Habitats

Where is my Home?

Written by Tali Carmi

Illustrated by Mindi Liang

Self-published, 2013

33 pages 

Picture book

   Terry Treetop sees a beautiful butterfly and begins to chase him. Before he knows it, he is hungry, scared, and far away from home. Fortunately, Terry meets some animals along the way that help him. Can the beaver in the lodge guide him home? Or maybe the rabbit in the burrow?

   Mindi Liang beautifully illustrates Terry Treetops journey from home and back. The colors are bright and creates a cheerful tone to an unsettling story about a lost little boy. Young readers also see an accurate depiction of different animal habitats throughout the story. 

    In a second grade classroom, this book would be a wonderful introduction to the various ecosystems. After the ecosystem lesson, each child could draw or create a model of a given animal's natural habitat. Another fun activity would be matching pictures of animals to their corresponding ecosystems, drawn by the students.

Second Grade Science Standard 7. Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

   
   I believe students will find themselves quickly engaged in this book about getting to far away from home. I remember finding myself, as a little girl, too far away from my mom in the grocery store and several children in the classroom could probably share similar stories. However, it is exciting to see what kind of animal habitat Terry will reach next to help him find his way back home.   

   

Letters to Dad

I Wanna New Room

Written by Karen Kaufman Orloff

Illustrated by David Catrow

Published by The Penguin Group, 2010

29 pages

Picture Book

   In this amusing exchange of letters, a frustrated little boy named Alex tries to convince his dad that he needs a room of his own. When Alex's new sister came along, he was forced into sharing a room with his little brother, Ethan. However, after exchanging several letters, Dad comes up with a negotiation- a treehouse just for Alex. He only has to invite Ethan if he wants to. Does Alex decide to invite Ethan to come play with him?

   The illustrations in this book are very colorful drawings that depict the wild imagination of the young boy. For example, one illustration shows Ethan as a walrus with crayons in his nose.

   One way I would integrate this story into a Language Arts lesson is by exploring the different letters Alex wrote. [L.2.2b] Use commas in greetings and closings of letters.  In a second grade classroom, students could identify the greeting, body, and closing of a friendly letter. In grades 2 through 4, students differentiate between fact and opinion. This story could also be used to explore the two before students write their own letters about one thing they really want. Students would include a fact and an opinion in their letter, while using age appropriate linking words, such as because (2nd grade- [W.2.1]), therefore (3rd grade- [W.3.1c]), and for instance (4th grade- [W.4.1c]).

   I Wanna New Room is a fun book that all children can relate to. Whether it be a new room, a new pet, or a new toy, children can relate to wanting something new. This book teaches a lesson about sharing and compromising while showing children how effective a letter can be.