Obi, Gerbil On the Loose, by Michael Delaney

Title:  Obi, Gerbil on the Loose
Author:  Michael Delaney
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile
Year:  2008
Pages:  197
Genre:  Animal Fantasy
Themes:  Pets, Self-Confidence, Adventure
Age Range:  3rd-5th Grade


Summary:  from Goodreads

Obi the Gerbil is home alone! Obi's owner is on vacation, and the neighbor feeding the pets has forgotten all about the gerbil tucked away in her cage. Obi loves her cozy home, but without food and water she must escape to survive. So, taking on the courage of her namesake (Star Wars Jedi knight Obi-Wan), she breaks out and meets her fellow pets?cats up to no good, a maniacal tarantula, an insecure snake, a grumpy mouse, and a crotchety dog. Obi finds danger, but also makes new friends as she embarks on her great adventure

Review:
Obi the Gerbil is a very inspiring character for younger readers.  Even though she is afraid of almost everything in the wake of her being left behind, she overcomes her fear and is able to survive despite being left with no food and water.  Sounds like an awful lot of upper elementary students, as they begin to make the transition from being completely dependent on their parents to being more independent.  Obi's adventures are funny, and there is a lot of action, from cat chases to exploring the attic to traversing secret tunnels.  This would be a good book to use to talk about perspective and point-of-view.  Students could use Obi's example to imagine themselves as small as a mouse, and write a narrative from that perspective.  It is also a pretty good text to use for teaching voice in writing.  Obi may only be a gerbil, but she has a very strong personality that comes across beautifully in Delaney's writing.  My inner nerd also appreciated that she was named for a jedi, but maybe that's just me!  A great addition to a classroom library.

Kenny & the Dragon, by Tony DiTerlizzi

Title:  Kenny & the Dragon
Author:  Tony DiTerlizzi
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Books for Young readers
Year:  2008
Pages:  160
Genre:  Animal Fantasy
Themes:  Friendship, Acceptance, Non-Violence
Age Range:  3rd through 5th Grade


Summary:  from Goodreads

What do you do when your new best buddy has been designated a scourge by the community and marked for imminent extermination? Just ask Kenny Rabbit. When the simple folks in the sleepy little village of Roundbrook catch wind that there's a dragon running loose in the countryside, they get the wrong idea and the stage is set for a fight to the death. So it's up to Kenny to give his neighbors front-row seats to one of the best-known battles in history -- the legendary showdown between St. George and the dragon -- without losing a friend in the fray.

Review:
In a media landscape for children that seems to subsist mostly on CGI and splashy graphics, this slim novel is a welcome throw back to old fashioned children's stories.  Kenny and his new friend the Dragon are charming-a word I feel like I've been throwing around a lot lately with the kids books I've been reading.  But considering some of the post-modern, ironic, or just downright gross titles for kids out there these days (Walter the Farting Dog, anyone?), I find it refreshing to get some sweet, non-scatological stories!  

Kenny is a very good rabbit, if a little misunderstood by his farmer parents, who don't understand why he always has his nose in a book.  Imagine his delight when he finds an actual dragon in his backyard-a dragon who is just as enamored with books and stories as Kenny himself.  Their friendship is a not very subtle example of how people from vastly different backgrounds can find understanding through shared interests.  That instant connection is what makes it so horrifying to Kenny that everyone in the village wants to come and kill the mean, nasty, killer dragon.  After all, they don't even know him!  And what did the dragon ever do to them, anyway!?!  Again, a not very subtle message about the consequences of stereotypes, but perfect for younger readers.  And then there is the violence aspect.  When faced with a real angry mob, Kenny and his family uses their wits to give the villagers just what they wanted, without anyone getting hurt.  I appreciate any story that shows how brains are better than brawn!  I think that this would be a great novel to use in a fantasy unit, and there is ripe fodder for discussion.

The other thing that this book has going for it, other than the above mentioned themes, is the excellent writing.  This book is full of rich vocabulary and unusual ways of saying things.  Because, of course, the dragon is quite old, and has a rather antiquated way of speaking that is engaging, and might cause a younger reader to really have to use those context clues we all try so hard to teach. All in all a solid classroom choice,  either for guided reading or as an independent read for a proficient reader.

The Three Questions, Jon J. Muth

Title:  The Three Questions (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy)
Author:  Jon J. Muth
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Year:  2002
Pages:  32
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Themes:  Morality/Ethics
Age Range:  K-4th Grade 

Summary: 

Muth (Come On, Rain!) recasts a short story by Tolstoy into picture-book format, substituting a boy and his animal friends for the czar and his human companions. Yearning to be a good person, Nikolai asks, "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Sonya the heron, Gogol the monkey and Pushkin the dog offer their opinions, but their answers do not satisfy Nikolai. He visits Leo, an old turtle who lives in the mountains. While there, he helps Leo with his garden and rescues an injured panda and her cub, and in so doing, finds the answers he seeks. As Leo explains, "There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side." (from Publisher's Weekly)

Review:

I am using this book as the children's story during a youth service at my church about "The Big Questions".  While the text is deceptively simple, the concepts behind the story are subtle.  The story has enough action to keep younger children entertained (plus pandas!), but older children will be able to discuss the lesson inherent in the questions that Nikolai poses to his animal friends.  The art is beautiful-understated, but detailed enough to engage a child's interest.  The story is moral without being preachy, and with older students you could compare the original story-which involves Russian politics-with the animal version.  Regardless, it is a lesson worth teaching.

Teacher Resources: 

Learning to Give Lesson Plans
Questioning Lesson

The Sissy Duckling, Harvey Fierstein

Title:  The Sissy Duckling
Author:  Harvey Fierstein and Henry Cole
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Year:  2002
Pages:  40
Genre:  Animal Fantasy
                                                 Themes:  Family, Acceptance
                                                 Age Levels:  1st through 4th Grade


Summary:
Actor and playwright Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) turns a gimlet eye to Hans Christian Andersen in this ducky tale. Elmer, crowned by a wispy comb of feathers and wearing a pink backpack with daisies on it, is "one happy duckling doing all the things he loved to do," such as baking cookies and staging puppet shows. When Papa Duck, an imposing mallard, forces him to try baseball, Elmer promptly strikes out and heads for home, unfazed. Later, he hears his father complaining ("They all called him sissy! Now I'm the laughingstock of the whole flock") and endures threats from a school bully with a feathery flat-top and muscular chest. Elmer runs away and sets up housekeeping in a hollow tree, but comes to the rescue when his father gets shot by hunters and cannot fly south for the winter.  In a campy, triumphant ending, the resourceful duckling loudly proclaims, "I am a big sissy and proud of it!" Ages 5-8.(From Publishers Weekly)

Review: 
This book is lighthearted and fun on the surface, but addresses some read issues that students face when they act outside of what society considers "normal" for their gender.  Fierstein draws from his own experiences to create a main character that is lovable and easygoing, an completely happy being different than the others.  Fierstein shows clearly that the problem is not with Elmer's behavior, but with the prejudices and actions of others.  Why should Elmer have to change who he is?  Why shouldn't the other ducks have to open their minds?  And who made up these gender roles anyway?  I so appreciate that Elmer does not ever question his right to be who he is.  And that while he misses his parents, he knows that he should not have to live someplace where he is not loved for being himself.  Great book for teaching stereotypes and self-acceptance.

Teacher Resources:
Accepting Others Lesson Plan 
Character Education Using Children's Literature 
The Sissy Duckling Video 

There's a Bird on Your Head, by Mo Willems

Title:  There's a Bird on Your Head
Author:  Mo Willems
Publisher:  Hyperion Books for Children
Year: 2007
Pages: 64
Genre:  Animal Fantasy
Age Level:  Pre-K to 2nd Grade


Plot Summary:
Piggie is an optimist, Gerald the Elephant is a pessimist.  Piggie finds the humor in a situation, Gerald the Elephant worries people will laugh at him.  These two friends couldn't be more different, but they seem to compliment each other perfectly.  When Piggie tells Gerals that he has a bird on his head, he runs away screaming, and the funny begins.  While Piggie keeps Gerald updates about the bird, they try to figure out what to do.  Turns out the only thing worse than having one bird on your head is having two!

Review: 
As with all of Mo Willem's books, I was completely charmed by this story!  Piggie and Gerald are good friendship models, and the way that they are drawn is so simple yet completely unique and wonderful.  Willems does a great job showing emotion in his characters through a simple eyebrow angle or mouth movement.  Children who enjoyed having the Pigeon books read to them will really like being able to read this to themselves.  There are several other Piggie and Elephant books in the series, which is good because the repetitive, patterned nature of the text provides great scaffolding for early readers.  There is also a recognition on the part of the author that adults will be reading this book as well, and he throws in a little bit of humor especially aimed adults reading with their kids.

Teaching Resources: 
This book is a good fluency builder for early readers, and it is entertaining to boot, unlike some early reader books that have contrived stories built around sight words or word families.  The format of the book, written in a statement/question/statement pattern is good for teaching early readers about the meaning of punctuation.  Below I've listed some teacher resources from the web.

Elephant and Piggie Event Kit from Mo Willem's Site 

Mo Willems Author Study