Molly Brown

November 2, 2014
100 Book Project

Caldecott (20)
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Grade Level: 1-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Max spends his day causing mischief and he is sent to bed without supper. He uses
his imagination and travels to a faraway land where the wild things are. He is made king of the
wild things and dances and celebrates during the wild rumpus. Eventually, Max misses his
home and sails back to his bedroom where his supper is waiting for him.
Activity: Use your imagination to create your own version of wild things. What would they look
like? Where do they live? Write a brief description of what they are and where they live.
Review: This book encourages students to be creative and use their imagination. I think
many students can relate to Max who often gets in trouble for being too wild. This books is
beautifully illustrated and interesting to read.
Title: Madeline
Author: Ludwig Bemelmans
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Madeline and 11 other little girls live in an old house in Paris. Everyday they follow
the same routine with their teacher, Miss Clavel. One night, Madeline was rushed to the hospital
to have her appendix removed. The other girls miss her terribly when she is in the hospital.
They all want to have their appendixes removed.
Activity: Students will practice putting events in logical order by ordering the events that
Madeline and the other girls did each day.
Review: This is a wonderful, classic book for children. I loved the hymes and the
beautiful drawings. This book can be used to teach many different things. It can be adapted to
teach many different subjects.
Title: No, David!
Author: David Shannon
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: David is a troublesome, rambunctious little boy. He is always getting into trouble and
his mother always says, no, David! David is never allowed to do anything. His mother always
says no. She finally says yes at the end of the story when David asks if she loves him.
Activity: Sort a list of behaviors into things David should or should not do.
Review: I dont like this book. I think it is very negative and discouraging. I would rather
share a book with my class about good behaviors and encourage good behavior modeling.

Title: Extra Yarn

Author: Mac Barnett
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A little girl named Annabelle finds a box of colorful yarn and makes sweaters for
everyone and everything in her cold, dreary town. An Archduke offers her millions of dollars for
her box of yarn, but Annabelle will not sell. He steals the box, but when he opens it, its empty.
He throws the box into the ocean and it eventually ends up back with Annabelle.
Activity: Ask students, what would you do with a magical box of yarn? Have students create
art projects with yarn to illustrate their ideas.
Review: 5/5 I really loved this book. It shows how kindness and generosity can change
a community. It teaches children to respond with kindness instead of hatred when others think
they are different. Annabelle is a great example for children.
Title: Grandpa Green
Author: Lane Smith
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Grandpa Green shares his memories with his family through his beautiful garden.
His great grandson tells the story of Grandpa Greens life as he goes through the garden. Even
though Grandpa green is getting older, he still shares his stories and memories with his family.
Activity: Students will interview a grandparent or another family member and choose a story to
share with the class. Students will draw a picture to accompany the story like the plants and
shrubs in Grandpa Greens garden.
Review: 5/5 This beautifully illustrated book shares an important message about aging
and memories. It is important for children to understand their grandparents have wisdom and
stories to share.
Title: Interrupting Chicken
Author: David Ezra Stein
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Papa Chicken is trying to read a bedtime story to the little red chicken. Everytime
Papa reads a story, the little chicken interrupts him. The little chicken never gets sleepy during
storytime. Papa reads more stories, but the little chicken interrupts every time. Papa tells the
chicken to write his own bedtime story, and when he reads it to Papa, he falls asleep.
Activity: Students will complete the Dont Be an Interrupting Chicken worksheet and answer
questions such as, Why did the little chicken interrupt her Papa? What should she have done
instead of interrupting?
Review: This book teaches children about interrupting without being mean. This books
shows children how interrupting others can be rude. I like this story because it is fun, and has
many opportunities for teaching about manners.

Title: The Snowy Day

Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Peter wakes to find everything covered in snow. He plays in the snow and puts a
snowball into his pocket to keep. He goes inside and tells his mother about his adventures in the
snow. He takes a bath, and then he looks in his pocket. The snowball is gone! He dreams that
the sun melts all the snow, but when he wakes up, the snow is still falling. Peter calls his friend
and they go outside to play.
Activity: Students will create a list of winter vocabulary words after reading this story and play
bingo using the words.
Review: This book was beautifully illustrated and simple to read. Students will love to
read about Peters adventures, especially students who dont get to experience snow very often.
This book shows the fun that can be had on a solitary adventure exploring the snow.
Title: The Gardener
Author: Sarah Stewart
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Lydia Grace is a young girl who is sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city. She
loves to garden and begins planting flowers when she is not busy working in her uncles bakery.
She begins to plan a secret project to make her uncle smile. She plants a huge rooftop garden
on top of her Uncles bakery. She surprises him with a roof full of plants and flowers.
Activity: Pretend you are sent to live with a relative in a far away place. Write a letter to your
family telling them about your adventures.
Review: 4/5 This book was a heartfelt story about family. I loved that you could teach
about letters, predicting, plants, and the Great Depression with this one sweet story.
Title: Blueberries for Sal
Author: Robert McCloskey
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Little Sal and her mother go to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries to can for the winter.
Little Sal eats more blueberries than she puts in her pail. Little Bear and his mother also go to
Blueberry Hill to eat blueberries to store for the winter. Little Sal and Little Bear get mixed up
and follow the wrong mother around Blueberry Hill. They eventually find the right mother and
Little Sal and her mother go home and can blueberries.
Activity: Students will practice addition by doing blueberry pail math. Students will drop paper
blueberries onto a paper pail and count the number of berries inside and outside the pail.
Review:3/5 This story shows the relationship between humans and animals. This book is
older and the pictures are not colored. It might not hold the attention of todays children.
Title: Ape in a Cape
Author: Fritz Eichenberg

Grade Level: K-2

Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis:This book takes readers through a zoo with crazy animals. Each letter of the alphabet
is represented by an animal doing something odd.
Activity: Students will play a rhyming matching game with cards that have letters and animals
from the story.
Review: This was a cute, silly story that young readers will enjoy. The wacky
combinations teach rhyming words while reinforcing letter recognition. Many different games
and activities could go along with this great book.
Title: If I Ran the Zoo
Author: Dr. Seuss
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Gerald McGrew describes how he would run his own zoo. His zoo would have
talking animals, strange animals, and rare animals.He would go to faraway places and hunt wild
animals.
Activity: Draw your own crazy animal that Gerald could put in his new zoo. Write a paragraph
describing your animal.
Review: This book was entertaining, but hard to follow. Sometimes Dr. Seuss books can
be confusing for some readers. This book would encourage creativity and using your
imagination.
Title: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Author: Simms Taback
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: An old lady swallowed a fly. She continued to swallow more and more things in an
attempt to get rid of the fly she swallowed. Moral of the story: Never swallow a horse.
Activity: Students will complete a rhymes with fly activity and come up with things that rhyme
with fly that the old lady could have swallowed.
Review: I think students will enjoy this book because it is entertaining and fun to read.
The story is crazy and kids will love it. I think the book is kind of strange, but it is funny and
students will enjoy it.
Title: A Chair For My Mother
Author: Vera B. Williams
Grade Level: 1-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Rosa and her mother work very hard to fill a large jar with coins. They are saving up
their money to buy a chair for Rosas mother They lost all their belongings in a fire. Eventually,
the jar is full and they go to the store and pick out the best chair they can find. They bring the
chair home to their apartment. It is the perfect chair for Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother.

Activity: Students will use fabric, construction paper, buttons, yarn, markers, and other craft
supplies to create their own version of the perfect chair to display around the classroom.
Review: This is a great story about family. I love the hard work that Rosa and her
mother put in to get the perfect chair. This story tackles important issues like fires and loss
without being too scary for children.
Title: A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Author: Philip C. Stead
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Amos McGee wakes up early every morning to catch the bus to work. He goes to
the zoo and visits with all his animal friends. One day, Amos wakes up sick and doesnt go to
work. All his friends missed him so they caught the bus and visited Amos. His animal friends
take care of Amos until he feels better.
Activity: What would you do if all the animals from the zoo came to your house? Students will
create a short story about the adventures they might have.
Review: I loved this story! It was so sweet and thoughtful. It teaches a nice lesson
about taking care of each other. I would love to share this sweet story with my class.
Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window
Author: Norton Juster
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Nanna and Poppy live in a house with lots of windows. One window is the
hello,goodbye window where Nanna and Poppy like to wave. They sit in the kitchen and look
out the window. The granddaughter loves to look out the window and think about who might
come visit. She loves to spend time with her grandparents. They like to garden, play the
harmonica, and eat breakfast. She says she wants to have a big house with a hello, goodbye
window when she grows up.
Activity: Students will create a window into their own imagination. They will share their windows
with the class when they are done.
Review: This was a sweet book about spending time with grandparents. I liked that this
book was told from the granddaughters point of view.
Title: It Could Always Be Worse
Author: Margot Zemach
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: There once was a man who lived in a small hut with his wife, his mother, and all his
children. The hut was way too small and the man could not stand it any longer. He asked the
Rabbi for help. The Rabbi told the man to bring his chickens into the house to live with him. This
made the situation even worse! Then the Rabbi told the man to take his goat into the house too.
The man thought the Rabbi was crazy, but he did what the Rabbi said. Next, the Rabbi told him
to bring his cow into the hut too. The hut was way too small. The man wenback to the Rabbi and

the Rabbi told him to take all the animals out of his house. The man rushed home and took all
the animals out. He could not believe how much room he had.
Activity: Students will come up with a list of things they are thankful for. The list will be posted
in the classroom to remind students of their blessings.
Review: 5/5 This was a wonderful book to teach children about being thankful for what
they have. The story was interesting, but it might be too difficult for some students to read on
their own.
Title: All the World
Author: Liz Garton Scanlon
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: All things in life are important, the bigs things and the small. Everything matters and
we are all connected. From morning until night, we are all building relationships that matter. All
the world is old and new.
Activity: Students will write a poem about a day in their life. Write a poem about what you do
every day. Model your poem after the format in All the World.
Review: This book beautifully teaches children the importance of appreciating the little
things in life. The format is a little too abstract for some students to follow. I think this book helps
put some things into perspective for students.
Title: Casey at the Bat
Author: Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Things did not look good for the Mudville baseball team. They were down in the
bottom the ninth. With two outs might Casey came up to the plate. The crowd cheered because
he was their only hope. Casey had two strikes and when the third pitch came, he swung with all
his might. But, unfortunately for Mudville, mighty Casey had struck out.
Activity: The class will discuss narrative poems like Casey at the Bat. Students will learn poetry
vocabulary words such as rhyme and stanza. Students will help each other write their own
narrative poem.
Review: This is a great book for students. I love the poem because it uses awesome
vocabulary words and makes the story more interesting. I love the illustrations and the old-timey
feel of the book. I would recommend this book to readers who love sports.
Title: Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Author: Mo Willems
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The bus driver tells the reader not to let the pigeon drive the bus while he is gone.
The pigeon tries everything to make the reader say yes and let him drive the bus. Eventually,
the bus driver comes back. He is so happy that the pigeon did not drive the bus while he was
gone.

Activity: Each table group will be given a copy of the book. They will take turns reading aloud
and practicing reading with expression as modeled by the teacher.
Review: This book is a great book to read aloud to the class. It is perfect for modeling
reading with expression. I like that this book allows children to say no finally instead of being
told no by a parent or other adult.
Title: One Cool Friend
Author: Toni Buzzeo
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Elliot was a very proper little boy. One day, he went with his family to the aquarium.
Elliot loves the penguins because they look proper like he does.Elliot asks his father if he can
have a penguin and he says yes. He takes one home and they have fun skating around the
house and eating ice cream. Eventually, his father finds out about the penguin, but he isnt mad
at all.
Activity: What is one animal you would like to take home from the zoo? Students will write a
short story about what animal they would bring home and what adventures they would have.
Students can illustrate their story and share it with the class.
Review: This was an imaginative book that children will enjoy. It might be too difficult
for some readers to read on their own. It would be fun for students to think about having a
penguin in their home.

Seasonal/Holiday (10)
Title: Olivia Loves Halloween
Author: Maggie Testa
Grade Level: 2
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Olivia and friends decorate the classroom for the Halloween party. Olivia tries to
figure out what she will be for Halloween. She searches for the perfect costume. She decides to
dress like an artist. After the party, she goes trick-or-treating with her friends.
Activity: Write a journal entry about your perfect Halloween party.
Review: This story was not very interesting to me. The story did not make much sense to
me. I thought it was boring.
Title: Click, Clack, Boo
Author: Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Grade Level: 1
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Farmer Brown hates Halloween, so he leaves a bowl of candy outside his door. The
animals in the barn are having a Halloween party. Farmer Brown hears a strange noise on his
porch and realizes the candy bowl is gone. He runs to the barn and finds out that the mysterious
sound on the porch was the duck in a scary costume.

Activity: Write a journal entry about how you feel about Halloween. Are you scared like Farmer
Brown? Are you excited to dress up the like animals?
Review: This story illustrates the different ways people feel about Halloween. It can be
a scary holiday, so some children might feel connected to Farmer Brown.
Title: Day of the Dead
Author: Linda Lowery
Grade Level: 3-4
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in many places around the world, including
America. This holiday celebrates the lives of people who have died. Families gather together to
make food and talk about their memories of lost loved ones. This is not a sad day, but a happy
celebration of life.
Activity: Students are given colorful tissue paper and scissors to create papel picado banners
to decorate the classroom for Day of the Dead.
Review: This book was very informative and interesting. The author did a great job of
explaining Day of the Dead in a friendly way that children can easily understand. I would
hesitate to share this book with younger students because of the subject matter.
Title: Easter
Author: Gail Gibbons
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Easter is the celebration of Jesus resurrection. Jesus was believed by many to be
the Son of God and he performed many miracles. He had many followers, and some people
believed he was too powerful. He was put to death, but three days later, he was alive again.
This is why we celebrate Easter.
Activity: Students write about their Easter traditions and illustrate their stories.
Review: This book did a great job of explaining Easter in a way that children could
easily understand. It described the story of Jesus, as well as todays Easter traditions including
coloring eggs, the Easter bunny, and Easter egg hunts.
Title: The Great Thanksgiving Escape
Author: Mark Fearing
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Gavin is at his Grandmothers house for another boring Thanksgiving. His cousin
Rhonda wants to go to the backyard to play before dinner. They try and sneak out the front
door, but dogs are blocking the way. They try to sneak passed the Aunts but they cant get
through. They finally make it to the backyard, only to discover that it is raining. In the end, they
decide to go swing in the rain.
Activity: Have students create their own versions of The Great Thanksgiving Escape. What
obstacles would be in their way? Would they make it to the backyard? Students will create short
stories and share them with the class.

Review: This was a cute, fun story about Thanksgiving. For some kids, Thanksgiving is
boring, so I think a lot of students could relate to Gavin and Rhondas adventure. This would be
a fun story to share with the class the day before Thanksgiving break.
Title: Huff and Puffs Foggy Christmas
Author: Jean Warren
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Huff and Puff were sleeping when they saw Santa flying through the sky. They
followed Santa Claus to the houses as he delivered toys to children. Huff and Puff were in the
way and Santa could not see. They went back to bed and let Santa finish delivering toys
Activity: Students will trace and cut out handprints and glue them together to make a Christmas
wreath to display in the classroom.
Review: i did not like this story. It was confusing and hard to follow. If I was going to read a
Christmas book to my class, I would not pick this one.
Title: Flag Day
Author: Mari C. Schuh
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Flag Day honors the flag of the United States. Flag Day is celebrated with parades,
songs, parties and speeches.
Activity: Students will learn the Pledge of Allegiance and recite it as a class to celebrate Flag
Day.
Review: This book was very informative and easy to read. Even struggling readers
could read and understand this book. There are not many books available about Flag Day so
this book is unique.
Title: Fourth of July
Author: Lynda Sorenson
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: The First Fourth of July occurred in 1776 when America declared independence
from England. King George began taxing the colonists unfairly. The First Continental Congress
met to discuss going to war with England. They wrote and signed the Declaration of
Independence.
Activity: Students will match the vocabulary words from the book (colonist, colony, delegate,
independent, and revolution) to the correct definition.
Review: This book was very interesting and informative. This is a great way to
introduce a lesson about the American Revolution. This small book explains the meaning
behind the Fourth of July very well. I liked that the book included a glossary in the back.
Title: Happy St. Patricks Day
Author: Abbie Mercer

Grade Level: K-2

Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis:St. Patricks Day is celebrated every year on March 17. St. Patrick was sold into
slavery in Ireland and later became a priest. He returned to Ireland and hoped to help the Irish
people become Christian. St. Patricks Day is a celebration of all things Irish including
shamrocks, leprechauns, and banshees. People celebrate with parades, Irish dancing, and
traditional Irish foods.
Activity: Students will invent their own stories about how all the snakes were driven out of
Ireland.
Review: This book was very informative. I liked that it included recipes for Irish foods
and instructions for how to plant a shamrock.
Title: Valentines Day Is...
Author: Gail Gibbons
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Seasonal/Holiday
Synopsis: Valentines Day is a celebration of friendship and love celebrated every year on
February 14. St. Valentine was jailed because of his religious beliefs many years ago He was a
kind man who died on February 14. Valentines Day has many symbols including hearts,
ribbons, poems, lace, and Cupid. Today we celebrate by giving each other Valentines Day
cards and chocolates.
Activity: Students will use paper, glitter, markers, ribbon, lace and other supplies to create
Valentines Day cards for their classmates.
Review: This was a fun book that students would enjoy. It would be good to read to
students on Valentines Day before the party or craft time. I liked learning the history behind
many Valentines Day traditions.

Math/Numbers/Counting (5)
Title: Chicka Chicka 123
Author: Bill Martin Jr, Michael Sampson, Lois Ehlert
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Math/Numbers/Counting
Synopsis: Numbers 1-20 race to the top of the apple tree. Other number join, when suddenly,
the bumblebees tell the numbers to get out of their tree. All the number fall out of the tree. Zero
climbs to the top of the tree, along with 10, and together they make 100.
Activity: Students will play a math game using magnetic letters and Chicka Trees on a metal
cookie sheet. Students will practice adding numbers.
Review: I liked this book and I think that students will enjoy it too. The story itself was not
that wonderful, but the counting/numbers part of the story was great. There are many activities
that could go along with this story that could make learning fun.
Title: Subtraction Action
Author: Loreen Leedy

Grade Level: 1-3

Genre: Math/Numbers/Counting
Synopsis: Miss Prime and her class are using subtraction to help solve problems at the school
fair. They help subtract seconds at the obstacle course, cookies at the Little red riding Hood
play, and balloons at the magic show.
Activity: Students will complete a subtraction worksheet that has word problems like the ones
in the story.
Review: 5/5 This was a great book to introduce subtraction word problems to students.
I liked that it had real life situations to show students how they use math in everyday life. I think
students would really enjoy reading this book.
Title: Mission: Addition
Author: Loreen Leedy
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Math/Numbers/Counting
Synopsis: Miss Prime and her class work together to solve math mysteries. They practice
adding numbers in real life situations. They add prices at a yard sale, food prices at a
restaurant, and flowers and fish on posters.
Activity: Students will complete a worksheet with addition word problems like the ones in the
story.
Review: 5/5 This book would be a great introduction to addition word problems for
students. This book makes math fun and interesting. I like that this book combines reading skills
with learning math skills.
Title: Play with Counting!
Author: Barbara Webb
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Math/Counting/Numbers
Synopsis: There are lots of dogs playing in the field. How many dogs do you see? More dogs
come. How many do you see now? If some dogs leave and go home for dinner, can you count
how many are left?
Activity: Students will complete a math worksheet that has word problems about dogs. They
will use manipulatives to represent the numbers they are adding and subtracting.
Review: 5/5 I think this is a great book for younger students to practice counting. I
could see myself reading this book aloud to my students and counting the dogs together. This
book connects numbers to things instead of being abstract things.
Title: You Cant Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime
Author: Harriet Ziefert
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Math/Counting/Numbers
Synopsis: Pete counts all his money so he can buy a dinosaur at the store. He uses all his
money. He works hard and does lots of chores around the house to earn more money from his

parents. He goes to the store and buys another toy dinosaur. He counts all his money that he
starts saving more money.
Activity: Students will receive pretend money to buy things at the store They must count their
money and figure out how much money they have and what they can buy.
Review: This was a cute store that promotes math skills. It promotes problem solving
skills through real life situations. I think students would enjoy this book.

Science/Nature/Animals (10)
Title: Gravity
Author: Jason Chin
Grade Level: K
Genre: Science
Synopsis: This books gives a brief, simple look at gravity. Everything has gravity. Without
gravity, everything would float away, including earth.
Activity: Students drop different objects (feathers, pencils, balls, etc) to see how they all fall ot
the ground.
Review: 3/5 This book did a great job of explaining the concept of gravity in an easy to
understand way. It was beautifully illustrated and fun to read. I like that the last two pages went
more in depth for those students who are more advanced.
Title: Hot Numbers, Cool Math
Author: Brian Sargent
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Science
Synopsis: This book teaches readers about thermometers and what they can tell us. The
temperature tells us how hot or cold it is outside. Thermometers can be used to see if someone
is sick. Temperature is an important factor when we are deciding what to where, when we are
baking cookies, and boiling water.
Activity: Students will cut out pictures of different scenarios mentioned in the book (bath time,
baking cookies, swimming, ice skating) and match them with the correct temperature.
Review: This book made a complicated subject easy to understand. I loved all the real
world examples that students could use to relate to their own lives. This book was simple and
easy to read.
Title: What Happens When Rain Falls?
Author: Daphne Butler
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Science
Synopsis: This book explores the many forms of rain, the effects of rain, the water cycle, and
what happens when there is too much rain and too little rain.
Activity: Students will decorate cups to put outside to measure rainfall.

Review: This book communicated information about rain and the water cycle
precisely and simply. I loved the pictures in the book that reinforced the text. I loved the
questions in the text which will help to engage readers and encourage discussion.
Title: Snow
Author: Cassie Mayer
Grade Level: 1-2
Genre: Science
Synopsis: Snow is small pieces of frozen water that falls from clouds when it is cold outside.
Snowfall can be heavy or light. When there is a lot of snow, it is called a blizzard. Some places
have lots of snow and some places have no snow at all.
Activity: Students will cut out different stages of the water cycle and glue them in the correct
order.
Review: This book makes snow simple to understand for young readers. This book
teaches new vocabulary such as water vapor, snowflake, and blizzard. This book has great
pictures to accompany the text.
Title: Did Dinosaurs Eat Pizza?
Author: Lenny Hort
Grade Level: 3
Genre: Science
Synopsis: There is a lot we do not know about dinosaurs. Scientists are unsure about what
they looked like, sounded like, how much they weighed, how they laid eggs, what they ate, and
how they chose mates. Although we dont know much about dinosaurs, we know much about
the different varieties and characteristics of many dinosaurs.
Activity: Students will make KWL charts about dinosaurs and research the answers to their
questions.
Review: This books was very informative and interesting. This would be a great book
for a student who is very interested in learning more about dinosaurs. This book explains some
of the mysterious parts of dinosaurs in kid-friendly words.
Title: What do Astronauts do?
Author: Cameron Bredeson
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Science
Synopsis: Astronauts are people who work in space. They ride in space shuttles into space. In
space, everything floats, including the astronauts. The space station is a laboratory that orbits
earth. Astronauts study how things grow in space, take spacewalks, and study how people
survive in space.
Activity: Students will write creative stories about what they would do if they were in space for
day.
Review: 2/5 This book is very informative but too much information for younger readers.
Students interested in space would enjoy this book. This would be a great resource for creative
writing prompts.

Title: The First Moon Landing

Author: Steve Kortenkamp
Grade Level:
Genre: Science
Synopsis: The first moon landing was Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael
Collins were aboard the ship. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 was sent into space. The lunar
module landed on the moon three days later. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the
moon. Aldrin followed Armstrong onto the moon. They collected moon rocks and conducted
experiments.
Activity: Students will use the provided materials to design their own spaceships using paint,
construction paper, markers, and paper towel rolls.
Review: This book was informative and easy to understand for young readers. Some of
the vocabulary used in the book was too hard for some readers to understand. Overall, it was
interesting.
Title: Chomp!
Author: Melvin Berger
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Science
Synopsis: Sharks are great hunter with large appetites. Sharks are powerful swimmers that use
fins to swim. They have hundreds of very sharp teeth. Sharks live all over the earth in shallow
water, deep water, warm water, and cold water.
Activity: Students will be put into small groups. Each group will choose one type of shark from
the book to research. They will become experts and share what they learn with the class.
Review: This book was very informative but a little boring. For students who love
learning about animals, this book would be a great choice. This might be too difficult for some
younger readers.
Title: What Do You Know About the Sun?
Author: Carmen Bredeson
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Science
Synopsis: This book answers many questions about the sun including where does the sun go
at night, how far is the sun from earth, how long will the sun shine, what is solar power, and why
is the sun yellow.
Activity: Students will create a KWL chart and write down what they know about the sun. After
reading the book, students will write down interesting things they learned about the sun.
Review: This book was very informative and easy to read. It answered a lot of
questions that most students have about the sun in kid-friendly terms.
Title: Fall Weather
Author: Martha E. H. Rustad
Grade Level: K-3

Genre: Science
Synopsis: During fall, the weather changes. The weather becomes colder and the leaves begin
to change color and fall off the trees. The days are shorter and the sunsets earlier. When the
weather gets cooler, we have to start wearing jackets, hats, gloves, and mittens. In some
places, the weather does not change during fall, but in some places, it snows.
Activity: The class will work together to make a rain gauge as described in the story. The class
check the gauge and chart the inches of rain.
Review: 5/5 This was a great book to help explain the reasoning behind the changing
seasons. It was a beautifully illustrated and fun to read. I would love toe read this to my class
during the fall to introduce a lesson about season.

Social Studies/Historical Fiction (10)

Title: Amelia to Zora
Author: Cynthia Chin-Lee
Grade Level: 3-5
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: This book gives a brief summary of twenty six inspirational women from throughout
history from Amelia Earhart to Zora Neale Hurston.
Activity: Each student will pick a different inspirational woman from the book to read about and
research. The students will share their research with the class.
Review: This books shows a variety of inspirational women from all different parts of the
world. I liked that the women represented many different vocations including scientists, artists,
activists, educators, inventors, and many others.
Title: P is for Pilgrim
Author: Carol Crane
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: Thanksgiving has an interesting history, beginning with the Pilgrims who came to
America in 1620. The settlers learned how to survive in their new home from the Native
Americans.
Activity: Students will create a Past, Present, and Future chart. In the Past section, they will
write about the early years of Thanksgiving celebrations as described in the book. In the
Present section, students will write about how their family celebrates Thanksgiving. In the
Future section, students will make predictions about how Thanksgiving will be celebrated in the
future.
Review: This book was very informative and engaging. Students will learn a lot about
the unique history of Thanksgiving in a fun and engaging way. This story is long, but easy to
read and beautifully written.
Title: Life As a Pioneer
Author: Kristen Rajczak
Grade Level: 3-4
Genre: Social Studies

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered about life as a pioneer? This book describes life in the
days of the pioneers. Learn what they wore, what they did for fun, how they worked, what they
ate, and what their houses were like.
Activity: Students will write a letter pretending to be living in the pioneer days. Write to your
family and describe your life as a pioneer.
Review: This book was very informative, but too wordy for most younger readers. This
book would be fun to introduce a history lesson.
Title: Member of Congress
Author: Jacqueline Laks Gorman
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: This book answers many questions about what it means to be a member of the
United States Congress. Students will learn what Congress is, what Congress does, and how
members of Congress are elected. There are many famous members of Congress mentioned in
the book including presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and John Quincy Adams.
Activity: Students will find out who their local Congressman is and write him or her a letter.
Students will practice using proper letter format and practice good spelling and grammar skills.
Review: 3/5 This book was extremely informative, but it wasnt very interesting for
students. It was too wordy and long for some younger readers. This book would be good to
accompany a lesson about Congress.
Title: We Are Citizens
Author: Laine Falk
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: A citizen is a part of a group. A citizen helps out in the community. Citizens work
together to get big projects done. Citizens listen to each other to find out what they have to say.
Citizens care for each other and collect canned food for a food drive. Citizens care for the earth
by picking up litter.
Activity: Students will work together to make posters and signs to advertise for a schoolwide
canned food drive.
Review: This book was very easy to read and understand. It had a lot of good ideas for
students to try at school or at home. I liked that a glossary was included in the back of the book
for students to use.
Title: Congress
Author: Patricia Ryon Quiri
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: The United States Congress is set up today they way the founding fathers decided.
There are two houses, the Senate and the House of Representative. Each state has two
Senators and each state has varying numbers of Representatives because that number is

based on population. Congress helps make laws and decides how to tax people, and how to
use that money.
Activity: Students will create a campaign poster that they would use if they were running for
Congress. What slogan would they use? How would they try to get votes?
Review: This book put complicated government issues into easy to understand terms.
This book was too long and hard for some readers. This book would be great for students
interested in learning more about the government.
Title: Being a Good Citizen
Author: Mary Small
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: You can be a good citizen by helping others. Cleaning pollution and shoveling a
neighbors sidewalk are two ways of being a good citizen. You can pick up trash, wave to a new
friend, clean up a spill, protect animals from harm to be a good citizen.
Activity: What are some ways that you can be a good citizen? Students will come up with a list
of things they can all do. They will each try one thing from the list and tell the class about what
they did to be a good citizen.
Review: 5/5 This book had many great examples about how to be a good citizens. I
liked that even small things like planting flowers or shoveling snow was included in the book.
Students will learn many things they can do to make their community a better place.
Title: Who Leads Our Country?
Author: Jacqueline Laks Gorman
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: The President of the United States is elected by the voters in America. The
President is the chief executive. He or she makes sure that laws are carried out. The president
is the commander-in-chief which means he or she is in charge of the military. The president is a
world leader who meets with other leaders around the world to work together to help solve
problems.
Activity: What would you do if you were President of the United States? What laws would you
make? Students will write a letter to the President with their ideas about what they would do if
they were elected President.
Review: This book explained facts about the president in an easy to understand way.
This book might be too much for some students to fully comprehend. It is very thorough in all
the explanations.
Title: Arlington National Cemetery
Author: Bob Temple
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Social Studies

Synopsis: Arlington National Cemetery is located in Arlington, Virginia. This is the burial site for
many important people such as members of the military and Presidents of the United States. At
least one person from every American war or conflict is buried at Arlington.
Activity: Students will practice letter writing skills, handwriting skills, and spelling and grammar
by writing letters to members of the United States Military to thank them for their service to our
country.
Review: This book helped to explain the importance of our military and the sacrifices they
make to protect our freedom. This book was very interesting and informative. This would be a
good book to read around Veterans Day.
Title: Vote!
Author: Eileen Christelow
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Social Studies
Synopsis: Voting is a way for people to choose. If someone wants to get votes, they must
convince as many people people as possible to vote for them. All citizens in America who are
18 years or older are allowed to vote. First, you must register to vote. People must listen to
debates to decide who to vote for. On Election Day, people go to the polls to cast their vote.
After everyone has voted, the votes are counted. The person with the most votes is sworn in as
the new mayor.
Activity: Students will vote on what book to read, what game to play, and what snack to have to
understand how voting works. Students will all cast a vote and the majority wins. Students will
make speeches and have debates to show how real elections are done.
Review: I really liked this book because it was easy to understand. Voting is a
complicated subject to explain. This book is very engaging and interesting for students.

Multicultural (10)
Title: Henrys Freedom Box
Author: Kadir Nelson
Grade Level: 3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Henry Brown was a slave whose family was sold to another master. He wanted to
become free so he decided to escape from slavery. Henry decided to mail himself to freedom.
He was packed into a box and shipped to Pennsylvania, a free state. Henry safely arrived to
Philadelphia and lived as a free man for the rest of his life.
Activity: Students will complete a KWL chart about slavery and the underground railroad
Review: This book does a great job of explaining slavery in kid-friendly terms. This would
be a great story to introduce a unit about the Civil War or slavery in America.
Title: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears
Author: Verna Aardema
Grade Level:
Genre: Multicultural

Synopsis: This folktale explains why mosquitoes buzz in peoples ears. The animal kingdom
was out of whack when the sun did not rise because the owl did not tell it to come up. All the
animals blame each other for making the owl angry. Eventually, they realize the mosquito
caused all the problems. The mosquito continues to buzz in peoples ears to ask them if they
are still angry at him.
Activity: Write your own folktale explaining why an animal or insect makes its noise.
Review: This story is very entertaining for children. This would be a great way to
introduce folk tales to the class.
Title: Lon Po Po
Author: Ed Young
Grade Level: 3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Three children are left alone when their mother leaves to visit their grandmother, Po
Po. After mother leaves, the grandmother comes to visit the children. The children wonder why
Po Po has come to visit. Po Po doesnt look like their grandmother. She has a furry face and
bushy tail. The three children are suspicious and offer Po Po some ginko nuts. They climb a tree
and stay at the top. They convince the wolf to climb the tree and pick some nuts. The wolf sits in
a basket and the children pull him up into the tree and drop him. The wolf dies and the children
are safe.
Activity: Students will respond to the story by writing a creative response about what they
would do if a wolf knocked on their door.
Review: I did not like this story. It was quite scary and too frightening for small children. I
would recommend this book to older students, not based on difficulty, but because of the the
subject matter.
Title: We March
Author: Shane W. Evans
Grade Level: 1
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: A family marches with Dr. Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights activists during
the historic march on Washington.
Activity: Students will complete a MLK Day craft and write about what freedoms they are
thankful for.
Review: This story was really simple and without much detail. This is a hard subject to
explain to small children, so it serves as a conversation starter to discuss harder things. It has a
good message about standing up for what you believe in.
Title: Big Mamas
Author: Donald Crews
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Every summer, the whole family leaves New Jersey to visit Bigmama in Cottondale,
Florida. They would ride the train for days and days. Once they get to Bigmamas house, its like

a different world. Nothing ever changes. They play with their family and go fishing and eat a big
meal with the whole family.
Activity: What do you do with your family during the summer? Students will create posters to
share with the class to explain what they do during the summer.
Review: This book shows children what life was like during summer vacations before
technology. This book is an interesting look at childhood through the nostalgic eyes of an adult.
Title: The Legend of the Bluebonnet
Author: Tomie dePaola
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: The Comanche people were experiencing a terrible drought because of the selfish
people who took from the earth without giving back. They had to sacrifice their most valued
possessions to please the Great Spirits. She-Who-Is Alone sacrificed her favorite doll, the only
thing she had left after her family died, to the Great Spirits. She woke up and the hill was filled
with beautiful blue flowers. As the people sang and danced to thank the Great Spirits, a warm
rain began to fall.
Activity: Students will use paper, fabric, paint, and buttons to create their own paper doll. they
will use their doll to retell the story of the bluebonnets to a classmate.
Review: This book celebrates the Native American culture by sharing a beloved
Indian fable with todays children. I think students would enjoy reading about She-Who-Is-Alone.
This would be a great book for a lesson about Native Americans.
Title: Working Cotton
Author: Sherley Anne Williams
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Picking cotton starts early in the morning. The whole family is out in the field
working. They pick cotton all day, only stopping for a quick lunch. Daddy is strong and works so
fast. Mama picks cotton and watches the baby. Even the children pick cotton. After a long day,
they catch the bus and go home.
Activity: Students will be given actual cotton plants to pick the cotton from. They will use the
cotton they collect to create a work of art to hang in the classroom.
Review: This book is a great example of the unique language spoken by the slaves
and migrant workers. I like that it is not edited because it allows readers to understand how it
actually sounded. I think students will appreciate the authenticity of this story.
Title: Duck for Turkey Day
Author: Jacqueline Jules
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Tuyet learned all about Turkey Day at school. When she came home, she and her
mother picked her grandmother up from the airport. They went to the market and got duck for
Thanksgiving dinner. It was her grandmothers special Vietnamese recipe. Tuyet was worried

because they were not having turkey on Thanksgiving. The next week at school, Tuyet started
crying. She told her class they did not have turkey. Some of her other classmates told about
other foods they had instead of turkey. Tuyet realized she was not alone. Her teacher told her
that it did not matter what foods they ate as long as they had a good time with family and
friends.
Activity: Students will collect Thanksgiving recipes from their families that are different from the
traditional foods. They will create a classroom cookbook to take home to share with their family.
Review: 5/5 I loved this book! This book teaches students that all families are different
and thats ok. I loved that all the students in the class shared foods that their family eats to make
Tuyet feel better.
Title: Mrs. Katz and Tush
Author: Patricia Polacco
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: Mrs. Katz lives by herself in Larnels building. One day, Larnel brings her a kitten.
She names the kitten Tush, a good Yiddish name. Mrs. Katz teaches Larnel about her Jewish
and Polish heritage. They become good friends. One day, Tush is missing and they search and
search. Eventually they find the cat and bring her home. Mrs. Katz prepares a Passover dinner
from Larnel and his family.
Activity: Students will research the story of Passover. The class will have a Passover
celebration with traditional food to learn more about Jewish people.
Review: This book teaches readers about Jewish traditions that are not usually found
in childrens books. I liked that Larnel and Mrs. Katz are very different yet they still become
friends.
Title: The Tale of the Rabbit and Coyote
Author: Tony Johnston
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Multicultural
Synopsis: The rabbit found some chiles in the garden and ate them. The farmer was so mad
that his best chiles were gone. He made a beeswax doll of himself to scare the rabbits. Rabbit
tried to talk to the doll, but it would not answer. Rabbit was angry so he punched the doll. He got
stuck in the beeswax and the farmer caught him. Rabbit saw Coyote and tricked him into
switching places with him. The Coyote escapes and follows the Rabbit, but the Rabbit keeps
tricking him. The Rabbit runs away and climbs a ladder high into the sky. He hopped on top of
the moon and hid the later. Thats why coyotes howl at the moon.
Activity: Create an original story using the Spanish words used in the book.
Review: This was an unusual story that children will love. It might be too confusing for
some readers. I liked that a Spanish glossary was included at the end.

Issue (5)
Title: A Bad Case of Stripes

Author: David Shannon

Grade Level: 2
Genre: Issue
Synopsis: A little girl named Camilla is embarrassed because she loves to eat lima beans, so
she decides to stop eating them. She skin begins to turn different colors and patterns. She stays
home from school and the symptoms gets worse. She turned into a pill, she grew strange
plants, she turned into her bedroom. Her parents called in doctors, specialists, and experts, but
no one knew what was happening. Finally, an old woman came to Camillas house. She gave
Camilla lima beans and suddenly all the feathers and branches disappeared. She returned to
her familiar self. Camilla decided to no longer be embarrassed about loving lima beans.
Activity: Students draw a picture of themselves with their own Bad Case of ____ to share with
the class.
Review: 4/5 I love this story. It teaches students that it is ok to be who they truly and it is
ok to express themselves without fear of embarrassment. This is a great story to encourage
students to care less about what others think of them.
Title: The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster
Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Issue
Synopsis: Brother Bear receives a beautiful new bike for his birthday. Sister Bear becomes
extremely jealous of the new bike. Mama bear warns her about the green-eyed monster of
jealousy. Sister Bear dreams that she meets the green-eyed monster and they ruin Brother
Bears new bike. Sister Bear feels terribly and wakes up from her nightmare. The next day, she
rides Brother Bears old bike and its just her size.
Activity: Have students think about a time when they have felt jealous or envious. How did the
green-eyed monster affect them? Students will work together to write a short script and act it out
in front of the class.
Review: This teaches an important lesson about jealousy and envy. It is important for
students to learn how to be happy for each other instead of jealous. I think all children can relate
to Sister Bear.
Title: Max and the Big Fat Lie
Author: Michael P. Waite
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Issues
Synopsis: Max wants to go see a movie that his mother would not approve of. He lies to his
mother and, with the help of Sir Fib, Kleever Deceiver ,and the Big, Fat Lie, his lie gets bigger
and bigger. He ends up at his friends house watching the movie, but his conscious gets the
best of him. He races home and tells his mother the truth.
Activity: Write a story about what you would do if the Big, Fat Lie came into your bedroom.
Review: This book teaches a great lesson about honesty and the importance of telling
the truth. The rhymes and interesting characters make this an entertaining book for kids. It also
has a Bible verse in the back that relates to the story.

Title: You Are Special

Author: Max Lucado
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Issue
Synopsis: Punchinello is a Wemmick who always gets dots from the other Wemmicks. He
wishes to have stars, but he only has dots. He meets a Wemmick who does not have stars or
dots stuck to her. She tells him to go visit the Eli in the workshop. He goes to see Eli and, to
Punchinellos surprise, Eli knows his name. Eli tells Punchinello how special he is. He tells him
that it doesnt matter what the other Wemmicks think of him, it only matters what Eli thinks of
him. Eli tells Punchinello that the dots only stick if he lets them.
Activity: What makes you special? Students will draw self portraits and write things that make
them unique and special around their drawing.
Review: 5/5 This book has such a great message for kids of all ages. This book tells
children not to worry about what others think of them. This book tells children that they are all
unique, special, and valuable.
Title: Im Gonna Like Me
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Issue
Synopsis: This books celebrates all the unique things that make us all different. It is ok to dress
in your own way, get picked last, get the answer wrong, and eat new things. We can all like
ourselves during the good times and the bad times, and when we do the right things or dot the
wrong things. Liking ourselves is a great way to show how loved we are.
Activity: What are some things you like about yourself? Students will write a list of all the things
they like about who they are. They will share something they like with the class so the whole
class can appreciate them and their uniquenesses.
Review: 5/5 I love this book! I think it is so important for students to develop a good
self-esteem at an early age. This book teaches children to celebrate all the good and bad things
about them. I like that it said to love yourself is a great way to show how loved you are by
others.

Favorite Characters/Series (10)

Title: Arthurs Reading Race
Author: Marc Brown
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Arthur learned to read at school and now he reads all the time. He wants to teach his
little sister, D.W. how to read but she says she already know how to read. Arthur and D.W. walk
to the ice cream shop and D.W. reads words as they go.
Activity: Students are challenged to read and record 10 words on signs, billboards, and
windows on their way home from school.

Review: This is a great story to inspire children to love reading like Arthur does. This
books shows how reading is all around us, all we have to do is look. This story is a great way to
introduce children to the Arthur book series.
Title: A Little House Birthday
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Laura is a little girl who lives with her family in a log house in the woods of
Wisconsin. During the winter, there is nothing to do and Laura gets very bored. She cant run
and play outside. She has to quietly play inside. One day, Pa tells Laura that it is her birthday.
They eat cakes, Laura is given gifts, and they sing and dance as Pa plays the fiddle. Laura had
a great birthday with her family.
Activity: Have students compare Lauras birthday party to todays parties. How are they alike?
How are they different?
Review: 2/5 This story introduces the Little House on the Prairie characters to a younger
audience. This would be a great book for students interested in learning about the time period of
the late 19th century.
Title: Blues Bad Dream
Author: Sarah Albee
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Blue and Magenta are having a sleepover. Blue was reading a storybook about a
dragon. She was afraid. She dreamed about the dragon and she tried to run away. She woke up
so afraid! She told Magenta about the dream. They went to the kitchen and got something to
drink. Ms. Salt and Mr. Pepper told Blue that the dragon was only in her dreams. They told them
about a nice dragon and turned on the night light.
Activity: Students will discuss their own scary dreams with their partner. Then they will work
together to write a story about how their bad dreams became good, friendly dreams.
Review: This was a good story for students who are struggling with bad dreams. It is
important for students to understand that bad dreams are only in their imaginations.
Title: Poohs School Day
Author: Lauren Cecil
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: It was raining one day in the Hundred Acre Woods and owl invited Pooh and Roo
over to play. They all went to Owls house to play school. None of the students paid attention to
Teacher Owl. Christopher Robin came over and said it was time for his favorite part of school recess. It had finally stopped raining and they all went out to play.
Activity: Write a journal entry about your favorite part of school. If you were Christopher Robin,
what would you have suggested they all do - besides recess?

Review: This book was a cute, simple story for beginning readers. It was relatable for
those students who have trouble concentrating in class.
Title: Pinkalicious
Author: Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Favorite Characters
Synopsis: Pinkalicious loves pink more than anything else. One day, she makes pink cupcakes
with her mom. She eats way too many and she wakes up the next day pink! She eats one more
cupcakes, even though her mom said not to, and then she turns red! She doesnt want to be
red. She just wants to be herself again. She eats lots of green foods and suddenly, shes back
to her old self
Activity: Draw a picture of yourself as your favorite color. Write a paragraph about what you
would do if you woke up your favorite color. What foods are your favorite color? What would you
blend in with? How would you go back to normal?
Review: This was a really cute book. It was fun and entertaining for children. It also
teaches an important message about eating healthy green foods.
Title: Corduroy
Author: Don Freeman
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Corduroy is a bear who lived in a department store. A little girl noticed Corduroy in
the window. She saw he was missing a button. He decided to go look for a button. He searched
through the department store. He found a new button and went back to his place in the window.
The next day, the little girl came back and bought Corduroy and took him home.
Activity: Do you think your stuffed animals can talk? Write a short story about the adventures
your stuffed animals have while you are at school.
Review: This is a classic childrens book that I will definitely have in my classroom. I
love the story and I think children love to imagine the adventures their stuffed animals might go
on. This book is fun and easy to read.
Title: Clifford the Big Red Dog
Author: Norman Bridwell
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Emily Elizabeths dog, Clifford, is the biggest, reddest dog on the block. They love to
play games together. Clifford is lots of fun. Sometimes he makes mistakes. He chases cars and
digs up flowers. Clifford was entered in a dog show, but he did not win. Emily Elizabeth didnt
care! She loves her big, red dog.
Activity: Would you keep Clifford if he were your dog? What would it be like to have a dog
thats bigger than your house? Write a short story about your life if Clifford was your dog.
Review: 5/5 This classic book is a favorite story for children. It is simple and fun to
read. It has a great message about loving what you have instead of hoping for something else.

Title: Franklin and the Hero

Author: Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Franklin wants to be just like his favorite superhero, Dynaroo. He was on his way to
meet Dynaroo when Mrs. Muskrat asks for Franklins help finding her lost keys. Franklin climbed
through the window and opened the door for her. He made it too the bookstore, but everyone
was gone. But, Dynaroo was waiting there for Franklin. He was proud of Franklin for helping
Mrs. Muskrat and he gave him a copy of his new book.
Activity: Students will create superhero versions of themselves. They will draw a picture what
they would look like if they were superheros and list all of the powers they would have.
Review: This book was very easy to read. Franklin is a classic character that all
students love reading about. This particular story taught the importance of helping other people.
Title: Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes
Author: Eric Litwin
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Pete the Cat loves his brand new white shoes. He walks through different things that
change the color of his shoes to red, blue, and brown. Pete doesnt get mad, he looks at the
bright side and loves his shoes no matter what color they may be.
Activity:
Review: 5/5 This is a cute book with a great message. Pete teaches kids to keep
walking and singing their own song no matter what happens. Pete the Cat is quickly becoming
one of the most loved characters for kids today.
Title: The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV
Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Favorite Characters/Series
Synopsis: Brother and Sister Bear are watching too much TV. Mama Bear turns the TV off and
tells the cubs to find something else to do. The cubs quickly found fun things to do that did not
involve TV. They playing with toys, they played outside, they read books, and enjoyed looking at
stars. Once they were allowed to watch TV again, they did not even miss it.
Activity: What are some fun things to do besides watching TV? Write a letter to Brother and
Sister Bear telling them your suggestions.
Review: 5/5 I love theses books because they always teach a valuable lessons in an
easy to understand, kid-friendly way. Children love these books because they are easy to relate
to.

Folk tale/Fairy tale (10)

Title: Fin MCoul

Author: Tomie de Paola

Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Folk tale

Synopsis: There are two giants named Fin MCoul and Oonagh who are married and
live in Ireland. Another giant, Cucullin is known for being mean and strong, and he is
after Fin because he is the only giant in Ireland that Cucullin has not beaten up.
Oonagh, Fins wife, comes up with a plan to throw off Cucullin. Fin dresses up like a
baby and pretends to eat bread and cheese that are too tough for Cucullin. Cucullin is
distracted and Fin ends up beating Cucullin up. He and his wife live happily without fear
of being beat up ever again.
Activity: Since the setting is in Ireland, the teacher will read this book on St. Patricks
Day. The students will draw what they imagine the giants to look like on shamrocks in
certain parts of the story and put them in chronological order.
Review: This book teaches students about folk tales, however it includes
violence. It could demonstrate actions that are not acceptable to be okay since the
character did it.
Title: Rumpelstiltskin
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Grade Level: 2-4
Genre: Fairy tale/folk tale
Synopsis: The millers told the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king said if
she did not spin the straw into gold, she would be killed. A little man helped her spin the straw
into gold. In exchange for her first born child, he would spin all the straw into gold and her life
would be spared. The king married the girl and she became the queen. The man said if she
guessed his name she could keep the child. The queen sent her servant to follow him and she
heard his name, Rumpelstiltskin. He was never seen again.
Activity: Students will identify causes and effects throughout the story.
Review: This was a great story to introduce classic fairy tales. It was entertaining and
easy to follow. I think students will love the riddle and the elaborate pictures.
Title: Tonys Bread
Author: Tomie dePaola
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: Tony is a baker who only makes bread. He dreams of being the most famous baker
in all of Italy. Tonys daughter is very spoiled and she sit in her room all day crying and eating
chocolate. One day, a man passes by the window and sees Serafina. He asks her aunts to tell
him everything about her because it was love at first sight. He says he will make Tony the most
famous baker in Italy if he can wed his daughter. They go to Milan and Tony comes up with an
idea for a new kind of bread. He creates panettone and becomes a famous baker. Angelo and
Serafina get married in a small ceremony.

Activity: How would you make the best bread ever? Write a recipe to make plain, white bread
into the newest, best tasting bread in the country.
Review: This was a cute, fun fairy tale that kids will enjoy. This story was entertaining
and easy to read. It would be fun to read this during Christmas time and bring some panettone
to class for the students to eat.
Title: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Author: William Steig
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: Sylvester enjoys collecting pebbles of unusual shape. One day, he found a bright
red pebble. He discovered the pebble was magical and started to go home to tell his parents.
He met a lion along the way and he was frightened. He wished to become a rock. Sylvester
could not turn himself back into a donkey because he could not hold the pebble. Everyone
searched and searched but they could not find Sylvester. One day, Sylvesters parents went on
a picnic and found the red pebble. They wished that Sylvester was there with them and
suddenly the rock changed back into Sylvester.
Activity: Write a journal entry about what you would wish for if you found a magic pebble like
Sylvester did.
Review: 5/5 I loved this book. It has a great message about being thankful and grateful
for the things we have instead of wishing for other things. This folk tale had a great message for
children.
Title: Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Author: James Marshall
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/ Folk tale
Synopsis: Goldilocks mother sent her to buy muffins in the next village. Goldilocks walked right
into the bears house. She ate their porridge that they left on the table. The first bowl was too
hot. The second bowl was too cold. The last bowl was just right and she ate the whole thing.
She sat in all three of the bears chairs and the last one was just right. She went upstairs to take
a nap. The last bed was perfect so she fell asleep. The bears came home and their house was
a mess. They found Goldilocks asleep upstairs. She jumped out the window and ran away. The
bears never saw Goldilocks again.
Activity: Students will use arts and craft supplies to create puppets to represent the characters
in the story. They will use the puppets to perform the story in front of the class.
Review: This was a great book to introduce folk tales to students. I loved the vivid
illustrations. I think students would really enjoy reading this book.
Title: The Emperors New Clothes
Author: Hans Christian Anderson
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale

Synopsis: Once there was a vain emperor who loved beautiful clothes. One day, some
tricksters decided to fool the emperor into buying some invisible clothes. They demanded silk,
jewels, and gold to make the emperors new clothes. No one could see what they were doing,
but they pretend to see beautiful work. They pretended to dress the emperor and they
pretended to admire the new clothes. Everyone clapped and cheered for the emperor. The
tricksters took the emperors gold and ran away.
Activity: The students will pretend to interview the two tricksters. They will come up with
questions to ask them about why they tricked the emperor and what they did with all the gold.
Students can work together to write answers.
Review: This book teaches a great lesson about vanity. This book is a classic story that
all children will love. This version might be too difficult for some students to read.
Title: Hansel and Gretel
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Grade Level: 3-4
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: Hansel and Gretel were abandoned in the forest by their mother. They were starving
when all of a sudden, they found a house made of candy. The old woman living in the house
gave them lots of food to eat. The old woman put Hansel in a cage. She gave him lots of food to
eat to fatten him up. Gretel learned that the old woman was planning to eat Hansel. used the
old lady into the oven. She freed Hansel and they took all the old womans gold and jewels back
to their father.
Activity: Each table group will be given a gingerbread house to decorate with lots of different
kinds of candy. The gingerbread houses will be put on display around the classroom.
Review: I do not like this story. I think it is really scary for children to read. I would not read
this book to my class unless I had to.
Title: The Legend of Old Befana
Author: Tomie de Paola
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: Old Befana lived in the outskirts of an Italian village. All the children were afraid of
her because she was cranky and always sweeping. One night, Old Befana saw a brilliantly
bright star in the sky.The next day, a royal procession came by and stopped Old Befana. They
asked her the way to Bethlehem. They were looking for the Christ Child. Old Befana did not
know the way. Old Befana decided to bake some food and take it to the Christ Child. She ran
and ran towards Bethlehem. Suddenly, she began to fly through the air. She never caught up,
and she is still looking for the Christ Child to this day. She visits children in Italy and leaves them
presents and sweeps their room.
Activity: Make a Venn Diagram chart discussing the similarities and differences in the ways
that American and Italians celebrate Christmas.
Review: This book was an interesting look and Christmas in Italy. I think children will
love to learn about Old Befana. This would be a great book to read when learning abotu
Christmas around the world.

Title: The Lion and the Mouse

Author: Graham Percy
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: One day, a little mouse stopped to rest on her way home. She accidently fell asleep
on a lions paw. She begged the lion not to eat her, please spare me. Maybe one day you will
need my help. The lion laughed. How could a tiny mouse help him? He let the mouse go. Later
on, the lion was caught in a hunters net. The little mouse came to his rescue and chewed the
rope and set the lion free.
Activity: The class will discuss fables-stories that are based on a moral. The teacher will give
each student a different moral to write a short story about. The students will write and illustrate
an original story based on the moral they are given.
Review: This story teaches students some great lessons like kindness and helping
others in need. Students love stories about animals so this is a great book for children. This is
also a great book to teach students about fables.
Title: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
Author: Tomie dePaola
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fairy tale/Folk tale
Synopsis: Little Gopher was the smallest little boy in his tribe. One night, he had a Dreamvision that told him to make brushes and paint. He began to paint pictures on animals skins. He
painted hunting scenes, stories of great deeds, and great visions. He had one white buckskin
that he could not paint because he could not find the right colors of the sunset. One night he
heard a voice telling him to take the skin to where he watched the sunset. He found brushes
filled with paint waiting for him. He painted the sunset exactly as he saw it. The next day, the
hillside was filled with flowers that matched the sunset. From then on, Little Gopher was know
as He-Who-Brought-The-Sunset-To-Earth.
Activity: Students will be given watercolors and paintbrushes so they can create their own
painting of the sunset just like Little Gopher did.
Review: 4/5 I think this is a great story about being yourself. This book teaches children
to celebrate the things that make them unique instead of worrying about what everyone else can
do. This would be a great book to read when studying Native Americans.

Fantasy/Other (10)
Title: Bagels from Benny
Author: Aubrey Davis
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: Benny helps out in his Grandpas bakery everyday. Grandpa makes the best bagels
in town. Benny wants to thank God for the bagels so he takes a bag of bagels to the synagogue
every week. One day, Benny and Grandpa see a poor man come into the synagogue and take
the bagels. Benny learns that he has been thanking God by helping others.

Activity: Students will journal about how they can help others through giving.
Review: This story teaches children many great lessons about giving and serving
others. This is an old Jewish legend that can be shared with children from all walks of life who
are curious about how they can say thank you to God.
Title: Caps For Sale
Author: Esphyr Slobokina
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: A peddler walks through the town selling caps. He wore all of his caps on his head
and walked very slowly. He wasnt having any luck selling caps one day, so he decided to take
a nap under a tree. When he woke up, all his caps were gone.. He looked up in the tree and a
bunch of monkeys were in the tree and wearing his caps. He shook his fist at told them to give
him back his caps. Eventually, the monkeys threw the caps on the ground and the peddler
picked them up and put them back onto his head.
Activity: Students will practice grouping items by color just like the peddler in the story.
Review: This is a classic story that is fun for students. The story is easy to read and
entertaining for students.
Title: We the Kids
Author: David Catrow
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: This book describes the preamble to the Constitution in kid-friendly terms. The
pictures help make the difficult words clearer.
Activity:
Review: This book would really help students understand the difficult words used in the
preamble. The preamble is an important thing for all Americans to know so this book is really
helpful for students.
Title: Hickory Dickory Dock
Author: Keith Baker
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: The mouse lives in in the top of the clock. Every hour a different animal comes by
the clock. The mouse watches over the clock all day long. At midnight, the mouse finally gets to
go to sleep.
Activity: The students will use classroom instruments to recreate the song from the book.
Review: This book was not very informative or interesting. Some students might enjoy
reading this if they already know the song.
Title: Duck for President
Author: Doreen Cronin
Grade Level: K-3

Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: Duck is tired of the farmer being in charge of the farm. He decides to run against
Farmer Brown to become in charge of the farm. He wins the election, but running the farm is too
boring. He decides to run for governor. After a long campaign, he wins the election and
becomes governor. Running the state is very hard work for Duck. He decides to run for
president. He gives speeches, rides in parades, and goes on tv shows. He wins the election and
becomes President of the United States. Running the country is too much work for Duck so he
decides to return to the farm.
Activity: Students will pretend that they are going to run for president. Students will write a
campaign speech that they would give to help them get votes. Student can share their speeches
with the class.
Review: This is a fun book for students. I think students will love reading about Ducks
journey from the farm to the Oval Office.
Title: The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade
Author: Justin Roberts
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: Sally McCabe was the smallest girl in school. She was very quiet and no one noticed
her. Sally was small, but she noticed everything. She was tired of everyone hurting each other.
All the other students agreed with Sally. They all started to make changes and be nicer to the
people around them all thanks to Sally.
Activity: Students will write a journal entry about what it means to be brave like Sally.
Review: This books has a great message about standing up for the people around
you. Even though Sally was small, she was able to make a difference.
Title: Nana in the City
Author: Lauren Castillo
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: A little boy goes to New York to stay with his grandmother. The city is very busy and
scary, but his Nana loves the excitement. The little boy was afraid, but Nana showed him how
exciting the city can be. He realized it wasnt that scary after all.
Activity: Students will be given paper plate and scissors to cut out a New York City skyline.
Review: This was an interesting book about being brave and facing your fears. It has
beautiful illustrations of New York City that students will love.
Title: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: A little boy has a favorite tree who keeps giving and giving to the little boy. The tree
gives its leaves, its branches, and its trunk until all thats left is the stump. Eventually, the little
boy grows up and returns to the stump. They are both happy.

Activity: Students will use paper and markers to create cards to give to school staff members.
to say thank you.
Review: 5/5 This is a great book about learning how to give and make sacrifices for
the ones we love.
Title: Me...Jane
Author: Patrick McDonnell
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: Jane is a little girl who loves to explore,. She is always asking questions and
researching things she is curious about. She loves to imagine herself living in Africa and going
on adventures. Eventually, Janes dreams come true and she lives and works with anima.
Activity: Students will research their favorite animal and share the most interesting thing they
learn with the class.
Review: This was a very interesting story about an inspirational woman/ I think students
will love to read and learn about Janes adventures.
Title: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Author: Jon Scieszka
Grade Level: K-3
Genre: Fantasy/Other
Synopsis: This story takes on the classic story of the Three Little Pigs from the wolfs
perspective. Wolf claims to have been in the process of making his grandma a cake when
everything went wrong. Wolf asks each of his neighbors for a cup of sugar. His nose itches at
each pigs house which, one way or another, leads to each pigs death. Rather than wasting
perfectly good pig, Wolf eats them. Reporters catch Wolf at the third neighbors house causing a
scene and take pictures that ultimately lead to him being framed as the big bad wolf
Activity: Students will think of another classic story that can be told from a different perspective.
Students will work together to rewrite a classic story to share with the class.
Review: This is a fun book for students to read. It is fun for students to hear a classic
story from a different perspective.