Birthday Pet, The by Ellen Javernick. 2009.

Happy Birthday to You

Inspiration Book:

The birthday pet by Javernick, Ellen  — Marshall Cavendish Children, c2009 p2012--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0 Danny can have a pet for his birthday and he knows exactly what he wants, but the other members of his family think differently. 

Rationale: Every kid loves his birthday. Be sure to celebrate it in a special way.  I keep a collection of birthday books in a specially decorated or labeled cabinet, box, basket (whatever you have). When it’s a child’s birthday he/she selects the book from the basket to feature on his/her birthday. Some children make sure they choose one that nobody else has chosen; others choose a favorite from the basket. Sometimes they get a small gift such as a birthday pencil or sticker; sometimes I place a bookplate inside a book in honor of the day. We always sing “Happy Birthday”. The kids especially like the bookplate; they will frequently ask me to help them find their birthday book and show it to friends or check it out for the gazillionth time. Whatever you do, just make sure to celebrate the day.

Use some of the teaching resources listed below to celebrate the day; use the entire Jimmy’s Boa lesson if you want to make a mini-unit featuring the skill of cause/effect. 

Whenever you get a new title that features birthdays, add it to the basket. There are many more birthday books, these are just some of the newer ones from the last decade plus three old favorites: Flower Garden, Jimmy’s Boa, and Mysterious Tadpole. More about birthdays in another entry.

Teacher Resources:

When Is Your Half Birthday? PreK to 5 | Activity, Video, Website  Wonderopolis would like to wish you a Happy Half Birthday today…if today is your half birthday, of course! http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/when-is-your-half-birthday/

Why Do We Blow Out Birthday Candles? PreK to 5 | Activity, Video, Website Can you believe it? Wonderopolis is 1 year old today! Help us blow out the candle on our birthday cake, as we take a closer look at this birthday tradition. http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/

The Day Jimmy's Boa Taught Cause and Effect K to 2 | Lesson This lesson introduces the concept of cause and effect with Trinka Hakes Nobles books about Jimmy and his boa constrictor. http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/jimmy-taught-cause-effect-1029.html

Related Books:

Happy birthday, Bunny! by Scanlon, Elizabeth Garton  — Beach Lane Books, 2013 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.5. Illustrations and rhyming text portray the birthday party of a beloved baby.

Outstanding in the rain by Viva, Frank — Little, Brown and Company, 2015 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. Rhyming text tells of a boy's birthday at Coney Island, while each turn of the page reveals a new meaning for an oronym--a pair of words or phrases which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. 

Flower garden by Bunting, Eve, 1928 — Harcourt, c1994 p2000--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.9 Helped by her father, a young girl prepares a flower garden as a birthday surprise for her mother. 

Who wants a tortoise? by Keane, David  — Alfred A. Knopf, 2016 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.9. Expecting a dog for her birthday, a girl is upset and furious when she gets a tortoise instead, but soon learns that even a tortoise can be a good pet.

Epossumondas saves the day by Salley, Coleen — Harcourt, 2006--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5 In this variation on the folktale, Sody Salyraytus, each of Epossumondas's birthday guests disappears until it is finally up to him to rescue them all and bring home the "sody" for his birthday biscuits.

The day Jimmy's boa ate the wash by Noble, Trinka Hakes — Dial Press, 1980--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.7 Jimmy's boa constrictor wreaks havoc on the class trip to a farm. 

The mysterious tadpole by Kellogg, Steven — Puffin Books, c2002 p2004--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.7 Louis's uncle brings him a frog from Scotland for his birthday, and Louis soon realizes his tadpole, Alphonse, is no ordinary frog as he outgrows his jar, the sink, and even the bathtub. 

Lulu and the brontosaurus by Viorst, Judith  — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2010 p2012--Fic-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.1 

Little Red Pen, The by Janet Stevens. 2011.

The Trash Basket Accident

Inspiration Book:

The little red pen by Stevens, Janet — Harcourt Children's Books, 2011--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6 When a little red pen accidentally falls into the waste basket while trying to correct papers all by herself, the other classroom supplies must cooperate to rescue her.  

Rationale: Although this is a fractured fairy tale version of the Little Red Hen, I’ve selected recent humorous stories about school related topics for the bibliography. Use this title at the beginning of the school year. Include as many related books in a backpack display near the entrance, story corner, bookshelf, or circulation desk. Give one of the books to each primary teacher to continue reading in the classroom. This collection would also make a fun classroom collection for a teacher to read aloud one or two a day. 

Read the Inspiration Book aloud during orientation or one of the first days of school. The reader’s theater script and finger puppets make a new twist introduction or conclusion as does the book trailer. Use the teacher resources below to plan a fun story hour--guess I don’t need to plan another. Included in that activity kit is the script, a maze, scrambled words, speech bubbles, and space to draw an invention. If you plan to share the books with non-readers like kindergarteners and first graders, plan to have a group of second or third graders perform the Reader’s Theater Script--would be fun for the performers and listeners, too.

Teacher Resources:

Activity Guide:

at http://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HMH/LittleRedPenActivityKit.pdf

Or download from www.Follett.com

Includes finger puppets, an introductory reader’s theater script, scrambled words and quotations, speech bubbles, evacuation plan/invention, and a maze

Book Trailer at Author website http://www.susanscrummel.com/the-little-red-pen

Related Books:

It's a book by Smith, Lane  — Roaring Brook Press, 2010 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.0. Two readers compare a print to digital media, and learn books are still valuable.

My teacher is a monster! (no, I am not) by Brown, Peter — Little, Brown and Company, 2014 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.7. Bobby thinks his teacher, Ms. Kirby, is horrible, but when he sees her outside of school and they spend a day in the park together, he discovers she might not be so bad after all.

It's picture day today! by McDonald, Megan — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.9. A classroom of art supplies, including Button, Feathers, String, Yarn, and Wheely Thing, gathers for their picture day.

We don't eat our classmates! (Mother Bruce Series - PK) by Higgins, Ryan T  — Disney-Hyperion, 2018 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. When the class pet bites the finger of Penelope, a tyrannosaurus rex, she finally understands why she should not eat her classmates, no matter how tasty they are

Art's supplies by Tougas, Chris — Orca Book Publishers, 2016. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.2. Things get totally out of control when Art's art supplies decide to throw a party.

First grade dropout by Vernick, Audrey  — Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.4. After an embarrassing incident, a young boy decides to quit school.

Happy birthday, Mrs. Millie! by Cox, Judy — Marshall Cavendish Children, 2012--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.5 Students surprise their beloved but silly teacher with a birthday party, giving her ample opportunity to make them laugh by mixing up her words. 

Guinea pigs add up by Cuyler, Margery — Walker, 2010--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6 Mr. Gilbert brings in a guinea pig as a class pet, but it looks so lonely he brings another, and before long the class is getting an unexpected lesson in addition--and a very full cage. 

The hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher goes to school by Anderson, Laurie Halse — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.6 A young girl's talented but untamed tresses do not impress her strict first-grade teacher, who has rules for everything, including hair. 

Artist Ted by Beaty, Andrea  — Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2012--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.7 Ted decides that his bedroom, as well as his school, needs the touch of an artist and when he can not find one he becomes one for the day to the dismay of his mother, principal, and a new classmate Pierre. 

Stink : the incredible shrinking kid by McDonald, Megan  — Spotlight ,Candlewick Press, c2005 p2010--Fic-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.9 The shortest kid in the second grade, James Moody, also known as Stink, learns all about the shortest president of the United States, James Madison, when they celebrate Presidents' Day at school.  FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com

Thank you, Miss Doover by Pulver, Robin — Holiday House, 2010--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.0 Jack learns the value of revision as he practices Miss Doover's lesson on how to write a proper thank-you note. 

I will never get a star on Mrs. Benson's blackboard by Mann, Jennifer K  — Candlewick Press, 2017. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.1. Rose's teacher gives stars for spelling and neatness and giving the right answer, but Rose can't manage to do any of those things right. Will she ever get a star from Mrs. Benson?"

The great pet escape (Pets On The Loose!, Book 1) by Jamieson, Victoria — Henry Holt and Company, 2016 741.5; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.2. A young graphic novel chapter book about the escape escapades of class pets at Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary School.

Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem by Barnett, Mac — Disney/Hyperion Books, 2009--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.4 When Billy Twitters' mother follows through on her threat to buy him a blue whale if he refuses to obey, he finds himself the owner of an enormous pet that he must take with him everywhere, which does not make him popular at school. 

Once upon an alphabet by Jeffers, Oliver  — Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2014 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.0. From an Astronaut who's afraid of heights, to a Bridge that ends up burned between friends, to a Cup stuck in a cupboard and longing for freedom, this series of interconnected stories and characters explores the alphabet.