Set #1

Martina and the Beautiful Cockroach



Deedy, C. A. (2007). Martina the beautiful cockroach: a Cuban folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

Martina, a beautiful cockroach who lives in Old Havana is ready to find a husband.  She is giving some advice from her Cuban grandmother on finding a husband.  She lets her know that if she wants to find the right husband, then she needs to spill coffee on her suitors’ shoes in order to see how he will speak to her when he is angry with her.  She goes through a series of suitors that do not pass the Coffee test till her grandmother points out a tiny brown mouse named Perez that has been living near her all along.  Instead of Martina spilling the coffee, it is Perez who ends up spilling the coffee onto Martina’s shoes.  Martina is delighted in finding her perfect match for he too has a Cuban grandmother.

Deedy uses the words and illustrations to create a cultural feel of Cuba in the story.  Readers are taking to Old Havana due to the composition of the illustrations.  The color and the textures create this warm, inviting feeling that you are actually there witnessing Martina going through the process of finding her husband.

Here is a digital story of Martina the beautiful cockroach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1e7-WI11hM

Here are some classroom activities that you could do to go along with Martina the beautiful cockroach: comparing and contrasting customs, write a story on what happened to Martina and Perez after they got married, and research cockroaches.


The Legend of the Bluebonnet


DePaola, T. (1983). The Legend of the Bluebonnet. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

This is a Texas legend about a Comanche orphaned girl named She-Who-Is-Alone and her tribe. The tribe has been suffering from a major drought that has affected every member.  The shaman spoke to the tribe that the Great Spirits are asking that the people must make a sacrifice of their most valued possession to the Earth in order to end the drought.  It is She-Who-Is-Alone who has lost everyone dear to her that makes the decision that her most valued possession is what the Great Spirits want.  It is a warrior doll with the bluest feathers from a jay bird.  She makes the ultimate sacrifice by offering her warrior doll to the Great Spirits.  In return for her sacrifice, the Great Spirits cover the hills where the ashes of her warrior doll had fallen with beautiful flowers with petals as blue as the jay bird feathers and send healing rains.  The tribe is thankful to She-Who-Is-Alone by singing and by dancing and by changing her name to One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People.  Then every spring, the Great Spirits remember her sacrifice by covering Texas in the springtime with bluebonnets.

The vivid and detailed illustrations that DePaola help readers to relate to the Comanche culture, traditions and their rich culture of their legends.  The colors that DePaola uses in his illustrations are warm, soft and yet so powerful. 

Here is a link to a read aloud of The Legend of the Bluebonnet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKzep03_Vmo

This is a great story to do activities with all grade levels.  There are so many fun and meaningful activities to do based on this story. 

Where the wild things are

 Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper Trophy.

Max is a little boy who likes to wear a wolf suit and stir up some mischief.  Then because of it, Max’s mom called him a “Wild Thing” and he talked back to her so he was sent to bed without dinner.  Then using his imagination, a forest grows in his bedroom where an ocean appears and he sails off in a boat to an island to where wild things live.  These wild things are huge terrible giants that make Max the king of all wild things.  Max and the wild things have a great time but then Max smells something good to eat and tells the wild things that he sail home.  The wild things are sad to see him leave.  He sails home and finds himself in his room with his supper waiting for him.

Sendak’s illustrations play a big part in the telling of the story.  At the beginning of the story, the first illustration is small but then as the story progresses the illustrations start to get bigger and eventually fill up both pages and the text moves to the bottom.  Sendak uses a lot of lines to create dimension and depth.

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqkNfWy7ayQ&feature=kp

Here is a Youtube reading of Where the Wild Things Are:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cOEFnppm_A


Mirror mirror


Singer, M. (2010) Mirror mirror. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books

This is an interesting and fun picture poem book.  Singer uses fairy tales to write some interesting poems.  She writes the poem on a fairy tale one way then uses the exact words but writes the poem in reverse giving it a twist.  It is like you are hearing both sides of the fairy tale as it takes on a whole new meaning as a fractured fairy tale. 

The way that Singer wrote the book really adds to the style of the poems.  When you read the first poem, the point of view is from the main character of the fairy tale.  But when you read the 2^nd poem in reverse another character from the fairy tale is telling their point of view.  The choice of colors that Josee Masse are incredible.  The illustration pages are divided in half with one character on one side and then that side blends into the other half with the other.  The colors seem to create a light and dark side of the fairy tale that match to the poems that are split as well. 

Students could go to this website to create a fractured fairy tale through the ReadWriteThink website:  http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/fractured-fairy-tales-30062.html

This would also be a great opportunity to teach reverse poems and have students create some.



The Three Pigs

Wiesner, D. (2001). The Three Pigs. New York, NY: Clarion.

This story starts off with the three little pigs each building their houses and then the wolf comes along to the first little pig’s house and huffs and puffs and blows the house in, but he actually blows the pig out of the story.   As the story goes along, the wolf goes to the other pigs’ house but the first pig beats him there and tells the pigs to join him and then the fun begins.  The pigs then go on and explore other stories where they meet new characters and make new friends.  Then the pigs meet and rescue a dragon and have the dragon come along, and find the pages to their story and return home.  The dragon comes to the rescue and they live happily ever after. 

Wiesner takes the story of the three little pigs and gives it a new twist.  His plot is original and fun.  It makes sense that the wolf could have blown the pigs out of the story.  They have a problem and by making friends along their journey are able to solve it at the end of the story with a new ending.  The texture of Weisner’s illustrations are amazing.  He starts off with the characters looking cartoonish then when they get out of the pages, then they take on a more realistic appearance with facial expressions. As the characters go in and out of the pages and back into the story, then they become cartoonish which add to the story. 

When doing a unit of the Three Little Pigs, this story could be used to compare and contrast the similarities and the differences between the stories.  

It's a Book 

Smith, L. (2011). It's a book. New York, NY: Roaring Brook. 

The story starts off with Monkey reading a book when Jackass wants to know what he is doing.  Monkey tells him that he is reading a book.   Jackass keeps asking him if things that a laptop can do.  Monkey keeps telling him that it is just a book.  Jackass keeps interrupting Monkey as he is reading by asking him if he “Do you blog with it?” Also asks, “Can you make the characters fight?”  Then Jackass continues to ask Monkey other questions on what books can do to and eventually Monkey gets tired of all Jackass’ questions and hands him the book to look at.  Jackass begins to enjoy the book and doesn’t hand it back to Monkey.  Monkey gets fed up with Jackass and tells him that he is going to the library to get a new one.

The theme of It’s a book is an important one at this time.  Books can be just as fun as a laptop or another form of technology.  The simple, powerful message that a book can be just as fun and as rewarding because you are letting your imagination take you places.  Smith’s illustrations are simple but purposeful.  The colors are muted, Smith even uses color text in his story to show conversation.  In the illustrations, you can see that the characters are showing emotions with their eyes, mouths and ears by just using simple lines to change them. 

Here is a YouTube link for the story:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YvMFLf0K3k

This is not my hat 

Klassen, J. (2012). This is not my hat. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

In this story, a little fish steals a much larger fish’s hat.  Right from the beginning, the little fish claims that he stole the hat.  He claims that the big fish won’t even know that it is missing and that he doesn’t need it.  He goes on with his escape saying that he knows that it was wrong to have stolen the hat and that it was too small for him and that it fits just right.  He states that the big fish won’t know where he is going or who took it.  The little fish continues with his escape heading to a place where the plants grow big and tall and close together. He states that it is very hard to see there and that nobody will ever find him and that no one will see him go there.  Unfortunately, the larger fish is following him and the little fish is seen by another sea creature who tells the larger fish where he is heading to.  The little fish goes into the place with the plants are big and so does the big fish.  At the end of the story, we only see the big fish with his hat and we are left to wonder what happened to the little fish.

The illustrations are appropriate with the story.  The colors are soft colors but stand out among the black background.  The story is told through their eyes.  We can see that the big fish is not happy with situation and we can see the fear in the crab’s eyes.  The little fish has big eyes and you can see that he is trying to explain his reason for stealing the hat.  Klassen uses bubbles to show that the fish are moving.  You can see that Klassen create his illustrations to help tell his story. 

Here is a youtube video of This is not my hat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjICqR0fiYQ

An activity that you could have your students do after reading the story is to have them write what they think happened to the little fish.