Realistic Fiction in Children's Literature

Thank you for stopping by She Reads Books today. I am so thrilled you decided to stop by! Today I will be sharing my reviews on five realistic fiction books in children's literature and how I would use the books in my future classroom. I hope you enjoy my picks!

Book #1: Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn

Book Review: Lola Plants a Garden is a simple and cute story for developing readers. It is about a little girl named Lola who reads a book about planting a garden. After she finishes the story, she becomes inspired to learn more about gardens and how to plant them, so her mom takes her to the library, and they check out some research books. Then they buy some seeds at the local market and they plant them when they get home. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it teaches them that when they read a book, if they are interested in what they read, they can research and find out more about the topic of interest.   

   

Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud during the springtime and a research unit. One lesson idea I have for this story is for my students to come up with additional ways to research something and then they think of something they are interested in and research it. I would like for them to prepare a poster of the thing they are interested in and present it to the class. Another lesson idea I have for this book is to use it to teach about the parts of a plant and what a plant needs in order to survive.  

Below I have attached the author's website, Twitter, and a link to a read-aloud of the story in case you wanted to check out the author or the story itself!

 

Website: http://www.annamcquinn.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnaMMcQuinn

Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f01WcOO8vbM

 

 

 

 

 

Book #2: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen 

Book Review: Owl Moon may be a little complex for some readers, but it is nonetheless a beautiful story. It is about a young girl taking a stroll with her father during the night to look for owls. Together, they discover different animals in the nighttime forest. Throughout the night, the father begins to call out to an owl, but the owl doesn’t answer. However, by the end of the story, the owl does answer back. The story is beautifully told through the use of poetry and through the beautiful illustrations. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it is beautifully told and captured.

  

Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud during the winter season. One lesson idea I have for this story is for my students to learn about the owl that is featured in this story and for them to fill out a character trait and mood chart based off of the story.

Below I have attached the author's website, Twitter, and a link to a read-aloud of the story in case you wanted to check out the author or the story itself!

Website: https://www.janeyolen.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janeyolen

Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYSgG2cK4ng

Book #3: Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

Book Review: Soup Day is a simple and relatively short read for children. The story is about a little girl and her mom buying, cutting, and cooking vegetables to make soup. While the soup is cooking, they spend time with each other, and they enjoy each other’s company. The illustrations in the story are colorful and vibrant, and at the end of the story, the author includes a recipe for soup that the children can make with their parents. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it teaches them about healthy foods to eat but it also teaches them how to describe an object using descriptive words.   

Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud to teach descriptive words about various items. One lesson idea I have for this story is a sequencing activity and for the students to write about at least three things around the classroom using descriptive words they learned. 

Below I have attached the author's website, Twitter, and a link to a read-aloud of the story in case you wanted to check out the author or the story itself!

Website: https://www.melissaiwai.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/meliwai

Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxat4YG6NpI

Book #4: The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

Book Review: The Relatives Came may be a complex read for some readers, but it is a beautiful story about relatives visiting their family and spending time with them. This family is from Virginia and they visit their other relatives every summer. The author includes what the family packs, how they travel, and what they do when they visit their family. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it teaches them to love others and that anyone can be your family. 

 

Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud to teach theme and what a central message is in a story. One lesson idea I have for this story is for my students to write about their family or friends and their customs. I would also like them to write a paragraph about a place they want to visit with their family and friends using descriptive words, what they would pack with them, and what they would do on the trip. 

Below I have attached a link to a read-aloud of the story in case you wanted to check out the story!

Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr1VCT2ntmc 

Book #5: The Water Princess by Susan Verde

 

Book Review: The Water Princess may be complex for some readers, but it is a truly remarkable, beautiful story. The story is about a little girl and her mom who travel everyday to a well outside of their village. They travel here to get water and while they are there, they also spend time with their friends. When they return to their village, they still have to boil the water in order for them to cook and drink with it. The little girl wonders every night where their clean water is and why they do not have access to it. I recommend this book to any teacher and parent to read to their students and children because it teaches them that everyone’s life is different, and it teaches them not to take something so simple as water for granted. 

  

Lesson Idea: In my future classroom, I would love to use this book as a read-aloud to teach comparing and contrasting. One lesson idea I have for this book is for my students to compare and contrast their life to the girl’s life in the book. 

Below I have attached the author's website, Twitter, and a link to a read-aloud of the story in case you wanted to check out the author or the story itself!

Website: https://www.susanverde.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanverde

Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xufbn6Ouu5U

 

 

 

 

I hope that you enjoyed my book reviews and lesson ideas. I hope you consider adding all five books to your classroom library if you have not already!

 

Happy Reading,

 

Ashley