I
Inch
by Inch: the Garden Song
David Mallett ISBN 0-060-24303-1
Submitted by Emily Beal.
This is a fantastic book, and I'm glad that Emily showed it to me (even
if she did buy the only copy at the bookstore we were pillaging for music
books)! My students are constantly learning about plants (at different
times in each of the grades) and some of my classes have even gone so far
as to plant gardens (which is a real feat in the desert, let me tell you).
This is a great book to use if you want to integrate those science lessons
with your music program. The book goes through the words of the 1975
song and brings them to life with beautiful illustrations by Ora Eitan.
Included at the end of the book is a piano score of the music with guitar
chords (not tablature) included, which is great if you're looking for how
the song is sung and you have some ability on an instrument. I'm
planning on using this book throughout the year, and I hope you do to!
Introducing
Beethoven Roland Vernon ISBN 0-38-239154-3
This is an excellent resource book for students. It is dedicated
to the life and times of Ludwig van Beethoven and is filled with period
pictures. It includes a Time Chart of is life, a glossary of the
words a student is less likely to know, and an index. It also does
a good job of tying in historical events that surrounded Beethoven's life,
even telling the story of Napoleon Bonaparte and the effect he had on Beethoven's
3rd Symphony. There was one point during which my entire
school was learning about Beethoven, and this book was invaluable, and
would still be so if only a single class or student wanted to learn more
about this "Janus-faced" composer.
The
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Iza Trapani ISBN 1-879-08577-1
Although I bought the paperback version of this book, I've linked this
selection to the hard-cover version. Why? Because my soft cover
book has seen better days: it is very popular with
my students. Iza Trapani has partnered the classic children's song
with watercolors and added new verses as well. And, while a couple
of the lines of lyrics seem a trifle stilted, the children love to watch
the spider as it travels from the spout, to the kitchen, to the pail, to
the rocking chair, and finally up the tree where it finally receives a
well deserved rest!