Ask the Librarian
Some Recommended Resources from the Curious Librarian
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Nanette Dougherty |
And the winner is...
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Book List & Web Sites
Falconer, Ian. (2000). Olivia. New York: Antheneum.
This theatrical pig is imaginative and independent, and has a clear sense of who she is.
K-2
Feiffer, J. Meanwhile... New York: Harper Collins.
Raymond, who is obsessed with comic books, goes on fun adventures that demonstrate the power of imagination.
Graham, B. Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child. Cambridge, Ma: Candlewick Press.
Annabelle finds a boy the size of a thumb, and the adventures begin.
Herrera, J. F. (2000). The Upside Down Boy. San Francisco, Ca.: Children’s Book Press.
A child of migrant workers imagines flying upside down above the playground at his new school. This is one of my all time favorites for reading to my ESL students. It is also a bilingual book, with text in both English and Spanish.
Henkes, K. (1989) Jessica. New York: Scholastic.
Can your best friend be imaginary? Ruthie invents an imaginary friend.
Hoffman, M. Illustrated by Binch, C. Amazing Grace. New York: Dial Books.
A classic book. Grace loves telling stories and has a rich imagination.
Hoffman, M. Illustrated by Binch, C. Boundless Grace. New York: Dial books.
Continues the story of imaginative storytelling Grace, from Amazing Grace.
Liao, J. (2006). Translated from Chinese by S. Thompson. The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
An independent blind girl takes a subway trip using her senses and her vivid imagination.
Linney, S. adapted from Lewis Carroll. (2004) llustrated by Rex Schneider. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: with a discussion of imagination. New York: Learning Challenge.
Also, with the new movie coming out soon, I think any version of Alice in Wonderland will be a hit with students.Another great version, illustrated by Iassen Ghusalev and published by Simply Read Books, is a gorgeous. Check out simplyreadbooks.com to find this limited edition book. The illustrations in this one are extraordinary!
McEwan, I. Illustrated by Browne, A. (2003). The Daydreamer. New York: Doubleday.
This child has an imaginary life and a rich fantasy world sure to captivate the reader.
McNulty. (2006). I Am Your Imagination. New York: I Am You Playground.
This nonfiction book teaches all about imagination.
McPhail, D. (2000). Edward and the Pirates.
Edward adventures with pirates in this book that celebrates the power of reading and imagination.
McPhail, D. (2002.) Edward in the Jungle. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Edward is absorbed in reading a Tarzan book when he is transported to the jungle.
Messenger, N. (2005). Imagine. Boston: Candlewick Press.
Visual puzzles and imaginative illustrations encourage readers to open their eyes and minds.
Perry, S. If. (1995).New York: Getty Trust Publications.
This book has illustrations and ideas that really stretch the imagination.
Philipson, S. (2000). The Artist: A Max and Annie Adventure in Imagination.
Chagrin Publishing Company.
A magical artist teaches Max and Annie about the power of imagination.
Raschka, C. (2002). John Coltrane’s Giant Steps. New York: Antheneum.
An imaginative celebration of Coltrane’s composition Giant Steps offers a unique reading experience.
Recorvits, H. Illustrated by Swiatkowska, G. (2003). My Name is Yoon. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Yoon likes her name in Korean, but struggles accepting how it looks in English.
The illustrations in this book portray Yoon’s vivid imagination. This book is a terrific one for ELLs, as it touches on the experience of homesickness and isolation.
Ripley, C.(2001). Why? The best ever question and answer book about nature, science, and the world around you. Toronto, Canada: Owl Books pub. By Greey de Pencier Books, Inc.
Schonberg, M. Illustrated by Radzinski, K. (2005.) I is for Idea: An Inventions Alphabet.
Chelsea, Mi: Sleeping Bear Press.
Take a journey of inventions from A-Z and learn about the history behind great inventions.
Sendak, M. (1963). Where the Wild Things Are. New York: Harper Collins.
With the awesome movie just released on DVD, this timeless classic is back in the limelight again! Max gets in trouble and takes a journey of the imagination to the land of the wild things.
Shymalan, M.N. (2005). Illustrated by McCreery, C. The Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story.
A unique and imaginative bedtime story about a sea nymph living under a pool.
Silverstein, S. (2004. 30th Anniversary edition with CD) Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper Collins.
A humorous collection of illustrated poems that make kids think, wonder, laugh and want to read more. The CD is great and can make for some fun listening exercises.
Sis, Peter. (2002). Madlenka. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Madlenka discovers her tooth is loose and wants her whole neighborhood to know.
Sis’s imaginative illustrations will engage every reader.
K-2
Sis, Peter. (2002). Madlenka’s Dog. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Madlenka wants a dog, but will she get one? Simple text, super illustrations.
K-2
Steig, W. (2004). Pete’s a Pizza. New York: Harper Collins.
When Pete’s in a bad mood, his father helps him to snap out of it by pretending to make him into a pizza.
Weeks, S. (2004). If I Were a Lion. New York: Antheneum.
A young girl sent to time-out and called “wild” imagines “wild animals” in her house.
Readers, here are some Internet sites to check out:
Colorín Colorado
This website has been around a while, but if you have not checked it out, it is worth a visit. Colorín Colorado is a free Web-based site that provides information, activities and resources for TESOL educators. The site hosts articles, resources, and ideas to support ELLs at school. In addition, there are some great resources here for Spanish-speaking families to support ELLs at home. There are free guides toolkits, webcasts, podcasts and videos. Colorín Colorado is an educational initiative of WETA (a public television and radio station). This site also receives funding from the American Federation of Teachers and support from the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and so it is continually updated.
http://www.colorincolorado.org
The Internet Picture Dictionary
This is a completely free, online, multilingual picture dictionary that is designed especially for ELLs or students who are learning French, German, Spanish and Italian as a new language. Some of the fun activities that will enable users to learn and practice new vocabulary include: Flashcards, Fill-in-the Blanks, Word Scramble, Stinky Spelling, and Straight Recall.
http://www.pdictionary.com/
This can be a great resource for teachers who want to learn some basic survival vocabulary to be able to communicate with new students.
Hello-World
This site offers games, activities and songs to make language learning fun.
Languages featured include English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic, Guarani, Indonesian, Latvian and Vietnamese. Many of the games can be played by preschool age children who are not yet reading, provided that you show them how to use the mouse.
http://www.hello-world.com
