Final 100 Childrens Books

1
100 Childrens Books

Abigail Hancock
Table of Contents
Caldecott 3
Seasonal/Holiday 12
Math/Numbers/Counting 16
Science/Animal/Nature 19
Social Studies/Historical Fiction 24
Multicultural 29
Issues 34
Favorite Characters 37
Folk Tale/Fairy Tale 42
Fantasy/Other 47
Caldecott
1. The Relatives Came
a. Author: Cynthia Rylant
b. Grade Level: 2-4
c. Genre: Caldecott Books
d. Summary: In this book, relatives travel in their car a long way from Virginia to
visit for the summer. When they arrive everyone hugs, and laughs together while
they talk. They had a huge family dinner. Then they all made room for the extra
family members to sleep. They gardened, and ate fresh fruit. Finally after a few
weeks, their relatives had to leave with promises of returning.
e. Activity: The students can each write about a time when their family came to
visit. Then they can draw a picture of something that happened when their family
visited.
f. Review: 5/5: I love that this book is about something that the students can relate
to, having family visit. It can bring up good conversations about different family
members, and places where family lives and travels from. It also had really good
pictures to show what was going on during the visit. It would be engaging for
students.
2. Where The Wild Things Are
a. Author: Maurice Sendak
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: A young boy was causing mischief in his house one day until his
mother called him a Wild Thing and sent him to bed without food. The boy,
Max, went to his room and created his own imaginary world. A forest grew, and
Max sailed to where the wild things were. Max became king of the wild things
and they did whatever he said. However, max began to feel lonely, and he smelled
good food. Max decided to sail back, and he found his dinner waiting for him in
his room.
e. Activity: The students each make their own wild thing and write one sentence to
describe it. This is a project that could be hung up in the room for the students to
see.
f. Review: 4/5: I love how this book encourages the imagination. It makes readers
imagine what they might create in their mind if they were sent to their room. I
think that imagination is very important and that this book creatively encourages
it. It is also relatable to readers, as most readers can understand what it feels like
to be sent to their room.
3. Madeline
a. Author: Ludwig Bemelmans
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Caldecott Book
d. Summary: This book tells the story of 12 little girls who lived in a house in Paris
with Miss Clavel. Madeline was the smallest and not easily scared until one day
she had to have her appendix removed. Madeline was ok and the other girls
visited her. At the end all of the girls cried in their room because they wanted their
appendix removed.
e. Activity: Have the students write about a time they were hurt and maybe had to
go to the hospital.
f. Review: 3/5: Many young children love Madeline, however the book can be a
little hard to understand at the end about why all of the other girls wanted their
appendix removed. But I do think that it brings up good discussions for the class
about getting hurt and how it is ok. Everyone gets hurt at some point, but doctors
are there to help and friends can come visit.
4. Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type
a. Author: Doreen Cronin
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Farmer Browns cows liked to type, and they left a note on the barn for
Farmer Brown asking for electric blankets. However Farmer Brown refused so the
cows went on strike and said no more milk. Then the cows asked for electric
blankets for the chickens as well and Farmer Brown refused again, so the hens
went on strike as well. Farmer Brown typed a note back and finally they decided
that the cows would return the type writer if Famer Brown gave them the
blankets. But the ducks ended up with the typewriter and asked for a diving board
in the pond.
e. Activity: Bring in a typewriter to class and let the students take turns in centers
typing a sentence on the typewriter.
f. Review: 4/5: This is such an easy book to read and would definitely engage the
students. It is also great that it brings a typewriter into the story since those are no
longer used in society today. It is important for students to learn about things from
the past, it would be a cool book to read after learning about typewriters in
history.
5. Make Way For Ducklings
a. Author: Robert McCloskey
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard searched everywhere for a new place to live to
raise their family of ducklings. Finally they found the perfect spot and Mrs.
Mallard laid eight eggs. Once they hatched, Mr. Mallard went to explore and said
that he would meet Mrs. Mallard and their ducklings at the public garden in a
week. Mrs. Mallard taught her ducklings what they needed to know. Finally they
set off for the garden as they did, police officers helped stop the cars to let them
cross the streets easily. Once at the park the Mallard family decided to live there
forever.
e. Activity: Decorate a bird with feathers just like the Mallards.
f. Review: 4/5: The illustrations in this book are great. In addition, seeing ducks in a
park or trying to cross the road is something that most students can identify with.
This helps engage the students and can lead to stories about different things that
they have seen. The book is well written with children in mind.
6. Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
a. Author: Charlotte Zolotow
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: A little girl went to a rabbit for help finding a gift for her mom's
birthday. He asked what her mom likes and she listed some colors. Finally they
found fruit the color that her mom likes and put them in a basket for her gift.
e. Activity: Create a mother's day gift. Make a 3-D basket and flowers out of paper
and have the students color and decorate it and write a note for their mother.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a cute book that is good because it encourages thinking about
your mom. Moms do so much for their kids that it is good to remind them to do
something for their mom. It would be a great book to read around Mother's Day to
introduce a gift project for her.
7. Owl Moon
a. Author: Jane Yolen
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: A young child went owling late one night with his pa. They walked
quietly into the woods. It was wonder and everything was covered with snow.
Finally they found an owl and caught it in pa's flashlight. Then they laughed and
talked the whole way home.
e. Activity: Create a paper owl and write things that need to be done while owling.
f. Review: 2/5: This is not the most interesting book to read. It is a good story of
something a young child did to connect with his dad. It also talks about winter and
how owls are nocturnal. However it does not seem like it would be very engaging
to students.
8. When I was Young in the Mountains
b. Grade Level: K-3
d. Summary: A young girl lived in the mountains. She lived with her brother and
grandparents and loved it. They went swimming, went to the store and filled their
own baths with pumped water. She never wanted to go anywhere else as a girl,
she loved the mountains.
e. Activity: Stick a big piece of lined paper on the board and divide it into 2 sides.
Brainstorm the differences between the world she lived in and the world we live
in now.
f. Review: 5/5: This was a great book! It had wonderful illustrations and was very
interesting. It would be a great book to read and help students realize how life has
changed over the years. It would go great with a U.S. history lesson or learning
about how society changes.
9. White Snow Bright Snow
a. Author: Alvin Tresselt
b. Grade Level: K-3
d. Summary: This book tells what happens as it begins to snow in one town. It talks
about the things that the postman, farmer, policeman and his wife, and the
children do. It starts out as they all anticipate the snow, and then it finally snows
during the night. The next day it talks about what everyone does in the snow and
finally, what they do as the snow melts away and spring comes again.
e. Activity: Have students write about what each member of their family and
themselves would do as they anticipate snow, and then once the snow falls.
f. Review: 4/5: The illustrations in this book are great, and I love that the book talks
about more than just the day it snows. It talks about what happens leading up to
the snow, and after the snow. These are things that students can relate to, even if it
does not snow where they live, it could be compared to the coming of summer or
any other season.
10. Color Zoo
a. Author: Lois Ehlert
b. Grade Level: K-1
d. Summary: This book simply goes through some different ways to make different
animals out of different shapes and colors. It states each of the animals, and the
shapes that are used for each one.
e. Activity: Have different shapes cut out of different colored paper. Students can
make an animals out of the shapes and colors that they want. Then put the animal
on a sheet of paper and have the students list the different shapes and colors that
they used.
f. Review: 4/5: This book is extremely simple and has a very straight-forward
message. However, it is great to practicing shapes and helping students be
creative with their shapes. It encourages imagination and learning. This makes it a
very good book for young students.
11. Many Moons
a. Author: James Thurber
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: The young princess is sick and tells her father, the king, that the only
thing that will make it better is if she can have the moon. The kings calls many
people to ask them to get the moon. However, they all say that it is impossible and
have different ideas of what the moon looks like. The Court Jester finally says to
ask the princess what the moon looks like, she said small and gold. So he had
something small and gold made for her. Then the king worries about what will
happen if she sees the moon rise in the night. Once again he calls many people to
get ideas but they have none. Again the Court Jester goes up to her room and he
asks her to explain how the moon still rises, she says that it grew back. The
princess is better and all is well in the kingdom.
e. Activity: Use this book to introduce the class into the subject of the moon. Talk
about how everyone had their own opinion of the moon, but none of they were
really right. Then have the students do a little bit of research to find real, true facts
about the moon.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is a great fictional book to be read to lead the class into
the subject of something real. While reading the book, as everyone says different
things about the moon and how it looks, readers begin to wonder what the real
facts are about the moon. It is a fictional book that leads to real discovery. It is
also very interesting and captivating to the audience as they wonder if the girl will
ever get the moon.
12. No, David
a. Author: David Shannon
b. Grade Level: K-1
d. Summary: The book illustrates many things that his mother says no to, or things
that he needs to do. The book ends with his mother saying I love you.
e. Activity: Talk about things that are needed to do around the house and what kinds
of chores the students have. Then have the students make little coupon books for
their mothers or fathers of things that they will do as a gift to their parents.
f. Review: 4/5: This is an extremely simple book without very many words in it.
However, it has wonderful illustrations and it is very relatable to children. I think
it would be a great thing to read around Mothers or Fathers day to help children
understand that like David, even when his parents are upset at them, they still love
them. It is also great to bring up the conversation of how much their parents do
for them, and encourage students to help out more around the house.
13. Working Cotton
a. Author: Sherley Anne Williams
b. Grade Level: 2-3
d. Summary: This book goes through a young migrant girl workers day at the cotton
fields. She explains how hard her family works and how her whole family is at the
cotton fields. She explains how she cannot do quite as much work has her parents
can.
e. Activity: Have the students write a journal entry pretending that they are the
young migrant worker girl.
f. Review: 4/5: This books can bring up a great conversation in class. It talks about
how hard life is for families who had to or still are migrant workers. It also helps
children imagine if their life was different, and hopefully give them a new
appreciation for how their life is.
14. The Garden of Abul Gasazi
a. Author: Chris Can Allsburg
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: Miss. Hester had to leave her dog at home when she went to visit her
cousin so she had Alan take care of him. Howver the dog, Fritz was not well
behaved and when they went on a walk he ran straight into a garden where dogs
were not allowed. Alan had to find the own,er the great magician, Abdul Gasazi
where Gasazi said he had turned Fritz into a duck. Alan carried him home very
upset until the duck grabbed his hat and flew away. However, when he returned,
Miss. Hester said Gasazi had tricked Alan and that Fritz was home as a dog. Then
later she saw Alans hat in Fritzs mouth.
e. Activity: Have students cut out a dog shape and then thought bubbles to go with
it. Then have the students color it in and write things that they think dogs think
about in the thought bubbles.
f. Review: 4/5: This is another good book to help students with their imaginations.
At the end, students wonder if the dog really was turned into a duck, and then if
magicians really are real. Also. Many students would have dogs of their own, so
they would be able to relate to this story well.
15. Free Fall
a. Author: David Wiesner
b. Grade Level: K-1
d. Summary: This book explains through pictures what kinds of things happen in a
young boys dream. He has a lot of adventures. One of the adventures is entering
the pages of his book. Then he wakes up and realizes it was a dream.
e. Activity: Since there are no words on the pages, have students write a sentence of
word to describe each page of the book.
f. Review: 2/5: This book has absolutely no words. It could help students think
creatively, however I also think it would be pretty boring to just show the class the
pictures. It also does not give students practice reading or being read to. I also feel
that the illustrations are a little hard for students to understand as there is a lot
going on in them.
16. Tuesday
b. Grade Level: 1-2

d. Summary: This book shows what frogs did one Tuesday at different times during
the day. They seem to fly all over the pace and confuse people. Then at the end it
shows that pigs have the adventure next time. No one knows what the pigs will
do.
e. Activity: Introduce the idea of timelines to students. Have one drawn on the board
and have the students copy it. Then have them write out what happened in the
book on the timeline.
f. Review: 3/5: I think this book better than his other book, Free Fall, however it
still has very few words. It does encourage imagination with what words might
say on the page. It also encourages imagination at the end by showing the pigs
and imagining how the pigs spent the day. It is not a very exciting book.
17. Strega Nona
a. Author: Tomie de Paola
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Strega Nona means Grandma Witch, and she was very popular in her
small town. She knew magical potions to help people who came to her. Big
Anthony was her helper and she always reminded not to touch her magical pot
that made pasta. One night he overheard the chant Strega Nona used to make her
pasta pot work, however he missed it when she blew 3 kisses. When she left him
in charge the next day he took the pot to town and made the pasta pot work.
However, he could not stop it and pasta took over the town until Strega Nona
could stop it. He learned never to mess with her stuff again.
e. Activity: Since this book is all about Strega Nonas pasta, bring in many different
types of dry pasta to class. Have the students first sort the pasta and then create
patterns out of it. They can even glue them down on paper.
f. Review: 5/5: This book is very engaging to students. They are able to identify
with Big Anthony, wanting to do things they are told not to. They also love the
idea of anything magical like the pot. The illustrations are great for the students to
follow the story as it is read, and it is also a series so these books can be read on
many different occasions.
18. Mr. Wuffles!
b. Grade Level: K-1
d. Summary: A human tries to play with a cat but the cat walks away. Then there are
actual aliens in a play toy and the cat spots them and wants them out. They make
a plan to escape. It gets a little crazy, but they make it back to their ship and
escape. Mr. Wuffles is angry and still refuses to play with the human.
e. Activity: Make a flying saucer out of paper plates and decorate it creatively.
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f. Review: 1/5: While it would be a great activity to make flying saucers, I just
cannot see reading this book to a classroom of students. They would be bored just
watching the teacher flip the pages and barely talk. It is also a pretty confusing
book to understand by just looking at the pictures.
19. Zen Shorts
a. Author: Jon J Muth
b. Grade Level: K-3
d. Summary: A young boy named Michael saw a bear outside and called his siblings
to come. They met Stillwater, the Panda. The sister, Andy came to visit one day
and the panda told a story about giving what you have to others. Then Michael
came and the panda told a story about how good luck and bad luck and be mixed
up and you do not know what will happen. Finally Karl came and Stillwater told a
story about carrying grudges. They were all friends.
e. Activity: Write down the three lessons that can be learned from this story and
write about a time when this lesson applied to you.
f. Review: 5/5: I loved reading this book! It was such a sweet story and I think it
will definitely engage a classroom of students. I love the stories the panda tells
and the meanings behind them. They are great lessons for students to learn and
they are told in an interesting way.
20. Seven Blind Mice
a. Author: Ed Young
b. Grade Level: K-3
d. Summary: There are seven blind mice who bump in to something. They each take
turns going to figure out what it is. The red one thinks it is a column, but the green
one says it is a snake and so on. Finally, the white one travels over the whole
thing and decided it is an elephant. Once all of the mice do the same thing they
a1l agree.
e. Activity: Have Columns, snakes, spears cliffs, fans, and rope cut out in the color
of the mouse who felt it. Then have students glue all of the pieces into the shape
of an elephant.
f. Review: 5/5: I love the moral behind this story. It is important for students to be
reminded that we do not always see the whole picture. It is important for us to see
everything before we make a judgement on something. In addition, it is a fun,
creative book for students.
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Seasonal/Holiday
1. Froggys Best Christmas
a. Author: Jonathan London
b. Grade Level: K-3
c. Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
d. Summary: Froggys friend Max came over to Froggys house Christmas morning
to wake Froggy up from hibernation. Froggy kept saying how this was his first
Christmas that he did not sleep through. The two went on to wake up their other
friends that usually sleep through Christmas and they all gave each other presents,
and had lots of fun decorating the tree.
e. Activity: Talk about animals that hibernate and have the students each play a
certain animal and talk about what their animal does during the winter.
f. Review: 4/5: I think that this book is great because it brings up the whole idea of
hibernation which is something that students need to understand. It is also a very
funny book that makes young kids laugh. It has Froggys relationships with his
friends and family which is something that all of the students can relate to.
2. Room on the Broom
a. Author: Julia Donaldson
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Holiday
d. Summary: There was a witch who rode on her broom. However, she kept
dropping things. She would go down to the ground and search for it, and an
animal would find it and bring it to her. Then the animal would ask to ride on her
broom and the witch agreed. After this happened a few times, her broom snapped
and a dragon almost ate her, but the other animals she had helped saved her. Then
she had then add things to a cauldron, and she said a spell, and out popped a fancy
new broom for them all to ride on.
e. Activity: Assign each student a part to be in the story and as the teacher reads the
story for the second time, have the students act out what it going on in the story.
f. Review: 4/5: I like that this story encourages friendship. It shows that everyone
can bring something different and it can work together and create something great
just like the new broom in the book. It is a different take on a Halloween story,
and is an encouraging story.
3. Snowballs
a. Author: Lois Enhert
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Seasonal
d. Summary: The writer knew it was going to snow, and they packed up some
supplies to make a snowman. Then they went outside and build a snow dad, mom,
boy, girl, baby, and cat. However, later the sun came up and melted all of them
away.
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e. Activity: Talk about the different stages of water (solid, liquid, and gas).
Demonstrate ice melting, and freezing ice.
f. Review: 3/5: This is an extremely simple book, but it has really great illustrations.
The snowmen are very cute and it makes the students think about how different
things can be used. It also has some extra info about snow in the back of the book.
4. Tracks in the Snow
a. Author: Wong Herbert Yee
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Seasonal
d. Summary: A young girl looks outside and saw tracks in the snow. She went
outside to follow them all over the place. She wondered what kind of an animal
might have made them. Then as she made her way home, she realized that she had
made the tracks in the snow yesterday.
e. Activity: Make a map of your house and where your tracks would go if you could
play out in the snow.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a very easy and simple book, but it is very cute and fun to
read. It is creative that they were her own tracks in the snow. The pictures are also
very well done.
5. The Night Before Summer Vacation
a. Author: Natasha Wing
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Seasonal
d. Summary: A family was preparing to leave on summer vacation. They had to pack
up all of their stuff and even go into the attic! Then when all the packing was
done, they ate dinner and looked at scrapbooks of their past summer vacations.
Then the children went to bed and dreamed about their vacation. Then they heard
their dad making noises as he pack of the last things and they left for vacation, but
had to turn around because they forgot the dog.
e. Activity: Write about one of your summer vacations and draw a picture of
something you did while you were on vacation.
f. Review: 4/5: The book was very cute and easy to read because it read like Twas
the Night before Christmas, and it rhymed. It is a story students can relate to
because they have all had to pack things up for vacation before. It would be a
good book to read during the last few days of school when the students are ready
for summer vacation.
6. Arthurs Thanksgiving
a. Author: Marc Brown
b. Grade Level: 1-2
c. Genre: Holiday
d. Summary: Mr. Ratburn gave Arthur the job of director for the schools
Thanksgiving play. Arthur had to give everyone parts, but no one wanted to be the
turkey. He even asked his parents and sister to be the turkey but they could not.
The rehearsal did not go well and Arthur still did not have a turkey. In the end
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Arthur ended up being the turkey and his friends and family dressed up as one
too.
e. Make turkey hands and paint the feathers. Have students write something they are
thankful for in each of the feathers.
f. Review: 3/5: This book was pretty good, but it could have had more in it about
actually celebrating Thanksgiving and being thankful. I did like that everyone was
turkeys in the end and Arthur was not embarrassed. It would also be good if there
was more historical background on the first Thanksgiving.
7. Fourth of July Mice
a. Author: Bethany Roberts
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Holiday
d. Summary: A family of mice celebrate the Fourth of July by marching in a parade,
having a picnic, playing games, swimming, using sparklers, and watching
fireworks.
e. Activity: Talk about why we celebrate the Fourth of July then help students create
fireworks on paper with paint.
f. Review: 3/5: This is a very cute but simple book. It can only be used for the really
young grades. However, it is great that it talks about what families typically do on
the Fourth of July. It can also bring up the topic of why our country celebrates this
day and how it is special to the United States.
8. Autumn Harvest
b. Grade Level: K-3
c. Genre: Seasonal
d. Summary: This book talks about all of the different things that go on during the
fall. The hot days grow shorter, the cool nights are longer, different produce
grows, and animals store up food. Halloween comes and finally Thanksgiving.
e. Activity: Make a calendar of the fall months. Add holidays, and different things
that are grown to the calendar. Decorate it with fall activities and other symbols
that represent the fall.
f. Review: 3/5: This book is great for explaining different things that happen as
summer turns into fall. A few of the parts might need a little explaining though for
the students to understand. It would be a great book to read to explain the changes
in seasons.
9. The Thankful Book
a. Author: Todd Parr
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Holiday (Thanksgiving)
d. Summary: This book lists a lot of things people can be thankful for.
e. Activity: Create a thankful book and draw a picture of what you are thankful for
on each page.
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f. Review: 5/5: This is a great book to introduce students to the idea of being
thankful. It is simple but it brings up being thankful for things you might think are
bad at first. It makes it easy and fun for students to understand.
10. The Story of the Easter Bunny
a. Author: Katherine Tegen
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Holiday (Easter)
d. Summary: There was an old couple who decorated eggs, and made baskets and
chocolate eggs every year. Then on Easter, they would deliver them to all of the
children. Their bunny watched the whole time. Slowly, the bunny began to take
over the job and secretly delivered the baskets to the children. Eventually it got so
big he had to leave his family and get his other bunny friends to help him.
e. Activity: Have students decorate eggs for members of their family.
f. Review: 4/5: Although this book is about a certain religion's holiday, it only talks
about the secular part of Easter which could be ok to read in some schools. It is a
cute book with an explanation about the Easter Bunny. It helps students imagine
how and why the Easter Bunny could exist.
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Math/Number/Counting
1. The Berenstain Bears Dollars and Sense
a. Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
b. Grade Level: 4-5
c. Genre: Math (Money and Checks)
d. Summary: Brother and Sister liked money and knew that they could buy things
with money. They asked their Papa for money to buy toys, but he got upset
because he did not want his cubs thinking he was made of money. Mama came up
with the idea of allowance; however Brother and Sister spent their allowance
money right away each week and never saved it. Then Mama came up with the
idea of using checks to help the cubs save their money and it worked, they were
able to manage their money.
e. Activity: Give every student a checkbook and teach them how to write out checks
and the concept of saving money. Then have everyone bring in items they no
longer need to auction off. The students must use their concept of checks to buy
the items they want and save up for bigger things.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book and very important for students to
learn. I remember learning how to use checks and save my money when I was in
4th grade. It is something that is hard for young children to understand. This book
clearly shows how many children use the money that they get, and it teaches them
that if they save up their money then they can buy more.
2. Ten Apples Up on Top
a. Author: Theo. LeSieg
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Counting
d. Summary: There was a lion that started counting how many apples he could put
on top of his head. When he got to 2 a dog came up saying he could do that too.
They kept adding apples to their head until a tiger came up with 5 apples on top of
his head. They all kept adding more and doing different things until they got to 10
apples on top. Then a bear came after them with a broom. In the end all of the
apples fell and then everyone had 10 apples on top of their head.
e. Activity: Have little apple cut out, 10 for each student. Have the students practice
counting to ten up and down by adding and removing their apples. You can also
work on small addition and subtraction problems with the apples pieces. At the
end let the students put the apple pieces on top of their head and see if they can
walk around the room with them.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a cute book that deals with counting, and also friendly
competition. Children know that feeling if wanting to outdo a friend at something,
and this book has that element to it. It also deals with counting forward and
backward which is good for students to practice.
3. How the Second Grade got $8205.50 to go to the Statue of Liberty
a. Author: Nathan Zimelman
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b. Grade Level: 2-3

c. Genre: Math
d. Summary: A group of second graders wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty but
they had to raise the money to go. They had a paper drive, lemonade stand, sold
candy and a car wash. In the end they got most of their money from incidentally
stopping bank criminals and receiving a reward. After that they were all able to go
on the trip.
e. Activity: The book keeps track of the student's profits and expenses which is
helpful for an activity. As the teacher reads the book give each student a
whiteboard to keep track of the money the students make. At the end write it all
on the front white board and see how many students added it up right.
f. Review: 3/5: I think it is great that this book keeps track of profits and expenses
which are important terms and concepts for students to learn. It is also a relatable
subject since students go on field trips and know it costs money. However the
book can be a little confusing for younger students and it is very unrealistic.
4. The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale
a. Author: Brenda Williams
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Math (Counting)
d. Summary: There was a king with 3 sons, but he needed his first son to marry a
real princess in order to have the best future queen for his land. 2 young girls
came to stay at their house and married the younger 2 sons since their mothers
said they were not real princesses. Finally, the oldest son finds a young woman in
the woods and invites her back. After the princess said she did not sleep well
(because the Queen had put a pea under her bed), the son marries her because she
is a real princess. Then the king and queen pick more golden peas in order to
make money for themselves to live on.
e. Activity: Do the math problems that are in the book. Have them written out with a
picture next to them for the students to do after reading the book. This can be
done in different levels. Students who have not learned multiplication can focus
on adding the numbers or just counting, while those who do know multiplication
can solve the problems that way.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is a wonderful book. It has beautiful illustrations and
mixes a traditional fairy tale with math and counting. It engages the students
because they want to know what happens. It also engages them as they try to
figure out the math and counting part of the book. What is great about the math
part is it can be used in many different ways depending on the math level of the
class.
5. Count the Monkeys
a. Author: Mac Barnett
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Math (Counting)
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d. Summary: The books purpose is to count the monkeys however, other animals
keep getting in the way such as 1 King Cobra. There are also mongoose,
crocodiles, bears, and bees! Then some sweet beekeepers get rid of the bees, but
then 7 wolves come. Next there are lumberjacks and finally 10 polka-dotted
rhinoceroses. At the end there are no monkeys to count because there are no more
pages!
e. Activity: Create your own monkey out of paper. Use brass pins to let the arms and
legs move to hang from a paper branch that the teacher puts up in the room. Then
practice counting all of the monkeys.
f. Review: 5/5: This is an awesome book! It is so interactive with the readers. It tells
the reader how to turn the page, what to say, and allows for a lot of fun! It also
practices numbers and counting as there are more and more animals taking over
the book.
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Science/Animal/Nature
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
a. Author: Eric Carle
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Animal
d. Summary: There was an egg on a leaf that turned into a caterpillar. But the
caterpillar was very hungry so he ate a lot of food. The food that made him feel
the best was a leaf. Once the caterpillar was no longer hungry, he made himself a
cocoon and after two weeks he came out and turned into a butterfly.
e. Activity: Get caterpillars for the classroom. Give the students a little journal to
draw pictures of the caterpillar in its different stages. At the end let the butterflies
free.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book for students to learn about caterpillars
and some of the cool things nature does. It is easy for young children to
understand and has great pictures to go along with it. It is a book that would easily
create discussion in the class about the cool things animals do and how nature
helps animals.
2. The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow
a. Author: Joanna Cole
b. Grade Level: 3-4
c. Genre: Science (Light and Color)
d. Summary: The class was learning about rainbows when Ms. Frizzle got a pinball
machine. In order to win and keep the machine, she had to match up all six of the
different colors with the six different colored eyes. The students wanted to help
her in, so Ms. Frizzle sent them into the machine on the magic school bus. Once
the students were in the machine, they learned that they could move mirrors and
objects to help the different colored light bounce off of them and into the eyes.
They thought it was so cool that the light started out white and turned into the six
colors after going through the prism. As the children were working on the game,
they learned that a tree is green because the green light bounces off things that are
green. If green light goes into something that is orange, it is absorbed. In the end
the students were able to win the game for their teacher and Ms. Frizzle got to
keep her game.
e. Activity: Do a demonstration with colors and light. Have a flashlight and different
colors of transparent table cloth type materials. Turn off the lights and shine the
flashlight on a wall, see that the light is white, then put a color over it and see
what happens. Talk about how the color only lets a certain part of the light though.
Have a prism to shine white light though too if possible. You can also combine
colors such as blue and yellow together and see what happens.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book to use as an intro to talking about
colors and lights. The students in the book help explain why color works the way
it does, as they are learning from their teacher. This book also easily allows for
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discussion and questions after the book which is wonderful for students. In
addition, it talks about colors and light in a very fun way.
3. The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Science (Plants and Seeds)
d. Summary: A photographer was coming to take a picture of Ms. Frizzles class
with a picture of their garden and the class wanted it to look the best. As they
were preparing their garden, Phoebe wished she could have one of the plants from
her old school in the garden, so Ms. Frizzle planned a field trip! The magic school
bus turned into a ladybug with all of the children inside and they flew all the way
to Phoebes old school and her flower. They landed on the petal, then they slipped
into the nectar. Bees came to pollinate the flower and the bus shrunk to the size of
the pollen. The bee dropped them off at the stigma and they fell down the pollen
tube where they found seeds. Ms. Frizzle helped the seeds become ready to leave
the flower and they road with the seed back to the school where the seed turned
into the flower just in time for the photographer.
e. Activity: Have diagrams of flowers drawn and have the students label the parts of
a flower and color it. Then have each student plant a flower to keep by the
window and watch grow.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a great book to help students learn about flowers. It would be
a great book to have students fill out diagrams for as they read. It also easily
explains about pollination and how bees are needed to help plants. The book is
even more interesting to students because it is about a class and other students
trying to learn just like them.
4. The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten
b. Grade Level: 2-4
c. Genre: Science (Food Chains)
d. Summary: The class was supposed to do a report and bring to class 2 things that
go together to bring on their beach field trip. When they got to the beach, the
magic school bus turned into a dolphin to swim under the water. While they were
there the class saw photoplankton which was then eaten by zooplankton. Then the
zooplanktons were eaten by anchovies and the anchovies were eaten by Tuna, and
Keesha ate a tuna fish sandwich. This was their lesson on food chains. The animal
at the end of the food chain is at the top of the food chain.
e. Activity: Fill out a food chain for some animals in the ocean and on land. Then
have pictures of the animals on popsicle sticks to act out the food chain.
f. Review: 5/5: This book is a great book to help students figure out how the food
chain works. It is a great example of how bigger animals eat smaller animals and
can easily be turned into a hands on activity. It is interesting and an engaging
book for students.
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5. Cock-a-doodle-doo! Barnyard Hullabaloo

a. Author: Giles Andreae
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Animals
d. Summary: This book goes through many barnyard animals: rooster, chickens,
cows, sheepdog, barnyard cat, pigs, donkey, turkey, geese, sheep, goats, horse,
bull, fox, and owl. It explains sounds each animal makes and different things that
they do in a barn.
e. Activity: Have a sheet of paper with all of the animals on it. Have students color
in the animals and write one thing that is special about each of them. To help out
the teacher could keep track of the animals and some of the things each one does
on the board as they read the book.
f. Review: 4/5: This book is a great overview of different animals and what they do
in a farm setting. It is not much of a story but it is informative. It would be great
for young kids learning their animals and the sounds that they make.
6. Is Your Mama a Llama?
a. Author: Deborah Guarino
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Animals
d. Summary: A young llama travels around to all of his friends asking them if their
mama is a llama. However as he hears the description of their mamas, he realizes
their mamas are not llamas, they are different animals. In the end he realizes that
only llamas have mothers that are llamas.
e. Activity: Have students cut out small pictures of different animals in the book,
both a young animal and an older one (child and mother). Then have the students
glue the ones that belong together next to each other. Talk about how each
animals family is only made up of the same type of animal.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book that is easy for students to understand
and learn something from. As the book is read it is easy for students to understand
that each animals mother looks the same as them, only bigger. It gives them a
greater understanding about animals and how they live.
7. The Best Nest
a. Author: P.D. Eastman
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Animals
d. Summary: Mr. Bird loves his house with his nest however, Mrs. Bird does not.
They start to look for a new nest, but they have a lot of trouble finding an
available spot. Finally they settle up in the bell tower of a church. The two birds
fly around collecting straw, string, and sticks for their new nest. However, once
the bell rings, Mr. Bird can no longer find Mrs. Bird in their new nest. He
searched everywhere and finally found them in their old nest with a new baby bird
happy as can be.
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e. Activity: Have supplies like leaves, small sticks, and string for students to glue
onto a piece of paper with a nest outline. Have the students draw birds inside of it
and talk about birds, how they make nests, and have baby birds with eggs.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is a great, creative book to explain birds. It demonstrates
how they make nests and the supplies they use. It also shows that birds lay eggs. It
is a great book to read to help teach students about birds.
8. The Rainbow Fish
a. Author: Marcus Pfister
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Animals
d. Summary: There was a fish named Rainbow Fish. He had many sparkly scales.
One day a little fish swam up and asked for a scale but Rainbow Fish rejected him
instantly. Rainbow Fish felt sad and went to ask for advice from the starfish. The
starfish sent him to the wise octopus who said Rainbow Fish would feel happy if
he gave away his scales. Rainbow Fish tried that and gave the little fish a little
scale and he felt so good. In the end Rainbow Fish had only one special scale left
but a lot of friends.
e. Activity: Have students color in a rainbow fish. In each of the scales the students
should write a quality that makes a good friend.
f. Review: 5/5: This is such a good book to read to students. It exemplifies how
sometimes doing things that are hard is better for us and for others. Real friends
are willing to do things for their friends that they might not want to. This is an
important lesson for students to learn.
9. When the Rooster Crowed
a. Author: Patricia Lillie
b. Grade Level: K-1
c. Genre: Animals (Farm)
d. Summary: As each of the farm animals make noises in the morning, the farmer
says he will get up in a few more minutes. However, when they all start making
noises at the same time, the farmer finally gets up and helps all of the animals.
Then he can finally sit down for dinner.
e. Activity: Talk about the noises that each of the animals: roster, cow, horse, pig,
and chickens make. Have students color pictures of each of the animals and write
the sound that they make.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a very simple book only for young students however, it is a
great book for learning animal sounds. It has great illustrations, and could be read
having the students repeat the sounds that the animals make. It also brings up a
profession, the farmer.
10. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
a. Author: Lois Ehlert
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Nature
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d. Summary: The narrator tells the story of everything that happened to their tree
before they were able to pick of its leaves. It talks about the trees being uprooted
and taken to a garden where they are sold and planted in peoples yards. It also
talks about different parts of the tree like the seeds and roots.
e. Activity: Make bird feeders for students to tie onto a tree at home. Use pine cones
and coat them with seeds, then tie a string at the top to attach it to the tree.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is a great book to use around Earth Day to talk about
planting trees. It gives backgrounds on how the trees come to the gardens where
some people buy trees. It also gives information on different parts of the tree and
what the parts do. It is a great book to teach students about trees and make them
more aware of how trees work and some things that they can do to help trees.
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Social Studies/Historical Fiction

1. Baseball Saved Us
a. Author: Ken Mochizuki
b. Grade Level: 3-4
c. Genre: Historical Fiction
d. Summary: A young Japanese boy explains how the Japanese lives changed during
the war when they were sent to all Japanese camps. They had to leave their homes
and everything changed. His dad decided that they needed baseball so they made
a baseball field and even uniforms. They were able to play games and the young
boy made it so that his team was in the championships even when no one thought
he could. The Japanese can finally go home, but he realized he is the only
Japanese on his team and people cheered meanly to him and called him a Jap. But
he proved them wrong again and hit a home run!
e. Activity: Discuss how the Japanese were treated during the war in the United
States. Imagine how you and your family would feel if you had to leave your
home and live in a camp like that. Write about it, and write about the one activity,
like baseball, that you would miss the most.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book that teaches students about how hard
other peoples lives are now, and how hard they have been. It is definitely a book
for older students since it discusses the war and how the Japanese were treated. It
also can be very relatable to the students since the child loved baseball as many
students might. If they do not, there are certainly other things that they would feel
the same way about if they had to leave their homes.
2. A is for Abigail
a. Author: Lynne Cheney
b. Grade Level: 2-5
c. Genre: Social Studies (Historical Women)
d. This book is a collection of a lot of important women in the history of our
country. It starts with Abigail Adams and ends with Babe Didrikson Zaharias. It
goes A-Z and has a lot of information about a lot of different women and how
they are important. It talks about women who were performers, artists, political,
teachers, activists, and much more.
e. Activity: This can be altered depending on the grade level. For younger students,
2-3 do a little biography on one of the women in the book. Create the person out
of construction paper and place the biography inside. For older students 4-5 also
research a woman from the book and then pair the students up. Have the students
interview the other in front of the class and have them act like their person.
f. Review: 4/5: This is not a book to just read for fun one day in class. It has a lot of
information in it, but it would be wonderful to introduce some kind of study of
women in history. It is very interesting and informative. It could help students
pick out someone to study.
3. So you Want to be President?
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a.
b.
c.
d.
Author: Judith St. George

Grade Level: 2-5
Genre: Social Studies (Presidents)
Summary: This book tells all kinds of quirky facts about our countrys presidents.
It tells how many have had the same name, and what different pets have lived in
the white house. The presidents have been all shapes and sizes and a large variety
of ages. The presidents have all had many jobs and were born in a variety of
places. It even mentions the first ladies.
e. Activity: Do a study on one of the Presidents. Have each student research their
own and then get together with a partner to compare their presidents in a venn
diagram. This can be altered depending on the grade level.
f. Review: 5/5: This book may seem kind of silly, and it is easy but I think it could
be used to introduce a research project on Presidents even in the older grades. It
has a lot of cool information to get students excited about the project. It could also
be used with the A is for Abigail book so that boys could do presidents and girls
could do a woman in history.
4. The Last Brother
a. Author: Trinka Hankes Noble
b. Grade Level: 3-4
c. Summary: This book tells the story of 2 brothers who went off to war for the
Union. One was not yet 18 and the other went as a bugler. The big battle they
were in was Gettysburg. The young boy, Gabe met one of the Confederate bugle
boys and they became friends. However the next day they were at war. The battle
finally ended and both boys played their bugle.
d. Activity: Color the map of the US 2 different colors to show what side each state
was on in the war. Then write something that each side was fighting for and how
you would feel if you were the bugle player.
e. Review: 5/5: This is a great book to read when discuss in the civil war, or any
war. I love how the two bugle boys met before the fight and became friends. It
shows that even if we do not agree with someone and are on the opposite side of
the issue, they can still get along. The illustrations are also beautiful and it is an
engaging story.
5. Dirt on Their Skirts
a. Author: Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: A young girl went to the championship game of the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League. It had been tied the whole game at 0-0 and it was in
its 14th inning! Margarets mother, father, and brother were all at the game on the
edge of their seats. Then a player, Sophie, came up to bat and got a single. Next
she stole a base as one named Moe was batting. As Moe hit the ball, Sophie made
it home and won the game for the Racine Belles. The stands went crazy. Margaret
and her whole family were thrilled and everyone chanted Sophies name.
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e. Activity: Have scorecards printed for everyone like the one Margaret was filling
out. Then practice filling it out by role playing the game.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a great book because it starts a conversation about something
that is not talked about a lot, girls playing baseball during and after the war. It also
encourages girls in the class who may play softball, or any kind of sport. It is very
engaging with great illustrations.
6. Home to Medicine Mountains
a. Author: Chiori Santiago
b. Grade Level: 3-4
d. Summary: The book tells the true story of when the Europeans settled in
California and the Indian children were sent to boarding schools to try and
Americanize them. Two young brothers were sent to a boarding school where they
suddenly had to wear certain clothes and shoes. They dreamed of returning home
to their traditions. One night, they climbed to the top of a train to escape back
home. They succeeded, but did return again to the boarding school.
e. Activity: Write a journal of how you would feel if this happened to you and your
family. Then compare and contrast some of the differences you can see between
the Indians and Europeans within this book.
f. Review: 4/5: This book gets a little long winded however, it is a great book to
read and learn about how the Indians felt as the Europeans colonized them. It
shows the other side which we do not often see as we study this part of history. In
addition, it shows a childs view which makes the students interested in the story.
7. President Taft is Stuck in the Bath
a. Author: Mac Barnett
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Social Studies (Different people in the legislature)
d. Summary: President William Howard Taft got stuck in the bathtub one day. His
wife found him and then brought in the Vice President to help him get out, but
that did not work. Then came the Secretary of State, and then the Secretary of
Agriculture. The Secretary of War came next and then the Secretaries of the Navy,
Treadury, and Interior. None of them were able to help the cause. Finally, they all
just tried to pull him out and it worked!
e. Activity: Create a bathtub complete with paper bubbles on top. Then write on it
what role you would like to have if you were a part of the legislative branch. As a
group, discuss some of the roles each of them have, and why they tried the things
they did to get Taft out.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a very silly book that is not necessarily true, however it gives
a great introduction to different role in the legislative branch. It also talks about
how the Vice President takes over for the President if something ever happens.
The illustrations are very cute and it will make students laugh.
8. America: My Land, Your Land, Our Land
a. Author: W. Nikola-Lisa
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b. Grade Level: K-1

c. Genre: Social Studies (Our countrys characteristics)
d. Summary: This book talks about all of the opposite words that make up our
country. Our country is made up of both wood land, and farm land, dry land, and
wet land. It is rough, smooth, high and low. It is so much more. It is all our land
and we all are a part of it.
e. Activity: Cut out all of the adjectives in the book and have students match up the
opposites and glue them down. Then draw something for each of the words.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a very simple book, however it is wonderful to practice
opposites with. It also talks about our country and shows some of the things that
makes it unique. The illustrations are also wonderful as they are all done by
artists.
9. Unspoken:
a. Author: Henry Cole
b. Grade Level: 4-5
c. Genre: Historical Fiction (Underground Railroad)
d. Summary: This book shows how one young girl found another young girl hiding
in their barn during the Civil War. She would sneak food outside for the girl each
day and in return the other girl made a doll out of the straw she was hiding in.
Some people even came looking for escaped slaves one day, no one gave the little
girl away. They created a friendship even though they never spoke a word to each
other.
e. Activity: As the pictures are being show, have students raise their hands to explain
what is happening in each picture. Then have the students create a story about
what might have happened had the girls been able to see each other and be friends
even though they were different colors.
f. Review: 4/5: Although this book lacks any words, it can be very powerful without
the words. It shows how slaves running away affected young children even if they
were not a slave. It also shows how a friendship can be formed no matter the
circumstances.
10. Under the Quilt of Night
a. Author: Deborah Hopkinson
b. Grade Level: 3-5
c. Genre: Historical Fiction (Underground Railroad)
d. Summary: This book tells the story of runaway slaves and the Underground
Railroad. They all had to run through the night and rest during the day. However,
they always had to keep watch in case someone was coming for them. If they
were lucky, they found signs in front of houses to show that they were a part of
the Underground Railroad. This group found a quilt with blue centers and they
were able to stay there. The next day they were hidden in a wagon. They escaped
and were closer to Canada. They finally reached Canada and were free people.
e. Activity: Have each student create a square for a quilt that showed a safe house
with the blue in the center. Then put them all together and up on the wall.
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f. Review: 5/5: I love that this book tells some of the actual things that happened to
salves as they tried to escape. It explains how they slept at night and if they were
lucky, they could sleep in a safe house. It also shows how they were often hidden
on wagons to make it further. It has a lot of good facts in it along with the
fictional story.
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Multicultural
1. Mama, Do You Love Me?
a. Author: Barbara M. Joosse
b. Grade Level: 1-2
c. Genre: Multicultural
d. Summary: A young Inuit girl questions her mother if she loves her. Her mother
says yes. The girl continues to use lots to scenarios such as if she dropped
something. Her mother always said that, yes she might be upset, but she would
always love her daughter.
e. Activity: Talk about the area where the Inuit people live and the animals that live
around them. Make puppets on popsicle sticks to help learn about animals and
what they do in Alaska.
f. Review: 5/5: One thing I love about this book is that it has explanations of the
words that most people would not recognize as they read the book. It gives
background on the Inuit people and the different animals which can be used to
help increase students knowledge about the Inuit culture. It also has a strong
message that while someone might get upset about something, it does not mean
that they no longer love the person who did it.
2. Saturday Market:
a. Author: Patricia Grossman
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: This book talks about many different Hispanic people who go to the
market and the different things that they make for the market. One woman weaves
rugs, another makes tortillas, one man bakes breads, and another sells roosters.
e. Activity: Have the students weave small rugs out of construction paper. Then with
the rugs and other things the teacher brings in such as plastic foods, have the
students role play a market, and understand that this is how many people get their
foods and clothing rather than at a store.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is an awesome book to read to help students get a feel of
how another culture lives. The illustrations are wonderful and it also teaches a few
Spanish words. This book can help open students minds to how other people live.
3. Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic
a. Author: Ginnie Lo
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: A young girl's family went to visit her Aunt and Uncle and cousin's
house. Her mom and mom's sister had grown up in China and moved to the U.S.
One day they found soybeans growing in a field and asked if they could pick
some. That was their first soybean picnic. It grew and grew each year until it was
too big for Auntie Yang's backyard. Finally all of their brothers and sisters came
to visit and they were able to get soybeans again.
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e. Activity: Bring in soybeans for students to taste and talk about the different
Chinese terms used in the book. At the end it also talks about how soybeans are
Now made in the U.S. and imported to China which could allow for a lesson on
importing and exporting.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a great book that talks about a family that moved
to the U.S. It talks about how they were homesick and how hard it is to live in a
different country far from your family. It has great pictures and is very interesting.
It can bring up great discussions in a classroom.
4. The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stripped
a. Author: Samantha R. Vamos
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: This book goes through each of the things necessary to make Arroz con
Leche (Rice Pudding). It talks about all of the people and animals who were
necessary to make it. In addition, after saying the animals and ingredients in
English, the next page says them in Spanish. At the end of the book they are all
able to enjoy Arroz con Leche together.
e. Activity: Have a sheet of paper with pictures of each word that is said in Spanish,
and have the students write the Spanish name next to it and practice saying the
words. Also write the Spanish words and their meanings on the board.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a great book to read to a class. The illustrations are very
representative of the Hispanic culture. It also gets into how a certain dish is made,
and who all (animals and people) contribute to it. I love how after saying the
animal and ingredient in English on one page it said it in Spanish the rest of the
book. It was also very repetitive which helps students learn and understand the
Spanish words better.
5. A New Years Reunion
a. Author: Yu Li-Qiong
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: Young Maomaos father works in another country and is only able to
come home to China once every year for a few days over New Years. When he
came home this time the first thing he did was shave his face. Then he made
sticky rice balls and hit a fortune coin in it. The next morning Maomao was the
one to find the special sticky rice ball. Then they went to visit other friends for
New Years. They watched the dragon dance, and played in the snow. When Papa
had to leave again, Maomao gave Papa her fortune coin and he promised to bring
her back a doll next time.
e. Activity: Discuss how it is common in other countries for a parent to have to live
somewhere else to work in order to send money back to their families. Have
students write a list of things they appreciate that their parents do for them and
decorate it to give to their parent/s to show their gratitude.
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f. Review: 5/5: Once again, this is a great topic to be brought up in the classroom.
This is a great book to help remind students of how lucky they are that their
parents work in the same country. However, it is also necessary to know the
circumstances of your students before you get too deep into this discussion as it
could apply to one of them. It also allows for a great discussion comparing our
New Years to the Chinese New Year and how they celebrate it.
6. My Navajo Sister
a. Author: Eleanor Schick
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: A young American girl and her family moved onto Navajo land, and
she made friends with a Navajo girl, Genni. They pretended that they were sisters
as they explored the reservation. They talked about the Ancient Ones, and rode
horses together. She was even given a Navajo name, Sparrow. She whitnessed and
helped with a Navajo marriage but then she had to move away. But she always
remembered her Navajo sister.
e. Activity:
7. Book Fiesta
a. Author: Pat Mora
b. Grade Level: K-3
d. Summary: This book is written in both Spanish and English and it talks about
celebrating El da de los nios (Day of the Children), by reading books. They read
their favorite books in all different languages and in many different places. They
played imagination games based on their stories. They had a wonderful day
celebrating themselves, their imaginations, and books.
e. Activity: Have a book day at school and have each of the children dress up as
their favorite book character.
f. Review: 5/5: I love that this is a bilingual book! It would be wonderful to read if
there are students who have a Spanish background at home. It would also give the
other students an appreciation for the Spanish language by hearing the story read
in both languages. The illustrations are wonderful and it encourages imagination
and reading books.
8. Red is a Dragon
a. Author: Roseanne Thong
b. Grade Level: K-1
d. Summary: This book goes through many colors and relates them to different
objects. The first one is red and talks about the Chinese parades with red dragons.
It also shows a traditional Chinese opera and dinner. It compares to the world as a
rainbow with all of the colors surrounding us.
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e. Activity: Create a paper dragon like the ones used in Chinese parades. Glue red
pieces of paper together and decorate the dragon. Even use googly eyes. Then ad
popsicle sticks for the sticks that the children old the dragon with.
f. Review: 4/4: This is a cute book that helps students work on colors and notice the
colors of everything around them. It also ties in Chinese culture and can lead to a
great lesson about that. The illustrations are bright and vibrant, further
encouraging the color learning.
9. Tar Beach
a. Author: Faith Ringgold
b. Grade Level: 3-4
d. Summary: A young African American girl tells of the things she thinks about and
dreams about while on the rooftop in New York with her parents, neighbors and
her brother. She loved the George Washington Bridge. Her father had even
worked on building the bridge. Now her father works on a new union building
even though he cannot join the union due to his skin color. Cassie imagines all of
the things they could do if they had more money like have ice cream for dessert
every night. She then ends with flying her brother over the city with her.
e. Activity: This book comes from one that was created on a quilt by the author.
Have a big piece of black paper for each student to use as the background. Then
have them create buildings out of paper with the starts and Cassie flying over
them. Finally, have the students cut out squares of paper to decorate the edges like
the quilt, and have them design the squares to makes them different.
f. Review: 5/5: This is such a cool book to talk about to students because it was
originally just a quilt. The illustrations are beautiful, and it mentions many unfair
things that African Americans went through. It helps students imagination and
can make a very cool art project.
10. Crossing Bok Chitto
a. Author: Tim Tingle
b. Grade Level: 3-4
d. Summary: The Bok Chitto cut through Mississippi and this story takes place
before the Civil War and the Trail of Tears. Indians lived on one side, and
plantation owners and their slaves were on the other. However, if a slave managed
to cross the Bok Chitto, they were free. One day a young Choctaw girl had to get
berries for her mother but could find none on the Indian side, so she crossed the
Bok Chitto even though she should not have. They had a footpath just under the
surface of the water so to anyone else it would looks like they were walking on
water. Through this the girl became friends with some of the slaves. Then one day,
the family of slaves she was close to were told their mother was to be sold. They
ran to the Bok Chitto in hopes of crossing to be free but had to hide because the
owners came after them. But the young girl got help and was able to help their
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family cross. To the slave owners it just looked like 7 black spirits walked on
water and became free.
e. Activity: Talk about how it was typical for Indians like the Choctaws to help
slaves run away. Then have students split up into groups and do a project on a
different Indian group. Find some information about their past and what they look
like today. Present the findings on a poster board to the class.
f. Review: 5/5: I love this book! I think it is wonderful how it talks about two
minority cultures and one of the ways they used to help each other. The
illustrations are beautiful and I love the story that is told. It also shows how brave
a young child can be on their own.
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Issues
1. Wemberly Worries
a. Author: Kevin Henkes
b. Grade Level: K-3
c. Genre: Issues (worrying)
d. Summary: A young mouse named Wemberly worries about everything. She
worried about things and sounds in her house, she worried on the playground, she
worried about her doll, but most of all she worried about her first day of school.
Wemberlys mom, dad, and grandma all told her that she worries too much and
not to worry. But still, Wemberly worried. She worried all the way to school, but
when she arrived, her teacher introduced Wemberly to another girl named Jewel.
They both had stuffed animals with them, and they played the whole day.
Wemberly still worried, but a little less than normal. At the end of the day, she
told her teacher not to worry, that she would be back tomorrow.
e. Activity: Students can write down something that Wemberly worries about and
then something that they worry about. The students can share with each other and
find out if other classmates share some of their worries.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that it is very important to discuss worrying with young
children. Worry is a problem for many people and this book helps students see
that it is normal, but that they do not need to worry so much. It is a very engaging
book that brings an important issue to light.
2. Arthur Writes a Story
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Issues (Not feeling good enough)
d. Summary: Arthur and his class has an assignment to write a paper about anything
that is important to him. He originally wrote about how he got his puppy, however
after talking to his friends about what they were doing, he changed his mind. In
the end Arthur ended up doing a song and dance about a planet with stripped
elephants. However, Mr. Ratburn insisted that Arthur share his original story after.
Everyone liked his story about getting his puppy the best and Mr. Ratburn wanted
Arthur to write it down and turn it in.
e. Activity: Everyone write a paper about something that is important to them and
talk about how Arthur ended up looking silly when he tried to do what everyone
else was doing. Discuss about how each person is unique and has their own
stories to tell.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is a very important issue to talk about and for
students to learn. We all feel that our work is not good enough or exciting enough
at some point in time. Many of us also think about taking some other peoples
ideas and making our work more extravagant, however this book teaches children
the important of telling their own story. Even though the story many feel boring to
the writer, the readers may love it!
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3. The Berenstain Bears and the Bully

a. Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
b. Grade Level: 2-3
c. Genre: Issues (Bullying)
d. Summary: Sister came home from school crying one day with her clothes all
messed up. A girl at school named Tuffy bullied her. Mama and Papa were bery
upset and decided that the best thing for sister to do was avoid Tuffy. Brother
however, wanted Sister to be able to defend herself so he taught her how to punch.
Sister was able to avoid Tuffy for 2 days, but then Tuffy was throwing stones at
baby birds, so Sister tried to stop her and ended up in a fight instead. Outside of
the principals office, Sister learned that Tuffy might hit others because she gets
hit at home. Sister was let go from the office, and Tuffy got the help she needed.
e. Activity: Discuss different reasons why a person might be a bully. Have the
students talk about ways to deal with a bully and what they should do.
f. Review: 4/5: I think that this is a great book to talk about bullies with. I love that
it mentions that there was probably a different reason why Tuffy acts the way she
did. It also mentions some different ways to deal with a bully.
4. Elmer
a. Author: David McKee
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Issues (Fitting in)
d. Summary: Elmer is special from all of the other elephants, he is a patchwork of
many bring colors. However, Elmer felt like he stood out and did not fit in so he
went off and colored himself with grey berries. He returned to the elephants but
no one recognized him and everyone was serious. Then it started to rain and his
elephant coloring washed away. Everyone laughed and said that it was his best
joke left so every year they celebrate that day. Everyone dresses like Elmer and
Elmer paints himself elephant color.
e. Activity: Have lots of bright color squares of tissue paper, and the students glue
them on a printout Elmer. Around the elephant have students write things that are
special and unique about themselves. Talk about how everyone has something that
is special about them and that is a very good thing just like Elmer.
f. Review: 5/5: I love this book and the fact that it shows the importance of
individuality. Students know that they are different from others around them, and
many try to change themselves and fit in. However this book demonstrates the
importance of staying true to yourself because it makes other happy too.
5. Dont Forget, God Bless Our Troops
a. Author: Jill Biden
b. Grade Level: K-4
c. Genre: Issues (Parents in the military)
d. Summary: A young girl named Natalies dad is in the military. She does not want
her father to go, but he has to. She has Thanksgiving, and Christmas without him.
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She sends him cards and cookies and her family is able to video chat with him.
Natalie constantly reminds herself to be brave and finally, her dad come home.
e. Activity: Write letters and make care packages for troops.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is an excellent book that exemplifies how hard it is
for young children who have parents that are in the military. Whether or not a
student in the class had a parent in the military, someone at the school will and it
is important to bring what they go through up in discussion. I also love the
illustrations in this book and the extra information in the back. I love the idea of
having a Hero Board for students family members who are in the military. This is
such an important thing to discuss and help students gain a respect for.
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Favorite Characters
1. Skippyjon Jones in a Mummy of Trouble
a. Author: Judy Schachner
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Favorite Characters
d. Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat who gets into mischief. He went into his room
and imagined that he was a Chihuahua. Skippyjon and his other Chihuahua
friends traveled to Egypt and went on many adventures while there. All of these
books use a number of Spanish words. In the end, Skippyjons mother pulled him
out of his imaginary play and reminded him that he was a cat not a dog.
e. Activity with the Spanish words used
f. Review: 3/5: It is a very funny book to read to kids, however it would be a hard
book for kids to read by themselves because of all of the Spanish words. I think
that the book is best to be read to children. However it also does encourage
imagination which is a great thing for students.
2. Amelia Bedelias First Day of School
a. Author: Herman Parish
b. Grade Levels: K-2
d. Unlike the other Amelia Bedelia books, this one takes place when Amelia was a
child. She went to her first day of school and made a lot of funny mistakes while
she did as she took all of her teachers expressions literally. At the end of her first
day, her teacher explained that she will need to explain her sayings more often,
and helps Amelia feel good about going to school for the rest of the year.
e. Activity: Have the children write about their first day of school and see if they
have any funny stories that they would like to share with the class. This helps the
children connect with each other and be able to interact with each other.
f. Review: 5/5: I really enjoyed this book because I think it is a really good book to
be read to young elementary students. It could be read on their first day of school
to help them relax on their first day. It could also be read later on in the year to get
students talking and sharing about their first days of school.
3. Amelia Bedelia Bakes off
a. Author: Herman Parish
b. Grade Levels: 2-4
d. Summary: Amelia Bedelia is always a funny character. In this book, she was at
her friends house when she saw an advertisement for a bake off that had a prize.
At first she blew off the idea of baking for it. The next day Amelia and her cousin
were in charge of preparing the baked goods for her friends bake store. They
made a lot of funny mistakes as they made the food. Then at the end of the day
Amelia made one last thing. The next day she went to the bake off with a cake
that looked like a bed and won.
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e. Activity: Have the students draw and describe what baked good they would make
for the bake off.
f. Review: 4/5: It is a very funny book, however for the younger grades it would be
harder for them to understand the humor. For example, she explains at the end that
she made a whole bed cake because she thought it was better than just a sheet
cake. Young students would likely not know what a sheet cake is to understand
the joke. The teacher however could help explain these. This is why I made the
grades a little older.
4. Flat Stanley at Bat
a. Author: Jeff Brown
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: This book follows the character Stanley whole it explains is not flat
because a bulletin board fell on him. Stanley starts to play baseball in this book
and he played very well but then some parents from the other team said it was
because he was so thin. The next day, Stanley and his brother came up with a new
idea. They stuffed his uniform with clothing items to make him bigger. In the end
he hit a home run and did well anyways, and the parents said that he was too big.
Stanley learned that it did not matter how he looked from this experience.
e. Activity: Have the students draw a picture of Flat Stanley playing their favorite
sport.
f. Review: 4/5: I think that this book is good to teach children that it does not matter
how they look. There will always be some people who try to bring others down,
but that they are better than that. It is also good because it shows Stanleys
determination to be a great player. I think these are important lessons for students
to learn.
5. Curious George and the Dump Truck
a. Author: Margret and H.A. Rey
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Favorite Character
d. Summary: This book is very similar to other Curious George books in that George
gets curious and creates a mess. George was playing inside when he heard a
QUACK from outside. He saw that it was a duck and was curious. Then George
realized that there were ducklings following the Mother Duck. George followed
them to the park that had a pond. Once he was there he saw a big dump truck!
George climbed in but could not see out the window so he climbed onto a lever.
This lever caused all of the dirt in the truck to dump out into the pond. Everyone
ran over worried, but the ducks were playing on the mud island the dirt made in
the pond. They decided that it was a good thing for the ducks and let it stay.
e. Activity: Pretend that you are Curious George and write about would do if you
saw a duck outside?
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f. Review: 4/5: I think that this book and other Curious George books are very good
because they encourage imagination and curiosity. It is very important for
children to be curious about things, that is how they learn. This book
demonstrates this very well. George did get into a little bit of trouble, but he also
helped out the ducks by being curious.
6. Arthur Goes to Camp
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: Arthur is nervous before leaving for camp even though all of his
friends are going. Once they get there, the girls counselor is very friendly while
the boys counselor is intimidating. The girls tents are even better than the boys!
Throughout all of this Arthur writes his parents saying that camp is awful and he
wants to go home. They do archery and canoeing, but for some reason the girls
were better campers all week. The girls even took all of the boys clothes!
However by the end of camp, Arthur helps his group win the scavenger hunt and
he loves camp.
e. Activity: Make a packing list of all of the things you would need for camp and
then have the students be active and play some races like Arthur did at camp.
f. Review: 4/5: I think that this book is great because it teaches students that it is ok
to be nervous about new things at first. It also displays how even though you
might not be having fun at first, it could be really awesome in the end. This is a
great lesson for children that they need to keep going even when they think
something is hard because it is worth it.
7. Corduroy
a. Author: Don Freeman
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Corduroy was a bear who lived in a toy department. One day a girl
came up to him and asked her mom to buy him, but her mom said that she had
spent too much already and that Corduroy was missing a button. So Corduroy
went on a mission to find his button. He accidentally went on the escalator and
found the part of the store with beds. He tried to pull a button off the bed but
ended up knocking over a lamp. A night watchman found him and returned
Corduroy to the toy department. The next day the girl came back and bought him
with her own money. Corduroy had a friend and a home.
e. Activity: Have the students retell the Corduroy story on a sheet of paper divided
into 6 sections. They can write a sentence and draw a picture for each part.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a very cute story with a great take-away. It is a great example
of how it is ok if we have mistakes and are not perfect people. We can still make
friends and be loved for being the way we are just like how Corduroy was loved
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without his button. It is a very important lesson for students to learn and this is a
great story for them to see it with.
8. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
a. Author: Joseph Slate
b. Grade Level: K
d. Summary: The book tells what each of the students in Miss Bindergartens class
does as they make their way to her classroom. It also shows some of the things
Miss Bindergarten does to prepare for her class of students. In the end Miss
Bindergarten is all ready for kindergarten and the students start having fun!
e. Activity: Have each of the students share 2 things that they would like to do in
kindergarten. Do this on the first day of kindergarten and use it as an introduction
for the students. As they go around have the students also say their name and a
fun fact about themselves.
f. Review: 5/5: I think this is a wonderful first day of school book for
kindergarteners! It allows the students to connect with the students in the book as
they see those students did many similar things on their way to school. I also love
how it shows diversity. There are all different kinds of animals in the class, and
one classmate is in a wheelchair. This helps open the students minds as well.
9. Danny and the Dinosaur go to Camp
a. Author: Syd Hoff
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Danny went to summer camp and brought his dinosaur with him. His
dinosaur won at all of the games and always had room for lots of food. He even
let all of the campers and the counselor ride on his back. Both Danny and his
dinosaur had a great time at camp.
e. Activity: Have a mini pretend camp. Go outside and play a relay race to get the
kids moving. Then come inside and have a little smores trail mix for the students
to eat. Read a campfire story with a campfire background on the projector and
have the lights out and flashlights on. Talk about things that you learn at camp,
and ask students to share their own camping stories.
f. Review: 4/5: This book helps increase childrens imaginations with a child having
a pet dinosaur. It is also something that many children can relate to, going to
camp. It would be a great book to use for a cool activity like a little pretend camp
to break up the students day.
10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
a. Author: Judith Viorst
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Alexander one day.
He went to sleep with gum in his mouth, had to sit in the middle seat, had no
dessert in his lunch, went to the dentist and had a cavity, and much more.
40
Alexander was determined he was going to move to Australia. As Alexander went

to sleep that night, his mother assured him that some days are just pretty horrible,
even in Australia.
e. Activity: Have students write a story that changes Alexanders horrible day into
an excellent day.
f. Review: 4/5: The pictures are not quite as exciting as other books for students
because they are black and white. However, I do think that it brings up a good
topic that some days are just pretty bad days and that is ok. Even after a horrible
day was can have a wonderful day. Not everything can always go our way and
that is an important concept to talk about with students.
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Folk Tale/Fairy Tale

1. Cinderella: The Mice Save the Day
a. Author: Sarah E. Hellen
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Fairy Tale
d. Summary: Cinderella wanted to go to the ball however, her step mother would not
let her. So, Cinderellas mice and bird friends decided to help her and they remade her mothers old dress. Cinderellas step mother however tore up the dress
and Cinderella felt hopeless. Then her fairy godmother appeared and gave her a
new dress and carriage until midnight. At midnight, Cinderella left her glass
slipper behind and the prince was on a mission to find her. It was not easy, but in
the end Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.
e. Activity: Read another princess fairy tale as well such as Beauty and the Beast
and teach students about ven-diagrams. Have them compare the two stories with
the diagram.
f. Review: 4/5: This book would definitely be hard to read to a class since it is mare
geared toward the girls, however there are lessons to learn from it. It is a great
book to use to compare stories as well as to talk about the importance of giving
and being kind to others. Even though Cinderella was treated horribly, she still
treated her step family well. These are important lessons for children to learn.
2. Beauty and the Beast: Friends in Strange Places
a. Author: Sarah E. Heller
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: Belle came to the Beasts castle to be held prisoner in replace of her
father. The Beast was really a handsome prince who had a spell cast upon him that
made him into a Beast until her learned to love and was loved back by someone.
The Beast had hopes that Belle would be that person, and eventually as his temper
calmed down, they became great friends. However when he allowed her to leave
and see her father, she did. Angry people stormed his castle, and the Beast was
dying as Belle returned. She said that she loved him and he was turned back into
the handsome prince.
e. Activity: Talk about how people are not always who they seem. Have students
compare the Beast and the Prince. Have students make a list of the good things
Belle saw in the Beast, and talk about how his actions overcame his appearance.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a very important lesson for children to learn. It is so easy for
many people, especially children to judge people quickly. This is a story of a girl
who can see past the outward appearance and into what is underneath. Students
need to be aware of this so that they can try to be friends with people who may
appear different than themselves.
3. Hansel and Gretel
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b. Grade Level: K-2

c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: Hansel and Gretel have a mean stepmother who wants to get rid of the
children so that she can have more to eat. She tries to get rid of them once, but
Hansel was too smart, he brought stones to mark their way. However, the second
time he could only bring bread crumbs and the birds had eaten it before they
could head back home. They stumble upon a house made out of candy, however
an old woman who wants to eat children lives there. She locked the children up
and let Gretel help her cook in order to fatten the children up to eat. Then it is
Gretels turn to have courage and she tricked the old woman into falling into the
oven. Hansel and Gretel make it home to find out their stepmother had died and
they lived happily with their father.
e. Activity: Make a shield and write down things that make a person courageous.
Talk about how there are times everyone has to have courage and that things are
not always easy.
f. Review: 2/5: This book is good because it talks about courage, however it is a
very dark story for children. It also talks about mean stepmothers which is not
always good to bring up, many students in class many have a stepmother and they
need to be able to adjust to that and not assume she is mean. However, the
illustrations are good and it is the classic story of Hansel and Gretel.
4. Big Anthony His Story
a. Author: Tomie dePaola
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: This book tells the story about how Big Anthony grew up and became
Strega Nonas helper. As a young boy, he never listened and always seemed to
mess up, even as he grew up, he continued in the same way. Finally, his father
sent Anthony out on his own worried he would ruin the family farm. Anthony
tried many jobs but continued to mess up. At last he found Strega Nonas sign
looking for help and went to work for her.
e. Activity: One of Big Anthonys jobs was mixing paint for an artist, so have the
students learn about mixing colors. Give each table a set of primary colors and
practice mixing the colors to make different colors.
f. Review: 4/5: Not listening, and messing up is something that many young
students can relate with. This book has beautiful, easy to follow illustrations. It
also gives great background for the Strega Nona stories. The character is easy to
like which makes it fun to read.
5. Strega Nona Her Story
a. Author: Tomie dePaola
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: This book tells the background story on Nona and how she became
Strega Nona. Her grandmother predicted that Nona would be a Strega, a witch,
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and she taught her all of the magical tricks that she knew. Nona had a friend,
Amelia who also had the same future. They learned together until Amelia went off
to Strega School. Nona became the official Strega and she posted a sign looking
for someone to help her with her work.
e. Activity: Make a timeline of Strega Nonas life and write a characteristic about
her at each stage.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a book that students will love. It is a great story about how
Nona grew up, and went through many things like many students would have.
The pictures are easy to follow and it is very engaging for the students.
6. The Three Little Pigs
a. Author: James Marshall
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: Three little pigs left their mother to make their fortune in the world.
The first pig built his house out of straw. A wolf saw him and was hungry so he
blew the house down and ate the pig. The next one used sticks but the same thing
happened. The last one used brick and the wolf was unable to blow it down. But
he was determined to eat the pig. In the end the pig outsmarted him and ate the
wolf for his dinner.
e. Activity: Use Straw, small sticks, and red squares as bricks to decorate 3 little
houses on paper. Write one sentence to summarize the story.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a cute book of a classic story. The illustrations are wonderful
and inspiring. The students would love the way that the story is told.
7. Gingerbread Baby
a. Author: Jan Brett
b. Grade Level: K-2
c. Genre: Fairy Tale/Folk Tale
d. Summary: A young boy baked a gingerbread boy, but he could not wait long
enough for it to bake so out jumped a gingerbread baby. The baby was determined
to escape and it did. Many people tried to catch it, but he continued to outsmart
them. Finally, the young boy made a gingerbread house and was able to get the
gingerbread baby inside. The gingerbread baby was very happy inside his house.
e. Activity: Make gingerbread houses out of milk cartons, graham crackers, and
candy. Then have little gingerbread men prepared already to be their gingerbread
babies inside.
f. Review: 3/5: It is a very cute story especially to read around Christmas time. The
illustrations are very cute, and I love the gingerbread house that opens in the back.
However, the story of hi running away can get kind of long and boring for
students listening.
8. Goldilocks and the Three Hares
a. Author: Heidi Petach
b. Grade Level: K-2
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d. Summary: This book is a twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is a very
different book because it uses speech bubbles for both the main story and the little
side story from mice. It is the typical story in that the hares leave the house with
their oatmeal on the table, Goldilocks tries all of them and likes the babys the
best. Then she tries all of the chairs but breaks the babys. Finally, she tries all of
their beds and falls asleep in the babys. However, in a twist, at the end of this
story Momma Hare wants Goldilocks to babysit her hare and they become great
friends.
e. Activity: Divide a long sheet of paper into three or four parts and create a short
story using only speech bubbles to tell it. The speech bubbles could even be
precut in many different colors to make them stand out.
f. Review: 5/5: This is such an entertaining book. There is definitely a lot going on
between the two stories, but if you use your finger or a pointer to show what you
are reading, the children could easily follow it. It is also a great way to introduce
using speech bubbles. Additionally, it stretches students imagination because it is
not the typical Goldilocks story they have always heard.
9. The Mitten
b. Grade Level: K-3
c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: A boy tells the story of how his grandfather lost his mitten. As his
grandfather went out to gather firewood as a young boy, he dropped one mitten.
First a mouse found it and made it his home to stay out of the cold winter air.
Then more and more animals came until the glove was bursting at the seams.
Finally, when one tiny cricket set one foot on the mitten, it exploded. All of the
animals went tumbling! Then the boy came back and only saw pieces of his
mitten, but he knew that his grandmother would have a new pair ready for him.
e. Activity: Make mittens out of paper and put yarn in them to connect the two
pieces. Then cut out and color each of the animals in the story and put them in
your mitten.
f. Review: 5/5: I remember reading this folk tale as a child and I loved it. The
children love imagining who could want in the mitten next and how many animals
it will hold. It allows for a great activity with making mittens and makes children
wonder about what really happened to the mitten.
10. Paul Bunyan
a. Author: Steven Kellogg
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Folk Tale
d. Summary: Paul was a big, smart, strong baby, however he was too big, strong,
and smart for his own good. His family had to move away so that he did not
disturb the people they lived near. Paul was great at being a lumberjack and one
day as a young boy he found an ox in the snow who was blue and he became
45
inseparable from Paul. Eventually Paul had to move away because ti was too
busy. He, Babe, his ox, and other people who helped him traveled across the
country leaving their mark. They created things like the Grand Canyon, and the
Great Lakes.
e. Activity: Print out a map for each student and have them color in or draw in each
of the things that Paul Bunyan and Babe created. Discuss how people come up
with tall tales to come up with explanations for different things.
f. Review: 4/5: This book has a lot going on. The illustrations are very busy and
hard to follow. However, I do love the story of Paul Bunya and his explanations
for how things were made. Maybe it would be better for find another version of
the story with clearer pictures.
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Fantasy/Other
1. Lillys Purple Plastic Purse
a. Author: Kevin Henkes
b. Grades: 1-3
c. Genre: Fantasy
d. Summary: Lilly goes to school and talks about how much she loves her teacher.
Her teacher is so great that all the students in her class, including her, want to
become a teacher. Then Lillys grandmother gives her a purple plastic purse that
makes noise, 3 quarters, and a pair of glasses with a chain on them. Lilly loves
them and wants to share them with the class so badly in class. However, Lillys
teacher wants her to wait to share and has to put her things in his desk. Lilly then
wrote a letter to him saying how he was an awful teacher and that she no longer
wants to be a teacher. When she gets her purse back she sees that her teacher left
her a note and a snack in her purse. Lilly felt awful. She went home and told her
parents so she wrote a new note for her teacher and baked cookies. In the end all
was forgiven.
e. Activity: Have each of the students create a page saying what they want to be
when they grow up. Then have them draw a picture of themselves as that. Put all
of the pages together as a class book.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that this is an excellent book. It teaches students many things
about misunderstandings. It explains how sometimes things that seem important
to them need to wait in a classroom, and that although it might appear that
someone is being mean, the person could really be helping them out. It also shows
the students a great way to respond when they know that they did something
wrong. It is a great lesson on forgiveness.
2. Caps For Sale
a. Author: Esphyr Slobodkina
b. Grade Level: 1-3
c. Genre: Fantasy/Other
d. Summary: The man in the story balanced 4 red caps, 4 blue caps, 4 brown caps,
and 4 grey caps on top of his head and his own checked cap. He wandered the
town streets advertising that he had caps for sale, for 50 cents each. Then the man
got tired, so he decided to rest against a tree. When he woke up, his caps were
missing. He looked all over, and finally found them up in a tree on top of
monkeys. The man yelled at the monkeys, but the monkeys responded back
refusing to give up the hats. After a lot of yelling, the man finally threw his cap
down, and the monkeys did too. The man got all of his hats back and walked back
into town advertising his hats for sale.
e. Activity: Talk about how the monkeys were copying what the man was doing and
saying. Have the children get into pairs and take turns copying what the other is
going with small, quiet actions.
47
f. Rewiew: 3/5: This is a cute book and has good pictures to go along with the book.
I like that it is interactive a little in the way that it lets the readers guess what the
man saw in the tree. The idea of the monkeys copying the man is also something
that many children would be able to easily understand since many children copy
each other at some point in time like that.
3. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
a. Author: Laura Numeroff
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: The book explains what happens if you give a mouse a cookie.
Immediately the mouse needed milk to go with it. It continued to need a: straw,
napkin, mirror, scissors, broom, nap, blanket, pillow, story, paper and crayons,
pen, tape, milk, and finally a cookie to go with the milk.
e. Activity: Have students create different titles for the book with a different animal
and object, have them draw the new book cover as well.
f. Review: 3/5: The book is very cute, and it creatively starts the cycle all over again
at the end. However, it does get a little lengthy when talking about all of the
things the mouse wants. Kids love the story however, and there are sequels using
different animals.
4. Moostache
a. Author: Margie Palatini
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: There was a moose that had a problem with his big, hairy, moosetache.
He tried everything he could to make it better. He made it into a scarf and a tail.
Finally he meets a girl moos whose hair is styled and he asks her to help him.
They glue his hair up into a do. The 2 get married and pass the glued hair advice
down to their child.
e. Activity: Have a moose that looks similar to the cover printed out, glue pieces of
string to the moose and have the students glue the string (his hair) into a do.
f. Review: 3/5: This really is just a silly book to read to students. However it is a
good book to read since it will likely make the students laugh and help their
imagination as they create a hairdo for the moose. It also explores the idea that
everyone is different, and that we are able to help one another with what we know
like the girl moose did.
5. Friends
a. Author: Helme Heine
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: There were 3 friends in a barn. After they all finished their jobs, they
set off on adventures as friends. They spent all day together because they said that
good friends always stay together. However at night, none of them were
48
comfortable sleeping in each others homes, so they all slept in their own spot and
dreamed about being friends.
e. Activity: Write about what you would do if you could spend a whole day with
your friends and draw a picture.
f. Review: 5/5: I think that one of the best things about the book is its pictures. They
are great and really show how much the animals enjoyed spending time together. I
love that the book talks about friendship and different things that friends do
together. It is something that is easily relatable to children who are listening.
6. Feathers and Fur
a. Author: Audrey Penn
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: There was a cat named Tuesday who wondered about the ducklings
mother duck sat on. He wondered if they would taste good. Whenever he got
close, mother duck would send him away. One day there was a big storm and
Tuesday ran out to save the eggs from hitting a tree. Then the eggs hatched and
Tuesday became friends with the ducklings. When the ducklings parents
returned, they worried about the ducks and the cat, but the ducks loved Tuesday
so the mother duck let Tuesday follow them.
e. Activity: Read the story once, then have puppets for the students to take turns
acting out the story as the teacher reads it again. Talk about how even though
someone might be different from them, like the ducks and cat, they can still get
along and be friends.
f. Review: 5/5: I love how this book emphasizes that even if someone is different
than you, you can still be friends even if others think you cannot. The pictures are
great in the book, and it would definitely engage the students. It also helps the
students learn more about animals and what different animals do.
7. We Share Everything
a. Author: Robert Munsch
b. Grade Level: K
d. Summary: Two kindergarteners have problems taking turns and sharing on the
first day of school. The teacher continually comes over to them and tells the
students that in Kindergarten they share everything. Finally the two kids decide to
share, so they share their shoes, pants, and shirts. When the teacher came over
asking who said they could share clothes, the class responded that in kindergarten
they share everything.
e. Activity: Have the students get with a partner and talk about different things they
could share in their kindergarten class. Then discuss as a class how they can easily
share these things and write it on a big sheet of paper.
f. Review: 5/5: This is a very funny book that would engage the students. In
addition, it helps easily bring up the topic of sharing and classroom rules. This
49
would be a great book to read on the first day of kindergarten to introduce the
students to how to behave in the classroom.
8. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon
a. Author: Mike Thaler
b. Grade Level: 1-3
d. Summary: It was the first day of school and a young boy was wondering who
would be his teacher. He did not like any of the options but when he saw Mrs.
Green was his teacher, he was very worried because she was supposed to be a
monster. Mrs. Green ran her nails on the chalkboard, turned a students head into
a globe, cut a student on half, and more. Thankfully, it turned out that the boy was
just dreaming. When the bell woke him up, he realized Mrs. Green was a really
nice teacher and not a monster at all.
e. Activity: Read this book on the first day of school, and have journal prompts
throughout the day for the students to write about their first day of school. Take
breaks in the day for them to write a sentence or two about what has happened
and then have them add illustrations to it.
f. Review: 4/5: I love the humor in this book. It is very creative and will definitely
make students laugh. It is a great book to read on the first day of school and kind
of break the ice with the students. It is a very funny book, but does not have a
huge educational purpose other than reading a light-hearted book.
9. Andrews Loose Tooth
a. Author: Robert Munsch
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: A young boy named Andrew had a very loose tooth. He told his parents
and they tried to pull out the tooth but they could not. They called the dentist and
he failed too. Andrews friend called the tooth fairy as well but she could not get
the tooth out. Finally, Andrews friend brought out pepper and made Andrew
sneeze. The tooth finally came out.
e. Activity: Talk about teeth and why we lose our baby teeth. Have students write
healthy foods to eat on a diagram of their teeth.
f. Review: 4/5: This is a very funny book. It is also something that students can
relate to: loosing teeth. It is a good way to start a conversation about healthy foods
to eat.
10. A Fish Out of Water
a. Author: Helen Palmer
b. Grade Level: K-2
d. Summary: A young boy went to the pet store to buy a fish. When he bought it the
store owner told him to feed the fish just a pinch and no more or something might
happen. However, the boy feed his fish too much and Otto, the fish started to
grow and grow. The boy ran out of places to put Otto so he finally ended up in a
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swimming pool. The pet store owner came out and shrunk his fish. The boy said
he would never feed the fish too much again.
e. Activity: Talk about how certain animals need to live in water to survive. Have
students draw and label pictures of different animals that need to live in water.
f. Review: 4/5: It is good that this book makes readers think creatively about where
the boy should take his fish next as Otto grows and grows. It also brings up a
great topic about how fish need to live in water to survive. It is a very interesting
and engaging book with great illustrations.

Final 100 Childrens Books

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Final 100 Childrens Books

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100 Childrens Books

b. Grade Level: 1-2

b. Grade Level: 2-3

5. Cock-a-doodle-doo! Barnyard Hullabaloo

Social Studies/Historical Fiction

Author: Judith St. George

b. Grade Level: K-1

3. The Berenstain Bears and the Bully

Alexander was determined he was going to move to Australia. As Alexander went

Folk Tale/Fairy Tale

b. Grade Level: K-2

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