Chapter Book #14 - The Next-Door Dogs

Author: Colby Rodowsky

Illustrator: Amy June Bates

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Realistic Fiction

Theme: Overcoming Fears, dogs

Primary and secondary characters: Sara Baker

Awards: 

Publication Date: 2005

Publishing Company: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

     Sarah Baker is one brave little girl, except when it comes to being around dogs. Every time she is around, sees, or even hears about a dog she gets clammy and nervous. Then Ms. Harrington moves next door, and instead of having children that Sarah can play with, she has dogs, two very large dogs. Sarah tries to avoid her dogs, but one day the time comes where she has to face her fear. Any student would be able to relate to Sarah because most everyone of them more than likely has a fear that they are unable to overcome. A teacher could have students share their own fears and how they think they could overcome them. This could be done in a journal project where the children keep up with their progress throughout the year. The teacher could also have the students look up and research various phobias that people might have. 

Chapter Book #13 - 7X9 = Trouble

Author: Claudia Mills

Illustrator: G. Brian Karas

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Realistic Fiction

Theme: Multiplication

Primary and secondary characters: Wilson

Awards: 

Publication Date: 2002

Publishing Company: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

     Multiplication....a bad word in many 3rd graders vocabulary, especially Wilson William's. Wilson hates multiplication because he can never quite figure it out, sometimes he even wishes he was more like his two siblings who seemed to do things more easily than him. His two comforts are his friend Josh and the class pet, Squiggles. Wilson struggles and struggles in hopes that he will eventually be able to recieve the coveted award, an ice cream cone, for passing. He is thinking all is lost, but help comes from where he never would have expected. 

     Many 3rd graders will be able to relate to Wilson. Third grade can be tough, especially when it comes to learning the seemingly countless multiplication tables. This book would be a great way to add literature to a math lesson. This students could begin to keep a journal while they are reading the book and learning the multiplication tables themselves. They could write how they feel about multiplication and compair their feelings with Wilson's. This would give them a source to show how they feel about learning something new that they can look back on at the end of the school year and see how they grew. 

Chapter Book #12 - Piper Reed Navy Brat

Author: Kimberly Willis Holt 

Illustrator: Christine Davenier

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Realistic

Theme: Travel, moving, Navy, 

Primary and secondary characters: Piper Reed

Awards: 

Publication Date: 2007

Publishing Company: Henry Holt and Co.

     Piper Reed is a spunky young girl who loves living the life of a Navy brat. She is the middle child, and her and her sisters are nothing alike! She has moved more times than most people, all the way from Texas to Guam. This book is full of fun and humor and any 3rd to 4th grade student would love to read all about Piper's adventures. Piper also has a challenge that few students face, dyslexia. But she learns to cope with her situation and many students would be able to learn from her attitude. If students enjoy this book then they will have a great time reading the rest of the books in this series. 

     Since this book is about a Navy family, it would be the perfect book to read while learning about our troupes and their service to our country. The teacher could have students write letters to military children their own age and then send gifts to them. This would help teach the students service to their country and would be a great lifelong lesson. 

Chapter Book #11 - The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis 

Illustrator: NA

Genre: non-fiction

Sub genre: historical

Theme: Travel, family, friendship, 

Primary and secondary characters: Kenny and his family ( the Watsons)

Awards: Newberry and Coretta Scott King

Publication Date: 2006

Publishing Company: Harper Collins

     The Watsons are not your typical family, each person has their own unique personality from sweet Joetta to mean Byron. The Watsons decide to take a trip after the oldest son, Byron, keeps getting into trouble. On and before their journey the Watsons have a lot of hysterical moments such as when Byron's lips get frozen to something and he is stuck there. On their trip Kenny gets attacked by the horrible Wool Pooh, Winnie the Pooh's evil brother. Although their are some funny parts, this book is quite serious. When Joetta goes to church one morning, Kenny is never the same after he hears of his sister's church being bombed. He searches for her, yet even when he discovers she survived he is still shaken. This book is an excellent balance of humor, history, and good moral lessons. 

     This book could be used in multiple different ways in the classroom. This website offers a variety of different ideas to have students complete after they have read the book. One idea would be to have students compare and contrast the different characters using a diagram or short essays. If the teacher wanted to focus historical content of the book then the students could do a research project on the bombing of the church and how life was for an African American family in the time the Watsons went on their journeys. 

Chapter Book #10 - One Crazy Summer

Author: Rita Williams-Garcia

Illustrator: na

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Historical Fiction

Theme: Abandonment, family, racism, the Black Panthers

Primary and secondary characters: Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern

Awards: Coretta Scott King

Publication Date: 2010

Publishing Company: Harper Collins

     Summer or 1968, Delphine has a big job for an eleven year old girl. Since her mother abandoned them when she was very young, she has taken charge of taking care of her two little sisters Voetta and Fern. Their Pa still takes care of them, but Delphine has been the mother that her two younger sisters never had and certainly cannot remember. Although their Pa is reluctant, he knows that the girls must meet their mother and try to form a relationship with her while they are still young. He puts them on a plane across America to stay with her over the summer. The girls can hardly contain their excitement about the possibilities of going to Disney World and meeting movie stars while they are with their mom, but things that the girls could have never dreamed of happen instead. The girls get thrown into a whirlwind of events including having to deal with their mother who is constantly ignoring them and meeting the Black Panthers. The girls end up experiencing more than they ever thought possible, which makes for one crazy summer. 

     Because of all of the historical references, from something as small as a Timex watch to the Blank Panthers and racism, this book is an excellent classroom read. This book tells of historical events from a child's view, therefor it would be easier for a child to relate to than a history text over the same issues. This book would be perfect for when racism is being covered in a class. Some children in a class might even be able to relate to Dalphine in that they have been forced to take care of younger siblings when their parents were not around. A teacher could develop so many good essay topics and discussions for this book and I highly recommend it. 

     

Chapter Book #9 - A Time of Miracles

Author: Anne-Laure Bondoux

Translator: Y. Maudet  

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Historical 

Theme: Soviet Union, hope, family

Primary and secondary characters: Blaise Fortune (Koumaïl) and Gloria

Awards: Batchelder Award winner

Publication Date: 2009

Publishing Company: Bayard Editions Jeunesse

     This book follows a boy and his journey through life and the struggles that it can sometimes throw at people. The book opens up with the main character Blaise telling how he ended up separated from his "mom" Gloria. When the Soviet Union collapses, Gloria and Blaise know that they must flee for safety. However, they are separated during the journey. Through the journey, Blaise attempts to untangle his identity and find out who he really is. It is not until he is a young man that he can truly understand himself. Though this is a heartbreaking story, it shows genuine signs of love, sacrifice, and hope. 

     This book would be perfect in the older classroom. It has a lot of good historical history in it so it would work for both a literature class or a history class. This book would be perfect for a critical thinking assignment or a literature circle because there is so much that can be taken apart in this story. 

Picture Book (poetry) #26 - Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Author: Laban Carrick Hill

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Genre: non-fiction

Sub genre: Historical
Theme: Pottery, slavery, art, poetry

Primary and secondary characters: Dave

Awards: Coretta Scott King

Publication Date: 2010

Publishing Company: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

     Dave is a slave in the 1800s who has an extraordinary talent, he can make pottery and write poetry. This is something that slaves were not allowed to do, so it was an extreme risk for him. This book is written in a poetic way that beautifully describes the real life of the slave. Although a lot of information is not known about this man, what little is know is a great story. The illustrations in this book are truly captivating and tell the story as much as the writing. 

In the classroom, this book could strike a lot of great conversation. The teacher could use this as a base for learning about slavery in the 1800s. She could have the students find other slaves with talent that they could not share without risk. For younger students, this book could be used in the art classroom. The students could make pottery themselves and write a poem about the process. 

Picture Book #25 - Flat Stanley

Author: Jeff Brown

Illustrator: Scott Nash

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Picture

Theme: Travel, saving the day, being normal

Primary and secondary characters: Stanley

Awards: 

Publication Date: 2006

Publishing Company: Harper Collins

     One morning Stanley wakes up and he is not quite the same. During the night a board fell on him and made him as flat as a pancake! Now he can do things that nobody else can like slide under doors, travel through the mail, and being a kite. One day he is even able to help catch thieves that were stealing famous art from a museum and he becomes a hero. The day comes when Stanley is no longer happy being flat, his brother thinks he has found a solution but will it work? 

     The most obvious teaching tip that could be done in a classroom is for the students to make their own flat Stanleys and mail them across the world. This is what most classrooms do (I actually have never read this book before or made one myself though!) but the teacher could put a new twist on it. The teacher could use this as a beginning to a pin pal writing assignment. The teacher could also talk about kites and have all the students make their own kites with Stanley sitting on top. The teacher could discuss how a kite and the wind works. 

Picture Book #24 - No, David!

Author: David Shannon

Illustrator: 

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Picture

Theme: trouble

Primary and secondary characters: David

Awards: Caldecott

Publication Date: 1998

Publishing Company: The Blue Sky Press

     David is a mischievousness little boy who is always getting into trouble. He tries to get into the cookie jar, he runs down the sidewalk without any clothes, and he even picks his nose now and then. But even though he is always in trouble, he still has someone who loves him dearly. A good teaching tip for this book would be making a social story that the kids can refer back to. The students can put one of David's bad behaviors on a board and draw a picture of what he should do.  

Picture Book #23 - When Sophie Get Angry -- Really, Really Angry...

Author: Molly Bang

Illustrator: Beppe Giacabbe

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Picture

Theme: Anger

Primary and secondary characters: Sophie

Awards: Caldecott

Publication Date: 1999

Publishing Company: The Blue Sky Press

      Sophie is a happy little girl until someone makes her mad! When her sister takes a toy away from her, Sophie can hardly contain her anger. Sophie gets so angry that she feels she could just explode or crush something. She gets so mad that she runs away until she reaches a large beech tree that she climbs to the top. She sits there enjoying nature until she is no longer angry. She returns home to a family who is happy to see her and everything is fine and happy again. 

     This book is very well written and the bright illustrations really set the mood of the angry little girl. The only negative thing about this book is that it may teach children that it is alright for them to run away when they get angry. This book also does not teach dealing with anger very well. If this book is used in the classroom, it should probably be used to teach the kids the proper way to deal with anger. The teacher could go over ways to deal with anger and compare it with Sophie's way. 

Picture Book #22 (poetry)- Big Talk

Author: Paul Fleischman

Illustrator: Beppe Giacabbe

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Poetry

Theme: various

Primary and secondary characters: various

Awards: 

Publication Date: 2000

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

     If a teacher has a group of student who do not like poetry, then they will after a class activity with this book! This poetry book by Paul Fleiscchman is unique in that instead of one person reading the poem, it is a group of four people. There are three different poems for the students to choose from in the book. Each child (or group) is assigned one of the colors (green, yellow, orange, or purple) that they have to read from. This may seem simple, but it will take the students plenty of practice in order to be able to say it without either laughing or messing up. A teacher could use this book as a good team building activity during the first week of school because it causes the students to really work together. At the end of the week each group could say their specific poem from the book in front of the rest of the class. 

Picture Book #21 - Is it Dark? Is it Light

Author: Mary D. Lankford

Illustrator: Stacey Schuett

Genre: non-fiction

Sub genre: Picture

Theme: opposites, the moon

Primary and secondary characters: boy and girl

Awards: NA

Publication Date: 1991

Publishing Company: Scholastic, INC.

     This is a cute, simple book for young readers. The children in the book go through a several opposite characteristics trying to guess what something is. The illustrations are very colorful and many of them are double spreads. They ask if it is cold, dark, loud, ect. This book would  be good to read on a lesson opposites. The students could make a quiz with opposites and have their classmates guess what it is they are describing. Since it is such an easy read, the book would be great for the very young grades. 

Picture Book #20 - Elizabeth and Larry

Author: Marilyn Sadler

Illustrator: Roger Bollen

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Picture

Theme: friendship

Primary and secondary characters: Elizabeth and Larry

Awards:

Publication Date: 1990

Publishing Company:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

     Friendship can be many things, including very unique! Elizabeth, a sixty-two year old lady, and Larry, an aligator "pushing 40." One day when Elizabeth is opening some oranges she received from Florida, she finds a baby alligator in the box. Elizabeth decided to keep it and she named him Larry. Larry loves being with Elizabeth and living with her, except for the fact that her "pool" is too small. They spend many hours talking and enjoying each others company. However, after Larry realizes how different he is from Elizabeth and the people around them, he becomes very sad. Elizabeth decides he needs to go live with other alligators so she buys him a one way ticket to Florida. But after Larry leaves nothing can cheer poor Elizabeth up, she misses her friend too much. Will she ever be happy again? 

     This book could be used in many different ways. It would make a great book just to have the children read for fun or to read to them at a story time. The book could also be used in a lesson on friendship. The children could read the book then compare their friendship with the friendship in the book. The teacher could have the students draw a picture of each thing that they enjoy doing with their friends. 

Picture Book #19 - First the Egg

Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Illustrator: same

Genre: non-fiction

Sub genre: informational

Theme: Nature, what comes first

Primary and secondary characters: NA

Awards: Caldecott Honor Book

Publication Date: 2007

Publishing Company:  Roaring Brook Press

     What came first, the egg or the chicken? This children's picture book explores the order of nature and things in life. Every other page has a little hole in it where the children can see some of the color from the other page. It is a unique way of showing how each thing is connected. The illustrations are beautiful paintings of each subject. Any young child would love this book because of its simplicity and color. A great teaching tip for this book would be to have the kids write and illustrate their own what came first book. The book could be over something they are learning like animals, buildings, or anything else. 

Picture Book #18 - Feathers for Lunch

Author: Lois Ehlert

Illustrator: same

Genre: fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: Cats, birds, lunch

Primary and secondary characters: Cat

Awards: NA

Publication Date: 1990

Publishing Company:  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers

     A adventuresome cat is tired of her boring canned food everyday for lunch. One day she gets out and tries to have a fresh bird for lunch, fortunately all the catches is feathers. This book is great for the younger age, around preschool. Kids will love the colorful, silly illustrations of the cat trying to catch the birds. One thing that is unique about this book is that every bird is a different breed and the name of the bird is listed beside it. Therefor this book would make an excellent teaching tool to teach children about the different types of birds. The class could have a big bird party and at the end go on a bird watch to try to spot as many different types of birds as they can. 

Picture Book #17 - Balloons over Broadway

Author: Melissa Sweet

Illustrator: same

Genre: Non-fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, balloons, inventions

Primary and secondary characters: Tony Sarg

Awards: Robert F. Sibert, Caldecott, and  Orbis Pictus

Publication Date: 2011

Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Books

     Ever wonder who thought to create such large balloons to float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? This uniquely illustrated children's book by Melissa Sweet will take the reader through the life and mindset of the balloons' inventor, Tony Sarg. The book follows Tony as each year he makes the parade even more spectacular. Children and teachers alike will enjoy this book and the colorful illustrations. This would be a fun book to use as a hook at the beginning of a class then have the students work in "invention pairs." The students would have to create their own parade invention and at the end of the week the students could have a parade. 

Chapter Book #8 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Illustrator: 

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Realistic

Theme: Diaries, bullying, friendship

Primary and secondary characters: Greg Heffley

Awards:

Publication Date: 2007

Publishing Company:  Amulet Books.

     For the past several years I never knew what all the hype over this book was about, however now I can see how easy any middle school student can relate to this book. Greg Heffley writes events that happen to him during middle school in his diary. He also draws illustrations of the events that are sure to keep any student's attention. Rowley, his best friend begins to become popular and Greg thinks he will be able to tag along. This book will show students a unique and hilarious friendship that will be sure to have them laughing and wanting to read more. 

     This book would be perfect for an English class. The students could begin by making their own diaries our of paper and other items. During the week and for several weeks after the book is read, the students could write in their diaries everything funny, interesting, or troubling that goes on in their lives. Because the main character is a boy who keeps a diary, it would be the perfect time to get boys to see that keeping a diary or journal can really be a good thing! The teacher could even show them examples of well known diaries from real people such as Anne Frank. 

Chapter Book #7 - Matilda

Author: Roald Dahl

Illustrator: Quentin Blake

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: Reading, parents, school

Primary and secondary characters: The bats

Awards:

Publication Date: 1998

Publishing Company:  Puffin Books

     As a child one of my favorite movies was Matilda. So when I found this book I just had to look into it and recall the moments of my childhood I spent laughing and enjoying the movie. Of course, like any book and movie, the movie is a little different from the book. However they are both as charming and enjoyable to children. Matilda is a four year old who lives in a house with some of the most terrible, unloving parents a child could have. He parents even consider her "nothing more than a scab." When she enrolls in a primary school she has a principal who is just as bad. Even through all the craziness in her life Matilda is able to find happiness and joy in the books she finds at the public library and the sweet Miss Honey.
     I think this would be an excellent book to be read aloud in a classroom. The students would have fun reading it and using their imaginations. After each chapter they could break into groups to discuss the book or they could keep a journal about their feelings on each chapter. It would also be good to take a tour of a public library while this book is being read.

Chapter Book #6 - Ruby Holler

Author: Sharon Creech

Illustrator: 

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Chapter Book

Theme: orphans, family, love

Primary and secondary characters: The bats

Awards: Carnegie Medal

Publication Date: 20052008

Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Company

     "You are now entering Ruby Holler, the one and only Ruby Holler! Your lives are never going to be the same--" And that is exactly what happened to the trouble twin orphans Dallas and Florida. They grew up thinking that there could never be such a thing as a loving home because they were always being tossed from family to family. One day an eccentric young couple who lives in Ruby Holler invites the twins for a stay where their lives are changed forever. This book shows that it really is possibly to find love. 

     This book would be good for students around the age of 13, since that is what age the twins are in the book. If I used this book in a classroom setting, I would have the students write an essay over what they would do in the twin's situation and how they would handle things. I think that this book would need to be saved until a more serious time in the classroom could be reached. 

Chapter Book #5 - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author: Brian Selznick

Illustrator: same

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre:  Chapter Book

Theme: Mystery

Primary and secondary characters: Hugo, Isabella and her godfather

Awards: Caldecott Medal

Publication Date: 2007

Publishing Company:  Scholastic Press

     This book is one of a kind! It is hard for me to even describe it in a blog post! This book is unique in that it is listed as a chapter book because it has obvious chapters, yet it is filled with intriguing illustrations that help to tell the story. Hugo is a young orphan who lives his life in secrecy. He secretly takes care of a clock and is stealing parts to try to repair a project his father was working on before he died to see if it contains a message from his father. When he meets Isabella and her godfather his life is turned around. Read the book to figure out if he ever completes his father's project and if he still tries to hide from everything. 

     Like many of the other books, this book could be used in a variety of different ways in the classroom. How I would probably use it would be in an English class. I would have the students construct their own novel that was modeled after this one. I would also have them write an essay deconstructing Hugo and the other characters in this book. 

Picture Book #16 - Grouchy Ladybug

Author: Eric Carle

Illustrator: same

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: reading, ladybugs, moods, being mad, being happy

Primary and secondary characters: the grouchy and happy ladybugs

Awards:

Publication Date: 1996

Publishing Company:  Harper Collins

     Eric Carle did a magnificent job with this book. His illustrations are absolutely beautiful and tell the story of the grouchy ladybug in a perfect way. At the beginning of the book the grouchy ladybug begins to try to find someone to take out his anger on. He begins by asking another ladybug but decides that that ladybug isn't big enough. He keeps asking creatures until he finally decides that not even a whale is big enough for him to fight. Will the ladybug ever find someone to fight or will he become happy?

      This book could be used in a variety of different ways in a classroom. This cite has so many different good ideas and downloads that I just had to share it! I would personally either use this book in an art lesson, or a lesson on ladybugs. For the art lesson, I would have the kids construct illustrations like the ones in the book out of tissue paper and a glue/water mixture. I would also use this book if I was going over different bugs in a lesson and wanted to focus on ladybugs. 

Picture Book #15 - Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream

Author: Cindy Neuschwandar

Illustrator: Liza Woodruff

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: math, multiplication

Primary and secondary characters: Amanda Bean aka Bean Counter

Awards:

Publication Date: 1998

Publishing Company:  Scholastic

     Amanda Bean is really good at math and she loves to count, her friends even nicknamed her Bean Counter. However, she gets completely confused over a new concept she learns at school one day, multiplication. Amanda does not understand so she continues to count things one by one like she always had done. One night she has a terrible dream that there are too many things for her to count! She realizes she must learn to multiply. The colorful illustrations and creative story will be sure to keep students attention.
     I actually found this book while I was working on my unit plan for one of my education classes. This book would be perfect in an interdiction lesson to multiplication. The back of the book has a lot of good activities and resources for teachers to use to teach students multiplication. The teacher could use a think-pair-share method when students are figuring out the multiplication problems.

Picture Book #14 - Six Dinner Sid

Author: Inga Moore

Illustrator: same

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Picture Book

Theme: reading, storytelling, bats, libraries

Primary and secondary characters: The bats

Awards:

Publication Date: 20052008

Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Company

     Anyone who loves cats will love this book, even if they do not they will think Sid is one funny cat by the end of the story. Sid lives in six houses, has six different names, and eats six different dinners every night. How does he get away with this any students might wonder. The people where he lives do not ever talk to each other, therefor they have no clue that they along with five other people own the cat. Sid's sneakiness is eventually found out when he becomes sick and goes to the vet six times. 

     This book could be used in a variety of different lessons. The first way would be to use it to teach kids new vocabulary. With new words such as suspicious, mischief, swanky, and smooched a teacher could create an entire vocabulary test off of the book. A teacher could also use this book for a math lesson and learning the six's multiplication tables. The students could solve a variety of different problems to figure out how many dinners Sid would get per day, week, ect. 

suspicious, mischief, swanky, smooched

Picture Book # 13 - Bats in the Library

Author: Brian Lies
Illustrator: same
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: Picture Book
Theme: reading, storytelling, bats, libraries
Primary and secondary characters: The bats
Awards:
Publication Date: 20052008
Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Company

     Bats in the library and reading! This book is sure to have kids laughing and wanting to read too. The book begins with bats enjoying the nice cool night until they spot that the library window has been left open by the librarian. The bats race in and zoom around the library having fun with the projector, the copier, and the water fountains. After some crazy fun they all gather around for story time where the bats imagine themselves being in the roles of the characters as one of the bats reads. They have so much fun that they do not want to leave!
     This book would be perfect for young readers who find reading boring. I could see myself reading this book to my students at the beginning of the year before we really got into our reading program. It would also be a great book to read before learning about bats in a science lesson. Ifonline.org had a really detailed lesson plan that would be perfect for a classroom setting.

Picture Book # 12 - Ella Takes the Cake

Author: Carmeela and Steven D'Amico
Illustrator: same
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: realistic fiction
Theme: Being a helper
Primary and secondary characters: Ella
Awards:
Publication Date: 2005
Publishing Company:  Arthur A. Levine Books

     Little Ella is a kid elephant who only wants to help out in more ways than just sweeping her mom's bakery. One day her mother finally gives her the important job of delivering a cake to Captain Kernel's lighthouse. Ella was supposed to hurry in order to get there on time but she runs into a few sticky situations on her way to the lighthouse. Because Ella is so helpful she cannot get out of any of the situations without at least helping a little bit. Will Ella make it on time and show that she is helpful?
     I could see this book being used when the teacher is disusing helping and being a good, productive student at the beginning of the school year. The students could possibly write a journal entry on how they help out and how they can help out in the future. Younger students could draw pictures of themselves helping like they were Ella.
 

Picture book #11 - Handel Who Knew what He Liked

Author: M. T. Anderson

Illustrator: Kevin Hawks

Genre: Fiction

Sub genre: Bibliography

Theme: Music history

Primary and secondary characters: Handel

Awards:

Publication Date: 2001

Publishing Company:  Candlewick Press

     Sometimes it can be hard to effectively teach a child about notable people in the arts without putting them to sleep, but this book by M.T. Anderson will be sure to keep their attention as well as give everyone a few good laughs. Because the book has a lot of words and details it would be best for readers around age 9 to 11, even older children would enjoy and learn a lot from this book. Not only does the book lay out a detailed view of Handel's life, it also describes various musical terms that aid in understanding. The illustrations add so much character to the book depicting happiness, depression, and energy. 

     My favorite page in the book is one of the first ones where young Handel is sneaking a clavichord to his room because his father did not want him to become a musician. This page and the few that follow it describe Handel and his beginning in the music career. The rest of the book goes through the various events in his life that led up to him being a famous musician. The last few pages describe how he is still being remembered today. 

     This book would be excellent in a unit over music. It gives a simple rundown of one of the most famous composers along with musical vocabulary. After this book a teacher could have students compose their own "mini" opera and perform it for various groups in the school.  

Picture Book #10 - WOLF!

Author: Becky Bloom
Illustrator: Pascal Biet
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: Fantasy
Theme: Learning to read
Primary and secondary characters: Wolf, pig, cow, and duck
Awards:
Publication Date: 1999
Publishing Company: Orchard Books

Becky Bloom tells a story of a wolf like no other story students will have ever heard. This wolf might even encourage students to pick up a book and learn to read themselves, or learn to read better! Before the story even begins a beautiful double spread illustration is on the first page showing a grumpy, hungry wolf. A teacher could asked students what they think the wolf is going to do during the story. Once the story begins there are so many beautiful illustrations that add so much humor to the book, even the teacher will be laughing at some of the silly happenings.
The students will follow Wolf on his journey to learn to not only read but become a great story teller. He begins by trying to eat a few farm animals that are reading books, but when they do not pay him any attention because they are too involved with their stories, he decides to see what all the hype is about. He goes to school, that's right, a wolf in school. Pretty scary if you ask me! When he shows the farm animals his new skills they aren't impressed at all. So he keeps working and working and working and working. Will Wolf ever be a good story teller and reader?
This book will show students that if they keep working they can achieve great things! If a teacher has a student who struggles with reading then this would be a good book to assign to them. They can compare and contrast them self to Wolf.

Picture Book #9 - If I had Dragon

Author: Tom and Amanda Ellery
Illustrator: Same
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: Realism
Theme: Little brothers
Primary and secondary characters: Morton and his little brother
Awards:
Publication Date: 2006
Publishing Company: Lectorum Publications, Inc.

     This is a charming book where one little boy finds out just how special it is to have a little brother. Morton is sick and tired of having to play with his baby brother when he cannot really do anything. Morton imagines all the things he wishes he had instead of a brother. He thinks about all the fun he could have with a dragon, but realizes some funny problems he would run into if he had one.
     This book is written in both Spanish and English, therefor it would be great for ELL students or in a Spanish class. The book is for children from ages 3-7 and would make an excellent teaching tool.

Chapter Book #2 - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Author: Avi
Illustrator: N/A
Genre: Fiction
Sub genre: Modern Fantasy
Theme: Pirates, sea life 

Primary and secondary characters: Charlotte Doyle

Awards: Newbery Medal
Publication Date: 1990
Publishing Company: Avon Books, INC.


This is an adventuresome book that any middle school student would enjoy. There are several lesson plans available to aid in the teaching of this book. Teachers can easily plan an adventuresome lesson around this book. The teacher could have students do a research project on real pirates and then build a pirate ship. The students could really relate to the young 13 year old Charlotte Doyle and her sense of adventure. 
The story opens in the town of Liverpool in the summer of 1832. She boards a ship called the Seahawk  along with a man named Mr. Grummage. As they are boarding the ship the young Charlotte spots a shadowy figure dart across the boat. While she's on board she meets the different crew members and gains respect for some and a carefully attitude toward others. This book is filled with adventure as Charlotte and the crew adventure across the sea. Charlotte faces many trials including being put in jail, facing a huge storm, and dealing with men who give her a hard time. This book can take any child on a venture to a place they would have otherwise never been able to go. In the end, after Charlotte returns home to her now standoffish family, she has a decision to make. Will she Continue to live in a place where everyone is so uptight or go out on another adventure with the Seahawk?

Chapter Book #1 - KneeKnock Rise

Author: Natalie Babbitt
Illustrator: Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Fiction 
Sub genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Strange cultural beliefs
Primary and secondary characters: Egan and his strange extended family and their cat and dog
Awards: Newbery Award and Honor Book
Publication Date: 1984
Publishing Company: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

This book has a few pictures in it, however they are not needed for the text. This chapter book would be great for elementary readers, especially students in around the 4th grade. This website offers a lesson plan great for students in grades 4-7. This book would be excellent for having students predict the outcome of each character. The teacher could have them write an essay or act out what they think will happen. This book is sure to grab students and make them want to find out the mystery of the strange people and town.
Young Egan is sent to live with some of his extended family for a short time. When he arrives in the town of Instep he can sense the presence of a strange spell. He finds out what is lurking over the villagers is the fear of the Megrimum, the mysterious something that makes its home  in the misty peak of Kneeknock Rise. Some nights shrieks can be heard from the top of the rise and anyone who dares to venture up the rise never returns. Young Egan makes it a point to discover what it is that haunting the people in the little town. Will  he be able to help the villagers and break the spell? Pick up this short chapter book and find out!

Chapter Book #4: The Hundred Dresses

Author: Eleanor Estes
Illustrator: Louis Slobodkin
Genre: Chapter Book
Sub genre: realistic fiction
Theme: lying, moral dilemmas of childhood, bullying 
Primary and secondary characters: Wanda Petronski
Awards: Newberry Honor Book
Publication Date: 2004
Publishing Company:  Sandpiper


     This book follows a poor young Polish girl name Wanda and her battle with bullying. Wanda is so poor that she cannot afford anymore than one raged blue dress. Instead of just getting the embarrassment of having no other clothes, Wanda tries to make herself sound big by telling a lie to the class. She tells them that she has 100 dress in her closet at home of all different colors and materials. After this the popular girls in the school constantly tease her about her 100 dresses until she simply cannot handle it any longer. When Wanda does not return to school for several days, some students begin to wonder where she is at. The teacher receives a note from her father that says that because of all the teasing they would have to move to a different location and she would not me attending the school anymore. A young girl named Maddie who never teased Wanda feels terrible that she did not stand up for her. She struggles with the fact that she could have made a difference in whether or not Wanda was so hurt that she had to change towns. 
This book would be great to help teach young students the importance of avoiding rude or hurtful comments. This book would engage younger readers because there are a few illustrations scattered throughout the book.
      This book is heartbreaking, yet a great read for any classroom. There is so much diversity in SES in a classroom today. Teachers and students face situations like in this book all the time and people are constantly trying to figure out ways to teach children about such diversity. This book would be perfect to have students analyze diversity in the classroom and how they as students should address it. 

Chapter Book #3: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry
Illustrator: N/A
Genre: Chapter Book
Sub genre: Modern Fantasy/ science fiction
Theme: Unusual society, government, responsibility
Primary and secondary characters: Jonas and The Giver
Awards: Newbery Medal
Publication Date: 1993
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin


This is a chapter book that would be best for older readers that are capable of deep thinking. This book really causes a person to think about the society they live in and what it would be like to have the perfect society. A young boy named Jonas has just that, a perfect society with no pain, no worries, no choices, and the list goes on. Everyone in the community is controlled by what is more or less their government. They government chooses what jobs the people will receive, at what ages the children are to receive certain privileges, and everything else about their lives. The people even have to take pills to keep them from having feelings for someone so that the rulers can match people up. In addition, to make everyone even more the same, everyone is colorblind. Jonas was a typical boy in this society, not knowing what it was really like to feel pain and love, until he was given the job the be the new Giver. Jonas had to go visit The Giver often in order to receive information of the life the community came from. Jonas is soon able to see color, feel emotions, and recall all the horrible events in the past. Jonas is required to keep this information to himself and not to pass through the communities boundaries so that all the memories will only be with him. By the end of the book Jonas knows he has to do something to make the people realize everything they are missing by living in such a 'perfect' society. Will Jonas choose to protect the people from the pain or let everyone experience life? Everyone has to read the book to find out!

A teacher could really use this book to help children evaluate the possibility of being able to live in a 'perfect' society. A teacher could pose questions such as, "Do you think that this is really a perfect society? Why or why not?" "What would you have done in Jonas' situation as the new Giver?". This book is sure to get everyone thinking. 

Picture Book #8: No, No, Charlie Rascal!

Author: Lorna Kent

Illustrator: Lorna Kent

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Cats, pets

Primary and secondary characters: Charlie Rascal and the two children who own him

Awards: 0

Publication Date: 1988

Publishing Company:  Penguin Group

      This book explored a day in the life of a mischievous cat named Charlie Rascal. Charlie Rascal causes everyone to continue getting onto him for various things such as stealing a pie or hopping into a bath with the kids. People in the book are constantly having to shout, "no, no, Charlie Rascal!" Sadly this book is no longer in print and is very hard to find. Every other page has a peep hole so the children can take a guess at why various people had to shout at the silly cat making it a fun interactive story. The illustrator uses various forms to express his idea of the cat through lines and colors. This book is full of fun and color and any child, or even adult, would enjoy its humor.
     This book could be used to help students learn how to anticipate things coming in a story. The way the book is written a teacher could easily have students discuss what trouble they think Charlie will get into next. The teacher could then have the students state their case and why they think that it will happen. This would help with the students' reasoning skills. 

Picture Book #7: Brown Rabbit's Shape Book

Author: Alan Baker

Illustrator: Alan Baker

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: Fantasy

Theme: Shapes

Primary and secondary characters: Brown Rabbit

Awards: 0

Publication Date: 1994

Publishing Company:  Kingfisher Books

     This book can help teach young children shapes in a fun way. This story follows a brown rabbit as he explores the items found in a big box that arrived at his place. The box is filled with balloons of all shapes and sizes. Brown Rabbit observes all of the shapes as he blows up the many balloons. Rabbit eventually runs out of balloons but makes use of what is left of the gift box. Children will love the illustrations in this book because nobody can resist a cute brown rabbit that is so beautifully illustrated. The illustrator chooses not to add any unnecessary designs or background colors which keeps the focus on the shapes of the balloons. This little rabbit and his fun adventure with shapes makes this book a must have for any children's book collection.
     I would definitely use this book in a lesson over shapes. I would use the book to hook the students and want to make them learn about shapes. Instead of book work and just having kids draw the shapes, I would send them on a scavenger hunt to find all of the shapes mentions in the book. The students would only be allowed to look in the classroom for the items. They would then have to create a box like brown rabbit received int he mail and but all of their items in the box and give it to another group so that they can name all the shapes in that groups box. 

Picture Book #6: Mama Zooms

Author: Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Illustrator: Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Disabilities in the family

Primary and secondary characters: A little boy and his mom who is in a wheelchair

Awards: N/A

Publication Date: 1993

Publishing Company:  Scholastic INC.

     This book follows a little boy and his adventuresome mama. His mama is unlike most moms though, she is in a wheelchair. The little boy does not see the difference in his mama and the mother chooses not to limit the fun she has with her little boy because of her disability. She zooms her son all around pretending to be a ship while her son is a captain or a racehorse while he is a jockey. With each new adventure there is a colorful illustration that accompanies it bringing out the true meaning of the words. This book could be used in any classroom setting and would help teach the students that it is okay to have a parent who is not exactly like the rest of the parents. The little boy and him zooming mama will steel any heart by the end of the book.
      With inclusion programs becoming more and more popular in schools, students in general education need to be more aware and comfortable with the various disabilities. Books like this one are perfect for introducing those disabilities. After this book is read a teacher could have a "disability station" set up in the room with different challenges someone with a disability may have. There could be a station where the students have to go through a course in a wheelchair or with a cast on their leg. There could be another station where they have to complete a problem with a lot of distractions that someone with a disability like autism might face.

Picture Book #5 - Chicka Chicka abc

Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Illustrator: Lois Ehlert
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: poetry
Theme: the alphabet
Primary and secondary characters: David
Awards: Kentucky Bluegrass award
Parent's Choice Award
Publication Date: 1989
Publishing Company:  An imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division

     This book takes the traditional abc song and turns it into a fun, rhythmic chant for children. This book would be great for very young children who are trying to learn their alphabet. Teachers are always pushed to teach various methods and using a silly book like is sure to grab the students attention.  The illustrations are simple with very flat coloring, however this just helps the letters to stand out more for students. There is a fun surprise at the end of the book after all the letters try to climb the coconut tree.
     A lesson on the alphabet could not begin with any more fun than with this book! There are so many cute and fun lessons that a teacher could base off of this book. One lesson would be to fill a pan with sand and have students dig through it to find little alphabet letters. Another would be to simply take the book a page a day until the students know their entire alphabet then at the end of the lesson let the students do the Chicka Chicka chant in front of another class or other teachers.  Hubbard's Cupbourd offers a five day lesson plan that will bring this book to life.

Picture Book #4 - Olivia

Author: Ian Falconer

Illustrator: Ian Falconer

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: Fantasy 

Theme: Music, dance, young children, a day in the life, little brothers

Primary and secondary characters: Olivia the pig

Awards: Caldecott honor book

Publication Date: 2000

Publishing Company: Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

     This book had me laughing the entire time I read it. Reading the brief text then looking at the pictures of the little piglet Olivia doing all sorts of silly things would be sure to make anyone laugh. Olivia is one spunky, energetic pig who does all the things normal little girls love to do, such as wear their mom's makeup or try on all their clothes. She can be anything from a master sandcastle builder to a singer to a big sister. The illustrations are all very simple consisting of black, white and the color red; yet they tell the story in such a colorful way.  Everyone should read this book, even if it is only to cheer them up on a gloomy day.  
     This book could be used in so many different ways, especially when doing art with students. Olivia is really into dancing and acting things out, so the perfect activity to go along with the book would be to have students either act or dance. After the book, the teacher could have the students play a game of charades and then talk about how the acting industry works. The teacher could also choreograph motions to a song and have the students learn and perform it for another class. The website hubpages offers various classroom activities that can be done when reading this book. The students will be eager to have create fun adventure just like little Olivia.

Picture Book #3 - David Gets in Trouble

Author: David Shannon

Illustrator: David  Shannon

Genre: Picture Book

Sub genre: realistic fiction

Theme: Admitting bad actions

Primary and secondary characters: David

Awards:

Monarch Award winner

Borders Original Voices

Publication Date: 2002

Publishing Company:  Scholastic INC.

     This simple yet eventful book tells the story of a little boy David who is constantly getting in trouble. He does things like eating one of the dog's bones and stealing a bite of cake without using a fork. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and full of color and life. The author/illustrator used visual elements such as line, shape, and color in order to convey his idea of the troublesome boy. This book would not make any since if it were not for the pictures, therefore it is a prime example when looking for a great picture book to share with young readers.  By the end of the book David learns a lesson, but nobody will truly know what lesson David learns unless they check out the book.
    Every teacher will probably have a student like David in their classroom and many of the students would be able to relate to crazy David. When talking about the rules at the beginning of the year it would be a good idea to begin with this book and have the students discuss why they should not behave like David does in the classroom. The teacher could do a team-pair-solo so that students can discuss it with each other then for the solo part write down or draw pictures of good behaviors.  This website offers a great classroom material if a teacher chooses to read this book to their class.

Picture Book #2 - Red Sings from Treetops

Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Pamela Zagarenski
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: Poetry
Theme: Discovering the magic of the seasons through colors
Primary and secondary characters: A child and a puppy named pup
Awards:
2010 Caldecott Honor Award
Claudia Lewis Poetry Award
Minnesota Book Award
Cybilis Poetry Award
Horn Book Fanfare
Bulletin Editor's Choice
CCBC Choices 2010
New York Public Library's "100 Titles for  Reading and Sharing"
ABC "Indie" Best Book
Junior Library Quild Selection
Publication Date: 2009
Publishing Company:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
     This is truly a one of a kind book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the words are so poetic. The book goes through each season and describes the different elements of that season by using colors. For instance when it describes spring big sun instead of ever saying sun it says yellow. This book could read to younger children or used for older children. If you want your children to really put their imaginations to work then this book is the perfect thing to help!
    This book could be used to teach younger children their colors, although I think that they would not understand the concepts in the book. Since this book is written in a poetic way describing daily life in colors, older children could use this as a basis to write a description of their life through colors. This could be used in a writing curriculum as a creative writing assignment. This assignment would help students to view their lives from a different perspective. After everyone has finished their essays or poems, the teacher could host a poetry read for students to read their work in front of the class.

Picture Book #1 - The Web Files

Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Richard Egielski
Genre: Picture Book
Sub genre: Comedy or humor
Theme: Trying to discover who committed a crime by interviewing suspects.
Primary and secondary Characters: The  duckdetective Web and his partner Bill
Awards: NA
Publication Date: 2001
Publishing Company: Hyperion Books for Children
Number of Pages: 29
Summery: Follow two silly duckdetectives as they go on a hunt for someone who stole a peck of perfect purple almost-pickled peppers, a tub of tasty tart tomatoes, and a load of luscious leafy lettuce. This book is sure to be just as much fun for an adult to read as it will be for a child to listen. It is filled with hidden meanings and special characters such as the three blind mice and Miss Muffet. By the end the kids will be ready to find the person who committed such an awful crime! In order to find out who took enough food to make a salad, then check out this book!
This book could either be used as just a fun read in the classroom or when learning about real life detectives. The teacher could have a detective come into the classroom and explain about how the job works. After the detective works the children could do a role play and act out a crime then have the "detective" try to solve it. The students could also do a scavenger hunt after this book in any of their subjects.