Blog: #kidlit Book of the Day - Page 1345 of 1360

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t!
by Elise Parsley (Author/Illustrator)

Booktalk: If your teacher tells you to bring something from nature for show-and-tell, she does not want you to bring an alligator! But nothing will stop Magnolia, who’s determined to have the best show-and-tell of all–until her reptilian rapscallion starts getting her into some major trouble. Now it’s up to Magnolia to find a way to send this troublemaker home–but what could possibly scare an alligator away?

Snippet:
You’ll tell how alligators are super big,
and how alligators have seventy-four super sharp teeth,
and how alligators are super tough.
It’s a fact.
They’re strong and they’re tough and they aren’t scared of anything except other alligators . . .

and humans.

TURN THE PAGE

BOOGA
BOOGA
BOOGA

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Voice When Magnolia brings her alligator to school, he causes LOTS of trouble. This cautionary tale is written in second person, the you voice, so that the readers will NOT do the same.

The book title is the first clue. The word you is the second word in the title:

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t!

As the school day progesses, readers see all of the trouble that the alligator causes. Things get worse and worse and WORSE! Then finally, it’s time for show-and-tell, the reason Magnolia brought the alligator to school in the first place.

On the show and tell page, Magnolia explains the process to the readers:

You’ll tell how alligators are super big,
and how alligators have seventy-four super sharp teeth,
and how alligators are super tough.

Trait: Word Choice Then Magnolia repeats her description of the alligator:

It’s a fact.
They’re strong and they’re tough and they aren’t scared of anything except other alligators . . .

and humans.

Notice the pause between alligators . . . and humans?

These word choices set up the page turn.

After all of the trouble that the alligator causes Magnolia (after the page turn), she has the last word . . .

BOOGA
BOOGA
BOOGA

(And yes, after she scares the alligator, Magnolia does end up in the principal’s office! No good deed goes unpunished!)

Eva and Sadie and the Best Classroom EVER!
by Jeff Cohen (Author) and Elanna Allen (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Sadie is ready to start second grade, but her younger sister, Eva, hasn’t even been to kindergarten yet! Sadie knows it’s her duty as big sister to prepare Eva for school. But all this preparation makes Eva nervous—too much homework and no naptime, and how will she ever be able to buy her own lunch at school?

Snippet: Of course, I already know how to do all those things. But Eva doesn’t. And I don’t want her to feel nervous on her first day. That would be sad.

This means one thing. I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Six Traits Mini Lesson

Trait: Voice The pronoun I is in three of the six sentences on this page. Every other sentence has it.

Of course, I already know how to do all those things. But Eva doesn’t.

The first person voice is the one most people use when they talk. The person speaking uses the word I.

And I don’t want her to feel nervous on her first day. That would be sad.

So how can you tell which voice the STORY has? Look for quotation marks.

This means one thing. I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Every other sentence on this page has the word I, but there are NO quotation marks. This means that there is only one person talking on this page and that person is the narrator. There are no quotation marks on this page because this is a monologue, not a dialogue. It’s not a conversation, it’s narration. We are inside the main character’s head, hearing her thoughts. This is a first person story.