Three Samurai Cats (2004)

      Three Samurai Cats shows young readers that wisdom can take an unexpected form. A powerful lord believes that physical power and skill will solve his problem.  When two imposing samurai fail to remove an abominable rat from his castle, the daimyo accepts the help of Neko Roshi, the most decrepit samurai cat he'd ever seen. Neko Roshi appears to do nothing but eat and sleep--until precisely the right moment.

       Eric A. Kimmel's author's note explains that "The samurai were the knights of medieval Japan. Most followed the practices and teachings of Zen Buddhism, which emphasized stillness, meditation, and harmony with nature." Mordicai Gerstein's illustrations are colorful and active, often depicting a sequence of actions on a single page. 

     Organized Art Chaos has an Origami - Samurai Hat. TeachingWithSavvy has a Japan Worksheet Bundle. Academic Sparkle has Zen Zone Task Cards and The Sunflower has ZEN Zone box - editable letter to Teachers and Staff.

     

Don't Forget to Come Back! (1978)

     Don't Forget to Come Back caught my eye because of Harry Bliss's cover illustration. It drew my attention to Robie H. Harris, a prolific and significant author of children's books. Here, a young child must cope with a parents' night out. "Sarah was coming to babysit. I didn't like that one bit!" These parents are calm and reassuring, despite their child's discontent. Surprise, surprise--"Sarah is so-ooo silly!" This child journeys through anxiety and emerges triumphant. 

     In this book, Harris offers role models  for children,  parents, and babysitters. Readers who disagree with these characters' behaviors can talk about that. I especially like how Harris values the child's recollection of the babysitting experience at the end of the story. 

 

the Salamander Room

      In the Salamander Room, by Anne Mazer, young Brian finds a little orange salamander in the forest and brings it home. The rest of the story is a conversation between Brian and his mother. How will he care for the salamander? Brian's mother never dismisses his ideas as silly. She models patience and skill while accepting his vision – full of creativity and innocence – of a healthy world in which insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and even a little human can live together. Steve Johnson's pictures gradually fill up the white space as the young boy's bedroom is transformed. I love Mr. Johnson's use of light: a sun-dappled forest, artificial lamp light, late afternoon glow, and finally moonlight.

     Fancy Pants Teacher has Visualizing With the Salamander Room. Miz Lemonade has Dragons and Salamanders - Animal Characteristics  that refers to this book. Natasha Rae has Pet Project: Project-Based Learning that includes this story also.

     My Picture Book Talk is here. 

Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair (1996)

      Patricia Polacco's picture book Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair  is a tribute "To stubborn librarians everywhere. . ." Her message is as valid in 2021 as at the time of this story. What would Aunt Chip think of the current obsession with video games, mobile phones, social media, and a plethora of products for digital learning? Fifty years prior to when this story takes place, the Triple Creek library was demolished, and Aunt Chip went into seclusion. "There will be consequences!" she warned as everyone in town watched television day and night. Now, Aunt Chip has gray hair.  Her nephew, Eli, visits nearly every day to hear her tell stories. One day, he says that books have many useful purposes, but no one in Triple Creek reads them. Luckily, Aunt Chip now has the resolve to defend literacy and the town recovers from decades of distraction.

   

     

DOGKU (2007)

      DOGKU will flavor discussions about poetry, vocabulary, and inference. In the author's note, Andrew Clements writes, "Adorable dog + haiku = Dogku. Simple." Lots of fun, yes. Simple, not exactly. Written as 16 haiku poems, which is 48 lines of text, only 20 lines – less than half -- are complete sentences.  Consequently, the reader must mobilize background knowledge, sentence skills, and inference to understand this text.  Luckily, all this linguistic work happens within an adorable story. The family in DOGKU adopt a stray dog.  After it begs for food at the table, chews up dirty laundry, and scatters the contents of the kitchen trash can, this family realizes that a dog demands particular care. And with that, this good dog and compassionate family begin a new relationship.

     Teacher Tinsin's Tips has Haiku Poems. Jessica Hargedine has Haiku Writing. Angela Osgood has a Guess Who? Haiku booklet.

Noisy Nora (1973)

      Noisy Nora has lots of energy, like any young creature. When her parents do not give her attention, Nora accidentally makes messes around the house. She's not deliberately misbehaving; she's simply looking for things to do. "Why are you so dumb?" asks Nora's older sister. This is a misperception. Nora  is simply discovering how the world works and makes messes as she learns. Nora so misses her family's attention that she gets angry enough to say she is running away from home. When Nora returns at the end of the story, her family is very happy to see her. This story has lovely rhyme that occurs across several pages.

     When I look at Rosemary Wells website, the book I own (1973) isn't listed. A 2000 used  publication of this story starts at $6.44 on Amazon. Before I create a lesson for a book, I check that there are many inexpensive used copies of it on Amazon. That doesn't seem to be the case here, so my apologies. I hope you come across this simple yet significant--and literally little--book at a library or yard sale. 

While We Were Out (2003)

      While We Were Out gave me a chuckle, yes, but it was the book's cover that coaxed me into the story. Here's an inquisitive bunny with an antidote to isolation. She's been quietly watching her human family, and when they leave her alone, she has fun. As Ho Baek Lee gives us a tour this family's apartment, we pause to wonder if this endearing rabbit has had such fun many times before! While her humans visit grandma, this rabbit enjoys herself by having a snack, watching a movie, playing dress-up, and more. We learn that she has wanted to try the inline roller skates for a long time. Of course, they are much too big. She doesn't cry; she doesn't put the skates away. She finds an ingenious way to play! She is a creative problem-solver! This sweet story is without conflict and ends with a surprise. 

     Artsy Crafter has What Pet Should I Get? Paper Bag Puppet. Mrs Mama Bird has Bunny Rhyming Picture Cards Match . ESL Castle Games has Find Baby Bunny-Our Home. 

     My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.