Book Talk

By: Amanda High

October 15, 2015
Title: Under A Pig Tree: A History of the Noble Fruit
Author: Margie Palatini
Grew up in Edison, New Jersey
Went to Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Worked as an art director
Got her inspiration for characters and stories in her books from her son
Has written close to 40 books
Her website includes information on each of her books along with games and
activities for the classroom based off her books
(Source) www.margiepalatini.com
Illustrator: Chuck Groenink
Grew up in the Netherlands
Attended Artez Institute of Visual Arts in Kampen
Later moved to Portland, Oregon and then to Syracuse, New York
(Source) www.chuckgroenink.com
Date of Publication: April 2015
Topics and Issues Discussed: communication, research, proofreading, consequences
of small mistakes
Characters: Author (M.P.), and Publisher and Executive Editor (HAC)
Plot: A story about pigs, but it is actually about figs. It is about the conversation
between author and editor.
Type of Book: Picture Book
Age Appropriate For: Elementary
How to incorporate across curriculum:
Social Studies: history and research and its importance in telling a story. Also
how you can incorporate history and research into a story and use pictures to
portray the information as well.
Language Arts: the importance of editing and revision. Also giving
appropriate peer-feedback and listening to each other when giving feedback.
It works well with Social Studies, as your research is only useful if it is well
written and grammatically correct a small mistake can change the whole
meaning behind your research.
Science: geography, seasons, plant growth.
Oral excerpt: A message from the publisher pg. 1
Other Books By Same Author:
Piggie Pie! Library Call No. FPal
The Web Files Library Call No. FPal
Lousy Rotten Stinkin Grapes Library Call No. 398.2 Pal

Title: Dear Canada Series All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts, Frank
District of Alberta, 1902
Author: Jean Little
Writer of adolescent life
Born in 1932 in Taiwan
Went to Victoria Colleges English Language & Literature Program and
received a Bachelor Degree in English
She has been considered legally blind ever since she was a child
She writes most of her books around a variety of disabilities and about how
the character learns to cope and survive the challenges they are faced with,
which lead to a greater self-awareness. She does not condone magical
miracles in her stories.
(Source) www.jeanlittle.ca
Illustrator: There are no illustrations but there are images in the back of the book with
write-ups regarding the historical event of Frank Slide. The images are from the Glenbow
Museum, and The Canadian War Museum.
Date of Publication: January 2014
Topics or Issues: hardship, natural disasters, pioneering, family, disabilities, life &
death
Characters:
Abby Roberts main character, author of the journal, written from her
perspective. Based off of the authors own family (her Aunt Jens diary)
Davy Abbys brother. He has Down syndrome, which was originally known
as Mongoloid during the early 1900s and was called a Mongolian Idiot.
Plot: It is a journal written by a young girl who moved from Montreal, Quebec to Frank,
Alberta. It talks about what life was like in the 1900s from a young girls perspective It
discusses the hardships, challenges, and disasters she had to face, along with her own
thoughts and feelings, and how she coped with everything going on in her life and
community.
Type of Book: Historical Fiction
Age Appropriate For: Middle School
How to incorporate across curriculum:
Social Studies: learn about historical facts and events and what people went
through. Is about local history (students can actually go and see it =
relatable).
Language Arts: reading a story told in a journal format in a first person
perspective. Discusses morse code (with a chart in the back of the book) and
teaches about different ways to communicate and the various forms of
language and dialogue that can take place. Morse code was used to send
telegrams, which educates about the changing of technology and
communication in our world.
Science: learn and engage students about mountains, natural disasters,
landforms, and the consequences that can result.
Creating a positive classroom environment and being relatable for students:
from a young girls perspective (relatable to feelings students may have
themselves in their life), being accepting of others and their differences.
Understanding disabilities and the struggles they them selves face such as
with Down Syndrome. Learning how to cope with hardships.

Oral Except: Pg. 147

Other Books By Same Author:
Exiles from the War Library Call No. Flit
If I Die Before I Wake Library Call No. Flit
Brother Far From Home Library Call No. Flit
Orphan at my Door Library Call No. FLit