2nd grade read aloud

All posts in the 2nd grade read aloud category

Take Away the A, by Michael Escoffier

Published December 12, 2014 by Dagmar

Here’s my next entry in the “Clever Alphabet book” category.  I’m kidding, I don’t have a Clever Alphabet category on my blog, but I think I might need one now.  My first entry in this budding category, The Z was Zappedtake away the a by Chris Van Allsburg, is a fun, if dangerous, alphabet book.

Take Away the A takes each letter and removes it from a word to make a new word.  “Without the C, the Chair has Hair.” “Without the L, the Plants wear Pants.” Clever, right?  My second graders thought so and had a great time reading this book with me.  The illustrations, by Kris Di Giacomo, are lots of fun, too. I highly recommend this book to early readers who will love figuring out what happens as each letter disappears.

Stay tuned for my next clever Alphabet book, Oliver Jeffers’ Once Upon an Alphabet.

My Teacher is a Monster!, by Peter Brown

Published November 1, 2014 by Dagmar

teacher monsterPeter Brown, author of You Will Be My Friend and Children Make Terrible Pets, has written a new book that was a big success with my kindergarten students.

Running into your teacher outside school can be fun.  Or, if you think your teacher hates you, it can be “a terrible surprise.”

Ms. Kirby is always yelling at Bobby, especially when Bobby flies paper airplanes in class.  Ms. Kirby stomps, and she roars.  Ms. Kirby even looks just like a monster.  Bobby runs into Ms. Kirby sitting on a bench reading a book.  Not knowing quite what to do, and feeling awkward, Bobby sits next to her on the bench.  Suddenly, a gust of wind blows Ms. Kirby’s favorite hat off her head.  Bobby runs to catch Ms. Kirby’s hat.    Ms. Kirby is so grateful to Bobby that she thanks him and then shows him how she likes to quack with the ducks at the park.  Bobby decides to show Ms. Kirby his favorite part of the park.  Sitting at the top of a hill in the park, Ms. Kirby has an idea.  She pulls out a piece of paper and gives it to Bobby.  Bobby quickly folds it into an airplane and launches it.  It’s the best paper airplane flight ever.   Bobby and Ms. Kirby each decide the other is not so terrible.  In fact, Ms. Kirby starts looking like an actual teacher, instead of a monster.  It’s a great resolution…until Bobby throws a paper airplane in class.

I love Peter Brown’s dedication, “To misunderstood teachers and their misunderstood students.”  Have fun with this one!

Bad Day at Riverbend, by Chris Van Allsburg

Published October 19, 2014 by Dagmar

bad dayChris Van Allsburg is a great picture book author that my students love. His books, usually drawn in black and white, which include: Widow’s Broom, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi and The Z was Zapped are always favorites.  A Bad Day at Riverbend is not immediately identifiable as a Chris Van Allsburg, because it’s full of color. The way it introduces color makes my students, even the most obedient ones, cry out in dismay.

The town of Riverbend is in trouble.  Riverbend looks like a coloring book.  Everything is white,  outlined in black.  Now, something very strange and scary is happening in Riverbend.  Lines of color, like scribbles, are covering things.  Stagecoaches rarely come to town, but now a stagecoach has stopped in town… without a driver.  It is covered in a slimy, colored substance. No one knows what it could be.  The town’s residents are scared.  What  Luckily, Sheriff Ned Hardy is on the trail.

Read this wonderful book to find out what is threatening the town of Riverbend.  My students loved the ending!

The Most Magnificant Thing, by Ashley Spires

Published October 17, 2014 by Dagmar

For those of us who see ourselves as inventors, scientists, or just creative types, we know the frustration of tryThe Most Magnificenting to recreate the vision in our heads.  So it goes for a “regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world.”

The girl sets out to build the “most magnificent thing”, “easy-peasy”.  She gathers materials, hires an assistant (her dog) and starts to build.  When she is finished, she is “shocked to discover that the thing isn’t magnificent.”  Determined to get it right, she tinkers, adjusts, examines and builds many things.  None of them fit the image in her head; and, needless to say, none of them are magnificent.  Finally, she gets MAD.  Completely losing her patience with the creative process, she starts smashing, jamming and pummeling her creation and in the process smashes her finger.  “It is not her finest moment.”  Her assistant, the essence of calm, holding his leash in his mouth, suggests a walk to clear her head.  She has a hard time calming down, but after a while, “the mad gets pushed out of her head.”  She starts to see some good elements in each of her earlier designs and sets out to try again.  Finally, she finishes her creation.  It isn’t exactly what she imagined, but turns out to be a most magnificent thing.

I think everyone that reads this book will totally relate to this girl’s emotions as she creates her magnificent thing.  Ashley Spires is not only a gifted author, but also a very gifted illustrator.  I loved absolutely loved this book, and so did my students.

The Monster’s Monster, by Patrick McDonnell

Published August 26, 2014 by Dagmar

Grouch, Grump and little Gloom ‘n’ Doom are monsters.  They each think they are biggest, Monster's Monsterbaddest monster.  They spend their time arguing and trying to best each other.  Then, they decide to settle their argument with tape, gunk, glue and a lightning bolt.  The monster they create will be truly horrible and will scare everyone in the monster-fearing village just down the hill from their castle.

What a surprise when their terrible, giant monster doesn’t realize that he’s a monster.  His first words are “Dank you!” He then proceeds to greet all the bats, snakes and other creatures in the room – much to Grouch, Grump and little Gloom ‘n’ Doom’s chagrin.

They are hopeful when their monster goes down the hill to town, sure that he’ll wreak havoc there.  They are disappointed again as their monster goes inside the bakery and then leaves it with a “Dank you!” and a white paper bag.  The monster goes to the beach and sits.  The three little monsters sit next to him.  When their monster hands them each a powdery jelly donut, they do something they don’t do often.  They say, “Thank you.”

This is a funny, sweet book that my students loved.  Enjoy.

 

 

North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration by Nick Dowson

Published April 19, 2014 by Dagmar

northNorth is a beautiful book describing seasonal changes in the Arctic and Arctic migration.

North begins with winter in the Arctic and its year-round residents, the polar bear and arctic fox.  When spring arrives, algae blooms, plants grow and the tundra turns green.  Animals and birds begin their migration to the Arctic, beginning with the gray whale, terns, bar-tailed godwits, snow geese, white cranes,  caribou, walrus, narwhal whales and more.  The text describes each creature’s journey, including what they eat as they travel.  By May, the ice sheets are cracking, opening new sea lanes for the migrating animals.  In summer the Arctic is lush flowers and grass, feeding the many animals that are now living in the Arctc.  When September arrives, the animals and birds begin to prepare for their journey south again.

It’s a wonderful way to introduce students to migration.  I read it to my 3rd grade students who really enjoyed the book.

Goyangi Means Cat, by Christine McDonnell

Published April 16, 2014 by Dagmar

goyangiGoyangi Means Cat is about a young Korean girl, Soo Min, who is adopted by an American family and brought to the United States.  Soo Min knows no English.  Her new family knows only a few words of Korean.  Slowly, she teaches her new parents a few Korean words, including “no”, “hurt” and most importantly the world for “cat”, goyangi.  Soo Min is struggling to adjust to her new life with her new family in America.  She finds comfort petting their cat.  When Goyangi escapes the apartment one day, Soo Min and her new mom look for the cat everywhere.  Goyangi finally returns, and Soo Min, as she hugs Goyangi, says her first English word, “home”.

The author did a wonderful job helping my students understand how hard it was for Soo Min to adjust to her new home and family in the United States and how having a pet like Goyangi was a great comfort to her. We all felt Goyangi’s loss when he escaped and all were so relieved when he returned.

 

Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers

Published April 10, 2014 by Dagmar

stuckThe easiest books to read to a group of students are funny books.  Oliver Jeffers has written a great book that was a real favorite with my students.

“It all began when Floyd got his kite stuck in a tree…”  Poor Floyd.  When his kite became stuck in a tree, he threw a shoe to loosen the kite.  Sadly, his shoe became stuck, too.  Floyd threw his other shoe and then his cat at the tree to loosen his kite.  Both became stuck.  When Floyd got his ladder, all my students expected that Floyd would climb the ladder to get his kite, shoes and cat.  To their amazement, Floyd threw his ladder into the tree as well. 🙂  It, a bucket of paint, a bicycle, the kitchen sink…an orangutan, a BIG Boat, even the firemen who were sent to help all became stuck in the tree.  The tree was completely full.  So, Floyd got a saw.  As you might expect, Floyd threw the saw into the tree as well; and, finally(!), Floyd’s kite fell out of the tree.  Floyd, happy, walked away with his kite in hand. In bed that night, Floyd wondered if there was anything he forgot to do.  The firemen realizing they might be in the tree for a while, began strategizing about how they might get themselves and everyone else “unstuck”.

This funny and absurd book is a gem.  Don’t miss it!

My Brother Martin, by Christine King Farris

Published January 17, 2014 by Dagmar

my brother martinI have some favorite books to read when celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and his tremendous life.  One, is Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport.  Like me, most teachers love Martin’s Big Words as well.  So finding something different but accessible to young audiences is a always a challenge for me in the library.

Here is a book that I discovered this year that I love for younger audiences.  Published in 2006, it provides a different perspective on this great man’s life that students haven’t heard before.  When I introduce this book to my students, I remind them that before Dr. King became “Dr. King”, he was a child just like them.  My Brother Martin was written by Christine King Farris, Dr. King’s older sister.

In My Brother Martin, Ms. King Farris tells of Dr. King’s childhood on Auburn Street in Atlanta, Georgia.  There are funny pranks that the children, Christine, M.L. (Martin Luther) and their younger brother A.D. (Alfred Daniel) played on neighbors and their piano teacher.  These stories made all my students smile.  Ms. King Farris also tells of the painful time when the children of a white store owner on their street were no longer allowed to play with Negroes (a word I had to explain to my younger students).  The white family sold their store and moved away.  After years of shielding their children from the injustice and cruelty dealt to black people, this episode brought all that home.  Christine, M.L. and A.D. were confused about why their friends would no longer play with them.  Their mother explained about all the “Whites Only” signs.  She also told her children that this injustice was there, “Because they just don’t understand that everyone is the same, but someday, it will be better.”  M.L. then replied, “Mother Dear, one day I’m going to turn this world upside down.”  And that he did.

M.L. and his sister and brother now were aware of segregation.  They watched as their father, a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church spoke out against it and how he practiced what he preached.  Their father did not allow others to treat him differently because of his skin color and took his business elsewhere when store owners did.  Their parents’ example and the pain of their childhood friends’ leaving provided the inspiration for Dr. King’s pursuit of justice.

This is a heartening and inspiring story of Dr. King that provides insights other books don’t provide.  I highly recommend it to elementary school audiences.  The illustrations by Chris Soentpiet are wonderful.