Picture+Books!

Have you ever had one of those days when everything just seems to go wrong? Alexander is experiencing one of those days. Nothing is going right for Alexander. The mall is out of the shoes he wants, his teacher did not like his picture he drew, and he did not get a toy in his cereal box. All Alexander wants to do is move to Australia! At the end of the book, Alexander finally realizes that everyone has bad days. He says, “I guess some days are like that...even in Australia.” This book teaches a very valuable lesson that I recommend for all students. - LP   David Shannon
 * Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ** Judith Viorst
 * A Bad Case of Stripes **

Camilla Cream is a little girl who cares way too much about what other people think of her. She will not even eat one of her favorite foods, lima beans, because she is worried what the other kids at her school will think. One day that all changes when she looks in the mirror and discovers she has “A Bad Case of Stripes.” Dr. Bumble comes to examine the rainbow striped Camilla, and decides it is ok for her to go to school. However, school quickly turns into a disaster when the other children realize that whatever shapes, designs, or colors they call out Camilla’s skin will turn. Soon this poor little girl is being investigated by medical experts, and specialists. It turns out they only make things worse and Camilla ends up with a tail, roots, crystals on her body, and every news crew in the town outside of her house. - EP

Natalie Standiford, illustrated by Donald Cook
 * The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto **

Nothing would stop Balto, the strong and brave dog, from delivering medicine to children who were very sick with diphtheria—not even the cold blizzard winds of Alaska! The nearest hospital being 800 miles away, the men of the county had to come up with a plan to save the children—and fast. The best dogs of the country were gathered and prepared for a dog-sled relay, as they embarked on a dangerous journey that would make Balto one of the most famous dogs in the world. Today, a statue is in place at Central Park in honor of Balto in New York City! - EB

Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
 * Bear Stays Up for Christmas **

This book tells the story about Bear and all his friends during the Christmas season. As bears do, Bear is trying to hibernate for the winter, but his friends make him stay up so that he can spend Christmas with them. Even though it is a struggle, Bear stays up and is able to share in the Christmas cheer with his friends. This is a great book for lower elementary students. - LP

**Bedhead** Margie Palatini**;** Jack E. Davis

Margie Palatini’s book “Bedhead” tells the story of a boy named Oliver who is having a terrible hair day. He has pieces of hair going “boing” and “bink” in every direction. He even has a big knot of hair at the back of his head that looks like “a cat’s coughed –up fur ball.” His family tries to wet it to get it to stay back. That does not work. Then they try spraying it and glopping mouse in his hair, but that does not work either. After getting a brush stuck in Oliver’s hair, because they were trying to brush it out, they decided a hat may be the best solution. However, when Oliver gets to school he is in for a big surprise. It turns out that it is picture day and hats are not allowed for pictures. What will Oliver do now?- EP

Norman Bridwell
 * Clifford’s First Sleepover**

This book is about a sleepover that Emily Elizabeth and Clifford went to at grandma’s house. Emily Elizabeth’s parents sent her to her grandmother’s house for a night, and told her that Clifford had to stay home. Clifford sneaked into Emily Elizabeth’s suitcase and came along to the sleepover. He ended up destroying dinner and making a mess out of the house. Emily Elizabeth and her grandmother forgave Clifford and let him stay for the sleepover. I think that these books are delightful. Although they are simple, they are so fun as well. They are a great series for young students to read. - LP

**Come On, Rain** Karen Hesse

“Come On, Rain” by Karen Hesse is a fantastic story with very colorful words and descriptions. The story starts off with a little girl named Tessie, staring into the scorching hot sunned sky. Everything is parched. The girl’s mamma is outside working in the garden. The girl asks her mother if she can put on her bathing suit. Her mother afraid she will be burned by the sun replies no. Tessie keeps looking up to the sky saying “Come on, rain!” Then Tessie sees clouds rolling in. She rushes to her friend, Jackie -Joyce’s house and tells her to put on her suit and come straight over. Seeing that it is going to rain Tessie’s mamma allows her to put on her bathing suit. Tessie and Jackie-Joyce gather two of their other friends and they begin to dance in the rain that has begun to fall from the sky. Soon the four girls’ mothers see what a magnificent time they are having and they all join in. I guess it goes to show you that you are never too old to dance in the rain.- EP

Lane Smith **A**ll ages!
 * The Happy Hocky Family **

The Happy Hocky Family” by Lane Smith, is obviously about the members of the Hocky family. The family includes Mr. and Mrs. Hocky, Baby Hocky, Holly Hocky, Henry Hocky, and their dog Newton. This book is kind of long, but it is an easy read. It consists of short stories about objects and events in the Hocky’s family’s life and most of them are quite humorous. For an example Holly has an ant farm and she discusses what a huge responsibility it is to have pets. Because she wanted to be responsible she decided to leave the lid off of the ant farm so her ants could get some fresh air. However, they later ended up all over the kitchen. I love this book. I laugh almost every time I read it. I think this book would be great for most beginner readers, because the sentences are short and easy to read. The problem with this book is that some of the humor is relatively subtle so students may not get why each story is funny.- EP

Gene Zion “Harry the Dirty Dog” is a fun story about a mischievous dog and his disdain for bath time. After getting the dirtiest he could, Harry came back home and was unrecognizable to his family. In fact, his family went looking for Harry because they thought that Harry had gone missing. Harry quickly dug up one of the brushes the family had previously tried to clean him with and jumped into the bathtub. After the children of the family gave him a bath, they finally realized it was Harry again. This is a cute story that should be put into an elementary classroom. Not only is it a good story, but it has fun pictures as well.- LP
 * Harry the Dirty Dog**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Jan Brett
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Hat **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beautifully illustrations are the highlight of Brett’s witty story of the hedgehog that gets stuck wearing a girl’s woolen sock. To cover his embarrassment, he proudly proclaims that the “hat,” as ridiculous as it looks, would keep him warm during the approaching winter. Secretly, he is rather upset, thinking that all of the other animals are laughing at him; off he goes to hide, until the girl had finally found him. To Hedgies’ surprise, the animals hadn’t thought the woolen hat to be strange after all! The astonished girl watches as they ran run with the rest of her clothes, as she proclaims, “Don’t you know that animals should never wear clothes!” - EB

**How I Became a Pirate** Melinda Long, and David Shannon

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jeremy Jacob is building a sandcastle on North beach one day, when he spots a pirate ship. He tries to get his parents’ attention but they are too busy setting up umbrellas and putting sunscreen on his baby sister. When the pirates come ashore, they decide to take Jeremy Jacob with them onto their ship! So they set off on this great adventure to bury Captain Braid Beard’s treasure. Jeremy decides he wants to be a pirate forever. There are no vegetables at dinner time, and no one tells you what to do or when to go to bed. Jeremy changes his mind when he realizes no one will tuck him in, or read him a story, or comfort him when there is a big storm. Suddenly, he realizes the grass is not always greener on the other side.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The illustrations in this book are fantastic. I thought it was a great adventure story for elementary school aged children. It also had a lot of fun “pirate language” in it. There are many ways this could be used in a classroom, and I think students would really enjoy reading this story.- EP

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Kevin Henkes
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kitten’s First Moon **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A tiny kitten who sees the moon for the first time is quite certain that it is a bowl of white milk in the sky. In an attempt to reach it, she goes on all sorts of adventures to find it— off the porch, down the sidewalk, through a garden, and up a tree. Seeing its reflection in the pond, the little kitten falls right in! Cold, wet, and hungry, she staggers home, just in time to find a real bowl of milk waiting for her there. This is the Caldecott Medal-winning story of innocent curiosity and the adventures that follow. What something may appear to be might, in fact, turn out to be something entirely different! - EB

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mike Thaler
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Librarian from the Black Lagoon **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This hilarious story is about a boy named Hubie who is absolutely terrified of the library. Why, you may ask? The librarian from the black lagoon! Kids all over the school have been talking about her. They call her “The Laminator” because if you are caught talking in the library, she will laminate the children! After having to visit the library, Hubie finds out that the librarian whose real name is Mrs. Beamster is not that bad. In fact, she is actually really nice. Read the book to find out how the legend of the Black Lagoon is snuffed out. Sometimes, you can’t believe everything you hear. - LP <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written by Eloise Greenfield, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The drums of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not let me rest,” said Mary McLeod Bethune, in her strong will and determination to let every black girl and boy obtain an education. She had grown up as a slave herself, and knew what it was like to long to read more than anything. Around the time of the Civil Rights Movement, her life left a very strong, inspiring imprint upon American History through her many accomplishments and words of courage: “Through learning, children grow up to be strong men and women… children must never stop wanting to build a better world.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Hard work, diligence, and determination to do the right thing are only three of the prominent themes of her Bethune’s life story. Children should recount her many strong and biblical character traits that made this lady who she was, in addition to being able to make a timeline of her major life accomplishments. Further research might also be encouraged. This book would be appropriate to read during Black History Month (the origins of slavery through the Civil Rights Movement).//- EB   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written by Ruth Vander Zee, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper     <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Being an important piece of multicultural literature, the story is told of James, a young boy, who seeks to know more about the injustice he sees towards the African Americans. The setting takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Although James realizes that the African Americans don’t do things like eat at the same tables or drink from the same water fountains, he is stunned and dismayed to learn of the reality of the KKK clan from his close friend, LeRoy. Why wouldn’t his father tell him more about it? Then one horrifying morning, he finds his dad walking home in the white robe. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//This story may open the door to discussions about the true meanings of racial injustice, prejudice, and discrimination. What other examples in history shed light on this same horrifying principle? Just how real is this problem in our nation, still today? One should note that such clans still exist today; however, the teacher should then teach about the Civil Rights movement and the events that followed. What is the moral of this story? The color of one’s skin should not be a determining factor that brings about racism, nor should racism be ignored. Race and culture is very important to each individual, and therefore must be affirmed positively.// - EB  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written by Marie Bradby, Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mary McLeod Bethune **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mississippi Morning **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More Than Anything Else **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Told in a first-person narrative, young booker describes what it is like to be hungry, to be sore, and to work from sun-up to sun-down. Walking home with his father after a long day, Booker stops to listen to the newspaper man read, longing and imaging how wonderful that must be. When he gets home, he exclaims, “Mama, I have to learn to read!” His mother then gives him the alphabet book, even though she herself doesn’t know what the little symbols mean. Later unlocking the treasure that lies beneath those pages, Booker discovers the joy of reading that opens up an entirely new and exciting world. - EB

Kelly DiPuchhio
 * Mrs. McBloom Clean Up Your Classroom! **

Room five at Knickerbocker Elementary School in the town of Up Yonder is a total disaster. Papers and books are strewn about, frogs and other creatures are living in cubbies and climbing on the walls, and there is an apple trees growing in the middle of the classroom! “Mrs. McBloom Clean Up Your Classroom!” is a story almost everyone would enjoy. With Mrs. McBloom a year away from retiring her students work hard to come up with an idea of a way to get the room tidy “lickety spilt” and the treasures the students uncover in the classroom are remarkable! - EP

Patricia Polacco **A**ges 4 to 8
 * My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother **

In Patricia Polacco’s book, “My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother,” the main character, Tricia, and her brother Richie are always competing. Tricia just wants to do one thing better than her older brother. She tries to eat more rhubarb than him, but she ends up with a tummy ache. One night her grandmother, or “Bubbie” as they call her, tells her about wishing on stars. That night she wishes on a star that she could just do one thing better than her older brother. The next day the traveling carnival is in town. She decides to ride the carousel as long as she possible can, to prove to her brother that she is superior at this activity. Unfortunately, she ends up getting extremely dizzy. She wakes up at home, only to find out that her brother carried her home after she passed out. This was a very enjoyable book, and it seems like it was a true story because Patricia Polacco has pictures of her and her brother in the front and back of this book and the characters have the same names.- EP

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Milly Lee, Illustrated by Yangsook Choi
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nim and the War Effort **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Centered in San Francisco, the story is told of Nim, a Japanese-American student who dilligently assists her school in the WWII effort. She is faced with prejudice for her race, and is unfairly treated by a classmate during the paper drive competition. Rather than fighting back, she works even harder to strongly point to prove that she is, indeed, a loyal American citizen. Also supporting the strong traditional values of family honor and obedience, she deeply respects her grandfather by upholding patriotism. This beautifully illustrated book also important characteristics of the Japanese culture.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The following website has an excellent lesson plan associated with this story that goes into depth about patriotism, culture, country service, dual citizenship: []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Owl Moon **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The setting of the rural forest draws the reader into beautiful pictures of milky-white snow, tall shadows, and cold, night air. A father and his young daughter crunch in the snow through the late stillness in a hopeful search of owls. Using vivid descriptions and gorgeous water-color pictures, this gentle story comes alive— that of close father-daughter companionship in the calming moments of scenic nature. Underlying themes consist of patience, hope, and the simply joy that comes from treasured moments with family, painting memories that last forever. It is certainly true that the best “things” in life are not things! - EB

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Robert Munsch
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Paper Bag Princess **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This fairy tale tells the story of a princess named Elizabeth<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> and a prince named Ronald. One day, a dragon comes and carries off Prince Ronald and burns the castle to the ground. Elizabeth<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> has no clothes to wear, so she puts on a paper bag and sets out to find Ronald. After tricking the dragon into showing off so many of his talents that he is completely tired, she is finally able to rescue the prince. Instead of being grateful to the princess for saving him, the prince is very self centered and tells her to come back when she looks more like a princess. The princess finally realizes that the prince is lazy and unworthy to marry. This is a great story about the true quality of people. Diligence is admired and laziness is not something to have. This book would be a good book to use to teach about character. - LP  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Sugihara Story
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Passage to Freedom **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hiroki Sugihara's father was a Japanese diplomat in the 1940s, during WWll. The family was living in Kaunas, Lithuania at the time, located north of Poland and the Ukraine. One day, hundreds of refugee Jews came to his father, begging for help. Because he was a diplomat, Sugihara had the power to issue visas, but he was denied permission to issue the amount he needed. Nonetheless, he still wrote them and saved the lives of as many people as he could, thus, risking his own life. This very day, a monument now stands in his honor in Yaotsu, Japan, known as the Hill of Humanity. Furthermore, he received the "Righteous Among Nations" Award from Yad Vashem.- EB

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For lesson plan purposes, an excellent PowerPoint can be found at the following website: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest4754-115933-passage-freedom-education-ppt-powerpoint/ // **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">David McPhail

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pigs, pigs, and more pigs! This book is filled with all different types of pigs. Pigs are filling up this man’s house and are making a mess of it. He finally has enough and throws the pigs out. The pigs beg him to stay, and tell them that they will do anything if especially around Christmas time. It shares of the importance of friends, and how to care for friends and be thankful for them. It is a good story that would be a great book to have in an elementary library. they can just say. Will the man let them stay? Will he throw the pigs out for good? - LP

**Shelia Rae, the Brave** Kevin Henkes 1st grade reading level

Shelia Rae the rather spunky and overconfident mouse is not afraid of anything. She was not afraid of the dark, thunder and lightning, big dogs, principals, stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, or even monsters in the closets. When she suggested to her sister Louise that they take a new way home from school, and Louise disagreed, Sheila Rae called her a scaredy- cat. On her way home she chanted things like “I’m fearless” and “Nothing scares me.” It turns out Shelia Rae did become frightened when she realized she was lost! Fortunately for Shelia Rae her little sister Louise had been following close behind and when Shelia Rae started crying, Louise was right there to step in. She told her sister she knew where they were and she led her all the way home! Kevin Henkes book “Shelia Rae, the Brave” reminds us that we all cannot be brave all the time, and in those moments we may have to rely on little sisters, or other people to be brave for us!- EP

**Substitute Teacher Plans** Doug Johnson 4-8 years old

In Doug Johnson’s book “Substitute Teacher Plans,” Miss Huff, a classroom teacher decides that she needs a vacation day. The night before her vacation day she writes two lists. One list is plans for what the substitute teacher should do while she is away. The other list is the things she would like to do on her vacation day. Unfortunately Miss Huff gets them mixed up. She leaves the substitute the things she was planning on doing. Miss Huff’s class ends up spending their whole day going on many fun adventures instead of doing school work. They go snow skiing, skydiving, and scuba diving. They build a huge sand castle on the beach, and go to a circus. At home, Miss Huff is having a great time also. On her list it says reading, writing, spelling, and math with specific times next to each subject. She reads her favorite joke book, she writes friends and family members letters, she plays Scrabble, and balances her checkbook! The next day she arrives back at school renewed and refreshed. This is a fun and light -hearted story that anyone would enjoy reading.- EP   <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Leo Lionni
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Swimmy **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This Caldecott Honor Book may inspire beautiful art ideas, as depicted through its unique illustrations. Swimmy, a black fish, lives with a school of fish that get eaten by a large tuna fish. Only Swimmy escaped, lonely, scared, and upset. However, he goes on an deep-sea adventure to find many beautiful sights— a jellyfish, a lobster, seaweed, sugar-candy rocks, an eel, sea anemones, and finally, another timid school of fish. Rather than merely hiding with them, Swimmy teaches the fish to swim around in the shape of one large fish for a type of camouflage protection.- EB

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eric Carle
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Tiny Seed **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The life cycle of a plant comes alive with the unique artwork Eric Carle and poetic language. In August, a gust of wind takes a group of seed on a journey through the sky— over an icy mountain, over the ocean, through a desert, and finally to a neighborhood where the tiniest seed settles down for the winter. The tiny seed escaped being harmed by children running through the yard and birds feasting on the seeds, as it eventually grows into the tallest flower in the neighborhood! The next autumn, its seeds blow away, as the cycle begins all over again. - EB

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens    <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Riches may not always mean prosperity! This engaging children’s fable draws its moral from the biblical truth, “If you do not work, you do not eat.” Devising a plan to provide for his family, Hare conjures up the idea to become “business partners” with the lazy Bear, who loves sleeping more than wisely overseeing his bountiful land inheritance. Although Hare’s plan seemed appealing on the surface, he had a more devious scheme in mind. His trickery angered Bare so much, that in the end, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He learns that laziness breeds disaster, but hard work and diligence will always prosper. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This book may be used an effective illustration to set the stage for learning about Proverbs, in addition to some of Jesus’ teaching about hard work. Furthermore, it can introduce discussion about the Christian work ethic. The teacher can discuss this in light of American history, the formation of colonies, farming, industrialization, and ultimately, the free market system. For younger grades, the teacher may discuss different kinds of crops, and farming techniques such as rotation and irrigation.- EB // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Allen Say
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tops and Bottoms **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tree of Cranes **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The story is told of a young boy from Japan who celebrates his first Christmas with his mother, as she shares a tiny glimpse of the holiday traditions she remembers from California: "Today is a very special day in that warm place. If you happened to be there now, you would see trees like this everywhere, all decorated with winking lights and small globes of silver and gold..." Combining rich elements from two cultures, this beautifully illustrated book is an excellent addition to any classroom selection, speaking of family values, and character. It may be an effective conversation starter about the true meaning of Christmas and tradition behind that. - EB

**The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs**  Jon Schieszka 3-8 years old

Jon Schieszka’s book “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs” is very creative. It tells the classic story of “The Three Little Pigs” from the perspective of the wolf, Alexander T. Wolf, to be exact. In “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs” Alexander T. Wolf, or Al tells the readers that it was all an accident. Al says that he was making a birthday cake for his granny and he ran out of sugar. He went to ask his neighbors, the pigs for sugar. Of course, the pigs were very rude and said “Go away wolf. You can’t come in.” The wolf had a cold, and he accidently sneezed and the houses fell down. Well, of course since the pigs lay “dead as doornails” he could not let good food go to waste, so he ate them up. Once he got to the third house the newspaper reporters had caught up to him. He told them his story but nobody believed him and they made up all of the “big bad wolf” business. This story is very creative. I really like how the cover looks like a newspaper story, and the detailed illustrations are continued throughout the book. In a classroom this book would be great to use to introduce point of view. You could also have the students create stories based off of fairy tales from another characters point of view.- EP        **Uptown** Bryan Collier 4-8 years old

Bryan Collier, the author of “Uptown” teaches art in Harlem, New York. In this story Collier has a little boy giving the reader a “guided tour of his uptown home.” The illustrations are done in kind of a collage style. The little boy shows the reader the many fine and unique details that make up the Harlem. From the basketball courts, to the Apollo Theater this story shows the reader all of the different things to do in Harlem. This would be a great book for kids to learn about different aspects of city life.- EP

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eric Carle
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Very Hungry Caterpillar **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know this is a very popular children’s book, but I had actually never read this book until a couple weeks ago. I must say that the pictures are amazing. This book follows the life cycle of a caterpillar and his journey into becoming a butterfly. The book is set up in days. For each day, there is a certain food that the caterpillar eats through. After each day, the caterpillar becomes bigger and bigger until he eventually becomes a butterfly. This would be a great book to teach younger students about the days of the week and about caterpillars and butterflies and what they eat. What a great book! - LP             <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Cynthia Rylant
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I Was Young in the Mountains **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In beautifully written poetry-like text, the story is told of a girl who recounts many precious recollections of growing up in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. She remembers her grandfather coming home from the coal mine, the delicious meals her grandmother would cook, the many conversations under the beautiful night sky, playing in a muddy swimming hole, stopping at the dairy shop, doing her chores, and going to school and work, and would rather not to have been anywhere else but the beautiful mountains. This beautifully illustrated and well-written book may be an excellent conversation starter about memories from childhood. - EB

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For teaching ideas, visit []

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where the Wild Things Are ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maurice Sendak

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was one of those books that was read to me when I was very young, but I could not remember what it was about for the life of me. I decided to reread it for this class, because I wanted to refresh my memory of the book especially since there was a movie coming out about it (which was horrible!). This book is a very simple book with wonderful illustrations. This story tells the story about a wild little boy named Max who gets sassy with his mother. His mother sends him to his room without any supper, and Max soon finds himself in a strange land with wild monsters. After thinking he has been gone for days and days, Max realizes he has not been gone very long at all. When Max gets back to his room, he finds his supper waiting for him by his bed. This book has beautiful illustrations that jump off of the page and into the reader’s room. - LP    **You are Special** Max Lucado 3 years old and up!

Max Lucado’s book, “You are Special” tells the story of a village of small wooden people called Wemmicks. The small wooden people spend their day giving each other stars and dots. They receive stars if they do good things or if they look a specific way. If they cannot perform or do not have talents as good as the other Wemmicks they get dots. Punchinello is a Wemmick who receives a lot of dots from his fellow Wemmicks. One day things change for him, and he meets a wooden girl named Lucia. He notices that she is different because she does not have any stars or dots. Lucia tells him that every day she goes to visit Eli, they woodcarver who created all the Wemmicks. Lucia tells him he should go visit Eli too. When Punchinello goes to see Eli, Eli tells him the secret of why Lucia does not have any stars or dots. He tells Punchinello that the dots and stars only stick if you let them. Lucia cares more about what Eli thinks than what others think and this is why the other marks do not stick to her. At the end of their time together Eli said to Punchinello, “you are special because I made you. And I don’t make mistakes”(31). This is a great children’s story for any child who has ever felt that they are not good enough. Max Lucado does an excellent job providing an example of how much God loves each individual and how He created them to be unique.- EP

Jon J. Muth 4-8 years old, but anyone would enjoy this story!
 * Zen Shorts **

“Zen Shorts” by Jon J Muth is a delightful story about a Panda bear named Stillwater, and three children. The children are all siblings and they one day they find Stillwater in their front yard. Each day the one of them goes over to play with the Stillwater. The first day Addy brings a cake over. Stillwater ends up telling a story with where the moral of the story is generosity. When Michael and Stillwater climb trees, Michael is told a story with the idea of taking into consideration that things disguised as curses may be blessings. Karl, the youngest child, comes over to play last. He brings all his swimming toys and he is upset because Michael has told him not to. Stillwater then tells him a story about holding grudges. The illustrations in this book are fabulous. This book has a good message not only for little kids but for people of all ages!- EP