"Chicka Chika Boom Boom" by Bill Martin and John Archambault

Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault / Illustration: Lois Ehlert / ISBN: 0-671-67949-X

         Teaching the alphabet letters is one of the most important assignments that a teacher has to do in the classroom. How else are the children going to be able to read and write?!  Teachers choose different resources and techniques to teach the subject matter.  There is a tremendous amount of books and activities, to support the children's learning.  

          For me, my most favorite book to teach children letter recognition is "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault .  It is an educational while a fun book at the same time.  The story is very simple and children enjoy it.  It starts with the naughty lower case letters A telling B and B telling C to meet "at the top of the coconut tree".  In alphabetical order the letters begin to climb the coconut tree, but as more and more letters climb up, the tree begins to bend over until "CHICKA CHICKA.....BOOM! BOOM!", the letters all fall off.  Comforted by their parents (upper case letters), the letters get untangled in alphabetical order.  The story ends by (lower case) A going up again the coconut tree.  The ending of the book invites students to read the book again and again.

          " Chicka chicka Boom Boom" is not only an alphabet book that shows the child the letter and a word that begins with the letter, but it contains a story line that keeps the listener interested about what is going to happen next.  This book has the ability of captivating the children's attention and keeps them wondering if all the letters of the alphabet are going to fit inside the coconut tree.  Moreover, I love the fun and rhythmic way in which this book can be read.  It also contains a lot of repetition which is a key element in remembering and memorizing.

          Lois Ehlert is an award wining illustrator and she did an amazing job in this book.  Her collage is so simple and vibrant.  I love the Pink and yellow Polka dot borders on the edge of each page.  It sets each page with a brilliant shot of colors and makes it very attractive for children to look at.  She also uses bright colors for the alphabet letters which I find very appealing for children. 
 
          What I like the most about this book is the way it conveys to the children "The Family Bond".  The Baby lower case letters get saved by Mommy and Daddy the upper case letters after they fall from the coconut tree.  This is something the children can relate to.  Children can always depend on Mom's and Dad's help when they need it.

Caldecott Honor Award Winning Children's Book: "When Sophie Gets Angry -Really, Really Angry" by Molly Bang

Author: Molly Bang / Publisher: The Blue Sky Press / ISBN: 0-590-18979-4

          When I was asked to blog about an award winning children’s book, I had such hard time selecting one book. There are so many wonderful books to choose from. As I was going down the list of winners, I immediately thought of “When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry…” by Molly Bang. It is a book about emotions and I love to teach this subject to children and ask them to use their face to express different emotions. 

         
           " When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry..." is a story about Sophie who gets angry at her sister.  She acts up and wants to "SMASH THE WORLD TO SMITHEREENS"!!!  Sophie goes on an emotional roller coaster but eventually calms herself down by walking, climbing and feeling nature's beauty.  At the end of the story Sophie is back at home and feeling peaceful.

         
          What I like most about this book is Molly’s Bang use of color and line to depict Sophie's moods. For instance, When Sophie is really, really angry she is surrounded by vibrating lines of red and purple and it appears she is going to explode!  Then she runs and runs out in the forest and the colors change to green, brown, and finally blue.  The pictures do such a great job of conveying not only the storyline, but the emotions, that the words are almost completely unnecessary.  The illustrations and the colors reminds me of Van Gogh style. 

         
          I enjoy using this book in the classroom because it shows the children that angry feelings are normal and can be managed. I think this book is a wonderful addition to any lesson about emotions.  At the beginning of the school year a lot of children have a hard time sharing the toys. Feeling angry, screaming, and crying are the most common in the classroom.  This book shows the children ways to cope with anger and also help promote non-violent ways to express anger and be happy again.