Jackie’s Comments (group member since Aug 14, 2007)

Jackie’s comments from the Picture Books group.

I'm not sure what I think about "Yellow Umbrella" by Jae Soo Liu which is a wordless book that comes with a CD of music to accompany the beautifully painted pictures of school children going to school in the rain. From a bird's eye view, you follow a youngster who has, yes, a yellow umbrella. It's beautiful, but not always practical. Has anyone else ever come across this one?

Deana, Thanks for the African American book recommendations. I will definitely check those out. I really WANT to read Christopher Paul Curtis to my 2nd graders. I love his writing! Thanks for the encouragement!

Minor Librarian

My 2nd graders LOVED Leonardo the Terrible Monster! Thanks for that recommendation. I passed it along to other teachers at my school who are loving it as well.

As far as picture book read-alouds. Our 2nd graders have enjoyed:
*Mrs. Toggle's Zipper (and also her Beautiful Blue Shoe) by Robin Pulver
*My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
*Jin Woo by Eve Bunting (I read this because I've been adopted from Korea--I didn't think I'd like such a "precious" story about adoption written by someone who, as far as I know, is not adopted, but it's surprisingly good at raising universal issues of sibling jealousy for all kids)

As a second grade teacher, I love:

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (Cliched, but so beautifully written)

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

I tried reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, but had a hard time with some of the humor for this age group. I think it's more of a 3rd grade read. I'm looking for a good African American read aloud for 2nd grade. I also tried Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor and I realized it had some really sad allusions to violence--which I'm not opposed to, but difficult to explain in a longer read, rather than addressed in shorter read-alouds for 2nd grade, in my opinion.

We just read the beautifully written and photographed, Pumpkin Circle. It's a lovely nonfiction book about the "circle of life."

I like to start the year with a series of Kevin Henkes read-alouds.

Here are some connections I've made with some Kevin Henkes books:

Sheila Rae, the Brave / Tough Boris (Mem Fox)

Connection: It's okay to be scared and sad sometimes.

Chrysanthemum / Oliver Button is a Sissy (Tomie DePaola) / Amazing Grace (Mary Hoffman)

Connection: Be yourself.

I'd love to hear any connections or your thoughts on KH.

Janine, I'll definitely look into this one. Obviously, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is not a picture book either.

I'm planning to read "Gooney Bird Greene" to my class as well. It has some clever parts where a girl's fantastic stories end up being completely true--just misconstrued on the first listen.

Have you had a bad read aloud experience with your class?

I read "The Tale of Despereaux" and although it was really well written and thoughtful--it was a tad violent in parts. There were mentions of torture and someone's getting physically abused to the point of disfigurement. Maybe for older kids or a teacher with a stronger stomach than I have currently.

What read aloud books have you found that are great for 2nd grade?

I loved reading "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" last year. The kids loved it!

As an Asian American, I've noticed I've been drawn to Asian American authors. I love "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi because it tells the story of a Korean American who is struggling to embrace her name as well as the two cultures she inhabits.

Another favorite is "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza. This is a clever "turning the tables" on a classic fairy tale / fabel relationship: predator & prey. Every 2nd grader I know, LOVES this book. It's fun to watch when the moment when students begin to realize what is REALLY going on.