When the cows in Farmer Brown’s barn find an old typewriter, his problems are just beginning. Not only does the racket from their constant typing keep him up all hours of the night, they begin issuing written demands, going on strike, and withholding milk to get some electric blankets. They even manage to get the chickens to join their cause. In the end, the cows get what they want, but Farmer Brown, hoping to get the typewriter in exchange, gets a note from the ducks, instead. They’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to have a diving board!  Betsy Lewin’s cartoonish drawings underscore Cronin’s characteristic humor and charm in this tale of the power of language to affect change. This Caldecott winner was actually Cronin’s first children’s book, and it continues to delight adults as well as young readers. Use this story to get students thinking about the nature of written requests or persuasive writing and to celebrate the very act of communicating on paper.

Look for this book in Schoolwide’s Writing Fundamentals Program grades K-1 FUNctional Writing unit of study.

Diary of a Worm
ISBN: 006000150X (Hardcover)

This comical look at the natural world from a worm’s-eye view is written as separate diary entries through which readers come to know the young male narrator, his best friend, Spider, and all the ins and outs of life as an earthworm. A delightful sense of humor emerges as the narrator teases his sister about her head looking just like her tail, and young readers will delight in his tendency to eat his homework. The inside covers mimic a scrapbook or photo album and offer cartoon polaroids of various events from Worm’s life that young readers will definitely relate to and laugh about, like the Worm family’s summer vacation (to Compost Island). Keeping a journal or telling funny stories about their own similar experiences are types of writing students might like to try for themselves, or they could explore point of view by writing from the perspective of some other unsung hero of the animal or insect kingdom or envision the world in drawings from the perspective of something or someone very small.

Look for this book in Schoolwide’s Writing Fundamentals Program K-1 Launching unit of study as well as the Testing Fundamentals Program grade 3 unit.

The second in the series of Diary books Cronin has written (Diary of a Fly will be released in August 2007), this book is written as a series of dated entries through which readers grow familiar with the young male narrator, Spider. We meet his parents, his best friend, Fly, and his somewhat mischievous Grampa, among others. The inside front and back covers feature “photos” of various big events and special moments from Spider’s life that students will relate to and laugh about. A feel-good message about getting along in spite of differences helps students connect to the concept of theme or main idea, and students won’t fail to notice how similar Spider’s life is to theirs, with school, playground, and homelife prominently featured. The diary writing that Spider does can easily be likened to keeping a journal or Writer’s Notebook. Encourage students to try this type of personal narrative writing for themselves, jotting notes down about the events of the day, drawing pictures to illustrate important people and places, and listing their favorites, like Spider does. (His favorite book? Charlotte’s Web, of course!) 

Look for this book in Schoolwide’s Writing Fundamentals Program grades K-1 Personal Narrative unit of study.