The Levitical Readings and Reactions

  Title- Freedom Summer  Author/Retold- Deborah Wiles Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue Genre- Coretta Scott King  Grade level- 1st Grade-3rd Grade The story begins with the narrator and his black friend, John Henry. They are very close friends and do a lot together during the summer time. They swim in a creek together. They both can’t go tot he then pool because only white people can go to the pool. They go to town for an ice pop. Joe could enter the store but John Henry couldn’t. Joe’s mother and father tell him that everyone of any color can go to he store, pool, etc. Joe told John Henry and they decided to both go to the pool and jump of the high dive together. When they got to the pool, they saw workers fill up the pool with tar. John wanted to go the pool and he was upset and joe finally understood why his friend was upset. He wanted to see this life they way his friend did. They decided to go get a popsicle and they both entered the shop together.  This book is...

  Title- The Gardner Author/Retold- Sarah Stewart  Illustrated by David Small Genre- Historical Fiction Grade level- 1st - 5th Grade Award- Caldecott Medal  The book is filled with letters on page and illustrations on another. The story starts off with a letter from Lydia Grace to her Uncle telling that she will be living in the city with him. Her grandma sends seeds with Lydia Grace as she goes to the city. Lydia Grace goes to the big city and meets her uncle, he doesn’t smile much. Her uncle owns a bakery and there are garden boxes in the window for her to plant her seeds. Ed and Emma beech help her uncle in the bakery. She found out that there was a secret place and she turned that place into an amazing garden. Emma helps her to water and take care of the plants. The plants start to grow and neighbors are helping to give seeds and flowers, many people are starting to come to the bakery as well. She finally shows her uncle the secret place on July Fourth. The next week,...

  Title- The Moon Over Star Author/Retold- Dianna Hutts Aston Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney  Genre- Historical Fiction Grade level- 3rd Grade-5th Grade Awards- Coretta Scott King It starts of with a family in church singing. They prayed for the astronauts that were heading to the moon. Mae was very intrigued by going to the moon. She and her cousins would pretend to be astronauts going to space with the spare parts they found. Their whole family saw the ship take off and the “Eagle” land on the moon. Her gramps was very disconnected from the moon landing. He asked “Why spend all that money on going to the moon, while so many people need it here.” When they were watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, Gramps became truly amazed. Later, Gramps told her the first time he saw a plane and how amazed he was by it. He encouraged her t keep on dreaming.  This is a great story to show how exciting it was when the US joined the space race. We didn’t see the true magnitude of what ...