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1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Beatrix Potter 1901 (Fantasy Fiction)

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1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Beatrix Potter 1901 (Fantasy Fiction)

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In The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter is a naughty bunny who ignores his mother's rules and looks for adventure by wandering into a garden. He snacks on carrots and other treats but when the owner of the garden catches him he locks the rabbit in the garden. Peter is trapped in the garden and looks for other animals to point him in the direction of the gate. He eventually gets out of the garden and never disobeys his mom again. The explicit theme is to listen to people's advice and not ignore what they have to say. An underlying theme is karma because after the rabbit did something wrong he saw an immediate consequence to his actions which taught him that he should do the right thing even if no one is paying attention.

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2. The Velveteen Rabbit: Margery Williams Illustrated by William Nicholson 1922 (Fiction)

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2. The Velveteen Rabbit: Margery Williams Illustrated by William Nicholson 1922 (Fiction)

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The Velveteen Rabbit is a story about a stuffed rabbit that is given to a boy on Christmas. The other toys are mean to him because he is only made out of velveteen and isn’t wind up and doesn’t have any moving parts. The only toy that is nice to him is the old stuffed horse. He explains to the rabbit that the toys that are mean to him won’t last as long as him, because their gears will break and they will rust, but he will last a long time. Long enough to be loved by the boy and eventually become real. In the book there is a theme of love and an underlying theme of self realization. Love is the meaning of life for the toys, because without the love of the children the toys don’t serve a purpose. Throughout the book the Rabbit is on a journey to find itself and understand why it is who it is, and in the end love is what gives him his purpose.

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3. The Little Engine that Could: Watty Piper Illustrated by George and Doris Hauman 1930 (Fairytale)

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3. The Little Engine that Could: Watty Piper Illustrated by George and Doris Hauman 1930 (Fairytale)

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The Little Engine that Could is a story about a train who is carrying toys and food for the children in the town, but it broke down right at the base of a big hill. The toys asked all the trains that passed to help them get up the hill but none of them said yes, even though it would be easy for most of them to help. Finally a very little blue engine said she would help, even though she had never gone up the hill and wasn’t sure if she could. She kept repeating to herself “I think I can” until she was all the way up the mountain! The book includes an explicit theme of resilience, and believing in yourself and an implicit theme of motivation because the train used the boys and girls from the town to motivate herself to make it up the hill. The book includes beautiful illustrations, personification, and repetition.

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4. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel: Virginia Lee Burton 1939 (Fiction)

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4. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel: Virginia Lee Burton 1939 (Fiction)

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Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is about a man named Mike Mulligan who works with his steam shovel, Mary Anne, on various different jobs. Eventually other types of shovels are invented and steam shovels become obsolete, even though Mike claims that he and Mary Anne could dig faster than 100 men. They end up leaving the city and going to a small town in search of a job. When they get there Mike tells the mayor that he will dig a cellar for their new town hall in a day, and if they don’t the mayor won’t have to pay them. More and more people show up to watch Mike and his steam shovel work and that makes them dig faster and faster. They end up digging so fast that they finish in a day, but they forget to leave a way out. Mary Anne is then converted into a furnace and Mike Mulligan becomes the janitor for the new city hall. This story has an explicit theme of motivation, as Mary Anne and Mike Mulligan dig faster when they have a larger audience. There is also an implicit theme of changing technology, as the steam shovels were being replaced by newer and more efficient models.

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5. Curious George: Margret Rey and H.A. Rey 1941 (Fiction)

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5. Curious George: Margret Rey and H.A. Rey 1941 (Fiction)

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Curious George is a book about a curious little monkey named George who is taken from his jungle by a man in a yellow hat and transported to a zoo in New York. Throughout his journey to the zoo he gets caught in a few pickles due to his curiosity. For example he tries to fly with the seagulls and accidentally jumps off a boat into the ocean. He doesn’t know how to act in his new surroundings, and once he gets to the zoo he feels at home. The explicit theme is curiosity, because George is always exploring new things in his new surroundings. There is an implicit theme of consequences, because George is always getting into trouble because of his actions.

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6. Make Way for Ducklings: Robert McCloskey 1941 (Realistic Fiction); Caldecott Medal Winner.

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6. Make Way for Ducklings: Robert McCloskey 1941 (Realistic Fiction); Caldecott Medal Winner.

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Make Way for Ducklings is a very nostalgic book for me. It takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, where I grew up. The story follows a family of ducklings as the parents try to find a suitable place to live. They end up in the Boston Common, where they live off of people’s kindness. Along the way they run into cyclists, cars, and police officers. This book is perfect for a first or second grade classroom, and can lead to conversation and discussion revolving around family. The book has themes of family and security, showing what parents or guardians do to keep their loved ones safe. The book also has an underlying theme of nature and more specifically how human action can affect animals and other aspects of nature.

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7. The Runaway Bunny: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Clement Hurd 1942 (Fiction)

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7. The Runaway Bunny: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Clement Hurd 1942 (Fiction)

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The book “The Runaway Bunny” is the story of a little bunny who is telling his mother how he plans to run away. He says he will turn into a fish, but then she tells him she will become a fisherman and trap him. He says he will become a sailboat and sail away, and she says she will become the wind and guide him. They continue this back and forth, until eventually he says he will become a little boy and run into a house, and she says she will become his mother and embrace him. He finally concludes that he should just stay put with her. There is a theme of motherly love throughout the book, as the little bunny’s mom continues to support him throughout all of the things he claims he will become. There is also an implicit theme of home, and no matter what the bunny becomes or where he goes, the mother follows and that is still their home. This shows that home isn’t necessarily a place, but being with people that you care about.

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8. Goodnight Moon: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Clement Hurd 1947 (Fiction)

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8. Goodnight Moon: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Clement Hurd 1947 (Fiction)

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Goodnight Moon is about a little kid going to bed and saying goodnight to everything in his room. The book uses a rhyme pattern and repetition throughout. The room is described in detail, and every part of the room pictured is mentioned. Then everything is stated again, as the boy says goodnight to everything. This book is very simple, and because of the repetition kids will easily be able to understand it. There is an explicit theme of caring because the little boy cares about all of the people and objects in and around his room, that is why he says goodnight to all of them. There is an implicit theme of routine, as the boy seems to do this right before he goes to bed and it can be assumed that he does this every night before he goes to sleep. This can help justify readers bedtime routines and make them understand what a routine is.

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9. The Important Book: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard 1949 (Fiction)

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9. The Important Book: Margaret Wise Brown Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard 1949 (Fiction)

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The Important Book is a very sweet book about the importance of different things in the world. The narrator talks about the importance of shoes, daisies, apples, wind, the sky. Brown uses repetition to show the different things that are important about each thing. By using repetition she makes it easy for young readers to understand what line is next even if they can’t read the words on the page. The final thing listed as important is the reader. Brown writes, “The important thing about you, is that you are you.” This leads to a very important implicit theme of self-esteem and knowing your self worth. The explicit theme is value and understanding the importance of all of the things around you.

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10. Cars, Trucks and Things that Go: Richard Scarry 1951 (Fiction)

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10. Cars, Trucks and Things that Go: Richard Scarry 1951 (Fiction)

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Cars, Trucks and Things that Go is a book that follows a family of pigs on a trip to the beach for a picnic. On their way there they pass by many different types of cars and trucks and other things that go, hence the name of the book, as well as mishaps such as nails across the road, a watermelon truck tipping over, or even snow covering the road. The illustrations are beautiful and whimsical, showing different animals driving different vehicles. The author engages the readers by asking them questions about the pictures, for example at one point there is a golf course with two golf balls hidden somewhere in the green. Themes of the book include transportation and an implicit theme of vacation as the end goal of the trip was for the family to take a vacation to the beach.

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11. Madeline’s Rescue: Ludwig Bemelmans 1953 (Realistic Fiction)

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11. Madeline’s Rescue: Ludwig Bemelmans 1953 (Realistic Fiction)

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In this book the author talks about a girl named Madeline who goes to a boarding school and gets into mischief. At one point on a walk she falls off a bridge into a river and a dog saves her while everyone else thought she was a goner. They decide to keep the dog and name her Genevive, but there is an inspection from the school board and the president makes them send Genevive away. After the inspectors leave, the girls rush back out in search of Genevive but they can’t find her anywhere. They go back to the dorms and go to bed, but then the teacher finds Genevive outside and she brings her back into the school. This story has an implicit theme of love as all of the girls love the dog, and are willing to defy the president of the school to keep her. There is also an explicit theme of family as the students and teacher make a sort of family since they live together and care for each other.

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12. Harold and the Purple Crayon: Crockett Johnson 1955 (Fantasy)

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12. Harold and the Purple Crayon: Crockett Johnson 1955 (Fantasy)

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Harold and the Purple Crayon is a story about a young boy, Harold, who is going on an adventure using his purple crayon to draw his surroundings. He walks along a road, and a meadow. He finds an apple tree and a dragon. He sails in a boat and eats pie, climbs a mountain, and even rides in a hot air balloon. The only limitation is his imagination. This leads to the explicit theme of creativity and imagination. Harold is able to make an entire world with just his ideas and his purple crayon. There is an implicit theme of self entertainment, as Harold is able to keep himself occupied and entertained by himself. He didn’t need anything other than the crayon to have a fun adventure and good story to tell.

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13. Inch by Inch: Leo Lionni 1960 (Realistic Fiction)

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13. Inch by Inch: Leo Lionni 1960 (Realistic Fiction)

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Inch by Inch is a Caldecott Honor Book from the 1960s. It follows an inchworm who is measuring things like blades of grass and other animals. This book has beautiful illustrations with distinct and unique textures and patterns, and can be tied into other subject areas such as math or science. There is an explicit theme of measurement and purpose, as the inch worm had a purpose of measuring things. The implicit theme has to do with relationships between animals. The nightingale threatens to eat the inchworm, but none of the other birds threatened this. You can use this in your classroom by looking at the different birds mentioned in the book, and researching their diets and habitats.

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14. The Snowy Day: Ezra Jack Keats 1962 (Realistic Fiction)

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14. The Snowy Day: Ezra Jack Keats 1962 (Realistic Fiction)

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The Snowy Day is a book that follows Peter, a young boy who wakes up to a snow day instead of school. Peter goes out into the snow and does a handful of things with the snow, like making snow angels, snowballs, paths with his feet, and climbing up big snowdrifts. He goes to bed that night afraid that the snow will melt while he sleeps but he wakes up to even more snow and does it all again. There is an explicit theme of adventure, as Peter sees all the snow as a new and exciting thing to do with endless possibilities. There is also an implicit theme of childhood innocence and creativity because Peter is able to entertain himself throughout the day using his imagination and the snow.

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15. Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendak 1963 (Fantasy)

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15. Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendak 1963 (Fantasy)

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Where the Wild Things Are is a picture book that follows the life of Max, a boy who is unhappy and feels misunderstood at home. He travels to the land of the Wild Things where he becomes king and vows to make a land where everyone is happy. But even being king he still does not feel right and decides to go home. There is an explicit theme of adventure as Max embarks on this trek and becomes king of an exotic group of creatures. There is also an implicit theme of independence, as Max is looking to make his own way in the world and be in charge of something. While in charge of the Wild Things he realizes it's not all it’s cracked up to be, and decides to go back home to be with the people that he loves most.

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16. The Giving Tree: Shel Silverstein 1964 (Fiction)

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16. The Giving Tree: Shel Silverstein 1964 (Fiction)

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The Giving Tree is a picture book best for younger readers because it has repetition and simple words and phrases on each page. The Giving Tree follows the life of a tree, and it's best friend who is a boy. Throughout the book the boy grows up and takes things from the tree such as its apples and its branches. By the end of the book the boy is an old man and no longer needs anything else and the tree finally gets what it wants which is just to be close to the boy. The main theme of the book is friendship and the underlying theme is sacrifice. The tree cared about the boy so much that it was willing to give up material things in order to make the boy happy.

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17. Kermit the Hermit: Bill Peet 1965 (Fiction)

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17. Kermit the Hermit: Bill Peet 1965 (Fiction)

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This book was a book I read a lot as a kid because my grandma loved Bill Peet (I also read Farewell to Shady Glade a lot). I remember reading it and wondering why Kermit was so mean at the beginning of the book. This book brought my first encounter with emotional intelligence and the value of friendship. Kermit was happy at the beginning of the story being alone, but once he met the boy he realized that he liked his life much more with people in it. You can use this in your classroom by asking your students who is important in their life, and who makes their life better for being in it. You could then decorate gold coins with messages on the back for the people that are important to them.

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Kermit the Hermit ~ Read Along with me Story Time

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18. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: Bill Martin, Jr. Illustrated by Eric Carle 1967 (Fiction)

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18. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: Bill Martin, Jr. Illustrated by Eric Carle 1967 (Fiction)

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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a book that lends itself great to young readers. The repetition helps kids who don’t know how to read, predict and understand the story. It goes about asking each animal what it sees, and they use color to describe the animal on the next page. There is an explicit theme of colors as that is the factor that differentiates all of the animals. It is used to describe every animal and can help teach young readers colors. There is an implicit theme of observation and learning because the animals use their observation skills to tell the reader who they see. Overall this book is great for young readers, and could be used to help teach colors and animals.

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19. Farewell to Shady Glade: Bill Peet 1966 (Fiction)

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19. Farewell to Shady Glade: Bill Peet 1966 (Fiction)

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Farewell to Shady Glade is a book about a group of animals who live in an area called shady glade, by a train track. One day they hear a loud booming noise and they look over the edge of a hill to see bulldozers flattening the forest on their way to shady glade. They decide to jump on a train and hitchhike to a different area. The train went into the city and the animals observed all of the stuff that humans are doing to the land around them. They then travel out of the city and towards more wooded areas. After 2 days of traveling the train stops in the middle of the woods and all the animals get off and find a place just like shady glade but without the threat of bulldozers. There is an explicit theme of conservation and the effect of human lifestyle on animals and nature. There is also an implicit theme of home and that home isn’t necessarily the place, but rather the people who you are with.

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20. Corduroy: Don Freeman 1968 (Fiction)

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20. Corduroy: Don Freeman 1968 (Fiction)

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Corduroy is the story of a stuffed bear who lives in a toy store and wants to be bought by a kid to live with. One day a little girl wants to buy him but her mother says that the bear is missing a button and is not new. Corduroy didn’t know that he was missing a button, so once the toy store was closed he went in search of his lost button. Unfortunately he is caught by a night watchman and was put back on his shelf before he could find his button. The store opens again and the same girl comes in and buys Corduroy with her very own money! She brings him home and he is very happy. In this book there is an explicit theme of home because throughout the book Corduroy's goal is to have a home to go to and people to love and care for him. There is also an explicit theme of self worth and loving yourself as you are because Lisa, the little girl, loved Corduroy despite his missing button and she told him that he was perfect just the way he was.

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21. The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Eric Carle 1969 (Fiction)

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21. The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Eric Carle 1969 (Fiction)

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a book about a caterpillar who eats a lot of food in the attempt to find what will quell its hunger. The caterpillar ends up being hungry because it is going into metamorphosis and needs to store up calories for when it is in its cocoon. You can easily tie this book into other subject areas such as science, explaining the life cycle of a butterfly. This book has an explicit theme of change and an implicit theme of moderation, and how to listen to your body. The illustrations are unique, and the repetition employed in the book will help children who don’t know how to read follow along and understand what is going to happen next.

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22. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble: William Steig 1969 (Fantasy)

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22. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble: William Steig 1969 (Fantasy)

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This story follows Sylvester Duncan, a donkey who loves to collect pebbles. One day he finds the most beautiful pebble he has ever seen and realizes that it is magic. He gets very excited and begins to go home, thinking about all the things he will wish for with this magic pebble. Suddenly a lion jumps out and is about to attack Sylvester, so in his panic he wishes he were a rock. He turns into a rock and the pebble falls right next to him. Since he isn’t touching the pebble he can’t turn back into himself and he is stuck as a rock. He stays like that for a year, until one day his family goes for a picnic right near him. His father finds the pebble and it reminds him of his son who had been lost for a year. He puts it down on the rock to show his wife, and suddenly the rock turns into their son. They all rejoice and are happier than they have ever been. There is an explicit theme of family because Sylvester is kept from his family for so long and they miss each other so much, and an implicit theme of love because when Sylvester and his family were reunited they were so happy that they didn’t even care about the magic pebble.

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23. In the Night Kitchen: Maurice Sendak 1970 (Fantasy)

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23. In the Night Kitchen: Maurice Sendak 1970 (Fantasy)

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This book follows Mickey on his journey in the night to a mystical place called the night kitchen. There a group of chefs think he is milk and they try to bake a cake using him in the batter. He jumps out and makes an airplane out of bread dough and flies into the big jug of milk where he pours some out into the batter below. The chefs bake the cake, and Mickey travels back to his bed where he wakes up and has cake the next morning. The book has an explicit theme of cooking because it follows the chefs as they stir and knead and mix and bake dough. The book has an implicit theme of dreams and adventure because the trip to the night kitchen could be interpreted as a dream that Mickey is having that night.

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The book The Lorax is a great story that I could use in my classroom in a variety of ways. The book has vibrant and colorful illustrations that revolve around the story of a being that speaks for the trees. It talks a lot about themes of the environment and how our actions impact nature. In your classroom you could bring in science and talk to my students if they know of any ways that they can help the environment. This book was also recently adapted into a movie, so you could read the book then watch the movie and talk about the differences and what might have caused them.

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The Lorax - Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

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25. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Judith Viorst 1972 (Realistic Fiction)

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25. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Judith Viorst 1972 (Realistic Fiction)

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This book follows Alexander, a little kid who is having an especially bad bay. Everything seems to be going wrong and he isn’t getting any breaks. He gets the middle seat on the car ride to school, he gets in trouble at school, he has a cavity, and he even gets his least favorite dinner. At the end of the day he goes to bed and concludes that today was a really bad day, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. The explicit theme of the book is that everyone has bad days, and hopefully the reader can relate to Alexander and understand what he is going through. There is an implicit theme of time and that every day comes to an end whether it's good or bad, and nothing lasts forever which for Alexander is a good thing because he just wants his bad day to end.

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26. Stone Soup: Marcia Brown Illustrated by Jon J Muth 1973 (Folklore); Caldecott Honor Book

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26. Stone Soup: Marcia Brown Illustrated by Jon J Muth 1973 (Folklore); Caldecott Honor Book

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Stone Soup is a book about a group of three soldiers who have been traveling for a long time when they come across a village. All the villagers hide their food and turn the soldiers away when they ask for food. Eventually the soldiers go to the town center and say they will make stone soup for the villagers since they have no food. The villagers become excited about the idea of getting soup using just stones, but the soldiers ask them to contribute just a little bit each so it tastes better. By the end of the cooking process there was a whole feast spread out for the entire town, and it used only a little of each of their supplies. This has an explicit theme of sharing, and that if everyone contributes a little then they will make something better than if people just worked alone. There is also an implicit theme of hospitality and karma, as the people in the village weren’t hospitable to the soldiers until they knew that they could get something from them but in the end the soldiers were tricking them.

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27. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: retold by Verna Aardema Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon 1975 (Folklore)

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27. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: retold by Verna Aardema Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon 1975 (Folklore)

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This book is a beautifully illustrated rendition of a classic West African tale. It tells the story of a group of animals in the jungle, and a chain reaction that causes the sun not to rise. There is the explicit theme of chain reactions, and how what you do can affect others. There are implicit themes of mass hysteria and misrepresentation in the way that the animals described each other to the lion when describing what happened. The author uses onomatopoeia and repetition to engage the audience in the book despite them not being familiar with this tale.

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28. Dear Zoo: Rod Campbell 1982 (Fiction)

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28. Dear Zoo: Rod Campbell 1982 (Fiction)

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Dear Zoo is a book about a boy who is sending letters to the zoo asking them to send him a pet. They send him a lot of different zoo animals that the reader can find by lifting up flaps, but they weren’t the type of pet the boy wanted so he kept sending them back. By the end of the book he receives a pet that is perfect for him. This book is great for young readers because it keeps the reader engaged through the interactive moving parts of the book. The main theme seems to be animals, and there are a lot of different animals mentioned so it could be a good way to teach animals to young readers. There is also an implicit theme of perseverance, because the kid didn’t stop sending the animals back until he was happy with what animal he got. If he had given up he might not have gotten the animal that he wanted.

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29. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Laura Numeroff Illustrated by Felicia Bond 1985 (Fiction)

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29. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Laura Numeroff Illustrated by Felicia Bond 1985 (Fiction)

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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is a book about a boy and mouse who asks him for things. Every time the boy brings the mouse something, it makes him ask for one more thing which makes him ask for one more thing and it's a never ending cycle. If the mouse gets a cookie, he’ll want some milk, then a straw, then a napkin… etc, until he eventually asks for another cookie and the process repeats all over again. There is an explicit theme regarding the relationship between the boy and the mouse. The boy is taking care of the mouse and doing things for the mouse without much in return, so to some point he seems to care about the mouse. There is also an implicit theme of the book is the snowball effect and when one thing leads to another and another until you are doing a lot for someone.

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30. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault Illustrated by Lois Ehlert 1989 (Fiction)

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30. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault Illustrated by Lois Ehlert 1989 (Fiction)

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a book about the alphabet where each letter is a character, and they climb up a coconut tree in order. Once they are all on the tree collapses and they fall into a big jumble of letters. They get up one at a time in order and then once they are all up the sun goes down and a goes back up the coconut tree, probably starting the process all over again. This book has onomatopoeia, rhyming, and a cyclical narrative. There is an explicit theme of order because the letters all go up the tree and get up from the pile in a specific order. There is also an implicit theme of learning and this book is a great book for young readers to learn the alphabet and letters. While reading this book out loud you can sound out the letters with your students and ask them what the letters sound like.

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31. The TRUE story of the Three Little Pigs: By A. Wolf as Told to Jon Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith 1989 (Fairy Tale)

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31. The TRUE story of the Three Little Pigs: By A. Wolf as Told to Jon Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith 1989 (Fairy Tale)

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This book is a spin on a classic tale that most kids know. It allows the wolf to tell his perspective, and defend himself against his bad name. The details mirror that of the classic story, and the illustrations add to the text. By having the wolf addressing the readers directly, the author is able to engage his audience very successfully. This book has themes of perspective and advocating for oneself. You could turn this into a writing assignment by asking your students to pick their favorite fairytale, and tell it from a different character's perspective. This allows them to get into the minds of the other characters in the book and think about how they were feeling throughout the story.

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32. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: Michael Rosen Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury 1989 (Realistic Fiction)

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32. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt: Michael Rosen Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury 1989 (Realistic Fiction)

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This book is about a family that decides to go out on an adventure one day in the form of a bear hunt. They go through various different tough terrain like a snow storm, a dark forest, and mud until they finally get to a cave and when they go in they see a bear. They run from the bear all the way through each thing they went through on the way to the cave and ran home. Once home they said they would never go on a bear hunt again. This book uses repetition and onomatopoeia so it is easy for young readers to follow along, and great to read out loud. There is an explicit theme of adventure because the family is in search of a thrill and they go very far to find a bear. There is also an implicit theme of overcoming obstacles. Because they couldn’t go around or through some things they decided to go through them, and that lesson can be applied to life as well.

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33. The Rainbow Fish: Marcus Psfister 1992 (Fiction)

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33. The Rainbow Fish: Marcus Psfister 1992 (Fiction)

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The Rainbow Fish is a book that follows the life of the most beautiful fish in the ocean. He has beautiful shimmery scales, and he is so proud that he ignores the other fish who admire him. One day he is so rude to one of the fish that they stop admiring him. He becomes very lonely and goes to a wise old octopus for advice. The octopus tells him to give his beautiful scales away. He does this and although he is no longer the most beautiful fish, he is no longer lonely and he has a lot of friends to play with. This book has an explicit theme of sharing, because the fish can only gain friends by sharing and being kind. There is also an implicit theme of inner versus outer beauty. Although the rainbow fish was the most beautiful he wasn’t kind, and so he wasn’t truly liked until he was not beautiful on the outside but kind and caring on the inside.

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'The Rainbow Fish' read by Ernest Borgnine

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34. Green Wilma: Tedd Arnold 1993 (Fiction)

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34. Green Wilma: Tedd Arnold 1993 (Fiction)

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This book was a whimsical tale about a girl who turns into a frog. There is an explicit theme of self, and who you are as Wilma realizes who she’s becoming.There is also an implicit theme of wishes, and how Wilma ended up being a frog the whole time (who possibly wished she was a human). This book is a great way for your students to learn about plots and endings. There was a great plot twist in this story when you realize that Wilma was a frog the entire time, and was just dreaming about being a human! This could be used with older students by making a creative writing assignment. You could ask the students what animal they would like to be for a day, and ask them to write a page long story about what that day would look like and what would be different since they are an animal.

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35. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly: Simms Taback 1997(Folklore)

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35. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly: Simms Taback 1997(Folklore)

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There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is a book about an old lady who swallowed a fly. She is fine after this but she swallows a spider to catch the fly, she then swallows a bird to catch the spider, and so on until she swallows a horse. This is then too much for the old lady and she dies. After each animal that she swallows the author repeats every animal that the old lady has swallowed, making a good rhythm that is easy for young readers to follow. There is an explicit theme of cause and effect, as the old lady swallowed one thing, so she had to swallow something else to counteract the first, but then she has to swallow something else to counteract the second thing, and so on. There is also an implicit theme of getting carried away. She first swallows a fly, and she would probably be fine if she left it at that, but instead she decides to swallow all these other animals, and ends up dying.

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36. More M&M Math: Barbara Barbieri McGrath Illustrated by Roger Glass 1998 (Non-fiction)

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36. More M&M Math: Barbara Barbieri McGrath Illustrated by Roger Glass 1998 (Non-fiction)

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This is a great book that makes math very engaging. It requires you to have a pack of m&m’s for your students to participate along with the book. This book teaches your children patience (because they won’t be able to eat the m&m’s until the end of the book) and how to effectively follow directions. In your classroom you could also tie m&m’s into art by asking about the colors, and science by doing experiments involving the dispersion of the food coloring in different liquids. This book is interactive, and teaches many different math concepts so kids of many different ages could learn or review math skills using the book.

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37. The Gruffalo: Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Scheffler 1999 (Fiction)

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37. The Gruffalo: Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Axel Scheffler 1999 (Fiction)

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The Gruffalo is a book about a mouse who is walking through the forest. He sees a couple of predators, but every time they try to convince him to come eat lunch with him he describes a scary creature called the Gruffalo that he’s meeting at that very spot. The predators always run away, until the mouse runs into the Gruffalo! The Gruffalo wants to eat him for lunch but the mouse warns him against it, telling him that he is the scariest creature in the forest. The Gruffalo doesn’t believe him, so the mouse tells him to walk right behind him through the forest. They run into each predator and they all run when they see the Gruffalo, but the Gruffalo thinks they are running from the mouse. The mouse then tells the Gruffalo that his favorite food is Gruffalo, and the Gruffalo runs away too. This book is full of repetition and rhyming so the rhythm is good for young readers. There is an explicit theme of protection, and the mouse is able to protect himself using his imagination. There is also the idea of smaller weaker people using intelligence and their cunning to overcome people that are stronger than them. This book shows the value of intelligence and creativity can outweigh physical strength.

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38. Olivia: Ian Falconer 2001 (Fiction); Caldecott Honor Book

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38. Olivia: Ian Falconer 2001 (Fiction); Caldecott Honor Book

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Olivia is a book about a little pig named Olivia, and her life. She is very energetic and wears out her parents with all of the things that she does. She likes to go to the beach, the museum, she likes to dress up and paint. The book goes all through her life and how much she does in a day, keeping her mom and dad on their feet. The illustrations are beautiful, and the color placement throughout the mostly black and white book is very strategic. There is an explicit theme of creativity and imagination because Olivia has a big imagination and that's how she stays so active all day. There is also an implicit theme of behavior, because throughout the book Olivia gets into some trouble by painting on the wall or not listening to her parents.

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39. Diary of a Wombat: Jackie French Illustrated by Bruce Whatley 2002 (Realistic Fiction)

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39. Diary of a Wombat: Jackie French Illustrated by Bruce Whatley 2002 (Realistic Fiction)

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Diary of a Wombat is a book written from the perspective of a wombat as he goes about a week in his life. On wednesday he finds humans, and when they feed him carrots he begins to hang around them a lot more to get more carrots. He digs a hole directly underneath the house, and knocks down the trash can until the humans notice him and bring him carrots. At the end of the book he mentions how easy humans are to train. This book is funny and teaches kids about an animal they might not be familiar with. There is an explicit theme of routine, as the wombat writes down what it does each day in its diary. There is also an implicit theme of motivation, as the wombat who normally sleeps all day becomes active in order to get carrots from the humans.

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40. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: Mo Willems 2003 (Fiction)

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40. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: Mo Willems 2003 (Fiction)

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This is a Caldecott Honor Book, that follows a conversation the reader has with a pigeon. You could use this in your classroom by having the students respond to the pigeon so the book is more of a conversation than a one sided dialogue. This book shows the importance of rules, and you could open up a dialogue about what would happen if the pigeon did try to drive the bus. There are themes of rules and persuasion. The book ends with the pigeon moving on to a new vehicle so you could ask your students what other vehicles the pigeon might ask to drive next.

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41. The Dot: Peter H. Reynold 2003 (Realistic Fiction)

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41. The Dot: Peter H. Reynold 2003 (Realistic Fiction)

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This book follows a little girl named Vashti who refuses to draw in art class because she’s not good at art. Her teacher tells her to make just one mark, and so she jabs the paper making a dot. She signs it and the next day her teacher has it hanging above her desk. She tells herself that she can make a better dot than that, so she makes a bunch of different dots, and at the end of the year art show her dots are all on display. A little boy comes up to her and tells her he wishes that he wishes he could draw like her. She tells him to make one little mark, and when he does she tells him to sign it. This book has an explicit theme of trusting your own abilities and believing in yourself because at the beginning Vashti said she couldn’t draw and by the end she was considered an artist. There is also an implicit theme of inspiring other people because at the beginning of the book Vashti’s teacher inspired her and at the end she inspired the little boy.

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42. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale: Mo Willems 2004 (Realistic Fiction); Caldecott Honor Book

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42. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale: Mo Willems 2004 (Realistic Fiction); Caldecott Honor Book

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Knuffle Bunny is a book about a little girl who goes with her dad to the laundromat. But she leaves her favorite stuffed animal there. As her dad is leaving the laundromat she starts yelling and screaming but he doesn’t understand so he keeps going. When they get home her mother asks where her stuffed animal is and her father finally understands her outbreak. They rush back to the laundromat and find knuffle bunny, and that’s when the little girl says her first words, “Knuffle Bunny”. This book is great for young readers because the explicit theme of communication they can relate to when they are trying to make themselves understood to adults when they don’t know how. There is also an implicit theme of loss because the girl has to deal with losing her favorite stuffed animal companion.

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43. Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude: Kevin O’Malley 2005 (Fantasy)

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43. Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude: Kevin O’Malley 2005 (Fantasy)

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This book is one of my absolute favorites. It’s about a boy and a girl who are paired for a school assignment and they don’t see eye to eye. When they are telling their story they switch back and forth as narrators. They tell a story of a princess whose horses are being attacked by an evil giant. A motorcycle dude comes to rescue the horses in order to become rich, in the end they work together to save the horses and defeat the giant. This story has a very interesting narrative style as it switches from boy to girl, there is also a different illustrator for each respective voice. This leads to the implicit theme of voice and individual ideas. There is also an explicit theme of teamwork, as the pair work together to complete the school assignment.

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44. The Hello, Goodbye Window: Norton Juster Illustrated by Chris Raschka 2005 (Realistic Fiction)

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44. The Hello, Goodbye Window: Norton Juster Illustrated by Chris Raschka 2005 (Realistic Fiction)

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The Hello, Goodbye Window is a sentimental tale about a girl spending the day with her grandparents. She describes the things she does with them while her parents are at work. There are obvious themes of family and love, with an underlying theme of childhood and a children's perspective. Reading this as an adult I am much more sentimental, and value the plot more than if I read this as a kid. It reminded me of when I used to spend days with my grandparents in the summer. Back then I didn’t think about how much it all meant to me because it was an ongoing event, but now that I no longer spend as much time with them I value it much more.

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45. A Sick Day for Amos McGee: Philip C. Stead Illustrated by Erin E. Stead 2010 (Fiction)

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45. A Sick Day for Amos McGee: Philip C. Stead Illustrated by Erin E. Stead 2010 (Fiction)

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This book follows the normal day of a man named Amos McGee. He gets up and gets ready for work, then goes and visits all of his animal friends at the zoo. The next day he wakes up sick, and can’t go to the zoo. The animals wait for him, but once they realize that he isn’t coming they go to his house to hang out with him. Once there they adapt their activities to accommodate him and he is really happy to see them and have the company. There is an explicit theme of friendship and companionship because the animals who are Amos’ friends come over to support and comfort him while he’s sick. There is also an implicit theme of responsibility and jobs because Amos had to take the day off from his job since he was sick.

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46. We Are in a Book: Mo Willems 2010 (Fiction)

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46. We Are in a Book: Mo Willems 2010 (Fiction)

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This book is very good and introspective, where the two characters break the fourth wall and speak directly to the readers. The two characters talk about various things, like how it is to be in a book, until they realize that the book is going to end eventually. They start freaking out because they don’t know what will happen to them when the book ends, but they decide they will be alright as long as the reader reads the book again. This book is interesting because it has an explicit theme of perspective since the characters have a unique perspective of being characters who know that they are in a book. There is also an implicit theme of death because the characters are faced with the idea of what happens when the book and therefore their life in that form pretty much ends.

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47. Mirror: Jeannie Baker 2010 (Realistic Fiction)

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47. Mirror: Jeannie Baker 2010 (Realistic Fiction)

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I read the book Mirror by Jeannie Baker. It is a wordless picture book. Wordless story books tell a story through illustration alone and can be great for readers of all ages. For kids who don’t know how to read yet they can interact and describe the pictures. Young readers can work on their concept of story and narrate and make the story cohesive. Older readers could write out a plot line and work on their interactive writing. The book follows a day in the lives of a boy in a city in Australia & and  a boy from Morocco in North East Africa. The book compares them going about their days side by side. Since this book mentions religion, there may be an issue with censorship in some school districts. There is an explicit theme of family, with an underlying theme of culture and humanity and how everyone is the same despite beliefs. Two different people can read this book and understand and relate to it in similar ways. There aren’t any stereotypes in the book and it depicts diversity in a relevant and important way. The book is a positive contribution to understanding different cultures portrayed, educational but entertaining. The illustrations were very excellent and vibrant and they showed the similarities and differences between the two cultures.

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48. Before She Was Harriet: Lesa Cline-Ransome 2017 (Biography)

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48. Before She Was Harriet: Lesa Cline-Ransome 2017 (Biography)

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This book follows the life of Harriet Tuban, starting from the end and working back through everything that she did. The author talks about the women's suffrage movement she took part in, the underground railroad, her time as a slave, and before that. The illustrator won the Coretta Scott King Award for his watercolor paintings that went along with the narrative. This book is great for kids learning about the civil rights movement or the underground railroad, and highlights all of the main points of her life in a clear and concise way. There is an explicit theme of hard work, and standing up for what you believe in because that is what Harriet Tubman did throughout her life. There is also an implicit theme of aging and time, because looking at her life as you go back in reverse you see how much things can change over one person's lifetime.

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49. Book of Bones: 10 Record Breaking Animals: Gabrielle Balkan 2017 (Non-Fiction)

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49. Book of Bones: 10 Record Breaking Animals: Gabrielle Balkan 2017 (Non-Fiction)

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This book is a fun and interactive book that teaches kids about different animals through facts about their bones. Each of the 10  entries starts with a superlative type statement about the bone, like who has… the biggest bone, the heaviest bone, or the lightest bone. There is also a picture of the skeleton. Then facts about the animal are listed, until finally the animal is revealed. There are ten animals in the book, with multiple cool facts about each of them. This book has an explicit theme of context clues and guessing based on limited information about something. There is also an implicit theme of perspective because the facts make people realize how big these animals actually are.

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50. The Yellow Suitcase: Meera Sriram 2019 (Realistic Fiction)

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50. The Yellow Suitcase: Meera Sriram 2019 (Realistic Fiction)

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This book is about a little girl named Asha who travels to India with her family in order to go to her grandmother’s funeral. The book is filled with Indian culture, and it goes through how Asha dealt with the emotions she was feeling because of her grandmother's death. This book is great because it has many themes that kids can relate to like family, culture and loss of a loved one. The explicit theme of family and loss can help kids realize they don’t have to deal with their emotions alone, but depend on their loved ones to comfort them through hardship. There is also an implicit theme of culture which could open a dialogue in the classroom about the different cultures of the students and their families.

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1. The Outsiders: S.E. Hinton 1967 (Historical Fiction)

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1. The Outsiders: S.E. Hinton 1967 (Historical Fiction)

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The Outsiders is a brilliant coming of age novel that follows the life of Ponyboy, a young boy living with his two older brothers. The book brings into question the idea of social class, and the benefits that money brings people despite whether or not they deserve those benefits. Ponyboy is far from well off in life, and it turns out he’s unlucky too. In the Outsiders you follow Ponyboy as he deals with a murder, and his relationships with his friends. There is an underlying theme of media, and how it is hardly ever the full story or unbiased, present in the book.

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2. Hatchet: Gary Paulsen 1986 (Realistic Fiction); Newbery Medal Winner

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2. Hatchet: Gary Paulsen 1986 (Realistic Fiction); Newbery Medal Winner

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This book is a great read for kids who are beginning to read chapter books. It follows a boy who gets lost in the woods because of a plane wreck. He is forced to survive on his own until he is rescued. The book has themes of survival and family, with an underlying theme of the strength of human will, and how they will do anything to survive. This book is great for young readers in search of thrill and excitement in a survival situation.

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3. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies: Sonya Sones 2004 (Poetry)

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3. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies: Sonya Sones 2004 (Poetry)

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This book is very interesting because it is a collection of poems that when read all together make a full story. It follows a girl named Ruby who has to go to LA to live with her estranged father after her mother dies. She struggles with her relationship with him, and her life in a new state and new school. The poems are mixed in with emails to her friends and family back on the east coast, and the book is filled with many themes. There is an explicit theme of family and who is really there for you during hardship, as Ruby sees who stays her friend from back home after she moves away. There is also an implicit theme of not judging books by their covers because Ruby realized at the end that she misunderstood her father, and their relationship was not what she expected it to be.

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4. The Lightning Thief: Rick Riordan 2005 (Fantasy)

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4. The Lightning Thief: Rick Riordan 2005 (Fantasy)

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The Lightning Thief is a great young adult book perfect for 5th grade reading levels. It is about a young boy, Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of the Greek sea god, Poseidon. He is then sent on a perilous adventure filled with intrigue, suspense and friendship. The book outlines themes of family, specifically what it means to be a family, and has an underlying theme of diversity and being different from the people around you.