Johnette Downing

This is book about an oyster who has many jewels in his possession. A snake comes along and slowly gets the oyster to give him all his jewels. The last time he comes by, he steals the pearl in the oyster as well, but chokes on it. The oyster still helps the snake, dislodging the pearl which ends up back in the oyster's mouth, where it belongs. At this point the book then explains that this is why the oyster always has the pearl. The art work is very busy and colorful, filling up the entire page. This book serves as a good model for writing tales about why things occur in nature as they do.… (mehr)

Louisiana, the Jewel of the Deep South is a charming, simple book that describes some aspects of Louisiana life. It goes through the state bird, tree, gemstone, etc. It also describes some aspects of the culture like the food, music, and Mardi Gras. I loved the illustrations, and would actually love to hang some of them in my house. The book would be great for young students during a discussion about their state. The book would also provide many opportunities of discussion on prior experience and personal connections with the book. Overall, it's a cute, quick book that would serve a specific purpose in a class discussion, or would be a great addition to a K-2 classroom library so students could flip through the pictures.… (mehr)