08 Max For President

Title:  Max For President

Author: Jarret J. Kroscoza

Illustrator: Jarret J. Kroscoza

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Elections, class leadership

Primary Characters: Max and Kelly

Secondary Characters: Teacher

Awards:

Publisher and Date of Publication: Random House Children's Books; 2008

Summary:

Max is in school and decides that he wants to run for class president! Kelly decides that she wants to run also. This book is the story of what each child proposes they do to better help their classmates when elected. But only one person can win the race! Find out whom in, “Max for President!” This book could easily be worked into your lesson plans through team work, leadership, and fair elections. It is a very cute read.

07 I Need My Monster

Title: I Need My Monster

Author: Amanda Noll

Illustrator: Howard McWilliam

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Non-Fiction

Theme: Imagination

Primary Characters: Ethan, Gabe

Secondary Characters: other monsters

Awards: Alabama Camellia Award list 2010-11, Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list 2011-12, California Young Readers Medal list 2011-12, Georgia Children’s Book Award list 2011-2012, Nebraska Golden Sower Award list 2011-12, Nevada Young Reader Award list 2011-2012, South Dakota Prairie Bud Award list 2011-12, and Wyoming Buckaroo Award list 2011-2012

Publisher and Date of Publication: Flashlight Press; 2009

Summary:

Ethan has a monster. This monster has left for a fishing trip. Ethan knows that without Gabe’s familiar nightly scares he doesn't stand a chance of getting to sleep! So, Ethan interviews potential substitutes to see if they've got the right equipment for the job- pointy teeth, sharp claws, and a long tail, but none of them proves scary enough for Ethan. When Gabe returns sooner than expected from his fishing trip, Ethan is elated to have him back! This book is a unique ‘monster under the bed’ story. One of the kids that I babysit for’s name is Gabe, so he especially loves this book!

06 I Want My Hat Back

Title: I Want my Hat Back

Author:  Jon Klassen

Illustrator: Jon Klassen

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Non-fiction

Theme: Sharing, honesty, Humor, social situations

Primary Characters: the Bear

Secondary Characters: Snake, Turtle, Rabbit

Awards: The New York Times list of The 2011 Best Illustrated Children's Books, Publisher Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2011, and Fuse #8's Best Books of 2011

Publisher and Date of Publication: Candlewick Press; 2011

Summary:

In this book, the bear goes looking for his little red party hat. As the book progresses, he talks to each character and asks them the same question ‘have you seen my hat?’. Each one responds no until one of the characters say that they HAVE seen his hat! Bear hurries back to get his hat from one of his peers. This book is humorous and sure to grab your preschooler’s attention. This is another book that the kids love to hear me read to them.

05 Tuesday

Title: Tuesday

Author: David Wiesner

Illustrator: David Wiesner

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Non-fiction

Theme: Fantasy, Imagination

Primary Characters: The frogs

Secondary Characters: man eating sandwich, investigators, and old women asleep in chair

Awards: Caldecott Medal, ALA, Notable Children’s Book, American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Blue Ribbon, Kentucky Blue Ribbon Award, Library of Congress, Best Books for Children, New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Parenting Magazine, Ten Best Books of the Year, Publishers Weekly, Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year, and Young Hoosier Picture Book Award

Publisher and Date of Publication: Houghton Mifflin; 1992

Summary:

The unpredictable events of a particular Tuesday unravel before the reader’s eyes. There are not many words in this book, but the pictures do all the talking. When I read this book to the kids I babysit, I have them tell me what’s going on in the story. They love how silly it is to think that frogs could actually fly. This book is wonderfully illustrated and a great book to use in a Pre-Kindergarten-Kindergarten setting.

4. Hoot

Title: Hoot

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Illustrator:  -

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Earth conservation, growing older, bullying

Primary Characters: Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers

Secondary Characters: Roy's parents, Officer Delinko, and Dana Matherson

Awards:  Newberry Honor book

Publisher and Date of Publication: Random House Children's Publisher; 2002

Summary:

Roy moves from Montana to Florida and has a hard time fitting in. He finds himself involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. The book could be used in a classroom by having students read this in small groups, then having them discuss ways that they can help conserve wild life. This book could also be used as a large conversation piece because this book addresses many issues that happen in the school setting such as bullying.

3. Stargirl

Title: Stargirl

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Illustrator: -

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Being yourself and finding who you are

Primary Characters: Susan Caraway, Leo Borlock, Hillari Kimble.

Secondary Characters: Archie Brubaker and Kevin

Awards: ALA Top Ten Best Books; Parents Choice Gold Award


Publisher and Date of Publication: Random House Inc; 2000

Summary:
Mica High School changes forever due to an eccentric student named Stargirl. She deals with the perils of popularity, finds courage to battle nonconformity, and finds the thrill of first love. This book shows the importance of being one's self. This book is a must read for all middle schoolers. Many middle school children go through changes and not knowing who they are. This would be a fabulous book to read to that demographic audience. Find out who Stargirl is in this wonderfully written chapter book!

2. Our Only May Amelia

Title: Our Only May Amelia

Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Illustrator: -

Genre: Historical

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Gender and family issues

Primary Characters: May Amelia

Secondary Characters: 7 brothers and May Amelia’s Parents

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 1999; Parents’ Choice Silver Award; Publishers Weekly Best of 1999 Book; Publishers Weekly Flying Start

Publisher and Date of Publication: Harper Collins Publishers; 1999

Summary:

Our Only May Amelia is a wonderful book to teach about a multitude of subjects. The book contains art, language arts, historical amenities and much more. Within the realms of a classroom, this book is an all around winner. The book is about May Amelia in her family. Their family is a larger one and May is the only girl. She finds herself surrounded by boys and naturally wants to do everything the boys do. She finds many adventures with her brothers, and she even finds herself chasing a dangerous suspect! When her mother announces that she is pregnant, May Amelia wishes for another sister. This book is well deserving of the Newberry Honor because it captivates you from the very beginning. I would definitely use this in my classroom.

1. I, Amber Brown

Title: I, Amber Brown

Author: Paula Danziger

Illustrator: Tony Ross

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Sub-parenting, divorce, feelings of divorce

Primary Characters: Amber Brown

Secondary Characters: Father, Mother, and Max

Awards:

Publisher and Date of Publication: Scholastic Inc.; 1999

Summary:

This book is about a girl named Amber Brown. She finds her holidays disrupted when her father comes back into town. She struggles to find herself and what part belongs to her dad and what part belongs to her mom. She decides to get her ears pierced, but her mom says no. However- her dad doesn’t know that.. Find out what happens to Amber Brown, in I, Amber Brown. This book has such great humor filled throughout. This is a perfect recreational book for your classroom, and some students will be able to relate if they are going through the same things Amber Brown’s family goes through. This was a very cute, funny book!

04 Peeny Butter Fudge

Title: Peeny Butter Fudge

Author: Toni and Slade Morrison

Illustrator: Joe Cepeda

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Grandmother’s care, being creative

Primary Characters: Nana, the children

Secondary Characters: Mother

Awards:

Publisher and Date of Publication: Simon and Schuster Children’s publishing; 2009

Summary:

When mother decides to go out for the day, Nana comes and babysits the children. They do everything from snuggling to putting together a puzzle. The children are having so much fun with Nana. They decide they want to make ‘Peeny Butter Fudge’ with Nana. Can they make it before mother comes home? Read “Peeny Butter Fudge!” This story has a great rhythm and rhyme to read out loud. Something else that is cool about this book is that there is actually a recipe for Peeny Butter Fudge in the back! That is a great activity you could do with your class after you have read this book to them.

03 My Friend Maya Loves to Dance

Title: My Friend Maya Loves to Dance

Author: Cheryl Willis Hudson

Illustrator: Eric Velaquez

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre: Fiction

Theme: Dance, African Americans, stories in rhyme.

Primary Characters: Maya

Secondary Characters: Madame

Awards:

Publisher and Date of Publication: Abrams books for Young Readers; 2010

Summary:

Maya loves to dance, leap, pirouette, and bow in tutus and leotards or kente cloth and cowrie shells. She dances everywhere she can. This book encourages young African American girls to dance wherever and be their own person. This book is especially good to read out loud because it has an underlying rhythm. This book is also a good one to read to integrate other cultures into your classroom because of the integration of French and African American culture.

02 Mirette on the High Wire

Title: Mirette on the High Wire
Author: Emily Arnold McCully
Illustrator: Emily Arnold McCully
Genre: Children’s picture book
Sub-Genre: Fiction
Theme: Courage, Taking risks
Primary Characters: Mirette, Bellini,
Secondary Characters: Madame Giroux
Awards: Caldecott Medal; New York Times Best Illustrated Book

Publisher and Date of Publication: Penguin Group (USA), 4/28/1997

Summary:
One day, a stranger arrives at a boardinghouse of the widow Gateau. The stranger is a sad-faced stranger who keeps to himself. When the widow's daughter, Mirette, discovers him crossing the courtyard on air, she begs him to teach her how he does it. But Mirette doesn't know that the stranger was once the Great Bellini- master wire- walker. She also doesn’t know that Bellini has been stopped by a terrible fear. And it is she who must teach him courage once again. This is a great book to instill courage in your students.

01 Lon Po Po

Title: Lon Po Po

Author and Illustrator: Ed Young

Genre: Juvenile

Sub-Genre- Fiction

Theme: Fairy Tale/Little Red Riding Hood

Primary Characters: Shang, Tao, Paotze and Po Po.

Secondary Characters: The mother

Awards: Caldecott Medal – 1990

Publisher and Date of Publication: Scholastic Inc; 1989

Summary: This is story is a version of the American fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Ed Young, the author, translates this story from Chinese. The wolf in this story disguises himself as Po Po (the grandmother). The children let him in but they soon discovered that “Po Po” was not who he said he was. They have to find a way to outsmart the wolf and get him out of their house. This book was well illustrated and colorful. This book would be great for a 3rd grade classroom who is studying fairy tales or other culture’s literature. It is a great book and a great read!