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"Grandma's Gift" By: Eric Velasquez (Poem)- Pura-Belpre award winner

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"Grandma's Gift" By: Eric Velasquez (Poem)- Pura-Belpre award winner

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Grandma’s gift is a great book
That Eric Velasquez wrote
just take a look
It begins with a trip for a school project
At the metropolitan museum of art
And leaves Eric with a lasting effect
When he sees his last name etched on a painting
He becomes inspired
And wants to do the same thing
His grandma grows aware
As Eric’s eyes grow wide
With no time to spare
She finds the perfect present with pride
On Christmas day grandma’s gift is presented
He felt encouraged
That’s how grandma had meant it
For when he opened his present
And took his first look
There laid colored pencils
And a brand new sketch book

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"A Dog Called Kitty" By: Bill Wallace (infographic) Bluebonnet award winner

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"A Dog Called Kitty" By: Bill Wallace (infographic) Bluebonnet award winner

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"The Butterfly" By: Patricia Polacco (free choice review)

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"The Butterfly" By: Patricia Polacco (free choice review)

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"The Butterfly" is a historical fiction book displaying the life of a young girl and her family during the Nazi war. The book begins when Monique wakes in the middle of the night to find a young girl at the edge of her bed. At first, she thought the girl was a ghost, then, she finds out that her mother had been hiding Jewish families in the basement of the house. I really enjoyed how informative this book was. I appreciated the perspective that it gave me from Monique's point of view and I think that children that are around the same age as her would enjoy it as well. I also liked how real the book was as it did not sugar coat any of the events that took place during the war and I think that it is good for children to be exposed to the truth behind our history, even if it is pleasant. I also enjoyed the Author's use of vocabulary as her descriptions were extremely detailed and easy for me to imagine what is going on. I think that this is a good quality to have in a book that I would like to have in my classroom so that students can expand their vocabulary while they are reading. After reading and reviewing this book, I think that it is informative, thoughtful, and detailed. I would like to add this book to my classroom library once I become a teacher. I believe that it would be very beneficial to students as they become educated on the Nazi war and begin to expand their vocabulary words.

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"Rosa" By: Nikki Giovanni (infographic free choice)- Coretta Scott-King award winner

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"Rosa" By: Nikki Giovanni (infographic free choice)- Coretta Scott-King award winner

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"Players In Pigtails" By: Shana Corey (Story map)- historical fiction

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"Players In Pigtails" By: Shana Corey (Story map)- historical fiction

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"Smile" By: Raina Telgemeier (poem response)- graphic novel

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"Smile" By: Raina Telgemeier (poem response)- graphic novel

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This book is called smile
It’s about the author, herself
She overcame miles
And her teeth are now in good health
Adolescence is tough
As everyone knows
So you’ll need to buckle up
To see how the story goes
And so it begins
As she falls on her face
Knocking two front teeth
Right out of their place
Her face is in pain
Her confidence is shot
But that’s not the end
Of this stories plot
She endures ups and downs
As her friends go a stray
but her frown is turned upside down
on her last surgery day
she looks back at it all
now that she’s grown up
and she smiles wide
now that she’s out of that rut

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"What If You had Animal Hair" By: Sandra Markle (Infographic)-Nonfiction

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"What If You had Animal Hair" By: Sandra Markle (Infographic)-Nonfiction

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"A Ball For Daisy" By: Chris Raschka (free choice review)

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"A Ball For Daisy" By: Chris Raschka (free choice review)

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"A Ball For Daisy" is a is a Caldecott winning picture book about a dog, names daisy, with a ball. This book is different than other picture books because it does not have any words, its only pictures. After looking over this book, I thought that the illustrations were really cute and the children would be entertained by them. I like that this book left room for open ended interpretation so that the students can think for themselves and decide what is going on in the pictures. I think that this book would be great for very young readers or for students who are just beginning to read and learn about what a book is. I would like to have this book in my classroom library. I also think it would be fun to create a classroom activity based on this book by going over each page with the class and having a discussion. Then, there  could be an extension activity where the students write about what they think was going on in the book or they could create a new story of their own.

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"Frogs" By: Gail Gibbons (free choice recommendation) 

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"Frogs" By: Gail Gibbons (free choice recommendation) 

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Dear 2nd-5th grade teachers,
"Frogs" is a nonfiction picture book that illustrates the life cycle of frigs. I would recommend this book for teachers of grades 2nd-5th as these are the ages that students are learning about biology and the life cycles of humans, plants, and animals. This is a great book for the curriculum because it explains the cycle in a simple way that students can understand. It also depicts the cycle taking place in the frogs natural habitat. So, the teacher can talk about this habitat and open a discussion about where frogs might be found. It would be easy for the teacher to create an extension activity from this book as the students could draw out the life cycle on their own sheet of paper or they could create their own frog with the correct anatomy.

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"The three little pigs" Retold By: Nicola Baxter (free choice review)

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"The three little pigs" Retold By: Nicola Baxter (free choice review)

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"the three little pigs" is a traditional tale about three pigs that each build their own house. One builds their house out of straw, the other out of sticks, and the last one out of bricks. Nicola Baxter retells the story with rhymes and adding " and he did" at the end of every event. I think that this is a fun idea for students because it adds an aspect of predictability so that they can guess what is going to be said based on what rhymes and they can interact during a read aloud when the repetitive parts come up. She also put a spin on the story when the wolf tries to trick the pig into meeting him at a turnip patch, apple orchard, and the fair. However, the pig outthinks him and shows up early. After reading the book, I liked the traditional message that the book portrayed that hard work pays off in the end. I also think that the students would enjoy the fun spins that the author adds to the book and it would be a good opportunity to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the two tales. On the other hand, I would probably choose a variation of the book where the other two pigs and wolf do not die because that might be a little disturbing for younger students.

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"Chester's Masterpiece" by: Melanie Watt (free choice review)

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"Chester's Masterpiece" by: Melanie Watt (free choice review)

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"Chester's Masterpiece" by Melanie Watt is a post modern picture book that portrays the life of a cat as he tries to write a book like his owner, Melanie. The book goes back and fourth from the author to the cat through a series of sticky notes that are written by Melanie on each page as she tries to get her pen back from Chester and ends up giving him advice on how to write the book. As I was reading the book, I was entertained by the idea that the author included herself in the book as she was writing sticky notes with advice for writing a book. I think that this is a great concept for student readers because they can learn about theme, illustrations, the setting, the here, the villain, and other elements of story writing that the author described to Chester. I also think that students would be entertained by this book because there is a humorous battle between Melanie and her cat as they argue over the tools needed to write the book. After reading and reviewing this book, I would like to have it my classroom and read it to my students because I think the students would remain engaged with the book and they would receive some educational benefits from the book as they learn about the elements of a story.

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"Fingers For Lunch" By: Brant Lewis (free choice recommendation) 

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"Fingers For Lunch" By: Brant Lewis (free choice recommendation) 

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Dear kindergarten teachers
"Fingers For Lunch" is a fantasy picture book about a monster and his monster "pet" that eat fingers for lunch. This book is fun for younger children because it has spots for your fingers to go and the holes go down from five, four, three, two, and one as the monsters eat each finger one by one, which teaches the students about counting. I would recommend this book to kindergarten teachers as I have read this book to kindergarten students during a mini lesson for observations. I used the book for a lesson about hygiene as the monsters talked about all of the "yummy" ,but actually in-hygienic, types of things that were on the fingers. The students also loved the fact that the book was interactive because you could put your fingers through the holes. After I was finished reading, I passed the book around so that they could do it them selves and I extended the activity by having them demonstrate how they should wash their hands. However, there are many other ways a kindergarten teacher could apply this book to lessons and that is why I recommend it.

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"The Boxcar Children" By: Gertrude Chandler Warner (defining quote)- a realistic fiction 

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"The Boxcar Children" By: Gertrude Chandler Warner (defining quote)- a realistic fiction 

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“How they love the old boxcar!”  pg. 40
This quote stood out to me the most because the boxcar is all that the children had, besides each other. To me, this quote shows how the children were still happy and content with having as little as they had. As a reader, it puts into perspective some of the things I complain about and all of the things that I think I need. At first, it was a little silly to me that they could love an old, beat-up boxcar so much. Then, as I continued to read, I realized that this was their safe place- it was what they called home and they loved it for that. Most of all, it was something that all of the children shared with one another and somewhere that they could always depend on for shelter.

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"Because Of Winn Dixie" By: Kate DiCamillo (defining quote)- a bluebonnet winner 

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"Because Of Winn Dixie" By: Kate DiCamillo (defining quote)- a bluebonnet winner 

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“There ain't no way you can hold onto something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it.” chapter 23
This quote stood out to me the most because we have or will all experience loss. To me, this quote explains that even if someone does not leave you physically, they will not truly be yours if it is always wanting to leave. In the event that they do leave, it is important for one to understand that if something truly wants to leave, the best thing you can do is let it go. This quote kind of reminds me of another quote, "if you love something, let it go and if it loves you, it will come back". I think the same concept applies to this quote because at the end of they, there was nothing Opal could have done to make the dog stay in the event that he ran away. All she could do was hope that he would eventually come back. I think that this quote is also a reminder that you cannot be afraid of loving someone because you are afraid that it will leave you. Instead, you have to appreciate the time you do have with it and love it while you can. If you don't, you might miss out on experiences that could have been gained, just like the experiences Opal gained by finding and loving Winn Dixie.

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The book "No, David!" is a realistic fiction book written by David Shannon. This book is about a young boy names David that is constantly getting into trouble with his mother. When I read the book, I noticed that the words were really big, the sentences were easy to read, and the pictures were fun and appealing. As a teacher, I would like to have this book in my class because it is a great book for younger children or for those that do not have as much experience reading. However, it would be hard to integrate it into core subject matter material as it does not possess any of those characteristics. I do think that it would still be a fun read for the students because they can relate to one or more of the things that David is getting into trouble for. I also think that the book possess a great message because although David is getting in trouble and scolded by his mom throughout the book, it ends with the mother telling him that she loves him. This is a great concept for the students to read about because they can see that no matter how much their parents might yell at them, they will always be loved.

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"There Was an Old Lady who swallowed a Fly" By: Pam Adams (Review)

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"There Was an Old Lady who swallowed a Fly" By: Pam Adams (Review)

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There Was and Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams is a fantasy picture book. This book is about a lady who swallows a large variety of animals. She does this to eliminate the problem of the animal that she swallowed before. For example, the first animal that she swallows is a fly. Annoyed by the fly "wriggling and jiggling" inside of her, she swallows a bird to swallow a fly. As a child, I was a bit disturbed by this book because I loved animals and I was not a fan of the morbid ending (she dies). As an adult, I can see how the book would be fun to read to kids as it can be comical that a lady swallowed a fly. It is also a fun read because of the rhyme that follows each event so it would be easy for students to follow along. On the other hand, this book does not have any educational value in that the theme does not teach any moral values or any factual text that could be used with a lesson plan. With this being said, I think that I would still have this book in my classroom library because it is an easy and fun read for the students to start with. However, I do not believe that I would use this book to incorporate into lesson plans.

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"Oh The Places You'll Go" By: Dr. Seuss (review)

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"Oh The Places You'll Go" By: Dr. Seuss (review)

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"Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss is a poetry picture book about a character that is ready to head out into the "real world" and pursue his dreams. The book begins as the character decides where to go. Then, on his adventure, he faces many trials and tribulations and the narrator explains that; although these things will happen, you have to keep going and you will still achieve what you set out to do. After reading and reviewing this book, I have to say it is one of my favorite picture books. I especially like that this book is great for all ages as it explains complex and important life lessons in a simple and fun way for young readers. Due to the fact the book is told with a series of rhyming words and poems on each page, this book would be perfect to read to younger students who are learning about rhyming words and phonemic awareness. It would also be easy to include an expansion activity after the reading as younger students can create their own sentence using rhyming words and older students can create an entire story or book using rhyming words to describe all of the places they wish to go. As a future teacher, I really enjoyed reading this book and the sweet message that it portrayed. I would love to add this book to my classroom library because I think that the students would love hearing or reading the rhymes and the funny, made-up words. Lastly, I enjoyed thinking about all of the activities and lessons that I could use to incorporate with this book.

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"Kittens First Full Moon" By: Kevin Henkes (Blog response)

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"Kittens First Full Moon" By: Kevin Henkes (Blog response)

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I remember what it was like for me when I saw my first full moon as a young child. Once I was old enough to actually understand what the moon was, it was a magical experience for me and my mother to go outside and look up at the moon. I remember how much it lit up the sky when it was a night of the full moon and I would make up theories in my head of what the moon was made of much like the kitten in the Caldecott award winning, "kittens first full moon". Now, I wonder what other theories children have about the moon like the kitten in the book. I look forward to hearing their theories and thoughts in my future classroom as we go over the solar system and the moon. This would be a great book to incorporate in those lessons because it illustrates the shape of the moon, keeps the students interested with funny stories of the kitten's adventures, and even shows hoe the moon reflects in water.

Here are some lessons online that could be used with this book;
http://spaceracers.org/pdf/moon-phases-lesson-plan.pdf
https://educators.brainpop.com/lesson-plan/phases-of-the-moon-lesson-plan-position-of-the-planets/

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"The Lion and The Mouse" By: Jerry Pinkney (review)

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"The Lion and The Mouse" By: Jerry Pinkney (review)

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The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is a fiction book that has won a Caldecott award. This book is about a little mouse that begins the day by running away from predators trying to eat her. When she runs into a lion, he unexpectedly spares her life and lets her continue on her way to her babies. Later on, the lion tries to warn all of the other animal about the poachers and ends up getting trapped by them. Returning the favor, the mouse comes to the rescue and saves his life. After reading and reviewing the book, I do think that this is a great book to have in the classroom. This book could be used to integrate into a science lesson because it Introduces the food chain and portrays the animals in their natural habitat. I also like the moral of the story that you should treat others the way that you want to be treated. In this case, the lion treated the mouse with sympathy and spared her life and the mouse did the same for the lion. The lion also showed bravery as he went to warn others about the poachers and the mouse was inspired and showed bravery as well as she chewed the lion out of the net. Therefore, I really enjoyed reading the book and I believe that kids will enjoy the book as well and they will learn a few good lessons while they do.

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"Are You My Mother?" by P.D Eastman  (book recommendation) 

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"Are You My Mother?" by P.D Eastman  (book recommendation) 

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Dear second grade teacher, Mrs. Davis,

"Are you my Mother?" by P.D Eastman is a traditional tale. This book portrays the life of a newly hatched baby bird that is on a quest to find its mother, as she was out getting food when it hatched. I would highly recommend this book to teachers of grade levels kinder-second. For one, the illustrations are appealing and will keep the students interested as the teacher reads to them or as they read it themselves. I would also recommend this book to teachers because it introduces a variety of different animals and what they look like as well as some different transportation vehicles. With this being said, it is an easy book to integrate into the subject matter. This book is also engaging because it provides many opportunities for the teacher to stop and ask  "What is this animal?" or "do these animals look the same?". Then, the students can answer by digging into prior knowledge and comparing and contrasting.

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"Enemy Pie" By: Derek Munson (story map)- realistic fiction

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"Enemy Pie" By: Derek Munson (story map)- realistic fiction

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"Roller Girl" by: Victoria Jamieson (review)

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"Roller Girl" by: Victoria Jamieson (review)

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The book "Roller Girl" is a Newberry award winning graphic novel. This book starts by introducing two girls as friends and develops into a story about them drifting apart as the main character discovers and pursues her true passion, roller derby. This was the first graphic novel book that I have read and I have to say that I was impressed by the book and the concept of graphic novels. As for the particular book, the cover page and illustrations are captivating and I believe that students would be more willing to pick up and start reading this book because of it. The message of the book really stood out to me as well as it discusses a topic that is common among middle-school age; discovering your interests and loosing friends because of it. also liked that it proves that no matter what difficulties you might be facing, things will get better, just like it did for "Roller Girl". As for the structure of the book, I was impressed by the fact that even though it was a picture book/graphic novel, it is a long and developed story with chapters. I think this is a great concept for students who are not ready to read full- on chapter books but are ready to advance from picture books. I was also pleasantly surprised by the graphic novel concept because it made it much easier for me to grasp the story as it used text bubbles right above each character to show how the event happened in "real time" and how the character meant it to be said. To sum up the review, I would love to have this book in my class as well as look into other graphic novels.

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"The Princess and The Warrior" By: Duncan Tonatiuh (sticky notes)- bluebonnet award winner

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"The Princess and The Warrior" By: Duncan Tonatiuh (sticky notes)- bluebonnet award winner

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"Inside Out and Back Again" By: Thanhha Lai (free choice defining quote)-poetry book

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"Inside Out and Back Again" By: Thanhha Lai (free choice defining quote)-poetry book

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"this year I hope
I truly learn
to fly-kick,
not to kick anyone
so much as
to fly"
To me, this quote signifies Ha's spirit as she is dedicated to learn something the right way so that she does not hurt anyone. I also love the underlying meaning of the quote. To me, the underlying meaning is that you can improve yourself and learn new things and "fly" without hurting anyone else in the process. This is a valuable lesson to learn because people often hurt others in the process of trying to get ahead in life.

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"Swoosh" By: Chris Barton (recommendation) 

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"Swoosh" By: Chris Barton (recommendation) 

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Dear Fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Smith,

The book "swoosh" by Chris Barton is a biography about the life of Lonnie Johnson, an engineer. It is about a young boy who is passionate about engineering and shows how he uses his passion as he grows into adulthood. I highly recommend this book to grades fourth through sixth. First, the book brings up many important topics and makes it easy to understand and relatable to the younger children. One topic is that Lonnie found something that he is very interested in and found a way to make it into something that could turn into a career. It also describes a point in Lonnie's life when he could have given up on his passion as he failed the exam. Instead, he stayed determined and found a solution to the problem. Another topic that the book discusses is segregation in schools and the racial divide as he enters a science fair at a recently desegregate and unwelcoming school. Again, he did not let this stop him and he won the science fair. This same theme runs throughout the book as his inventions are constantly being challenged and turned down. I also recommend this book because it uses an extensive array of vocabulary words that the students can be introduced to. As the students learn these vocabulary words, they are also learning about outer space as he worked for NASA and about the environment as he worked to produce technology that would preserve it. With this being said, it would be easy for the teacher to include this book in lesson plans as a fun way for the students to learn about determination, history, and science.