Three Children Literature Books (6)

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen- The story of Owl Moon was about a little boy and is Pa. It's a winter snowy day and they both go owling. They have to walk a few ways in order togo owling. The first spot they hit which is in some area where there are trees the Pa owls but no answer. They both keep going to find another spot so Pa can owl. Still no answer, so they can keep walking until they get into deeper woods. It's getting dark and Pa starts to howl again and finally they both hear the owl howling back. Within the Pa turns his flashlight on and they both see a great big owl standing on the branch. The owl, the boy, and Pa just stare at each other for quite a long time. The owl finally flies away and the boy and Pa go home.
Teaching ideas: I would have the students talk about feelings about how they would feel if they were in the book and what they think about owls.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen- Wow this book was a very sad story. Now I know what you mean when you said to read the book first before reading to the class. Well this book was about a little girl who was poor. Her father wanted her to go sell fake flowers and matches on a cold breezy day before New Year's Day. The little girl wasn't able to sell any of them and was scared to go home because her father would beat her. She found a place to hide out and as she was there, she was lighting up matches. She had looked up in the sky ans remembered that her grandma had told her when she sees a falling star someone will be going to heaven. So then she keeps lighting the matches and sees herself with her grandma who is deceased and feels as if she's dreaming, how she in a warm place with food and her grandma. The last match she lit she saw her grandma and wants to go with her. At the end in the morning people saw her dead but with a smile.

Teaching ideas: I would have the students make a holiday decoration of an angel and make and angel spoons during the Christmas holidays as an art activity.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams- This book is about a rabbit that is a stuffed animal that was given to a young boy for a replacement of another toy. The rabbit hears that if someone who really loves their stuffed animal can become real. The boy takes out the rabbit into the woods and the rabbit figures out that he is not real by meeting other rabbits. The boy ends up setting sick and is not allowed to take the rabbit with him and that he had to burn everything that the rabbits wish come true by turning real. Later on the boy comes back and sees that rabbit and realizes that he had a stuffed animal that looked like him.
Teaching ideas: I would have the students bring in a rabbit or some stuff animal they loved while they were young and have them give a presentation about the animal.