Dr. Seuss's ABC by Dr. Seuss

What better way to teach your kids the alphabet than with the master of creative storytelling? I definitely plan on using this book. Each two page spread relates a particular letter, and offers plenty of opportunities for children to practice the sounds and recognize its shape and forms. For example, with the letter "A" it shows in elaborate text and accompanying pictures, "BIG A - little a - What begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator.. A.. a.. A." This is not a story book. Each page offers its own mini story and its only purpose is to be a lighthearted approach to teaching the ABC's and their forms and functions. This would be good to read in a large group and also to have the kids look through and practice with on an individual basis. All of the text is sewn together in typical Seuss style, with a rhyming pattern that flows nicely and accentuates a particular consonant or vowel. I like that some of the characters from Seuss's other books are included here, so I'm sure the children will be able to recognize some familiar faces. Finally, on the inside front and inside back cover is a colorful alphabet chart showing all of the alphabet in both lowercase and uppercase form. I'd definitely use this chart as an assessment tool. This book is just one in the Seuss library that I plan on incorporating into my lesson plan. His books are a versatile, valuable teaching arsenal that offers numerous possibilities for multiple age groups.

Green Eggs and Ham

Most children have had the honor of reading some form of a Dr. Seuss story by the time they reach elementary school. Of all of the Dr. Seuss creations the book Green Eggs and Ham is one of my personal favorites. This particular book deals with a boy named Sam-I-Am and the key note character in many Dr. Seuss books, The-Cat-In-The-Hat. In a rhythmical fashion, Sam-I-Am asks The-Cat-In-The-Hat if he likes green eggs and ham. He doesn't simply ask the question once, instead he asks over and over again if he would like them in different contexts. "Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse." After each question, The-Cat-In-The-Hat responds with a rhyme. "I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am." At the end of the story The-Cat-In-The-Hat finally agrees to try green eggs and ham if Sam-I-Am promises to leave him alone. To his surprise, The-Cat-In-The-Hat actually likes green eggs and ham and he proceeds to tell a rhyme about his new findings and thanks Sam-I-Am. "I do like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-Am!"

This story by Dr. Seuss is a great resource to use in the classroom. It would be ideal for a kindergarten class especially since it is part of the "I Can Read It All By Myself, Beginner Books" series. Green Eggs and Ham is not only interesting and silly to those who read it but, it also is a excellent source when teaching students to read. The repetition and rhythm used in the story helps students to use a pattern when trying to grasp new words. This book also can teach students to try new things, and to thank those for introducing them to new things. Despite its silly nature, this book actually can be a great learning aid for students if interpreted correctly. Not only is Green Eggs and Ham educational for reading and life lessons but, it can also be used in different creative and exploratory activities in the classroom. Green Eggs and Ham is a book that I hope to use in my classroom at some point.

Curious George goes to a movie by Margret and H.A. Rey's

You can never go wrong with a curious george book. It's great for the younger classrooms. Curious George is a silly monkey who always gets into trouble, his friend is the man with the yellow hat who is always telling him not to get in trouble, and be a good monkey. I think children like to read these books because it takes them into a story where the main character is being curious, just like small children are, and he does things that I'm sure little kids want to do but know they aren't supposed to. In the end though, everything goes back to being ok, and george and the man in the yellow hat always end up back together. This book is good to read with students because although george gets into trouble, it is kind of a way to teach students what is wrong and what is right. It's a casual book, and probably not a good one to read if you want to relate it to a certain lesson, but more or less a good book for down time. It's a good picture book with pretty easy wording so students in 2-4 grade could easily enjoy reading the book.

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Amelia Bedelia is such an oldy, but a goody. It's a great book for entertaining your students, and having some laughter in the classroom. Amelia is such a silly person who mixes up words for different meanings and creates chaios in the home she is the maid for. This is a good read aloud book for younger kids, and a great beginners reading book for the upper grades. Vocabulary in the book is great for beginners. I think that it is also a good book for students to learn that it's ok to mess up, and mix certain meanings. People are forgiving just like the Rogers'. As a younger child I loved reading this book because it was so silly. I think it's a great book for younger readers. As a teacher I would read this book to my students maybe as a filler between lessons, or read it on a day when we are busy with everything else, and need a good, happy, break.

The Green Book by Jill Patton Walsh

Imagine taking a trip that is four years long, one way, and has the potential to change your life forever. If all the essentials were already decided and you were given the choice of one book and one book only. What book would it be and why?

In the story, "The Green Book," this is how the main family is introduced. Earth is now a dying planet and a select few of the population are to be transported in an aircraft that allows very few personal items that is traveling to an unexplored region of space. Once they arrive on their new planet, the story begins with the exploration of thier uncharted planet and learning how to adapt.

This would be a great chapter book for fourth and fifth graders for many reasons. One reason being that you can link this book to studies on the immigrants and their journey to the Americas. The trips from their homeland were full of extreme hardships for they the vessels they were transported in had very little extra storage so everyone was allowed very few personal things. Many immigrants also had one set of expectations for the new country, but experienced something completely different.

The book also broaches the topic of data collection for in the beginning several members of the new colony go in search of signs of life by using their observation skills. You could take your students on a field trip to somewhere that they have never visited and have them do the same by using their sense.

This book is also a circular book, which means that the book wraps back around on itself. To tie this into language arts you could have the students write a very short story where their first sentence is the very same as the last sentence.

This is the Teacher by Rhonda Gowler Greene

"This is the Teacher" is a hilarious book for children probably up to second or third grade. In the classroom, I would use this book as something I would read on the first day of school, to help lighten up the tense situation. This book is about all the crazy and unexpecting things that happen in an elementary school. The way the book is written and organized is so different and fun for everyone to read. It's written in sort of a rhythm, and it flows from one page to the next. It's hard to explain without an example, so for example the first page simply says, "This is the teacher all ready for school." Then on the second page it says, "These are the students who rush through the door, who drop sacks of lunches that smash! on the floor and topple the teacher all ready for school." So the book continues by building the story from page to page, but keeping the sentence from the page before. By the very last page, there is a long poem to describe the day at school. I just thought it was a fun book to read that was unlike anything I had really seen before. I also can't forget about the illustrations, by Mike Lester, which were all very detailed and showed the hilarity that the book was trying to portray.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" was one of my favorite books as a child, and is probably written toward the younger age range up to about age 7. It probably had to do with the repetition of phrases and the way you could always guess what the next page was going to say, and I loved to be able to figure out the next lines. The book is about the series and consequences that take place if you happen to give a mouse a cookie, and the repetition that occurs. Laura Joffe Numeroff did a great job of making the book flow as if it were a rhyming book, when there was none at all. The other thing that I loved about this book were the illustrations. The illustrator was Felicia Bond and she was able to give the characters so much life and humor throughout her drawings. As a child, the pictures of a big were probably the most important thing for me, and these pictures were able to keep me entertained throughout the whole book. In the classroom, you might be able to use this book when introducing various rules and consequences, because it demonstrates what happens from one event to another. Although it doesn't show strict consequences, it would still be a fun and useful book to choose for younger students to understand the concept of consequences of their actions.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble

I remember having this book read to me both in school and out. Stephen Kellogg illustrated the book and his pictures are always fun and full of vivid imagery that helps kids picture what is going on, as often the books he illustrates for are full of wild and crazy events! I have an autographed book of his somewhere at home. One day in elementary school he came to a book fair and met all of his fans. Anyways, on to the book! It is a crazy recount of a field trip to a farm told by a girl to her mom. The mom starts off by saying, "How was your class trip to the farm?" and the girl replies, "Oh...boring...kind of dull... until the cow started crying." I can just picture the giggles and bewilderment in my class as they see the picture of a cow crying in the speech bubble above the girl's head. They'll be wondering, "Why would the cow be crying?" This is how every two pages of the book play out. A strange occurrence is mentioned and you're left wondering how it could have happened then a following explanation is given of what actually went down. This is basically the worst field trip ever from the teacher's standpoint. The students throw corn and eggs at each other, a farmer runs into haystacks with his tractor, a boa constrictor (that Jimmy sneaked in his bag) ate the farmer's wife's dirty laundry, and all the students just make a general mess of things. The teacher is often shown in the background laying on the ground covered in eggs with her mouth open in absolute terror. As the kids are finally shuffled on the bus by the teacher the kids realize Jimmy's boa was left on the farm, but that was OK with Jimmy since he had himself a new pet pig! At the conclusion of the book you see the girl and Jimmy taking the pig on a soap box derby race and the farmer and his wife sitting in the living room with their new pet, the boa, it curled up at their feet and the wife knitting a large "sock" outfit for it.

Needless to say, this book is a lot of fun to read to a group of kids. Perhaps the author was venting some of her frustration through writing, as this class truly is the most rambunctious group of kids you've ever seen. I would probably read this all the way up to 2nd or 3rd grade. It stimulates the mind with vivid imagery and exciting events. If any kids grew up in a farming community or have relatives that own a large plot of land this book would be particularly funny. It shows that even the dullest of situations can be livened up with a little humor and excitement! This would probably be a good book for the first day of class, maybe after an introduction since I'm a big animal fan. There are many subject applications that this could incorporated in. I could have the kids count the number of eggs being thrown, or have them practice their consonant sounds by mimicking the snake's hissssssssssssssssssss. Students could talk about any pets they might have or had, read the book as a group, then draw a picture about their favorite animal. Since this is a good example of what not to do on a field trip, I would be sure to stress the importance of listening to me just in case the book gives them any smart ideas!

Cinderhazel, The Cinderella of Halloween by Deborah Nourse Lattimore

Hazel is a delightful young witch who earns the name Cinderhazel because she loves to be filthy. She is constantly teased by her very clean stepmother and stepsisters who think she is disgusting. One night, her stepmother and stepsisters go to the Witches Halloween Ball but tell Cinderhazel she cannot go because she is so messy she would make them look bad. Cinderhazel attends the ball with the help of her witchy godmother and wins the heart of yucky Prince Alarming who loves to be dirty almost as much as Hazel does. This is a wonderful book to read to your fourth grade class for Halloween. It is also a great read-aloud for comparing with the traditional folklore versions of Cinderella. The lively paintings truly enhance the humor and give the story a magical touch. This book also teaches a lesson in appreciating those who may be different from ourselves or who "go against the flow". It is so important that we teach our students to respect people from all different backgrounds and cultures.

Old Hat New Hat by Stan and Jan Berenstain

The authors send us a clear message, be satisfied with what you have for the latest and greatest may not be any better than what you have in front of you already. When a young bear goes into a hat shop to find a new hat he is met by a sophisticated, but snobby, sales clerk. The clerk immediately goes to work to find a suitable hat to replace the bear's old, tattered, and unattractive hat. He presents the bear with a large selection of many new hats, bringing them in one after another. The hats are quite varied while some are fancy, some are practical, and most are very imaginative. Kids can marvel at the selection of new hats, comment on them, pick a favorite, and laugh at their absurdity. The bear rejects each of the hats one by one, unable to find anything that suits him. Finally he discovers the perfect hat, but it is not a new hat. Instead he leaves with his old hat, nestling it perfectly on his head while a look of satisfaction comes over his face.

I think kids love this book because in its simplicity it delivers creativity with a surprise ending. Who would have guessed that the bear would pass up all the new hats just to walk back out of the store with his old hat? He possessed all along a hat that could not be so easily replaced, even with its floppy brim and raggedy patches. Teachers can lead their students in a query as they think of old favorites that are irreplaceable. Students can write and illustrate their own books showing how they would reject the new and keep their old, comfortable favorite. Perhaps kids can learn to appreciate the things they have without looking for the new stuff.

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

"Where the Wild Things Are" is a book about complete imagination. Max is a little boy with a big imagination. He isn't very behaved and got into some trouble before dinner. Due to his bad behavior he is sent to bed without dinner, mom's orders. While in his room the walls begin to turn into the forest and trees begin to grow all around him. Before you know it your right in the middle of Where the Wild Things Are. Of course Max becomes king hear because the monsters that live there do not scare him, even with their terrible claws, and gnashing teeth. He frightens them with his magical tricks and they call him the most wild thing of all. Several pages in the book are of Max and the monsters doing a "wild rumpus" because Max, the king, orders them to dance. The illustrations are is fun and imaginative. They are silly and entertaining and perfect for younger students. I think that between the grades of kindergarten and second grade this book would be most appropriate. It is not very long, and there are many pictures to hold students attention. The wording is very simply and for second graders, they could read it on their own. There are so many fun activities that can follow this book for the whole class.

Wringer by Marsha Hale

Jerry Spinelli wrote the easy-read, chapter book Wringer. The main character is a young boy named Palmer LaRue. The plot centers on him becoming a wringer at the age of 10, which in his community is a right-of-passage for every boy 10 years of age. All boys welcome with excitement becoming a wringer, not Palmer, he is filled with complete dread. This dread got its roots at a young age when Palmer witnessed something quite awful on final day of the annual "Family Fest." He had watched with his mother and other spectators as a pigeon was shot from the air, wobbled toward him wounded, and then captured by a young boy and put out of its "misery" (as his mother had explained) with a snap of its neck. From this day forward Palmer learned more about the pigeon shoot, but could make no sense of it. Why does everyone in his town hate pigeons? Palmer does not hate pigeons.At the horror of Palmer, the pigeon shoot is supported by EVERYONE in his town because it is a fundraiser for the local park, a key attraction. The adult men pay an entrance fee be a shooter and then compete for the sharp shooter trophy, which Palmer's father proudly displayed his one golden trophy on the fireplace mantel. To make things worse, Palmer's coveted group of buddies, Arthur a.k.a.Beans, Billy a.k.a. Mutto, and George a.k.a. Henry eagerly anticipate their turn at wringer and egg Palmer a.k.a. Snots on to do the same. Palmer does not want to be a wringer, but agonizes over thoughts of disappointing his father and his town and of losing his group of buddies. Utterly complicating his dilemma, Palmer adopts a stray pigeon one snowy day. This pigeon refuses to leave and becomes his pet, his companion, and an enormous secret. If anyone found out that he was harbouring a pigeon--the thing the whole town hated most--what would happen?In the end, Palmer reluctantly uncomplicates his life by ridding himself of his pet pigeon. He refuses his post as wringer and looses his group of buddies. However, on the final day of Family Fest he decides to watch the shoot fearing his pigeon could have been captured. In a twist HIS pigeon is released and the shooters take their best shots. Palmer is forced to take a stand, without regard for anyone and everyone else's beliefs. As the entire town watches, Palmer creates his own right-of-passage. This book creates a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to discuss what it means to take a stand for what you believe is right while going against the majority. Palmer struggles between acceptance and defiance. On one hand, he tries to accept what his town does and tries to fit in with everyone. But on the other hand, he longs to defy the wrongful beliefs and change his town. He struggles to reconcile these opposing positions. In the end he cannot dodge taking a stand for he is forced to declare what he believes is right, pigeons should not be hated.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Moon is one of my favorite books that I remember reading with my mother as a child. This book is one of the books that when my mother would say "pick out just a few books to read tonight before bed", I would bring this one every time. Goodnight Moon is basically a short poem that is turned into a children's book. It is about a young rabbit who is preparing to go to bed, but basically he is trying to prolong the process of getting to sleep by saying goodnight to anything and everything he can imagine. This reminds me of when I was little and kept asking my mom to tell me just one more story before I went to sleep. The little boy begins and ends with saying "Goodnight Moon". I think that every time I read this book it also makes me feel a sense of serenity and calmness. The illustrations are colorful and eye catching but also provokes a calming feeling. The illustrator goes from large colorful pictures to small ink drawings but all of them are simple pictures. I think that this book is a good book to use to create sleepy children, maybe to read before nap time in a kindergarten classroom. You can also use it for the children to look for the things that the young rabbit says goodnight to in the pictures. I think that Goodnight Moon is a very good book to establish a feeling of a safe surrounding.

"Nate the Great and the Missing Keys" by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

This book is about a little boy named Nate, but only goes by Nate the great. He is a great detective and solves many mysteries around town. He is very reliable and many of his friends come to him when they find themselves caught in a real mystery. One of Nate's friends, Annie, is throwing a party for her dog Fang. While setting up for the party Annie loses the keys and locks herself out of her house, which means NO PARTY! In order to save the party and his friends reputation, Nate the great must come to the rescue and solve the mystery. The book was written very clearly, and uses repetition in order to clarify characters and places. Throughout the book Nate finds not from his friends and writes notes to his mother. This is great for students because it show perspectives. Also, the book uses short sentences, and is great for students who are beginning to have better reading comprehension. Not every page has pictures, but there is still some illustrations within the pages to aid in students imagination, and to break up the reading. I really think this book would be perfect for students who are a bit nervous of a chapter book, but beyond mostly illustrated limited wording books. I think third grades would really enjoy this book. It's a fun read and is great for getting students to remember how important comprehension can be. My favorite part of this book was that at the end there are several pages that give students activities that coincide with the reading. There is one page that gives fun and interesting facts about keys, and what different keys can look like. There is also an activity on how to make a present cake. I believe that these books would be great for students because they are fun and interesting and hold students attention.

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish is by far one of my favorite books of all time. This book can be a little tricky for starting readers, but works well with 2nd-4th grades in elementary school. When I go babysit every week before bedtime I always have to get out Amelia Bedelia and read it to Cammy, who is in the 1st grade. Amelia Bedelia is a little kooky, and very literal. She also is an amazing baker of sweet treats. In the Amelia Bedelia book, Amelia Bedelia starts working her very first day for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. The Rogers' leave her with a list of things to do while they are gone like dust the furniture, draw the drapes, and change the towels. Instead of actually doing the things on the list like it was intended, Amelia Bedelia actually pours dust on the furniture, uses paper and a pencil to draw the drapes, and cuts the towels into different shapes to "change" them. Of course when the Rogers get home they are livid, but one taste of Amelia Bedelia's lemon meringue pie, and they forget why they were angry all along. I love the illustrations in the book, they are so funny that even now as I read the book a loud to Cammy, I still giggle just a little bit. I think that this book gives children a sense of what the meaning of phrases are. There are literal translations of phrases, and then there are actual meanings. In the English language there are words and phrases that are said and spelled the exact same way, but mean totally different things. Also, there are cultural differences that some children experience that they would not know the meaning of things in different cultures such as "hold your horses!". This book makes me still feel sorry for poor Amelia Bedelia. Maybe someday she will learn!

Miss Nelson is Missing by: James Marshall

Miss Nelson is Missing was about a teacher by the name of Miss Nelson who supposedly did not come to school one day. This class was having classroom management problems as it is but when they found out that Miss Nelson wasn't here their was even more room for the kids to cut up. When they saw there original sweet and soft spoken teacher was not going to be there that day the kids threw spit balls and paper everywhere. This continued until Ms. Viola Swamp walks in with black outfit on which was not dressed or acted as nice as Miss Nelson was. The kids immediately straighten up and did what was told. All along the students wonder about Ms. Swamp but out of fear did not want to ask her one question because they knew she was not the playful teacher that they had. The moral of the story was all along under this black outfit was Miss Nelson and she got an real idea of how her class acts if she was out that day. Topics that can be taught within this children's book is never misbehave because you never know who is watching and you really would not like to have a harsh punishment afterwards. This is a story that is normally read to children the day before a teacher knows she is gonna be out just to increase the suspension of having that mysterious substitute that the next day.

Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee was about an young Chinese girl by the name of Nim who wants to win her school's newspaper drive to help the WWII war effort. She had an very traditional Chinese family who was closely connected to the Chinese rituals and traditions of their culture. The family lived in San Francisco where this little girl had an hard time distinguishing to family and peers that she was both Chinese and American. Major topics that are being taught in this book is culture differences between Chinese and American customs. For example, during dinner time some of the customs that were being taught were the grandfather would be served first then others in the family will be served after him depending on age and status within the family. Other topics that were taught to Nim during the school's newspaper drive was always lean upon her ancestors and never forget where she came from. This is something that many youth today fail to realize. This school drive was more than a school drive to Nim it was something that she could directly relate to because her grandfather was apart of the historical events of the World War II. A great lesson can be taught to children when reading this book is about how diverse our world is and many people have been greatly effected by our past world events. Nim was used as an model for how present day youth are we are quick to forget about our past historical events and we can also be unaware of other ethnic and religious cultures within United States.

Ira Sleeps Over

Ira Sleeps Over, by Bernard Waber is a classic story of a child's first sleepover. I remember reading this story when I was little. In the story Ira is embarking on a memorable moment, the first time sleeping over at a friends. He is very excited about his sleepover but is also a little worried. The source of his worry is whether or not to take his teddy bear, named Tah Tah. After getting a variety of responses on whether or not to take the bear, Ira finally decides not to. After a night filled with exciting activities and games, it is finally time for bed. Ira's friend Reggie gets scared after a ghost story and reaches in a drawer to get his bear, which is named Foo Foo. Once Ira realizes that Reggie sleeps with a stuffed animal as well, he decides to walk next door to his own house to get his bear. Once he has successfully got Tah Tah, Ira goes back to Reggie's and is able to fall fast asleep.

This book is a great book to use in the classroom. It would be ideal to use for students in kindergarten to first grade. There are abstract pictures on each and every page, and some pages have a larger amount of text than others. Ira Sleeps Over, isn't one that is appropriate for students in the early stages of kindergarten because it does have a large amount of text that is more appropriate for advanced readers. This book is not only a great book to teach students how to read but it is also very interesting to students. Sleepovers are something that are a big deal, especially for children at a young age and it is something they can relate to and would enjoy reading. This book is one that I think deserves a spot on the shelves of kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Personally, Ira Sleeps Over is one that I still can remember to this day as one of that I truly enjoyed reading.

Say Hola to Spanish, Otra Vez by Susan Middleton Elya

This is a wonderful book that teaches children the basics of the Spanish language. The reader takes a colorful journey through the people, food, and traditions of the Spanish culture. Every page is filled with new words to learn and "jump off the page" illustrations. It takes a little extra attention to figure out what each Spanish word is. The word is put into an English sentence but you have to look at the illustrations to figure out what the word means. A neat little extra is a glossary in the back of the book with every Spanish word from the book and its English translation. You could quiz your students at the end of the story to see what words they remembered or understood. I think this book would be great for a second or third grade class. With the ever growing population of Hispanic students, it is crucial that we open our students eyes to other cultures and languages. It would be so great to allow your Hispanic students to read this book and lead a lesson on their culture and traditions.

The Foot Book by Dr.Seuss

I don't know of anyone that did not read at least one Dr.Suess book growing up. When I was little, I loved The FOOT book. I think this book would be great for kindergarteners because it has a lot to do with learning right from left, counting, color, and size. When I used to read this book, my mom and I would always act the pages out. Putting my left and right foot out and we always ended up dancing. The first couple pages go over left foot, right foot, wet foot, dry foot, high foot and low foot. Kindergarteners will get into this book and really learn right from left if they were having trouble before. The book goes on for a few more pages about red feet, black feet, (so kids are learning the plural also) slow feet, quick feet, trick feet, sick feet, up feet, down feet, here come clown feet. So after this last one, you will have kids laughing. The last couple pages or two have lots of feet, 24 feet on one page. You can have kids count how many feet and point out all the different sizes and colors of each on the page. This book will be a great start to get kids thinking about feet (maybe a unit on body parts) you could even play a simon says type of game with this book. For example, simon says walk with your left foot, or put your foot on a chair. Kids will remember the book and think back in their mind about how many feet they have or how many feet an animal has. Another assignment you could ask kids to do is create their own feet, what type of feet they would like to have and where would these feet take them or what special qualities their feet will have. This book is great for kids at a young age and will really get them counting, thinking, and of course learning.

Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain

I loved almost any Berenstain Bear book when I was little. This book was one of the first one of the series I read. It is mainly a rhyming book but does have a great message. The book talks about He and She and how many things each can do. The book discusses how brother bear could be a father and sister bear could be a mother one day. I think kids would really respond to this because I'm sure in grades K-2 they've never thought that they could be parents too one day. The book then ryhmes for a couple pages about how he's and she's could fix a clock, build a house, paint a door or have a store. Another page says We climb ladders, we sew dresses, we make music, we make messes. I think this book is great for kids to read so they know that they can do anything and aren't limited by being a he or she. I would guess that K-2 would be the best ages for this book. The book keeps going for a couple pages about all the occupations you could be and the list gets longer and longer, it would be fun for kids to recite these with you and try and point out all the jobs on the page. Towards the end of the story, brother bear and sister bear think aloud what they think they could do/be one day. It would be exciting to ask kids what they would like to do one day or what they would like to try. Maybe asking kids to draw a picture of theselves grown up in their position/job would be a good assignment. At the very end of the book, the last few pages emphasize that "There's nothing that we cannot try. We can do all things you see, whether we are he OR she!" Letting kids know that they can do anything they want if they set their mind to it is really important espically at a young age while their imagination is still so creative.

John Henry An American Legend

Story and Pictures by Ezra Jack Keats

This is a great story, full of history and folklore of an African American hero. The story begins by telling the birth and growth of John Henry as a strong boy, always looking for something more challenging (as long as he has his hammer). He works in fields, on a river boat, and then starts working on the railroad. While putting down tracks, he and his team come across a mountain that they need to drill through. He saves them from a cave-in, and physically beats a machine drill in getting through the mountain fastest.

This story is perfect for the classroom, because it shows the strength of an African American, and could be used when teaching history (it talks about indians, as well). In the story, John Henrys working partner is L'il Bill, who, in the story, is depicted as white, which shows the bond two different people can have, regardless of race. It's an amazing story and should be shared with children. You could also sing his song in class, or at least teach it to your students.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary is one of many in a series of books about a little girl named Ramona Quimby and her adventures. In this book, Ramona is starting kindergarten and she is very excited about it. There are so many new and interesting things for her to experience and she absolutely loves her teacher Miss Binney. She also loves a little boy named Davy who she chases around and tries to kiss. She also loves Susan's beautiful curls and she pulls on them to make them go boing. She loves so many things at kindergarten and this book basically tells her kindergarten story and all the fun and trouble she gets into.

I remember the Ramona books being some of my favorite books when I was younger. At the age that I read them I could really relate to Ramona because she was similar to my age when I was reading them. This is a great book for children in the second and third grades. It is a shorter book with small chapters which is good for fairly new readers because the concepts in this book are not very difficult. Students could also relate to this book because it is about a girl who is in school and who experiences both good and bad things. I would recommend this book to any second or third grade student and I think that they would really enjoy it.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes is a great book for early elementary ages. The main character of the book is a little mouse named Lilly. She absolutely loves school. She especially loves her teacher Mr. Slinger and because of him wants to be a teacher when she grows up. One weekend Lilly goes shopping with her Grandmother and gets a purple plastic purse, a pair of movie star sunglasses and three shiny quarters. She decides to take them to school with her to show them off and has a hard time being quiet because she is so excited about her new things. Finally Mr. Slinger gets very frustrated with Lilly and he takes her purse, sunglasses and quarters away. Lilly then decides that she hates Mr. Slinger and writes him a mean letter and puts it in his briefcase. At the end of the day Mr. Slinger gives her purse back and writes his own nice letter to Lilly. She feels terrible and apologizes to Mr. Slinger. In the end everyone is happy again and Lilly still wants to become a teacher.

This is a very cute book that I think kindergarten and first grade students would really love. It has great illustrations and would be a good book to read aloud to them. Since the story is revolved around school, I really think that students would be able to relate to the book. It is also teaching them to use proper behavior and that there are consequences to bad behavior. I really enjoyed this story and the elaborate colorful illustrations and I think that students would really enjoy it too!

Oh, the Places You'll Go! By: Dr. Seuss

One of my favorite books now and when I was growing up was "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" I love Dr. Seuss and his stories. I think Dr. Seuss was one of the best all time authors. His writings were so different compared to every other style from his time period. Oh the Places You'll Go is a great book to talk about geography. This past summer when I was driving to the airport before leaving for Uganda, my mom read me this story in the car. I love that this story still applies to my life. The plot of this story is to explore the world and different places that others may not ever go. Another great quality about his book is the illustrations. They are so intricate and detailed and you could always count on them to be unusual. I love that you never know what the next page is going to look like or what the words Dr. Seuss is going to rhyme. One of my favorite quotes from this book is “You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.” I love to explore and travel the world! I agree with Dr. Seuss when he says, “You’ll see great sights!” People when you travel and go amazing places you are exposed to wonderful breath taking sights. I will use this to encourage travel among my students and show Dr. Seuss’ use of illustrations. I love when books a tell stories without words I believe it really helps children to pay attention and follow what is going on in the story. I love this book and Dr. Seuss!!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Not only does this book have great illustrations, but the story also teaches a valuable lesson. The story starts off with Max, a little boy who is wild and very imaginative, and he is running around the house getting into mischief while wearing his wolf suit. He gets into trouble and is sent to bed without eating anything. He then imagines his room becoming a forest, and then he sails across the ocean in his private boat. He pretends to sail across time, from days to months to a year, to where the wild things are. He arrives at an island full of wild things, which are huge monster like creatures. They tried to scare Max by gnashing their teeth and showing their claws, but Max tells them to "Be still!" He does a magic trick which tames the wild things, and then they make him king. They have a wild "rumpus" (I love that word!) where they dance around, hang from trees, and just act kind of wild. Then, Max sends the wild things to bed without their supper. He then gets lonely and decides that he wants to come home to where he is loved. He travels back across the ocean of time and arrives back in the same time frame where the story started. He finds that his supper is waiting for him, and it is still hot.

This book really encourages kids to let their imaginations run wild, and it shows the more adventurous side of children's thought processes, which can sometimes be neglected. Though girls can definitely be mischievous and adventurous, to me it seems that this book appeals to boys because it includes Max taming monsters and running around in his wolf suit. The fact that this book encourages children to be creative and imaginative leads me to really want to read this book to my future students! With all of the standardized testing and curriculum, it seems that creativity can be neglected. However, this book shows that it is great to imagine things! Another great thing about this book is that Max tamed the wild things, which could represent him conquering his fears of the big animals. Children can take practical application from this and realize that they too can face their fears and conquer them. In my future classroom, I would read this book to talk about the topics I already discussed, and to show students that even though they may want to run away from problems and fears, in reality they can find a safe place to rest, whether it's at their home, or in my classroom at school. I realize that some students do not have a good home life, so they may not feel loved and safe at home, but I want them to know that they can at least feel loved at school as they become part of the classroom community.

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

I really like this book because it is very entertaining, and it keeps your attention. Even though this book is for young kids, it made me laugh. Basically, in the book a police officer named Officer Buckle goes around to different schools reading safety tips to the students. At first, he went by himself, and the students thought he was incredibly boring. Many of them fell asleep. Then, he decided to take a police dog named Gloria with him to the schools. The kids loved to hear the safety tips when Gloria was with Officer Buckle. He thought Gloria sat at attention the whole time during the show, but little did he know that Gloria actually did tricks and acted out the safety tips he was reading. One example is when he read safety tip #2, "Always wipe up spills before someone slips and falls," Gloria stood on her head. Once Officer Buckle discovered that the kids were cheering for Gloria's tricks and not him, he became angry and said that he wouldn't go to anymore schools. So, Gloria went by herself to do the show, and she and the kids fell asleep! That day, one of the schools had a huge accident, so Officer Buckle decided he would go back and read safety tips with Gloria. He finally realized that his best safety tip ever is.... well you will have to read the book to find out!

This book is excellent because it teaches kids about safety, but it also teaches them about the importance of friendships and working together. The only time the audience enjoyed to hear the safety tips was when both Officer Buckle and Gloria were there. They worked great as a team, but were unsuccessful when they tried to do the show by themselves. I would use the book at the beginning of the year to talk about safety in the classroom, because the book includes safety tips in the story, but some are also listed on stars inside the front and back cover. It also can be used to get students talking about the importance of working together, which will hopefully set a standard for how students will relate to each other during group work throughout the year.

Arthur Meets The President by Marc Brown

In this book the character, Arthur, participates in an essay contest at school. He wins the contest and gets to go meet the president to read him his speech. He gets really nervous when he finds out that he has won. He tells the teacher that he doesn't think he can do it but the teacher encourages him that he will be fine. All the students in the class are excited because they get to go to White House for a field trip. When Arthur tells his sister that he is scared she laughs and makes fun of him. When he gets there he decides to make index cards in case he needs help but then he loses them. He has decided not to go through with it until he sees his sister in the trees with cue cards. He then makes it through.
I think this would be a good book to use when discussing the president and presidential elections. My first grade class at Combs were learning this last week and it is where I saw the book. It tells about things in Washington like the White House. I also think it would be good to use before individual presentations in front of the class. It could show students that we all get nervous but we should all give each other encouragement and help to get through it.

Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal by Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal is about learning to love your own family even though it might not look as good as someone else's. In this particular book of the series Junie B. loves hanging out with her friend Lucille because she is rich and her nanna is always doing fancy things and driving fancy cars. Junie B. really wants to spend the night at Lucille's rich nanna's house. When Lucille has a sleepover she thinks its going to be great. When she gets there she realizes everything is so expensive that you can not touch or play with anything in the house. At the end of the story she asks her mom to take her to her regular grandma's for blueberry pancakes. I think this is a good story to use when talking about different types of families. You could use this to illustrate that some families are rich and some are not but that doesn't matter because you should always appreciate your own family. You can also use this to teach children that just because something looks better doesn't mean that it is. You can also tie this in with manners because Junie B. is given many rules when she goes to the party; both from her parents and nanna.

To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda

This story is modeled after the rhyme “To market, to market to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again jigidy jig.” In the story, a lady goes to the market to buy pig. She comes homes to drop the pig off and she has to leave again to go buy a hen. When she comes home with the hen, the pig was messing up the house. She keeps leaving the house to buy a new animal and every time she comes home, the newest animal is doing something to her house. The lady starts to get frustrated with all the animals running around and acting crazy. The lady is trying to calm all the animals down and in the process of doing this, she is getting hungry and cranky because she can’t make her lunch. However, the animals see that she is upset, so they take her to the market. The animals help her pick out lots and lots of vegetables and when they get home, everyone gets soup for lunch.

This would be a good book for K-2 to learn rhyming words and new vocabulary words. The whole books is a rhyme so students could try and guess which word is going to come next, based on the pictures and the word that was already said. New vocabulary words are also introduced. When they are at the market buying vegetables, all the vegetables are illustrated and the word is written right next to it. If children are being read this book enough, they will start to pick up on the new words and can start to use them in their conversations.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes is a wonderful novel about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who gets sent to Camp Green Lake for being accused of stealing tennis shoes. Camp Green Lake is a camp for boys who get into trouble and the camp is an alternative for going to jail. At the camp, the boys are expected to dig holes every single day and this is suppose to build character. When Stanley gets to camp, he starts to fit in with the other boys and he starts to see how things are run around the camp. Stanley was told by the Warden that if he found anything interesting while digging, he was to bring it to the Warden and if she liked it, he would get a day off from digging. One day, Stanley finds a gold tube with the initials KB and the Warden likes it very much. She wants the boys to keep digging in the same area to see if there is anything else. As the days go on, Stanley begins to question why exactly is he digging. He realizes that the boys are not digging to build character; they are digging to uncover something. Now Stanley has to figure out what the Warden is looking for and what the boys are trying to uncover.

This would be an exciting book for fourth or fifth graders to read. They will enjoy the mysterious aspect to the storyline and it will be a hard book for students to put down because you just want to keep reading to see what happens next. To use this book in the classroom, one thing it would be good for is to talk about friendships and accepting one another. Stanley did not have any friends and he is overweight. When he gets to camp, the boys accept him, pretty much right away and this makes Stanley feel good. All the boys had a nickname and within a few days, they gave one to Stanley too. With this, teachers could stress the importance of accepting one another and how it makes others feel when you do in fact accept people who are different than you.

Moosetache by Margie Palatini

Moosetache by Margie Palatini (illustrated by Henry Cole) is a great story for early elementary grades. This book is about a moose with an unmanageable mustache, or moosetache as it is called in the book. He couldn't do his daily activities because of his excessively long mustache. He attempts to tame the mustache in many comical ways. He finally meets a female moose that has the same problem, a huge moosetache. She has made her mustache into a bouffant. She transforms his moostache into a bouffant, eliminating the hassle of the large mustache. The book has a very happy ending complete with a married moose couple, free of large moosetaches.

This book would really be appropriate for kindergarten or 1st grade. It has large illustrations with small amounts of text on each page. The text often wraps around the pictures, illustrating radical change. This book would be great to read aloud to students. I think the children would enjoy the large and dynamic illustrations and the crazy cute story of the moosetache!

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier is a wonderfully funny book about vocabulary. The main character, Sage, is sick and misses vocabulary day. She is forced to copy the vocab list from a friend and ends up misinterpreting the word miscellaneous. She thinks it is a women's name. She doesn't know this woman or where to find her so she determines Miss Alaineus is the woman on the spaghetti box. This comes back to haunt her when she is asked to give the definition out loud in class. Throughout the book Debra Frasier gives definitions of vocab words right in the story (sage, devastated, etc.). In the end Sage dresses up like Miss Alaineous, using the actual definition.

This book would be great for upper elementary. Some of the words defined in the book are a little more advanced. I think younger students in 1st or 2nd grade would enjoy the humor in the book but may not grasp all of the vocab words presented. This book really uses great illustrations and humor to present students some challenging vocab words. Students can relate to Sage and her difficulties with language and vocabulary. I think students would really like the humor, I did! This book is a great one that could be used in a variety of classrooms. This is a good one!

Hooway For Wodney Wat!

Hooway For Wodney Wat by Helen Lester is a book about a very special Rodent Rat who has trouble fitting in with the rest of his classmates because he pronounces his words differently. Children make fun of Wodney which makes him feel really bad. However Wodney turns out to be the class hero who save them from the bully Camilla Capybara. Read and found out how!
This is great book for children of all ages. It teaches children the importance of all accepting people no matter what differences they may have. It is light hearted, funny, and sends a good message. Children of all ages have trouble accommodating to things that aren't normal to them. Children can relate to the either Wodney Wat who felt out of place or to his classmates who had issues with adjusting to him. This is a good book to read on the first day of class. The humor breaks the ice as it also teaches a lesson.

The Other Side

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson is an amazing story about to adolescent girls overcoming racial boundaries. It is narrated by an African American girl named Clover, who is curious about the Caucasian girl who she sees on the other side of the fence behind her house. Both girls have been warned not to cross the fence that separates the two different racial cultures. When the Caucasian girl tries to join Clover and her African American friends in a game of jump rope she is rejected and shunned away. But Clover does get a chance to make a new friend that lives on the other side of the fence, Read and find out how!
This book would be a perfect book to read to younger children, especially with the whole Jena6 trial. It is a light and simple way to introduce the racial boundaries in history as well as today's society. Reading a book to children who are their age and describing the Civil War is going to be more effective and memorable than opening the text book to the section about Union and Confederate solders. The illustrations by E. B. Lewis alone can tell the entire story. The pictures are realistic and children can relate to them. This is a wonderful book for any Elementary School teacher to read their classrooms.

The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree

The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree
By: Stan and Jan Berenstain
I chose to read The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree because I remember when I was growing up I loved this book. Right now I am unsure what grade I want to teach, however I love reading to little children and I feel like all little kids would love this book. I think this would be a great book for kindergarten to second grade levels. It may be considered a little scary for very young children so I would get this book pre approved before reading it aloud to the class. However I think this would be a great book for teachers to re-read with their students because of the use of repetition and use rhyming words. This was one of the first books I read and memorized when I was growing up. I always loved to read it with my parents, I felt a sense of achievement because I was able to read it on my own after the first few times I read this book. A cool thing that I love about this book was watching how the bears used the objects they carried. The first with a light, the second with a stick and the last little bear carried a rope. I love how the Berenstain’s illustrated the bears carrying their objects and how they were used. I think this could also help show students how it is important to bring specific items when camping or walking at night. Also I love the adventure of this book because I believe children have huge imaginations. I think reading books that encourage adventure broaden their creativity. Also it could encourage students to take changes when reading or in life because the bears take chances even though they are scared and at the end everything ends up fine. I love reading the Berenstain Bears books and can’t wait to read them to my students. I think they are beneficial for teaching reading to young children and it challenges students to take chances and use their imagination.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.

I chose to read this book because I am interested in teaching kindergarten. Eric Carle, the illustrator, uses great depictions of animals and colors to help understand and recognize colors. The title of the book is basically the whole jist of the book. Martin starts by asking the brown bear what he sees and the he answers he sees a red bird looking at him. Each animal is asked the same question and a yellow duck, blue horse, green frog, purple cat, white dog, black sheep, goldfish, teacher, and children are the answers. Martin includes a teacher and a classroom which makes the classroom feel like they are part of the book.
I would definitely read this book to a kindergarten class to help with color recognition and animal recognition. It's interesting how the students in this book are learning colors and animals just like the real students in my classroom would be. I would use this for an art lesson as well as learning the basic standards required to pass kindergarten. I remember reading this book to my brother when he was younger and he loved it and it definitely helped him alot with his colors.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

This Newbery Medal book was very amazing. It was about a school, built thirty schools up with ONE classroom on each floor. This particular Wayside School book is about the students and teachers on the thirtieth story. Each child in the classroom has a chapter dedicated to them, telling their story. The chapters and students are so different. All the students have something interesting about them, and in order to keep up with their lives you must understand the stories from the other children. I think my favorite chapters were Allison, Ron, Sammy, Kathy and Paul. Their stories were so completely different and I know I laughed more in these chapters than any other chapters. I was laughing throughout the entire book because of the outrageous events that took place. The last chapter of the book, Louis, was very interesting and brings an end to the book. Older level students are definitely going to be able to understand why that chapter is the most important in grasping "cliff hangers". I loved how on the back cover of the book there is a little bit about the author and it lets the reader understand why the author wrote the book.
I would actually read this book and all the other Wayside School books to like a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade class. They would definitely benefit from the craziness, but I could also incorporate this book into a writing lesson and have them create their own Sideways Stories from ______ School.

Purple, Green, and Yellow

This story, by Robert Munsch and Helene Desputeaux, is one of my all time favorites. It's about a little girl named Brigid (really, it's amazing) who loves coloring with markers. Her mother won't buy her any markers because she thinks Brigid will color the walls, the floors, and herself. However, Brigid tells her about these washable markers that will wash off anything, so can she please have them. Her mother obliges. After a while, Brigid gets bored and wants smelly markers. Same thing happens, and she gets bored. Then she asks her mother if she colored anything but pictures, and she hasn't, so her mother agrees to buy her permanent markers. However, this time Brigid goes crazy! She colors herself, her clothes, and her father! The mother has to call the Doctor because the marker won't wash off. I think you could use this in a classroom to show kids how important it is to follow directions (in the end, she's nothing, literally). You could use this to describe colors as well, because there are many many colors in the story, as well as shapes and pictures. And it's a great book, especially, because the girls' name is Brigid!

Angelina's Halloween

I chose to read and write about Angelina's Halloween by Katharine Holabird, one of the books from the Angelina Ballerina collection. Angelina and her friend Alice are getting ready for Halloween, they are deciding on what their costume is going to be when the book begins. They quickly decide upon dancing fairies, and ask Angelina's mom Mrs. Mouseling to make their costumes. Polly, Angelina's little sister decides to be a ghost but wants to tag along with them while they go trick or treating. While they were out a few of Angelina's friends and her think that it would be cool to go to the haunted house that is down the street. They go inside but quickly get scared because of the spooky noises that they are hearing and rush out. In the meantime, Polly gets stuck in the bushes and Angelina has to help her out. After the haunted house the Halloween festival begins for the town, Angelina, Alice, and Polly go to the parade to show off their dancing skills. Angelina and Alice win a special prize for their unique dancing skills. When Angelina goes to hug Polly she discovers that she has the wrong ghost, she has a ghost named Bruce. Angelina frantically goes searching for Polly and finds her sitting on the front porch of the haunted house with three young wizards. Angelina is so happy to find Polly safe but she explains to Polly that it is dangerous to be out alone on Halloween night. I would use this book for grades K-2 sometime during the week of Halloween because it is a cute book but also teaches a valuable lesson that it isn't safe to be alone when you go out trick or treating. It might be too young for any grade above 2nd grade.

Imagine Harry by: Kate and M. Sarah Klise

This book is precious. It is the story of a little rabbit who has an imaginary friend named Harry. At the beginning of the book, Little Rabbit spoke of Harry as a real person and they did everything together. Their favorite activity was rolling down the hills on the green grass in the spring. In the fall, Little Rabbit started school and began making lots of new friends. As time went on, Harry showed up less and less at school until one day his mother asked him how Harry was doing and he actually had forgotten about him! He then explained that Harry moved away and didn’t have a phone or the ability to read or write, so he would not be contacting them any time soon. But he always remembered Harry when he was on the hills they used to roll down because Harry loved to do that.
“Imagine Harry” would be a great story to use in a kindergarten classroom towards the beginning of school because it is likely that several of the kids will have imaginary friends or just be nervous about making new friends. It could easily apply to a wide group of students. The illustrations, down in water color, are also very sweet and fitting for kindergarten-age children.

Pssst by: Adam Rex

This book is really cute and could be a very interactive story for a class to read aloud. The story is very simple; there is only one human character and the rest are animals at the zoo. A little girl goes to the zoo one day by herself and as she is walking along, minding her own business, she hears a “Pssst.” She realizes that it is a gorilla speaking to her through his cage. He speaks to her only to ask her to get him a tire because the swing in his cage broke. She agrees and continues through the zoo only to be greeted by several other animals in the same fashion, each of them with their own request. Though she is frustrated with all of the requests, she agrees to each one and ends up going across the street to buy everything and passes them out to each of her new friends.
The most entertaining part of the book is the illustrations. The pictures and dialogue are set up as comic strips within the story, and the transition pages when the main character moves from animal to animal are different scenes of the zoo. Each picture changes as she moves around the facility and each animal’s “pssst” is illustrated uniquely. The pictures of the animals are really cute and on every page there are silly little quotes or animations that are not blatantly obvious, but add a lot to the pictures.
I do not think that this book will become one of my all time favorites, but it would be good to have in a classroom. It does not teach any overarching lesson, but it could be used to help identify animals and otherwise just as a nice break.

All By Myself

All By Myself is from the collection of short stories titled, The Critters. It is about how the main character is growing up and is now about to do simple tasks on his own. Many of them include getting out of bed, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, and eating breakfast. His parents also start trusting him to help out with his sister, like watching her when they go outside to play. He help his dad trim a brush and help his mom bake a cake. He then discovers that he still needs help tucking himself in at night and someone to read him a story. When I was young I read all of The Critter stories and I really enjoyed them and learned a lot. I think that this book would be really beneficial to kindergarteners sometime during their first week because they are starting school and a new phase in their life. It would show them all the things that they could do. Other than kindergarteners I don't think other grades would be able to use this book.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by: Bill Martin & John Archambault

This is a wonderful book for teaching young children the alphabet. In the kindergarten class that I observe the children love singing along with this book on VHS. In fact, while I was reading this book a little girl pulled the book off the shelf and was telling her mother about how this was her favorite book. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is about a coconut tree that all the letters of the alphabet climb to the top of. When the letters reach the top, they are too heavy for the tree and all fall out. After falling the capital letters help the lowercase letters with their boo-boos. This is great because the children get to see the two letters next to each other. I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially when you sing it!

Be Good to Eddie Lee

This book is a great way to intiate discussion about how to treat special needs people with respect. Eddie Lee is a young boy with down syndrome who is left out by Christy and Jimbud, neighborhood kids. This book shows how emotionally intelligent and sweet that Eddie Lee truly is and if Christy and Jimbud would give him a chance they would figure this out. By the end of the story Christy realizes that Eddie Lee is actually a very sweet boy and that he should be treated with respect. This book is heartwarming and a great way to show children that just because someone is different than you does not mean that they are dumb or stupid.

Be Good To Eddie Lee By Virgina Fleming

In the story Be Good to Eddie Lee a young boy with Down syndrome attempts to befriend a young girl name Christy and a young boy name JimBud. Though Christy's mother told her to be good to Eddie Lee, Christy ignores her mother’s wishes and leaves out Eddie Lee. Christy and JimBud decided to set off to find frog eggs, when Eddie tries to come with them they tell him to go home. Christy and JimBud set off to find the frog eggs, when they got to the pond they couldn't find them. Soon Eddie came walking through the bushes and found them. The three of them were all startled. Christy began to get angry at Jimbud because he couldn’t find the frog eggs. Eddie offered to take Christy to where they were. Christy and Eddie Lee set off to find the frog eggs. Once they got to the pond that had the fish eggs, Eddie points them out. Christy then realizes how intelligent Eddie really is and that he is not much different from her. After they see the frog eggs the two set out to tell Jimbud what they saw. Christy and Eddie Lee had found common ground and were now friends.
I think that this book would be very influential to read and talk about in the classroom, especially if there was a student with special needs in the class. I think that this book would allow students to understand special needs children and would show them that though they may appear to be different, in reality they are not. Also I think that this book teaches about how all people are different and you cannot judge anyone. I think that this book gives a really good message to students as well as adults. I think that it does a good job breaking the stereotypical mold of “special” needs children. You could easy get into a conversation with your students about how each one is different but those differences are what make each of us so unique.

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park

This book is about a young girl named Junie B. Jones. Junie finds out that in a couple of months she will be getting a new brother or sister. Whenever Junie’s grandmother came home from the hospital, she told Junie that her new baby brother was the “cutest little monkey she has ever seen.” Junie then believes that her baby brother is in fact a monkey. The next day at show and tell she informs the whole class that her mother had a baby monkey the day before. Junie’s teacher doesn’t believe her about her baby brother being a monkey so she sends her to the office to talk to the principal. The principal then has to explain to Junie B. that her brother is in fact human and not a real monkey. I think that a lot of children could relate to this book and therefore, it would be a great addition to a teacher’s book case. This book talks about new additions to families. If a child is expecting a new brother or sister then they could read this book and relate to it very well. I think that it shows many traditional themes such as sharing, manners, etc. Therefore, I think that this is a great book for younger children to read if their mother is expecting a child and they do not understand what is going to be happening to their families very soon.

The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster by James Preller, illustrated by R.W. Alley

Theodore “Jigsaw” Jones is the main character in the book, “The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster.” He and his partner Mila are the neighborhood detectives who solve mysteries for local kids. His first client, Wingnut O’Brien could not find his pet hamster Hermie. Throughout the book, Jigsaw and Mila think of where Hermie could be and what happened to him. They write down suspects at the beginning of the book and go through each one until they solve the mystery of what happened to Hermie. The main suspect throughout the book is Wingnut’s brothers snake Goliath. Everyone believes that he has eaten the hamster until they prove themselves wrong. The end of the book brings more unknowings until they finally solve what happened to the hamster. I think that this would be a great book to introduce to a second grade class. The children would be able to relate to Jigsaw Jones more because they are the same age. I also think that this book gives great ideas to children without openly saying it. For example, Jigsaw and Mila needed extra information about hamsters and snakes. Therefore, they asked their teacher, and instead of her just giving them the answer she tells them to look up the information in a book or to use the computer and the Internet to find out more. This shows children that instead of always asking adults for an answer, to go out and find it on your own. I think that readers will pick up on this and start doing it themselves. I also feel like this is a very independent book for a student to read and therefore, when they do finish it they will feel like they have conquered a huge accomplishment!

The Silver Slippers By Elizabeth Koda-Callan

The Silver Slippers by Elizabeth Koda-Callan is about a little girl who wants to become the "prima ballerina". The problem is that she wasn't as good as the other girls in her class even though she practiced and went to class she never could perform as well as the others. One day the little girls ballet teacher announced to the class that there was going to be a ballet recital and she had to decide who was going to be the prima ballerina. The little girl decided that she wanted to be the prima ballerina. But she soon remembered that she wasn't as good as the rest. That afternoon the little girl went home and told her mother what had happened. The little girl was discouraged and though she wanted to do it, believed she couldn't. Her mother told her that she may have to practice harder than the other girls in class but if she really wanted to be the prima ballerina than she could. The next day the little girls mother gave her a necklace with silver slippers on it and told her that anytime she got discouraged to look at the necklace and remember how much she wanted to be the prima ballerina. So the little girl practiced really hard for the next few weeks. The day came when her ballet instructor had to choose who was going to be the start ballerina for the recital and the teacher chose the little girl. Soon the night of the recital came, the little girl was really nervous and began to have second thoughts about going on stage. But as soon as she looked down at her necklace and saw the silver slippers she found the courage to go on. She performed brilliantly and she as well as her mother were so very proud of what she had accomplished.
I think that this book could be very influential in the classroom. While it is geared towards more little girls than little boys the message is still very clear. I think that the book does a really good job of showing how nothing is unattainable if you just give a little bit of extra practice. I think that teachers could read this to their class and then talk about what each student wants to accomplish but feels they are not good enough too do it. Also anytime a student feels discouraged you can refer back to the book and explain that though it may be tough and harder for them to accomplish a task more so than other students it just takes time and practice and they too can accomplish it.

Wallace's Lists by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik

In the book “Wallace’s Lists” by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik, a mouse named Wallace has to do everything according to lists. If he wants to take a walk, do laundry, or water his plants, then these events and chores have to be on his list. Besides making lists for chores and events, Wallace has lists for all his clothes, pets, vacation sites, accidents, places with funny names, being lost, things he hates, and recipes. One day Wallace discovers he has a new neighbor named Albert, who loves adventure and lives his life with spontaneity and by chance. When Albert introduces himself for the first time, Wallace, who is so controlled by his lists, is unable to greet his new neighbor because “saying hello was not on his list” (Bottner, Kruglik, 2004, p. 3). After Wallace adds “Say hello to Albert” to his next “to do” list, he finally gets to introduce himself to his new neighbor. As the days progress, Albert continuously asks Wallace to join him on spontaneous activities that include, listening to music and painting ducks, but Wallace cannot because he does not have those activities on his list. Albert mentions going on an adventure with Wallace to Glockamorra, but Wallace declines since he hates getting lost or being spontaneous.
The next day Wallace finds a note on Albert’s door explaining how he had knocked on Wallace’s door, but there was no answer so he had left on an adventure without him. As a thunderstorm develops, Wallace is concerned about Albert’s whereabouts and decides to go warn his friend about the terrible storm. He decides to search the airport where he encounters many adventures that include, being caught on the baggage belt, being chased by a cat, and getting wet, but he finally finds Albert alone and sad. After discovering Wallace, Albert is thrilled to see his friend, but upset that his adventure had to end bluntly because of the thunderstorm. However, Wallace decides to cheer him up by taking him around the conveyor belt, a ride in a huge limousine, watching the city lights, and entering a glitzy, high-priced hotel. After a day of adventure and spontaneity, Wallace decides to write a list of all his adventures and his favorite list of all, his best friend list with Albert at number one.
I believe that Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik’s book is an excellent way to teach children about the differences between spontaneity and order, how to produce lists, different perspectives, friendship, and embracing ones unique attributes. Since Albert and Wallace are completely different, an educator could teach her students to evaluate and discover the physical and mental differences between Wallace and Albert’s life styles and personalities. By looking at the differences between the two mousses, an instructor could also teach the children about how everyone is unique and special in there own way.
Personally, I loved how the illustrator depicted Wallace standing in the rain waiting for the bus next to two human’s feet. This illustration could teach students the idea behind looking at the world from a different perspective, which in this case would be through the eyes of Wallace, the mouse. Often times it is important that students understand the concept behind lists and how they are a great way to organize events. After reading “Wallace’s Lists,” students would be able to develop a better understanding of the usefulness of lists and how the help one organize and maintain their lives. However, instead of teaching children to live their lives through lists, the book teaches children the importance of balancing their lives between orderliness and adventure. Overall, I believe that “Wallace’s Lists” is a very effective way to introduce students to a variety of important values and concepts.

Sheep In Wolves' Clothing

Sheep in Wolves' Clothing by Satoski Kitamura is an adorable book with great pictures and conversation bubbles where the sheep talk. The story starts out when three sheep want to go to the beach and go swimming. When they get there a group of wolves playing putt putt agree to watch their coats for them so they won't get them wet and salty. The wolves leave with the coats while they are swimming so the sheep hire a private detective to tract down their coats. While looking for their coats they find a group of cats playing rugby with some wool yarn, they ask the cats where it came from so the cats show them where they got the yarn. The cats take them to Wolfgang and Bros. Quality Knitwear. They all end up going in and fighting the wolves for their coats only to find out they have already unravelled them. The sheep tell the wolves they will just take a bag. Later at the end of the story you see the sheep in the field eating with knitted colorful wool sweaters on. I think this story would really captivate children's attention, it goes from one thing to the next until the end and the pictures of the sheep and wolves are hilarious. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good laugh.

Hush, Little Baby by Brian Pinkney

In “Hush, Little Baby,” Brian Pinkney writes his story through a new version of a popular lullaby, “Hush Little Baby.” This new lullaby version is sung by an African American father, while his son provides the music by playing a guitar. The father and son duo are trying to stop the baby sister from crying, who is missing her mother since she had gone off for the day. The folksong is sung to the baby girl in hopes of making her feel better and stop crying. Pinkney decided to alter the original lullaby by changing the billy goat to a spinning top, the cart and bull to a dog named Pearl, and adding the fire truck to the end of the folksong. As the father and son try their hardest to stop the baby girl from crying, they go through many whimsical gifts. Finally, as they present her with the last gift, a fire truck, the mother returns and finally the baby girl is happy and stops crying.
After reading “Hush, Little Baby,” I fell in love with this adorable African American family, who were all dressed in 1900s attire. As soon as I opened the book, I noticed colorful and bright images covering the entire double pages. Pinkney, who is also the illustrator, drew the characters with a curvy appearance, which gave the illusion of appearing full of energy and weightless. As with the illustrations, the words were also written with a curvy style, which I felt was very effective. I feel that “Hush, Little Baby” would be an effective way for students to learn a folksong, while understanding the importance of unity and being with loved ones. I believe that by having a book that incorporates both a popular lullaby with an adorable African American family that exhibits love and harmony, the children will be able to learn a song, a type of family, and important values. In addition, one can also describe the type of attire and way of life for people living in the 1900s. Another classroom activity the students could engage in is that once the children have read the book and heard the song, their teacher could read Pinkney’s book again, but this time ask the students if they remember what the next item was that the baby girl received from her father. Through repetition and engaging in a memorization activity, the children will soon learn a new, fun song.

A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock

A Fly Went By is a great Dr. Seuss book. The book starts with a boy sitting by the lake and he spots a fly. The fly is running away so the boy asks him why he is running. The fly says he is running in because of the frog. The frog it turns out is not running from the fly he is running from the cat. It keeps going and going all of the animals in the story are running from one another but the one behind them isn't really after them they are just trying to get away from the animal chasing them. At the back of the line there is a little sheep with a bucket that scared a farmer w a gun who scared a fox who scared a cow who scared a pig who scared a dog who scared a cat who scared the frog and fly and so on. The boy stops them and explains to them what has happened and the story ends with the boy sitting by the lake again where he started. I absolutely loved this book as a kid. The pictures a neat they are watercolor cartoon looking pictures. This a great adventure story with animals to read to children. It also like all Dr. Seuss books rhymes. It would be a great book to use with teaching rhyming words.

"The Adventures of Captain Underpants" by Dav Pilkey

"The Adventure of Captain Underpants" was one of our options for our group book projects and no one wanted to read it but me so I decided I would let everyone know how is was. I can see how this book gets so many boys into reading. The story is about two boys of different ethnicities, George is Black and Harold is White, who are best friends and write a comic together after school. The comic that the boys favor the most is "The Adventures of Captain Underpants", which is just a silly hero who wears his actual underpants to fight crimes rather than the hero outfits that just look like underpants over their clothing. When the boys are not writing their comic adventures they are doing pranks and jokes in school. The book is full of fantasy and silly mischeif. The boys find themselves caught pranking on camera and buy a $4 hypno-ring to hynotize the principal and they end up turning him into Captain Underpants. The whole story is very exciting and great for keeping the class's attention. Students can relate to the characters because they are shown in similar settings like school and the classroom and the characters are in the fourth grade, which is probably the grade that would read this book. I like that this book showed racial diversity between the best friends, it helps for students to see that they can branch out to befriend children of different backgrounds if they haven't already. It also helps more students relate themselves to the story by having a broader range of races in the characters. Both of the boys have different talents; George is good at writing while Harold is good at drawing. This shows that you don't have to be good at everything because you can use your skill to be part of something greater, like the boys comics. You can use this book to start a big class project; first identify what all of the children think they are best at and them give them their own parts of the project that they can feel successful about doing. Once the whole class project comes together it will be a real-life example that as a team you don't have to be great at everything you just need to be good at something. I think this book is popular with young boys because the two main characters are trouble-making boys and the whole story is formated like a comic book/long picture book. We learned in either EDP or ELM250 (I don't remember which) that boys like to read magazines and comics, so why not let them read something that is formatted to keep their attentions better. Thank you Dav Pilkey for finding something to get young boys into reading.

"Counting Crocodiles" by Judy Sierra

"Counting Crocodiles" by Judy Sierra is a fun review of counting along with a clever story. The story takes place on a deserted island that contains a lemon tree, a monkey, a fox and a snail. The monkey is very tired of lemons and has tried cooking them every way possible. There is a near by island with a banana tree that the monkey wants to get to badly but can't because the surrounding Sillabobble Sea is filled with LOTS of Crocodiles. Monkey is very clever and comes up with a plan to get to the bananas. She says to one of the Crocs, "I bet there are more monkeys on this island than there are Crocodiles in the Sea". The Croc is amused by the statement and tells the silly monkey that can't be true because there are enough Crocodiles to stretch from one island to the other, and she will prove it! While the first Crocodile is proving her point she counts off her Croc relatives in groups doing silly things that rhymes with "Crocs"; ex: 3 Crocs standing in a box, 4 Crocs tickling a fox and etc. for numbers one through ten. As Croc #1 is counting the monkey is walking across the crocs to reach the banana tree. In order to get back from the banana tree island to her own island, Monkey goes through a review of what the first Croc said and counts them backwards - ten through one. As the monkey reaches her island safely the first Croc seems proud of herself and says see little monkey there is no way there are more monkeys on the island than there are crocs in the sea. The monkey agrees but tells the crocs there wasn't enough Crocs to outsmart her because she had walked all over them and not been eaten. This story is a great classroom tool as a review of counting numbers one through ten, it even helps children to think about the numbers in reverse ten through one. Each group of crocs is doing something silly and rhyming. The children stay entertained and learn rhyming words at the same time. One unique thing about the rhymes in this book is that the words don't always look like they will rhyme like "cat" and "hat" instead they are words that you must say out loud to rhyme like "crocs" and "box". Children of younger age groups would probably say these two words don't rhyme just by looking at them on paper because it is hard to identify "cs" and "x" as the same noise just by memory. This book would be great to spark plenty of discussions about being clever and how the monkey was able to outsmart the crocs. Monkey beat the odds because she was so much smaller and outnumbered compared to the sea full of crocs but still managed to use her cleverness to get what she wanted and stay safe from the big, bad crocs. In conclusion this book is a must when talking about: rhyming, counting and size not determining ability.

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

"The Big Orange Splot" is about a man by the name of Mr. Plumbean who lives on a street where all the houses look exactly the same and nobody ever complained. One day, a seagull flew over Mr. Plumbean's house with a can of bright orange paint and accidently dropped it all over his roof. While all of Mr. Plumbean's neighbors thought he would just fix the one orange splot, he actually gets the crazy idea to paint pictures all of over his house using all the colors of the rainbow. All of a sudden his house stood out from all the others and his neighbors thought he had "lost his marbles." One by one his neighbors went to visit Mr. Plumbean to try to knock some sense in to him and his crazy house. After each neighbor went to speak to him, the very next day their own house had changed into something wild as well until each person decorated their house in a creative way as well. Each of the houses represented each of that owner's dreams. I love this book, it was given to me by my first grade teacher and I think it is a great book to read to children because it teaches an important lesson. It expresses to children that they should be their own person and put less emphasis on what other people may think of them. Furthermore, it would be a fun activity to help children work their way by asking questions for them to get to this main idea of the story. The illustrations of the different houses are also fun to look at too!

Mrs. Toggle and the Dinosaur by Robin Pulver

"Mrs. Toggle and the Dinosaur" is a wonderful picture book that includes a typical sweet teacher by the name of Mrs. Toggle. In the beginning of the book, Mrs. Toggle is off to a new school year with a new group of students. During the beginning of class one day, Mrs. Toggle receives a phone call informing her that she is having a new student join her class, a dinosaur! All of a sudden she panics because she knows teaching a dinosaur will be a hard task to accomplish. That same day, the whole class spends time preparing for the new student by having a larger desk built specifically for the dinosaur, going to library to learn more about dinosaurs in general, telling the cook in the cafeteria that the dinosaur will need more food than normal, etc. After a long day of preparing for the new student, Mrs. Toggle's class returns to their classroom discovering that they were not receiving a dinosaur for the new student after all, but somebody else instead! This story can be used to read to younger students towards the beginning of the school year to open their minds to being around all new students. Of course you would remind them that a dinosaur would never come to their own classroom. Also, this book has a few fun facts about dinosaurs such as they like to live in groups with other dinosaurs and are reptiles. This book also helps students brainstorm about the many different tasks that need to take place to get a classroom ready for school. It is a very silly and imaginative story that will make children smile.

When This World Was New

This is a picture book about a little boy and his family who move from a foreign country (presumably Cuba since that is where the author is from) to a city in America. None of them speak English and they are all worried, but the boys Uncle Berto who already lives in America helps them out with a house, new clothes, and helping the dad find a job. The book hints that they moved here to get medical help for the mother who is sick and sad. The little boy wakes up and gets ready for his first day of school, and it is snowing, something he has never seen before. The dad and him go out to play in the snow, and the dad assures the boy that he is a good learner and will catch on quick. They come in from playing and mom is there waiting for them at the door with a big smile. The book ends with Uncle Berto shows up and takes the boy to school, and the dad off to find a job. The boy says he's still scared, but not as much. This would be a good book to read in a classroom where there are ESL students, as some of the sentences are in Spanish. They could even help out with reading it and it may make them feel comfortable. It's also a good book to read so students are exposed to multicultural books, and could even be encouraging to students who are worried they might not fit in or do well in school.

Dear Mr. Henshaw

This story is about a boy named Leigh Botts who loves an author named Mr.Henshaw and writes to him originally in the 2nd grade, and then once a year until the 6th grade. In the 6th grade he has to do a report and sends off questions for Mr.Henshaw to answer. The author does so, and asks Leigh some questions in return. At first Leigh is mad that Mr.Henshaw is making him extra work, but in return he is helping him become a better writer. Leigh wants to be a famous author some day. The entire book is written in two forms, one being letters from Leigh to Mr.Henshaw, and the other one being Leigh's diary that Mr.Henshaw suggested he started. In the book, Leigh grows not only as a writer, but as a person. He lives at home with his mom after his parents divorced. His dad is a truck driver and he misses him, and is mad at him at the same time. He starts a new school, and has a hard time making friends. Through a series of events and adviee from various people, he comes to terms with his parents divorce and makes a friend as well. This book is good for grades 3-5, and I remember reading it in the 4th grade. It would be good to include in teaching about single parent homes, changing schools, fitting in, and improving writing.

The Boy Who Wanted A Family by Charles Robinson reviewed by Kari

This book touches on important issues concerning adoption and single-parent families. Young Michael wants a real family with real parents, instead of being moved through a succession of foster homes. He is adopted by a single woman named Miss Graham and, though wary of rejection, he begins to make friends with her and in his new neighborhood. The end of the book finds Miss Graham and Michael talking about how much Michael’s real mother would have loved him if she could have kept him, and planning for the future together. The story is a touching one, and would be useful to explain adoption and single parenting to children. I would also include it in my collection as another example of a different shape and size of family.