monkey business in this book, and I feel that children would enjoy them too.

            This cute ABC rhyming book could easily have a place in any kindergarten to third grade classroom depending on how it is used.  In kindergarten, this book could be used to supplement the student’s knowledge about the alphabet.  Each letter is represented by some action in the book, so the teacher could ask the students what letter each activity starts with.  This book could also be used to study poetry.  The teacher could cover rhyme scheme and ask the students to identify the words that rhyme.  Furthermore, the students could use their higher-order thinking skills to write an alternate stanza for one of the letters in the alphabet.  In conclusion, there are many fun ways that the book Naughty Little Monkeys could be implemented in the classroom.  Both the students and the teacher would all have a blast!

Serious Trouble

Serious Trouble

Written and illustrated by Arthur Howard

Arthur Howard, 2003

32 pages

Picture book

             

        The colorful artwork and catchy title on the cover of this book grabbed my attention!  In this story, King Olaf and Queen Olive are serious about everything, and they expect their son Ernest to be serious too.  However, he is not; he loves having fun and making people laugh, and one day he wants to be a jester.  His father insists there is no time for being silly, especially when there is a fire-breathing, people-eating, three-headed dragon in the kingdom!  One day while outside the castle, Ernest encounters the dragon and can’t get away unless he makes the dragon laugh.  Will he be able to get away from the dragon, and can he save the rest of the kingdom?  Find out in Serious Trouble by Arthur Howard!

            I enjoyed looking at Arthur Howard’s fun and comical illustrations in this book.  He used bright, contrasting colors to go along with the fun text of the story.  He employed both doublespreads and singles to display his illustrations.  I could not find the medium that Howard used when illustrating this book, but it appears that he used pen-and-ink and watercolor.

            This fun book could be used in any classroom ranging from kindergarten to third grade.  It could be used to encourage students to be themselves.  If Ernest had tried to be like everyone else, the dragon would still be terrorizing the kingdom!  This story could also be used in a compare and contrast lesson.  The students could compare Ernest to his parents, and they could compare themselves to Ernest and his parents to see who they resembled the most.  Furthermore, this story could be used when studying synonyms.  The words “serious” and “funny” are used frequently throughout the book, so the students could come up with synonyms for these words.  Overall, this story could be used in a variety of ways in the classroom and would be a fun addition to any elementary teacher’s collection.

Cock-a-Doodle-Hooooooo!

Cock-A-Doodle-Hooooooo!

Written by Mick Manning

Illustrated by Brita Granström

Mick Manning, 2007

32 pages

Picture Book

            Who would not be interested in a book entitled Cock-A-Doodle-Hoo!?  This book’s catchy title is exactly what caught my eye!  In this story, Owl is out on a stormy night and is looking for a place to stay.  He comes up on a cozy shed and settles in for the night.  When he wakes up, he realizes that he is in a hen house!  He is certainly no rooster, but will the hens allow him to stay?  Read Cock-A-Doodle-Hoo! written by Mick Manning to find out!

            Brita Granström does an excellent job illustrating this book.  It appears that she uses pen-and-ink and watercolor in her pictures.  She uses many bright colors that draw the reader’s attention to the page, and many of her illustrations are doublespreads.  The illustrations are the main focus of the majority of the pages.  The pictures are directly connected to the text of the story by displaying what is taking place.  The illustrations easily convey what each character is feeling by showing their facial expressions.  I feel that Granström’s illustrations are very fitting for this story.

            This story could be used in many classrooms ranging from kindergarten to third grade.  I feel that it could be used to teach diversity.  This story could show students that differences are not always bad; what made Owl different actually made him a hero!  This story could also be used to teach new vocabulary like dappled, cross, ear tufts, and swagger.  This story addresses different characteristics about owls and chickens, so it could also be used in a science lesson about animals.  In conclusion, Cock-A-Doodle-Hoo! would be a great addition to any elementary teacher’s picture book collection.

The Giant Hug

The Giant Hug

Written by Sandra Horning

Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

Sandra Horning, 2005

36 pages

Picture Book

            This book’s sweet title, The Giant Hug, led me to pick it up.  In the story, Owen wants to give Granny Lewis a GIANT hug for her birthday.  There is only one problem – Owen lives in Pennsylvania, and Granny Lewis lives in California!  He decides to send her a hug through the mail, but he can’t put a real hug in an envelope and send it!  So how will Granny Lewis receive her giant birthday hug?  Read The Giant Hug by Sandra Horning to find out, and see if anyone else’s day gets brightened along the way!

            Valeri Gorbachev’s pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are very fitting for this story.  They are very light-hearted and upbeat, just like the text.  He put a great amount of detail into these illustrations, and the expressions on the characters’ faces are very heartwarming.  Some of the illustrations are doublespreads while others are simply on one page, giving variety to the pictures in the book.  Gorbachev’s illustrations gave me the warm-and-fuzzies, and I feel that students would enjoy them as well.

            This book would be a great addition to any kindergarten, first grade, or second grade classroom.  Kindergarten teachers could use this book to start teaching students their address.  The students could mail a hug to someone (the link for how to make a hug is posted below) and write their address on the envelope in the return address corner.  If they cannot yet write their address, they can dictate it to the teacher, and the teacher could write it for them.  They could also write the other address if they are capable of doing so, but the teacher or their parents could do it if necessary.  This book could also be used to teach a character education lesson showing that one kind act (like Owen’s hug) can positively affect others; everyone that was involved in getting the hug to Granny Lewis benefitted from it.  This book could also be used to teach students about the postal system, such as how many people are involved in sending mail and the different ways it is transported.  These are just a few ways that this heartwarming story can be used in a classroom!

How to make a hug: http://www.grandviewlibrary.info/uploads/2/2/7/1/22710236/giant-hug-in-the-mail.pdf