Snow Lion

Snow Lion

Author: David McPhail

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Grades 1-2

Year Published: 1982

Summary

This book is about a lion that lives in the jungle. This lion is very hot and sweaty one day in the jungle, so he decides to go away from the jungle to find somewhere cooler. He goes to the hills, and while there he discovers snow! He twice tries and fails to bring the snow back to his friends, due to the fact that it melts in the heat, and they think he is going crazy. Eventually, his friends follow him to the hills where they play and have fun in the snow, and thank lion for bringing them to this wonderful relief from the heat.

About the Author

David McPhail has been an artist since he was two years old! He grew up drawing on and about anything and everything. He grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and currently resides there today. He is married and together they have four children. McPhail "says he has drawn his children so often that it just comes out in his characters!" He is best known for his characters that are animals. 

Interesting facts (taken from his website):

"After he finished high school, McPhail played in a rock and roll band. He writes and draws in a studio in his attic. He has been a member of the Riverview Pizza Bowling Team in Portsmouth, New Hampshire."

  

Source: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai/mcphail.html

How to Use it

The main idea of this book involves a lion who just wants to share wonderful news with his friends, but when they don’t believe him, he has to find another way to teach them about the snow he found. It also contains the fact that snow cannot exist where it is to warm for it to keep its form, and how snow turns into water when it melts.

Pre-Reading: Discuss with the class what jungles are like, what type of animals normally live in jungles, and what would happen if snow was brought into the jungle.

Post-Reading: Have the students get into small groups and talk about the book. What did they learn from the book? If it is winter, have an experiment where they can bring some snow in a plastic bag from outside into the classroom, and watch it melt into water. This illustrates the processes that occurred during the story.

 

What do I Think?

I think that this is definitely an enjoyable book. It is a great story that children typically enjoy, and I think that it is entertaining. I like how you can tie science into the book, and illustrate the properties of snow. 

Frederick

Frederick

Author: Leo Lionni

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Pre-K - Grade 2

Year Published: 1967

Summary

This story is about a mouse and his family who are preparing for winter. Frederick, who is the main character of the story, does not help with the gathering of food. Nontraditionally (in the eyes of the field mice) he says that he is gathering sun rays, colors, and words for them to have when the winter gets cold and lonely. When winter comes, and the family of mice does run out of food, it is Frederick’s supplies that help them get through the cold and quietness.

About the Author

Leo Lionni was born on May 5, 1910, in a small town outside of Amsterdam. He loved nature as a child, and his parents permitted him to explore those things. His father was a public accountant and his mother was a promising opera singer. Leo's uncle, Piet, is the one who first introduced him to art, and who gave him his first drawing lesson. In 1922, Leo's parents left him in Brussels and went to America, and Leo lived with his (step)grandparents. Two years later, he moved to Philadelphia to join his family. One year later, they moved again to Genoa, Italy! He married Nora Maffi in 1931, and had a son, Mannie, in 1933. They had a second son, Paolo, in 1938. They soon moved to America, when it began to get dangerous for Jewish people to stay in Europe. In New York, Leo was hired by a prominent advertising agency. He rose quickly in the field, and later in life, he discovered children's books. He created 40 children's books, some of which won awards. He was very creative and most of his books taught little life lessons. He eventually retired, and moved to Italy with Nora.

Source: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/lionni/aboutlionni.php

How to Use it

This book talks about how field mice prepare for winter, and how one mouse gathered some different things that were out of the norm. It shows how different people can contribute things that might not seem valuable at the time, but that really are crucial to life.

Pre-Reading: Discuss with the class what mice do to prepare for the winter. Ask them what types of foods and materials the mice make, and discuss what they think mice do to keep warm. Discuss how they themselves would prepare for a winter in which they had to stay in their houses for 3 months!

Post-Reading: Depending on the age of the students, have them write a book or draw illustrations depicting what they would do if they had to hole up for the winter. Would they gather colors and words like Frederick, or be more practical and gather food that would sustain them throughout the winter?

In addition, this book could be used for Character Education. Different people use different things in life, and all are valuable in different ways.

What do I Think?

This book has a beautiful message. The artwork in and of itself is gorgeous, and I love the concept behind the whole story. Sun rays, colors, and words are three of my favorite things in life, and I love how this book shows it to kids in a simple, effective way.