yuen-read aloud

	Favorite Read Alouds "students are better readers because they read more" -Thomas Gunning

	Title: The Velveteen Rabbit Author: Margery Williams Illustrator: David Jorgensen Publisher: Random House, Inc. (c) 1985
Summary	A young boy was given a present for Christmas. The toy, the Velveteen Rabbit, lives in the nursery with all of the other toys waiting for the day when the Boy (as he is called) will choose him as a playmate. As time passes, the shy Rabbit becomes friends with the Skin Horse, the wisest resident of the nursery, who revealed the goal of all nursery toys: to be made "real" through the love of a child. The Skin Horse informs the Velveteen Rabbit that being Real isn't how you are made. Instead, "it's a thing that happens to you when a child loves you for long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you. Once that happens, then you become Real" (p. 9). During the Boy's scarlet fever, him and the Velveteen rabbit became best friends and were inseperatable. Unfortunately, their good times had to end when the Boy's parents threw away everything that had been contaminated with scarlet fever germs, including the Velveteen Rabbit. Miraculously , a lovely fairy who turns loved toys into Real toys, came to the Velveteen Rabbit's rescue. In the end, the Velveteen Rabbit became Real because he was really loved by the Boy.

Recommendation for Parents	This book can teach your child the importance of childhood toys, the transformation from stuffed to real, and the value of friendship. Depending on the age of your child, it may be a good opportunity to introduce new vocabulary. There is also dialog so children can act out scenes to further understanding and have fun.

Recommendation for Teachers	Children have a variety of toys; some have more and some have less. But no matter what, children usually have at least one toy where it is loved so much that the child cannot sleep without it or will not feel safe unless that toy is there. Therefore, children will be able to relate to this story with ease. The story uses a range of vocabulary and allows the reader to engage in tone and expression. In addition, the story goes through a smooth sequence and we can ask children to summarize following the sequence. Lastly, the pictures on each page correlates very well with the words so it is a great resource for readers.

Personal Note	This story is very touching. Many kids will be able to relate to the story (transactional theory) because children usually have at least one toy where they loved it so much that they played with it like a friend that came to life. I connected with this story so much because as a child, I had a bunny animal that my parents gave me. We were friends (and it still is) since childhood.


	Title: Amazing Grace Author: Mary Hoffman Illustrator: Caroline Binch Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd. (c) 1991
Summary	This book is about a little girl name Grace who loves stories. She not only loves to read them but she loves to act out the characters in each story. Roles and identities she adopted included Joan of Arc, Anansi the Spider, Hiawatha, Mowgli, and Aladdin. When her class plans a presentation of Peter Pan, Grace immediately showed her enthusiasm. However, she became discouraged when her classmates pointed out Peter Pan is not a girl and is not African American. When Nana takes Grace to see a famous black ballerina, the determined youngster is aroused by the performance and decides to practice hard and go for the role anyways. Empowered by the strength of her imagination and the love of her mother and Nana, Grace realized she could do anything she imagines. In the end, her classmates loved her performance of Peter Pan so much that everyone wanted Grace to be Peter Pan.

Recommendation for Parents	This story is a reading rainbow book that is enriched with imagination, excellent illustrations, an exciting plot, and an important moral. "Amazing Grace" sends out an important message to children, as well as adults, that no matter what happens as long as you have dreams and are willing to follow through with it then anything is possible!

Recommendation for Teachers	This book can teach the power of respect and peer support. Teachers can ask children how they think Grace felt when her friends in class did not support her desire to play Peter Pan. Students can express their experience, feelings, and solutions either verbally or writing it in their journals. By putting children into Grace's shoe, hopfully they will feel how important it is to respect and support their classmates' dreams - even if they personally don't think much of it. Teachers can also have a discussion about cause and effect. For example, what caused Grace to lose her spirit and what caused the class to vote for Grace? This book is also excellent for building self-esteem among children of all cultural backgrounds.

Personal Note	I read this book as a child and read it again recently and I still feel just as empowered now as I was many years ago. Sometimes kids are discouraged from trying things they feel they cannot do or will not be good at - rather it be a sport or writing a summary. However, it is important for children to try it out and give it their best. If for any reason they are not as successful as they wanted to be, then as teachers we need to tell them that it is okay because at least they were brave enough to try and all it matters it that they genuinely did their best.