Big Al

Title: Big AL

Author: Andrew Clements

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: 5-12

Summary: This book is about a big scary fish named al who has no friends. He tries to make friends but everyone is afraid of him until he helps them and then everyone learns that he is nice. 

About the author: Was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949. He was inspired by a high school English teacher and went to Northwestern University. Later in life he started writing and illustrating children books.

Theme/Skill: Be friendly 

Pre-reading activity: Think of a time you were afraid of something or something. How did you overcome it? 

Post-reading activity: Make your own Big Al. Color and decorate him.

This is a great children book to discuss friendships and working together. It shows that looks are not everything.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Title: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom 

Author: Bill Martin and John Archambault 

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: 3-8

Summary: This is a story of a coconut tree. It has a song that goes along with it as you count. 

About the authors: Bill Martin Jr (1916-2004) has been called "America's favorite children's author." He wrote over 300 books for children, including the classic texts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

John Archambault is a poet, journalist, and storyteller, who worked with Bill Martin Jr on several projects. He lives in Yorba Linda, California. 

Theme/skill: Counting 

Pre-reading activity: Practice counting up to 15

Post-reading: Color your own coconut tree and decorate with numbers. 

This book is a lot of fun to read with younger children. It incorporates color, singing, and fun.

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain

Title: Saving the Ghost of the Mountain

Author: Sy Montgomery

Genre: Non-fiction

Ages 15+

Summery: This is a long detailed book about snow leopards and Mongolia, where they live. It follows a group of reserchers on their journey looking for snow leopards. 

About the author: She is a 1979 graduate of Syracuse University, a triple major with dual degrees in Magazine Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and in French Language and Literature and in Psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences. 

 

Theme/skill: extinction

Pre-reading activity: Brainstorm all you know about snow leopards and Mongolia on a chart. 

Post-reading activity: Write a book review of this book. What did you think? Give specific examples and support your statements. 

This book was very scattered and focused more on the lifestyle of Mongolia then snow leopards. I wish it was more on the animal itself.

Kakapo Rescue

Title: Kakapo Rescue

Author: Sy Montgomery

Genre: Non-fiction 

Ages: 15 +

Summary: This is a book all about a special bird called the kakapo. It is almost extinct and this book goes in detail of the attempts scientists and bird lovers everywhere are trying to keep them alive. Very imformational. 

About the author: She is a 1979 graduate of Syracuse University, a triple major with dual degrees in Magazine Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and in French Language and Literature and in Psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Theme/Skill: Extinction of Kakapo

Pre-reading activity: Make a list of animals who are extinct and why. 

Post-reading activity: Write one paper of interesting facts that grabbed your attention throughout this book. 

This book is amazingly informational with excellent photos.

When You Reach Me

Title: When You Reach Me

Author: Rebecca Stead

Genre: Fiction

Ages: High School 

Summary: This book is a little girls story that she is trying to tell with a mystery attached. Someone is watching her and leaving her notes, but we follow her throughout the story as we figure out what or who is following her. 

About the author: Rebecca Stead is a former attorney who lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. She has published two books for children and teens, First Light (2007) and When You Reach Me (2009). 

Theme/Skill: family/friends/growing up

Pre-reading activity: Write a paragraph about your neighborhood. What do you see? Who do you see? Do you feel safe? 

Post-reading activity: Draw a display of the things that you see on your way to and from school every day. 

I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a great mystery that is age appropriate for high school.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carle

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 4-9

Summary: This is about a hungry caterpillar who eats and eats and eventually gets bigger and turns into a beautiful butterfly. It counts all of the food he eats along the way and on what days of the week he ate them. 

About the author : He was born in Syracuse, NY in 1929 to German parents Johanna and Erich Carle, Eric moved back to Germany with his parents in the mid 1930's. He is mostly known for his book The Hungry Caterpillar. 

Theme/Skill: Growing

Pre-reading activity: Color/decorate your own caterpillar. Cut it out and place it before a picture of a butterfly. 

Post-reading activity: Get a home for butterflies where they start as caterpillars, go to cocoons, and eventually butterflies. After watching them grow, set them free as a class.

This is a great book that I would always recommend for younger children. It goes over the days of the week, colors, counting, and growing.

School Bus

Title: School Bus
Author: Donald Crews
Genre: Fiction
Age:4-7

Summary: This book covers all grounds about school buses. It starts with them picking kids up and bringing them to school and finishes by them dropping them off and where they go at night. Very short and simple.

About the author: Donald crews was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1938. He spent his summers in Florida with his grandma and later graduated from a school in NYC. From there on he started writing children's books. 

 

Theme/Skill: School buses 

Pre-reading activity: Trace a school bus outline. Color and cut it out. 

Post-reading activity: Draw a picture of yourself on a school bus and write one sentence about it.

This book is short and sweet. It has great pictures and kids love school buses. Great for pre-k - kindergarten.

Twimericks

Title: Twimericks

Author: Lou Brooks

Genre: Fiction

Ages: all

Summery: This is a short fun book full of tongue twisters that are almost impossible to say out loud. They are all stories of some sort that have pictures going along with it. 

Author: Lou Brooks is a well known for his illustrations and comic work. He has also illustrated for the Times and Newsweek along with other magazines. 

Theme/skill: Tongue Twisters 

Pre-reading activity: Go over other well known tongue twisters such as how much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck cant chuck wood. 

Post-reading activity: Try reading them aloud 3 times fast with a partner. 

This book was overall just something fun to have around and read in spare time. I enjoyed it for the most part.

Where the Wild Things Are

Title: Where the Wild Things Are

Author: Maurice Sendak

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 5-12

Summary: This is a story about a boy named Max who dresses up as a wolf and imagines his room turns into a forest. He sails on his boat to where the wild things are where he tames them and becomes king. He then grew hungry and sailed home where mom had supper waiting. 

About the author: Best known for his children’s books, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN, Maurice Sendak has spent the past fifty years writing childrens books. Other then writing, he has also produced operas and ballets both for stage and TV. 

Theme/Skill: Imagination 

Pre-reading skill: How does a wild thing act? Do you know anyone or anything wild? If so, what do they look like? Draw a picture of a wild thing and describe it to your neighbor. 

Post-reading activity: Have each student draw and cut-out their own wild thing. Take a picture of each student. Cut out their face and glue it onto the wild thing. 

This is one of my all time favorite childhood books. The illustrations and creativity it this are unreal.

Swimmy

Title: Swimmy

Author: Leo Lionni

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 6-10

Summary: This story is about a school of fish who get swallowed by a big black fish. Only one fast fish escaped and became very lonely until he met the other animals of the sea. He met a school of red fish where he became the eye of the the group and they swam around in the shape of a big fish in order to not get eaten.

About the author: He was born May 5, 1910 in a suburb of Amsterdam . He started drawing at the age of nine and continued to do so turning his drawings into stories.

Theme/skill: Working together

Pre-reading activity: Is it easier to do things with a group of friends alone? Why? Which do you prefer? Lift a bucket of rocks with a partner. Then alone. Which is easier?

Post-reading activity: Give each students an outline of a fish and fish stamps with a red and black ink pad. Have the students stamp a black eye and the rest red. 

I liked this book because it shows working together can usually be easier then working solo. It is nicely written and illustrated.

Tar Beach

Title: Tar Beach

Author: Faith Ringgold

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 7-12

Summary: This story is about a black family who does not have very much money. The little girl in the story flies over buildings and bridges and tells us about her family. Her father works various jobs which are sometimes dangerous. The little girl believes that if she flies over the building it will belong to her and they wont have to worry about money. The story ends with her and her brother flying through the sky together. 

About the author: Faith Ringgold started her artistic career 35 years ago and today is best known for her story quilts. She has written and illustrated 11 books this being one of them. 

Theme/Skill: Family

Pre-reading activity: What would your house and other buildings look like from up in the sky? What else would you see from up there? Are they big or small? Bring in an aerial view of a city. Have the students stand over it to see what it would look like up in the sky. 

Post reading activity: Draw a picture of the building you would fly over. Write 3 sentences on why you chose that building. 

This book is a feel good book that I would recommend to anyone anytime.

Umbrella

Title: Umbrella

Author: Taro Yashima

Genre: Fiction

ages: 5-8

Summary: A little girl named Momo received a pair of red rain boots and an umbrella for her birthday, but could not use them because it would not rain. Finally, one day Momo awoke to rain and she walked to school using her rain boots and umbrella. As an adult she does not remember it now.

About the author: Taro Yashima, whose give name was Jun Atsushi Iwamatsu was born on September 21, 1908. She later in life became very sick and wrote books for her daughter about her childhood. 

Skill/Theme: Childhood

Pre-reading activity: What is the first thing you want to do with your birthday gift? How would you feel if you couldnt do that right away? When would you use it? Look at the cover of the book and have the students predict what the story will be about. 

Post-reading activity: Color in a picture of Momo wearing her rain boots and umbrella. Cut out the picture. Draw a scene on a plain piece of paper in which she would need her umbrella and rain boots. Glue the picture of Momo onto it. 

This book is a great book representing other cultures with a great story behind it.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Title: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Author: William Steig

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 7-12

Summary: A donkey named Sylvester finds a red pebble and discovers that it is magical. He can wish for whatever he wants but unfortunately wishes to be a rock and never returns home. His parebts are worried so then he turns back to himself.

About the author:William Steig was born November 14,1907. He was known for his famous illustrations and cartoons. Later in life he started writing childrens books.

Skill/Theme: Be happy with who you are. 

Pre-reading activity: What would you wish for? Why did you wish for this? What else would you wish for and why? Draw a picture of what you would wish for.

Post-reading activity: Hide "magic" red pebbles around the room and have all of the students find one. 

I like this book but it kind of reminded me of Aladdin. I wish it was slightly more original.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Title: Officer Buckle and Gloria

Author: Peggy Rathmann

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: 6-9

Summary: This story is about an officer who visits a school for safety tips and the students do not listen to him. He brought a police dog to school and the children loved it because he was doing tricks. Officer Buckle was disappointed when he found out what was really going on. Accidents started happening because he stopped his speeches so he started again. 

About the author: Peggy Rathmann lives with her husband in hilltop San Fransisco. After college she didnt know what she wanted to do so she started illustrating and writing children's books. 

Theme/Skill: Safety and respect

Pre-reading activity: What does a safety officer do? Why do they do it? Discuss class safety tips an officer may have.

Post-reading activity: Make a list of safety tips with your class to follow in your school so everyone is safe. 

This book is a great beginning of the school year book. It provides for great safety conversations and also incorporates respect.

The Polar Express

Title: The Polar Express

Author: Chris Van Allsburg

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: All 

Summary: This book is about a little boy who travels to the North Pole on a magical train and his adventures along the way. He finds a bell from a reindeer which further goes on to represent that he never stops believing. 

About the author: Chris was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 18th, 1949. To the surprise of many of his readers he almost did not become an illustrator at all. He attended the University of Michigan to study law then changed his major to sculpture. He is famous for this book which later was produced into a movie. 

Theme/Skill: Christmas and believing 

Pre-reading activity: Have you ever had a dream that seemed real? What happened? Tell your neighbor about your dream. 

Post-reading: Set the chairs up in the classroom like a train so the students can pretend they are on the Polar Express and watch the movie. 

This is one of my all time favorite books and movies. The story and pictures are amazing and the children love it. 

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window

Author: Norton Juster

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 5-10

Summary: This story is about a little girl who visits her Nana and Poppy's house where they have a window that she makes faces and waves in. The little girl believes that this window is magical and that anyone can come to it or leave it. She is sad to leave her grandparents house but happy to go home at the same time. When she is older she wants her own hello goodbye window. 

About the author: Norton Juster was born in Brooklyn, NY June 2, 1929. He later studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania followed by 3 years in the Navy. Later in life he was a teacher while he started writing children's books. 

Theme/Skill: Imagination/family 

Pre-reading activity: Can you see through a wall? Can you see through a window? Discuss with the class why you can see through a window and not a wall.

Post-reading activity: Draw a picture of three things that you can see though your window at home. 

I found this book cute but nothing special. The child in it has a great imagination which is always nice but nothing in this book really connected with me.

Freight Train

Title: Freight Train

Author: Donald Crews

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 4-8

Summary: This book tells what the different cars on a train are called and helps teach children colors. It portrays the colors of the cars. It also tells what the cars on the train are used for.

About the author: Donald crews was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1938. He spent his summers in Florida with his grandma and later graduated from a school in NYC. From there on he started writing children's books. 

Theme/Skill: Colors and train vocabulary

Pre-reading activity: Do all trains have the same number of cars? Can a train be really long or short? Do they have to be different colors? Discuss with the class different things that can be carried on a train. 

Post-reading activity: Give each student an outline of a car on a train. Have the students draw one thing that a train carries. Color and cut out to display. 

This is a great book for younger children learning their colors. Plus most kids love trains so they are excited about the book and activity.

Blueberries for Sal

Title: Blueberries for Sal 

Author: Robert McCloskey 

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: 5-12

Summary: This story is about a little girl named Sal who goes blueberry picking with her mom. They are saving blueberries for winter however, Sal keeps eating them. Sal and a bear end up getting lost and have a hard time finding their mothers. 

About the author: Robert McCloskey was born in Hamilton Ohio. He attended public school and took piano lessons as a child. He later when to art school in Boston before he started writing children's books. 

Theme/skill: Relationships

Pre-reading activity: Has anyone ever been blueberry picking? Who did you go with? Show students pictures of blueberry fields and people picking them. 

Post-reading activity: Give the students a handout with main points of the story written and illustrated on it. Cut them out and place it in the correct sequence of the story. 

This book is very popular and for a good reason. It is a great relationship builder and who doesnt love blueberry picking?

Miss Rumphius

Title: Miss Rumphius

Author: Barbara Cooney

Genre: Fiction 

Ages: 7-12

Summary: This story is about an old lady, Miss Rumphius, who accomplished three tasks that she told her grandfather she was going to do in her lifetime. These three things were: go to faraway places, live by the sea when she grows old, and do something to make the world beautiful. She does all of these things and at the end, her niece says how she will also do them in her lifetime. 

About the Author: Barbara Cooney and her twin brother were born on 6 August 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. She later attended Smith College and continued on to write children's books. 

Theme: Dream big, and stay true to your beliefs. 

Pre-reading activity: Just by taking a picture walk, what do you think this story is going to be about? What are three things you would like to do or accomplish in your lifetime? Write them down and tell why. 

Post-reading activity: What was your favorite part of the story? Why? Why did Miss Rumphius plant lupines everywhere? Write one thing you could do to make the world a better place. 

I think this story is a feel good story to read anytime to a class just because. It makes you want to set long term goals and be a better person.

A Picture Book of Thomas Edison

Title: A Picture Book of Thomas Edison

Author: David Adler

Genre: Non-Fiction

Ages: 7-12

Summary: This biography starts off by telling the date that Thomas Edison was born and then begins to highlight major events in his life and discuss his personality. It tells about his inventions and improvements of inovations. This book tells when he was married and when he started a family. At the end, it states that Thomas Edison''s inventions changed the world.

About the author: David Adler graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a BA in economics and education. He taught in NYC for 9 years before he went back to school and started writing children's books.

Theme/ Skill: About Thomas Edison and his inventions

Pre-reading activity: What is a biography? What is an autobiography? What is the difference between the two? Lets talk about what an inventor is. Discuss it with your partner and share your answers with the class.

Post-reading activity: Pretend that you are an inventor. Make up an invention and tell what it is and what it does.

I believe this is an excellent book about Thomas Edison and very kid friendly. It allows them to understand inventions and hopefully inspire them to invent themselves.

Somebody and the Three Blairs

Title: Somebody and the Three Blairs

Author: Marilyn Tolhurst

Genre: Fiction

Age: 6-12

Summary: This story is similar to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is about a bear that walks into someones house while they are out on a walk. The bear eats their food, sleeps in their beds, breaks their chairs, and makes a mess all over. Once the people get home they see the mess but no one is around. The baby ends up seeing the bear run away at the end. 

About the author: This is one of the many books written by Marilyn Tolhurst. She is well known for her other works. 

Theme/Skill: Don't steal

Pre-reading activity: Have you ever been curious as to what is behind a closed door? What if you found an open door? Would you go in? Think about one reason why you might want to see what is behind a closed door. 

Post reading activity: Read Goldilocks and the Three Bears and compare and contrast the two stories.

I liked this book, however it was very similar to Goldilocks and the Three Bears and I would have liked it to be more original.

A Light in the Attic

Title:A Light in the Attic

Author: Shel Silverstein

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 7-12

Summary: This book is a collection of poems. The one I am focusing on is Bear in There . It is about as bear in the refrigerator. He is trying to stay cold. 

About the author: He was born in Chicago on September 25, 1930. He originally was not planning on writing however he is now still well known for many of his poems within various children's books.

Theme/Skill: Hibernation

Pre-reading activity: Has anyone ever been to Antarctica? Have you ever seen a polar bear? Where? Discuss with the class what polar bears like to eat and where they sleep. 

Post reading activity: Why do you think the polar bear was in the fridge? What foods that were in the refrigerator do you think the polar bear would eat? Why do you think that the polar bear roared when someone opened the fridge? After reading the poem, give class a copy of it and identify the words in it that rhyme. 

I think this poem is adorable and really allows for students to learn about hibernation and facts about polar bears. I would recommend it.

The Grouchy Ladybug

Title: The Grouchy Ladybug

Author: Eric Carle

Genre: Fiction

Age: 5-10

Summary: This is the story of a grouchy ladybug who does not like to share. He asks other insects if they want to fight, but then tells them they are too small. Each time the animals get bigger and bigger until he gets to a whale. The whale hit him with his tail sending the ladybug where he started from. A nice ladybug offered him food and he accepted because he was so hungry. He then decided to be nice to everyone.

About the author : He was born in Syracuse, NY in 1929 to German parents Johanna and Erich Carle, Eric moved back to Germany with his parents in the mid 1930's. He is mostly known for his book The Hungry Caterpillar. 

Theme/ Skill: Everyone needs to learn to share.

Pre-reading activity: What is sharing? Why do we share? Who do we share with? Imagine that you are holding a small animal in your hands. Now a big one, What do your hands look like?

Post-reading activity: Would you share your food with someone? Why or why not? Would it be the right thing to do? Put the pictures of the animals in order according to their size.

Overall I think this is a great conversation starter about sharing for little kids. The pictures are great and students will get the message that goes along with it.

Honey ...Honey... Lion!

Title: Honey...Honey...Lion!

Author: Jan Brett

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 6-12

Summary: This story is about a bird who leads a badger to a beehive. The badger does not reward her, but asks her to help him again. Instead of leading the badger to a beehive the second time, she leads him to a lion. The badger runs and runs as fast as he can back to his tree where the lion cannot get him.

About the Author: Jan Brett lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts with her husband. She originally started as an illustrator prior to writing children's books.

Theme/ Skill: Its okay to ask for help.

Pre-reading activity: Has anyone ever tasted honey? Where does it come from? What insects make honey? Give each student a taste of honey using a posicle stick.

Post reading activity: Do you think a badger learned his lesson? What do you think he will do next time someone helps him or does him a favor? What would you do? As a class, make a list of things you can do or say to thank someone for helping you.

Overall I think this book is a cute story and opens up great conversations. You can take this book many different ways when it comes to teaching manners and respect. Also the pictures are great as well.

Goggles

Title: Goggles

Author: Ezra Jack Keats

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 6-12

Summary: This story starts out with a boy finding a pair of goggles that he claims to be motorcycle goggles. Along with his friend and dog, he started to climb out of the hideout and go into his friends house. Just as they began walking, some big boys appeared. The big boys wanted Archie's goggles, but Archie was not going to give them to them. He have the goggles to his dog. Willie, who ran away with them. He told his friend to meet him at the hideout and Willie would find them. They got to the hideout and could see the big boys. They yelled that they were going to the parking lot to trick the big boys and it worked. The big boys ran to the parking lot while the other boys ran home with Willie safe and sound.

About the Author: Jacob Ezra Katz was born on March 11, 1916.He won a Caldecott Award for his book The Snowy Day. He has since then passed.

Theme/Skill: Bullying

Pre-reading activity: How would you feel? What would you do? Would you run away or call for help? Have the students wear a pair of goggles or glasses during the read aloud.

Post-reading activity: Did the boys in the story do the right things when the bullies came? What else could they have done? What would you do? Bring in various pairs of goggles and glasses. Hand one pair out to each child. Each student will write ten sentences about how they found the glasses or goggles, what they are really for, what they will use them for, and add other interesting details about them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It brought up great ways to deal with the topic of bullying. I also liked that the little boy had a great imagination with the goggles and stood up for himself.

Fables: The Hen and the Apple Tree

Title: Fables: The Hen and the Apple Tree

Author: Arnold Lobel

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 5- 12

Summary: There are many different fables in this book. "The Hen and the Apple Tree" is a fable out of a wolf that pretended to be a tree in order to trick a hen. The wolf tried to get the hen to come out and sit under his branches . He did this so he could eat the hen, but the hen was too smart and did not fall for it. The moral of this fable is "It is always difficult to pose as something that one is not".

About the author: Arnold Lobel was born in Schenecdaty, NY. He is best known for his chartacters Frog and Toad within his many fables. 

Theme/Skill: Be true to yourself. 

Pre-reading activity: Do you think people will notice that you are not a real tree? Why or why not? What else could you be? People will notice because it is very difficult to stand still for a long time. Everyone please get in a circle and stand nice and tall with your arms out to the side. Notice how it is difficult to stay still and your arms get tired.

Post reading activity: What could have happened if the hen did not know that the wolf was pretending to be a tree and she went outside? What else could she have done? What would you have done? Brainstorm as a class: How did the hen know that there was not a real tree outside her window and it was really a wolf?

Overall I enjoyed this book for many reasons. It reminded my of my childhood and made me think of other old fables. I think it is a great memory to create with younger children.

Coral Reefs

Title: Coral Reefs

Author: Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Genre: Non-Fiction

Ages: 8- 12

Summary: This book gives various facts about coral reefs and the animals that live in them. It also talks about coral reefs that exist in the world. It talks about the more famous coral reefs. The book is very colorful and has great pictures of coral reefs.

About the author: Dorothy Hinshaw Patent is a writer and a teacher for the past 35 years. She is well known for her informational books. 

Theme/Skill: Why reefs are important.

Pre- reading activity: There are many coral reefs found in the oceans around the world.  They are full of different ocean creatures. Have you ever seen a coral reef? Color a picture of a coral reef.

Post reading activity: Why are coral reefs important? What kinds of animals live in them? What colors are they? Make a list with the class of things that you can find in a coral reef.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It has great pictures with information that explains coral reefs in a child friendly way. I would definitely recommend it.

The Drinking Gourd

Title: The Drinking Gourd

Author: Jeanette Winter

Genre: Historical fiction

Ages: 9-12

Summery: This story is about a slave family who wants to escape to freedom and their journey to get there. They were once taught a song by a man named Peg Leg Joe that would help lead them to freedom. They sang this song all the way to Canada where they were finally free. 

About the Author: Jeanette Winter was born in Manchester, England. She later attended Oxford University where she wrote her first novel at the age of 23. She now is a regular in many of the UK papers.

Theme/skill: Slavery

Pre-reading activity: Discuss what a slave was. Is it legal today? why or why not? 

Post reading activity: Sing the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" as a class. 

Overall, I really liked this book. It discusses slavery in a child appropriate way and allows for great class discussions.

Sticky Burr Adventures in the Burrwood Forest by John Lechner

Sticky Burr Adventures in Burrwood Forest 

By: John Lechner

Genre: Fiction
Ages: 6-12

Sticky Burr is the story of a little forest burr who is independent from the other burrs. Sticky Burr gets himself in a bold adventure through Burrwood Forest as he makes friends along the way in order to save his village when it is threatened by a pack of wild dogs. Sticky Burr and his friends learn along the way that it is okay to be different and working together will only benefit their village.

About the Author: John Lechner grew up in a creative house as one of seven children. He attended  Carnegie Mellon University where he studied art and creative writing. He then worked as a graphic designer and puppeteer before he started writing children's books.

Theme/skill: Everyone is different and should be respected either way. Working together can be beneficial.

Pre-reading activity: Go over reading basic reading skills. Reading left to right and top to bottom. Practice with other comic books. 

Post reading activity:   Make a Venn diagram with one side working together and another side working individually. Right the commonalities in the middle.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I have not read a comic book in a very long time and it brought me back to my childhood. This book sends a great message and is very child friendly.

Title: Smudge

Author: Clare Turlay NewBerry

Genre: Fiction

Ages: 6-12

Smudge by Clare Turlay is a nice story about some mischievous kittens who decide to go explore their home. When their parents leave, they kittens decide to go and look for some grasshoppers. The brave kitten Smudge decides to explore their living room with larger then life furniture. Their adventure continues as the kittens stick together!

About the Author: Clare Turlay was born in Oregon where she later studied art at the University of Oregon. She has received the Caldecott honor for four of her books. She later passed in 1970. 

Theme/skill: This book focuses on kittens working together. Children can relate to it through teamwork. 

Pre-Reading activity: Draw a picture of a pet you have at home using only a pencil. If you do not have a pet draw an animal of your choice. Rub your sketch so it smudges. 

Post reading activity: Have you ever been left home alone? If so write about what you did. If not, write about what you would do if you were to be left home alone. 

Overall I think this book had great illustrations, however the story itself I found to be difficult for children. The vocabulary and length of the story did not match the age level of the pictures or intended age group.