For my book talk, I chose "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes. This was one of my favorite books as a child; I used to read it all the time with my mom. In the story, there is a mouse named Chrysanthemum (after a flower). She loves her name until she is made fun of at school. Chrysanthemum struggles in school until her music teacher, Delphinium Twinkle, tells the class that she is named after a flower, too. This makes Chrysanthemum feel better, as she is no longer alone. All the other students become more accepting after learning this. Mrs. Twinkle even names her daughter Chrysanthemum.

When implementing this book in a classroom, it is a good way to talk about names and what they mean to us. The story is also a good tool to talk about what happens when you make fun of someone else. The story is a prime example of what makes a person unique and individual. It is also a good story for the first day of school because the book outlines Chrysanthemum's first day, as well as the days following. The story is easy enough for young children to follow, and it is a good resource for Elementary educators.

Book Talk on Winnie the Pooh Everyone is Special

I chose to use Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Everyone is Special book for my book talk. I chose this book for many different reasons.  The first and largest reason I chose this book is because it is from my childhood. I used to read these Winnie the Pooh books all the time as it was one of my many favorite Disney movies.  Another reason why I chose this book is because the book series is great for children as it teaches an obvious lesson in every book.  In this particular book the main lesson is to be yourself and to not change for anyone.  In this book Tiger is upset about the fact that he is the only one who has stripes and he goes through many different ways to try to cover up these stripes.  Eventually he comes to the conclusion that his stripes are not a bad thing and he decides to keep them after all.  In a classroom I could use this book anytime a child may feel different because of something they cannot change whether it be because of race, gender, clothes, money, hair ect.  This book series is perfect for teaching young children important lessons in simple ways.

Welcome

Welcome to our book study! I look forward to our shared study of children's literature.