Historical Fiction

Casey Over There

Written by Staton Rabin, 1994

Casey Over There is a short children's picture book set in the time of World War I. This historical fiction books tells a story of a young boy whose brother was sent to war in France by the infamous Uncle Sam. The boy writes many letters to his brother, with very little replies, which worries him. One day he decided to write a letter to Uncle Sam asking him if he is done with his brother yet. To the little boys surprise he gets a return letter from President Woodrow Wilson. This is a really great story that is totally relatable to anyone who has ever had a loved one in the war, and it gives some hidden education to the reader. It shows the reader the location of one of the battles in WWI and tells the reader who was president during this war. 

Discussion Questions

• Who was President when you were born? What great things did this President do for our country?
• How long was WWI and what were they fighting about?

Motivational Activities

Have the students create a timeline of all the Presidents in our countries past.

Then have the students add the famous wars America was involved in onto the timeline to show them which Presidents served during these times. 

Other books by Staton Rabin

Mr. Lincoln's Boys: Being the Mostly True Adventures of Abraham Lincoln's Trouble-making Sons, Tad and Willie

Black Powder

Betsy and the Emperor

Rabin, S. (1994). Casey over there. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Classic Folktale

The Tortoise and the Hare

Written by Aesop, part of the classic book Aesop's Fables

This folklore is a very old classic folktale that has a wonderful moral to the story. The story is about a rabbit and a turtle who decide they want to race. The rabbit is quick and is very overly confident about his speed and ability to beat the turtle so during the race he decides he's so far ahead that he'll take a quick nap. During the rabbits nap the turtle continues to race by him and ends up winning the race. The moral of this story is that some people may have advantages over others in some aspects but being overly confident is not a good way to act and in the end will have consequences and in this case may be quite humbling. Folktales are great because they always have a moral to be taught and it is taught in such a unique way that will really keep children's attention and help them to understand the true meaning.

Discussion Questions

Who did you think would win and why?

After reading the story, do you think the lesson to be learned is relevant?

Motivational Activities

Have the students sit around in a circle and discuss the meaning of this story and the importance of the lesson learned. Once they have discussed the moral of the story, have them create a similar short story with a different lesson learned.

Other stories by Aesop...

The Goose with the Golden Eggs

The Fox and the Cat

The Lion and the Mouse

Temple. (1908). Aesop The Complete Fables. London, England: Penguin Publishing Group.

Classic Fairy Tale

Rapunzel 

Collected by The Grimm Brothers (original author Friedrich Schulz 1790), 1812

This is one of the most classic and known fairy tales of all time. The story is about a couple who lives next to a beautiful garden owned by a witch and the woman is experiencing uncontrollable cravings from her pregnancy and orders her husband to go into the garden and steal so she can eat it. The husband gets caught by the witch and in return for the stolen goods she orders the couple to give her their child they are expecting. She becomes the most beautiful girl with the longest hair so the which locks her away in a tower with no door or stairs, only to be accessible by Rapunzel letting her hair down to climb to the top. One day a prince hears her singing and goes up the tower and they fall in love and Rapunzel accidentally tells the witch and she is sent far away. The prince goes to help her escape and finds the witch instead and the prince travels for a long time until her finally finds Rapunzel and theit twins she birthed and they live happily ever after!

I love fairy tales because they always end in a happy ending and they always have a wonderful story leading up to it! These stories are always so imaginative and wonderful to read because they could never possibly happen, but they make you feel happy and like you're escaping reality for a short time. It is such a great genre for children to read and enjoy. This story in particular is one of my favorites and has been rewritten many times and even turned into a movie. 

Response Questions

• If you could be in any fairy tale story, which would it be?
• What is your favorite fairy tale you've read?

Motivational Activities

Have the students brainstorm and create a fairy tale of their own. They can uses other fairy tales as examples to help create their own characters and story line with its very own happy ending! Once they have their short fairy tales written have them sit in a circle and read them aloud to each other. 

Other Fairy Tales by the Grimm Brothers...
Cinderella
Rumpelstiltskin
Snow White


Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, "Rapunzel," Kinder- und Hausmärchen, gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm [Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales], 7th ed., vol. 1 (Göttingen: Verlag der Dieterichschen Buchhandlung, 1857), no. 12, pp. 65-69.

Children's Literature Illustrated Book

A Bad Case of Stripes

Written and Illustrated by David Shannon, 1998

This Children's Literature book is one of my favorite fiction books, not only because of its wonderful message to children, but also because it has some of the most intricate, fun, and colorful illustrations I've ever seen. This book is about a school aged girl named Camilla who just wants to fit in and please everyone. This idea of pleasing everyone one day back fires on Camilla and all of a sudden her skin turns into rainbow stripes, and then all the children made fun of her and she began to change into every design, color, or thing they told her to. Even all the doctors and specialists could not cure Camilla, and they even made her worse by making her grow all kinds of strange things. Finally, a little old woman comes to the door and gets Camilla to admit she loves lima beans and that it's ok to be different and then Camilla is cured of her stripes forever. 

This story has a very meaningful message to children that just because you may like something that most people do not or you may look different then someone else, doesn't mean that you shouldn't be yourself. Everyone should accept themselves and each other for who we are and no one should be afraid or ashamed to be themselves. This message is relayed in a very unique and imaginative way that will really catch the young readers attention. 

Reader Response Questions

1. What is something that you like that most people do not like?
2. If you could have stripes or any pattern as skin, what would you choose?

Motivational Activities

Have everyone sit in a circle and share something about themselves that they think makes them different, this way now everyone can see that being different is actually pretty normal!

More books written by David Shannon...

David (7 book series)

Duck on a Tractor

Duck on a Bike

Alice the Fairy

Pirates Don't Change Diapers

...and many more

Shannon, D. (1998). A Bad Case of Stripes. New York City, NY: Scholastic Press.

Multicultural Book

Same, Same, but Different was written and illustrated by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw in 2011. This is a wonderful multicultural children's book that takes you through two totally different world of two boys who become pen pals across the world. The story describes aspects of each boys life and how they differ from each other but are actually quite the same. This fiction book is realistic and set in the present time of when the boys are writing to each other. There is accurate descriptions and illustrations of each part of the world each boy lives in and the activities they partake in. 

Motivational Activities

Have students partner up with a classmate and describe to each other some aspects of their lives that are the same but different. 

Have the students draw pictures of where they live and then compare them to each person's drawing.

Reader Response Questions

• What would you include in a drawing of your world?
• What family members do you live with?
• If you could compare your life to another child's life, what part of the world would you want to write to?
• Were you surprised to see that even though their lives seemed so different, they were actually very similar? 

More by this author...

My Travelin' Eye

Luna & Me: The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest

Chai Pilgrimage: A Soul-Nourishing Tea Adventure Through Northern India