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Another Robert Munsch book here :) (Illustrated not by Michael Martchenko - although I love his work - but by Eugenie Fernandes)

Ribbon Rescue tells the story of Jillian, who is heading to a wedding in a brand-new ribbon dress made for her by her grandmother. Along the way she runs into other guests or members of the wedding party who are in trouble, and she gives up her ribbons and her time to help them. She arrives disheveled and with no ribbons left, and the usher tells her she can't come in. Then the bride and groom arrive and tell her not only to come in, but that they need a flower girl. She accepts and does it with a huge smile on her face, and everyone agrees she was the best looking guest there.

The art is both pretty and funny, and the story is so sweet. I think the ending appealed to my sense of justice and my spirit-of-the-law thinking - while the man at the door saw only her appearance and rules, everyone else saw someone who deserved most to be there.

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Author: Suzanne Lang
Illustrator: Max Lang

All Kids of Families celebrates non-traditional and traditional families. It follows a "Some children have one mom, some children have two dads" kind of style, using animals representing each family. It is a simple book that can open up conversations about the types of families of which children are raised.

This is a book that means a lot to me, not as a child, but as a parent. I have a non-traditional family and love reading this to my daughter. Growing up in a "traditional family", these conversation didn't come up.

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Emily Atkinson

Author and Illustrator: Jerry Smath

But No Elephants chronicles Grandma Tildy agreeing to taking in several different animals as pets but insisting on no elephants. When she finally agrees to take the elephant into her home in the dead of winter he eats all of the food and falls right through the floor. Through the hole in the floor the elephant starts to walk and carries Grandma Tildy’s house and all the animals to somewhere warm and tropical.

I loved this book as a child because of all the animals that Grandma Tildy lived with. The animals all help Grandma Tildy in one way or another and the illustrations are colourful and happy. My copy of this book belonged to a family member and I always felt comforted reading it at home.

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Navjeet Kaur

Author: Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Michael Martchenko

“I have to go!” tells the story of a little boy named Andrew who goes to pay an overnight visit to his grandparents. Andrew's father asks him if he needs to pee before they leave home, and he responds no. His father asks again, and Andrew takes a firm stand, noting that he has sworn never to go pee again. The family gets into the car, and after about a minute, Andrew cries out that he needs to pee! His father pulls over and Andrew goes pee behind a bush. When he arrives at his grandparents' house, Andrew, like clockwork, is asked by his father before playing out and going to bed if he needs to go to the toilet, replies no, and then just moments after yells that he needs to pee.

Robert Munsch was one of my favourite authors as a child. His books were silly, easy to follow, and often played on universal childhood experiences. This book in specific took something that I could relate to as a child (being pestered by your parents to use the bathroom before leaving the house or going to bed) and added a humorous spin to it. The illustrations were also quite comical and colourful which made the book engaging. The majority of Robert Munsch's books were available at my school's library, so I regularly checked them out to bring home to read.

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Shannon Pelisek

Author: Audrey Penn

Illustrator: Ruth E. Harper & Nancy M. Leak

“The Kissing Hand” is a book about a mother raccoon and her cub, who is dealing with some anxiety about starting school for the first time. To give her cub some reassurance, she introduces the idea of the ‘kissing hand’ by kissing her cubs paw and reminded them to push their paw to their cheek if they are every feeling worried or anxious.

I was especially drawn to this book as a kid since I dealt with much anxiety going to school. My mom used to read me this book every night and we developed our own version of ‘the kissing hand’ to help me when I started school. Being the oldest child, I was the first to do a lot of things, so sometimes it felt like I was walking into situations blindly. Also, being a total ‘momma’s girl’, it definitely was reassuring to have that same to connection to my mom as the raccoon cub did in the book. The storyline behind the book is incredibly comforting and can be used as a tool for helping young ones combat any anxieties that may be overwhelming them.

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Jonnathan Leong-Sem

Title: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

Author: Jon Scieszka

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Alexander T. Wolf recounts the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs from his own perspective while he sits in jail for the crimes he is accused of committing. The story goes that A. Wolf was baking with his Granny but needed some sugar. Seeking a cup of sugar from his neighbour who lived in a straw house, the Wolf sneezes due to being sick with a cold and accidentally blows down the first pig’s house. A similar scenario unfolds with pig #2, who lives in a house of sticks. Frustrated by the rudeness of the third, brick-house-dwelling pig, Mr. Wolf is caught banging on the door of the house when the cops show up to arrest the Wolf for destroying the homes of the previous two pigs.

What I liked about this book is that it was a very funny, creative twist on the classic story that was originally told to me. I liked the idea of there being an explanation of sorts for why the wolf would do such a thing. I really felt like I could relate to the wolf because I, like the Wolf, had been reprimanded for things that were misunderstood or taken out of context. I felt happy that the Wolf was able to tell his side of the story, something that people don’t always get to do when they feel misunderstood.

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Zak Campbell

Author: Laura Numeroff
Illustrator: Felicia Bond

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” is about a young boy that comes upon a mouse outside his house. The mouse asks if he can have a cookie and the boys says yes. This continues throughout the day as the mouse asks for many more things after he finishes his cookie. He probably asks for about nine or ten things and the last thing leads him to asking for a cookie again.

I read this book in elementary and I liked it because it was kind of silly and was about a mouse and a cookie. It was also easy to understand and read.

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Written by Daniel Handler, under the pen name Lemony Snicket, and illustrated by Brett Helquist, A Series of Unfortunate Events is not, strictly speaking, a picture book. Nor is it *a* book, but rather a series of 13 children's novels. It details the story of the three young Baudelaire orphans who lost their parents in a fire, and their cruel relative Count Olaf who is determined to get his hands on their inheritance through any means necessary. This is presented as if it were an account of real-world events: Lemony Snicket is a character in-universe with connections to the Baudelaires, he describes at various points the research he has done to piece together their story as well as the lengths to which he has gone to get it published. Make no mistake though, there is no mistaking this series for a piece of non-fiction, even at a young age. It is a Gothic, absurdist, sarcastic work of art. It explores many social and moral issues, as well as the trials of growing up. It also explores gruesome murder attempts for fun and money. There's a lot going on here.
When I first started thinking about this assignment last week, I had an incredibly difficult time coming up with what to write about. At first the problem was with the initial prompt: picture books? I haven't been able to come up with strong memories about ANY picture books from my youth. By the time I entered into Kindergarten I already felt that I had thoroughly "outgrown" picture books, you would have a big fight on your hands if you tried to get me to pick one up in my free time, and if we had a class activity with one I would complain that it was beneath me. My Kindergarten teacher discouraged students from reading in their leisure time, but by 1st grade I was definitely reading novels in the classroom.
Once I realised that coming up with a picture bok just wouldn't be true to my own life experiences I found myself struggling with an opposite problem: how do I pick just ONE thing to present? I was a voracious reader from a very early age, I tore through most books incredibly fast and LOVED every minute of it. I could quickly come up with many series I loved as a child and have very fond memories of, some of which I have come back to as an adult and some of which I have not. So, some honourable mentions and the year I first started reading them go to the following series: Little House on the Prairie (age 6), Artemis Fowl (age 8) and Inkspell (age 8).
I first started reading A Series of Unfortunate Events when I was 7. It was my mom who found it initially, reading the first book and then recommending it to me, but my dad was the one who truly ENJOYED them and so he became my discussion partner for the majority of the series. He took me out to the cinema when the movie came out. We made predictions about the later books together while we waited for them to come out. And when Netflix released their adaptation, we made a point of watching it together when I'd visit home.
These books have shaped a lot of my humour, as well as some of my views on the world at large. I believe they stand up to the passage of time, and are worth reading as an adult as well. They can provide something different to a wide range of developmental levels. Of course, I wouldn't necessarily recommend introducing them into a 2nd grade classroom curriculum. Leave THAT decision up to the parents.

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Love You Forever is a book about a mother's relationship with her son. It follows them throughout the different stage's of the boy's lives (infant, child, teenager, an adult dealing with his mother's death and a father). During each stage of the boy's life, his mother sings him a lullaby. When the boy's mother is old and dying, he sings the same lullaby to her and then starts singing it to his own baby.

I loved all Robert Munsch books when I was a child. I think I liked this particular book so much because it reminded me of my relationship with my grandmother, who I've always been super close with.

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Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

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Jamie Demers

Where the Wild Things Are is a book about a boy, Max, who goes on an adventure. He first gets in trouble and get's sent to his room. He escapes his room to the forest and sails off where he goes off to a distant land where the wild things are. He is not scared of them and becomes king of the wild things, the wildest thing of them all. He plays and becomes friends with the wild things, before eventually smelling some food and wanting to return home. The wild things are sad, but Max knows he has to go back. He sails back home to find dinner, and maybe he'll return to see his wild thing friends another time.

I remember my mom reading this to me and my brother, and me reading it by myself. remember relating to Max, I realize now the idea of the story and the dreams that the kid does. I like dreaming, and I think as a kid that's why I related. I wanted to dream my way to a distant place like this, a nice getaway where I could do and be whatever I wanted.

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Elvin Girineza

Author/Illustrator: Jeff Smith

This 9-book comic series tells the tale of the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, who are run out of Boneville, their hometown. They eventually make their way into a forest inhabited by strange creatures. In the lands they discover, they meet new people and go on wild adventures. However, the valley is threatened by the Lord of the Locusts and his army of rat creatures. It's up to Fone Bone and his friends to save the day.

This book series was always available in the libraries of every elementary school I went to. I moved a lot and didn't always feel like I could make friends because I looked so different from everyone else. But in this series, all these wildly different creatures find family with each other, and they go through experiences full of entertaining action and adventure. No matter how many times I changed schools, the next book in the series would always be waiting for me, and it was that continuity in my life that helped me hold expand my reading interests into fantasy novels like Percy Jackson.

It was generally lighthearted but occasionally the illustrations included mature themes so I definitely feel like it's something I could still enjoy today when compared to other books I've read aimed at children.

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Conor Bradshaw

Author: Charles Perrault
Illustrator: Olga Zakharova

I'm pretty sure you've heard this one, but... Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Ella who is treated as a maid by her evil stepmother and jealous stepsisters. Cinderella wears rags and has no way of getting to the castle for the prince's ball, but her Fairy Godmother casts a spell giving her a gown and glass slippers and sends her in a pumpkin-turned-carriage. At midnight, the spell breaks and Cindy runs for it but loses one of her slippers. The prince uses it to find her and they live happily ever after.

I've always loved drawing, so art and illustrations that had lovely colours and vivid detail really caught my eye!

I also loved fairy tales. I love how these stories are so ancient but transcend time and get retold and remodeled over and over for generations. Cinderella was close to my heart because she is so gentle with animals. She's also an example to any child who's been bullied because her story shows how insecure people often try to keep someone down because they're afraid that person is special! If you stay true to who you are, you will be okay.

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The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body

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The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body

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Iseah Montgiraud

Author: Joanna Cole

Illustrator: Bruce Degen

This book is about a teacher (Ms. Frizzle) who set out to take a field trip with her students to a science museum to learn about the human body. Other than a student named Arnold, Ms. Frizzle and her students entered their school bus to attend the museum.  The field trip took a sudden turn when Ms. Frizzle accidentally shrunk the school bus and entered Arnolds body. While they were inside of Arnolds body, the students were able to learn about the digestive system, blood cells, and how the body used food for energy.

In grade school, my teacher used this book as a reference in her science class.

What attracted me to this book, was that there was a TV show that brought us a visual to this book, which catered to my learning style. It made science enjoyable, while giving me an introduction to the human body at the same time.

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What is literacy... what is text... when put down and made to fear learning...

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Author: Brian Jacques
Illustrator: Troy Howell

You may be thinking, "this is not a picture book", and to that I say, no, in fact it is a dense peace of art riveling even Charles Dickens wordy nonsense  — and just as beautiful. While I could go on about this book in its intended consumability, that would not be my elementary school years experience with it.

While I kept explicit details out this may be hard for some to read.

In elementary school reading was something to be feared for me, I head a reading disability and it was my fault for being extra work and not progressing fast enough. I foolheartedly believed it was my fault from the moment I was in grade 2 and screamed at by my teacher for struggling to spell my last name -- I was mixing whether it ended in 'er' or 're'.

Every time I was forced to read it was the same stream of conciseness.

"Am I going to get yelled at again?
Are they going to say you are not trying?
Would my arm be held like a vice grip while being told "you need to start trying" sometimes with a threatening or else tacked on for good measure."

and then I would disassociate for various lengths of time to feel some sort of safety.

Because of this I did not touch books willingly, till the first time I went into a library in grade 6. I saw the line up of gold and cracked spines. The book covers of Redwall were a source of adventure and excitement, I will never forget as a child just staring at the covers and dreaming up stories in those fantastical environments. The Redwall covers were my gateway into literature.

I was torn on whether I would share this experience, but working in alternative schools I have come across youth who have been traumatized in the public system  with similar situations to my experience. So I felt that this was an experience worth sharing even if shortened.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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Author Margaret Wise Brown Pictures by Clement Hurd

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Goodnight Moon - Melanie Tranter's Favourite Book

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Goodnight Moon - Melanie Tranter's Favourite Book

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Little rabbit is all tucked in, getting ready for a good night's rest. Good night moon sets little rabbit off to dreamland with a gentle calming and serene poem like story. The story is not long or doesn't use many words, and the combination of images, rhyme and stillness evoke a peacefulness every time I read this book.

I remember reading this book as a young girl and feeling so safe, calm and cared for. I recently reconnected to this story after having my children. Now I find myself reading it to them at bedtime and am reminded of when I was young. I can sense those same feelings of warmth, safety and calmness when reading this book. For example, the picture of the fire place feels warm and cozy, the grandma knitting in the corner evokes a feeling of love and care, the dark rich colours all evoke a sense of deep peace within me that I can feel and sense just as I did when I was a young girl.

I like that there aren't many words. The imagery is really powerful and creates a story all by itself. The few words really do allow for my young imagination to take over, almost like a soft lullaby to guide me off into dreamland. Reading this book while in bed or tucked in cozy clothes, wearing slippers with a hot tea or milk in a dark lit room really enhances the story and I think, helps the reader connect to those feelings of calmness perhaps intended by the author.

CBC recently published an article about that explores why after 75 years, this books is still a top choice for young readers and parents today.  Here is a link to the article: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/goodnight-moon-75-year-anniversary-1.6587885

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Rachel Breen

Author: Robert Munsch

Illustrator: Michael Martchenko

Mortimer is about young boy being put to bed one night. However, instead of falling asleep Mortimer decides to sing a song out loud about not going to sleep. His song gets the attention of his father, who comes up the stairs, goes to Mortimer’s room and tells him "Mortimer, be quiet!" Mortimer agrees, but as soon as his father goes back down stairs, Mortimer continues his song. This happens again and again, with Mortimer’s siblings and even the police coming into his room telling him to be quiet. Nothing seems to be getting Mortimer to stop singing, which has caused everyone else in the house to begin arguing with each. Since everyone is occupied by arguing, no one checks in on Mortimer for a while, so the book ends with Mortimer falling asleep.

As a child I loved reading and having Robert Munsch books read to me. I loved seeing all the illustrations with their bright colours. However, I think what really drew me to Robert Munsch books was the theatrical themes that came with them. For example, in this book you could interact with the story by stomping your feet every time someone was going up or down the stairs, since that was always written as “thump, thump, thump” or sing along to Mortimer’s song. While I enjoyed reading these kinds of books at school, my fondest memories of Robert Munsch books were when we read them at home because of the production my mom would make out of encouraging me and my younger siblings to interact along with the stories.

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Adrian Thomson

Author & Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

This book, put simply, is about a boy's relationship with a tree. It follows his interactions with this tree throughout the span of his life. The tree loves these experiences and wants to give the boy something with every interaction. As the boy ages though, the gifts granted by The Giving Tree start to evolve from abstract boons such as shade and a place to play to more material, consequential offerings. When the boy is very old, and he has reduced the tree to just a stump, he realizes that he is content just in the company of the tree.

I remember my parents reading this book to me in early elementary school. I liked the illustrations: they were very simplistic but reminded me of a specific tree I often climbed in my yard. My dad also always put specific voices to characters in the books he read to me, so that was enjoyable.

It's hard to say how I felt about the story at a young age right now, though. The memories I have toward this book have always been extremely positive, so I must have liked it. Upon re-reading (or rather, re-listening to) this book, I realized that this story is a lot deeper than I believed it to be at first. There are lots of ways a reader can interpret this book, which makes it a good book for students to read in my opinion.

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Nate Siydock

Author & Illustrator: Marc Brown

I was completely enamoured by this little aardvark and his friends. It's hard for me to choose a favourite book from this collection because I loved every one. I used to watch the show every morning before school and after school I would rent as many as I could from our library to take home with me.

For anyone who doesn't know, the collection chronicles the adventures of eight-year-old Arthur through engaging, emotional life stories that explore issues faced by real kids, like friendship, loyalty, and kindness, telling these stories from a kid's point of view without moralizing or talking down.

The books also did a great job of explaining to a certain degree, a level of moral reasoning. So topics like empathy, difference between right and wrong, and learning from your mistakes. All essential as children are learning to navigate their social relationships.

My 3 year old niece is starting to get into the tv show and I've watched a few episodes with her. She only watches because she loves animals. But even today, it is so informative about real word problems and certain issues that are happening around us. More specifically, bi-racial couples, gay weddings, divorced parents, and even death. It seems like the writing has evolved to coincide with the changing landscape of social issues.

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Chris Elaou

Author: Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Michael Martchenko

This story by Robert Munsch is about two kindergarten students, Jeremiah and Amanda. They both had issues sharing during class when it came to books, paint, and even toys such as building blocks. One of them would always be using something the other wanted and it usually ended in a big mess. The kindergarten teacher wanted to teach a valuable lesson and told them that in kindergarten we share EVERYTHING!

Jeremiah and Amanda took the teacher's words quite literally and began to share everything, from shoes to pants and entire outfits. The teacher was astonished yet confused at the same time because she originally meant that they needed to share classroom supplies and stuff like that. They both showed each other and their classmates that it could be fun to share. By the end of the book, the entire class began to share EVERYTHING!

When I was younger and in elementary school, I used to always gravitate towards Robert Munsch picture books. I remember one of the reasons why I was attracted to his books was his funny cover illustrations. The illustrations in this book were full of colour and always made me laugh because they portrayed feelings/emotions so well. The content itself about sharing did in fact resonate with me because I always had trouble getting along with other kids when I was younger due to being shy and whatnot, and learning how fun sharing could be through this book allowed me to start sharing as a way to make friends and meet new people in a fun way.

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The Rainbow Fish - Caleigh Tracy's Book Submission

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The Rainbow Fish - Caleigh Tracy's Book Submission

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Author and Illustrator: Marcus Pfister

The Rainbow Fish is a story about a fish with beautiful, shiny scales. The other fish think his scales are so beautiful that they ask him to share the scales with them. At first he refuses to share his scales because they are his prize possessions and he feels he couldn't be happy without them. His inability to share results in the other fish avoiding him. Eventually, he shares one of his scales with another fish and seeing how happy his scale makes the fish, makes him happy too! He keeps sharing his scales with other fish until he only has one left but he finds that he is happy without them.

What initially drew my attention to this book as a child were the bright, colorful and shiny illustrations. I often read this book at home with my parents and also at my babysitters house so I now associate it with happy memories and feelings of comfort. It's a great story about the value of sharing with others, and I think it's a great book for young people!

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The Berenstain Bears - No Girls Allowed - Shelby's book

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The Berenstain Bears - No Girls Allowed - Shelby's book

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Authors and Illustrators: Stan and Jan Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears series were my favourite books when I was younger, I read every one probably about 3 times at least. In this one specifically, Sister is playing a bunch of games with Brother and his friends. She becomes better and better until she starts beating them in everything. She becomes a sore winner and the boys spend a few days without her. She wonders where the boys went and she comes across their new treehouse with a sign that says "Bear Country Boys' Club, No Girls Allowed". Sister, feeling hurt, then makes her own club with a treehouse and wants to put a "no boys allowed" sign. Mama stops her by telling her two wrongs don't make a right. Sister has a BBQ and the smell makes its way to the boys' club. Sister invites the boys in for the BBQ then the boys invite Sister and her friends to their club for some berries for dessert.

I loved this book when I was younger because in my family I was the youngest with a bunch of older boys. I was very competitive and wanted to beat them in everything. I also remember I wanted to have a tree house like Sisters'.

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A Promise Is A Promise - Alex Kennedy's Submission

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A Promise Is A Promise - Alex Kennedy's Submission

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Authors: Michael Kusugak & Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Vladyana Krykorka

A Promise Is A Promise is a story about a young Inuit girl
named Allashua who promised her mother to not go on the sea ice by herself because an Inuit creature called the Qallupilluit would drag her under the ice. Allashua believed her mother made up that story to warn her to stay off the ice, which she ignored and went on the ice anyway. Sure enough, as soon as she went on the ice she was grabbed by the creatures and pulled under the water. She ended up making a promise with the Qallupilluit to let her go home in exchange she would give them her siblings. In the end through trickery by the family Allashua was able to keep her promise to the Qallupilluit and without any of her siblings getting captured. Afterwards Allashua kept her promise with her mother and never went on the ice again.

As a child the artwork of the book is what attracted me to read it first. I really enjoyed the usage of the vibrant and cold colours of the marine blues, aqua greens, and purples to illustrate the beauty and frigidness of the Canadian Arctic environment that the story took place in. Also, a story about mystical creatures intrigued me because as a child I was very much into the fantasy category of non-fiction stories. As well it was cool learning about stories that were different than the ones my parents told or read to me.

Growing up I usually read books at night before I went to sleep, it was part of my nighttime ritual. I enjoyed reading quietly in bed so that I could focus and indulge myself into the story without distractions. Plus there is nothing better than reading a good story all cozy and warm in a soft bed.

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Author: Wu Chengen

Illustrator: I don’t know.

There are four greatest classic novels in China. Journey to the West is always the first to be introduced to kids. Gao Lao Zhuang is a famous story from the Journey to the West. It introduces how Zhu Bajie became the third disciple of monk Xuanzang to protect Xuanzang travelling to the west to obtain Buddhist sacred texts.

I found this book in an old book market during a summer holiday while I was in primary school. It was a small ancient Chinese style book telling a traditional story. Although the illustrations were just in black and white and the papers became yellow, the vivid drawings and the gripping plots really interested me. When I went back to school, I shared the book with my classmates since many of them were also interested in traditional Chinese culture and literacy. They all loved it, too!

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Author: Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Michael Martchenko

Smelly Socks is the story of a little girl who gets a pair of fantastic new socks and vows to never take them off again. She wears them day after day until the stench is so terrible that her classmates drag her down to a river and wash her socks for her.

This was one of my favourite picture books as a child because it was silly; the idea of a girl's socks smelling so bad that geese fall from the sky as they fly over was hilarious. As in most of Robert Munsch's books, there is also an element of repetition which made it easy for me to read along with as I quickly memorized the repeated words. The illustrations were also amazing, full of bright colours and animated facial expressions which made the story even more attractive.

This story was fun to read alone, but even better when read by a teacher to the class. As students, our teacher had us chant all of the repeated sections, which was a great way to increase our interaction with the text.

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Author: Julie Lawson
Illustrator: Brian Deines

This book is about a bear that smells grain as he comes down a mountain, and follows his nose into a grain car on a train. A boy sees him and tries to wake him, but the bear falls asleep and hibernates in the train. It is not until spring, where the bear wakes up to the smell of fresh vegetation, that he stumbles out of the train car.

I loved reading this book as an elementary student because the art was gorgeous and it always made me feel cozy reading it. I really liked the imagery as I read the book, and would often find myself staring at the pages. I loved bears as a kid (it is my favourite animal), and that's why I picked it up.

I usually read the book at home alone, that way I could take my time reading it and not be distracted or bothered!

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The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

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The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

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Author: Jon Scieszka

Illustrator: Lane Smith

The Stinky Cheese Man is a rather large collection of illustrated stories that pokes fun at and parodies a number of famous children’s tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Cinderella”, and “The Ugly Duckling”.

I really enjoyed this book when I was younger because it was quite the oddball of a picture book; it turned a lot of the stories my peers and I grew up hearing on their heads and taught us all about comedy, satire, sarcasm, and the like. At my elementary school, we had a 70s-style conversation pit in our library where we would have daily reading time and it was like our own little clubhouse. Listening to our teacher read this book while giggling with friends and classmates in the library was always the highlight of my day!