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Primary/Intermediate: Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship is written by Craig Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu, illustrated by Peter Greste, photographs by Peter Greste. This is a non-fiction selection leveled at a guided reading level "T." Owen & Mzee:The True Story of A Remarkable Friendship is an inspiring true story of two great friends, a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee. When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked to rescue him. Then, to everyone's amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart. Please check out this link for lessons and ideas to go with this book. http://jenniferallore.weebly.com
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Primary: A winter day just right for new friendships and fun.
Winter Friends was written by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. This is a wonderful book of poetry about winter and friends. The poems are simple. Each poem lends itself to a conversation on friendship. I also liked the fact that the poems were not standard rhythm such as ABAB which is quite common in poetry books written for young students. As an educator I would use this book as a read a loud as opposed to a book I would have students independently read.
Winter Friends was written by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. This is a wonderful book of poetry about winter and friends. The poems are simple. Each poem lends itself to a conversation on friendship. I also liked the fact that the poems were not standard rhythm such as ABAB which is quite common in poetry books written for young students. As an educator I would use this book as a read a loud as opposed to a book I would have students independently read.
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Primary: Nico & Lola: Kindness Shared Between a Boy and a Dog was written by Meggan Hill and Illustrated by Susan M. Graunke. This book is realistic fiction and is great for readers ages 4 to 8. It would also make a great read aloud for children ages 2 and up. I chose this book for my friendship set as I liked the fact that is teaches the lesson that friends don't have to be just person to person but can also be between person to animal. The fact that this book uses photographs as opposed to drawings was another reason I enjoyed this book. In this story Nico must search his heart to find ways to be kind while taking care of a dog named Lola. The photographs and messages in this book are entwined to remind us that we can always be a little kinder to everyone and everything we do.
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Primary: The Name Jar is written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi. Unhei is the new kid in school and no one can pronounce her name so instead of introducing herself on the first day of school she tells the class that she will choose a name by the following week. Her new classmates are fascinated by this no-name girl and decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. This story has a beautiful ending where the children discover a beautiful meaning to her given Korean name of Unhei! I chose this book for the story for friendship but also because the book is multicultural. Children in late 2nd/early 3rd grade would be able to read it independently but it would also serve as a great read a loud. It opens itself up to many great conversations and lessons learned! Please check out this pinterest site for great ideas to go with this book.
http://www.pinterest.com/katei/the-name-jar-activities.com
http://www.pinterest.com/katei/the-name-jar-activities.com
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Primary/Intermediate: Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story was written by Amy Littlesugar and illustrated by William Low. This book is historical fiction and a wonderful story of friendship. When Max's dad buys a painting from the window of Willy's dad's antique shop, Willy and Max become instant friends. The boys are inseparable until the Natzi's come. They take everything from Max's family, including the painting. This book is a great read a loud for ages preschool and up. Because of the nature of the historical subject independent reading for younger children may be difficult.
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Middle/Young Adult: The Silent Boy is written by Lois Lowry. This is a chapter book and appropriate for young adolescent readers. I chose this book of friendship between a silent boy and the animals with whom he can relate to. The subject matter of poverty entwined with the book also interested me because of the population of students I work with.
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Primary/Intermediate: Each Kindness is written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. This book is appropriate for students in grades 2 to 5. The book navigates difficulties in human relationships. When a new students arrives mid-year with her head down and broken sandals she chooses to sit next to Chloe, an African American girl. The book takes us through the heartache of Maya trying to gain friends and fit in but because she is "never new" or poor, the others don't let her in. Unlike other books, Maya moves before the children make her a friend. This leaves some, mainly Chloe, along to reflect on the choices she has made. This story is realistic fiction and students third grade and up could read independently but it would be a great book for a class read a loud. Lots of lessons learned!!!
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Middle/Young Adult: The Grand Plan to Fix Everything is written by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Abigail Halpin. This spirited novel follows the journey of eleven year old Dini when her family moves to India. The book explains the up and downs of making new friends who have different interests. I chose this book because it is culturally diverse and a great story of friendship. This chapter book would be a great read for young adolescent girls and boys!
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Young Adult: ttyl is written by Lauren Myracle and a great modern young adult story. This novel is made entirely out of IM (instant messages) transcripts from three high school girls. I chose this story of modern day friendship because I feel students can relate to the way children communicate with each other. Subjects in the book range anywhere from clothes, popularity, boys, boys, boys, female issues and so on. I like the way is laid out differently than other chapter books of its kind. If young girls are having a hard time getting into a book I think this may just be the one for them!!!!
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Intermediate/Young Adult: Raising Dragons is written by Bryan Davis. This is a contemporary fantasy novel inspires young people to dig deep and find their strengths and weaknesses to over come any obstacle. The book focuses on a journey of differences that in the end bring together friendships. I chose this book as I wanted to offer a series to my book set. This series would be appropriate for readers in 4th grade and up.