All tagged Story Structure

Texas Chili? Oh My!

Texas Chili? Oh My!

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

Texas Chili? Oh My! is a retelling of the The Three Little Pigs--Texas style! 

Meet Bluebonnet, Mockingbird, and Sweet Olive, three little armadillos, 

as they leave Mamadillo's home and build their own dens out of native

Texan materials. But watch out for Trickster Coyote, always looking for 

armadillos to make into Texas chili!

Texas Chili? Oh My! / Chili Texasb? Ay Dios! was awarded the 2015 

San Antonio Conservation Society Publication Award for the best 

recently published children's book on Texas history.


Children and adults alike will be entertained and educated on Texas symbols

in this beautiful book. Texas Chili? Oh My! also includes a glossary and 

learning objectives to aid elementary teachers in making Texas history 

a fun, engaging experience for students.

It's Your First Day of School, Busy Bus!

It's Your First Day of School, Busy Bus!

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

It’s the first day of school! But is Busy Bus ready? Find out in this darling picture book that showcases the excitement and worries little ones experience as they prepare for their first day.

Today is the very first day of school! Busy Bus is excited, but he also has some first-day jitters. Will the children like him? Will he be homesick? What if he gets lost?! Luckily, bus driver Ben knows just what to do to make sure that the school year gets off to a great start.

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

Author/Illustrator: Deb Pilutti

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

ISBN: 978-0805097597

Synopsis: In order to be a real superhero, you have to follow some important rules:

Rule #1: A superhero must ALWAYS respond to a call for help.

Rule #2: Saving the day is messy. But everyone understands.

In this handy guide, Captain Magma and his trusty sidekick, Lava Boy, take young readers on an adventure to learn all ten rules of being a good superhero.

Click here for Discussion/Activity Guide

Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies

Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

All the students in the class are assigned reading buddies. Except for Adelaide. She already has one. A bear! And Adelaide is quite persuasive as she explains to her language arts teacher, Mrs. Fitz-Pea, and the reader, that bears really do make the best reading buddies. They sniff out good books. Their claws are just right for turning pages. And the bear looks rather friendly (and studious) in these crayon-bright, contemporary illustrations, making this picture book perfect for every collection.

Bike On, Bear

Bike On, Bear

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

Bear can do everything—except ride a bike. Discover how he overcomes his two-wheeled challenge in this irresistibly adorable picture book!

Bear can do almost anything. His one-paw pawstand is perfection. He can solve the trickiest of equations. He can even out-build a brigade of beavers. But the one thing Bear can’t do? Ride a bike.

Bear tries everything to help him learn: library books, training wheels and super-cheers from his fellow animal friends. But all of those fail to get poor Bear on two wheels. The situation is looking unbearable—but an unexpected mishap might be just the thing that propels Bear to bike on!

This Is a Good Story

This Is a Good Story

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

From E.B. White Read Aloud author Adam Lehrhaupt comes an inspiring new picture book that takes apart the pieces of a story—hero, heroine, setting, conflict—and asks the reader to put the story back together again. This is a good story…or is it?

As a child takes her pencil and begins to draw pictures for a story, the narrator takes her and the reader through a rollicking sequence of events in this classic tale of bad guys and townsfolk and dungeons. With simplicity and flair, Adam tells a story and then a meta-story of the parts of the story at once! This Is a Good Story is a wonderful primer on the parts of a story and an imaginative way to encourage creative thinking, writing, and storytelling.

Wordplay

Wordplay

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

When the parts of speech gather on the playground, Verb is always the star. She can climb! She can frolic! She can DO anything! Her friends Adjective, Adverb, and Interjection all watch admiringly. ("WOW!" says Interjection.)

Then Noun comes along -- and Noun can BE anything. A person! A place! Even a thing! ("PRETTY!" says Interjection.) The other parts of speech are fascinated by this new kid, and Verb doesn't like it one bit.

But when a new threat menaces the playground, Noun can't move! There's only one part of speech who can DO something about it ... and that might allow Noun and Verb to BE something together: friends.

Snuggle Mountain

Snuggle Mountain

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

It’s morning, and Emma wants pancakes. But the two-headed giant who lives on Snuggle Mountain has forgotten all about breakfast. So lump by bump, Emma begins her climb up the shaking, quaking mountain to reach the giant’s snuggly cave. How can Emma wake the giant without getting caught in the Sleeping Spell?

Doggone Feet!

Doggone Feet!

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

Ever wonder what’s going on in the mind of a dog? Here is an entertaining look at life from the point of view of a family pooch—a canine with a tongue-twisting, fun way of talking, and some serious attitude. As the dog’s “people family” grows, so does her dismay at having to share her space with so many new and noisy feet. But as she discovers, making room also brings new joy. With a happy surprise ending and charming illustrations full of humor, this is a heartwarming—and doggone funny—rhyming story that kids will ask for again and again.

Bella's Rules

Bella's Rules

Debbie Gonzales
Discussion/Activity, Picture Book

In the vein of Eloise and Marley, here's an adorable tale of two well-intentioned rule breakers who show each other how friends deserve to be treated

Bella knows her family's rules by heart, but she much prefers her own: Candy for breakfast, no hair-washing, and no such thing as bedtime. And then . . . Bella the wild child gets a new pet! At first, Bella and Puppy are the very best of friends. But when it turns out that Puppy doesn't like the family rules either (including the rule not to gnaw off Bella's teddy bear's arm), well...it's time for a little puppy training. And Bella might just learn a thing or two herself!

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