Monsoon Afternoon. ISBN 978-1-56145-455-6. Kashmira Sheth. Illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi. 2008. Ages 4-8. Indian.

A young boy and his grandfather, Dadaji, make the most of the first day of the monsoon season inside and outside of their home in India. Together they make and sail paper boats, watch the dancing peacock, swing on a banyan tree, pick the last of the season’s mangoes, and even clean-up their muddy footprints in the house when they return. Along the way, Dadaji shares his boyhood memories of the monsoon season with his grandson. The pastel shades of the watercolor illustrations show the subtle beauty of the rainy season in India. The illustrations also show us Dadaji’s memories of his childhood.

Monsoon Afternoon could be used in social studies simply as one view of the very diverse Indian culture. Of course, there could also be a discussion about weather in the more temperate regions of the world. A connection could be made to the students’ own families by creating an opportunity to research common experiences between generations. The book could also be used as the basis of a discussion about the change of seasons and rainy day activities.

Kashmira Sheth earned the ALA Best Book for Young Adults for Keeping Corner.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. ISBN 0-14-038451-0. Mildred D. Taylor. 1976. Newbery Medal. Ages 9-12. African-American.

Cassie and her three brothers are part of a land-owning, African-American family in 1933 Mississippi. The Logans are educated. Ma is a school teacher, and the children attend school. None of the members of this family accepts the status-quo of Depression-era, Jim Crow Mississippi. Papa’s greatest desire is to keep his family physically safe from those who will seemingly use any excuse to harm their black neighbors. The Logans, in return, will do whatever it takes to keep their black neighbors, and themselves, safe. The Logan children stand-up to adults and children alike when they are discriminated against. Big Ma, Papa, and Ma choose more sophisticated and somewhat more covert methods to stand up for themselves and their neighbors.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry could be used in many ways in a classroom. This book could be used as a base for combined English and social studies projects. English activities could be to create a timeline or story map of events as well as performing character studies of Cassie, Little Man, etc. Students could also read aloud, as a group, and discuss the “Roll of Thunder” poem in the book. Students could cross subject lines by researching and writing about sharecropping and answering the question, “Is sharecropping an extension of slavery?” Students could also write about the complexities of Stacey’s friendship with T.J. as opposed to that of Jeremy. Roll of Thunder would also be an opportunity to discuss oral history and its importance to African Americans of slave ancestry. What could students learn about their own family history from the stories that are told around the dinner table? What does your family tree look like? Are there hardships in your family’s history?

Bud, Not Buddy. ISBN 978-0-440-41328-8. Christopher Paul Curtis. 1999. Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award. Ages 9-12. African American.

When 10-year-old Bud Caldwell decides that enough is enough of the orphanage and foster homes, he chooses the road and a quest to find the father he’s never met. 1936 Flint, Michigan has nothing left to offer Bud, so, with suitcase in hand, he heads out on foot to Grand Rapids in search of the famous Herman E. Calloway, certain that this man on the flyer is his father. “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself” helped Bud, not Buddy, make it these four years since his mother died. On his journey, Bud meets people who are kind to him and are willing to help him. Bud’s life seems to finally be turning around with Herman Calloway, who, they are both surprised to discover, is Bud’s mother’s father.

Bud, Not Buddy could easily be used as the basis for useful classroom activities. Depression-era necessities could be studied, such as soup kitchens and Hoovervilles. To expand on these topics, the class could plan and execute a community service project. Depression-era music and photography could also be explored. Students could consider what items they would put in a suitcase that would represent their life and history. They could decorate the outside of a suitcase (drawn on paper), draw what they would put in it, and then write or tell about the contents.

The Giver. ISBN 978-0-440-23768-6. Lois Lowry. 1993. Newbery Medal. Ages 12-14. Caucasian.

Life in the community seems perfect. The Elders ensure that citizens in the community have everything they need. Citizens are safe, happy, fed, clothed, and without physical or emotional pain. Rules and rituals are essential for this perfect life, including the Ceremony each December in which those who have reached the age of twelve are assigned their vocations by the Elders. Jonas learns that this seemingly perfect existence comes with a price when his training as the Receiver begins. The Giver reveals to Jonas that his role is to hold all the memories of life for the community. Now Jonas will be the sole keeper of those memories. When the transfer process is complete, Jonas alone will hold the memories and knowledge of life’s great pleasures and its worst pain, including physical pain and death, from which the community is sheltered. When Jonas learns the true meaning of “release” and discovers that a child is scheduled for this ceremony, he takes the child and runs away from the perfect society.

The Giver provides many opportunities for expanded reflection, discussion, and writing. Are there religious or cultural ceremonies marking specific ages/milestones that you know of or have participated in? How does Jonas’ new-found knowledge represent his maturing while the rest of the community remains immature/childlike in their ignorance? Are there good memories you would sacrifice in order to forget the bad? Write about what you think happened to Jonas and Gabe after the book ended.

The City of Ember. ISBN 978-0-375-82274-2. Jeanne DuPrau. 2003. American Library Association Notable Book. Ages 9-12. Caucasian.

Lina and Doon are twelve-years-old when life in the city of Ember begins to feel fragile. The sky in Ember is always dark. The supply of lightbulbs is running low, and the generator is breaking down. Lina and Doon are young, curious, and concerned about the future of their city. With open eyes and open minds, they search for clues, combine their knowledge, and realize that the Builders may have left Instructions for finding the world outside of Ember. With city officials, though, who want to keep life (and their own power) as it has been for generations, how will Lina and Doon notify the city that life can continue outside of the city of Ember?

Students could write an ending about what happens to Lina and Doon after they leave Ember and about what happens to the rest of the population in Ember. Students could also design a town or city of their own. Students could also learn about hydropower, including the Hoover Dam and the environmental effects of hydroelectric power.

Charlotte’s Web. ISBN 978-06-441093-9. E.B. White. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1952. Newbery Honor. Ages 9-12. Caucasian.

Fern rescues the runt of her father’s litter of newborn piglets from a certain death. Wilbur soon outgrows his accommodations and is sold to Fern’s uncle. Wilbur is lonely at the Zuckerman’s farm but is soon befriended by Charlotte, a spider who lives in the barn’s doorway. Charlotte is a special spider and, as Wilbur discovers, a very special friend who will do whatever she can to spare Wilbur the pain of a pig’s certain fate on a farm, regardless of her own.

Many curriculum areas could be explored using Charlotte’s Web as a base. Younger children could learn about farms and farm animals, especially pigs, of course! Students could learn about spiders, spider webs, and other types of arachnids. After learning about spiders and webs, older students could build webs, as individuals or in groups, using discarded picture frames and string, for example. Many language and writing activities could be explored using Charlotte’s Web, from performing character studies of Fern, Wilbur, or Charlotte to creating and solving word puzzles using Charlotte vocabulary, such as salutations, friendship, gratified, unremitting, enchanted, and spinnerets. Students could write short stories about the lives of the other animals on the Zuckerman farm or about Wilbur, Joy, Aranea, or Nellie’s adventures after the book ends. Finally, an exploration of Charlotte’s Web is the perfect time to discuss friendship. Friendship, as a theme, can then be expanded using various techniques and activities.

The Snowy Day. ISBN 0-670-86733-0. Ezra Jack Keats. 1962. Caldecott Medal. Ages 4-8. African American.

Young Peter spends a day outside after a fresh snowfall. In his red snowsuit, he discovers the wonders of snow as well as sadness when he realizes that he can’t keep the snow in his pocket to play with the next day. However, when he wakes up the following morning, more snow is falling for more adventures in the snowy city! The paint and collage techniques create a colorful backdrop for Peter’s snow-filled adventures. Peter’s red snowsuit among the white snow clearly presents him as the focus. The simple shapes and use of bold colors create a winter world which children would want to discover.

This classic book for young children could be used in the classroom in many ways. A winter theme would be an opportunity to introduce this book. The students could learn about the individuality of snowflakes, the solid and liquid forms of water, and the characteristics of winter. For older students, a social studies theme could be expanded to discuss geography, more specifically, the regions in the United States which are cold-weather regions and those that are warm-weather regions which do not generally experience snowfall. The Snowy Day could also be used in art to show a creative method of creating patterns and the beauty of simplicity in a work.