Night Tree by Eve Bunting

Night Tree by Eve Bunting (Published 1991)  28 unnumbered pages.  AD 620. R.L. 3.3 Grades 1 - 2.  Not every gift worth giving is wrapped with colored paper and purchased at the store.

Booklist (Vol. 88, No. 2 (September 15, 1991))

Ages 4-8. A warm family story extends the spirit of Christmas to the dark, quiet woods and the creatures that live there. On the night before Christmas, a boy, his little sister, and their parents always drive in their father's pickup from their house with its tree and bright holiday lights to the "nice forgotten place where our town ends." Then they walk in the moonlight to their special tree. They find that it's grown, just as they have. They decorate it with all kinds of natural foods and sing carols as they huddle in the cold. Then they pack up and drive home squashed together in the front of the truck. Rand's double-spread watercolor paintings capture the family intimacy in the shadowy, secret wilderness. Together they glimpse a deer, then they hear an owl (a dramatic painting shifts perspective to show a huge owl looking down from a branch at the small family far below). There is mystery all around, and they are part of it. The next day in the midst of the boisterous human festivities, the boy imagines the wilderness animals at the tree, and the final picture shows bears and raccoons, doves and deer, feasting together.

Night Tree is a wonderful way to pause for just a moment during this hectic time of year to consider all the many different ways there are to spread kindness and joy through family traditions.  When I read this book to second graders, I always try to add a little humor by telling them about myown family traditions from when I was a child. This opens up an avalanche of text to self comments.  After we have finished sharing I like to encourage the children to imagine themselves out in the middle of Luke's forest and then we try to think of all the different senses you might use. I use a graphic organizer found at TPT on the smart board as we look for different sense experiences in the book. I am often surprised at how many different things they can pull from the text.

by Margo Irving

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Pax by Sara Pennypacker (published 2016.) 276 pages. 760L. R.L. 5.7 Level 3-6. This new novel tells the adventurous, if not heroic, journey a boy takes to find his abandoned pet.

Booklist starred (November 1, 2015 (Vol. 112, No. 5))

Grades 4-7. Peter and Pax, his pet fox he found as a kit on the day of his mother’s funeral, are inseparable. That is, until Peter’s dad enlists in the military and Peter is forced to abandon Pax before moving to his grandfather’s house. Almost as soon as he gets there, however, he slips out, determined to hike the hundreds of miles back to where he left his pet. Not long into his journey, he is injured and reluctantly taken in by Vola, a war veteran and amputee who stubbornly lives on her own. In chapters from the fox’s point of view, Pax struggles in the wild until a grizzled old fox agrees to help him get home. Pennypacker alternates between Pax’s and Peter’s perspectives, while the simmering war between unnamed countries grows dangerously close to home. As she slowly reveals secrets about Peter’s and Vola’s pasts, she sensitively and engagingly explores questions about anger, wildness, isolation, and family. Meanwhile, both fox and boy grow in unexpected ways. While there’s a lot of emotional complexity here, the focus is solidly on the earthy, tense wilderness adventure, which is likely what will draw young readers most. Pennypacker’s expert, evenhanded storytelling reveals stunning depth in a relatively small package. Final illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Klassen not seen.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Pennypacker is no stranger to the New York Times best-seller list, and with award-winning Klassen in the mix, this adventure story should easily find a wildly enthusiastic audience.

For as many books as I've read aloud to my class, none has created such excitement as Pax is creating right now as it captures the attention of every single one of my fourth graders every day. They beg me to begin early and finish late to see what is going to happen next to the characters that have become so believable and lovable. The suspense and anticipation keeps the kids engrossed completely. When I do have to reluctantly close the book for the day, the kids instantly start rattling off connections they have with their own pets and/or family in life. I couldn't have chosen a more perfect book to inspire children to love the magic that comes to life from the pages of a book.

Posted by Liz Stafford

Before the world was ready : stories of daring genius in science by Claire Eamer

Before the World was Ready: Stories of Daring Genius in Science by Claire Eamer, (published 2013).113 pages. 6.5 RL Grades 5-8.  An entertaining, informational read-aloud that teaches students about people that have blazed trails and inspires them to blaze their own trail.

Booklist (December 1, 2013 (Vol. 110, No. 7))

Grades 5-8. Eamer explores what it means to defy popular wisdom and become a trailbreaker in the forest of ideas” in this fun collective biography. Detailed stories about eight scientists explain how they endured rejection and ridicule for their work on both personal and professional levels. Included are Nicolaus Copernicus, who insisted that the Earth was not the center of the universe; Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, who encouraged doctors to wash their hands to reduce death rates in hospitals; and Rachel Carson, who was the first to warn of the dangers of DDT. Each person’s process of inquiry, experimentation, and discovery typifies the scientific method. Squiggly cartoon illustrations provide comical sidebars in concert with the text. The book’s epilogue reinforces its thesis, explaining common obstacles to each of the scientists and discussing potential trailbreakers of the near future in the field of climate change. Aside from providing interesting biographical reading, this book is replete with life lessons for adolescents and tweens about flouting popularity in the name of what is right.

Do nonfiction books make good read-alouds?  There are some that don't, but Before the Word Was Ready does.  The scientists in this book all have one thing in common, their work was doubted or questioned during their life time, but they were determined and laid the foundation for the work of future scientists.  The book references other scientists and the work that motivated them.  The unique details that accompany these stories are such that students ask, "Is that true?"  The connections that the students make to today's world of science cultivates their curiosity.


Posted by Kellie Hale