Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel

I loved this book for many reasons but first because it had a very defiend central problem. The reason I like some books like that for schools is because it makes for a great way to bring the class actively into a book. In Ming Lo, the man and the woman have a problem in which their house is located next to a mountain. This mountain is a problem because it always has clouds and rain around it and the falling rocks are destroying Ming Lo's house. So Ming Lo goes to the wiseman to ask for help because he doesn' t know how a small man like himself could move such a big mountain. The wiseman gives them several ideas that don't work, and one that finally does.

When I think about this book there are so many ways I could bring this book into the class. First of all, I have used this book in another class where we did story drama. This ia type of lesson in which the whole class becomes involved in solving a problem together and the solution ultimately is discovered after reading the book. It is great for having all the students involved 100% of the time. Secondly, like I said there is clearly a main problem. Having students work together to think of various solutions for this situation is a good way for children to work on their problem solving skills. Also, I could see this book being tied into a creative writing lesson, a geography lesson, or possibly even a math lesson where they are working on measuring distances.

Another thing that I like abou tthis book is that if you wanted to keep in mind diversity, it is good for that. It shows what I believe might be an Asian culture and you can see their different homes, ways of dressing, and how they go about their everyday life. That could also be a way to use this book in the classroom. Over all I think it is a great book that I will be using in my classrooms.