Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia. By: Peggy Parish. Illustrated by Lynn Sweat. (2004)

Amelia Bedelia is one of my all time favorite characters. She is such a sweet person, she always has the best intentions, but she will take everything that you say literally, and she doesn't seem to understand that words or phrases can have more than one meaning (colloquial). The situations she gets herself into will make anyone laugh. These books are also a great way to teach children about colloquial words. Many times children will not know what calling the roll is, or being a hand at singing, so this can open them up to more of our language that they may not hear everyday. Readers should use the illustrations to figure out what Amelia should be doing, and what Amelia actually ended up doing. In Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia is mistaken as the new substitute teacher, and the laughs never end as she attempts to follow the days lesson plans. I have read this book so many times, and I still keep laughing. I read this with reading groups during my student teaching, and had a lot of fun with it, because I was having my own new teacher experience, so I could really relate to Amelia! It was a lot of fun!

About the Author: Peggy Parish

Genre: Humor, Fiction
Theme/Skill: Understanding synonyms and colloquialisms. Amelia Bedelia takes everything literally; read along to find out what Amelia Bedelia will do next and use the pictures to see what she is up to.
Grade Level: Kindergarten-3rd grade
Pre-reading activity: Have a reading group discussion on synonyms and  colloquialisms. Give students examples of words that have multiple means. Teach children to use context clues, and clues from the illustrations to understand which meaning of the word in intended. Give examples.

Post-reading activity: Students will work in a small group to review the book and to make a list of examples in which Amelia Bedelia misunderstood the meaning of something. Then give students a t-chart and on each side it should say "Amelia Bedelia calls the roll". Students should draw a picture on one side of what Amelia Bedelia was supposed to do, and on the other side draw a picture of what Amelia Bedelia thought she was supposed to do

Junie B. Jones: Is a Graduation Girl. By Barbara Park (2001)

I was introduced to Junie B. Jones while I was student teaching in second grade. We read a couple of chapters of Junie B. everyday after recess to get the students calmed down and back into school mode. I fell in love with the adorable five year old! One thing I learned about Junie B. is that you never know what she's going to do or say. I chose to put Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl in my blog, because its the end of an era. This is the last of Junie B.'s adventures as a kindergarten student. The next book starts first grade.

In this book, Junie B. is so excited about her graduation from kindergarten. Mrs., her teacher gives each student a white cap and gown that they will need to bring home, and wear to school on the graduation day. She tells the students not to play with them, and to keep them safe. Well, of course, Junie B. cannot handle knowing that beautiful cap and gown are sitting there in a box in her house and she cannot touch them. If you know Junie B., you can just imagine what happens next! Everything works out in the long run, but there are a lot of laughs along the way.

Junie B. is such a great character for young children developing a love for reading. My son will read these books on his own, but we really enjoy reading Junie B. together before bed. Story time before bed is one of my favorite moments with my kids, and Junie B. always makes it even more enjoyable

Genre: Fiction, humor, character education

Theme/Skill: Getting ready for graduation/ moving from one grade to the next.

Grade Level:1-3

Pre-reading activity: Students will discuss what they felt like when they graduated from preschool/kindergarten/first grade, etc with a partner. Were they happy? sad? scared? excited? confused? And why did  they feel this way. They will share with the class how they felt.

Post-reading activity: Junie B. was ready to go to first grade, but things were going to be different for her next year. What can you tell Junie about the first day of first grade was like for you? What did you like best? Seeing old friends? Meeting new friends? School lunch? Write Junie B. a letter about what you think she is going to like best about first grade.

Froggy Gets Dressed. By: Jonathan London (2002)

I wish that there were Froggy books when I was a child. They are so funny! We have five or six of the Froggy books by Jonathan London, and they really are all very funny. My favorite is Froggy Gets Dressed. I don't know if this is my favorite because this is the cutest one, or if it's because I LOVE my son's reaction every time I read this. I do the voices of Froggy and his mother, and it leaves Jonathan laughing hysterically every time.

Froggy wants to go out and play in the snow, he will start to get dressed and then head outside, and then his mother will yell "Froggggggggggggggggggggyyyyyyyyy" and he'll yell, "Whhhhhaaaaatttttttttt?" and then his mother will tell him what he forgot to put on. Jonathan's favorite part is when Froggy's mother tells him he forgot to put on his underwear! But what first grader doesn't love the word underwear? Its just the funniest word to them! When my husband was the mystery reader for Jonathan's class (they give out clues about the reader to the kids every day, and then on Friday the mystery reader comes into the class) he asked me what I thought he should read to the class. I gave him Froggy Gets Dressed. When my husband got home, I asked him how it went, and he said that it was a huge hit, everyone laughed a lot, especially when Froggy forgot his underwear. He also said that Jonathan's teacher had never read that one before, and asked to borrow the book to bring him to read to her children. Definitely a cute book! I recommend to anyone looking for a fun book to read to children.

Genre: Fiction, humor

Theme/Skill: Students will work on putting things in sequential order.

Grade Level: PreK-2

Pre-reading activity: Students will write in their journals about what they like most about playing in the snow, and what they like to do the most while they are playing in the snow.

Post-reading Activity:  Students will have a doll, and they should first dress them in their shirt and pants, and then their jackets, and then their hat and gloves and scarf. Students will race with a partner to see who can get the doll dressed correctly the fastest, without leaving anything out!

No David! By: David Shannon (1998)

"No, David!” by David Shannon is a children’s book that I will always hold dear to my heart. I have read this to my own son many times. When he was younger I would read it as “No, Jonny” instead of “No, David” as my son would act out the silly parts, and we would both laugh and laugh. David is a character that anyone can relate too. He is always getting into trouble, and like many children he is constantly hearing the word “No” Whether he is tracking mud through the house or banging on pots and pans, this little guy is always getting into something. At the end of the book David’s mother assures him everything is okay as she hugs him and says, “Yes, David… I love you!”

David Shannon’s mother found a collection of drawings that David had created as a child. The only words on those pages were “no” and “David”. These drawings inspired David to write and illustrate the first of the Diaper David books. “No, David!” This book was based off of David Shannon’s memories of his own childhood. The pages of “No, David” have very few words, but the pictures really tell the humorous story of young David.  In 1999, this book became a Caldecott Honor Book, because the pictures really bring the pages alive.

David Shannon was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Spokane Washington. He went to college at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California, and then moved to New York City. He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles, California. (http://www.scholastic.com/titles/nodavid/davidshannon.htm, retrieved on February 8, 2011).

Genre: This book is fiction, although it is based on the author, David Shannon's childhood. This book could be used for character education in the classroom.
Theme: Following rules. Consequences. Cause and Effect.
Age level: 2 years and up
Pre-reading Activity: While sitting on the mat with a large group, discuss the cover with students. Talk about times when students have been in trouble. What happened when they got in trouble. How did this make them feel?
Post-reading Activity: Students should discuss the rules they know. What are the rules at home? What are the rules in the classroom? What are the rules in other places they spend time? Ask students why they think we have rules? Discuss safety.