Katherine+Treichel

Super sister is a little girl that her mom is expecting a new baby. So to help out she begin to do things all by herself. She gets ready for school, makes her breakfast, and walks to the bus all by herself. While at school she is always thinking of other things she can do to help her mother out. She helps her mom by putting on and off her shoes. She spends all night helping around the house until it is time for bed. The only thing that she has not grown out if is her moms kisses and being tucked in. This book can be used to talk to students about responsibilities around the house. As a class you can make a chart of all the different things that the students do at home like chores. The class can graph the information they collected on a graph. The class can discuss what it is like to be an older sibling and whether they had to do these things when their little brother or sisters were born.
 * Children's Fiction**
 * Cadena Beth. (2009) __Supersister.__ Clarion Books. 27 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

This little girl just became a big sister because there is a new baby in the house. It talks about how the baby is too small to do certain activities like walk and talk. It shares that the activities the babies do participate in include sleep and drink milk. It shows that you have to be gentle and ask mommy or daddy before holding the baby. It teaches her all the ways that she can help by being a big sister. This is a second book that can be used as a resource to talk to students about responsibility. The class can talk about the rules they have at home when being around their little brothers or sister. They can talk about safety and what are some things they can do to help out their parents while also being safe. This is a book that can be used as the morning message about who has a little baby brother or sister and talk about more or less. The teacher can ask students to bring in a picture of them and their sibling and they can do a show and share to talk about their family. Sharing thing that they do together and age of who they are talking about.
 * Cole Joanna. (1997) __I'm a Big Sister__. Morrow Junior Books N.Y. 14 Pages. Internship.**

Tommy has a large family that is continuing to grow over time. Tommy's mother is about to have another baby and Tommy wants it to be a baby sister that has a red ribbon in her hair. His parents began to get the baby's room ready and Tommy even drew a picture for the baby's room. While his mom was at the hospital his nana came to watch him. At first he was not happy about it but as time went on they became friends. He was really sad that his mom was not home and he missed her a lot. His entire family came over to meet the baby when they came home from the hospital. Tommy was very excited when his mom got home and when he held the baby for the first time he opened the blanket and it was a sister with a red bow in his hair. He was so excited to be a big brother to his little sister. There are many ways that this book can be used. The class can talk about geography and the different places their families live. The teacher can take part in an activity like Flat Stanly to get students to learn more about where their families live. Students can create a family tree of all their extended family. The book can also help students who are expecting a new baby brother or sister. The book will show them that it is an exciting time and it brings the whole family together.
 * DePaola Tomie. (1996) __The Baby Sister__. G.P. Putnam's Sons. 30 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

Hunter had a big sister named Glenna whom he loved very much. He said she is so smart and plays with him things like fairytales. Hunter would do things to irritate his older sister such as copy the things she would do. His mom would tell them that he was just doing it because he loves you. Well one time he was bothering his sister she got mad and stomped off but ended up falling out of the tree and got hurt. Hunter gathered all the things that he would need to help his sister out such as band aids and an ice pack. He helped her feel better and apologized for copying her and she apologized to him for being bossy. Then they continued to play everything together and took turns. This book can be used in the classroom to teach about siblings. Many of the students are going to be the older sibling or are the younger sibling that wants to be like their older brother or sister. It can show them that it is normal to want to be like you siblings and do everything together. The book can help when teaching apologizing. Using when his sister fell out of the tree as an example. Another resource the book can be used for is helping someone when they have been hurt. This book covers numerous lessons for the reader.
 * Elliott Laura Malone. (2007) __Hunter's Big Sister__. Tegen Books. 28 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

A family participates in a family reunion every summer in North Carolina. They introduce the members of their family. Some activities they do together as a family are sing, dance, swim, play ball, and pick peaches. They spend time together eating and taking pictures. On one evening of the reunion they share their family tree. Every year their family gets bigger and when it is time to leave they know it is one more year until the reunion happens again. This is another book that can be used to discuss geography. The class can talk about where their family lives and the teacher can represent it on a class map. You can talk about the terms more or less by referring to students who have been to a family reunion and those who have not. Students can make a family tree similar to the one in the book. The class can talk about traditions or celebrations that they take part in as their family.
 * Hudson Wade. (1993) __I Love My Family.__ Scholastic Inc. 27 Pages. Internship.**

The book is about a little girl who is getting tucked into bed by her dad. He first starts by kissing her cheek and turns off her light. Then the only thing left is to sing her Daddy's song. The song rhymes and talks about all things weird that can happen. Such as animals doing things that cannot really happen in real life. At the end of the book it says if all these things begin to happen that one thing will be true and that is that her dad is there and he loves her. As a teacher you can use this book during the time of Father's Day. You can have students write a song about the activities or items that are special between them and their dad or mom. You can create a class song that follows the same pattern as in the book. Maybe even incorporating musical instruments into the song they created. As a math activity you can ask students if they get sung to at night and by who and create a graph from the answers. The teacher can discuss with students about more and less.
 * Newman Leslea. (2007) __Daddy's Song__. Henry Holt and Company New York. 30 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

The book is about a little girl that wants to grow up to be magic just like her mom. She says her mom is magic because when anything and everything happens her mom is able to make it better. For example, when there are monsters in her room her mom chases them away. Or when she gets hurts her mom is able to make it better. Then it says how she is magic too. She can make her mom laugh when she sings and dances. These are all reason why her mom is magic and wants to be just like her. During Mother's Day time is the perfect time to read this book. They can discuss as a class all the things the students appreciate about their moms and the different things their moms do for them. Students can make their moms cards the thank them for all they do to help them. This can also go for other caregivers or grandparents who may take care of them.
 * Norac Carl. (2006) __My Mommy is Magic__. Clarion Books. 24 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

A little girl named Molly enjoys telling stories about her father who lives far away from her. Her mom tells her all the time how she looks just like her dad. All of her classmates have their dads come in and share with her class about the careers they have. She gets all excited when she finds out that he dad is coming into town and finally gets to meet the class. He causes so much chaos while taking care of her. The day that he takes her to school he told the class multiple stories which made the class really like him. Then she acknowledges that is who her dad is and accepts it and they enjoy the rest of the week together before her mom returns home. This book can be use to talk about your students parents. The teacher can discuss with the students the occupations the their parents have. Maybe even have parents come into the classroom and share with students about their jobs. This book can be used in a unit about community helpers. The students can dress up like the different jobs the parents have. They can talk about those students who have to take a plane to see their mom or dad and what things they do while they are there. This can also incorporate geography by talking about the different states.
 * Ormerod Jan and Thompson Carol. (2008) __Molly and her Dad.__ Roaring Brook Press New York. 30 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

The main character in the book is Chester the raccoon. He was trying to get his mother to allow him to stay home from school. She was saying how sometimes we have to do things that we do not necessarily want to. She told him all about the exciting things that would happen while at school. Before he left for school his mom shared with him the secret of the kissing hand. She had him put out his hand and she kissed it right in the palm. Now when he is at school and is feeling lonely or scared he can press his hand to his cheek and he would feel better. The love of his mom will now go with him everywhere. __The Kissing Hand__ is a great book to use at the beginning of the school year. Especially, for the little children who are just beginning school for the first time. They are normally nervous for school and to leave their parents. The teacher can read the children the book and then have children make their own kissing hand out of construction paper and paint. The students can take this home and tell their parents about the Kissing hand and start a new tradition that will help them get through the school day.
 * Penn Audrey. (1993) __The Kissing Hand__. Scholastic Inc. 27 Pages. Internship.**

This book is also about Chester the raccoon. He was trying to convince his mother to give his brother back. He did not like having his brother because he uses all his things and follows him around. She told Chester that is what little brothers do and how they want to be just like their older siblings. Once she explained it she gave him a kissing hand which made him upset because she did the same thing to Ronny, his little brother. Chester was afraid she would run out but through a story she told them they are always there and shining. She gave him extra kissing hands because as a big brother it is an important job and he is going to need them. This is a great book to share with students who are a big brother or sister. The teacher can teach their students about responsibility. By incorporating what kind of jobs they may have as being the older child. The book can also teach about sharing with others. Using the example of how Chester had to share the kissing hand with his little brother. There is enough things to play with in the classroom that if we all take turns we will all have the opportunity to try. **Children's Non Fiction** This little girl was eleven years old when her parents got a divorce. At this time her dad moved out and she only got to see him every other weekend. They would participate in every special occasion twice since they had their mom's house and their dad's house. About a year after the divorce or her parents her dad had met someone else. She hesitated at the beginning to like this new women but later as time went on they grew to love each other. Her dad decided to marry his new girlfriend making her the little girls step mom. Knowing that her new step mom was not taking the place of her real mom everything was great. Now she has a bonus mom instead of having one she had two. It is very common for students to have stepmoms. If the question comes up about stepmoms when learning about families this would be a great resource to use. The teacher can share this book with parents for children who are experiencing separation of parents or a parent getting remarried. This is also something that the teacher can have students talk about in all about me boards or books. The children can place these pictures in their books and share them with the class.
 * Penn Audrey. (2004) __A Pocket Full of Kisses__. Scholastic Inc. 29 Pages. Internship.**
 * Butcher Tami. (2011) __My Bonus Mom!__ Little Five Star. 43 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

There are numerous families that are introduced in the book. In each group of siblings there is one brother or sister that has a special need. Some examples from the book include hearing impaired, blind, and Down Syndrome. The book shares all the things that these siblings enjoy doing together. It proves how little difference there are between brothers and sisters of the same family. This books pages are covered with real photographs of these families. This book is a great resource if you are discussing disabilities with children. Some children may have siblings that have disabilities which could strike curiosity in the classroom. The teacher can share with students the stories from the book about what they enjoy doing together. The students can make all about me board to share these things with the class. They can emphasize on the activities they enjoy doing with their siblings or what they do to help their brother or sister out.
 * Dwight Laura. (2005) __Brothers and Sisters__. Star Bright Books. 30 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

This book is all about fostering and adoption for children. Each page asks the child a different question like why is someone adopted. Then it gives an explanation about the question being asked. It discusses a lot about all the different types of families and what makes them special. There are tons of pictures of real children and families throughout the book. Along with interesting facts or scenarios to think about while reading. The book gives the reader all the information about fostering and adoption they needed and will help a child feel comfortable and accepted if this was to happen to them. Sometimes as a teacher you are going to get students in their class that are fostered or adopted. At a young age students are not going to know what this means. When talking about families the teacher can share the vocabulary of foster or adopted with students. They can discuss whether they know someone who has been adopted or fostered. This is also a great book that could be a resource that teachers can share with parents if they need more information.
 * Levete Sarah. (2007) __Let's Talk About Fostering and Adoption.__ Stargazer Books. 30 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

Angus the answer dog is helping the big brother or sister learn the important information so they can take on this role. The book starts off with a letter to the parents about what they need to expect when preparing their child for a new baby brother or sister. Each page asks a question relevant to the topic of the new baby. For example, What does the baby eat or why does the baby cry so often. Then Angus explains the answers in child friendly language. It explains their role as the big brother or sister and what they can do to help their mom and dad with. It is a great informational book to read to children who are about to take on this important role. Teachers can use this when they have students who are going to be big brothers or sister. This is an excellent book to use when starting a family unit of study. The class can read all the information that the book shares about babies. They can make a compare and contrast map about how they are different and similar to babies. This is also a great book to introduce to parents that are expecting. It is filled with tons of useful information.
 * Murkoff Heidi. (2001) __What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home.__ Harper Festival. 22 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

This is a little book that introduces every member of the family. Like mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, and grandpa. It gives one example of something they do together with each member of the family. The pictures in the book are real life photos. The book also gives teachers focus vocabulary and ideas of questions to ask the students. This is a great book to use when the class is beginning to talk about families. The teacher can have students bring in pictures of the family members in their own family that are similar to those in the book. The students can then make their own book about their own family including grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, and siblings. They can individually share the things they enjoy doing with each member and write them in the book. If necessarily the teacher can write their words. Then the teacher can laminate them and place them in the classroom library so students can look at them and share them with their friends.
 * Serrano John. (2009) __Family Fun.__ Newmark Learning. 16 Pages. Personal Collection.**

**Teachers Resources** The book is the timeline through his grandfathers life. It says he was born a really long time ago and grew up on a farm. The book shared the important events of things that happened in his life like the books he read and what he studied in school. He fought in a war and during that time he met his wife and got married. They lived happily ever after for years. He had his own kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. Now he has grown old and began forgetting things but he has creates a garden to help him remember. This is a great book to use when talking about family. It might be better to use this book with children that are a little older. The class can read the book together. Then students can create a timeline of their own grandfathers life. They can research and find out all the information they can about their grandfathers life. They can then share their time lines with the class. This can start conversations about history by discussing the different wars. They can make a compare and contrast life about how their lives are different now from their grandfathers in the past. This would also be a great topic to write about in their journals.
 * Smith Lane. (2011) __Grandpa Green.__ Roaning Brook Press N.Y. 29 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

Maya's dad woke her up in the morning so she could get ready for school. She was fighting to stay home from school for the day. Her dad was not allowing her to do so but he gave her incentive to go. Once she was home from school he would play a board game with her. Once she had something to look forward to she started getting ready for school. Her dad was giving her choices of things like what to wear, what eat for breakfast, and what she want to do first or second. Before she knew it she was ready for school and even had time to play. This book is a great book to talk about routine and responsibility. The class can talk about all the things they do in the morning to get started with their day. The teacher can have students write or draw out their daily routines. While using the vocabulary first, then, and next. It can also help students learn about making choices. The class can discuss some of the choices they make during their day.
 * Kaye Stacy. (2008) __Ready for the Day.__ Free Spirit. 20 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

The book is about a family that had a death in the family. The parents had to tell their children that Uncle Joe had passed away. Everyone in the family was sad and things became very chaotic for a few days. They had relatives staying with them who came in for the funeral. They entire family attended the funeral and the burial was the hardest part. For awhile after it was very hard for the family. Activities that they use to do together they no longer did. He often cried over things that were not that bad. After some time things got easier and they began to do the things they did before. Death is a topic that is very hard to discuss with children. This book can help any teacher or parent explain what it is and how a family gets through it. As a teacher this is not a topic to touch on just because with no purpose. It would be good to share with students if the class pet or a close friend was to pass away. This can be a tough topic for many but this book explains that it is hard but it gets better over time.
 * Loewen Nancy. (2012) __Saying Good-bye to Uncle Joe__. Picture Window Books. 22 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

This little girls family was adopting a little boy from Russia. She was staying with her Grandparents while her parents went to pick him up. She was also adopted when she was little because her mom was unable to take care of her. On the car ride home her mom and dad was telling them all about what they saw during their trip to Russia. Her parents believe it is very important for her to know about the county that she came from. They have been sharing things with her since she was little now it is time to include her little brother. The book gives activity ideas for children and information for parents. This is another book that teachers can introduce to parents as a parental resource. It can help the teacher expand on the vocabulary of adoption if necessary. It shares the importance about researching and getting to know about the state or country the student came from. The teacher can have students create a board that shares all different information about where they came from. They can look at similarities and differences between all the different places. This will help students explore other areas of the world.
 * Moore- Mallinos Jennifer. (2007) __We are Adopted.__ Barron's. 35 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**

This is a really neat book that informs the reader of all the different ways a family member calls the children in their family. It does not matter how close or distant the members of the family are they are all so different. Although, through the words they are all saying the same thing which is I love you child. The book shares examples from many different countries around the world. They say the word in their language and underneath they write how to pronounce it. Then on the page they also say what the words mean in English. The book is about all different endearments or sweet names. This book is really neat to use with children of any ages. It incorporates geography by talking about countries from all over the world. There are many cultures that are introduced in the book. For older students they can do research and create a mini book or foldable about a different topic but following the same idea of this book. The class can talk about similarities and differences between languages and cultures. The teacher can use the internet as a resources so that students can find out how the languages really sound.
 * Ogburn Jacqueline. (2011) __Little Treasures.__ Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 24 Pages. Surprise Public Library.**