Grasshopper: On The Road

Grasshopper: On The Road

Author/Illustrator: Arnold Lobel
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Book, IRA/CBC Children's Choice, Horn Book Fanfare
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Grasshopper takes his first steps on a new journey. He is not worried about where the road will lead him, but curious to see what is out there. He sets off on his journey to find a group of beetles with signs held high saying, "morning is best!" and "morning tops all!" Grasshopper enjoys making new friends and appreciates their enthusiasm for the morning. He soon left on his way and climbed up a steep hill to find an apple he sees as aj tasty lunch. This wasn't an ordinary apple, this one had a tiny worm living inside! Grasshopper was not amused by the worm, he kicked the apple down the hill and it smashed to pieces. Now the apple was no longer a home nor a meal. Continuing down the path, Grasshopper runs into a housefly cleaning up the road. The housefly shares with grasshopper how important to him it is to keep a tidy house. The housefly swept so much, that dust from the ground got in Grasshoppers eyes causing him to leave and continue on his journey. The next friend Grasshopper meets on his journey was the mosquito. Mosquito was encouraging Grasshopper to join him on his boat to the other side. Grasshopper tried to tell him that he was too big for his little boat and ending up carrying his new friend in his boat across the stream. The next friends that he meets are butterflies. They always do the same thing, same rhythm, and same lunches. Grasshopper encourages the butterflies to try something new and challenge them to do something different. The butterflies seemed intimidated by this suggestion and carried on with their ways. The last friend that Grasshopper makes on his journey are two dragonflies. These two are always in a hurry and never have time to even stop and view the sunset. All the exciting characters that Grasshopper met exhausted him at the end of the day. He decided to fall asleep in a soft place and be reassured that by morning the road will still be there to take him on any journey that he wants to go.

Illustrations in this story were scarce due to being a chapter book. The pictures present were cartoon-like insect characters with some realistic features. Colors used were dull greens with dusty brown and pinks for highlight.

In my classroom, I would use this book for the students to read and learn about a sequencing of events. A foldable or timeline would work really well with this story so that students can have a visual to refer to as the events of Grasshoppers journey continue on.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (Audible Audiobook)

Author/Illustrator: Judi Barrett/RonBarrett
Narrator: Jerry Terheyen
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: Colorado Children's Best Book Award, The Golden Sower Award of New England
Age Level: 6+ years old

Summary:  The audible book begins by a grandpa telling a story to his grandson Henry. He begins by telling him that the town of Chewandswallow might have looked like an average tiny town with their houses, trees, cats and dogs. The thing it was missing was food stores. The weather fell upon the town at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unlike other towns, Chewandswallow didn't precipitate with through rain, snow, or wind. Every few hours, the clouds would rain food items. Everything that anyone ever ate had come from the sky. There came a day where the food got damagingly larger. One morning, storms of pancakes and floods of maple syrup almost flooded the town. Later, the sea was full of floating rolls and the workers couldn't seem to clean it up fast enough. The town was a complete mess and the sanitation department gave up on the town because the everything was so damaged by the huge meatballs, even the schools had been closed. So, they made the decision to abandon the town and move to safety on their roll rafts. Once they drifted to safety, they constructed temporary homes in their new town. The families had a terrible time shopping for food for their families. They do their best to make a new life in this town even though they are left discouraged and missing the storms of hamburgers and pancakes from their tiny town of Chewandswallow. Once grandpa finishes the story, Henry looks outside and sees children playing outside in the snow. He imagines that they are in mashed potatoes snow mountains. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is full of creativity, imagination, and originality.

Illustrations were not present in the audiobook version that I was listening too. The cover illustration seems to be drawn in black ink with a comic-looking character. The grandpa is very detailed from his jacket design to the smile on his face.

In my classroom, I would present this to my students at the beginning of the year (hurricane season) in hopes to give them a new perspective on storms. We never know when a storm is going to hit or disaster is going to strike. Even though it won't rain meatballs, this story shows a supportive community working together and demonstrates them handling diversions properly.

Fireflies!

Fireflies!

Author/Illustrator: Julie Brinckloe
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 5-8 years old

Summary:  Fireflies is the story of a young boy (name not specified) who longs to hold the precious moonlight in his hands. He waits to the perfect time of night and then rushes to the cellar to make his jar perfect for his soon-to-be-caught fireflies. Using Momma's scissors, he punches holes in the top of the jar to ensure air for the fireflies. He calls to his friends, "fireflies" and they all join together with jars in hand in hopes to catch these moonlight creatures. The fireflies bring them so much joy and wonder of the universe. There are endless amounts of them to catch and hold. The children wave their hands in the night sky like nets to and feel the bright fireflies against their arms. Once they are tired and have filled their jars to the top, they bring the jars back into their homes using the jars as night lights. The young boy stares amazed at the fireflies as the blinked on and off. He continues tow watch them fly in the jar until he noticed the light growing dim, and less flight in their wings. Then quickly flew off his covers, opened the jar, and let his fireflies fly free into the moonlight. Although he was sad that his jar was empty when they left, he still had hope inside that he will later collect the fireflies again.

Illustrations in the story followed a black and white scheme with pops of yellow to enhance the color of the fireflies. The characters seem to be sketched with pencils and they resemble real human beings.

In my classroom, I would try to find a place to see real life fireflies and bring them contained to my classroom for the students to see. This would really bring life to the story and appreciate the emotions of the characters in the book.

Frog and Toad Are Friends

Frog and Toad Are Friends

Author/Illustrator: Arnold Lobel
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary:  Frog and Toad are ready for adventure this spring. Frog walks over to Toads house and tries to get him out of bed. Only to find out that he is feeling sick and doesn't want to get out of bed. Toad does not take no for an answer and drags him onto the porch  as they examine the calendar. Being the good friend that Toad is, he jokes with Frog and makes him some tea when he isn't feeling very well. When he tries to tell Frog a story, he can't think of a single one! So he tries multiple ways to remember the story. By standing on his head, walking up and down, and even pouring water on his head Toad still can not think of a story to tell. Finally, he realizes that the best story for his friend is just retelling what he did to think of a story and watching him fall sound asleep. The two friends Toad and Frog decide to go on a long walk together. When Toad realizes he has lost his jacket button, they begin an immediate search all through the woods. They ask all the animals and no one has seen his round, thick button. At the end of the day, they realize that being in each other's company is the best adventure they could possibly ask for. Even when Frog makes fun of Toad for some silly things, they still are two friends stuck together like glue.

Illustrations are simple and delightful! There are about three shades colors used in the novel, black, white, and brown. Toad and Frog have a pleasant demeanor and a warm tone to each of them.

In my classroom, I would use this novel as a part of my centers. Student's would read Frog and Toad Are Friends individually to me as I assessed their pronunciation, understanding, and comprehension.

Jonah's Whale

Jonah's Whale

Author/Illustrator: Eileen Spinelli/Giuliano Ferri
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Jonah's Whale is the beloved bible story of the God made whale who was living peacefully and happily in the deep blue sea. One stormy and windy day, God gave the whale instruction to keep Jonah safe and protected when his ship wrecks.  Then after three days, the whale would throw Jonah up on dry land unharmed so he could continue on his journey. Illustrations in Jonah's Whale were full of bold and bright colors. The pages were rich with color and shaded with expertise. Characters were animated and helped with the telling of this beloved bible story.

In my classroom, I would use this as a segway into our marine science lesson. Students would do research on any marine animal of choice. They would create a brochure with facts they researched about their marine animal of choice.

Andy and His Yellow Frisbee

Andy and His Yellow Frisbee

Author/Illustrator: Mary Thompson

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction (Special Needs Collection)

Awards: NA

Age Level: 6+ years old

Summary: Andy and His Yellow Frisbee is a children's book about a young boy named andy with autism. He would sit on the playground every day and spin his yellow frisbee no matter who was watching. All recess long, he would watch it spin round and round. Andy has a sister named Rosie, She is very protective and loving towards him. Andy had always shown tendencies to want to be alone and become fixated on one thing. Andy described this feeling of "words being stuck inside him and they couldn't get out." Rosies' mom told her why Andy does the things he does is because he has a disability called Autism. A girl named Sarah would approach Andy during the day. She was gentle, kind, and compassionate. Andy felt comfortable and at peace around her, unlike most of the other students at his school. Andy and His Yellow Frisbee is a great book for students with autism as well as for family members to gain a background of understanding for autism. 

Illustrations are filled with vivid watercolors. The colors are gentle and soft-spoken, matching the tone of Andy's voice.  Characters are drawn with life-like features and the text flows page to page.

In my classroom, this book would be a book at one of my reading centers for the students during library time. I would love for them to read this book in pairs, reflect within their group, and share with the teacher questions they might have about the book. I think this will allow students to gain knowledge of the autism disability in the least intrusive way. 

About Average

About Average

Author/Illustrator: Andrew Clements
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 8-11 years old

Summary: Jordan Johnston is an average sixth grader. She's an average violin player, not very tall, not very short, not too gifted, but not flunking out. Jordan looks around and sees the world around her and sees everyone else as more talented, more gifted, more extraordinary than herself. Jordan decides to set a goal at the beginning of the story to become the best "self" that she can be. She finds ways to succeed, such as becoming an assistant soccer coach. She may not be an incredible player for the team, but she can use her organizational skills to bring the team together. This is a story about self-acceptance and self-discovery. Jordan learns that what she sees as flaws in herself become strengths in the end. She uses her leadership and planning skills to be the best Jordan that she can be while staying humble and kind to others. The author of this books challenges its younger readers to find their inner strengths and realize their personal talents. The message Clements is sending the reader is so important to students in this day of age. With all the pressure to be number one, be the best, and be different, some students may feel lost and unworthy of living up to these high standards. Through Jordan, we learn that being your best self is sufficient enough.

Although illustrations in About Average are few and far between, they stand full of detail. Inside the book, illustrations are black and white. They are a guide to the text, but the text does not depend on the illustration to portray a truthful and hopeful message.

If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use this book in a read-aloud lesson for self-awareness month of March. Students would write positive affirmations for them self and their classmates to encourage each other in our strengths and weakness. Students can use Jordan as a guide and role model to help them become their personal bests.

Frog and Toad Together

Frog and Toad Together

Author/Illustrator: Arnold Lobel
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: Newbery Honor Award
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Toad starts his day by waking up and making a list of what he has to do today. He wakes up (crosses that off), he eats breakfast (crosses that off), and he heads to frogs house (crosses that off). Toad and Frog are best friends and they love spending time together. They decided to go on a relaxing walk, because that was next on the list, and Toad lost his to-do list to the wind! So Frog goes on a search to find the list for him because Toad does know that he does not have "go find lost to-do list" on his list. Frog is very grateful to have a brave friend like Toad. Frog and Toad learn that it's okay to be scared or be brave, as long as they are there together supporting each other. This witty children's novel is attention-grabbing, fun, and challenges the reader to think about their own relationships.

Illustrations are present throughout the whole book, although they are more of a sub note to the text. Readers do see a few illustrations of Frog and Toad, being pale light green, full of expressions, and ready for adventure.

In my classroom, I would use this book to read a couple pages daily and allow the students to make predictions of what Frog and Toad will do next in the story. I would also have students reflect in their journals some other fun things they like to do with their friends.

Working Cotton

Working Cotton

Author/Illustrator: Sherley Anne Williams/Carole Byard
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award
Age Level: 5-10 years old

Summary: From a child's point of view using Black English, the reader is given a look into the African migrant life of days spent o the cotton fields. Her days begin while it is still dark out and she is fast asleep. With a hazy sky and cold temperature, the African family can't wait for the sun to be out to burn out the fog and warm up the sky. Even though she is becoming a big girl, she still can't carry the weight of her own cotton sack so she has to help pile the cotton that her mom picks. The descriptive words for the smell of cotton brings the reader to a place side-by-side of the young girl as she expresses the endless rows of cotton ahead. Her daddy works hard and always has the longest sack. Mama brings lunch for the family to relieve the family and give them so time to rest. The little girl always sees kids on the field and expresses how she rarely sees the same kids twice because they move to different fields so rapidly. Finally, at the end of a tiresome day, the bus picks them up and brings them back for a quick night's rest only to repeat again.

Illustrations: Impressionist paintings are the bold coloring of choice. The illustrations of the cotton seem to be so fluffy as if they could be plucked right off the page. Eyes of the characters stand out, as for they are sad and helpless eyes.

In my classroom,  I would read this book to the students for a history lesson. I would bring in real dried cotton and allow them to feel the texture and respond to how the book made them feel. Appreciation and thankfulness to live in a free world now would be expressed throughout the lesson.

Hot Air

Hot Air

Author/Illustrator: Marjorie Priceman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Hot Air is a report of the first hot air balloon take off at the palace of Versailles in France on September 19, 1783. The story begins with describing the even including scientists, schoolchildren, opera singers, and architects. When the demonstration began after months of sleepless nights from the inventors, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, they could not wait for their invention to take flight. This historical and impactful even from the Montgolfiers constructed many others since the first flight including the Avignon, and Annonay. The story takes a silly turn when the duck, sheep, and rooster are launched into the air. They pop, they quack, they cluck, they even duck while passing through the cloudy skies. As the animals return safely, we applaud them for the efforts. Readers can appreciate the intelligence and perseverance it took to invent the first hot air balloon.

Illustrations: The colorful pages were full of cartoon-like animals and human. Onomatopoeia fills the pages while the animals fly through the light blue/pink skies. The expression painted on each character was dramatic and original.

In my classroom, I would have my students represent their own hot air balloon including its passengers. This would allow room for creativity and at the same time a fun way to learn about the historical event of the first hot air balloon. If any students have ridden in a hot air balloon prior, this would be a great time for them to share their own personal experience to the class.

Ferryboat

Ferryboat

Author/Illustrator: Betsey & Giulio Maestro
Genre: Historial Fiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: The ferry on the crossing the river at Chester is a popular place to be, talking cars and trucks across the river daily. As families cross the river, they park their cars on the top deck and step outside to watch the duck families paddle by. The author describes the feeling of standing on the ferry, vibrating and humming as water lightly sprays on the passengers' faces. When the captain pulls up to the other side of the river, families hurry back to their cars and the ferry glides into the dock. The reader learns toward the end of the book the historical correlation that the ferry has to America.
This story is about a Ferry that began operating in 1969 called the Chester-Hadlyme. The ferry was renamed Warner's Ferry because of the owner. Warner's Ferry connected the King's Highway in Fort Hill, Parish of Chester in Saybrook, to the Norwich Road in Lyme. During the years of the Revolutionary War, the ferry was a used to transport supplies. The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry is the second oldest ferry in service to this day.

Illustrations: Illustrations seem to be colored through the use of water paint. Lively and colorful pictures were drawn for each page. My favorite page was the pink, purple, and green sunset. It encompassed two whole pages and filled the tone of the book with calamity and peace.

In my classroom, I would like to share this book before a break such as spring break or summer when the students tend to be traveling the most. Hopefully, after reading this book, they will become even more excited about their trip and get rid of and fears or hesitations about riding on a boat.

I, Too, Am America

I, Too, Am America

Author/Illustrator: Langston Hughes/Ryan Collier
Genre: Poetry
Awards: Coretta Scott Award
Age Level: 5-6 years old

Summary: This poem is about a young "darker brother" who sings to America. He is sent to the kitchen when company arrives on the train and while some would be upset or embarrassed, he shrugs it off and turns it into positivity. One day he will be at the company at the table and wishes to pursue a brave life full of wisdom and truth. The purpose of this poem is for the darker children to feel beautiful and unashamed of what color they are. The actions in this poem are depicted by traveling passengers, magazines, newspapers, and jazz music albums.

Illustrations soar through the pages showing time from the past and encompassing two full pages. They are illustrated through the collage technique. Some images seem to jump off the page.

In my classroom, I could read this poem and show illustrations for the students to create their own personal life collage. Students can relate to the children in the book as well as feed off of the unique, bold, and colorful collages that fill each page.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Author/Illustrator: Carole Boston Weatherford/Kadir Nelson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award
Age Level: 5+ years old

Summary: Harriet is strong in her faith and uses God to be her comfort and peace of the night. She devises a plan to escape with an ax to chop wood and consistently asks God to keep her eyes steady on him. She then begins to chant a song in hopes that her loved ones here her so they can leave and begin on their way to freedom. Harriet traces through swamps  and woods with her heart pounding land asking God if she was doing the right thing. She falls into a deep sleep in the underbrush with Gods hand resting upon her and protecting her. Once she finds her way out, she prays to God asking him to lead her to protection, and to the house that she can trust to be safe. She passes men on wagons and boatman's rowing praying to be led to freedom. She is tired and weary from the journey. As she continues to find a stopping place, she finds the holy ground along the Underground Railroad for slaves to travel to freedom. Harriet finds the safe haven and returns to the South to retrieve and rescue her family. This is when God calls her to be the Moses of her people. Being a woman of God, she leads her family to safety. This fictional story depicts the spiritual journey of Harriet Tubman.

Illustrations captivate the entire page and the background colors seem like they were "powdered" on. The colors are mostly warm colors and the texts strays from page to page. Texts even wrap around images to encompass the focused illustration.

This book could be a great read-aloud option in my classroom before the social studies unit involving the Underground Railroad and slavery.  Students could use the Author's Note in the back for researching the subject further.

Freedom School, Yes!

Freedom School, Yes!

Author/Illustrator: Amy Littlesugar/Floyd Cooper
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Chicken Creek was home to the Freedom school. On the night that a new teacher came to town there was a brick thrown through the window of Jolie's house. Jolie was frightened and called for mama to come see what happened. There was a note wrapped inside the brick saying "FREEDOM SCHOOL TEACHER- GO HOME OR ELSE." This was not the end of the scary and hatred things placed upon the Freedom School teacher. The nineteen-year-old school teacher that was hired was named Annie. Once things started to calm down, a fire overcame the church. Flames climbed high, and the men and women of Chicken Creek were terrified. Reverand Wilkins surprised everyone as he sang praise in the midst of all the fire and suffering. Finally, the church was redone and Annie was as "Brave as a lion." Annie and Jolie beat the hostility from the danger of the local whites. Freedom School, Yes takes place during the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. During this time period, civil rights of black people have been denied. This story represents a time when black families faced hostility to local white families.

Illustrations in Freedom School, Yes consumed the entire page. The characters looked very real and had intricate details on their hair  and facial features. The illustrations as a whole looked as if they are dusty and faded.

In my classroom, this book would be read to the students during black heritage month. Freedom School, Yes would encourage questions about ancestry and culture.

Ox-Cart Man

Ox-Cart Man

Author/Illustrator: Donald Hall/Barbara Cooney
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: In 1979, Ox-Cart Man began its journey through the monthly seasonal changes. The oxcart man packs all of his goods made by himself, his wife, and his daughter to the Portsmouth Market. Through valley and streams, nothing slowed him down. This rhythmical story encompasses this family's life in the old western days. The oxcart man sells his goods one by one, the yolk, the ox, and woven linen and mittens. He pockets the coins and brings them back home and the cycle begins again.

Illustrations were soft and the shading of colors was exquisite. The characters had real-life features (both human and animal).

I would use Ox-Cart Man in my classroom during rodeo season as a way to introduce the western culture to the students. Students will be able to attend the real rodeo (if parents permit) and share with the class exactly what parts of the story they found at the livestock show in Houston.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

Author/Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: NA
Age Level: 6-8 years old

Summary: Jack had a mother named Old Mother Twaddle. She was busy cleaning the floors one morning when she found a sixpence on the floor. Old Mother Twaddle called for her son Jack and asked him to go to the market and buy a few things. Mother asked him to buy a nice goose for her to prepare tonight. So Jack went on his way to the market fair. He was stopped by a peddler to buy his magic beans. So he bought the beans and headed back home. Mother was very displeased when she found out what he had used with her sixpence. Jack walked to the garden in hopes to plant this rare been of his. The next day, the bean stock had grown so tall that it reached to the sky. Jack began to climb it full of hope and joy for what he would find. At the top, Jack found a house. He knocked on the door and found a damsel begging him to leave because a giant lived there and will eat him if he's found. Jack went inside against the damsels' wishes. The giant opened the door and roared very loudly. He wants to eat Jack just like the damsel had told him. She gives the giant some strong wine and he tumbled fast asleep. Once he fell asleep, jack chopped off the giant's head and the giant was seen no more. Jack sent for his mother to come up the bean stock and join them for dinner. He and the damsel got married and lived happily ever after.

Illustrations: Illustrations were lively as the characters flew across the pages. The bean stock was a vibrant green that overlaps two pages.  As for the giant, the illustrator drew everything from his dirty fingernails to his multiple hairy chins. This book had incredible illustrations that brought life to the text.

In my classroom, this book would be a great example for the students to learn how to design the plot of the story. Students could label the parts of the story, Jack and the Beanstalk. This includes the beginning, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Author/Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8  years old

Summary: In this Norweigan folktale, there are three Billy Goats that live in the valley. There wasn't much grass for the Billy Goats to eat in the valley so they longed to travel to the hillside where it had a plentiful amount of grass and daisies. In order to get there, the three Billy Goats must travel across a bridge over a river. Under the bridge, lived a mean ugly Troll. The Billy Goats travel one at a time. The first, and also the tiniest, was passing the bridge when he heard the Trolls voice telling him he can't cross the bridge without him gobbling the little Billy Goat up. The next two pass and get the same response, except this time the Troll is furious! The Troll hops over to try to eat the Billy Goats when the big Billy Goat grabbed him by the horns, trampled him with his hooves, and threw him over the bridge.  Finally, the three Billy Goats made it across the bridge into the land of grass and daisies.

Illustrations: The illustrations took up mostly the whole page while leaving room for the texts. The goats resembled real life Billy Goats. The Troll had yellow teeth and a scary mane of hair.

This story would be fun to use for dramatic play in my classroom. I would have costumes for the students to reenact the story. This would be fun for the students as well as being an indicator for the teacher to see how well they comprehended the story.

Henny Penny

Henny Penny

Author/Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Ana Award
Age Level: 8-12 years old

Summary: Henny Penny is a folk tale about a hen who is struck by an acorn on the top of her head. Henny Penny panics and runs to tell the king that "the sky is falling." On her way she runs into Cocky Locky and he asks to join her on her quest to the king. They continue through the forest alerting the other animals about the sky falling. Henny also found Goosey Loosey, Ducky Lucky, and Turkey Lurkey to join them along the way to alert the king. Next, all the animals run into Foxy Loxy. He asks to come with them and to enter into his cave. They all follow him in without a second thought. The animals have neve been seen again and the king is left without the message that the sky is falling. The final page, we see Mr. and Mrs. Foxy Loxy with their seven little foxes.

Illustrations were all a mixture of fall colors red, orange, yellow, and green. The animals had expressions and textured feathers.

I would use this book as a read-aloud to teach students how to act when there is someone new in the classroom or building. Teaching them they can't be like Henny Penny and her friends, they must be aware of or people and their surroundings always. This is also a book to practice predictions and observations in the story.

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

Author/Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Caldecott Honor Award
Age Level: 5-8 years old

Summary: Rumpelstiltskin begins the story in a late medieval castle. Trying to impress the king, the miller speaks of his daughter who spins straw into gold. The king was a fool for gold and immediately asked the miller to send his daughter to the castle. She is frightened as she was thrown into the castle without any knowledge of how to spin straw into gold. Suddenly, a little man steps in and makes a deal with her. He spins the straw into gold ad she gives him her necklace. The next morning, the king steps in and sees all the gold made from last night. His is a greedy king and tells her to keep spinning gold if she valued her own life. This pattern continued three times; the girl had no clue what to do and the little man kept spinning gold for her. The third time the girl has nothing left to give so the little man makes her promise to give her her firstborn child and he will keep spinning gold. She accepts the offer. The girl later marries the king and has a young handsome baby boy. The little man comes back years later demanding what she promised him. She pleads with him and ends up agreeing that in three days if she knows his name, she can keep the child. The queen asks her most faithful servants to search for the name of the little man. The answer was not to be found.  When he arrives the third day she calls him Phil. The little man runs away screaming, "the devil told you that!" He then flew out the window and was never to be seen or heard from again.

Illustrations were dramatic, unique and colorful. The illustrator paid close attention to detail with every single piece of straw in the castle. Characters were life-like, excluding the little man.

In my classroom, I would use Rumpelstiltskin to instill the meaning of humbleness into the students. I would have them reflect upon the story and state how they would act differently.

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

Author/Illustrator: Brothers Grimm/Debbie Lavreys
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: NA
Age Level: 5-8 years old

Summary: The story of Little Red Riding Hood follows the theme of good and evil. One day when Little reds grandma gets sick, she is sent off into the woods to bring cake and wine. Little red gets stopped by a big, bad, scary wolf. He is a devious and hungry wolf who has grandma and little red on his mind for dinner. Once little red gets to grandma's house, she sees her grandma with bigger eyes, bigger ears, and bigger hands that before. Little red hopes for the best and believes that that is her grandma. She soon finds out that the wolf ate her grandma and is waiting for her to eat next. This story encourages readers to follow a safe path and don't talk to strangers. Illustrations filled the pages with warm colors and simplistic forest images. The color tones were color soft and the characters faces' had bright features.

I would use this in my classroom to set an example for the students and have them learn about listening to directions. Little Red Riding Hood would be a great first or second day of school read-aloud so that the students pay attention to how they are getting home and to be well aware of their surroundings at all times.

Uni the Unicorn

Uni the Unicorn

Author/Illustrator: Amy Krouse Rosenthal/Brigette Barrager
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Uni the Unicorn is a magical story about believing. Uni is described as a marvelous magical unicorn that dares to dream. She believes that little girls are real and has dreams of the day that the little girl will play with her, explore with her, and twirl with her. None of the other unicorns believe in little girls, not even her parents. Even though this makes Uni sad, she never stops believing. The story concludes with a little girl being laughed at her by her friends saying that unicorns aren't real. The little girls' parents agree with them. Just like Uni, the little girl dreams of the day that she will be free to laugh and play with the unicorns.

Illustrations in this book are colorful, vibrant, and exciting. I loved the bold colors and dramatic detail on each of the unicorns. Uni the Unicorn is a vibrant and inviting read for all readers.

I would use this in my classroom as a segway into learning about genre types for the children. Dramatic play for the students and teacher would enhance the reading. As a class, we could all make our own unicorn horns to remind us to never stop believing in your dreams.

All the World

All the World

Author/Illustrator: Liz Garton Scanlon/Marla Frazee
Genre: Poetry
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book (2010), New York Times Best Seller,  Cybils Award (2009), and A Parent's Choice Gold Award
Age Level: 5-7 years old

Summary: All the World follows through a day from morning to night. This book appreciates the small and the big things of life. The rhythmic text flows eloquently page to page."Road, street, track, path. Ship Boat, Wooden Raft," writes Liz Garton Scanlon. The author uses a technique of beginning with words as simple as "body' and "shoulder" and can relate it to the big picture of building a moat on a beach. All the World represents the whole world

Illustrations in the book were very powerful and all encompassing of the pages. From the tree to the corn field, to the puddles of water, Frazee paints a bright and beautiful picture of what the world is. With simple characters, the illustrations are bright and inviting to any reader.

All the World would be a great read-aloud with the students on Earth day, April 22. Students can study the importance of environmental protection and celebrate the tiny and big things of this world.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie

Author/Illustrator: Kate Dicamillo
Genre: Fiction
Awards: Newbery Honor Medal
Age Level: 9-12 years old

Summary: A ten-year-old girl named Opal has recently moved to a small town in Florida. She is left feeling lonely in this new place without any friends. Opal is at the grocery store one day and sees a mangy puppy ransacking the store. She first describes him as "ugly" but soon falls in love once the store manager is threatening to take him to the pound. So then, Opal decides to take him home and name him, Winn-Dixie. As  Opal grows and begins befriending the people in the town, she learns more about her mother who left her and her father when she was a little girl. Friends such as Gloria Dump, Otis, and even Sweetie Pie impact her life and teach her many life lessons. Opal and her father are presented with many opportunities throughout the book to grow and learn more about each other. At the beginning, her father seems to be  closed-off emotionally. By the end of the book, Opal and her father have learned to trust each other therefore grow a deeper connection. Because of Winn-Dixie is a book about finding acceptance in oneself, having courage through scary times, and understanding  that friendship is worth the journey.

Illustrations were not present throughout the book, Because of Winn-Dixie.

Once the students have all read the novel as a class, I would allow the students to have a movie day so that they can watch the film for what they just read. This would lead to an activity involving the comprehension and understandings of the similarities and differences between the book and the movie.

I Want to Be... A Firefighter

I Want to Be... A Firefighter

Author/Illustrator: Stephanie Maze; Catherine O'Neill Grace/Annie Griffiths Belt;Nicole Bengevino; Lara Jo Regan; Richard Nowitz; Stephen Ringman; Michael Gallacher
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 8-12 years old

Summary: This fascinating children's book gives the reader a close-up view of what it is like to be a firefighter. With urban firefighters and wildland fire fighting descriptions, I Want to Be... A Firefighter captures the strength, courage, and determination that it takes to become a firefighter held at such high standards. The reader learns about fireman's training and education through smokejumper training, basic training, and improving fire fighting technologies. Firefighting involves special equipment, methods, and vocabulary. The last few pages of the book include fire fighting terms and definitions for the reader to expand their knowledge. Also included, are the names of famous firefights who made special contributions to firefighting as we know it. Illustrations in the book were real-life photos taken during real-life scenarios. This very easy to read and informational book teaches on the proud tradition of the lifestyle of a firefighter.

In my class, I would use this book during a social studies unit to provide background knowledge on our community heroes. I think that taking the students on a trip to a fire station would impact the student's understanding and appreciation of firefighters as a whole.