Peaceful Pieces

Written by: Anna Grossnickle Hines

Grade Level: 1-5

Themes:
Peace, understanding, tolerance and friendship

Summary:

This book was written over a period of months and inspired by all of Anna's friends. This book shows all different perspectives, for instance the story of the father who came back from war a changed man. Children will be fascinated by the illustrations showing the intricate stitching, bold colors, and poignant imagery. This book is a collection of poems about peace. The illustrations are made of homemade quilts. Quilts representing peace at home, to peace on the world wide scale, to peace in oneself. Pondering the meaning of peace and all of its nature this book compels us to discover and try to find peace ourselves.

Pre-Reading Activity:

What is a poem? Have you ever read one? Have you ever written a poem. What does it look like?

Post-Reading Activity:

Have the students write a poem about friendship or peace. Make a quilt of the final products to be displayed in the classroom.

About the author:

Anna Grossnickle Hines started drawing as a little girl, and as early as 1st grade was getting recognized for her drawings by her teachers. She recalls telling her mother that she wanted to write children's books when she grew up, and her mother telling her that if that is what she really wanted to do she should persue it.

Reflection:

This was a wonderful book which would be a great addition to a lesson on poetry or peace. It is very well written so students will engage in it. The illustrations are beautiful and captivating. A great addition to any classroom library.

A Full Moon is Rising

Author: Marilyn Singer

Illustrator: Julia Cairns

Age level: 7years and up

Grade level: 2nd grade and up
Theme: The big world

Summary:

This is wonderful collection of children's poem about the moon in a variety of places around the world. Some of the places featured are NYC, Turkey, Israel, Morocco and South Africa. These poems discuss how each area celebrates the full moon. 

PreReading Activity:

Start a discussion about the cover of the book. Look at the people. Do you think these people live close together or in different parts of the world?

Post Reading Activity:

This book discusses celebrations around the full moon. The children could find illustrations of the different stages of the moon: crescent, whole, full, half and make a poster of these different stages.

Reflection:

I think this is a great book to introduce or study poetry. It is easy to read and for children to relate to. The illustrations would draw students in and keep them interested. The perspectives from all over the world would be wonderful for children to be exposed to.

About the Author:
Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx on October 3, 1948. She lived most of her early life in Long Island. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University. In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write-initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides, and film strips. Then, she penned her first story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the response, she wrote more stories, and in 1976, her first book, The Dog who Insisted he Wasn't, was published by E.P. Dutton & Co. Since then, Marilyn has published over 90 books for children and young adults. 

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve.

From: http://marilynsinger.net/category/marilyn/biography/