First Year Letters

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Title: First Year Letters

Author: Julie Danneberg

Illustrator: Judy Love

Awards: N/A

Age Range: 6-9 years old

Summary: Mrs. Hartwell, sets up a post office in her classroom with the help of her students that way they can "mail" each other letters. The students write many letters to Mrs. Harwell and she even gets some from the janitor and a firefighter. The students write letters asking questions, making suggestions, and even just to update Mrs. Hartwell about their day. At the very end, the teachers and students throw a surprise party for Mrs. Hartwell to congratulate her on a great school year.

Evaluation: I enjoyed this book and the way it was written because it is very different than traditional books. The story is told through letters written by different students and adults. I would use this book for students in grades 2nd through 4th grade. I think the students would enjoy the book, and I would use it as an introduction to writing letters. After reading the story, I would teach the students the proper way to write a letter. We would first practice by writing a letter as a class to the principal or another teacher. Then, I would have the students write their own letters to a family member or another teacher.

Comments

The Name Jar

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Little Rabbit Foo Foo

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When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Genre: Historical Fiction Title: When Jessie Came Across the Sea Author: Amy Hest Illustrator: P. J. Lynch Awards: Christopher Award Age Range: 7-12 years old Summary: Jessie had no plans of going to America, but the rabbi in her village chose her to go in his place. Jessie was not happy to go to America because she was scared. On the boat the first day, she cried a lot. Although, eventually she decided to sew to pass the days. She even helped a few fellow passengers by sewing some of the clothes. Cousin Kay was there to greet Jessie when she got to the U.S. She was very excited to see her. Cousin Kay made Jessie go to school because she wanted her to learn English. Jessie has also been working very hard sewing because she is trying to earn enough money to purchase a ticket to America for her grandmother. Jessie has been in America for 3 years now, and when she was out walking she ran into her friend Lou who she met on the ship. One day, he asked her to marry him and when Jessie...

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