Shiloh

Naylor, P. (2000) Shiloh. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Annotation: A classic boy meets dog story. Marty Preston is a young boy living in a town called Friendly in West Virginia. He finds a small beagle that he names Shiloh. He learns that the boy’s real owner is a man named Judd Travers, and Judd is not very nice to dogs. Marty, going against his father’s will, hides Shiloh to try and protect him from Judd. The family finds out and Shiloh must be returned to his owner, but thankfully Marty and Judd are able to work out a deal and Marty finally ends up being able to keep his new best friend Shiloh.

Genre: Realistic Animal Fiction Novel

Grade Level: Grades 3-8

Readers who will like this: Students who like animals will really enjoy this story. It is a classic and a great example of a dog being “mans best friend”. Teachers could also use this story during a read aloud, because it’s really interesting and fun but also brings up interesting subjects.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, Shiloh is my little brothers ALL time favorite book. I read his copy and the pages were certainly worn down in love. It’s a classic story and a very fun read. It was a fairly quick read for me, but I could tell that it would be somewhat challenging for a younger reader. I think this book deserves the award it was given.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: “Who is your very best friend?”

Runaway Radish

Haas, J. (2001). Runaway Radish. Ilus. Margot Apple. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Brief Annotation: Radish's story shows how circular life is. Each new chapter in the book repeated the last with a new child. Radish would never be the type of pony that someone could ride forever, he was too small. Finally after a lonely period in Radish's life, his beloved riders decided that he would be happiest at a camp, where he would never be out grown and forced to move.

Genre: Realistic animal story

Grade Level: 3-6

Readers who will like this book: Readers who like horses and horse stories would like this book.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3. The beginning text took some getting used to. The author wrote about radish as though he was a person. I thought this would be confusing for a young reader.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever rode a horse?

Shiloh

Naylor, P. (2000). Shiloh. New York, New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Brief Annotation: Marty Preston is a young country boy that falls in love at first sight with a beagle he has found. He later realizes this beagle, he named Shiloh, is owned by Judd Travers. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Judd Travers was a nice man, but he wasn’t, and especially to his dogs. Marty returns the dog once to Judd Travers, but Shiloh appears at his doorstep, yet again. Is it really so wrong to help something in need? Marty Preston doesn’t believe so. In this book you will follow the journey of the love a boy can have for a dog and what he will do to protect him.

Genre: Realistic Animal Story

Grade Level: 2-4

Readers who will like this: Children/adults who love animals and their stories.
Children/adults who love heartfelt stories about caring for others.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4. Love this book. It is a great size novel for those that are beginning to read bigger books and it is a great read for those of us that have been reading for a long time.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Is it okay to do wrong if you are helping someone or something else out?

Reading Strategies Connection: Quickwrites (Yopp & Yopp, p. 51). I think it would be great to use quickwrite on a question like what I asked before they read the book. Maybe after reading the book their opinions may or may not have changed. Maybe they have experienced a time when they did something wrong to help someone else out. What a great way to enter into a book like this one and get the students thinking.

Because of Winn Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Brief Annotation: This novel tells the story of Opal, a girl who just turned 10 and her summer with the new dog she adopted: Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie is big and ugly, but he introduces her to new friendships and herself over the summer, including how she repairs her relationship with her father.

Genre: Realistic Animal Story, Fiction

Grade Level: 6-9

Readers who will like this: Animal (dog) loves, children who are coming of age.

Rating/Response: ****. I loved this book when it first came out, and re-reading it was a joy. The author is so good at creating a strong personality for her characters, even the dog. This is a great book to read with your children.

One question to ask before a read-aloud: Does anyone here have animals? What have your animals helped you with emotionally?

Misty of Chincoteague

Henry, M. (1947). Misty of Chincoteague. New York, New York: Aladdin paperbacks.

Brief Annotation: Paul and Maureen are brother and sister and they live next to an island of wild horses. They want to capture one horse in particular that has never been captured before. They get their wish and capture Phantom and her colt. Paul and Maureen train Phantom so she can win a race at Pony Penning Day and once she does, Phantom only wants to be in the wild again. As a result, Phantom runs away into the wild, leaving her colt who loves to be around people, with Paul and Maureen.

Genre: Realistic Animal Story

Grade Level: 4-6

Readers who will like this: Animal lovers who enjoy a good story about wild animals becoming part of a human family.

Response/Rating (1-4): ** This wasn’t one of my favorite books to read, but it did have some good aspects. The plot was interesting and there was humor incorporated. The bond between animal and human was strong and I did like to see that relationship develop and grow.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever had an animal that you loved so much that you treated like family?

And Tango Makes Three

Richardson, J & Parnell, P. (2005). And Tango Makes Three. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Brief Annotation: The penguins in the Central Park Zoo pair off, producing offspring each year. All except for Roy and Silo, a couple of male penguins, who, despite their best efforts, can never naturally conceive. With the help of Mr. Gramzay, their keeper, this couple hatches and raises an adopted penguin child named Tango.

Genre: Picturebook, Non-fiction, Realistic Animal Story

Grade Level: K-3

Readers who will like this: children who love animals, students open to learning about all kinds of families, readers who like reading about characters that overcome obstacles.

Response/Rating (1-4): *** This book presents a non-fiction story in an illustrated picturebook format, pairing a true animal story with illustrations rather than photographs. I believe that this book can provide a valuable starting point for discussing what makes a family a family with young students.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is a family?

To the Top of the World - Adventures with Arctic Wolves

Brandenburg, J. (1993). To the Top of the World-Adventures with Arctic Wolves. New York: Walker Publishing Co.

Brief Annotation: The book chronicles the experiences of wildlife photographer, Jim Brandenburg, as he spends a summer photographing an arctic wolf pack on Ellesmere Island, in Canada’s Northwest Territory.

Genre: Non-fiction, realistic animal story

Grade Level: 3-6

Readers who will like this: Kids interested in wildlife, kids exploring the important connection between wildlife and its environment, kids studying the similarities/ differences between wolves and the domesticated canine (Life science, evolutionary studies)

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, While on assignment for National Geographic, Jim Brandenburg captures the daily life on the tundra of the elusive arctic wolf. Beautiful photographs and detailed narrative let readers experience wolves in their natural habitat with a daily existence that centers on the “pack” or family life. Older kids have the opportunity to use the book as a valuable resource in the study of wildlife and its environment.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: How are wolves portrayed in books or movies? Do you think these portrayals are accurate or untrue? Why or why not?

Reading Strategies Connection: (Yopp and Yopp, p. 37). Students can benefit from the study of wildlife and its habitat by using a KWL chart prior to reading the nature selection. Students begin by writing (K column) what they already know about wolves. In column W, the students write down what they want to learn from the reading. Column L is filled in after the book is read and through class discussions. If not all questions are answered by the reading, the teacher should encourage further investigation using resources, such as additional literature or the internet. The chart can also serve as a beginning resource for the study of wildlife. Through class discussions, teachers have the opportunity to assess student knowledge and interests while also indentifying future subject material.