Book Club: Monster Mash

And we're back!  Seeing as we're nearing the season of things that go bump in the night, I thought it might be fun to do a Monster theme week.  My excitement for it fueled by the chance to read one of my favorite books of all time. Although I do not yet have one for it, Leonardo the Terrible Monster is an amazing book for launching a lesson on making good choices and what it means to be a good friend.  Most people might remember Mo Willems for writing the Pigeon books (previously used for a lesson below).  He has many other hilarious and worthwhile series and characters, but none have quite touched my heart like Leonardo.  You see, Leonardo is a terrible monster... terrible at being a monster is really more like it.  He can't scare anyone, and when he finally is able to make a little boy cry, it isn't his fault at all but rather the outcome of a really crummy day.  After the little boy vents his frustrations to Leonardo, he decides that maybe being a wonderful friend is better than a terrible monster.  It gets me everytime!   Like all of Mo Willems books its funny in a way that both children and adults can appreciate, and really whats better than laughing right along with your students at storytime?  The illustrations are simple and cute, writing and grammar are great, and moral of the story is perfect.  


But wait!


While rummaging through my local bargain book bin I found this little beauty.  I picked it up simply for the beautiful cover, but oh my am I glad I did.  Are there really few things more exciting than stumbling across a new and amazing book?  Something you should know about me...I'm a book snob.  I mean grade A, fine toothed comb, must be flawless book snob.  This rule applies not only to the adult sized novels I read, but probably even more so to the books I decide to share with children.  I guess I take it a little seriously that I might be garnering a love of reading every time I sit down to storytime.  I can still remember the way I felt about certain books as a child, as if they were magic.  I know without doubt that illustrations have helped carve the way I see the world.  I know Dr. Seuss helped me grow a love of words and ways to use them, I know Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs helped mold the stretches of my imagination, and I know that Theodore Mouse Goes to Sea sparked a light of adventure in my soul.  Like I said, I take books very seriously.  In my dream classroom I don't own a single book that I don't believe will nurture some expanse of my students minds.  When I choose books now it's with an empathetic mind, always asking myself if I were a kid, would this book stick with me?  Does it have the magic?  The Monster Princess by D.J. MacHale, brings me back to that place.  The writing, complete with beautiful rhyming, has an old school fairy tale feel to it.  It weaves a story with an actual plot (something difficult to find these days), and ends with a moral that almost chokes me up (but then again I'm a sap).  The best part about it?  It's a story about mean girls, a theme that I feel is cropping up sadly early in children's lives now a days.  How many pre-school teachers can already identify queen bee's in their classrooms?  Sad but true, these small diva's sometimes boggle me with their aptitude towards adolescent cruelty.  
Which brings me back to the book, where a small monster (Lala) attempts to live her dream of being a princess among the three sisters who live in the castle.  At first they seem kind as they dress and make her up for the ball that night.  But when she is humiliated during her grand entrance she realizes that she was really only the butt of their cruel joke.  She flees back to her underground home only to venture out one last time to return the dress they lent her.  As she is traveling back to the castle she stumbles across a monster even larger and more fearsome than herself who is about to eat the three princesses.  Thinking quickly Lala distracts him so that the princesses might escape.  Afterwards they are so grateful they tell Lala that she indeed is a princess and may live in the castle with them.  But Lala says thanks but no thanks, she's realized she's happy being just who she is and would rather return home.  
This book is as beautifully illustrated as it is written and provides a lesson I think we are never to young to begin learning.  Even though I don't have a lesson for it yet, I did ask several questions while reading.  Was it nice for the princesses to trick Lala?  How did it make Lala feel?  I have to say I was almost surprised to see the sad faces on my students as Lala was humiliated at the ball.  They felt for her, and their answers showed their disappointment in the three princesses.  I would love to one day find a full blown lesson to go along with this story, but for now it will simply have to be happy with a permanent spot on my classroom shelf.  


Be kind to each other


and Teach on!

Book Club

Often times I find that great lesson plans come from great books.  Weekly trips to the library have become a kind of standard now.  Most weeks I count on books to inspire at least half of my lessons, believing that you can never go wrong when you tie in literacy.  To be honest I'd love to create a curriculum that was based entirely around literacy (math, science, and all!) but that's another blog!  So what better way to get inspired to teach a great emotional development lesson than a great emotional development story!?!


I plan on having lessons to share later in the week, but I'm taking this opportunity to begin a new segment for lessons that are yet to be.  Book Club will be a place to introduce stories that can become jumping off points for lessons of the future.  This week we're starting off with a brand spanking new book called Cloudette, written by Tom Lichtenheld.  It's the story of a cloud so small that she doesn't feel like she can contribute anything helpful.  She searches and searches until one day, by accident, she finds herself above a small dried up pond.  Giving it her all she is able to produce enough rain to fill the pond and make it a happy home for a family of frogs.  For me the message behind this book is that no matter how small or insignificant you feel you can still make the world a better place.  It's well written (which is a BIG deal to me), funny, and beautifully illustrated.  It just came out this year so it should still be easy to find.


Books with emotional lessons aren't rare, but sometimes I think we just want to leave it at the carpet and not go any further with the message intended.  I encourage teachers not to let the book do the work for them, but instead be inspired by it.  Take advantage of the fact that most children are captivated by stories, allow them to live it out loud by extending it into their classrooms and lives.


If you read or have already read this book and have a great lesson idea, share with us!  Or equally awesome, if you have a book you'd like to recommend for book club send it along!  This might not be the last you see of this book from me, just waiting for the right time and brain storm (no pun intended).  As for now, believe me, it's worth the trip to the library!


Teach on!