MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN by Nancy Churnin & Danny Popovici

I really loved this book! It’s a great story to share when talking about perseverance or even just to read when you need a bit of inspiration.

Summary from the publisher:

Dashrath Manjhi used a hammer and chisel, grit, determination, and twenty years to carve a path through the mountain separating his poor village from the nearby village with schools, markets, and a hospital. Manjhi Moves a Mountain shows how everyone can make a difference if their heart is big enough.

Manjhi Moves a Mountain was written by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by Danny Popovici. It was published by Creston Books in 2017.

Opening:     

Deep in the heart of India, a mighty mountain separated two villages.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

The carefully chosen details in this story made it come alive for me. I could easily imagine “their pockets jangled with money” and “Powdered rock and tiny chips sprayed.” Another excellent model for writers who are interested in telling narrative non-fiction.

The illustrations are perfect for this story. I love the warm browns and especially the beautiful night sky on the page where Manjhi worked into the night.  

My Thoughts as an Educator:

This story made me marvel over what a single person can accomplish. There’s a thought-provoking question in the text: Why should some people have so much and others so little? This book would be excellent to discuss with both primary and junior level students. I think children will be amazed and impressed by Manjhi’s hard work and what he accomplished. A great choice for a school library.

 Ages: 4 - 10

Grades: K – 5

Themes: determination, perseverance, goals

Activities:

Retell: Build a mountain of blocks or rocks and use puppets or pictures to retell Manjhi’s story.

Imagine: Imagine you are one of the villagers. How will an opening through the mountain change your life? Draw a picture or write a paragraph to explain. Will you welcome the change? Talk with a classmate who has a different point of view.

Think: Is there something you can do to make things better for your family or community? How could you do it?  

BUT THE BEAR CAME BACK by Tammi Sauer & Dan Taylor - A humorous book about friendship

My kindergarten students loved this story! I thought it might be too simple an idea but it generated a surprising amount of discussion. It’s also a great mentor text for picture book writers.

Summary from Amazon:

Knock, knock. Who’s there? A BEAR! A furry, friendly PERSISTENT bear. And no matter how many times a particular little boy tries to tell him that bears don’t belong in houses, he keeps coming back—until, one day, he doesn’t. Only then does the boy realize how much he cares about the bear . . . and misses him. Can he find his friend again? A funny, surprising story about two unexpected pals.

But the Bear Came Back was written by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Dan Taylor and published by Sterling in 2018.

Opening:     

One ordinary day, a bear knocked on my door.

I politely informed him that bears do not belong in houses.

Then I said, “Go home, bear.”

And that was that.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

This story is an excellent mentor text for writers. The structure is clear—the boy has a problem (that keeps coming back). The writing style is modern and spare, but humorous. There’s a warm and satisfying ending, too. It’s a complete story on its own, but so much more when paired with the illustrations. I loved the expressions on the character’s faces and the signs and messages that contributed to creating a fully developed reading experience.

My Thoughts as an Educator:

My students enjoyed predicting what might happen next…would the bear come back again? We discussed what it might be like to have a friend that keeps wanting to play when you’re not feeling up to it. It’s a nice book for introducing discussions about the ups and downs of friendship, and also the idea of being patient sometimes. My students asked me to re-read this book several times, so I’m planning to purchase it for my classroom (the copy I read was from a local library).

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K – 2

Themes: bears, problem-solving, friendship

Activities:

Write: What do you the bear’s home is like? Describe what might happen if the boy visited the bear.

Brainstorm: What words could you use to say to a friend that keeps coming back, even when you say no?

Draw: What do you think the boy and the bear will do on their next adventure? Draw a picture to show your idea.

For a behind the scenes look at Dan Taylor's illustrations, courtesy of The Bright Agency go here.

There’s a wonderful book talk on this book by Colby Sharp:

Learning from Picture Books – MAX AND BIRD by Ed Vere

A fun story about friendship!

Summary from the publisher:

When Max meets Bird, Max thinks he'd like to be friends with Bird. He would also like to chase Bird and maybe eat him as a tasty snack. But that's not what friendship is all about . . . Is it?

Max and Bird was written and illustrated by Ed Vere, and published in 2016 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

Opening:

This is Max.

Max is a kitten.

Kittens chase birds.

This is Bird.

Bird is a bird.

Birds get chased by kittens.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I love the humor in the storytelling voice. This is a great example of a story that leaves space for the reader to think and form opinions as the story goes along. I would definitely study this one as an example of a picture book that includes a good balance of dialogue and action, with a clear problem and solution. The illustrations are bright and nicely designed -- perfect for read alouds.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

This is an entertaining story that could lead to discussions about persistence, following your dreams and friendship. I especially liked the ending, where Max can’t do what Bird does, but is there to support his friend anyway. 

Ages: 3 - 6

Grades: PreK - 2

Themes: friendship, persistence, caring

Activities:

Draw a picture of something you’d like to learn how to do. What steps would help you accomplish it?

What is something you could help a friend to do? Try it!

Make puppets to tell the story of Max and Bird, and act it out.

Check out this live storytelling by the creator, Ed Vere, from the Scottish Book Trust.

He also gives us a peek inside his studio:

NOTE: This title has been nominated for a Cybils Award, and I am a first round panelist. There are many nominations and six other judges. My opinions should not be construed as a sign of inclusion or exclusion on the final short list.

Learning from Picture Books - SPECIAL DELIVERY

I am especially fond of stories about elephants and this one is a lot of fun! 

Summary from Amazon:

Sadie is on her way to deliver an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine, who lives completely alone and can really use the company.

She tries everything from mailing the elephant to boarding a plane, a train, and an alligator to get to her aunt's home. Along the way she meets an array of interesting characters, including an odd postal worker and a gang of bandit monkeys, who all help her get where she is going.

Special Delivery, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Matthew Cordell was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2015.

First line: “Where are you going?”

My thoughts as a writer:

Although I predicted the ending, the journey to get there was a lot of fun. I really liked the way the author told the story completely in dialogue (and a few signs). This story also includes a wonderful example of effectively using a repeated line of text.

The illustrations are delightful, especially if you look closely at the expressions of the elephant and the clever details on each page. It was interesting that Sadie’s interactions with people in the story were all outside (outdoor post office) which made me think of Sadie’s story on another level as part of her imaginative play at a family gathering.

My thoughts as a teacher:

This story would be a lot of fun to read with young students! As a kindergarten teacher, I would probably plan to read it just for fun when setting up a class post office (even though snail mail seems to be disappearing). It would also be a good example for talking about story structure with a problem and solution. Or a good example for encouraging students to make up their own "tall tales."

Ages: 4 – 8

Grades: K - 3

Themes: voyages and travels, elephants, persistence

Activities:

Choose your favorite animal. Draw a picture to show an imaginative way to deliver your animal to Great-Aunt Josephine.

Act out the story, making up actions to show the different kinds of transportation Sadie used to get to Great-Aunt Josephine’s.

Play a group memory game: Sit in a circle. Pass around a bean bag or ball. Students repeat the line: On Sadie's trip to visit her aunt, she traveled by _______, adding a new method of transportation each time. See how many you can remember!

Extras:

To learn more about the author, illustrator and the process of making this book, visit Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for SPECIAL DELIVERY: A Visit with Matthew Cordell & Philip Stead and Even a Moment with Neal Porter