Title: First Day Jitters
Author: Julie Danneberg
Illustrator: Judy Love
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Publication Date: 2000

Summary:
            Sarah Hartwell is woken up by Mr. Hartwell on the first day of school, only she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to start at a new school and will not know anyone. Mr. Hartwell finally gets her to get out of bed and takes her to school. Once they are there she tells Mr. Harwell she feels sick, but he tells her she’ll love her new school. The principal, Mrs. Burton, introduces Mrs. Sarah Hartwell to the class as their new teacher.

 Recommendation for Parents:
            Reading this book the night before the first day of school would be a good way to ease your child’s worries. It shows them that even adults get first day jitters. The end of the book is a big surprise, which will delight any child. You can go back through the book with them and look at the pictures again to see how well the illustrator tricked the reader.

 Recommendation for Other Teachers:
           This is an excellent book to read on the first day of school because it will show the students that you are just as nervous as they are. It can also prompt conversation about why the students thought the girl was their age instead of older. You can go back through the stories and pick out language that the author used to trick the reader into thinking it was a student. Another good activity to follow up this read aloud is to have the students write their first journal entry. Depending on their grade you can have them write a narrative of what they felt about the first day of school or write a letter about how they feel about the new school year.

Personal Note:
            My resident teacher gave this book to me before the first day of school and told me to read it the night before. I read it and was pleasantly surprised that the girl who was nervous was a teacher! That element of surprise made me flip back through the book and pick out elements that made me have the assumption is was a little girl. I will probably use this book on the first day of school in my own classroom because it could spark interesting discussions about how the author and illustrator trick the reader.



Title: Hill of Fire
Author: Thomas P. Lewis
Illustrator: Joan Sandin
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Harper & Row
Publication Date: 1971

Summary:
            A farmer in Mexico is sad because nothing ever changes. Everyday he does the same thing and eats the same thing. He lives in a little village with his wife and son. Pablo, his son, throws rocks into a hole every night while he rests by the fire. During the day the farmer plows the earth for crops. Even though the village has everything they need the farmer is still sad that nothing ever happens. One day when plowing, the ground opened up and began spewing rocks and lava. The town is completely ruined and the people must move to a new place. They name the volcano “El Monstruo.” The farmer’s life is the same and he tells the children of the village that one hill of fire is enough for him.

Recommendation for Parents:
            This is a great read aloud book for children because the language is simple and the pictures support what is written. This book is also a good opportunity for parents to discuss how other cultures live their day to day lives.

 Recommendation for Other Teachers:
           This book is great for introducing a new culture to younger students. It does not overwhelm the reader with too much information about the culture. The book can also be used to introduce volcanoes to the students and to fuel narrative stories about what they would do if a volcano popped up in their backyard. The book also uses the Spanish words amigo, El Monstruo, and fiesta. The book can also be used as a tool to work on predicting what will happen next. This book will also engage English Learner’s who are from Mexico because on the first page it mentions Mexico. 

Personal Note:
            I chose this book because it is easy to read and has a great story line. It would be very easy to discuss the parts of a story. I also like how the book uses a few Spanish words. This book could also spark interesting conversations about what people enjoy doing and what it would be like to live in a village.