Halloween ABC

Merriam, E. (1987).  Halloween abc.  New York, NY:  Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

     Not my idea on how to teach young children the ABC’s; however, it is a fun way to enjoy the Halloween season through poems and great illustrations.  This book includes poems for every letter of the alphabet.  I can see how some might not approve of their children reading this book, but I thought it was just a bit spooky while focusing on the letters of the alphabet with its rhymes in the poems. Good book.

Becoming Billie Holiday

Weatherford, C. B. (2008). Becoming Billie Holiday. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.

     Comprised of poems, Becoming Billie Holiday is a memoir of the character by the same name.  Through the poems we learn of this character from the beginning of life through her young adulthood.  She endured many misfortunes growing up.  Including many different topics in these poems, the reader gets a better feel for the character before her early death.  I really enjoyed the story this book told through its poems.  It was both emotional and powerful.

Birds

Henkes, K. (2009). Birds. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

 

     Adults can only expect for children to push their levels of imagination with this book.  Birds points out shapes, sizes, and colors of different birds.  Children use their imagination as many “if” situations arise.  The author does a great job with text.  I really liked the ideas and the illustrations in this book.  I think it is a great book for young children.

City Dog, Country Frog

Willems, M. (2010).  City dog, country frog.  New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

     This story is about a great friendship that begins to develop after a dog runs into a frog that seems to be waiting for a friend.  Their friendship continues to grow through out the seasons as different as they are.  The illustrator, Jon Muth, does a great job with the illustrations in this story.  Colors are not bold.  They are instead a little lighter.  They seem to blend well which show beautiful illustrations. Over all, I enjoyed the story line and illustrations.

The Quiet Book

Underwood, D. (2010). The quiet book. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

     This book really wasn’t one of my favorite picture books.  Each page provided one sentence on different ways or different times that a child is quiet.  There were one or two ways that were told in the book that made me smile.  One example given in the book included, “Thinking of a good reason you were drawing on the wall quiet.”  That example just reminded me of my own children and students when you know they’ve done something wrong, so they’re nice and quiet.  The illustrations were not too colorful.  They were actually quite dull. There were a lot of spaces on the pages that were left blank.  The book cover was also simple and not too attractive. 

Hot X: Algebra Exposed!

McKellar, D. (2010).  Hot x.: algebra exposed.  New York, NY: Penguin Group.

     Full of math vocabulary, word problems, tips, and so much more, Hot X provides opportunities for math practice.  McKellar takes what might be a tough subject for young girls and attempts to provide them with simple explanations while providing examples and fun personal stories too.  I think a lot of what makes this book interesting are the short stories, and testimonials from girls that the author provides in between chapters.  The book is extremely informative.  I thought information was easy enough to read and understand.  I thought it would be something that my teenage daughter would like to read as much as I did. Great book!

Almost Astronauts 13 Women Who Dared To Dream

Stone, T. L. (2009). Almost astronauts: 13 women who dared to dream. New York, NY: Candlewick Press.

    Struggles endured by several women in the 1960’s as they fought hard to be treated as equals in this field.  The opposition they found from their male counterparts was a lot to endure, physically and mentally.  These women fought hard and long.  They have helped to pave the way for the women that today can be found serving as astronauts. This book included many black/white and colored pictures that help tell their stories. I thought this book gave great insight into a topic that might not have other wise been shared.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Lee, H. (1988). To kill a mockingbird. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing.

     Strong, powerful characters and story line fill this book from beginning to end.  Reality hits hard when Atticus, the father, attempts to defend an innocent black man. Despite being seen by many as a well respected lawyer, not everyone accepts his decision to defend this man.  Atticus refuses to sit back and watch.  Harper Lee does a remarkable job in developing the characters in this story as Scout begins realizing how things really are in life, just not fair.  Fascinating book!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

     It’s time for middle school for Greg (main character) in this great series for children by Jeff Kinney.  I had seen and heard the craze all around school (and home) about this series.  It’s no wonder with all of Greg’s unfortunate events how kids would simply fall in love with the books.  This author takes us through some of Greg’s and Rowley’s (his friend) adventures in middle school.  There is much humor to be found in this story.  Greg tries so hard to fit in, but things don’t always turn out the way he thinks they will.  My youngest son loved this book and so did I.

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: the story of negro league baseball. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

  

   This book offers great and interesting facts of the Negro Baseball League. It talks about many of the challenges they endured, obstacles they overcame, and their success in playing the game of baseball.  The author/illustrator Kadir Nelson does an amazing job in his paintings of players.  They help in adding a visual to the information in this book.  Great book!

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Scieska, J., & Smith, L. (1992). The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

    This book is comprised of parodies that have been taken from some of our favorite fairytales and stories.  It takes from stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Gingerbread Man.   All this makes for an unusual, but fun book.  Illustrations in this book were just as fun as the text itself.  Great picture book.

James and the Giant Peach

Dahl, R. (1996). James and the giant peach. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

     James finds himself in an unpleasant situation after his parents suffer a tragic accident.  He is left to two of his aunts where he is constantly mistreated.  A series of events leads to a giant peach growing in the backyard.  James develops wonderful friendships with the insects in the story.  At the end, James continues to find satisfaction and comfort in his new found friends.  With this story, imaginations run high. Enjoyed it!

Twilight

Meyer, S. (2006). Twilight. New York, NY: Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

         The first book in the Twilight Series, this book is the beginning of a romance that develops between two of the main characters, Bella and Edward.  Bella soon discovers the truth behind the mysterious, but intriguing Edward and his family.   What I think I most enjoyed about this book was how Bella was so accepted and accepting of the vampire’s world.  Through out the book, we are left to wonder if anything will ever happen to Bella in the presence of the vampires.  Enjoyed the story line. 

Abuelita

Johnston, T. (2009). My abuelita. Orlando, FL: Houghton Children’s Books

Abuelita enjoys the time she spends with her grandson.  Many activities fill their morning. As the story develops, we can see what a fantastic relationship both of them have.  Illustrations are amazing.  The illustrations depict the Latino culture.  Beautiful story!

Diego Bigger Than Life

Bernier-Grand, C.T. (2009).  Diego bigger than life.  Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.

     A biography of artist Diego Rivera, this book tells of his interesting life.  He uses poetry and illustrations to tell of a life full of relationships, including family, and his art.  Beautiful colors fill the pages of this great book.  The front cover was just as colorful and eye catching.

Return to Sender

Alvarez, Julia (2009). Return to Sender. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books.

     I really enjoyed this book.  Because of the area where we live, it was easy to see and feel for the characters in this book.  Through Mari’s thoughts and emotions, we are able to learn so much of what her family endured.  I like that the characters in this story were very well developed. Fantastic book!

The Great Gilly Hopkins

Paterson, Katherine (1978 ). The great gilly hopkins. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

     I enjoyed this book as much as Jacob Have I Loved both by the same author, Katherine Paterson.  As troubled as Gilly seems at times, you can’t help but feel compassion towards her with the hand life has dealt her.  Her wish of reuniting with her mother finally comes, but despite having waited for so long, her hopes are crushed as she realizes that her mother does not plan to stay around for long.  The character deals with many changes in her life which leads her through a rollercoaster of emotions.

Goosebumps: Bad Hare Day

    Stine, R.L. (1996). Goosebumps: bad hare day. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

     Little does Tim know that he would be in for more than he bargained for when he steals the magician’s bag of tricks.  He ends up being part of the show when he agrees to join them.  It just wasn’t quite what he had in mind.  I can see how my students have always enjoyed this series of books.  Great series for younger students.

Math Curse

Scieska, J. (1995). Math curse. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

  
   This is one good book to show how math is used in our every day lives.  My teenage daughter still asks, “Why do I need to learn math?”   I need to show her this book!  It’s a great way to show how we use math.  Math problems fill the pages of this book.  The book is cute and is something that the children will like to pick up time and time again. 

Superfudge

Blume, J. (2007). Superfudge. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

     As if Peter did not have his hands full with Fudge, his mother is now expecting another baby!  Fudge is quite the character in this story.  It is a great, funny story that will keep the children wanting to know what Fudge is up to next.  I enjoyed this story from beginning to end.  Great characters!

Verdi

Cannon, J. (1997). Verdi. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

     A story about a python named Verdi, this story talks about the changes he undergoes and how at first he wishes he didn’t have to change.  It is a great story about accepting change, and it is not what is outside, but inside that matters.  The illustrations in this book are colorful, eye catching, and colors really stand out in this book.

Because of Winn-Dixie

DiCamillo, Kate (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MASS: Candlewick Press.

      Having just recently moved with her father, Opal, the main character of this story, finds a dog at the local Winn-Dixie supermarket. She couldn’t ask for a better companion.  She finds comfort in her dog as her mixed emotions about her mother’s absence weigh heavy on her at times.  Fantastic story from beginning to end!

One Potato, Two Potato

DeFelice, M. (2006). One potato, two potato. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

     Having only one of everything to share, it is not until Mr. O’Grady comes across an old pot that their luck begins to change.  The characters were lovable in this story.  It was easy to see why this was given the Texas Bluebonnet Award.  Illustrations were colorful and unique.  I especially liked the relation of the characters.

Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy

Bildner, P. (2006). Shoeless joe and black betsy. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

       A great story about how two good friends created a bat, Black Betsy, that helped Joe Jackson through the major leagues. A lot of his success was attributed to this bat.  This book had a great story line and illustrations that helped make it a great success.  I really enjoyed this story.            -Texas Bluebonnet Award

Togo

Blake, R. (2002). Togo. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

     This is a story about a sled dog that didn’t start out as one.   The theme of determination rings through out.  His biggest accomplishment comes as he and his team makes their biggest race ever through the frozen Arctic.  Illustrations in this book are captivating.  They help in telling this amazing story.  -Texas Bluebonnet Award 

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!

Stevens, J., & Crummel, S. S. (2008). Help me, mr. mutt!. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

     Illustrations were colorful and nice, but just didn’t care for the story line.  Corresponding with a canine counselor just wasn’t cute enough for me.  Also, I was not impressed with the cover of the book.  I did think that the story line was original though.

Snowflake Bentley

Martin, J. (1998). Snowflake bentley. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This Caldecott Medal winner tells the true story of a character by the name of Wilson Bentley.  He was fascinated by snowflakes, and studied their patterns. No one cared for Bentley’s interest as the snow was more of a burden than anything to them in Vermont.

            As he got older, he asked for an expensive camera from his parents so he could further research the snowflakes.  His parents sacrificed the little they had to purchase it for him.  His failed in producing his very first set of photographs, but later improved his techniques.  He never made very much money from his photographs.  He cared more in sharing what he discovered, that all snowflakes were different.  Instead, many times he would give the photographs as gifts. 

            The biographical information Martin provides on the outer borders of the book provide additional information about Mr. Bentley.  The illustrations are beautifully put together.  With snowflakes set as backgrounds or borders, they help in creating the setting for the story.   

Beezus and Ramona

Clearly, B. (1955). Beezus and ramona. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

What is an older sister to do?  Beezus’ four year old sister is quite the handful.  It’s obvious that Ramona likes attention, and she’ll go to great lengths to get it.  Beezus can’t go to an art class or play checkers without Ramona causing a scene. One day Ramona even invites several children over for a party without her mother even knowing it. In her sister’s case, the last straw is when Ramona ruins not one of her birthday cakes, but two.  Beezus a bit embarrassed confesses that she doesn’t always like Ramona.  Her aunt and mother tell of how they didn’t always care for each other as they were growing up, but now have a wonderful relationship.  Beezus can’t believe what she’s hearing, and hopes that one day, it will be the same for them.

          The onomatopoeia in this selection shows what a handful Ramona can be, constantly making noise.  It adds a little something to the character of Ramona.  The theme is based on the siblings’ relationship. Beezus just doesn’t know how to feel about her younger sister at times.  She tries to do the right thing by trying to make Ramona happy, but Ramona just somehow seems to always mess it up.

Snow

Shulevitz, U. (2004). Snow. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Shulevitz’ story is about a boy that notices one flake, two flakes, three flakes.  As he points it out to people, they disregard it as not a big deal.  They just don’t think very much of it.  Despite even hearing it on the television, the boy continues to think that it will snow, and it does. 

          The story itself was very simple.  The illustrations were very good in that they gave the feeling that everyone just went about their business, doubting that it would snow.  Illustrations did not fill the pages.  The color scheme was mostly based on white and grey because of the snow.  The boy repeating phrases showed how confident he was that it would snow.  

-Caldecott Honor Book

Sarah, Plain and Tall

  MacLachlan, P. (1987). Sarah, plain and tall. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

During child birth the children lose their mother, and the husband looses his wife.  Told by Anna, one of two children, this story is about children that long to have a mother and a husband that wishes to complete his family once again with a wife and mother for his chidren.  Papa begins a correspondence by mail with Sarah.

Sarah agrees to come out and live with this family to see if they can make it work.  The whole family falls in love with one another.  One day, Sarah decided to go into town on her own.  Caleb, the younger of the two children, fears that she will not return.  Eventually, she does return, and mention of a wedding is like music to the children’s ears.  

The presence of Sarah’s character is a very strong one.  She does things her way, and ultimately, she decides if she will stay, or if she will return to Maine. The theme of this book is family.  Everyone involved wants to belong to a family.  It appears that there is something missing in the lives of these individuals.  They are just searching to see if they can make it feel complete, and by the end, they do.

I thought the front cover of the book was great!  In the story, Sarah sketches drawings to send by mail or to simply keep for herself.  It helps give of sense of the time and place of when the story takes place.

-Newbery Award

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

            Sendak tells a story of a little boy with a very active imagination.  As the boy puts on his wolf costume one day, his is in a different state of mind and threatens to eat his mother as she calls him, “Wild thing!”  Through the illustrations, we see how Max’s imagination grows as he soon finds himself in a forest, and travels the ocean by boat.  Sendak uses the word “terrible” repeatedly when describing the creatures that Max encounters.  As frightening as they were, they were more frightened of Max.  When he wants them to stop their silly behavior, he sends them off to bed like his mother had done to him.  It isn’t long before Max finds himself back in his room with his warm supper waiting for him.

            The illustrations of the book give an idea of how big of an imagination Max really has.  We see a huge forest, with huge wild animals, and even then, Max is crowned king of the wild things.  There were also several two page spreads of illustrations without text that helped in telling the story. 

- Caldecott Award Winner

Hush!

Ho, M. (1996). Hush!. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

            Why is Mother trying so hard to keep all the animals from making noise?  This Thai lullaby is full of rhyme and onomatopoeia.  Once the mother puts her child to sleep, she begins to hear different noises.  The onomatopoeia in the book are the sounds of the different animals mother hears.   From the frogs to the pigs to the elephants, all Mother can do is go around the village hushing everyone.  Once everyone is quiet, Mother goes to sleep as well.  By that time, baby is wide awake.

            The rhymes and sound words played a huge part in making this story such a wonderful success.  The village in this story has great color schemes (different shades of red and brown) and when added to the text, the illustrations give a sense of warmth.

-Caldecott Honor Book

The Treasure

Shulevitz, U. (2003). The treasure. Pine Plains, NY: Live Oaks Media.

This story tells of a poor man named Isaac.  After ignoring recurring dreams that told him to go search for a treasure in a certain location, he finally decides to do just that.  The colorful illustrations take us through Isaac’s journey to get to the royal palace in order to search for the treasure.  The colors and images help set a calm mood along with the text.  As he arrives to the bridge, there are guards.  The captain asks Isaac why he was there and laughed at him.  The captain thought it was such a silly thought that he told of his own recurring dream of going to Isaac’s house and looking under his stove for treasure.  Isaac returns to his home, searches under his stove, and finds a treasure.  He was never poor again and even sent the captain a priceless ruby.  Simple, but great story line. 

-Caldecott Honor Book

Olivia

Falconer, I. (2000). Olivia. New York, NY: Athenaeum Books for Young Readers.

Caldecott Honor book, the main character of this book is Olivia, a pig.  It appears that this pig could go all day and night if her mother allowed it.  Activity after activity, she keeps going strong.  After a long day of singing, dancing, jumping, and painting, Olivia is not ready for bed.  She pulls out several books for her mother to read to her. They agree on the mother reading one story before going to bed. Exhausted after a long day, her mother tells Olivia that even though she does tire her out, she still loves her.  Olivia shares that the feeling is mutual.

Illustrations were black and white with a hint of red as seen on the cover.  The bright red brought a sort of added attention to Olivia as the color was on her clothing and items belonging to her.  The color all around her depicts her everlasting energy. It is one great, fun book with a happy-go-lucky pig.

Kitten's First Full Moon

Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

       Kitten has never seen a full moon.  She makes every possible attempt to reach what she think is this big bowl of milk (the full moon).  The problem is that with every attempt comes failure.  As she climbs the highest tree possible, she looks down and sees another big bowl of milk (a reflection in a pond) and decides to go for that one.  Needless to say, Kitten ends up wet and tired, but just as she thinks she’s run out of luck, she finds a big white bowl of milk on her front porch.  This kitten shows determination and is rewarded at the very end. 

 You can’t help but feel bad for this poor little kitten as the illustrations show the facial expression of all her failed attempts.   The drawings help give a better understanding of how Kitten is feeling as she finds different ways to retrieve the bowl of milk.  Even though the illustrations are in black, white, and very simple, they tell so much more than the words could ever tell.

- Caldecott Award

The Snowy Day

Keats, E.J. (1962). The snowy day. New York, NY: The Viking Press.

-Caldecott Award Book

            It has snowed, and Peter is ready to go play outside.  He walked, built a snowman, made snow angels, and pretended to be a mountain climber.  Before he goes back inside, Peter grabs as much snow as he can into a snowball.  He then places it in his pocket to keep for the following day.  Before going to bed, he decides to check on the snowball and realizes that it’s gone.  He was disappointed and sad.  It wasn’t until the morning that he discover that the snow outside is still there and new snow continues to fall.

            The illustrations are simple, yet they have enough color to place focus on the main character, Peter.   One thing that really caught my attention was that all other characters remained faceless.  Peter is the only one that has a detailed face, once again placing focus on him.

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

Sachar, L. (1987). There's a boy in the girls' bathroom. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

-Texas Blubonnet Award, 1990

          Bradley Chalkers is the main character in this book.  He is considered a bully and just plain bad.  No one likes him. He has no friends, and up until now, he has relied on his toy animals to play with. 

          Bradley’s behavior keeps everyone at a distance.  There’s a new kid in town however.  As much as the new kid (Jeff) tries, Bradley gives him a hard time not being able to accept the fact that Jeff wants to be friends.

          A new counselor (Carla) has come to Bradley’s school.  Bradley thinks she’s weird at first, but ends up liking her just fine.   He begins to make an effort at school, but thinks that no matter what, he will not get a gold star on that chart. She begins to motivate him, tell him how smart he is, and how good he can be.  Unfortunately, parents eventually disagree with the counselor’s practices, and she gets transferred.  Just as he was making a change for the better, Bradley is devastated, but the counselor is confident that Bradley will continue along the right path to success in all areas, and he does. 

          The main character is in constant conflict with many of the other characters in the story. It is not until he accepts change that things begin to change in his relationships with others. Personification could be seen as he played out scenes with his two animal figures.  This was who he played with.  He liked them, and they liked him.

Big Wolf and Little Wolf

Brun-Cosme, N. (2009). Big wolf & little wolf. New York, NY: Enchanted Lion Books.

Little Wolf has come to join Big Wolf, and he does so without saying a word.  Big Wolf is not sure about how to feel about this other wolf as they sit under a tree.  As time passes, Little Wolf begins to mimic Big Wolf’s behavior.  Because he isn't sure about how to feel, he thinks about feeling threatened.  Little Wolf continues to sleep, eat, and exercise when Big Wolf does.  One evening, Big Wolf comes out of the forest, looks around for Little Wolf, and sees nothing.  He did not eat or sleep that night.  He realizes that he has come to care for the wolf.  Little Wolf later comes back, and they confess to having missed each other.  They then sat and rested under the tree together as they knew Little Wolf would then stay from now on.

                The illustrations in this book were great!  The colors on most pages were very bold.  The settings that the illustrations depicted were similar.  They showed one or both wolves by a tree.   What made the difference were the colors of those pages in that they helped to tell the story as they were laid out in two pages.

-2010 Notable Children's Book

All the World

Scalon, L. G. (2009). All the world. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

A Caldecott Honor medalist, this book contains exceptional illustrations.  Though not brightly colored, the illustrations make a big impact because of the multicultural families that are included and the different illustrations of scenery through out the world.  One thing that really caught my attention from these illustrations were that there were some two page spreads.  These two pages contained beautiful sceneries from one end of the book to the other.  It also included rhyme words and opposites which are great for any little one.

-2010 Notable Children's Book