Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Sendak, M.(1963). Where the wild things are. New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books.

Where the Wild Things Are is a story about Max, a little boy who behaves badly and whose consequences are to be banished to his bedroom before dinner.  In an effort to escape, makes goes to a land where he is the ruler of the wild things.  Sendak wrote this tale in a way that children can easily identify with and illustrated in a way that encourages a second look.

Evaluation criteria: Line

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The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. New York: Clarion.

David Wiesner's version of The Three Pigs is another alternative take on a classic story as Wiesner takes the children's story of "The Three Little Pigs" and, through marvelous illustrations and conversational bubbles, allows the pigs to transcend their story and interact with various characters from other tales.  The intricate illustrations add a dimension to the tale that only serves to enhance and entertain the reader.

Evaluation criteria: Line

This is a lesson that I would love to do!

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: William Morrow Co.

Dear Mr. Henshaw is a story that involves a young boy (Leigh Botts) living with his single mother who is struggling to make ends meet because Leigh's father is an absentee father/ex-husband who doesn't always pay child support and Leigh is often left alone at night so his mother can go to school in an effort to better their situation. As the story concludes, Leigh's father comes around hoping to reconcile with his mother and the effort is unsuccessful. The relationship seems to proceed amicably and the story leaves the reader with the hope that Leigh will at least have a positive relationship with his dad.Much of the story is written as a series of letters/journal entries, making it unique to Cleary's writing style.

Evaluation criteria:  plot and style

Teaching ideas at Scholastic.com