20 Caldecott or Caldecott Honor Books

Catherine Keeter
Reading File
20 Caldecott or Caldecott Honor Books
1) Title: So You Want to Be President
Author: Judith St. George
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The author lists good and bad things about being the president,
reasons people liked and disliked certain presidents, and gives many fun facts
about all of the different presidents. The book explores different ways men have
become the president and discuses the different backgrounds they each came
from. The talents and hobbies of presidents are also explored.
Activity: Students write short campaign speech on why they should be president.
They list their strengths and what they can bring to the table and then they
present their speeches to the class.
Rating: 4 out of 5! The book is very amusing while still being informative and
historical! I think students would find it very engaging and would enjoy learning all
of the interesting facts about the presidents. This book would be a great addition
to any history lessons involving presidents.
2) Title: Snowflake Bentley
Author: Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Grade Level: 3-4
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Wilson Bentley grows up with an infatuation with snow. He loved the
beauty of a snowflake and wished he could capture their detail in a picture.
Bentley started out trying to draw snowflakes but eventually his parents bought
him a camera and he was able to fully capture the intricacy of a snowflake. As he
grew older he became a scientist and studied snowflakes more in depth. It was
Wilson Bentley who discovered that no two snowflakes are alike.
Activity: Have students create their own snowflakes using white paper and
scissors. Have them compare snowflakes and realize that each snowflake is
unique. Watch video explaining the chemical makeup of snowflakes and how
exactly they are created.
Raring: 3 out of 5! It is interesting that the book is a true story but I thought it
could have been a little more entertaining. I like that the book focused on
Bentleys life while still including scientific information about snowflakes on the
side of the pages. An overall good book.
3) Title: Tuesday
Author: David Wiesner
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The book starts off giving a time and then goes through pictures of an
event that took place on a Tuesday night. Frogs were in a lake and then all of the
sudden they begin to float on their lily pads. They go all over town, around yards
and in and out of peoples houses. At the end of the night the frogs jump back
into the lake and the people in the town wake up to find lily pads scattered
everywhere.
Activity: Divide children up into groups and have them write a sentence or two for
each page that doesnt have words. They can either describe what is going on or
make up their own story to match the picture.
Rating: 4 out of 5! A fun and silly book. It is a quick read but I think kids would
find it entertaining. A great book to spark imagination.
4) Title: The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles
Author: Maud and Miska Petersham
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A collection of nursery rhymes. Each page includes a popular nursery
rhyme along with an illustration. Lesser-known nursery rhymes are also included.
Activity: Introduce poetry. Have students write a short, four lined, rhyming poem
and have them illustrate it. Create a nursery rhyme book made with the students
work.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars! While I thought the authors included a good selection of
nursery rhymes, the book seemed dull and outdated. It was very long and I do
not think it would hold the attention of the class for very long. I also found the
illustrations in the book very plain and lackluster.
5) Title: Rapunzel
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Grade Level: 3-4
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A pregnant women thinks shell die if she is unable to eat from the
rapunzel plant in her sorceress neighbors yard, so her husband steals some of
the plant to bring to his wife. The sorceress catches the husband and is angered
so she takes the wifes newborn daughter and names her Rapunzel. She raises
Rapunzel as her own and keeps her up in a tall tower with a window at the top.
The only way into the tower is to climb up Rapunzels long blonde hair. One day
a prince hears Rapunzel singing in the tower and goes to visit her. The two fall in
love and marry and he continues visit her at night. The sorceress soon realizes
Rapunzel is pregnant so she moves her to the middle of the woods and
abandons her. When the prince comes to visit that night the sorceress pushes
him out of the window and he is blinded by the fall. He searches the forest for
Rapunzel and finally finds her by following the sound of her singing. Rapunzel
cries into his eyes and he is healed. The prince takes Rapunzel back to his
kingdom where they live happily ever after.
Activity: Have students fill out a plot line, deicing what they believe was the
exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of the story.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars! The story was very detailed and had a good plot line. The
illustrations and wordings were a little out dated. Overall a nice, classic story.
6) Title: Officer Buckle and Gloria
Author: Peggy Rathmann
Grade Level: 1-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Officer Buckle travels around to different schools to give safety talks.
Normally no one pays attention to him, but one day he starts to bring his police
dog Gloria with him. When Gloria accompanies Officer Buckle, the audience
laughs and pays attention. Officer Buckle doesnt realize that this is because
Gloria is acting and dancing around behind him. His safety talks grow more and
more popular, and one is even filmed by a television crew. When Officer Buckle
realizes people are only paying attention because of Gloria he becomes sad and
stops traveling to schools. Gloria goes to a safety talk alone but falls asleep on
stage and then the school has a big accident. He receives letters from students
that want him to come back, so he and Gloria back together with a new safety tip,
always stick with your buddy.
Activity: Students break into pairs. They work together to write down a safety tip
that they think should be followed while at school. They then go up in front of the
class. One student pretends to be Officer Buckle and reads the tip, while another
student pretends to be Gloria and acts out the tip behind them.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I really enjoyed reading this book! Its humorous and light
hearted but still has a conflict and plot. I also think this book can indirectly teach
safety skills which is a plus!
7) Title: The Little House
Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A little house lives out in the country surrounded by beautiful nature.
The house watches as the seasons change and enjoys counting the stars in the
sky. A road is built by the little house and soon other houses and buildings are
built by it too. Eventually the little house is surrounded by a brand new city. The
little house is no longer able to see the stars because of the city lights. One day
the great granddaughter of someone who lived in the little house finds the little
house and moves it back to the country. The little house is much happier when it
is surrounded by country land again.
Activity: Give a basic introduction to personification. Read the book through once
then read it again and have students point out when they see examples of
personification such as when the little house is feeling upset.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I remember enjoying this book when I was younger and I still
enjoy reading it today! I love the lessons that can be learned from this book and
think it is an enticing story to follow. The illustrations are also beautiful.
8) Title: Mirette on the High Wire
Author: Emily Arnold McCully

Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Mirettes parents own a hotel in Paris where performers often come to
stay. One day a man named Bellini comes to stay at the hotel. Mirette sees him
walking across a high wire one day and wants to learn how to herself. Bellini is
reluctant in teaching her but eventually he helps Mirette learn how to walk and do
tricks across the high wire. Mirette hears of all of the incredible things Bellini has
done on the high wire but Bellini is scared to do them again. Bellini goes to
perform in front of a crowd again and Mirette walks the wire with him for support.
They go on to tour the world together.
Activity: A vocabulary lesson. This book has lots of large, descriptive words. Have
students find three works they dont know. Kids must write down the word and
then look up the definition in the dictionary and write that down too.
Rating: 3 out of 5! While the book seemed a little dated, the story was very
enticing. I loved that this book had lots of descriptive phrases. I feel like this book
would be a great tool to use for various grammar activities.
9) Title: May I Bring A Friend?
Author: Beatrice Schenk De Regniers
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A boy gets an invitation to eat with the King and Queen. He asks them
if he can bring along a friend. The King and Queen let him and the boy brings
along a giraffe. Every day the King and Queen invite the boy over and the boy
asks to bring a friend, which he is always allowed to bring. He brings a different
animal everyday. On the last day the boy tells the King and Queen that his
friends want to invite them over for a meal so he takes the King and Queen to the
zoo.
Activity: This book is written in alternating rhyming lines. Have the students go
through and write down the rhyming words.
Rating: 2 out of 5! I thought this book was simple and repetitive. It may be a good
book for kids who are in the early stages of reading though. It did not intrigue me
at all.
10) Title: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Author: Simms Taback
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Joseph has a little overcoat that is old and worn so he makes it into a
jacket. Eventually the jacket gets worn to so he makes it into a vest. Joseph
keeps making new clothing items until all hes left with is a button. One day he
loses the button so he makes a book about it proving you can always make
something out of nothing.
Activity: Talk about recycling. Divide kids into groups and give each group a
recyclable object. They have to take the object and make it into something new
or come up with a new use for the object.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I thought this book was really clever! I think it would be a great
read for younger kids. The illustrations with cuts outs are fun to flip through and
the story is intriguing because the reader always wants to know what Joseph will
make next.
11) Title: Many Moons
Author: James Thurber
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Princess Lenore becomes ill and tells her dad she will be better if she
can have the moon. The King asks the Lord High Chamberlain, the Royal
Wizard, and the Royal Mathematician to get him the moon but they all tell him it
is too far and too big. The Court Jester asks Lenore about the moon and she
says its as small as her thumbnail and made from gold so the Court Jester has a
moon made for her. Lenore feels better once she has her moon but the King
fears she will see the real moon outside. He asks his advisors how to keep her
from seeing it but they cant come up with an idea that wont make Lenore sick.
The Court Jester decides to ask the Princess about the moon and she says a
new one grew in the old ones place.
Activity: A measurement lesson. Cut out a paper moon and hang it somewhere in
the classroom. Have the class guess how far it is and then measure it to see how
far it really is. Hang other smaller moons around the classroom and have
students practice using measurement tools to measure distance.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I thought this book was clever! I think students would find the
book intriguing. It holds your attention but it is a little dated.
12) Title: Kittens First Full Moon
Author: Kevin Henkes
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Kitten sees her very first moon and thinks it is a bowl of milk. She tries
running, jumping, and climbing to get to the moon but she doesnt get it. When
she comes back home there is a bowl of milk for her waiting on the porch.
Activity: Teach the phases of the moon. Make a little moon shaped booklet with
the title of each phase and a picture of the phase on each page.
Rating: 3 out of 5! This book was simple and sweet. It was a nice quick read but I
do not think its a book kids would want to read over and over again. A good story
to read every once in a while.
13) Title: Jumanji
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Judy and Peters parents are out and the two kids are bored. They find
a board game called Jumanji at the park and bring it home to play. The jungle
themed game starts to come to life when they play. Animals start to pop up all
over the house and the only way to make them leave is if Peter or Judy wins the
game. It becomes chaotic as more animals start to appear but eventually Judy
wins the game and everything goes back to normal. The kids take the game back
to where they found it in the park and later see two boys brining it home to play.
Activity: Introduce dialogue in writing. Have students recognize what it looks like
when dialogue is used in the book. Then have students write a paragraph of their
own using dialogue.
Rating: 4 out of 5! This book was exciting and engaging! It had such a great plot
line! The only thing I wish it would have had is colored illustrations!
14) Title: White Snow Bright Snow
Author: Alvin Tresselt
Grade Level: 1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The town all feels as if it is about to snow. In the middle of the day it
begins to snow. The children play in the snow and the parents prepare for the
cold weather. It stops snowing that night and the next day all of the snow melts
away.
Activity: Divide students into groups and assign each group a weather situation
such as rain, wind, snow or drought. Students must identify problems that may
occur from each situation and ways to react to the problems.
Rating: 2 out of 5. The book was anticlimactic and didnt really have a focus. It
wasnt a bad book but there wasnt anything about it that made it stand out. It
was simple and unmoving.
15) Title: Saint George and The Dragon
Author: Margaret Hodges
Grade Level: 4-5
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The Red Cross Knight is sent to help Princess Una defeat a dragon.
The dragon is huge and might and a tough opponent for the knight. The knight is
thrown off his horse and the dragon thinks he is finished but the knight rises. The
dragon blew fire at the knight and the knight takes cover under a healing apple
tree. The knight strengths under the tree and then kills the dragon with his sword.
The kingdom throws a celebration for the knight and the knight ends up marrying
Princess Una.
Activity: In the book there is a very detailed page describing the fierce dragon.
Have the students write a descriptive paragraph about a pet they have at home.
Rating: 1 out of 5. I did not enjoy reading this book at all. I thought the plot was
complicated and unappealing. Boy students may like this story though.
16) Title: Tops and Bottoms
Author: Janet Stevens
Grade Level: 1-3

Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Bear owns a larger amount of land and Hare owns no land and his
family is hungry. Hare goes to Bear and tells him he will do all of the gardening
work if Bear lets him use the land and then they can split the profits. Hare asks
Bear if he would like either the top or bottom half of the crop and Bear picks the
tops. Hare plants carrots, radishes, and beats so when it is time to harvest the
crops, he gets the actual food and Bear just gets the green tops. Bear gets mad
and asks Hare to plant again but this time Bear wants the bottoms. Hare planted
lettuce, broccoli and celery so Hare again got the good parts of the crop. This
happens on more time when Bear asks for the tops and bottoms but then Hare
plants corn so he gets the best part of the crop again. Bear is mad and says he
will do his own gardening from now on and Hare opens a vegetable stand and
buys his own land from the profits.
Activity: Plant your own crops! Pick a small vegetable and grow them either in the
schools garden or in the classroom. Students can water, weed, and take care of
the plants. As students take care of plants review the plant cycle in class.
Rating: 5 out of 5! I love this book! I read it as a child and enjoyed it then just as
much as I do now! I think the plot is very clever and the pictures are bright and
engaging. Everything about this book holds your attention.
17) Title: The Three Pigs
Author: David Wiesner
Grade Level: 1-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: The story starts off as the typical three little pigs story but when the
wolf blows down the straw house the pig that lived in that house gets blown out
of the story. This happens to the other two pigs as the wolf comes to their houses
too. Once the pigs are out of their story the journey around to other books. The
save a dragon from being slayed in a story and bring the dragon back to their
story. When the wolf comes to blow down the last house the dragon is there
waiting for him. The dragon then stays over at the pigs house for soup.
Activity: Have students bring a character from their favorite book into the story of
the three little pigs. Have them Write one page of their story and illustrate it as
well.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I thought the concept behind the book was unique and a good
idea, I just dont think it was executed well. The story was a little hard to follow
and the plot was unclear. All in all it was still entertaining though.
18) Title: Doctor De Soto
Author: William Steig
Grade Level: 2-3
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Doctor De Soto is a mouse and dentist who works on other animals
teeth. One day a fox comes into the dentist office and the Doctor and his wife are
nervous that the fox will eat them but they let him come in anyway because he is
in a lot of pain. The Doctor pulls the foxs tooth and tells the fox to come back
tomorrow for a gold tooth. That night the Doctor and his wife made a plan so the
fox would not eat them. The next day after the fox had his new tooth he was
about to eat them when the Doctor asks if he would like to try the new toothache
medicine. The fox tries it and it glues his teeth together so he is unable to eat the
mice. He goes home and the Doctor and his wife took the rest of the day off.
Activity: A vocabulary lesson. There are great words in this book. The teacher will
pick ten words and give them as a list to the students. The students must look up
the words in the dictionary and write down the definition. Then the students can
re-read the story filling in the definition for the words instead of reading the actual
word.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I really enjoyed this story. I thought the plot was engaging and
left you wondering what was going to happen next. The pictures were a little dull
though and the plot line could have been a little more dramatic.
19) Title: The Relatives Came
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: A family lives in Virginia and leaves every summer to visit their family.
They drive all day long to get there and when they arrive there is hugging and
laughing and talking. After a couple of weeks the relatives leave and go back to
Virginia.
Activity: Give students two sticky notes. On one sticky note the students write a
moment from the book, the other sticky note is entitled This reminds me of
when and students record their own memories that they can connect or relate
with the book.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I did no enjoy reading this book. I feel like nothing really
happened in it and the plot and pictures were dull. It is relatable though.
20) Title: Olivia
Author: Ian Falconer
Grade Level: K-1
Genre: Caldecott
Synopsis: Olivia is a pig that has a lot of energy and loves doing many things.
She tries on all of her clothes, goes to the beach, goes to the museum, and
reads books. She is never tired when she has to take a nap or go to sleep but
eventually she closes her eyes.
Activity: Have students write or draw one of their favorite things to do on a piece
of construction paper. They can then present it to the class.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I thought Olivia was cute, but that the overall book was boring.
There wasnt much substance to it. Many of the pictures are in black and white
and Im not sure if the book will grasp the attention of young children.
10 Seasonal/ Holiday
1) Title: The Easter Egg Farm

Author: Mary Jane Auch
Grade Level: K-2
Genre: Seasonal/ Holiday
Synopsis: Pauline is a chicken that has trouble laying eggs. All of the other
chickens make fun of her so she moves outside. Eventually she learns that she
can lay eggs in the pattern of whatever she looks at, so her eggs turn out colored
and beautiful. Her owner loves this and takes Pauline to art museums for
inspiration. Some of Paulines eggs hatch and they turn into colorful baby chicks.
When the chicks grow up, they to can lay colorful eggs. The farm the chickens
live on soon gets named the Easter egg farm.
Activity: Gives kids a piece of paper cut out in the shape of an egg. They must
decorate the egg based off of something they see in the classroom. Other
students guess what each kid was looking at when they made their egg.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars! I thought this book was sweet and simple! I liked that it
not only had Easter themes, but it also dealt with the issue of originality and
being different. It was fun to read!
2) Title: The Problem with Pumpkins
Author: Barney Saltzberg
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Hip and Hop are best friends who both want to dress up as pumpkins
for Halloween. Hop convinces Hip only one of them can be a pumpkin and
convinces Hip to dress as a pirate. When they put on their costumes to trick or
treat Hip doesnt like her pirate costume and is upset, so she goes home. Hop
comes to her door and brings her a pumpkin costume and says they can both be
pumpkins. They are both happy and set out to trick or treat together.
Activity: Have students draw their Halloween costumes and present them to the
class.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars! I did not enjoy the plot of the book. I didnt find the story
interesting but the pictures were fun to look out and I did like the emphasis on
friendship and sacrificing for your friends. I probably wouldnt recommend this
book to my students, but it is still a nice read.
3) Title: Llama Llama Holiday Drama
Author: Anna Dewdney
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: The little llama can not wait for the holidays to come and is counting
down the days! The little llama bakes cookies, makes gifts, and decorates to
pass his time. Llama is impatient and cant wait another day for the holidays to
arrive so he can open his presents. Mama Llama explains to little llama that gifts
arent as important as loving each other.
Activity: Give each kid a calendar print out of the month of December. Write down
on the holidays on their dates and work on days of the week. Make a class
countdown chart for the holidays.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I thought this book was bright and engaging! I love the
character of llama and it was fun to read his story. However, I do not enjoy
rhyming books.
4) Title: The Haunted Hamburger and other Ghostly Stories
Author: David LaRochelle
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Franny and Frankie Ghost are not tired at bedtime so Father Ghost
decides to tell them three scary stories. In the first story a ghost is used as a
babys diaper. In the second story a ghost meets a haunted hamburger. In the
third story a ghost is kissed but their big bad granny. Franny and Frankie stay up
late in their rooms until they hear someone in the hallway. They are scared it
might be Granny Ghost so they quiet down and go to bed. It was actually Father
Ghost giving them a scare.
Activity: Halloween Mad Libs. Have an outline of a scary story where students
have to fill in their own verb, adjective, and noun words to create their own
unique scary story.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars! I liked that the book was broken up into sections of each
scary story. I also thought it was funny that the ghosts werent scared of things
that humans are scared of. I found this book humorous and somewhat alluring.
5) Title: The Story of Hanukkah
Author: David A. Adler
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: In Judea, a mean king, Antiochus IV, came to power and destroyed the
city of Jerusalem and Jewish temples. Jews were told they couldnt worship their
gods but one Jew, Mattathias led a fight against the kings men. Years later
Antiochuss army was beaten. The Jews went back to their city and found their
temple destroyed. The built a new temple and went to light a candle. They only
had enough oil for the candle to burn for one day but it ended up burning for
eight. The temple was restored on the twenty-fifth day of the month so every year
on that date Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days to remember the temple.
Activity: Practice math skills by playing with dreidels. Students spin the dreidel
and try to win tokens based off of what the dreidel lands on. It is a game of
chance so probability can be introduced.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars! I thought this book gave a great description of how
Hanukkah began! I also liked that it included ways family celebrate Hanukkah
today. It provided a nice, clear description of the holiday.
6) Title: The Luckiest St. Patricks Day Ever
Author: Teddy Slater

Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: A family of leprechauns participates in a St. Patricks Day parade. They
wear green and march through the town playing instruments Afterwards they all
go back home and enjoy a meal of green food.
Activity: Go on a scavenger hunt around school. Students must write down
everything green they see.
Rating: 2 out of 5! I wish this book would have talked more about the holiday of
St. Patricks day and where it originated. I thought the plot was simple and a little
boring. The illustrations were bright and fun through.
7) Title: Santa Claus the Worlds Number One Toy Expert
Author: Marla Frazee
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Santa works hard all year long to make sure everyone gets a gift they
love. He searches to find the best toys in the world and plays with them to make
sure they are fun. When he finally thinks he has found a toy for each kid he
wraps the gifts and sends them out.
Activity: Write letters to Santa. Have students describe their dream toy.
Rating: 3 out of 5! A sweet, simple, and quick read. I enjoyed this book. It was
lighthearted and it was interesting to read a story about Santa that didnt involve
reindeer, elves, or anything else hes normally associated with.
8) Title: Ruby Valentine Saves the Day
Author: Laurie Friedman
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Ruby Valentine loves Valentines Day and is planning to have a bunch
of people over for a party she is planning. She works hard all day with her friend
Lovebird to make sure she hosts the perfect party. When she wakes up on
Valentines day she realizes she is snowed in. Ruby is so upset people wont be
able to make it to her house for her party but Lovebird tells her to bring the party
to the people. So Ruby puts all of her decorations in her wagon and heads into
town. Her decorations blow away on the way to town but Ruby and Lovebird end
up having a great celebration anyways.
Activity: Play Valentines Day Bingo with a math twist. Pass out cards to each
student. In each bingo spot put a math problem that the kids must solve before in
order to play the game and know what numbers they need to be listening for.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I thought this story was a pleasant and amusing read. I like
that Ruby made the best of any situation. I think children would enjoy this book
and be able to learn something from it as well.
9) Title: Turkey Claus
Author: Wendi Silvano
Grade Level: K-2

Synopsis: Turkey is scared he may be served at Christmas dinner so he goes to
the North Pole to ask Santa for help. When he gets to the North Pole the elves
say Santa is too busy to see him. Turkey tries dressing up to sneak in to see
Santa. He dresses up as a Christmas tree, a reindeer, a candy cane, and Mrs.
Claus, but he gets caught each time. Finally he dresses as a gift and makes it in
to see Santa. Santa helps Turkey by giving him a Santa costume to wear and a
pizza to give to the family at the farm he lives on. Turkey survives the holiday
season.
Activity: Have students work in groups to add to the story! The kids can each
write a couple of pages about something else Turkey can dress up as and how
he gets caught. Students can even act it out.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I loved this book! I thought turkey was such a fun character
and it was amusing to read about his adventures. This book was silly and
amusing.
10) Title: The Pumpkin Fair
Author: Eve Bunting
Grade Level: 1
Synopsis: A little girl goes with her family to a pumpkin fair. There are tons of
activities there such as tug of war, juggling, basketball, and multiple competitions.
At the end of the day she earns a ribbon for her pumpkin.
Activity: Go over the plant cycle using a pumpkin as an example. Talk about how
different fruits and vegetables grow.
Rating: 2 out of 5! This was a cute book, but the plot didnt really have a focus. It
was only semi entertaining. It was not a bad read, but there was nothing special
about it.
5 Math/ Number/ Counting
1) Title: The Grapes of Math
Author: Greg Tang
Genre: Math
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: Each page of this book has a different theme with something different
to count. Whether its cherries, gophers, or dice, the reader is lead to count
whats on the page, but not one by one, they must count in groups. There is an
answer page in the back that shows the correct way to count and the correct
number answer.
Activity: Give students a large amount of circle counters. Have them arrange the
counters into different shapes such as squares, triangles, and circles, and come
up with ways of counting each individual counter such as looking in diagonals,
looking at colors, etc.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I think this book is great! The pictures are bold and bright and
the author did a great job of making math fun! The only downside is I think a
student would have to like math to like this book.
2) Title: The Great Divide
Author: Dayle Ann Dodds
Genre: Math
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: A race starts with eighty people. As the race goes on the group begins
to divide in half as different things happen. Forty racers fall in a canyon, then
twenty get lost at sea, then ten take the wrong path, then five blow away into the
sky, until finally a girl in a plane flies across the finish line and wins the great
divide.
Activity: Give students cube counting blocks that can be made into towers. Have
them build a tower of ten and then divide it in half to have two towers of five.
Then have students take one away from each tower of five and divide the fours in
half to make towers of two and divide the twos in half to make towers of one.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I thought this book was okay. I liked that it taught math and
told a story at the same time. It was exciting to follow but not super interesting in
the end.
3) Title: Pigs on the Move
Author: Amy Axelrod
Genre: Math
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: A family of pigs is traveling on Christmas Eve and they miss their flight.
In order to get to Bean Town the pigs must hop on a delivery plane that will make
a couple of different stops in different cities before going to Bean Town. The pigs
get on the plane and touch down in all of the different time zones before finally
making it to Bean Town. It is snowing when they get there and Santa set out lots
of gifts and presents.
Activity: A simple time zone worksheet. Print out a map of America with the fourlabeled time zones. Questions on the sheet should ask if it is this time in this city,
what time is it in this city (city in a different time zone).
Rating: 3 out of 5. I thought this book was entertaining but a little complicated.
The pictures are bright and fun and I also like that it is Christmas themed. It was
hard to follow along but I like that there are a lot of math concepts that can relate
to this book.
4) Title: Measuring Penny
Author: Loreen Leedy
Genre: Math
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Lisa has a school project to measure something. She must measure it
in as many ways as she can. She decides to measure her dog Penny. She
measures her nose in inches, her tail in dog biscuits, her height in feet, her
weight with a seesaw, her water with a measuring cup, and her expenses in
dollars. After measuring Penny in a lot of different ways, Lisa thinks she will do
well on her project.
Activity: Have each student pick an object in the classroom to be measured in
both a standard and non-standard unit. Students can then share with their table
groups what they measured and how big or small it was.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I thought this book was great! It told a story and taught math at
the same time while keeping things fun. I think it is engaging enough to keep kids
attention through the whole span of the book.
5) Title: One Hundred Hungry Ants
Author: Elinor J. Pinczes
Genre: Math
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: One hundred ants are marching in a line on their way to a picnic to eat
some food. The littlest ant says they are moving too slow and that the food will be
gone so he tells them to split into two lines of fifty. The littlest ant keeps splitting
the line into more and more rows until they get to the picnic in ten rows of ten. By
the time they get to the picnic the food is gone and the littlest ant gets chased by
all of the other ants.
Activity: Give students 100 ant counters (raisins). Have them arrange the ants in
the rows that were mentioned in the book. Explain how multiplication is repeated
addition.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I found this book to be very repetitive and boring. The plot was
not exciting enough to hold my attention.
10 Science / animal/ nature/ etc
1) Title: The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow
Author: Joanna Cole
Genre: Science
Grade Level: 3-4
Synopsis: Mrs. Frizzles class is learning about rainbows. Wanda finds Ms.
Frizzle playing a rainbow pinball machine. If Ms. Frizzle lines up all of the lights in
the pinball machine she gets to keep it. The class gets in the magic school bus
and shrinks down to go inside the pinball machine to help Ms. Frizzle. The
students must move mirrors to reflect off of colored objects to make all of the
colors of the rainbow. The students beat the game and come out of the machine
just before the principal walks in.
Activity: A teacher demonstration of a rainbow in a jar experiment. The class can
come and sit in front of the teacher as she mixes food coloring, olive oil, corn
syrup, rubbing alcohol, and dishwashing liquid in a container to make a layered
liquid rainbow. The teacher can ask questions about how colors form as she is
doing the experiment.
Rating: 3 out of 5! This book is chalk full of information which is great, but it is a
little confusing. It is a fun story to follow but Im not sure if kids will completely
understanding. The pictures are bright and the plot line is great though.
2) Title: That Tickles! The Disney Book of Senses
Author: Cindy West
Genre: Science
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: In the book, a sense is introduced and then a scene with a Disney
character using that sense is on the next page. Mickey and Goofy see a magic
show with their eyes. Minnie hears different sounds with her ears. Pluto smells
food and flowers with his nose. Goofy tastes food and lemonade with his tongue.
Daisy feels the hot sun on her body at the beach. All of the characters use
multiple senses during the day and at nighttime too.
Activity: Have students draw a body on a piece of paper. Have them circle body
parts and write what sense that body part uses and also their favorite thing to do
with that sense. For example a student would circle the mouth and then write to
the side, the mouth is used to taste, my favorite thing to taste is chocolate.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I thought this book was cute but simple. The author did a good
job of teaching the senses but it was sometimes hard to connect with the story of
the characters. It was a nice, easy read some kids may enjoy.
3) Title: Red Sings from Treetops
Author: Joyce Sidman
Genre: Science/ Caldecott
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: This book showcases a journey of colors through the seasons. The
book starts with spring and talks about what colors are seen where in spring.
Activity: Make a season flip chart. Title each page with a season and draw a
picture of what a tree would look like in that season. Summer comes next and
then fall then winter. Each page focuses on one color and where that color would
be in that specific season .
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book is bright and colorful and has very engaging
pictures, which children would enjoy. I do not enjoy rhyming books and did not
like that there wasnt a real plot. Students may like the rhyming and simple
descriptions of the illustrations though.
4) Title: My Visit to the Aquarium
Author: Aliki
Genre: Science/ animal/ nature
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: A boy visits an aquarium with his older brother and little sister. He goes
from exhibit to exhibit and describes what he sees. He starts at the coral reef,
then goes to the penguin exhibit, then to the giant kelp forest, then to watch a
diver feed the fish in a large tank, then to a touch and feel tide pool section, then
to the tropical rainforest area, and finally they ended by seeing dolphins and
whales.
Activity: Divide the students into groups and have them do a mini research
project. Each group must pick one sea animal and find three facts about it.
Groups then present in front of the rest of the class.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was good but not great. The pictures and bright
colors made it exciting, but on each page the little boy mainly just listed facts
about each fish. I think the book would have been better if it was a little shorter.
5) Title: An Extraordinary Egg
Author: Leo Lionni
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: Marilyn, August, and Jessica are all frogs that live on Pebble Island.
One day Jessica finds an egg and brings is back to show her friends. Marilyn
decides it is a chicken egg and it later hatches into a baby alligator but the frogs
all call it a chicken. The alligator teaches them how to swim and saves Jessica
from drowning. A bird comes and tells the alligator that his mom is looking for
him. The frogs meet the mom alligator and say goodbye to their friend.
Activity: Give students a paper oval cutout to act as an egg. Talk about
amphibians and have students draw an amphibian of their choice inside their
egg.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I thought this book was fun and cute! I loved the plot line and
found the part about the chicken humorous. I think children would also find parts
of the story funny and would pay attention to it.
6) Title: My Mama Earth
Author: Susan B. Katz
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: A little boy is telling the reader everything that his mama does and his
mama happens to be Mother Nature. His mama grows flowers, sets the sun,
lights the stars, and does many other things to beautify the world. After mama is
done taking care of the world she comes back to take care of her son.
Activity: Give kids a piece of paper. On one side theyll draw their favorite place
to go in nature. On the back theyll list one way to take care of the world such as
recycle, pick up trash, etc.
Rating: 2 out of 5. This book has beautiful illustrations but the story is a little bit
strange. It is interesting seeing Mother Nature as a physical character with a
physical son. Im not sure if that concept would go over well with elementary
aged children, so I wouldnt read this book to my class.
7) Title: Out and About at the Zoo
Author: Kathleen W Deady
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: A class goes on a filed trip to the local zoo. They go from exhibit to
exhibit and learn about different animals and how they live in their habitats. The
students also visit the zoo veterinarian.
Activity: On a big sheet of paper draw a zoo map with four different biomes,
desert, rain forest, tundra, and savannah. In each biome draw an animal that
would live there.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book is good but there is nothing special about it. It is a
great introduction to biomes and habitats but the plot lie is not that exciting.
Children would probably enjoy this book once, but its not something they would
want to read over and over again.
8) Title: What do Roots Do?
Author: Kathleen V. Kudlinski
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Page by page, this book shows illustrations of roots or plants with
rhyming paragraphs that explain what roots do. The book explores how roots act
on trees, moss, flowers, vegetables, lily pads and cacti.
Activity: Give students a piece of paper. On the paper theyll draw a big flower
with roots hanging from the bottom. On each squiggly root line that they drew
they must write something they learned about what roots do, such as they hold
plants in place.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book had colorful illustrations and rhyming words, but it
still seemed to just spit out facts rather than tell a story. It would be a great book
to read before introducing a lesson plan on plants but other than that it is not
enjoyable. It is engaging enough that kids would pay attention and learn well
from it though.
9) What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Author: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Genre: Science/ Caldecott
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: The book explores how animals use different parts of their body. A
page is introduced showing different body parts of animals, such as the nose,
and students guess what animal that part belongs to. On the next page they find
out how each animal uses that body part. The book discusses noses, ears, tails,
eyes, feet, and mouths.
Activity: Students create their own original animal. They present it to the class
and explain how the animal uses each body part to survive.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I loved the illustrations in this book and I liked that you were
prompted to guess the animals. I think students would be engaged by guessing
the animals but the information on the animals was a little dull. This book would
be great to use as for a lesson plan on animal adaptability but I do not think its a
book students would want to read on their own.
10) Title: Hibernation Station

Author: Michelle Meadows
Grade Level: K
Synopsis: All the animals in the forest show up at the hibernation station to get
ready to board the train made of logs for the winter. The bears in charge help
everyone get comfortable and situated to sleep for the whole winter. They give
the black bear a new room, sing a lullaby for the hedgehogs, bring the chipmunks
a snack, and give the frog a pillow and blanket. Soon everyone is able to fall
asleep.
Activity: A hibernation station craft. Have students bring in a shoebox and other
materials such as fabric, glue, sticks, pinecones, and cotton balls. Students will
decorate their shoebox and place inside anything they think an animal would
need for hibernation. They can even bring stuffed animals to live in their
hibernation stations.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I thought this book was cute and original. The author made
hibernation an exciting event by making it take place on a train. I think young kids
would enjoy this book and would pay attention to it.
10 Social Studies/ Historical Fiction
1) Title: Woodrow for President
Author: Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes
Genre: Social Studies/ Historical Fiction
Grade Level: 4-5
Synopsis: Woodrow G. Washingtail is a mouse that wants to run for president.
He graduates college with honors and has a family and helps out in his
community. He eventually runs for a seat on the town council and form there
starts his journey to become President. He visits his campaign headquarters,
chooses his political party, debates against others candidates, visits other states,
speaks at a national convention and eventually is voted to be president.
Activity: Hold a class debate. Pick a current school issue like the cafeteria menu
or the amount of recess time and spilt the class into sides. They must work
together and argue about why their opinion is the best.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was colorful and had great illustrations and it was
fun that it was about a mouse. It was chalk full of information which is great for
explaining how a presidential campaign works, but also may be too much for
children to understand. It explained political concepts well, but children may not
be interested in that topic.
2) Title: Boom Town
Author: Sonia Levitin

Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: Amanda and her family move to California so her Dad can work in the
gold fields. There are not a lot of people in their new town and Amanda grows
bored. One day she decides to make a pie. Her family loves her pies and her
Dad takes one to the gold fields. Other miners loved the pie too and paid for it by
the slice so Amanda decides to open up a bakery. As people visit Amanda to but
her pies, she starts to hear more about the needs of the town. A man tells
Amanda he needs his clothes washed and Amanda tells him he should start the
towns first laundry. Soon new stores are popping up all over the town. There is a
tailor shop, a barbershop, an apothecary, a hotel, a caf, and a bank, and it all
began with Amandas pie shop.
Activity: Have students write a journal entry as if they were living in the time of
the gold rush. They can talk about working in the gold fields or living in the town
as it grows and expands.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed reading this book but it had a slow start. It eventually
became exciting and engaging but you had to stick with it in order to get to those
parts. I think children would enjoy the book if they are able to pay attention
through the entirety of it.
3) Title: The Little Boy Star An Allegory of the Holocaust
Author: Rachel Hausfater
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: A little boy is told he is a star, which makes him happy and proud. But
then the boy starts to feel ashamed and sad because he is a star and he feels
like all people see when they look at him is his star. Star hunters come and all of
the stars try and run away from them. The little boy sees some stars get caught
and taken away on a train. The little boy goes into hiding for a long time. When
he finally comes out all of the stars are gone but new people welcome him and
teach him how to shine again.
Activity: Hold a class discussion on prejudice. Ask students what prejudice is and
list their ideas on the white board. Make a list of ways to illuminate prejudice in
the classroom.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was very intense for a childrens picture book. I
enjoyed how the story was told in an allegory of the holocaust but Im not sure
elementary aged children would understand what is going on in the story. The
book is a little depressing and I think after reading it students may become upset
or confused.
4) Title: Hopes Gift
Author: Kelly Starling Lyons
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Hopes father is running away from their master in order to fight for the
freedom of slaves. Hope is sad but her father gives her a shell and tells her to
listen it to it to hear the sound of freedom. When her father leaves Hope begins
to work hard, long days in the field. She hears rumors that President Lincoln is
going to free the slaves. About a year after her father leaves he comes back with
the news that the slaves are freed.
Activity: Create a time line of events from the civil war. Include war details,
Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation, and the date slaves were officially free.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed reading about slavery from a childs perspective. I
also enjoyed that the pictures were bright and expressive and helped to tell the
story. Some improper grammar was used in this book though so Im not sure if Id
want to read it to my class.
5) Title: Across America, I Love You
Author: Christine Loomis
Grade Level: 4-5
Synopsis: This book contains illustrations and poems about different parts of
America. Certain states are described along with the mountains, deserts, and
water bodies of America.
Activity: A student research project on the fifty states. Have students each pick a
state that is different from on another. They must present to the class the thing
they think is most interesting about that state.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I did not enjoy reading this book because I personally do not
enjoy poetry. The words didnt rhyme so I dont think children would enjoy this
book either. The illustrations did fit the descriptions of the poem though.
6) Title: George Washingtons Teeth
Author: Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: George Washington begins to lose his teeth one by one. He loses on
in battle and another one when he crosses the Delaware river. He eventually
looses all of his teeth and doesnt know what to do. He decides to make a mold
of his old teeth and give them to a dentist to turn into new teeth. The dentist
makes him his new teeth and they work great.
Activity: Have students research myths about presidents such as, George
Washington never told a lie, and find out if they are true. Students can present
findings to the rest of the class.
Rating: 4 out of 5! This book is entertaining, humorous, and historical. I think
children will find it very fun and will enjoy it. It will be easy to connect this book to
various aspects of history.
7) Title: Moi and Marie Antoinette
Author: Lynn Cullen
Grade Level: 4-5

Synopsis: This book tells the story of how Marie Antoinette became the queen of
France from the point of view of her dog Sebastian. Sebastian was there was
Marie Antoinette was told she would have to marry a king in France at just fifteen
years old. Sebastian went with her to France where she became busy with her
queen duties. Sebastian felt ignored but then Marie Antoinette had a daughter
that grew to love and play with Sebastian.
Activity: Have students complete a descriptive paragraph to finish this sentence:
If I became a queen or king the first thing I would do is.
Rating: 4 out 5. I thought this book was interesting and informative. It is
entertaining because it is told from the point of view of a dog. I do not think boys
would enjoy this book.
8) Title: We March
Author: Shane W. Evans
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: The book tells the story of the March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom from the perspective of a little boy. He describes why they are marching
and what it is like at the march.
Activity: Have students act out the book as you read it. They can march in place,
work together, pretend to ride busses, sing and walk together. This will help them
remember the plot of the book.
Grade Level: 2 out of 5. This book is okay. It is too simple to be interesting. It
does include a page of historical reference in the back, which is nice.
9) Title: Titanicat
Author: Marty Crisp
Grade Level: 3-4
Synopsis: A young man named Jim is working on the Titanic as a cabin boy. His
job is to help clean and run the ship and take care of the ships cat. The day the
ship is suppose to take off Jim looses the cat. He eventually sees the cat moving
all of her kittens off board. Jim goes to bring the cats back on board because it
was good luck to have a cat on board during the time of the Titanic. He finds the
cats but has to go on the dock to get them. By the time he turns around the
Titanic was gone. About a week later Jim found out the Titanic had sunk. Jim
thanked the cats for giving him good luck.
Activity: Have students create a book of superstitions. Students must include at
least three superstitions and find a story to go with each about how the
superstition started. It can be a research project.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I thought this book was interesting and told a part of the Titanic
story thatd Id never heard before. The pictures were dull and the entire book
was a little outdated. I think this book would be good to share with the class
because it doesnt completely focus on the sinking of the Titanic and is a positive
story.
10). Title: Happy Birthday America

Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: A young boy describes his day with his family on the Fourth of July. He
works at a booth, watches firemen, eats barbecue, watches a concert, and
finishes his day with the firework show.
Activity: Discuss with students their favorite things to do on the Fourth of July.
Write a story as a class including everyones favorite activities.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book wasnt bad but there was nothing special about it. It
merely described a boys day, but I think kids would show some interest in it. It
would be useful for an American history or holiday study.
10 Multicultural
1) Title: Rechcnkas Eggs
Author: Patricia Polacco
Genre: Multicultural
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Babushka paints eggs and every year she wins first prize at the Easter
festival in Moskava. One year shortly before the festival, Babushka rescues a
goose that had been hurt by a hunter. She nurses the goose back to health and
names it Rechenka. Every morning Rechenka laid an egg for Babushka to show
her thanks for being taken care of. When Rechenka was better she waddled
around the room and knocked over the basket of painted eggs Babushka had
ready for the festival. The eggs shattered and Babushka was very upset. The
next day when Babushka woke up Rechenka had laid a colored egg that was
beautifully designed. Babushka decided to take these eggs to the festival and
she won first prize. When she came home from the festival Rechenka was gone
but she left behind an egg that hatched into a baby goose.
Activity: Have students color in egg printouts. Students can design the eggs
however they would like. They can then write one fact about Russian culture on
the back of the egg.
Rating: 2 out of 5. This book did not have great illustrations or a great plot line. I
did not think anything about it was interesting or intriguing. I also did not think the
book did much to show Russian culture.
2) Same, Same but Different
Author: Jenny Sue Kostecki- Shaw
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: Elliot lives in America and has a pen pal named Kailash who lives in
India. They write each other letters to tell each other about where theyre from.
They do a lot of things that are similar to each other but different too. They each
live with their families but Kailashs family is a lot bigger than Elliots. They each
have different ways to say hello but they mean the same thing. They each hang
up each others pictures and letters in their rooms.
Activity: Contact a class from another state or at least another school and set up
a pen pal system. Kids can exchange letters just like Elliot and Kailash did in the
book.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was very colorful and had exciting illustrations. I
think the idea of pen pals will intrigue children. I also like that the books focuses
on how the boys are different and alike and not just different from each other.
3) Title: Amazing Grace
Author: Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: race loves stories. She loves reading them and listening to them but
her favorite thing to do is act them out. At school one day her teacher tells the
class they will be performing the play Peter Pan. Grace wants to be Peter but
other students tell her she cant because she is a girl and she is black. She is
upset when she goes home but her parents tell her she can be anything she
wants. Her grandma takes her to a ballet where the lead ballerina is from
Trinidad. Grace is inspired and tries out for Peter Pan. She gets the part and the
play goes wonderfully.
Activity: Have students write a script for a scene in Peter Pan. They can work in
groups and preform the scene to the class after they write it.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed this book and think it shared a good message. It is
positive and children should be interested in it. The pictures are dull and the book
is dated though.
4) Title: My People
Author: Langston Hughes
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: This book is filled with photographs of African Americans. There are a
variety of people included, old and young, laughing and serious, black to light
brown skin. The author describes what is beautiful about his people, African
Americans. He thinks theyre eyes, faces, and souls are beautiful.
Activity: Have students write a short poem about a person they think is beautiful.
Make sure they include things about the persons personality that makes them
beautiful.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I loved that this book was illustrated only with photographs. I
however did not like the poem and I thought it was worded in a way that made it
confusing. While reading it I did not understand what the author was saying.
5) Title: Fiesta!
Author: Beatriz
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Chuchos dad comes home with big news. His friend Tito asked the
family to join him at the Fiesta de Santiago. Chucho is curious about what the
festival will be like. It is a celebration for Hispanic people and there will be food, a
parade, and contests. Mami prepares for the costume by making costumes and
Papi makes a mask. Chucho and his family win a contest where they had to
climb a tall pole.
Activity: Have students play a Spanish vocabulary game with the list of words
and definitions in the back of the book. Students can divide into two groups and
play a version of Pictionary. The teacher will give a student the English definition
to draw on the white board and the students must guess the word by calling out
the Spanish vocab word that fits the picture.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I thought the illustrations in this book were ugly and didnt like
the mix of photographs and illustrations. The story had a plot, but not an
interesting one. I didnt completely hate this book but I wouldnt read it to my
class.
6) Title: An Amish Christmas
Author: Richard Ammon
Grade Level: 4-5
Synopsis: Its Christmas Eve in Amish Country and Rachel and her brother
preform at the school presentation. The siblings do their chores and take care of
the farm animals before bed. On Christmas morning the Amish people must do
their chores before opening presents. The family eats Christmas dinner at their
cousins house and then the kids play hockey outside. The next day, The Second
Day of Christmas the family goes over to their uncles house ad plays in the
snow. The children go back to school the day after that.
Activity: Have students complete a Venn-diagram comparing and contrasting the
similarities and differences between an Amish and an English Christmas.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I think children may find this book long and boring. I enjoyed
learning some customs of the Amish culture but did not enjoy the story line. I do
not know if Id able to connect this book to a lesson.
7) Title: The Story of Jumping Mouse
Author: John Steptoe
Grade Level: 3-5
Synopsis: The author gives his interpretation of a tale that originated with the
American people of the northern plains. A mouse is on a journey to go to the far
off land. On his way there he meets Magic Frog while trying to cross a river.
Magic Frog names the mouse Jumping mouse and gives him powerful hind legs
to jump across the river. Jumping Mouse meets a dying bison on his way that is
unable to get food and water because he cant see. Jumping Mouse names him
Eyes of a Mouse and gives the bison his own vision. The bison guides him to the
end of the plains and Jumping Mouse must continue blindly by himself. Then he
finds a wolf that is unable to smell so Jumping mouse names him Nose of a
Mouse and gives up his own ability to smell. The wolf guides Jumping Mouse to
the end of the mountains and then mouse is alone and doesnt know how to go
on without sight or smell. Magic Frog comes and tells Jumping Mouse to jump as
high as he can. Magic Frog names him Eagle and he becomes one.
Activity: Have students work with a partner to complete and obstacle course
where one of them is blindfolded. The blindfolded partner is led to the finish line
by the other partners guidance. Students then write a paragraph on the
difficulties of being blind.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed the plot line and moral of this story. However I
thought the pictures were dull and didnt like that they werent in color. I think
children may loose interest in the book because it is long.
8) Title: Mr. Lincolns Way
Author: Patricia Polacco
Grade Level: 4-5
Synopsis: Mr. Lincoln is the beloved principal at an elementary school. Everyone
thinks he is wonderful except for Eugene. Eugene was an older boy he caused
trouble in class and picked on other students. One day Eugene is about to call
Mr. Lincoln a bad name before he sees him standing there. Mr. Lincoln class
Eugene into his office and they talk about birds because Mr. Lincoln had noticed
him bird watching. Mr. Lincoln gives Eugene a beautiful book on birds and asks
for his help to fix the atrium to attract many different types of birds. The two
spend a lot of time and Eugene begins to do well in class and is kind to the other
students. Then one day Eugene is in trouble because he called some brownskinned students mean names. Mr. Lincoln pulls Eugene aside and mentions
how he and Eugene have different colored skins. Eugene says his dad has been
getting mad at him for hanging out with the dark-skinned principal and that he
misses living with his Grandpa. Mr. Lincoln takes Eugene to look at all of the
different colored birds and explains how they are all different but beautiful just like
the students at his school. Eugene promises to treat Mr. Lincolns birds with
respect. Later Mr. Lincoln invites Eugenes grandfather to the school, which
pleases Eugene, and Eugene tells Mr. Lincoln he will make him proud.
Activity: Have students write a letter to the school principal. The letters will detail
why each student is thankful for the principal.
Rating: 5 out of 5! This book was so touching! It is beautifully written! I love the
message it shares and I think older kids would enjoy listening to it.
9) Title: The Quiet Place
Author: Sarah Stewart
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Isobel and her family just moved from Mexico to Michigan. Isobel
practices her English by writing letters to her aunt back home. Isobel is nervous
to speak English aloud and to be somewhere new and meet new people. She
goes with her mother when her mother cooks at birthday parties. At these parties
she sometimes gets to keep big boxes that presents came in. She makes the
boxes into her quiet place where she feels warm and safe. She adds on to her
quiet place as she collects more and more boxes. Isobels mom invites the
neighborhood families to her birthday parties and Isobel asks them to bring their
favorite words as gifts. All of the families love Isobels quiet place and Isobel isnt
as nervous to start back at school in the fall.
Activity: Have students write a letter in Spanish. (if students take Spanish at
school). Students can send the letter to anyone in their class and must describe
what they think it would be like moving to a new country. If students do not take
Spanish they can just write a paragraph on what they think it would be like to
move to a new country.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I did not expect to enjoy this book but I really did! I liked how it
was written and letters and that the pictures were bright. I loved that Isobel loved
learning and wanted a safe place.
10) Title: Cendrillon
Author: Robert D. San Souci
Grade Level: 3-4
Synopsis: A child grows an orphan up on an island in the Caribbean Sea. When
her mother dies she left her a wand of mahogany that could change one thing
into another. The girl did not see how it could help her. The girl became a servant
for a kind woman. The women had a baby and made her the godmother of it. The
daughters name was Cendrillon. The mother soon died and the father became
married to a mean woman. The woman made Cendrillon work as a slave girl.
One day when Cendrillon was older she wanted to go to ball but couldnt
because her step mom wouldnt let her. Her godmother uses a wand of
mahogany to change her rags into dresses and fruit into a carriage. Cendrillon
dances with Paul at the ball and falls in love with him. She has to leave before
the magic wares off and leaves behind her shoe. The next day Paul comes
around to asks women to try on the missing shoe so he can find out who he
danced with the last night. Cendrillon tries it on and the two get married.
Activity: Have students work together to make a list off all the differences
between Cendrillon and the traditional Cinderella. Students can fill out a circle
graph and can also list any similarities.
Rating: 2 out of 5. This book was an interesting take on the traditional Cinderella
story. Im not very fond of the traditional Cinderella but I have read much better
renditions then this one. I did not enjoy the pictures. Kids may have some interest
in this book.
5 Issue
1) Title: When the New Baby Comes, Im Moving Out
Author: Martha Alexander
Genre: Issue
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Oliver is upset that his mom is having a baby. He wishes the baby
wouldnt have his old crib and rocking chair. Oliver says that he is going to move
far away when the baby comes and his mom says she will miss him. Oliver is
surprised and pleased that his mom would miss him. His mom tells him big
brothers have special responsibilities and Oliver becomes excited and wants the
baby to come.
Activity: Have students list emotions and feeling they would feel if their mom told
them she was going to have a baby. Have them explain why they would feel that
way. They can then color in a picture of a face to expression the emotion they
described.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was very simple. I wish it would have told more of a
story but it still served a purpose. Very young children may enjoy it.
2) Title: Fat, Fat Rose Marie
Author: Lisa Passen
Genre: Issue
Grade Level: 1-4
Synopsis: Rose Marie the new girl in class at Claires school. Genevieve makes
fun of her for being fat and other kids join in. Claire decides to be her friend
anyways. She enjoys being friends with Rose Marie. They play together at
recess, sit together at lunch, and go over to each other houses. Everyday
Genevieve makes fun of Rose Marie for being fat but Claire says nothing. One
day the class goes on a field trip to the carnival. As the students are waiting in
line for a ride Genevieve says no one can go on a ride with Rose Marie because
she is so fat that the ride would break. She asks Claire to go on the ride with her
and Claire does. Claire spends some more time with Genevieve at the carnival.
When they are in line behind Rose Marie, Genevieve makes fun of her. Claire
pushes Genevieves ice cream in her face and tells her shes not nice. She then
asks Rose Marie if they can ride together and she says yes. Rose Marie and
Claire become better friends and they start to make more friends at school too.
Activity: Sit students in a circle. Pass around a paper cutout of a smiley face.
Have students go around the circle and say something mean to the smiley face.
Everytime they say something mean they must crush the paper. Then pass the
face around again with the students saying something nice. Every time the kids
say something nice they smooth out the paper. Have children notice that the
paper is still wrinkled and discuss how mean words still effective people even
after we try to fix our wrongs.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book has a good plot line that includes a variety of issues
such as confidence, bullying, and peer pressure. The pictures arent very
appealing and are dull. I would only read this book to my class if my students
were dealing with the issue discussed in the book.
3) Title: Who Moved My Cheese?
Author: Spencer Johnson
Genre: Issue
Grade Level: 4-5
Synopsis: Stiff, Scurry, Hem and Haw are four friends that spend their time
looking for magical cheese in a maze. One day they all find it and they are so
excited! Everyday after they find it Stiff and Scurry wake up early to go to the
cheese room. The measure the cheese and calculate how much there is each
morning before they eat it. Hem and Haw sleep in late everyday and just expect
that the cheese will always be there when they get there. When the cheese is
gone in the room Stiff and Scurry go back out into the maze to find more. Hem
and Haw are mad that the cheese is gone and decide to wait in the cheese room
each day to see if the cheese comes back. Hem and Haw are tired of waiting but
are scared to go back in the maze. Haw decides to venture out and Hem waits in
the old cheese room. Haw feels confident searching through the maze. He writes
notes on the walls of the maze that he hopes Hem will see. He found new
cheese on his own and it tastes better when he gets it himself. Haw is pleased
that he isnt just waiting around for the old cheese to come back like Hem, he
isnt scared of the maze anymore. Eventually Hem joins Haw and Stiff and Scurry
in the new cheese room.
Activity: Ask students to write down what the magical cheese is in their life.
They can also list ideas about how they can obtain their cheese.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I think this book would be great to read if my class was dealing
with motivation issues. The illustrations are appealing and the characters are fun.
This would not be a good book to read to the class if they werent dealing with
the books specific issues.
4) Title: Friendshape
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Genre: Issue
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: This book features four shapes, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, and
a circle, who are all friends. The author describes on each page why it is so great
having friends and the shapes illustrate the meanings.
Activity: Discuss the importance of friendship with the class. Mention that all of us
are different, like each shape, but can still all be friends with each other. Have
students make a card for a friend saying why they love them or why they are
thankful for them.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed this book but I feel like there are be better books on
the subject of friendship. I liked that this book was clever with the illustrations of
the shapes. This book would hold childrens attention because it is short and to
the point.
5) Title: First Grade Jitters
Author: Robert Quackenbush
Genre: Issue
Grade Level: 1
Synopsis: A little boy has the first grade jitters. He is nervous about starting the
first grade. He is scared that his teacher will make him do hard work and that his
friends wont be in his class. Later his friends come over and Tammy tells him
that she met their teacher at the supermarket. She is nice. The little boy starts to
feel better about first grade and his jitters are gone.
Activity: Read this book to a first grade class on the first day of school. Discuss
nervous feelings with the students and make jitter juice. Students can have a
sip of jitter juice whenever the are feeling especially nervous about first grade.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I enjoyed this book but I feel like it is only applicable for one
day of the year in one grade. For its purpose though, I enjoyed reading it and
think students will be able to relate to it. It will be a great way to open up students
to talk about their feelings.
10 Favorite Character/ Series
1) Title: My Trip to the Hospital
Author: Mercer Mayer
Genre: Favorite Character/ Series
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Little Critter was playing soccer and got hurt. An ambulance came to
take him to the hospital. Little Critter got his heart rate check and got x-rays and
found out that he broke his leg. He got a cast and crutches. When he went home
his mom made him his favorite dinner. The next day at school everyone signed
his cast.
Activity: Use egg cartons and pipe cleaners to make a stethoscope. Punch holes
in the sides of two eggs from the cartons to from stethoscope. Discuss different
tools doctors use to help their patients.
Rating: 3 out of 5. Little Critter books were never my favorite. They are good
books and I think certain kids will enjoy them, but I just dont like the character of
Little Critter that much. This specific book did have a good plot line and I would
keep these books in my classroom.
2) Title: Cliffords Pals
Author: Norman Birdwell
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: While Emily Elizabeth is at school Clifford plays with his friends. One
day they decide to play near a construction sight. The construction sight is
dangerous and Clifford and his friends get into some trouble. They break a crane,
a bulldozer, and a pipe, so all of the little dogs get locked inside a fence. Clifford
rescues them but then the construction workers get mad and tie Clifford up in a
net. The small dogs chew through the ropes and they all run back to the school
and decide never to play at a construction sight again.
Activity: As a class, create a list of fun, safe places students can go to play. This
can be written on a large sticky note and kids can come up one by one to write
down their ideas.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I love Clifford but I did not love this particular book. I did not
think there were enough positive aspects of this story. Clifford and his friends
play somewhere dangerous, break things, and then leave. Clifford books are
great but I would not want this exact one in my classroom because it may
encourage irresponsibility.
3) Title: Franklin and the Tooth Fairy
Author: Paulette Bourgeois
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Franklin and Bear were waiting for the school bus when Bear lost his
first tooth. Franklin does not have any teeth because he is a turtle. At school that
Franklin learned about the tooth fairy and how his friends got presents when they
lost teeth. Franklin wished he could loose a tooth too so he could feel grown up.
When he got home he put a rock under his bead with a note to the tooth fairy.
The tooth fairy wrote back and said good try, but turtles dont have teeth. Franklin
was sad but then he got a book from his parents to celebrate his growing up and
he realized he didnt have to worry about being different from bear.
Activity: Give students two paper cut outs of teeth. One tooth is a happy tooth
and one tooth is a sad tooth. Discuss dental health and have kids draw on the
happy tooth foods that keep teeth healthy and on the sad tooth foods that make
teeth unhealthy.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I adore Franklin books and this one was great! I love the
Franklin learned that it is okay to be different. I am not sure I would want to read
this in class though because it mentions the tooth fairy and that could cause
some issues with what each student believes.
4) Title: The Berenstain Bears and the Homework Hassle
Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Mama and Papa are sitting in the living room when they smell
something funny. It turns out to be Brothers backpack. Mama throws away all of
the trash in his backpack and finds a crumpled not from Brother Bears teacher.
The note says that Brother has fallen behind in his homework and needs to catch
up. Mama and Papa tell Brother he is not allowed to watch television or play
games until he does his homework. Brother is upset and takes a walk to his
grandparents. His grandparents tell him that even Papa gets behind and needs
to work hard to catch up too. When Bear comes home, he and Papa work
together, Papa on his takes and Brother on his homework.
Activity: Give students a print out of a calendar. On the calendar students can
write what days they will do their homework. Days of the week and months can
also be reviewed during this time.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I love the pictures and warm-heartedness of this Berenstain
Bears books. I did not, however, think the plot of this particular book was very
eventful. I dont think this book would completely captivate a young childs
attention.
5) Title: Froggy Goes to School
Author: Jonathan London

Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Its Foggys first day of school. He has a bad dream that he shows up
to school in his underwear. He is very nervous for his first day. It is hard for him to
sit still and pay attention. He enjoyed getting to tell the class what he did over the
summer and made friends with the principal. Froggy left his lunchbox and
baseball cap at school but had a great day.
Activity: I will read this to kids on the first day of school and discuss how they are
feeling about being at school.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I thought this book was good but not great. I dont think there
was enough to the plot to make it a great story.
6) Title: Arthurs Birthday
Author: Marc Brown
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: Arthur is super excited for his birthday party. He passes out invitations
at school and realizes that Muffy is palling her birthday party for the same day. All
of the boys decide to go to Arthurs party and all of the girls decided to go to
Muffys party. Arthur is sad not everyone will be able to go to his party so he and
Francine make a plan. They decide to invite all of the girls over to Arthurs house
and then have Muffy come over to surprise over. Muffy comes over and Arthur
and Muffy enjoy having their party together.
Activity: Have students create birthday party invitations. Make sure they include
time, date, activities, and any other necessary information.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I think Arthur books are enjoyable for all ages. The pictures are
warm and friendly and the story is fun to follow because there is a plot with a
problem. Children will know and enjoy reading about this character.
7) Title: Amelia Bedelias First Apple Pie
Author: Herman Parish
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Amelia Bedelia is visiting her grandparents. Her grandmother wants to
teach her how to make and apple pie. Amelia and her grandfather but the apples
and then Amelia starts baking with her grandmother. After the pie is in the oven
Amelia makes her own mini pie with the left over piecrust and apples. She
sneaks it in the oven when grandma takes the big pie off. Grandma sets the big
pie outside to cool and birds eat it. Amelia is upset that their pie is gone, but then
she remembers the mini pie she made by herself. Grandma helps her take it out
of the oven and everyone takes a bite. It turns out to be a delicious apple pie
Activity: Have students write down instructions for baking a pie. They can include
the steps they heard in the book and can add anything else they think might need
to be said. The teacher can tell students to make the instructions very specific so
anyone could follow them, even Amelia Bedelia.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I love Amelia Bedelia books! They are funny and entertaining. I
think kids will enjoy them and will laugh at them.
8) Title: Curious George and the Pizza Party
Author: Margret and H.A Rey
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: George is very excited to go to his friends pizza party. When he
arrives his friends mom gathers all of the children to play games but George
stays in the kitchen. George sees the pizza dough laid out and starts to lump it all
together. He then rolls the dough out until it becomes huge and starts sticking on
everything. George decides the small dough was probably a better idea so he
uses scissors to cut the dough into little shapes. His friends mom comes back
into the kitchen and gets upset about the mess but when his friends see it they
think the shapes are neat. The kids and George make their pizzas in shapes like
stars and rainbows and they turn out wonderful.
Activity: Review fractions with a large felt pizza. Toppings like pepperoni can be
placed with Velcro on the pizza. The teacher can ask students what portion of the
pizza has pepperoni as she takes the shapes on and off of the pizza.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoy Curious George books but do not think they are the
best. I think students would find this book amusing. I would read Curious George
books in my class only if I could relate them to my lesson.
9) Title: Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Author: Jane OConnor
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Nancys family is getting a dog. Nancy hopes they get a papillon
because those dogs are posh and fancy. Their neighbor has a papillon names
Jewel and Nancy asks if they can puppysit it to see if their family likes that type of
dog. When the family is pupysitting Jewel doesnt play outside with the other
dogs and is too delicate for Nancys little sister too hug so they family decides
that papillons arent for them. Nancys family goes to dinner that night and
afterwards they walk by an animal shelter. The family goes in and Nancy asks if
they have any fancy dogs. There is a dog names Frenchy there and she is
cuddly and playful and kind and is the perfect dog for Nancys family.
Activity: In the text of this book bigger words are used and then defined in
parentheses. For example: We buy her new ensembles (thats a fancy word for
clothes). Talk about synonyms and vocabulary with the students and have them
playing a matching vocabulary name where the match the words in the book with
their fancy meaning. The words can be written on flashcards.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I thought this book was cute and that the plot was entertaining.
Boys may not like this book though. I would suggest this book for my students to
read but probably wouldnt read it to the entire class.
10) Title: Rainbow Fish Discovers The Deep Sea
Author: Marcus Pfister

Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Rainbow fish is curious about what lies in the deep sea. He is told not
to go down there because it is dangerous. One day Rainbow fishs last sparkling
scale drops into the deep sea and he goes down to find it. He meets a firefly
squid that helps him looks for the scale. Rainbow fish looks all over the deep sea.
It is beautiful and he meets lots of people but he cant find his scale. Firefly quid
calls together all of the creatures of the deep sea to search for Rainbow Fishs
scale and they eventually find it! Rainbow fish thanks his new friends and tells his
other friends that the deep sea isnt that scary after all.
Activity: Give students a printed out drawing of rainbow fish. Have them label the
fins, tail, mouth, and scales. Students can then color the fish.
Rating: 3 out of 5! I love the character of rainbow fish. I think students will love
the illustrations because of the color and sparkles. I didnt think the plot of this
book was that interesting.
10 Folk Tale/ Fairy Tale
1) Title: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
Author: Jon Scieszka
Genre: Folk Tale/ Fairy Tale
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Alexander T. Wolf wants to set the record straight on what really
happened to the three little pigs. Al tells the reader his side of the story. Al was
making a birthday cake for his granny and ran out of sugar. He went to neighbor
to ask to borrow a cup of sugar. His first neighbor was the little pig in the straw
house. Al had a cold and when he got close to the straw he sneezed and it blew
the house down. Then he saw the pig lying dead in the straw and he decided he
shouldnt waste a good meal so he ate him. The same thing happened at the
house made out of sticks, and Al ate that pig too. When Al got to the last house to
ask for sugar the pig was rude to him and said mean things about his grandma
so Al was banging on the door and sneezing because of his cold when some
policemen came up. They did not believe his story about borrowing sugar and
threw him in jail. Al was framed.
Activity: Do a readers theatre. Have a group of students perform this book for the
class. It will be interesting because in the beginning the rest of the class may
think the actors are preforming the traditional three little pigs.
Rating: 4 out of 5. This book is great, I remember reading it as a child! I love that
there is a spin on the traditional three little pigs. This book is lively and
reimagined but I didnt think the illustrations were incredible.
2) Title: Why Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples Ears
Author: Verna Aardema
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Mosquito tells iguana a lie and he doesnt want to hear it so he puts
sticks in his hear. He walks by snake and snake says hi but iguana doesnt hear
so snake thinks iguana is plotting against him so he hides in a rabbit hole. The
rabbit runs away from the snake and the crow sees her and cries out to warn the
other animals that snake is coming. The monkey hears the crows cry and runs
through the trees to warn the other animals He steeped on a dead limb that fell
and killed a baby owl. When the mom owl came back she was sad so she didnt
wake the sun the next day with her hoo. King Lion called a meeting because it
stayed nighttime too long. He asked the owl why and she mentioned the monkey,
the monkey mentioned the crow, the crow mentioned the rabbit, the rabbit
mentioned the snake, the snake mentioned the iguana and the iguana mentioned
the mosquito. King Lion said he would punish the mosquito so the owl woke the
sun with her hoo. The mosquito hid from his punishment and to this day buzzes
around in peoples ears asking if they are still mad at him.
Activity: Make a timeline of all the events that happened in the story. Draw a
picture of each animal under their event.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I thought this book was very clever. However, I did not like the
repetitiveness of it and thought the part about the baby owl dying may be a little
much for elementary school students. I, however, would read this to my class if I
could relate it well to a lesson.
3) Title: The Frog Prince Continued
Author: Jon Scieszka
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: This story continues right after the fairy tale where the frog is kissed by
a princess and turns into a prince. The prince and the princess are not living
happily ever after and have been fighting a lot. The prince thinks that if he can
turn back into a frog they will be happily ever after again. So he goes to the forest
to look for a witch to change him back. No witch believes he is the frog prince. He
has to run away from the witch with the poison apple, the witch who is trying to
keep any prince away from Sleeping Beauty, and the witch that tried to eat
Hansel and Gretel. He finds a fairy godmother that tries to turn him into a witch
but accidently turns him into a carriage instead. At midnight the prince turns back
into a prince and runs home to his worried princess. He realizes that the princess
loved him enough to kiss him even when he was a frog and that she believed
him. He kisses her and thy both turn into frogs and live happily ever after.
Activity: Have students write a paragraph on what they think would happen next if
the author were to write The Frog Prince Continued Again. Students can decide if
the frogs are living happily ever after or if they are unhappy again.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I thought this book was so clever! I love how the author
integrated a variety of different fairy tale stories into on book. I think children
would love listening to this story.
4) Title: Uni the Unicorn
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Uni the Unicorn is just like all of the other unicorns. She has golden
hoofs, sparkly eyes, a horn that can heal, and the power to make wishes come
true. The only difference is that Uni believes little girls are real. Despite her
parents and friends not believing, Uni knows there is a little girl out there who
would want to play with her. And there was a real little girl far away. And the little
girl believed in unicorns despite what her friends and parents said. The little girl
knew there was a unicorn out there that would want to be her best friend.
Activity: Have students illustrate a make believe creature on a sheet of paper.
Have students add a thought bubble to the creature and show what the creature
thinks isnt make believe in their world. Students can write one sentence under
the picture to describe it such as, The mermaid believes in sharks.
Rating: 4 out of 5! This book is precious and original! I love the idea behind the
story and I have never read anything like this book. I do not think little boys would
love a book about unicorns though.
5) Title: Cinderellas Dress
Author: Nancy Willard
Genre: Folk Tal/ Fairy Tale
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: Magpies live in a nest outside Cinderellas house. They love collecting
and making things. They see Cinderella being mistreated and decide to help her
by making her a gown for the upcoming ball. They make her a gown and leave it
in her room but her stepsisters tear it up before Cinderella is able to leave. The
magpies hear Cinderella crying about how she wish she had her mothers
wedding band to bring her good luck now. The magpies collected the weeding
band a long time ago and brought it back to Cinderella. Then Cinderellas
godmother comes and she meets the prince and lives happily ever after.
Activity: Display a picture from the book on the white board. Have students
describe the picture by writing a short four lines poem about it. They can refer
back to the text and summarize what happened in that illustration if they want.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I thought this book was too long to be enjoyable. I also didnt
like the long sections of rhyming poems. I do think little girls would still show
some interest in it though.
6) Title: The Knight Who Took All Day
Author: James Mayhew
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: There was a knight who was very full of himself. He wanted to impress
the princess by slaying a dragon but one hasnt been seen in a hundred in one
years. One day a dragon attacks the town. The knight wants to fight the dragon
but must have the proper armor. Every time the squire brings him a piece of
armor, the Knight sends him back to get something better and more handsome.
By the time the knight is finally pleased with his outfit the dragon is almost to the
castle. He goes to fight the dragon but it takes him awhile because his armor is
big and heavy. When he gets there he see the princess is there wearing armor
and that shes tamed the dragon. The princess marries the squire and they ride
off on the dragon together.
Activity: Throughout the book many adjectives are used and they a re bolded in
the text. Read the book for a second time and write down the adjectives on the
board every time a student notices them. Students will then go back to their desk
and choose one adjective from the white board to write in a sentence.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the plot of this book and think it is very engaging. I
also think it will teach students a good lesson on time management and
arrogance. Students will find this book interesting and should enjoy it.
7) Title: The Princess and the Pea
Author: Lauren Child
Grade Level: 2-3
Synopsis: A princes parents want him to be married. He said he will marry but
only if he truly loves someone. His parents say that is fine as long as she is a
princess. The prince. Looks far and wide for a great princess but find them all
vain, silly, and dull. One night a princess wakes up and decided to go look at the
moon and the stars. She gets caught in a store and ends up at the princes
house in the middle of the night. She meets his parents and they let her stay
there for a night. She sleeps on a tall tower of blankets and mattresses with a
pea underneath them all. She doesnt sleep well because of the pea and the
prince realizes this makes her a real princess. The two get married and live
happily ever after.
Activity: In the book there are many phrases written in cursive. Have these
phrases expanded on paper for students to trace over. The can then copy the
phrases under their tracings to practice their cursive writing skills.
Rating: 2 out of 5. This book wasnt horrible but I didnt enjoy. The illustrations are
interesting but not engaging or beautiful and the text is written in a variety of
different fonts making it hard to read. There were some confusing parts to plot
that I didnt enjoy, I feel like the author left holes.
8) Title: Once upon a time, the End (asleep in 60 seconds)
Author: Geoffrey Kloske and Barry Blitt
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: This book is a collection of short folk tales and fairy tales that a father
shortened for their kid to read fast before the kid went down for bed. All of the
stories are altered to make them shorter, changing their plot. The stories include
chicken little, the two little pigs, small girl, red hood, goldilocks and the bears,
princess pea, the little red hen, David and goliath, sleeping beauty, jack, hickory
dickory dock, john Jacob, the old ladys shoe, hey diddle diddle, and two riddles.
Activity: Have students work in groups. Assign each student one of the stories
from the book and give them a copy printed on a page with extra lines in between
the lines of the text. Have the students add in any information they think is
necessary to make the plot like the original story.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I think this book would be very amusing for adults to read
because of the satire. I dont know if children will enjoy reading shortened
versions of their favorite stories. It is nice that this book is a collection of multiple
stories.
9) Title: Good Knight, Sleep Tight
Author: David Melling
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: A new baby is born to a king and queen. The baby princess loves
sleeping on a fluffy, soft pillow but one day the cat destroys it. The king asks the
night to fill a new pillow with something soft and fluffy. The knight ventures out
and tries filling the pillow with bear hair, wolf hair, and owl feathers before he
decides on bird feathers. He takes the pillow back to the castle and the king
places the baby on it. The baby cries but stops as soon as the prince hugs her.
Everyone is finally able to sleep.
Activity: After reading the book talk about how knight and night are the same
word but are used differently. Have students brainstorm any other homophones
they may know. The teacher will write these on the white board. Students will go
to their desks and write a sentence using both words in a homophone pair. For
example: The knight went out at night.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed the plot of this book. I think children will be engaged
by the fact that the knight is on a mission. The end of the book was a little
confusing and didnt completely make sense to me.
10) Title: The King of Little Things
Author: Bil Lepp
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: The King of Little Things lives in a cozy house with his queen and rules
over all small things like coins, beetles, marbles, keys, and more. King Normous
wanted to be the king of all things. He battled every kingdom until he though he
had conquered them all. He thought he what the king of all things until someone
told him about the king of little things. King Normous goes to fight the King of
Little Things. King Normous captures the King of Little Things and locks him in a
big dungeon. Rats and beetles and little things still visit the locked up king and he
sends a message through them. Soon little things all over the world stop working
like keys, doors, pencils, blocks, and boats. The people demanded that King
Normous let the king of Little Things go. He let him go and to this day is still
looking for his keys, watch, wallet, and wig.
Activity: Have students work with a partner to make a list of ten little things
mentioned in the book, and a list of ten big things mentioned in the book.
Students can then decide which list they would rather have and can write a
sentence describing why.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I enjoyed the message behind this story. I think kids will be
able to understand the message and will take something from it. The book may
be a little long to hold childrens attention spans.
10 Fantasy/ Other
1) Title: The Story of Ferdinand
Author: Murno Leaf
Genre: Fantasy/ Other
Grade Level: K-2
Synopsis: Ferdinand is a bull who lives in Spain. All of the other bulls like to fight
and but heads but Ferdinand likes to just sit and smell the flowers. One day
some men came to pick out bulls to be in the bull fights in Madrid. All of the other
bulls showed off because they wanted to be picked. But Ferdinand went to sit
under his favorite tree. We he went to sit down he sat on a bee and the bee
stung him. The bee sting hurt and made Ferdinand jump and buck all around.
The men thought Ferdinand was being tough so they picked him to go to Madrid.
When Ferdinand got to the bullfight he walked right into the middle of the arena
and sat down. The matador tried to make Ferdinand fight but he would not be
mean or fierce no matter what anyone did. Ferdinand went back home and sat
and smelled the flowers. He was happy.
Activity: Have a class discussion on peer pressure. Have kids list ideas of what
peer pressure is and talk about reasons it is good not to give in to peer pressure.
Rating: 4 out of 5. I think this book is cute and classic. The pictures may be a
little out dated though. I like the message this book shares and I think kids would
enjoy the story.
2) Title: The Kissing Hand
Author: Audrey Penn
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Chester Raccoon is sad because he doesnt want to go to school. Mrs.
Raccoon tells Chester the secret of the kissing hand. Mrs. Raccoon kisses the
palm of Chesters hand and tells him if he is every sad or lonely at school he can
press his palm to his cheek and be filled with warm thoughts. Chester loved his
kissing hand because it meant his mothers love would be everywhere with him,
even at school. Chester kisses his moms hand so she can have a kissing hand
too and then he goes too school.
Activity: Have children paint hearts on their palms with red paint.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book is super sweet but I dont think it would be easy to
use in the classroom. I would love to read this book to my future kids and think it
is more appropriate for a parent-child relationship. I could maybe still read this in
my classroom to a younger grade.
3) Title: Owen
Author: Kevin Henkes

Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Owen loves his yellow blanket Fuzzy. He plays with it and takes it
everywhere he goes. It helps him when hes scared. His neighbor Mrs. Tweezers
mentions that Owen is getting to old to carry a blanket everywhere. His parents
tell him the blanket fairy is coming to take his blanket so Owen hides in his
pajamas. Then his parents try dipping the corner of the blanket Owen likes to
chew on in vinegar but Owen just finds a new corner to chew. His parents finally
tell Owen he isnt allowed to take the blanket to school and he becomes very
upset and cries. Owens mom comes up with a plan and sews Owens blanket
into a handkerchief. Owen takes the yellow blanket everywhere he goes and no
one complains.
Activity: Discuss recycling and how old things can be made into something new.
Give students recallable material such as cans, paper, and plastic and have them
create something new out of it.
Rating: 4 out of 5. This book is entertaining and very well written. I think students
will enjoy it and can relate to it. Im sure I will read many Kevin Henkes books to
my class, including this one.
4) Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Max gets sent to his room for acting like a wild thing and causing
mischief. In his rom he imagines himself sailing to a new world where the wild
things are. The wild things are scary but Max tames them and becomes their
king. He enjoys telling them what to do but eventually gets lonely and wants to go
back home. He goes home and find that his mom left him dinner in his room.
Activity: Have students design their own imaginary creature. They must give it a
name and describe its personality.
Rating: 3 out of 5. I like that this book is imaginative and classic. I did not enjoy
the pictures or the wording of the text in the book. I think student would mildly
enjoy this book.
5) Title: Is There Really a Human Race?
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: A little boy wonders if there really is a human race and what the race is
like. He wonders if everyone runs it, if hes racing his friends, if its a relay race, if
he wins a prize and how fast he has to go. His mom tells him it is more important
to do his best work then to be the fastest. She tells him it is important to make
friends and love others and make the world better.
Activity: Take a class field trip to do community service work, such as working in
a garden, in order to beautify the human race.
Rating: 5 out of 5! I loved this book! The pictures are wonderful and bright and
exciting! The story is whimsical and clever and has a great message! Children
would enjoy it and would be easily engaged by it.
6) Title: If You Take A Mouse To School
Author: Laura Numeroff
Grade Level: 1-3
Synopsis: A little boy has a mouse and he takes him to school one day. When he
takes him to school the mouse needs lots of things and wants to do lots of things,
he writes a book, plays basketball, and build a mouse house out of blocks. He
forgets his lunchbox at school and the boy ends up having to take him back.
Activity: Have students complete the sentence: If you give a student some
homework. They can illustrate it if younger and write a paragraph if older.
Rating: 5 out of 5! This book is imaginative, humorous, and entertaining. Children
will find it comical and will pay attention to it. The book is written well and the
illustrations are great.
7) Title: Miss Bindergarten Stays Home from Kindergarten
Author: Joseph Slate
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: Miss Bindergarten has the flu and must stay home from kindergarten.
A sub Mr. Tusky comes to take care of the class. Franny, Lenny, and Raffie also
get sick and must stay home form kindergarten. The students that stay in
kindergarten have fun with Mr. Tusky. On Friday Miss Bindergarten, Franny,
Lenny, and Raffie all come back to kindergarten.
Activity: Have a sub read this book to the class when the teacher is out or sick.
Students can then fill out a Where is My Teacher worksheet and will fill in
information such as who could my teacher me with, where could she be, and
what could she be doing.
Rating: 4 out of 5! I love Miss Bindergarten books. I enjoyed that the alphabet is
emphasized throughout this book with bolded and colored letters. I think students
would love listening to the book and will enjoy the bright illustrations with all of
the animals.
8) Title: Alice From Dallas
Author: Marilyn Sadler
Grade Level: 1-2
Synopsis: Alice is form Dallas, Pennsylvania and wishes she was a real life
cowgirl. She rides a horse to school and teachers the kids her in class about the
Wild West. One day there is a new kid in class and she is Lexis from Texas. She
looks like a real life cowgirl. She teaches the students cowgirl songs and ties her
horse up to Alices tree. Alice asks Lexis to a showdown. The girls race, lasso,
and dance, and while theyre dancing Lexis hurts her foot. Alice goes to visit her
and the two becomes friends. It turns out Lexis is from Texas, Illinois.
Activity: Use a paper map and have students stick pushpins in the places
mentioned in the story. Students can also place pushpins in the cities where
theyre from or love to visit. This map can be hung in the classroom for all to see.
Rating: 3 out of 5. This book was clever. It had a good plot line and I think
children would be engaged by it. However I think it may be hard to relate to the
classroom and isnt entertaining enough to read just for read aloud time.
9) Title: Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type
Author: Doreen Cronin
Grade Level: K-1
Synopsis: The cows on farmers browns farm found an old typewriter in the barn.
They type a note asking for electric blankets. Farmer Brown writes back and says
that that is ridiculous and he wont give them blankets. The cows go on strike and
dont give Farmer Brown any milk. The hens go on strike too because they also
want electric blankets. Framer Brown writes a note saying the situation is
ridiculous and that he demands milk and eggs. The cows write a note saying they
will exchange the typewriter for electric blankets and things will go back to
normal. Farmer Brown likes the idea and sends the blankets through duck who is
supposed to bring back the typewriter. Instead he writes his own note asking for
a diving board
Activity: Review with students the sound of the letter c and other word blends
found in the book such as cl. Students can color in a big block letter c and can list
all of the c words from the book on the back of the paper.
Rating: 4 out of 5. This book is simple and funny. I think children would love the
idea of typing animals. It is short and will engage kids.
10) Title: The Day the Crayons Came Home
Author: Drew Daywalt
Grade Level: K-4
Synopsis: Duncan receives post cars in the mails form some of his old crayons.
The crayons have been lost, forgotten, melted, and eaten. They all want Duncan
to come and find them. He receives letters from pea green, neon red, maroon,
orange and yellow, tan, glow in the dark, gold, turquoise, wand brown. Some
crayons were left under the couch, in the basement, and outside. Duncan
gathers up all of the crayons and creates a new crayon box for them to make
them happy.
Activity: Have students write a postcard. They can make up where the postcard
is form and then send it to anyone they want.
Rating: 5 out of 5! This book is fantastic, creative, and well written. I think all ages
will enjoy it and find it entertaining and funny. The illustrations are also unique
and engaging.

20 Caldecott or Caldecott Honor Books

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Catherine Keeter

Author: Emily Arnold McCully

Grade Level: 1-3

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Author: Jonathan London

Author: Marcus Pfister

Genre: Folk Tale/ Fairy Tale

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