# data[].attributes.body
One of the first things that you told me Steven was that you like playing sports. I read this as a read aloud for you and I wanted you to think about reading words in groups and this book has short sentences that helped with that idea. There are three more books with Mo that has him playing other sports that I think you would love as well.

# data[].attributes.body
This book is from the Elephant and Piggie book series and we never got to read them together, I am sure that you will love it. Elephant is trying to teach Piggie how to throw a ball but Piggie does not want to listen. Other than the sports theme, this book will also help with reading words in groups.

# data[].attributes.headline
We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

# data[].attributes.subject
We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

# data[].attributes.body
This book about baseball has great illustrations that will help to connect to the words you read on the page. It is about a time in America when they thought it was OK to separate people by their color of their skin.

# data[].attributes.body
I know that we spoke about Michael Jordan one time and I read this book not too long ago. Did you know that Michael Jordan wanted to give up playing basketball? This story will tell you about the way his mother, Deloris who also wrote the book, helped to keep him working hard on playing basketball. And I want you to continue working hard on school and never give up on reading.

# data[].attributes.body
This book is both for learning and fun. This book demonstrates rhyming patterns and also explains words that are connected to football from A-Z. You might even see some words that we learned like goalposts and end zones.

# data[].attributes.headline
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen  Cronin

# data[].attributes.subject
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen  Cronin

# data[].attributes.body
I am pretty sure that cows can not speak, but did you think that they could type? Well this book has a farmer who has cows that type up what they want from the farmer. This book is great for identifying short vowel sounds and matches your love for animals.

# data[].attributes.body
This book is not written by Dr. Seuss but it does have some of our friends from his books like the Cat in the Hat and Norval the Fish. This book is perfect for working on your vowel sounds like short o and short a as well as vowel pairs that we worked on like ea. It does not hurt that it has many animals in it too, I know you love animals.

# data[].attributes.body
This book is filled with rhymes, vowel pairs, and long vowel sounds. The rhyming helps to strengthen your understanding of the vowels and the way they sound when you read them.

# data[].attributes.headline
Kate and Nate Are Running Late! by Kate Egan

# data[].attributes.subject
Kate and Nate Are Running Late! by Kate Egan

# data[].attributes.body
Maybe you can tell by the name of the book, but this story is about being late. And does a good job of showing how the long a vowel sounds and is written.

# data[].attributes.body
I could not finish this list without this book. You told me from day 1 how much you like Dr. Seuss books and this one is great to read and helps with all kinds of vowel sounds. Sam-I-am asks "Do you like green eggs and ham? In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? You probably never knew that Dr. Seuss was teaching us these vowel sounds the whole time.

# data[].attributes.headline
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero 

# data[].attributes.subject
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero 

# data[].attributes.body
This story is about a girl named Daisy who waits for her Papi to get home from work so that he can take her on a ride on his motorcycle. She gets to explore her neighborhood and the awesome pictures guide us through what she sees and feels.

# data[].attributes.body
I wanted to read this book to you because it has great illustrations and it allows you to use your imagination which I think is the best part of reading a story. You can activate prior knowledge, we spent time learning about this during a lesson, and you can use your imagination to be part of the story.

# data[].attributes.headline
When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop

# data[].attributes.subject
When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop

# data[].attributes.body
You surprised me when you told me about what rapping was. It is not that I did not think you liked hip hop music, it was that you sounded like you had recorded music before because you knew how rappers made songs. This book goes back in time to when it all started in the Bronx, New York. Along with the words, the pictures help to tell the story of what was being created.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China

# data[].attributes.subject
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China

# data[].attributes.body
This is book is not your regular Red Riding Hood book and that is what makes this story great. The story seems to be backwards with the wolf coming to the house of Shang, Tao, and Paotze instead of being at Grandma or Po Po as they call her in the story, house. I would ask a grown up to read this as a read aloud because some of the names can be tough to read.

# data[].attributes.headline
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

# data[].attributes.subject
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

# data[].attributes.body
Have you ever heard someone say "no two snowflakes are alike"? Mr. Wilson Bentley, or Snowflake Bentley as he is called in the book is the man that found out how true that saying is. Other than getting more information on snowflakes, the illustrations in the book were not drawn like a picture, they are cut into wood and used like a stamp to make the pictures. Remember the pictures help us to understand what is going on in the book.

# data[].attributes.headline
These books have no words in them, and that is OK. Many times while I did read alouds or while you read I asked you to use the illustrations to help you understand what was going on. These books take that a step farther and you create the story using the pictures. 

# data[].attributes.subject
These books have no words in them, and that is OK. Many times while I did read alouds or while you read I asked you to use the illustrations to help you understand what was going on. These books take that a step farther and you create the story using the pictures. 

# data[].attributes.body
Living in Florida we have many chances to go to the beach. This book has pictures about  the beach, the ocean, and the things that live in and around the ocean. You can practice your vocabulary and maybe try and name as many fish as you can from the pictures.

# data[].attributes.body
Seems that Mr. Weisner likes to create books with no words. That is great for you because it means that you have another chance to make the story how you see it, and it is about sports which should help you to create a home run story.

# data[].attributes.headline
Once Upon a Banana by Jennifer Armstrong

# data[].attributes.subject
Once Upon a Banana by Jennifer Armstrong

# data[].attributes.body
Can I tell you a secret? This book is not really wordless. There are some words and I will let you find out what they mean when you read it but the story you make from this book will have to include a monkey and a banana. To me that already sounds funny and I am sure that you can make a hilarious story from this.

# data[].attributes.body
When I was about your age I loved the way that Tomie dePaola drew the pictures in his books. It was like he could talk using those books. As you read through this book and create your own story, think about how the pictures help you to put the words you choose together.

# data[].attributes.body
Have you ever written on the sidewalk with chalk? This picture book follows three children, about the same age as you, as they find a magic piece of chalk and go on an adventure. The adventure you create is as good as you can imagine it to be.

# data[].attributes.body
This book is also a poem. Or is it a poem that is also a book? Either way, I know you enjoy reading and this poem book will help you to get into the mood to keep reading. That is my ultimate goal, for you to keep on reading.

# data[].attributes.headline
Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices by Georgia Heard

# data[].attributes.subject
Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices by Georgia Heard

# data[].attributes.body
Animals and poems are two things that nobody can say they don't like. Maybe that is not true but I know you like animals so I wanted to take a look at this collection of poems. I am sure you could read them by yourself but it works best when someone else can help you. Maybe your big brother can give it a read with you. Let me know if you have a chance to try it.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

# data[].attributes.subject
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

# data[].attributes.body
If you cannot decide on one writer of poetry or one type of poetry, this book will give you enough options to read a poem every day for a year and not read the same one twice. The illustrations are great as well and you know what I have said about the illustrations in a story (Hint: they help you understand your reading better). Mr. Jack Prelutsky is a name you should remember when it comes to poetry and he picked all the poems in this book so it has to be awesome.

# data[].attributes.headline
The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

# data[].attributes.subject
The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

# data[].attributes.body
In case you do not want to read a poem everyday for a year, this book has less and are pretty funny too. You can read about Gloopy Gloopers and Baloney Belly Billy just to name a few. The new kid on the block wants to let everyone know how tough he is. Keep an eye out for vowel sounds too, this book is filled with them.

# data[].attributes.headline
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

# data[].attributes.subject
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

# data[].attributes.body
This was one of my favorite books to read as a kid. I did not know it was poetry when I was your age. It was just fun stories that had a lot of rhyming in the sentences. My favorite was Eighteen Flavors. I would read it and picture all the different flavors of ice cream that the poem describes. I will let you read it to find out what the ending to that one is.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

# data[].attributes.subject
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

# data[].attributes.body
Many people have tried to stop this book from being read. Some of the poems like The Sitter, which is about a woman who thinks babysitting is about sitting on babies, sound weird or just plain crazy. Important? tells us about how the capital letter G is important but that letter wants to argue about this. No matter what the poems are about, they help us to improve our reading and improve our vocabulary. Ask a parent if they think it is OK to read or maybe have them read it to you and see how good these stories are.

# data[].attributes.body
I included this book for a few reasons. One is because you have told me that you enjoy Dr. Seuss. Another is that many people feel this is a great book to learn how to segment words. The last reason is because some people do not think that this book should be read by young students. I will say that you can have an adult read the book first and they can let you know what they feel about it.

# data[].attributes.body
Before Mom get's upset about this book being in the list, remind her that everyone does it. When we were having class on Zoom, it could have happened, it can happen when you are sleeping. Animals do it and that is exactly what this book is about. You will find a lot of information about animals and why they pass gas. Maybe you can teach her something new you learned.

# data[].attributes.body
It looks like a comic book but it reads like a comic book. Wait what? It is a comic book series about the DC Comic group called Teen Titans but they are in elementary school, just like you. The series follows them at their school and the events that happen during their school day.  Just as you would a picture book, use the illustrations to help you understand the story and to help you word on vocabulary words that you may come across.

# data[].attributes.body
The illustrations in this book are so good that even with the words in the book you could make up as many stories as you wanted, at that is both fun and educational. Speaking of the illustrations, be careful. There is one picture that has the boy in the story with no clothes on. Other than that the adventure that he goes on will have you lost in the world this story creates.

# data[].attributes.body
You can always go to your school library to find these books but there are other ways to have these books that can be helpful especially how things are going on now. Through the Hillsborough County Library you have access to websites like Axis 360, Overdrive, and Tumblebooks, and a website called GetEpic.com is another way that you can read books online. That is how I was able to share the books with Steven for our classes.