Goose and Duck by Jean Craighead George

Book Genre: Fiction

Publisher Information: Harper Collins, 2008 (48 pages)

Summary: A little boy finds an egg by the lake. It cracks open and a goose pops out. The goose looks up at him and he is now the goose's mother. Everything the little boy did, the goose did. They ate spaghetti together, went to bed together, and jumped up and down together. Then one day they find a duck egg that hatched right in front of the boy and his goose. The baby duck looks up and sees the goose and the goose became it's mother. Now, whatever the boy did the goose did and whatever the goose did the duck did and they became quite a family. One night, Duck woke up and called for Goose, his mother, and Goose called for his mother, but the little bloy was fast asleep. They flew out the window, were picked up by a policeman, taken to the station where they caused quite a mess. The boy took them home and all was well until the leaves fell from the trees and Goose saw geese flying south for the winter. Off he went to follow his friends. Suddenly, he knew he was a goose and it was time to go. Duck saw ducks migrating south for the winter and he knew he must leave, too. The boy understood that we all must realize who we are, do what we must do to be ourselves, and he was a boy who had been a mother to a goose and a duck.

Reading Level: 2.3
Reading Interest: 4-8

Personal rating and reason for rating: (*** Good) I always like a story where the animal must be set free to live as natue intended but it tugs on the heart strings when they have to go. This would be a good book for read aloud for those too young to read and an intresting book for those who are able to read independently.

Possible uses of text in integrated units of study:

Science: The cycle of egg, to hatchling, to bird would be a good study, especially is baby quail eggs were hatched so the students could see the actual cycle in the classroom. In continuation of studing the bird cycle, the migration cycle could be introduced and the movie Migration from Discovery Channel is a good movie to show migration of everything from whales to crabs. Also, studying the four seasons would be a great segue for life cycles of birds or animals.

Math: The students could observe and count the number of days until the quail eggs hatch, record temperatures of the incubator, and notate how often the eggs are turned each day. This would be a practice of recording data for statistics and proability. Also, for more simple math, the students could use plastic colored eggs to create math problems such as; if Jenny has 9 purple eggs, Mary has 3 green eggs and Jack has 7 blue eggs what would be the total of all the green and blue eggs, the purple and green eggs and so forth. Subtraction, multiplication, and even selling the eggs to introduce money would a good combination with this book.

Language Arts: Words such as migration, policeman, duckling, neighboor and other words in the
book would be good for interactive writing or a word wall.

Social Studies: Teaching the students about policemen, when to call 911, learning their addresses and phone numbers would be good segments to integrate with this book. Having a policeman speak to the class would be interesting for the students, too.

Art: Have the students cut duck shapes from a stenciled picture and glue feathers to the cut out.

Reading: Students would read books concerning birds, migration, seasons, or policemen. I would want them to pick their own topic and write a summary.

Writing: Students would create a story about how they would be a mother to their favorite animal. What kind of food would the animal eat, where would it sleep, and how would you take care of it? This could motivate students for good creative writing.

Possible problems or difficulties: None that I able to see.

Everybody Says by Bonnie Dobkin

Book Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Childrens Press. 1993 (29 pages)

Summary: Everybody Says is a good starter book for children because the main character, who is nameless, is African-American. He looks different than the other children in the book and has different feelings, too. Everybody says vegetables are not good, rainy days aren't fun, sports are the best, and having a stuffed animal is for babies. The main character states his own feelings about these statements even though they are in contrast to what everybody else says. This is a simple little story that packs a big punch. We don't always have to believe or agree with what everybody else says. We can look different, act different, and have our own beliefs and it is okay to be who we are. Even as adults, we can learn from this story!

Personal rating and reason for rating: (**** Great) There is a word list in the back of the book, which is a wonderful tool for introducing new words in context. Also, in a cultural responsible classroom, a child of another culture may feel like he doesn't fit in because he is different. This book would help affirm that with different beliefs, looks, language, and actions, it is okay to be who you are, no matter what every body else says.

Reading Level: 1.2
Interest Level: K-3

Possible uses of the text in integrated units of study:

Social Studies: Children will learn about different cultures through stories, songs, and books.
Children will be encouraged to discuss their "family's culture" with family pictures from home, their own holiday activities, and different kinds of food prepared at home.

Geography: Children will view different environments and also discover through DVD's the climates and topography of foreign lands and how the people of that land are affected by where they live.

Music: Students will listen to and learn new music from foreign lands. Instruments will be made that represent sounds found in other cultures.

Writing: Students will write a short story with the prompt, "I like myself because...."

Reading: There is a word list for spelling, vocabulary, and understanding of words through context. The teacher may also read out loud about life in other cultures, such as, Rikki Tikki Tavi, The Little Dutch Boy, and other books related to foreign lands.

Art: The students will make a collage about what makes them unique with pictures from magazines, pictures from home, school work, awards they have won, a candy bar wrapper, anything that makes them realize they are all different with various talents, gifts, likes, and dislikes. These items could also be put in a keepsake box to be sealed and opened when they graduate from high school or college.

Beverly Ross