Title: Swimmy
Author and Illustrator: Leo Lionni                                          
Publication date: 1963, 1991
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York

Why choose this book?

    Swimmy is a unique fish, because not only is he a different color, he also swims faster than all of this friends. One day a huge tuna fish comes and gulps up all of Swimmy's friends. He is the only one that escapes. He feels alone in the world (under the water), and encounters many new creatures while exploring, and finally finds a new school of red fish. Swimmy wants to play with them, but they tell Swimmy that they can not swim around and see new things because there are big fish that might eat them. Without giving away the wonderful ending to this read aloud, Swimmy and his new friends find a way to work together and solve their problem. This book is a very strong example of working together as a community in order to work for the greater good of everyone.
  
     The illustrations cover the pages, giving students a lot of visual imagery to add to the context of the book. It also introduces different creatures that live in the ocean, with pictures that cover the pages to enhance the text. For parents and teachers, this read aloud would be an excellent supplement to a unit discussing ocean life. I think this book sparks interest about ocean life, and after seeing the wonderful pictures parents and teachers will be looking for more books by this author. In addition, students can work on their own water color pictures to hang in their classrooms. This read aloud can be used to support English learners by having them use strategies such as prediction and inference while reading this book aloud. Teachers can also read through this book a second or third time, each time having students act out the scenes in the book. This will aid in comprehension skills for English language learners, as well as increase student participation.
   
    I  really enjoy Swimmy as a read aloud because the book's central theme addresses the life skill of problem solving. This is an important skill to think about as children grow and mature into successful adults.



Title: Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Illustrator: Thomas Locker
Publication date: 1996
Publisher:Harcourt Brace & Company

Why choose this book?

    Between Earth & Sky gives a wonderful overview of the many sacred places and cultural traditions of Native Americans. While visiting a sacred land Little Turtle learns ten sacred traditional legends from his Uncle Old Bear. Each page is filled with a wonderful illustration of the legend that is being discussed. The book covers ten different legends from Native American culture, with both a map and a guide to the pronunciations of the different Native American tribes in the back. Each legend is related to one of the seven directions and is attributed to a specific people. This book urges readers to, "look within through the eyes of our hearts, " in order to see, "the sacred places that are all around us."

    This is an excellent book for parents to buy for their children because it teaches children about different Native American traditions. In addition, it gives them a glimpse into the culture of storytelling and sacred traditions of the many different different tribes of Native American people. The book highlights the beauty of nature, and urges readers to think about a connection between the people and the places that they call home. It is a fun journey for children to go on, one that will open their minds to a different type of literature, and one that may spark their interest to learn more.

    This book lends itself to a wonderful lesson about making connections between literature and personal experiences. Integrating personal experience is another way to help English language learners. It would be a great supplement to help integrate American Indian culture and belief system with language arts and visual arts. Students can learn about the cardinal directions and then learn how Native American  culture expands beyond the four cardinal directions, to include everything "between earth & sky." They will learn about the different sacred places, as well as the different tribes of Native Americans and this may lead to further research and possibly a report on one specific tribe.

    I think that Between Earth & Sky is a beautifully written and illustrated book, that both students and adults will enjoy. I recommend this book because it introduces students to a different culture and to a different type of literature.