Reading File

By Carly Coyne
Rating scale (*****Best ****Great ***Good ** Okay * Not good)

Caldecott:
Title A Ball for Daisy
Author Chris Raschka
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
Daisy the dog loves her red ball. She takes it with her everywhere. One day she took
the ball to the park and the ball bounced over the fence. Suddenly, another dog
spotted the ball and began chasing it until it accidently popped. Daisy was sad and her
owner was upset at her for running for the ball. The next day, Daisy saw the same dog
at the park who brought her a ball to play with and take home. She was so happy!
Have the class sit in a circle and each share something about an object that they love
as much as Daisy loved her ball.
***** The author did an outstanding job by using beautiful pictures to explain a story
that any child could understand and interpret.

Title: Where the Wild Things Are

Author: Maurice Sendak
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Caldecott
Max was always up to no good and causing trouble until his mom sent him to bed without
dinner. That night a forest grew in his bedroom. Max was taken on a boat to where the
wild things were. While he was there the wild things were also up to no good and Max
had to tame then and put them to bed. He crowned himself King. But Max was hungry
and lonely. He then sailed back to his room where his mom left him dinner still warm.

Good choice/Bad choice worksheet. The students will brainstorm words and phrases
to list underneath the good or bad choice column.
*****This is a family favorite. I first fell in love with the incredible illustrations. It is
wonderfully written and put together. I feel like this story will teach disciplinary
actions to the reader

Title A Tree is Nice

Author Janice May Udry
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
Trees are very nice. They provide and offer plenty of protection for those around it.
In the story, even one tree is nice to have.
As a class, the students will plant a tree nearby the school. They will be responsible for
taking care of it to make sure it gets enough water to grow big. They will also have to
provide a journal entry for each time they visit their tree.
*** This story provides valuable information about trees that is engaging to readers.
After reading this story, I believe children will see the importance of trees and
everything they provide.

Title Owl Moon

Author Jane Schoenherr
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Caldecott

The little girl goes owling with her Pa for the first time. She kept silent and did
whatever Pa told her to do. When Pa calls out the second time, the owls responded and
one by one the owls appeared.
An example of an activity would be for the readers to paint a picture of the night sky
with owls all around it.
**** My favorite part of the story was the illustrations. The drawings provided enough
information to tell the story itself. The actual story line was appealing as the author
portrayed the companionship of a daughter and her Pa.

Title May I Bring a Friend

Author Beatrice Schenk De Regniers
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
A little boy is asked to attend six days of events by the king and queen. He asked if he
could bring a friend and the king always reassured him he could. No matter how big,
small, or rambunctious the friend may be, the three of them plus a friend had a great
time.
All students have a friend, whether he or she is a parent, imaginary, or a stuffed
animal. The students will be asked to write their friend a letter inviting them to lunch
one day.
**** May I Bring a Friend is beautifully written. I love how each friend that is invited
to an event is silly and enjoyable to read about. Montresor did an outstanding job with
the detailed illustrations throughout the book.

Title The Little Island

Author Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard
Grade level- 2nd

Genre Caldecott
There are many things that can happen on the little island. Seasons will change animals
come and go. No matter where the little island sits, it is still part of this world.
The students must find different ways to research and find out more about islands
(ex: what lives there) and draw and present it to the class.
*** The drawings are what make the story. I didnt feel like the story was interesting
enough to share with my students in the future.

Title Olivia
Author Ian Falconer
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Caldecott
Olivia likes a lot of things. She spends most of her day painting walls, playing dress up,
and singing songs. Oh, but not so much nap time.
Like Olivia, the students can plan list of things that they would like to do one day.
***** This was such a cute story. I love how the author made Olivia have a fun
imagination. I think that the girls in the class will enjoy this story the most because it
illustrates what its like in the life of a young girl.

Title Fish is Fish

Author Leo Lionni
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
This story is about a baby fish and tadpole who were the best of friends. Things
became difficult when the tadpole grew feet and the fish stays under water. Despite
the challenges, the still remained friends.

They will color a picture of the tadpole and the baby fish. Then they will write words
that describe friendship.
**** There is a good lesson behind this story. It teaches children about change as they
grow older but you can always push through. It may be a hard concept for young
readers to understand. I believe the readers will enjoy the illustration best overall.
The pictures are so well drawn, it almost pops out at you.

Title Doctor De Soto

Author William Steig
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Caldecott
Doctor De Soto is a mouse who is a dentist. He never turns any of his patients away,
even the fox. As scary and dangerous he may seem, the kindhearted doctor didnt turn
him way.
Using action verbs, describe what you think will happen to Dr. De Soto and the fox. Use
your imagination.
***** This way a great read for children of many ages. Doctor De Soto teaches the
reader not to judge someone or something by their appearance. I thought that the
drawings were beautifully drawn and displayed the story thoroughly.

Title Fredrick
Author Leo Lionni
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
Fredrick the mouse and his family are preparing for winter. While his family is
gathering all the essentials, Fredrick has a different idea. He decides to collect all the
colors of summer and fall to save for the winter

The class will go on a hike around the school to find colors that describes fall. They will
be put in a box as they begin to prepare for winter.
***** I love how colorful the illustration was in this story. In my opinion, I feel like
Fredrick will teach the children to look at the bright side of things.

Title Free Fall

Author David Wiesner
Grade level- K
Genre Caldecott
A little boy falls asleep and has dreams about the book in his arms. The dreams
consisted of dragons, castles, and a fantasy land.
Have an opening activity by the class interpreting what they think the story is about
according to the pictures in the story.
***** The transition of the story was well illustrated for a wordless story.

Title Flotsam
Author David Wiesner
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
This is a story about a little boy who loves to go to the beach
and search and collect items that are washed ashore. He finds
items anywhere from lost toys to his biggest discovery, a
barnacle covered underwater camera with a possible story to
tell.
Ask the students to collect ordinary objects from nature to
observe carefully and draw or write their reflection
***** This wordless book has simple illustrations that allow
young readers to develop and understanding of the story. I

adore the authors way of engaging the readers by connecting

science and mystery.

Title Tuesday
Author David Wiesner
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
Most Tuesdays are not identified as magical. In this story, the author takes a normal
afternoon and turns it into an abnormal yet notable day. The town is scattered with
lillypads and frogs hopping through the air.
The students will pick a day of the week and illustrate their own story of magical
events that will take place on that day.
****I enjoy the authors way of using pictures to demonstrate the storyline. This gives
the reader an opportunity to use his or her imagination. The author truly makes this
story come to like as if the frogs are actually jumping off the page.

Title The Three Pigs

Author David Wiesner
Grade level 1st
Genre Caldecott
After the first little pigs house is blown down by the big bad wolf, the three little pigs
go on an adventure. The silly little pigs begin to jump in and out of other familiar
folktales and bring the characters back into their own story.
Have the students tell a story using only illustrations
*****The author does an impressive job of taking the characters in and out of the
story to creating expression within the illustrations. I like how this story gave the
general Three Little Pigs a new twist.

Title Sector 7
Author David Wiesner

Grade Level 1st

Genre Caldecott
In this story, a little boy goes on his class field trip to the Empire State Building in
New York. On this trip, he meet a new friend. His friend is a cloud and they fly away
together to the Sector 7. On his adventure, the little boy notices that the clouds are
tired of their common shapes and he begins to sketch out new ones.
The class will create their own cloud using cotton balls.
**** This is my favorite wordless story. I feel like this story encourages readers to
discuss what is happening in the story and will motivate them to share their opinions
and feelings.

Title The Red Book

Author Barbara Lehman
Grade level 2nd
Genre Caldecott

This story is about a magical book that a little girl finds in the snow. When she opens
the books she shockingly sees herself looking at a boy on the other side of the page.
The little girl decides to go on a search for her new friend. Unfortunately, the little
boy didnt know where she has gone and closes the book. At the end, a new friend finds
the book and begins to flip through the pages
The class will continue the story by writing what they think will happen when the last
little boy picks up the red book.
** Although this story had great pictures, I feel as if it is was a little confusing for a
reader to grasp. I did enjoy how the author left the story at the end, offering the
readers to use their imagination and brainstorm what they believe will happen next.

Title: Blueberries for Sal

Author: Robert McCloskey
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Caldecott

In this story, Sal and her mother are blueberry picking. While Sals mother does most
of the work, Sal wanders off picking (mainly eating) the blueberries. At the same time,
a mother bear and her cub are looking for blueberries as well. The cub finds itself
following Sals mother and Sal finds the mother bear. Both Sal and the cub arrived
back to their mothers at the end of the story.
Children will participate in readers theatre
**** This is a very excellent written story. I consider this story to be a learning
experience that can teach young children a lesson on paying close attention. This is a
book that will most likely make it to my shelves in my classroom

Title Strega Nona

Author Tomie de Paola
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Caldecott
Strega Nona is well known is her town for curing the sick and mixing up potions. Big
Anthony wasnt a very good listener and was left with a to do list from Strega Nona
and she made it clear not to touch her pasta. Big Anthony began serving the pasta to
the townspeople until the pasta grew and grew and began to take over the town.
Adding and subtracting by twos using uncooked pasta
***** I am very pleased to read this book more than once. I think the colorful
illustrations spice up the story, especially when the pasta began to take over the town.

Title The Egg Tree

Author Katherine Milhous
Grade level- 1st
Genre Caldecott
A little girl is on an Easter egg hunt at her grandmothers house when she finds herself
giving up on finding any eggs. When she makes her way in the attic, she finds eggs that

her grandmother painted years ago. The little girl decided she wanted to paint some
eggs as well and hang them all together on the egg tree.
The class will paint three Easter eggs each and hang them on the tree in the class.
**** The bright and colorful drawings really brought out the Easter feeling when
reading this book. It also enjoyed the traditional storyline it brought to life.

Title Once a Mouse

Author Marcia Brown
Grade level- K-4
Genre Caldecott
This is a story of a hermit that helps out a mouse who is threatened by another animal.
The hermit continues to turn him into bigger and mightier animals until he is the most
ferocious tiger. The tiger became mean and arrogant and even threatened the hermit.
The hermit decided that the tiger didnt deserve his wishes and the hermit turns him
back into a mouse
Students will chose a science center to go to and learn more about each animal
described in the story.
**** I would love to teach a lesson on this book. Not only are the pictures engaging to
the audience, but the author includes a clear moral to the story. I believe that the
children will learn from the mouse and be grateful for what they are given.

Seasonal:
Title If Youll be my Valentine
Author Cynthia Rylant
Grade level- 1st
Genre Seasonal

In this book, a sweet boy shares kind words with his Valentines cards. He gives these
cards to all his friends and family.
An activity to do after this story can be for the students to make Valentines Day
cards with rhyming words and fun pictures to give to whoever they want. Using rhyming
words will also help practice and improve vocabulary.
***** This wonderfully written story really brings out the Valentines Day mood and it
is a must have in all classrooms.

Title: Cliffords Halloween

Author: Norman Bridwell
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Seasonal
Clifford and Emily Elizabeths favorite holiday is Halloween. They love to play games,
dress up, and trick-or-treat. Clifford being as big as he is has a hard time dressing up.
What will he dress up as this year?
The students will be asked to dress up as their favorite Halloween character and act
like the character for an entire day
***** Clifford books are a favorite of mine. This story really spices up Halloween as we
are left at the end of the story wondering what Clifford might be. The illustrator of
this story used great vivid colors that expressed the Halloween feel.

Title: Too Many Pumpkins

Author: Linda White
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Seasonal
Rebecca grew up eating too many pumpkins as a poor child. She could not even stand
the sight of them any longer. One day a truck drove by and a huge pumpkin splattered
in her front year. Rebecca tried to ignore the pumpkin, but the pumpkin grew a sea of

pumpkins throughout her yard. Now, Rebecca has to find creative ways to get rid of all
the pumpkins.
The students will plant pumpkin seeds in their garden and watch their pumpkin grow
larder throughout the season.
**** What a cute and well written story this was. I greatly enjoyed the context of this
story as well as the drawings on each page. This story is timeless!

Title: The Little Drummer Boy

Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Seasonal
This story takes place in Bethlehem when baby Jesus was born. Everyone was expected
to bring a gift. However, the little drummer boy was too poor to buy anything. Instead
he plays a song and it ends up being the best gift of all
All the students will make drums out of coffee cans and play a song like the little
drummer boy.
***** This was a magnificent story with wonderfully drawn illustrations. This story can
be read around Christmas time because it is not too religious to incorporate in the
class. Definitely a must read!

Title The Egg Tree

Author Katherine Milhous
Grade level- 1st
Genre Seasonal
A little girl is on an Easter egg hunt at her grandmothers house when she finds herself
giving up on finding any eggs. When she makes her way in the attic, she finds eggs that
her grandmother painted years ago. The little girl decided she wanted to paint some
eggs as well and hang them all together on the egg tree.
The class will paint three Easter eggs each and hang them on the tree in the class.

**** The bright and colorful drawings really brought out the Easter feeling when
reading this book. It also enjoyed the traditional storyline it brought to life.

Title Messy Besseys Holidays

Author Patricia and Fredrick Mckissack
Grade level- K
Genre Seasonal
Messy Bessey is thrilled about Decemeber and all of the holidays that come with it.
She bakes cookies and decorates them according to all of the holidays and then shares
them with friends and family.
An activity to do after reading this book would be baking and decorating cookies for
whichever holiday each student celebrates this time of year.
***** This was a great story to teach each student that there are different holidays
celebrated by different cultures that may be in their class. The colorful illustrations
were very effective by representing each holiday.

Title Pumpkin Light

Author David Ray
Grade level- 3rd or 4th
Genre Seasonal
Pumpkin Light tells a story of a little boy named Angus and his love for Halloween and
pumpkins. One Halloween night, after visiting the general store filled with jack-olanterns, Angus came home late and was sent straight to bed. That night, Angus was
turned into a dog by a scarecrow. Days and months passed by until it was Halloween
night once again. Anguss mother wanted to carve a pumpkin using one of her sons
drawings. As soon as she began, the pumpkin lit up and Angus was standing there.
A fun activity to do after this story is painting pumpkins. This gives students the
opportunity to paint and create faces independently to make it their own.

***** This would be a fun story to read to the class around Halloween. The illustrations
significantly compliment the story, which in return keeps the reader interested. In
addition, the story intersects the behavior of Angus and his mothers pumpkin pie to
the consequences that reader may face in a similar situation.

Title Thanksgiving Day

Author Anne Rockwell
Grade level- 3rd and 4th
Genre Seasonal
This story is about a boy named Charlie who tells his family about the meaning of
Thanksgiving. Charlie explains his and his friends parts in the school play to give the
details of what occurred.
Using construction paper, the students must choose a pilgrim hat or Indian head band
and cut it out. On the hat or headband, the students will be asked to write down
everything they are thankful for.
***** In my opinion, this story described the Thanksgiving story very clear. I loved
how Charlie and his classmates played parts in a play throughout the book to teach the
reader and keep them engaged.

Title The Story of the Easter Bunny

Author Katherine Tegen
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Seasonal
Most children know the Easter bunny, but do not know the story. This story tells the
background and where it all began. The bunny lived with an old couple that painted eggs
and made straw baskets every year. One year, the old couple fell asleep and the bunny
finished and delivered the eggs and baskets. From then on, the Easter bunny became a
tradition.

This activity would for this book would be chunking eggs. Each student would receive a
plastic egg. They would use compound words by putting half of the word on one half of
the egg and the other half of the word on the other side of the egg. This would be
good practice for chunking words.
***** This story really brings out the holiday spirit of Easter. In my opinion, the
children will enjoy reading the story behind the Easter bunny, as well as the excellent
illustrations by Sally Anne Lambert.

Title Valentines Day

Author Anne Rockwell
Grade level- 1st
Genre Seasonal
This story is about a group of friends named Eveline, Pablo, and Jessica making
valentines for their fellow classmate and friend, Michiko in Japan. Each student makes
their valentine in a different way to send their love and friendship
After the story, each student would be handed pink or red paper. The student will be
assigned to write a valentine to a pen pal from another country.
***** I enjoyed how this story is based upon friendship and the sweet message it
sends to the reader. I feel like they will learn what it means to be a friend no matter
the distance. Also, the illustrations were phenomenal and greatly expressed throughout
the story to keep the reader(s) engrossed.

Math:
Title: Two
Author: Kathryn Otoshi
Grade level- K
Genre- Math

One and Two were the best of friends. They would dance, sing, and snap together, until
Three came along. One and Three become best friends and Two is left out
The students will work on counting with twos and then adding one more and counting by
threes.
** This story was very straight forward. However I thought this story was a bit of a
bore.

Title: Measuring Penny

Author: Loreen Leedy
Grade level- 4th
Genre- Math
Lisa is given a homework assignment to measure something in different ways. She
decides to measure her dog Penny. Lisa measures Penny in all sorts of silly was using a
ruler, dog bone, and Q-tips.
The students will be asked to measure their desk using random objects in the
classroom like Lisa did.
****This is a very engaging math story that is understandable to the reader. I feel like
it should be incorporated in every classroom that teaches measurement.

Title: How Big is a Foot

Author: Rolf Muller
Grade level- 4th
Genre- Math
The king wants to make a bed for the queen. This is a problem, because no one knew
what a bed was or how big to build it. The kind uses his feet to walk around the queen
and find the correct measurement to have the bed built for her.

Each student will trace their foot on construction paper and cut it out. As a class they
will put their feet together to measure the classroom.
**This story is creative but the black and white illustrations made this book less
interesting. It would be an ok book to open a lesson on about measurement.

Title: The Doorbell Rang

Author: Pat Hutchins
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Math
Victoria and Sams mom made them cookies. Right when they decided how they were
going to split them up, the doorbell rang and more guests arrived. Every time the
doorbell rings, they have to figure out how to divide the cookies equally among their
guest.
The class will bake an unequal amount of cookies and then have to figure out how the
cookies will be split equally with their classmates
**** I think this is a fun way of using math in the classroom. I enjoyed reading this
book and wondering what would happen next. The repetition of this book will keep the
readers engaged in my opinion.

Title: One More Sheep

Author: Mij Kelly
Grade level- K
Genre- Math
Sam is the farmer with ten sheep and every night he must bring them inside and keep
them away from the wolf. The problem is, Sam cant finish counting his sheep without
falling asleep and the wolf dressed like a sheep is knocking on the door trying to get in.
The students will work in a math center practicing tens frames with sheep

*** One More Sheep was cute and funny with great illustrations. This story is a great
counting book that the students can read to one another.

Science:
Title Isabelle and the Angel
Author Thierry Magnier
Grade level- K
Genre Animal
In this book, Isabelle the pig finds herself uninterested from time to time. Her
favorite hobby is visiting the Angel painting at the museum. The angel one day came to
life and they were the best of friends.
An example of an activity that the students can do is each creating a famous painting
of the Isabelle and the angel. The paintings would be hung on the wall to visit when
one might be having a bad day like Isabelle.
*****this book portrayed great illustration of the sweet friendship of Isabelle and the
angel. I feel like this story is great for any grade level as it may relate to some
students that may feel the same as Isabelle.
Title: The Grouchy Ladybug
Author: Eric Carle
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Science
Two ladybugs meet one day. The grouchy lady bug wants to fight the friendly ladybug.
The friendly ladybug agrees and it makes the grouchy ladybug mad and flies away. The
grouchy ladybug continues to meet up with bigger and bigger animals suggesting a fight,
and when they agree, the ladybug flies off again. Finally the ladybug meets a whale and
suggests a fight. The whale uses his fin and knocks the ladybug all the way back to
where he started. The friendly ladybug was still there and shared the aphids with him
until they were gone.

The students will be asked to participate in a readers theatre using ALL of the
characters in the story.
***** Eric Carle and the illustrator used great colors and creatures to enhance the
story. I adored the friendly little ladybug at the beginning and end of the story.

Title: Rainbow Fish

Author: Marcus Pfister
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Science
The rainbow fish is the most beautiful fish in the sea. The fish knows that is so
beautiful that it will not share its colors with any other fish. When the fish meets the
wise octopus, he begins to think differently and notices how selfish he was being. The
rainbow fish decides to be different by sharing his scales with other fish in the sea.
The students will color a picture of the rainbow fish.
** The illustrations truly draw most attention to the story because they are unlike
other picture books. The author writes a very appealing story that will absorb the
reader from the beginning.

Title: Im the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

Author: Kevin Sherry
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Science
This story is about a giant squid who thinks hes the biggest thing in the ocean. He liked
to tell everyone who he was bigger than. Well, this only went on until he was swallowed
up by a huge whale. But even then he made clear that he was bigger than anything in
the whale.
The students will take a field trip to an aquarium and learn about the creatures under
the sea. They will chose their favorite and research this creature and present it to the
class.

**** This was a super cute science based story. It was bright and colorful and had a
fun storyline. I will definitely be purchasing this book in the future.

Title: Butterfly Butterfly

Author: Petr Horacek
Grade level- K-2nd
Genre- Science
A little sees the most beautifully colored butterfly in the garden and hops and jumps
around to catch it. The next day she decided to try and find it again. Among her
search, she finds a colorful group of other insects, like the beetle, dragonfly and the
ladybug. The little girl was so amazed at what she had discovered when POP, the
butterfly was back.
The class will go on a hike and sketch all of the color insects they see
***** This story provides powerful information about color that kept myself engaging
throughout the story. this can also be a great lesson about insects.

Title Joe-Joe the Wizard Brews Up Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Author Eric Braun
Grade level- 4th
Genre Science
In this book, Joe-Joe hates science. One day his teacher starts explaining the three
states, solid, liquid, and gas. Joe- Joe is fascinated by the experiments and decides he
enjoys science after all.
. Example of an activity of skill that you could use to go along with the book- This is
your choice! YOU can determine how you might best select an activity. You may look
online to get ideas and then tweak them to fit. You do not actually have to do the
activity, just a description of what you could do!

***** The illustration along with the story is intriguing for the readers. I feel like the
delightful character influences students to not give up on science. Fortunately JoeJoes teacher engages the students with hands on science experiments.

Title Fish is Fish

Author Leo Lionni
Grade level- 1st
Genre Science
This story is about a baby fish and tadpole who were the best of friends. Things
became difficult when the tadpole grew feet and the fish stays under water. Despite
the challenges, the still remained friends.
They will color a picture of the tadpole and the baby fish. Then they will write words
that describe friendship.
**** There is a good lesson behind this story. It teaches children about change as they
grow older but you can always push through. It may be a hard concept for young
readers to understand. I believe the readers will enjoy the illustration best overall.
The pictures are so well drawn, it almost pops out at you.
Title: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatball
Author: Judi Barrett
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Science
In the town of Chewandswallow, weather is not sunny, rainy, or snowy. Weather in this
town is food. The weather cannot be controlled and the town becomes worried when
they hear bigger portions, tomato tornadoes and stale bread.
The class will create an illustration of what they believe the weather would look like in
Chewandswallow.
***** Excellent story and illustrations! The amount of creativity that the story offers
will send the readers imagination soaring. I like this book because it can be used for
many different activities in a classroom.

Title The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive

Author Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
Grade level- 3rd and 4th
Genre Science
In this story, Ms. Frizzle takes her class on a field trip through the beehive. The class
learns the different structures built in the six-sided shaped hive. They also learn that
bees make the wax inside their bodies to contribute in the hive.
Using tape, each student will make a hexagon pattern. The class will then out their
shapes together to make a beehive. After the hive is finished, each student will cut out
and color a bee to add to the beehive.
***** The Magic School Bus stories are fun and educational at the same time. This
particular story will make your student imagination explore and never look at a beehive
the same way. As Ms. Frizzles students discover, the readers will too learn as they
read along.

Title Saucy
Author Martha McKeen Welch
Grade level- 1st
Genre Animal
This story is based upon a dog named Saucy that goes missing when she was about to
have puppies. Saucy was on the search for the right place to have her puppies.
An activity that you could do with the class could be a scavenger hunt. The scavenger
hunt would take place around the school with clues for the students to work together
to find Saucy and her puppies.

*** This book was written well and had a very cute story. The illustrations are old and
that can somewhat leave the students less engaged with the story. I believe that the
actual story itself if fun and will keep the students wondering what will happen next.

Social Studies:

Author: Patricia Polacco

Grade level- 3rd
Genre-Social studies
A family makes a quilt that was made and passed along from mother to daughter for
centuries. The quilt was made in remembrance of their home in Russia. It was made
out of old clothes, aprons, babushkas, and nightdresses. The quilt always makes an
appearance at important events and will forever be filled with lifelong memories.
The students will be asked to bring in an item to share with the class that has to do
with their family tradition.
*****Very beautifully written story of a family and their tradition quilt. The author
reminds the reader how important tradition is. The illustrator did a fantastic of
drawing the different colors and shades on the quilt.

Title Being Teddy Roosevelt

Author Claudia Mills
Grade level- 4th
Genre Social Studies
In the story, Riley hopes to own a saxophone but his mother cannot afford to buy him
one. Fortunately, Riley was assigned a project to research Teddy Roosevelt in which he
found was an aspiring and influential person. This pursued Riley to save his money until
he finally made enough to buy the saxophone.

Just like the story, the students will be assigned to research famous people and find
one person that influences them and their aspirations. Following the research, the
students will be asked to dress up like the person they chose and present their
research to the class.
***** Being Teddy Roosevelt was an educational and effective story for children to
read. I believe that there are many factors that the reader can gain from this story.

Title Flotsam
Author David Wiesner
Grade level- 1st
Genre Social Studies
This is a story about a little boy who loves to go to the beach
and search and collect items that are washed ashore. He finds
items anywhere from lost toys to his biggest discovery, a
barnacle covered underwater camera with a possible story to
tell.
Ask the students to collect ordinary objects from nature to
observe carefully and draw or write their reflection
***** This wordless book has simple illustrations that allow
young readers to develop and understanding of the story. I
adore the authors way of engaging the readers by connecting
science and mystery.

Title: I Want to go to the Moon

Author: Tom Saunders
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Social Studies

Neil Armstrong wanted knew he wanted to go the moon since he took his first few
steps. Even though no one had hope in him, he never gave up. One day, he took the giant
leap, and the rest is history. (literally)
The students will research the story of Neil Armstrong and his journey.
**** Unlike many stories, I felt like this book was a bore compared to other historical
childrens books. This story is less engaging than other and I dont believe that the
young readers would enjoy it.

Title: The Little Drummer Boy

Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Social Studies
This story takes place in Bethlehem when baby Jesus was born. Everyone was expected
to bring a gift. However, the little drummer boy was too poor to buy anything. Instead
he plays a song and it ends up being the best gift of all
All the students will make drums out of coffee cans and play a song like the little
drummer boy.
***** This was a magnificent story with wonderfully drawn illustrations. This story can
be read around Christmas time because it is not too religious to incorporate in the
class. Definitely a must read!
Title: The Composition
Author: Antonia Skarmeta
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Social Studies
Pedro is just a little boy who loves to play soccer. However, he is having a hard time
dealing with what it going on with the government in his country. He had to witness his
best friends father taken away in the army.
The students will write letters to the armed forces oversees and their families.

**** This was an eye opener story. This was a good read for both children and adults
and brought the realization of what is going on in the story to life.

Title: Harvesting Hope

Author: Kathline Krull
Grade level- 4th
Genre- Social Studies
As the civil rights leader, Cesar helped the farmers and improved the lives of migrant
workers. He was not always a leader though. He grew up poor and had a hard life which
made him want to make a change and become the leader he is.
The students will participate in a readers theatre
***** Amazing story! this story and illustration were well written and the storyline
gave me chills. I would love to have this book in my classroom one day

Title The Story of the Easter Bunny

Author Katherine Tegen
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Social Studies
Most children know the Easter bunny, but do not know the story. This story tells the
background and where it all began. The bunny lived with an old couple that painted eggs
and made straw baskets every year. One year, the old couple fell asleep and the bunny
finished and delivered the eggs and baskets. From then on, the Easter bunny became a
tradition.
This activity would for this book would be chunking eggs. Each student would receive a
plastic egg. They would use compound words by putting half of the word on one half of
the egg and the other half of the word on the other side of the egg. This would be
good practice for chunking words.

***** This story really brings out the holiday spirit of Easter. In my opinion, the
children will enjoy reading the story behind the Easter bunny, as well as the excellent
illustrations by Sally Anne Lambert.

Multicultural:
Title: The Keeping Quilt
Author: Patricia Polacco
Grade level- 3rd
Genre- Multicultural
A family makes a quilt that was made and passed along from mother to daughter for
centuries. The quilt was made in remembrance of their home in Russia. It was made
out of old clothes, aprons, babushkas, and nightdresses. The quilt always makes an
appearance at important events and will forever be filled with lifelong memories.
The students will be asked to bring in an item to share with the class that has to do
with their family tradition.
*****Very beautifully written story of a family and their tradition quilt. The author
reminds the reader how important tradition is. The illustrator did a fantastic of
drawing the different colors and shades on the quilt.

1. Title: Whoever You Are

2. Author: Mem Fox
3. Grade level- 2nd
4. Genre- Multicultural
5. In this story, the narrator explains the difference between each child. Whether
its their skin color, language, or the school they go to. She explains that it is not
the outside that matters in a person, only the inside. Every child loves, smiles, feels
pain, and has a heart. These are the things that really matter whoever you are.
6. The class will participate in paired reading of this story

7. ***** Amazing and brilliant story written and narrated by the author herself. The
illustrations will give you chills talking about the difference and similarities of each
child. This is a story that should be read throughout the country.

Title Messy Besseys Holidays

Author Patricia and Fredrick Mckissack
Grade level- K
Genre Multicultural
Messy Bessey is thrilled about Decemeber and all of the holidays that come with it.
She bakes cookies and decorates them according to all of the holidays and then shares
them with friends and family.
An activity to do after reading this book would be baking and decorating cookies for
whichever holiday each student celebrates this time of year.
***** This was a great story to teach each student that there are different holidays
celebrated by different cultures that may be in their class. The colorful illustrations
were very effective by representing each holiday.
Title: The Composition
Author: Antonia Skarmeta
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Multicultural
Pedro is just a little boy who loves to play soccer. However, he is having a hard time
dealing with what it going on with the government in his country. He had to witness his
best friends father taken away in the army.
The students will write letters to the armed forces oversees and their families.
**** This was an eye opener story. This was a good read for both children and adults
and brought the realization of what is going on in the story to life.

Title: Harvesting Hope

Author: Kathline Krull
Grade level- 4th
Genre- multicultural
As the civil rights leader, Cesar helped the farmers and improved the lives of migrant
workers. He was not always a leader though. He grew up poor and had a hard life which
made him want to make a change and become the leader he is.
The students will participate in a readers theatre
***** Amazing story! This story and illustration were well written and the storyline
gave me chills. I would love to have this book in my classroom one day

Issue:
Title Mary Louise Loses Her Manners
Author Diane Cuneo
Grade level- 1st
Genre Issue
Mary Louise has seemed to have lost her manners. She begins to search everywhere
for them and asked people all around town. Finally, she found them in the library where
she left them. As she walked home, Mary Louise made a promise that she would never
let her manners run away again.
After reading about Mary Louise, as a class, we will have a tea party called the Pass
and Share, Please and Thank you tea.

***** The colorful illustrations in this book are engaging as well as the story line. I
think that the readers will develop a better understanding of manners and how they
make people feel.

Title: Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make MY Day
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Issue
This is a story about a little girl that explains all the different moods she has and what
makes her feel that way. She is anywhere from silly and happy to grumpy and lonely.
On a worksheet, there will be 10 circles. The students have to make faces in the circle
and describe the mood.
*** I thought all of the personality and descriptions in this book were cute. I also liked
how the author used rhyming words to keep the story engaging for the reader.

Title: Teeth Are Not For Biting

Author: Elizabeth Verdick
Grade level- K
Genre- Issue
This story shares a lesson of all the things teeth are used for. Teeth are not for
biting, another person, that is.
The students will take a picture of all of their teeth and cut them out and explain all
the useful ways teeth can be used.
** I understand the mechanism of this story and think it will be useful in a younger
aged classroom. The vivid colors will keep the children intrigued in the story.

Title: Excuse Me: A Little Book of Manners

Author: Karen Katz

Grade level- K
Genre- Issue
This story is about a little girl that is learning social manners such as burping and
breaking siblings toys. She must learn how to say excuse me.
Student will sing a manners song Excuse Me, Im Sorry and sing it every Monday.
** This book has very good illustrations but the context of the story is very short and
makes it hard to keep reading. I would not use this story in my classroom.

Title Strega Nona

Author Tomie de Paola
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Issue
Strega Nona is well known is her town for curing the sick and mixing up potions. Big
Anthony wasnt a very good listener and was left with a to do list from Strega Nona
and she made it clear not to touch her pasta. Big Anthony began serving the pasta to
the townspeople until the pasta grew and grew and began to take over the town.
Adding and subtracting by twos using uncooked pasta
***** I am very pleased to read this book more than once. I think the colorful
illustrations spice up the story, especially when the pasta began to take over the town.

Favorite Character/Series:
Title: The Cat in the Hat
Author: Dr. Seuss

Grade level- 2nd

Genre- Series
One rainy day, Dick and Sally were left in the house while their mother was out. There
was nothing to do but stare out the window. Suddenly they hear a noise in the house
and the cat in the hat appeared. He wanted to make their day more fun so he showed
them some tricks and games. The house ended up in such a mess. The children knew
that the house had to be cleaned before their mother came home, and it did, thanks to
the cat.
An example of an activity for this book is writing a poem including rhyming words.
***** Dr. Seuss is an amazing and creative author. I absolutely love this book. The
unfamiliar words in the story make it become more engaging to the audience as they
use their imagination.
Title: Dr. Suess Sleep Book
Author: Dr. Seuss
Grade level- K-3rd
Genre- Series
Van Vleck was a small bug who was sleepy. He yawned and yawned which was contagious.
Everyone around him started to yawn until all of the creatures throughout the land
became tired and preparing for sleep.
Students will write a bedtime story using sleepy rhyming words.
**** Fantastic story for all ages. This is an adorable story to read before bedtime. I
love the different creatures throughout the story and the wonderful illustrations.

Title: Green Eggs and Ham

Author: Dr. Seuss
Grade level- K-3rd
Genre- series
Sam I Am wants his friend to like his green eggs and ham but the character keeps
responding with I do not like them Sam I Am. Sam I Am never gives up. He follows

him all over her and there and asks him to try them. Finally, his friend gave in and loved
Sam I Ams green eggs and ham.
The class will cook eggs and use food coloring to make the eggs green.
**** Another outstanding story and illustrations from Dr. Seuss. I love reading the
rhyming throughout the story.

Title Olivia
Author Ian Falconer
Grade level- 2nd
Genre Caldecott
Olivia likes a lot of things. She spends most of her day painting walls, playing dress up,
and singing songs. Oh, but not so much nap time.
Like Olivia, the students can plan list of things that they would like to do one day.
***** This was such a cute story. I love how the author made Olivia have a fun
imagination. I think that the girls in the class will enjoy this story the most because it
illustrates what its like in the life of a young girl.

Title: Are You My Mother

Author: P. D. Eastman
Grade level- K-3
Genre- Series
The poor baby bird has lost his mother but will not give up until he finds her. He
searches all over asking dogs, cats, cows, and boats and asks them all Are you my
mother? After he has almost given up, he is lifted back into the tree he came from
and his mother flew in.
The class will categorize different types of animal groups in centers

**** This is a darling story with perfect drawings that follow along. I love the little
birds ambition to find his mother and the relationship they have at the end.

Title: Ten Apples Up on Top

Author: Theo LeSeig
Grade level- K-3rd
Genre- series
In this story, three funny friends try to see how many Apples they can balance on top
of their heads
The students will be given paper plates to reenact the story and balance as best as
they can.
**** This is a great counting game fun and creative illustrations that will keep the
reader engaged. I really liked reading this story.

Title: I Can Read With My Eyes Shut

Author: Dr. Seuss
Grade level- K
Genre- series
Dr. Seuss has a silly way of waking around reading with his eyes shut. He teaches that
reading is not boring and he list all the silly ways you can read.
The students will color a picture of Dr.Seuss reading with his eyes shut
*** I enjoyed the vibrant colors in this story. This was probably my least favorite Dr.
Seuss book.
Title Tuesday
Author David Wiesner

Grade level- 1st

Genre Caldecott
Most Tuesdays are not identified as magical. In this story, the author takes a normal
afternoon and turns it into an abnormal yet notable day. The town is scattered with
lillypads and frogs hopping through the air.
The students will pick a day of the week and illustrate their own story of magical
events that will take place on that day.
****I enjoy the authors way of using pictures to demonstrate the storyline. This gives
the reader an opportunity to use his or her imagination. The author truly makes this
story come to like as if the frogs are actually jumping off the page.

Title The Three Pigs

Author David Wiesner
Grade level 1st
Genre Caldecott
After the first little pigs house is blown down by the big bad wolf, the three little pigs
go on an adventure. The silly little pigs begin to jump in and out of other familiar
folktales and bring the characters back into their own story.
Have the students tell a story using only illustrations
*****The author does an impressive job of taking the characters in and out of the
story to creating expression within the illustrations. I like how this story gave the
general Three Little Pigs a new twist.

Title: The Grouchy Ladybug

Author: Eric Carle
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Series

Two ladybugs meet one day. The grouchy lady bug wants to fight the friendly ladybug.
The friendly ladybug agrees and it makes the grouchy ladybug mad and flies away. The
grouchy ladybug continues to meet up with bigger and bigger animals suggesting a fight,
and when they agree, the ladybug flies off again. Finally the ladybug meets a whale and
suggests a fight. The whale uses his fin and knocks the ladybug all the way back to
where he started. The friendly ladybug was still there and shared the aphids with him
until they were gone.
The students will be asked to participate in a readers theatre using ALL of the
characters in the story.
***** Eric Carle and the illustrator used great colors and creatures to enhance the
story. I adored the friendly little ladybug at the beginning and end of the story.

Fairytale:
Title: Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella
Author: Jan Brett
Grade level-1st
Genre- Fairytale
Much like the original Cinderella, This chicken wants to go to the ball but is made fun
of by her entire flock of family. Her fairy god mother, who is a chicken too, turns her
into the most beautiful girl in the castle. But when Cinder loses her slipper, the prince
must return it. The next day, the chicken prince finds her by fitting the slipper on her
foot. They both rushed off happily to their coop.
An example of an activity for this book is writing a poem including rhyming words.
***** Dr. Seuss is an amazing and creative author. I absolutely love this book. The
unfamiliar words in the story make it become more engaging to the audience as they
use their imagination.

Fantasy:
Title: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatball
Author: Judi Barrett
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Fantasy
In the town of Chewandswallow, weather is not sunny, rainy, or snowy. Weather in this
town is food. The weather cannot be controlled and the town becomes worried when
they hear bigger portions, tomato tornadoes and stale bread.
The class will create an illustration of what they believe the weather would look like in
Chewandswallow.
***** Excellent story and illustrations! The amount of creativity that the story offers
will send the readers imagination soaring. I like this book because it can be used for
many different activities in a classroom.

Title: Where the Wild Things Are

Author: Maurice Sendak
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Fantasy
Max was always up to no good and causing trouble until his mom sent him to bed without
dinner. That night a forest grew in his bedroom. Max was taken on a boat to where the
wild things were. While he was there the wild things were also up to no good and Max
had to tame then and put them to bed. He crowned himself King. But Max was hungry
and lonely. He then sailed back to his room where his mom left him dinner still warm.

Good choice/Bad choice worksheet. The students will brainstorm words and phrases
to list underneath the good or bad choice column.
*****This is a family favorite. I first fell in love with the incredible illustrations. It is
wonderfully written and put together. I feel like this story will teach disciplinary
actions to the reader

Title: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Author: Jon Scieszka
Grade level- 3rd
Genre- Fantasy
This is a story about Alexander T. Wolf, the wolfs point of view of what really
happened. Al (for short) had a terrible cold and went to the first little pigs house to
borrow sugar. Unfortunately the wolf accidently sneezed and blew the first and second
little pigs house down. When he came to the brick house the pigs called the police on
him and he was arrested.
The students will participate in readers theatre according to the story.
***** This was such a funny version of the story with incredibly unique illustrations
that follow the book. The author provides a good moral to the story that is clear for
the reader to understand.

Title: The Cat in the Hat

Author: Dr. Seuss
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Fantasy
One rainy day, Dick and Sally were left in the house while their mother was out. There
was nothing to do but stare out the window. Suddenly they hear a noise in the house
and the cat in the hat appeared. He wanted to make their day more fun so he showed

them some tricks and games. The house ended up in such a mess. The children knew
that the house had to be cleaned before their mother came home, and it did, thanks to
the cat.
An example of an activity for this book is writing a poem including rhyming words.
***** Dr. Seuss is an amazing and creative author. I absolutely love this book. The
unfamiliar words in the story make it become more engaging to the audience as they
use their imagination.

Title: The Day I Lost My Superpowers

Author: Michael Escoffier
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Fantasy
In the story, a little believes she has superpowers. She can do anything from
breathing underwater, moving things without touching them, and flying. But when she
decides to fly one day she fell and lost all her powers. This didnt last very long, after
her mother rushed outside and gave her a magic kiss. The little girl said that her
mother must have superpowers too!
The teacher will ask the class if you had one superpower what would it be? After the
class makes their decision, they will act out what it would be like to have that
superpower.
*** Great imaginative story. I found myself only choosing the story because of the
illustration on the cover. Throughout the story, I must say that the drawing very my
favorite part.

Title: Matildas Cat

Author: Emily Gravett
Grade level- K
Genre- Fantasy

Matilda begins by trying to get her cat to climb trees, play with a ball of fur, and other
things most cats love to do. Matildas cat was not interested in these activities so
Matilda tried something new. She tried tea parties, bike rides and even dressing up
(Matilda dressed in a cat suit) but her cat was still not interested. This makes Matilda
aggravated.
The students will practice the letter c for cat.
**** This picture book is my favorite! It has such funny illustrations that go along with
Matilda and her cat.

Title: Found
Author: Salina Yoon
Grade level- K
Genre- Fantasy
Bear was walking along the forest when he found a stuffed bunny. He could tell that
this lovable bunny had an owner, so he puts up posters for the bunnys owner. Along the
journey, Bear becomes attached to bunny and takes him on a picnic. Moose notices his
bunny. After Bear gave bunny to his owner, Moose asked Bear if he would take care of
Floppy for him.
The class will play hide n seek around the classroom to find the Moose. The teacher will
give clues until he is found.
**** The drawings are very simple yet engaging. I was fond of this short and sweet
story about friendship.

Title: Hooray for Hat

Author: Brian Won
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Fantasy

The story begins with a grumpy elephant that is having a bad day until his door bell
rings. There was a hat! The elephant was so happy about the hat; he took it to show his
friend Zebra. Zebra was also having a grumpy day until his friend gave him his hat. The
animals keep sharing the hat until all of the animals are no longer grumpy.
The class with create a party hat out of construction paper and trade it with a friend.
**** Won did a beautiful job writing this loving story filled with friendship. The
illustrator did a great job of presenting different emotions throughout the drawings.

Title: Maple
Author: Lori Nichols
Grade level- 2nd
Genre- Fantasy
When Maple was born, her parents planted a maple tree. Maple grew up around the
tree as the seasons passed by. One day her mother told her she was going to be a big
sister. Maple did everything she could to be the best sister and it was quite
exhausting. At the end of the day, she would go and relax beside the maple tree.
The students will collect acorns and put them in water to watch them sprout.
*** Maple was nicely written with great quality illustrations. I liked the relationship
between the little girl and the tree following her sister Willow.

Title: Flight School

Author: Lita Judge
Grade level- 1st
Genre- Fantasy
This is a story of a little penguin that believes he was born to fly and goes to flight
school. All the other birds knew penguins couldnt fly, but that didnt stop him. After
many attempts and crashes, the penguin never gave up.

The class will cut out a picture of the little penguin from the story and will be asked to
color and write their dream inside the penguin.
***** Both author and illustrator did an incredible job of designing this book. The
beautiful colors went along great with the author form page to page. This is a perfect
book to read to the class about not giving up on their dreams.