Terri DeGezelle

I used this book in my PK classroom recently because we were learning the letter C. My students were showing interest in jobs their parents had (and comparing with friends), which led to our community helpers unit resurfacing. The theme addressed the role of couriers: what they need, what they wear, what they drive, what they do, etc. Every question my students had was answered by this book. This subject matter was of high interest to my students. At 4 and 5 years old, they are still show more learning about the world around them. They were especially interested in the variety of transportation the couriers in the book required in order to do their jobs. I liked how the text was printed on the page opposite the photo. Being in PK, teaching the purpose of text is very important, and sometimes when text is printed within a photo, this concept can be confusing to 4 and 5 year olds. The book had more words than I would typically choose for a read aloud, but they seemed to enjoy the information. This read aloud led to a “mail room” center. I put out a box that had square stickers, rubber stamps, envelopes, wrapped shoe boxes (“packages”), writing tools, bubble wrap, a scale, open boxes, and toys for the children to “send” and “deliver”. The children loved this center, which they were able to experience for a full week. This center involved all cognitive areas and required more than average teacher supervision. I usually move about the room during center time, but I wanted to scaffold my students and their ideas in this center while maintaining behavior in other centers. They delivered packages to each other, to me, wrote letters, and “packaged” toys using bubble wrap and the open boxes. The one negative aspect of using this book (other than having many words) was the dated technology. I would have loved to explain how couriers today use digital screens, GPS locaters, and other more recent technology. This is not an insult to the author by any means, just something to note for anyone teaching children who were born after the invention of tablets and smart phones. show less

Terri DeGezelle does a wonderful job introducing children to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Great Depression. We are given a kid-friendly explanation of the Great Depression, and how it effected our country. Franklin Roosevelt came along and created a plan called the "New Deal". New Deal created job opportunities for people who were affected by the depression, and it actually worked. Soon after the depression ended, Pearl Harbor happened and forced the United States to go to war. Roosevelt show more passed away during World War II, and Truman had to take over and make some hard decisions. World War II ended, and everyone was at peace and able to work thanks to Roosevelt.

I judged a book by its cover on this one. I thought this book was going to be boring, and it turned out to be very interesting and engaging. I loved how the author went into a kid-friendly detail of what the Great Depression was and why it was so devastating. It also explains what the stock market is and what shares are, which I thought was really cool because I don't think this is a topic that is introduced to young students. We then learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and how the United States was forced to go to war. When World War II ended, the Great Depression was over. I love how the book added so much historical information, but it didn't feel overwhelming. The book flowed well and, even as an adult, I learned so much. show less

This is a good book to read to students if your learning about how to keep yourself clean and oral hygiene. Everybody needs to know how to clean their teeth and what can happen if you do not keep your teeth clean.

I really liked this book. One reason I like this book is because on some of the pages it tells about the way the voting works but then it also gives a fun fact about a prior election. For example one of the pages talks about how votes are counted then it offers the fun fact about how an election in 1839 in Massachusetts the governor won by one vote.

Another reason I really like this book is because it uses actual pictures of voting ballots, people voting, a debate, and a president. It offers show more real life images that may be familiar.

The main idea in this book is to offer information about elections in the United States. show less