Alice the Fairy

Alice is a little girl, who wants to be a fairy. She describes all the things that she can do like a fairy and all of her fairy tools like her magic wand and her blanket. She says she uses her wand to disappear, but what she really does is flicks the light switch off. She also has a magic mirror and fairy dust for her spells. She thinks she’ll probably be a temporary fairy forever because to be a permanent fairy you have to go to advanced fairy school.

This is a good book to use when talking about perspective. The story is written through the eyes of a young girl. She fantasizes that her mom is an evil duchess because she makes her eat broccoli. I think this book would have a wide appeal for imaginative students, who like to pretend they have special powers.

Shannon, D. (2004) Alice the Fairy. Blue Sky Press: NY

One Snowy Night

When Little Hedgehog wakes up early from his hibernation, he gets a present from Father Christmas. It’s a red hat. When he tries to wear it, he stretches it until it’s way too big, so he gives it to Rabbit., who passes it to Badger, who passes it to Fox, who finds Little Hedgehog in the snow, and brings him back to Rabbit in the hat.

This book to lead to a non-fiction study of hibernation. You could ask questions such as: what other animals hibernate? How do they prepare for hibernation?

Butler, M. and Macnaughton, T. (2004) One Snowy Night. Good Books Intercourse, PA.

Duck on a Bike

On the farm Duck found a bike. He rode past the cow, sheep, and the other farmyard animals, who all had something to say about Duck riding a bike. When a bunch of kids rode by on their bikes, all the animals got a chance to ride a bike. One way to use this book is to highlight dialogue. Another way to use this with children is to have them add a page of their words.

Shannon, D. (2002) Duck on a Bike. Blue Sky Press: New York

Falling for Rapunzel

This Rapunzel was having a bad hair day. She was whining about her hair and the prince thought she wanted him to set her free. She couldn't hear what he was saying so she threw down her underwear, her socks and many more things. Eventually Rapunzel threw down her maid who fell in love with the prince.
This book is a great new take on the story of Rapunzel. It would be interesting to discuss the fact that the door was open the entire time.
Wilcox, L. and Monks, L. (2003) Falling for Rapunzel. Penguin Putnam Books: New York

Arthur's Valentine

In Arthur's Valentine, a secret admirer is sending Arthur valentines. he tries to figure out who his secret admirer is. when all of his valentines fall out of his coat outside his classmates tease him. Arthur thinks his valentine is sue ellen, so he sends her a valentine but it turns out its francine who left him a message to meet him at the movie theater.
this is a useful valentine book because children enjoy the well-known character of Arthur its a good book for independent reading.
Brown, M. (1980) Arthur's Valentine. Little, Brown, and Company: Boston.

Math Fables

In each short fable, children are shown different ways to group numbers. Tang uses rhymes in each of his fables to keep the reader interested. The fables get increasingly difficult as the reader gets accustomed to the work. This is a great way to combine math and literature.
Tang, G. and Cahoon, H. (2004) Math Fables. Scholastic: New York.

1, 2, 3 To the Zoo

This is a great counting book for children that are learning to count because it is clear what they are counting. The animals are easy to identify and visually engaging. I enjoy the collage art and find the train that connects all of the animals to be a good visual device to carry the book.
One way to use this book is to take advantage of the title. It is so easy to make predictions about which animals will be in the zoo and then check the predictions as you go along.
Carle, E. (1968) 1, 2, 3 To the Zoo. Putnam: New York.

Just Like Abraham Lincoln

This is a book written from a child's perspective. It tells of the narrator's neighbor, Mr. Potts, who looks just like Abraham Lincoln. He acts a bit like him too. Mr. Potts tells stories about Mr. Lincoln, he has clothes to look like him, and he even quotes him. When the narrators class is studying Lincoln, the narrator suggests that Mr. Potts surprises the class with a visit and he does reciting the Gettysburg address.
This is an interesting way to get children interested in history. The character of Mr. Potts makes me want to learn more too! Here is a website with a unit devoted to Abe: http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/lincoln/class.htm
Waber, B. (1964) Just Like Abraham Lincoln. Houghton Mifflin: Boston.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Sylvester is a donkey that has a hobby of collecting unusual pebbles. Sylvester finds a pebble one day that grants wishes. When a lion comes along, Sylvester wishes that he were a rock and becomes a rock. However, as a rock Sylvester can't hold the pebble and wish to be a donkey again. A lot of time passes and his parents eventually happen onto the same spot he became a rock. They find the pebble and put it on the rock that is Sylvester. When he wishes that he were himself, it comes true! This book was banned from some schools in the seventies because of its portrayal of police as the pigs in the book.
Here are some lessons that go along with the book: http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1270.html .
Steig, W. (1969) Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Scholastic: New York.

The Rain Came Down

The rain begins and sends a chain reaction of negative events through the community. Everything is turned upside down including the arguing of the beauty parlor owner, the barber, and the painter. When the sun breaks through the clouds, it works like magic to stop the fussing. This is a great book to teach cause and effect...when the rain stops all the people start being nice to each other. It would also be interesting to talk about stereotypes and look into the community people and ask why the grocer is Asian and so on.
Shannon,D. (2000) The Rain Came Down. Blue Sky Press: New York.

Mary Had a Little Jam

This book contains all the classic nursery rhymes we grew up with like: Little Boy Blue, Old Mother Hubbard, and Mother Goose. These rhymes have been updated to make a fun comparison between old and new. For example, Old Mother Hubbard's dog orders a pizza and Little Miss Muffet tells the spider to get his own ice cream.
Lansky, B. (2003) Mary Had a Little Jam. Meadowbrook: Minnetonka.

And the dish ran away with the spoon

Did you ever wonder what would happen if the dish really ran away with the spoon? This book is the answer to that question. Using the premise that the dish and spoon usually come back before the next reading of the book, the Stevens sisters created a fun book that incorporates many other characters from the magical land of fairy tales and nursery rhymes including the big, bad wolf, the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Boy Blue. This book will be great when studying nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It should be used with students who are familiar with the characters, so the students will understand the jokes/puns. Another way to use this book is to create alternate endings in the same style using this book as a model.
Stevens, J. and Crummel, S. (2001) And the dish ran away with the spoon. Harcourt: New York.

Lilly's Big Day

The second Lilly book continues with Lilly's fascination with her teacher Mr. Slinger. This time Lilly wants to be his flower girl; however, he already has a flower girl. So, Lilly gets to be the flower girl's assistant and saves the day when the real flower girl freezes! This book teaches perseverance to children. When they don't get what they want, they need to keep trying and working toward their goals.
Henkes, K. (2006) Lilly's Big Day. HarperCollins :New York

Peter's Chair

Peter is a little boy faced with the issue of having a new sister to share his house with. His parents are spending a lot of time painting Peter's old furniture pink and he doesn't like it. So, Peter decides to run away. He lasts until he gets hungry when he begins to realize that having a little sister isn't that bad.
This is a great story for a child that has a new baby coming. It could be read along with Koala Lou. It would be a good story to talk about character because Peter is the focus of the book.
Keats, E.J. (1967) Peter's Chair. Harpercollins: New York.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Awarded for Raschka's beautiful illustrations, The Hello, Goodbye Window is about an interracial family spending time with their granddaughter. We see the window from the title as the little girl walks up the driveway to the house. Looking out of the window are the smiling faces of her grandparents. Throughout the story, this window is where the imaginative little girls sees the outside world like the pizza man, but also the magical dinosaur.
This is an interesting book that shows a biracial family in a positive light. This kind of book is imperative for teaching tolerance and helping kids feel accepted in schools.
http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/data/books/tgpdf/07868091401500.pdf

Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!

After reading this book, I have found myself telling my first-graders, "You'll drive me wild one day." This book is about a mother-daughter relationship and how it is hard not to lose your temper at least every once in a while. Harriet is the daughter, who continues to make mistakes like spilling things or making things fall on the ground. Finally, her mom gets angry and loses her temper, but in the end, they know they still love each other.
I think this is a good book to read when talking about forgiveness. It is a good way to teach children that they will all make mistakes and it is important to forgive each other as well as asking for forgiveness when necessary.
Fox, M. and Frazee, M., Harriet, You'll Drive me wild! Harcourt, New York.

Koala Lou

Koala Lou is a lovable Koala who misses the attention of her mother. Mem Fox uses repetition along with fabulous characters to inspire love of this book from people of all ages.
When Koala Lou's mother gives her attention to Koala Lou's brothers and sisters, Koala Lou decides to participate in the Bush Olympics so that her mother will once again say, "Koala Lou, I do love you." When Koala Lou loses the olympics, she thinks she will never hear those words, but her mom pulls her into her arms and tells her how proud she is.

Fox, M. and Lofts, P.(1994) Koala Lou. Voyager Books:

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Maybe the wolf wasn't so bad after all...This book tells his story. He just wanted to make a cake for his grand-ma, but he didn't have any sugar, so he went to borrow some from the pigs. He had a cold though, so he accidentally leveled the houses of the little pigs. He didn't want to waste food, so he ate some pigs. This website has some interesting lesson ideas: http://www.nancypolette.com/LitGuidesText/truestorypigs.htm .
Scieszka, J. (1989) The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Penguin Books: New York.

The Three Pigs

Students can write speech bubbles on the flying pages. Students can decide where the pigs are going on the paper airplanes and if they would have the pigs traveling in a different manner.

Wiesner, D. The Three Pigs. Clarion Books: New York.

More Than One

More Than One is a book about numbers. It shows how one can mean more than one...one week is seven days, one pair is two of something. The book ends with a memorable phrase, "One can be 1 and One can be more." This is a good book to use to show children the importance of considering all options and thinking outside the box.

Martin's Big Words

In Martin's Big Words, Rappaport uses her voice alongside Martin Luther King, Jr.'s to tell the story of Dr. King's life. The book spans Dr. King's life from young boy through the time of his death leaving us with hope that his "big words" still live on.

Rappaport, D. and Collier, B. (2001) Martin's Big Words. New York: HarperCollins.

Owen

Another mouse book written by Kevin Henkes, Owen, tells the story of a young mouse that won't part with his blankie. The characters in this book are humorous and quirky like the neighbor that keeps offering advice for Owen's parents. This is a book for any child that had something he or she didn't want to give up as they grew out of it. I love how the parents keep adapting and trying new ways to get Owen to give up the blanket.

Henkes, K. (1993) Owen. New York: Scholastic.

A Weekend with Wendell

Wendell is a mouse that wants to be the boss all the time. Sophie has to put up with him while his parents are away. He bosses her around the entire visit until Sophie decides to stand up to Wendell and they become friends. The illustrations add a lot to the text of this picture book. It is a fun read-aloud for all ages!

Henkes, K. (1986). A Weekend with Wendell. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Lilly is a mouse that loves her teacher. One day she brings her new purple purse to show everyone, but Mr. Slinger tells her to put it away! Lilly doesn't listen and Mr. Slinger takes her purse away until the end of the day. The rest of the story is about how Lilly fixes her relationship with her teacher. I think this story shows the excitement of children and how sometimes they get so excited that they can't control themselves, but in the end most teachers understand.


Henkes, K. (1996). Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. New York: HarperCollins.

100 School Days

This 100th day book is also a counting book! In the story every child has a day to bring a certain number of items in to celebrate that day. On the tenth day they bring ten balloons, then twenty cars, and so on. The children are collecting a penny a day for hurricane victims, so there is even a hint of humanitarianism in the story. A great book for 100th day celebrations!


Rockwell, A. and Rockwell, L. (2002). 100 School Days. New York: HarperCollins.

Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten

The 100th day of school is going to be here on Wednesday. Even though I teach first grade, I plan to read them Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten. This is a fun book about one class celebrating the 100th day by bringing one hundred of anything to school. One reason I read this book is because we do a similar activity.


Slate, J., Wolff, A. (1998) Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten. New York: Puffin Books

The Leaving Morning

The Leaving Morning is a story of a family moving. Watercolor paintings provide a glance into the life of this family as they prepare to leave one home behind to find another. The word choice is what makes this book shine. I can imagine what it would feel like to get ready to leave on this "soupy, misty morning". My class used Angela Johnson as a mentor author because she has a lot of writing techniques that children can try in their own writing. We used ellipses, wrote about our families, repeating phrases, and even more techniques you can find in this book. She was a great mentor author because she also writes about African American children. The kids in my class see people that they almost recognize in these pictures.


Johnson, A. (1992). The Leaving Morning. New York: Scholastic

Katie's Sunday Afternoon

In this work of fiction, a child named Katie visits an art gallery one hot Sunday afternoon. The book details her experiences as she climbs in paintings by Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Camille Pissarro.

Mayhew, J. (2005) Katie's Sunday Afternoon. New York: Orchard Books.

blues journey

This soulful lyrical poem tells a tale of the African experience. A tale of hope, despair, poverty, and love that children will appreciate through reading or listening. Students will enjoy reading the comeback lines aloud as they should be heard not just read. Christopher Myers used white and brown paper bags along with paint to illustrate this book with collages along with many images of African American children and adults. One striking illustration shows a young man looking through the hole of the sole of his shoe.

Myers, W. (2003). Blues Journey. New York City: Holiday House

Snow

Shulevitz uses simple language to create a beautiful story. The children want snow, but everyone keeps saying no snow or telling them that it will melt. Finally, one drop starts the snowfall and it keeps coming! The illustrations of Snow received the Caldecott honor. This book would be useful in teaching narrative writing because it describes a short time period with many details. It could also be used to begin a science study on snow or winter.
Shulevitz, U. (1998). Snow. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre

Cave Paintings to Picasso

This timeline not only shows progression in styles of art, but also does it best to describe the life of the artist, what the piece of art shows, and how the work affected the world. It is an asset to a classroom of artists and future historians. The format of the book provides ease for readers to find certain periods of time or artists of interest using the table of contents. Sayre also provides a glossary to explain unfamiliar art terms.
Sayre, H. (2004). Cave Paintings to Picasso: Chronicle Books

John Philip Duck

John Philip Duck is a story of a child's determination to save his animal friend. The main character, Edward, managed to keep his pet duck a secret from the hotel manager for a while. When the angry manager sees the duck and tries to shoo it away with the other ducks, Edward shows him that this duck can march to John Philip Sousa! In order to save the other ducks, Edward must teach all of them to march as well as stay in the fountain. A great read aloud, this book appeals to students who know what it's like to try to convince their family they are ready for a pet as well as students who have had to go to work with their parents or siblings.
Polacco, P. (2004). John Philip Duck. New York: Philomel Books

Langston's Train Ride

Langston's Train Ride is foremost an illustrated version of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," which was published by Hughes in 1921. The illustrator, Leonard Jenkins, uses collages of paintings to awe the reader's visual senses as the reader gets involved with the powerful text. The backstory of the train ride relates to children's lives as many have to travel to visit moms or dads that don't live in the same house.
Burleigh, R. (2004). Langston's Train Ride. New York: Orchard Books

M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet

M is for Melody is a alphabet book that could work in multiple settings. Young readers will enjoy the rhyming lines of this musical alphabet book, while older readers will comprehend more of the terminology. There are helpful side notes on each page that explain more than the lines of poetry. This book can be used in a music class as well as the regular classroom.
Wargin, K. (2004). M is for Melody. Chelsea: Sleeping Bear Press

Museum 123

Museum 123 brings a new quality to counting books: famous paintings. Each number asks a question for the reader to answer by counting an aspect of the following picture. One example is the number of buttons on a uniform. It requires that readers interact through counting and answering the questions. It is a predictable answer because the text goes in order from one to ten. This book is great for us New York City educators because it can be a companion on a fieldtrip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the creator of the book, who only used pieces from their museum's collection.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2004). New York City. Little, Brown, and Company

The Great Art Scandal

This book teaches children a new way to interact with text. It is a mystery text that children can solve through the clues given through paintings. The Great Art Scandal is a tool for teachers trying to open students' eyes to important details in texts. These details are usually in the paintings, but the knowledge is transferable. As students analyze the mystery, they are studying famous painters and pieces of art. Comic book fanatics will be interested in the presentation of the mystery. The curator/narrator speaks directly to the reader causing the reader to become involved with the text immediately.

Nilsen, A. (2003). The Great Art Scandal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

ellington was not a street

This book is actually a poem created from Shange's poem "Mood Indigo" created in 1983. The poem is about Shange's childhood, which was filled with African American leaders. It showcases innovators such as Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, W.E.B DuBois, and many more. One aspect I find helpful is the section of biographical information at the end of the book that gives the reader more information about each man featured. This book would be better if it had a companion displaying female African-Americans of influence.
Classroom activities are available through scholastic, the publisher, at this website.

Shange, N. (1983). Ellington was not a Street. New York City: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

John's Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon

Illustrations created using collage and water colors are visually appealing. Music lyrics and quotes are interspersed with free-verse poetry to tell the story of John Lennon's life. The book ends with a timeline of important dates in this musician's life. An interesting way to include 20th century history into a music class or social studies lesson. Teachers could bring music to entice students' interests of a controversial time in the world's history.

Rappaport, D. (2004). John's Secret Dreams. New York City, Hyperion Books for Children