Iron Thunder: The Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Avi. 2007. IRON THUNDER: THE BATTLE OF THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC. Illus. by C.B. Mordan. New York, NY: Hyperion Books For Children. ISBN 9781423104469.

PLOT SUMMARY
A historical fiction account of the building of the iron battle ship the Monitor through the eyes of a thirteen year old boy named Tom. He goes to work in the New York navy shipyard when his father is killed in the war as a way to earn money for his family. Spies are trying to get information on this iron ship, also called "Ericsson's Folly" named after the captain John Ericsson. Some called it the "iron coffin" because no one believes it can float, much less fight the opponent, the Merrimac. Tom walks a fine line between avoiding the spies and wondering if the ship will be built in time to go into battle against the Confederate sea monster, the Merrimac.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Avi spins a believable story about Thomas Carroll and his family. Background information is given as to the reason for his need to be employed. A description of their living conditions and a sick sister lends credence to him finding a full time job to make money for his family. The author uses nine well placed full page newspaper headlines from the actual pages of the New York Times, NY Herald, The Philadelphia Enquirer, and the Tri-Weekly Telegraph to convey what was happening during April 13, 1861 and March 11, 1862. The headlines are effective in their brevity such as "The Surrender of Fort Henry to Union Gunboats". The reader can quickly read the progression of the war and continue on with the story about Tom and the building of the Monitor.

Tom is skeptical of the captain and his ideas for this iron boat. He keeps his opinion to himself and also hides the fact that spies are trying to gain information about him. Avi writes of the angst Tom feels about revealing that spies are after him. He is genuinely afraid and when he secures a permanent place to live in the shipyard while the Monitor is being built there is a sense of relief. Children have fears and being bullied is one of them. Avi uses this part of the story to show how Tom handled the spies and came up with a solution to stay safe. Tom's worries of the boat going into battle turn into pride as he is an eye witness to an historical battle.

Avi uses actual photographs to show the the Monitor officers, the telescope, the turret and a butter dish with gold lettering used by the officers. Old maps enhance the author's description to pinpoint the location for readers who may not be familiar with the area. An explanation of the way the toilets work would delight young readers, especially when Avi writes of a sailor who didn't use the valves correctly and was blown off the seat!

C.B. Mordan's block prints are beautiful in their simplicity. The only color is black and white, which lends credence to the actual old photographs also used in the book.

The book doesn't end with the story. Avi provides a glossary of terms, the author's note, what happened to the Monitor and a bibliography. A quote that made a lasting impression was, "The more who witness a fact - the less certain the fact becomes". Avi was referring to the thousands who watched the battle and told their account. He tells the reader that he had to be a detective doing research for this book. It was also important that he reminds the reader that the facts would be disputed by those who were on the opposing battleship - the Merrimac.

PERSONAL OPINION
This was a fascinating tale to read. This historical event being told through the eyes of a young boy comes to life. I liked the information listed after the story to learn about Avi's research and the rescue efforts to bring up the turret from the ocean floor. Readers of this book will come away with more information about the boat and actual battle than if they read it in a history book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"Early in 1862, 13-year-old Tom Carroll must go to work when his father is killed in a Maryland battle. He finds a job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where he is put to work on "Ericsson's Folly," the ironclad that will become the Monitor. He works closely with Captain Ericsson and becomes fascinated with this odd "raft." The floating battery is scoffed at by many, but the "Copperheads," Northerners who sympathize with the Southern cause, are distinctly interested. Tom is approached by Confederate spies but cleverly escapes them with the help of his friends. To stay clear of these dangerous men, he moves onboard the Monitor and lives there until its completion. Tom is an eyewitness to history as the ship travels to join the Union blockade fleet and enters into its fateful battle with the Merrimac. He takes pride in the vessel, and his part in her construction is evident in his firsthand telling of the story. Factual information and historical terms are woven smoothly into the narrative. Period photographs, engravings, and newspaper headlines are strategically placed throughout the text to further bring history to life. A glossary provides added clarity, and an author's note explains that although Tom Carroll really existed, the boy in this story is a compilation of several people on the ship and the author's imagination. This exciting, fast-paced historical adventure will add a bit of drama to Civil War units. Even reluctant readers will appreciate it."

From Booklist
"Decked out with the appurtenances of nonfiction—maps, a resource list (leaning toward upper-level titles), and a generous array of contemporary prints for illustrations—Avi's historical novel views the construction of the Monitor and the ensuing epochal battle with its Confederate rival through the eyes of an actual but fictionalized crew member. Narrating in a clipped style that speeds the tale along nicely, 13-year-old Tom describes meetings with the Monitor's inventor, John Ericsson, and other historical figures; run-ins with "Copperhead" spies; the dangerous sea voyage from New York to the Union blockade; the exciting climactic fight; and the brief, ill-fated later careers of both ironclads."

CONNECTIONS
Students could choose one of the books listed in the bibliography to do additional research on the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.

As a science lesson students could learn how an iron ship weighing several thousands pounds could be made to float. (older grades)

Teacher could lead a group discussion on ways Tom could have handled the spies who were trying to bribe him to reveal information about the Monitor.

Students Who Liked This Book Might Like:

Avi. Crispin: AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. ISBN 9780786851522

Avi. THE SEER OF SHADOWS. ISBN 9780060000158

Sappey, Maureen Stack. DREAMS OF SHIPS, DREAMS OF JULIA; AT SEA WITH THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC - VIRGINIA 1862 (Young American Series).
ISBN 9781572491342

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Freedman, Russell. 1997. OUT OF DARKNESS: THE STORY OF LOUIS BRAILLE. illus. by Kate Kiesler. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395968888.

PLOT SUMMARY
A detailed account of the life of Louis Braille who invented a method of reading for the visually impaired. This biography portrays Braille as a young boy who would not let blindness get in his way of living. His curiosity to learn and help others led to years of trial and error to develop the system still used today.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Freedman manages to tell a detailed story while holding the reader's interest. He begins in the early 1800s with the accident that led to Braille's eventual blindness at age four. Louis was forbidden to handle his father's leather tools. An overpowering curiosity made him disobey those orders and the accident occurred. Many children would be able to relate to the "forbidden fruit" and understand why he didn't listen to his father's warning. The author's statement, "The hardest lesson Louis had to learn was that blindness set him apart from other children" was powerful to read. Children want to be the same as everyone else. Freedman establishes a base for the reader to understand what drives Braille to function as a blind person in a seeing world.

Braille is sent at age ten to live in Paris, a big city unlike his home, and attend the Royal Institute For Blind Youth. The purpose of the school was to teach boys practical achievements that would help them function. The description of the school, uniforms, the sense of loneliness gives the reader an idea of how difficult this transition period was for a boy so young to leave his family.

When the author begins describing the method blind people used to read, the embossed books, his words give us an idea of what these books looked like. As he continues to describe the way Braille poked holes in paper at night, we can get a sense that this was not a method discovered quickly but rather over a long period of time. When Braille takes a secret military code and refines it, the reader is happy Braille has found a solution that will work. The Braille alphabet is simply explained with visuals to help the reader understand what Braille created. The story doesn't end there as we learn Braille's idea was not accepted by everyone. He refuses to give up and his persistence paid off. All of these are worthwhile lessons for children to learn.

Kate Kiesler's illustrations are effective. There is no color in these black, gray and white detailed drawings which reminds us that color is often void for a blind person. Her drawings are richly detailed to give us a sense of the way Louis Braille lived in the early 1800s.

PERSONAL OPINION
This was a fascinating account of an amazing boy who refused to accept the fact that he couldn't read like everyone else. Freedman's account puts the reader at the school, seeing Braille try and try again to devise a method that will work. There are many lessons to be learned from this story - if at first you don't succeed, try try again, don't take no for an answer, looking out for the well being of others, don't reinvent the wheel - take something that already exists and try to improve on it are a few examples.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"An extremely well-written and informative book that tells about Braille's life and the development of his alphabet system for the blind. Freedman's gift for making his subjects both accessible and intriguing comes through wonderfully in this book. Readers learn not only about Braille and his struggle to communicate through the written word once he lost his sight, but also how long it took for his revolutionary innovation to become universally accepted. They also become aware of how isolated the blind were before his invention. Finely detailed pencil drawings and diagrams appear throughout the readable narrative. An entertaining and fascinating look at a remarkable man."

From Booklist
"More than 170 years ago, a blind French boy at age 15 invented a system of raised dots on paper that allows the sightless to read and write. Without melodrama, Freedman tells the momentous story in quiet chapters in his best plain style, making the facts immediate and personal. At age 3, Louis Braille was blinded in an accident with a knife. From the age of 12, he worked doggedly, sometimes secretly through the night at a special school in Paris, punching dots on paper, trying to develop a simple code for the alphabet that the blind could read with their fingertips. Woven into the story is an awareness of how the blind child experiences the world, what he remembers. Tension mounts as he refuses to be discouraged by technical and bureaucratic setbacks, until eventually he proves his system to his school and finally to the world."

Connections

Students might be interested to see a copy of something written in Braille. They will be surprised to see how fine the holes are punched, and how difficult it is for them to distinguish the letters.

Take 3x6 index cards and make individual alphabet cares. Press into the cards the letters not emphasized. Hole punch out the letters that are emphasized to form that letter. See if the students can identify a letter of the alphabet by feeling the card.

Serve a meal to the class in total darkness. Don't tell them what they are being served. See how well they can eat using their other senses other than sight to determine what the food is and how to feed themselves in darkness.

As a writing assignment, ask students to pick one characteristic of Louis Braille. (Determination, Curiosity, etc). Have them write why this is an attribute that would be a good to possess.

Readers who liked this book might like:

Davidson, Margaret. LOUIS BRAILLE: THE BOY WHO INVENTED BOOKS FOR THE BLIND. ISBN 9780590443500

Woodhouse, Jane. LOUIS BRAILLE (LIVES AND TIMES). ISBN 9781575725598

HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW. New York, NY: Scholastic Nonfiction: an imprint of Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 9780439353793.

PLOT SUMMARY
The horrors of World War II, retold with chilling detail through the voices of German young people who served Hitler in his youth organization is the focus of this book. Journals, diaries and interviews of those who served are researched and detailed from a different viewpoint than most books on the subject of World War II. Ten stories are portrayed in chapter form.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Can you imagine turning in your own parents to authorities because they resisted Hitler's ideology? Elizabeth Vetter reported her parents to Hitler youth leaders and they were arrested. Thousands of children were caught up in the notion of obtaining power to exert over others through allegiance to Adolph Hitler. Hitler realized the impact youth could have on his path to power. Those children who participated and survived the war cannot believe how they were caught up in the movement.

Bartoletti uses actual photographs to personalize the stories. Most of the black and white photos show proud children in Nazi uniform. Not only does she utilize pictures of the youth, there are actual photographs of streets and areas depicted in the stories. Students can turn the page and read the captions under the numerous photographs before continuing with the riveting stories.

Some of the stories told are ones not often heard when studying the history of WWII. A mercy death program to improve the Aryan race was authorized in 1939 by Hitler. This program targeted those mentally and physically unstable, living in hospitals and institutions. The program, code named Aktion-T4 has been estimated to have killed as many as 100,000 before protesting by German citizens halted the practice. The White Rose - a group who printed leaflets denouncing Hiter resulted in the student leaders being beheaded (something difficult to comprehend today).

Bartoletti handles a very delicate subject with great diplomacy. She manages to relate the horror of war through the eyes of youth who participated in it without making the subject intolerable. Each of the ten chapters has a different story to tell, which makes the reader want to continue until the end of the book. The epilogue tells what happened to the youth portrayed. A time line of the Hitler Youth and the author's note at the back wants us to make sure this is a story we must repeat to future youth so history can never repeat itself.

PERSONAL OPINION
This book is a must read for both children (older than elementary age) and adults. This book of history is told through the eyes of people reflecting on what they did for their leader Adolph Hitler. It is easy to be an outside viewer and judge their behavior but I wondered what my reaction would have been to the youth program if I were in that situation myself.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
" Grade 5-8–Hitler's plans for the future of Germany relied significantly on its young people, and this excellent history shows how he attempted to carry out his mission with the establishment of the Hitler Youth, or Hitlerjugend, in 1926. With a focus on the years between 1933 and the end of the war in 1945, Bartoletti explains the roles that millions of boys and girls unwittingly played in the horrors of the Third Reich. The book is structured around 12 young individuals and their experiences, which clearly demonstrate how they were victims of leaders who took advantage of their innocence and enthusiasm for evil means. Their stories evolve from patriotic devotion to Hitler and zeal to join, to doubt, confusion, and disillusion."

From Booklist
" What was it like to be a teenager in Germany under Hitler? Bartoletti draws on oral histories, diaries, letters, and her own extensive interviews with Holocaust survivors, Hitler Youth, resisters, and bystanders to tell the history from the viewpoints of people who were there. Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like. Henry Mentelmann, for example, talks about Kristallnacht, when Hitler Youth and Storm Troopers wrecked Jewish homes and stores, and remembers thinking that the victims deserved what they got."

AWARDS
2005 Newbery Honor Book
2006 Sibert Information Book Honor
2005 Parent's Choice Gold Award
Audiofile Earphones Award

CONNECTIONS
After reading this book together as a class (or assign individual chapters to groups to read), ask students to write a journal entry about a day in the life of a Hitler youth.

Research if any survivors from this book are still alive and where they are living.

Students who like this book might like:

Lehmann, Armin D. and Tim Carroll. IN HITLER'S BUNKER: A BOY SOLDIER'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE FUHRER'S LAST DAYS. ISBN 9781592285785

Hunt, Irmgard A. ON HITLER'S MOUNTAIN: OVERCOMING THE LEGACY OF A NAZI CHILDHOOD. ISBN 0739458116

SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN MOON BEAR

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montgomery, Sy. 2004. SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN MOON BEAR. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618356508.


PLOT SUMMARY
The scientific search for a possible new species of bear leads Sy Montgomery and other scientists on a quest around the world. The chance encounter in China of this "Moon Bear" in 1988 was the beginning of research that ended in October of 1999. Detailed description is given to the procedures followed in this scientific study, which includes DNA collection and analysis. The final answer to this scientific study was not what the researches expected to find.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The beginning of the book reads like a Raiders of the Lost Ark movie. A sighting of an unusual bear in a cage in China was intriguing. Sy Montgomery, a female scientist living in New Hampshire heard this story upon their return. Thus begins her journey to the other side of the world. Montgomery does a good job at the beginning and writes a captivating story. After the initial description of the particular bear they were researching, a four page spread giving background on the eight species of bear is helpful. Learning that all bears have the Latin word Ursa (bear) in their name was interesting. This could lead to a discussion of the star formation Ursa Major and Ursa Minor and why they were so named. Beautiful color photographs help move the story along. A large map of the region at the beginning of the story outlines the area they studied. The book is divided into chapters, with headings of the contents. Montgomery asks questions of other scientists, as children might, during the story to explain what they are doing during their research. She also gives interesting regional information about the towns that would interest children. The picture of the fried bug snacks and the description with a picture of the largest leech she'd ever seen is a "gross" effect sure to please students!

The appendices at the back of the book would enable those who are interested in more information on this subject. Where to learn more about bears and how to help them, further reading and facts about bears are listed. I also liked the photos of the author throughout the book. Girls are not traditionally seen as research scientists and the exposure to a woman who encounters danger in her job could be appealing to those children who like adventure.

PERSONAL OPINION
Toward the end of the book one of the chapters is entitled "Cracking the Code". Montgomery gives a detailed explanation of how DNA is analyzed. I can't see students reading this entire chapter. The story loses momentum as we are bogged down in reading pages of scientific findings that is fascinating to scientists but not always as exciting for children. This made the results rather anticlimactic as I'd lost some interest in the story.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"While on an expedition to the Amazon, a fellow scientist told Montgomery about a bear seen years before in Yunnan, China–a bear with tall round ears, a white crescent on its chest, a bushy mane, and a coat as golden as a palomino. Later, a chance meeting with a young Cambodian unearthed a recent photo of a golden bear. From these encounters a scientific expedition to Southeast Asia evolved, seeking to determine if this honey-colored creature was a new species or a previously unseen color variation of Ursus thibetanus. Montgomery's conversational text takes readers to open-air markets and fruit farms in Cambodia, a wildlife breeding center and a zoo in Thailand, and hillside tribal villages in Laos (with a hefty interlude of tropical rain forest investigation), seeking the elusive animal."

From Booklist
"As in Encantado: Pink Dolphin of the Amazon (2002), nature writer Montgomery has adapted this from a longer work she wrote for adults. Here she chronicles her travels in war-torn Southeast Asia in search of an elusive golden-furred bear, hoping to nab tufts of its hair for DNA analysis to confirm a species not previously known to science. Though discussions of the region's bloody history have been toned down, Montgomery does frame the adventure with thought-provoking context."

AWARDS
Outstanding work of Non Fiction- New Hampshire Literary Review
One of the top five Non Fiction books of the year by Book magazine
Top Ten Science Book of the Year by Booklist
ALA Editor's Choice

CONNECTIONS
Students could be asked to "design" a bear no one had seen before. Artwork could be part of a bulletin board display with facts about the eight species of bears.
As a class, students could trace the route the scientists used to gather information for the story. The map from the front could be copied onto individual sheets for students to plot.

Students who liked this book might enjoy:

Montgomery, Sy. ENCANTO: PINK DOLPHIN OF THE AMAZON. ISBN 9780618131037

Montgomery, Sy. THE SNAKE SCIENTIST. ISBN 0395871697

Montgomery, Sy. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. ISBN 9780618915774

ANIMAL FACT/ ANIMAL FABLE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 1979. ANIMAL FACT/ ANIMAL FABLE. Illus. by Diane de Groat. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9780517537947.


PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon examines popular myths about animals and determines whether they are true or not. The format of the book is a guessing game. A myth is listed with a humorous cartoon depicting the description of the myth. The reader must turn the page to learn if the myth is fact or fable.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Everyone loves to play games. Seymour Simon is a former science teacher and it is obvious he's learned to incorporate games into teachable moments. There are twenty animal myths examined in this book. Simon begins each fact or fable quiz with the myth printed at the bottom of the page and a humorous cartoon of the myth above the statement. Students could determine as a group or by themselves the answer before they turn the page. The following page uses bold lettering to begin with "FACT" or "FABLE", followed by the explanation. Simon keeps his explanations very simple so that children of a younger age could understand it. Even though this book was written in 1979, the answers are timeless. Children of all ages love to read and learn about animals. You can open the book anywhere and begin reading. I can see students reading this again and again until they get all the answers correct!

Children love to read books that are funny. The cartoon drawings by Diane de Groat are so outrageous, kids can't help but laugh when they read the myth page. The drawings de Groat uses on the answer pages are totally different. They are actual representations of the animal, many depicted in their natural habitat. The answer page is washed with color and the text is printed on top of the illustration. The large print is easy to read and does not detract from the painting.

PERSONAL OPINION
I enjoyed reading this book myself. I too played it as a guessing game. There are many non-fiction books about animals that get bogged down in the detail. The simple explanations make it easy for any age to read and understand. I can see a child reading this book and sharing it with others to see if they got the answers right.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
"The best kind of book, one that entertains while it educates."

CONNECTIONS
Students could take one of the twenty animals from the book and find five facts not listed in the book about the animal.
The teacher could prepare a Fact and Fable game. One separate note cards write the word FACT and FABLE. Take the myths from this book and write them on individual note cards. Put them in a pile face down. Students would draw a card and determine if it was a fact or fable and place it in the correct pile. Another student or the teacher could use the book to tell them if they were right or wrong.
The class could brainstorm other animal myths and research them as a class to determine if they were fact or fable.

Students who liked this book might like:

Bryant, Mark. THE CAT NAME COMPANION: FACTS AND FABLES TO HELP YOU NAME YOUR FELINE. ISBN 9780806516714

Meltzer, Milton. HOLD YOUR HORSES! A FEEDBAG FULL OF FACT AND FABLE.
ISBN 9780060244774

Miller, Karen and Sergio Ruzzier. MONSTERS AND WATER BEASTS: CREATURES OF FACT OR FICTION? ISBN 9780805079029

WHEN GORILLA GOES WALKING

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 2007. WHEN GORILLA GOES WALKING. illus. by Shane Evans. New York, NY: Orchard Books, An Imprint of Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN 9780439317702

PLOT SUMMARY
Cecilia has a pet cat named Gorilla. Author Nikki Grimes uses poetry to tell of a love/hate relationship with a pet cat who has a mind of his own.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Children love to read about pets. Author Grimes reminds us all that we can love our pets one minute and be annoyed with them the next. Each thought about her pet cat Gorilla is recorded in a separate poem with an appropriate title. When Grimes first begins describing the cat she does not mince words. "A fierce meow, a tiger's claws - Gorilla ain't no Santa Paws./ She hisses when a stranger's near. /She chases dogs. She has no fear. /She has no tail. She's rain-cloud gray./ I love that cool cat more each day." In this poem we see the personality of the cat but learn it makes no difference, Cecilia still loves him! The description of the color "rain-cloud gray" is a memory that anyone could picture. The final line of the books reminds the reader that "When you see my pet. I'm Gorilla's human. Don't ever forget!" Gorilla comforts Cecilia when she's sad, plays with her and sleeps with her at night. This is a little girl who dearly loves this cat. Nikki Grimes uses rhyming and haiki as forms of poetry in this book.

The artwork in this book is bold in color without details. The simple paintings look child like in their simplicity but the splash of color on every page surrounds the poetry and makes it very easy to read. Cecilia, an African American girl, is pictured with her cat, Gorilla throughout the book. Gorilla's facial expressions reflect the poem on the page. When he's sick, the painting on him shows him with his eyes closed and his tongue stuck out. In the poem "Chase" he is pictured very happily trying to catch a fly. You can see the joy on his face.

PERSONAL OPINION
There are not enough books featuring African American characters. This book of poetry is an every day look at a pet, something everyone, regardless of culture, could relate to. Some children have a preconceived notion of poetry. Grimes book of poetry would make children laugh and if read aloud, they'd want to check it out on their own to reread.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
"In a series of delightful poems, a girl introduces her cat, Gorilla, and describes her pet's many interests, talents, and behaviors. While the feline is decidedly the star of this show, Cecilia also shares tidbits about her own life, such as getting into trouble for making a mess and feeling sad when her best friend moves away. The rich and rewarding relationship enjoyed by cat and human comes through loud and clear."

From Booklist
"In interlinked poems, Cecilia, a young African American girl, introduces her "cool cat,"---a fierce, tailless, gray shorthair named Gorilla. In spare, expressive lines and bold colors, Evans' dynamic paintings capture the messy intimacy of the cat and human bond. Also evident is the sense that Gorilla isn't just a pet; she's also a mirror. Like many children, Cecilia sees her own best and worst qualities in her bossy, beautiful cat, who is, she says, "like stubborn me." A fill-the-page portrait of dreadlocked, brown Cecelia, arm and arm with a blue-eyed, white best friend opens this playful, insightful poetry collection (classified as fiction) with an image of open-hearted friendship."

CONNECTIONS
Students would be asked to write a poem about their pet. For those who may not have a pet, ask them to choose their favorite animal and write a poem. In another session, art work could be done to correlate with the poem written. Poems could be read aloud to the class and bound in a book for students to read. (You may need to ask that they not write about a pet cat, as many would copy what was in this particular book).

Students who liked this book would also like:

Grimes, Nikki. THANKS A MILLION. ISBN 9780688172923

Grimes, Nikki. A POCKETFUL OF POEMS. ISBN 9780395938683

Simms, Tayback. I MISS YOU EVERY DAY. ISBN 0670061921