Author: David Shannon,

Genre: Fiction 

Grade level: K-3

Awards: N/A

Review: read 01/24/2021 

The book is an exaggeration of sickness caused by trying too hard to fit in. She is cured in a humorous twist when she accepts that she really does like lima beans and eats them. In her mind it’s not ok to be yourself in order to gain friendships.  It’s an important message to take care of yourself and be yourself when making friends. Students will enjoy their problems magnified although I would reiterate that this story is pretend because poor Camilla’s skin color is radical colors. It can start a nice discussion about why to be accepting of each other’s differences in the classroom.

Author: Jason Lefebve 

Genre: Fiction

Grade level: K-2^nd 

Awards: 2016 MT Treasure State Award

Review: read 01/24/2021

This was a fun book to read about a vivacious art student. He creates havoc and then turns it around in the end with the help of his father. The boy seems like a menace to the teacher who crumbles under pressure. I enjoyed the whole story however I don’t think this is a good message for a classroom, even an art class. He uses too much and gets stuck to a table causing all kinds of problems, then dad decides to cut him out and hangs your cocoon as treasured art. Enjoyable and sharable for only those children that understand it’s a joke. 

Author: Amanda Noll 

Genre: Fiction Picture Book 

Grade level: K-3

Awards: State Awards

Review: Read 01/24/2021

This book is about loyalty. Gabe, the boy in the story is very used to his monster and startled by a note saying he had gone fishing. Gabe criticizes all the replacement monsters until his monster returns. It turns out he was missed as well. It’s funny because Gabe is particular about what scares him and it leaves you feeling like he really likes to be scared.

Author: Laurie Keller

Genre: Children’s Picture Fiction

Grade level: K-3

Awards: Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year

Review: Read 01/24/2021

This is a very cute story about a naïve doughnut that didn’t know he was going to be eaten. He is horrified and tries to warn the other doughnuts only to find out that he is the only one that didn’t know. He ruins the man’s appetite that bought him and sets out when they can’t decide what to do with him and they don’t like the same things. It’s really cute because he sees a dog and then decides to become the man’s dog. The adventures are plenty after that and the pictures are heartwarming. 

Author: Sandy Donovan

Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction

Grade level: K-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 01/29/2021

This book was action packed and fun to read. The book was full of fun information like it was invented by Californians that put wheels on surfboards. The tricks were practiced in old dried out swimming pools and it even talked about girls that skateboarded. It was fun to share with a kindergartner visiting my class.  
 

Author: Jinny Johnson and Lucy Davey

Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction

Grade level: K-3

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 01/29/2021

This book was really informative about bees. It informed me with the family in mind and explained how the colony works and included bee jargon like the waggle dance that points other bees to pollen hotspots. I didn’t know several of the facts in this book. The art was bright and cheerful. I enjoyed the emphasis on how bees need help and how essential they are.  

Author: Maryann Cusimano Love

Genre: Children’s Fiction poetry Picture book 

Grade level: 1-3 years

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 01/29/2021

This is a warm and fuzzy poem about the differences of a wild and energetic baby bear and a practical and thoughtful mother bear. I enjoyed the fortress, snow fight, tree decorating, etc in the pictures. I enjoyed the affection in the poem, I just couldn’t relate to the wildness of the child and the contrasting energy of the mother. 

Author: Carl R. Sams

Genre: Children’s Fiction Picture Book 

Grade level: K-2

Awards: Benjamin Franklin Award: Best Children’s Picture Book

Review: Read 01/29/2021

This is an adorable wildlife book about the curiosity around a new snowman in the woods. The photography makes you cold. The creatures are all checking out the snowman with seeds in his hat and a carrot on his face. The words rhyme, the animals are figuring out a mystery with speech that mimics the sounds of the animals. I really enjoyed it. 

Author: Tedd Arnold 

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: P-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/21

This is a disgusting story about a friendship between a fly and a boy. The Fly Guy worries he doesn’t have a gift for his best friend Buzz. He meets Santa and tries to use his ninja skills against him because he doesn’t know who he is, then admits his problem. The end has a cute gift exchange where they share the same present, matching ninja outfits. I couldn’t get over the fly part but my student that picked it out really enjoyed it. 

Author: David Shannon

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: P-3

Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal

Review: Read 02/05/21

I enjoyed this one even though it had the same mischievous tone as the others. The pictures were all looming disasters with loud exclamations that made me wonder if there was a touch of non-fiction in it. The author has the same name. The end was “I love you!” which reminds everyone that sometimes their tone doesn’t match their feelings, still true with my teenager. 

Author: Charles M. Schulz

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: K-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/2021

This was a really cute book that starts with Charlie creating a special poem for the little red-haired girl. Then Snoopy has a party and doesn’t invite him. He is incensed after getting some confidence from Lucy and picks up the snacks for the party. He missed the girl of his interest, but it was a very happy ending where he gets a card signed by ALL his friends. I miss my good friends in life(TN), what I would give…

Author: Mary Rhodes Figley

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: K-3

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/2021

This is a really fun book full of illustrations of Santa attempting to replace his long-lost underwear. The elves try to help him get ready for his big day leaving out a clue. In the beginning they look mischievous with the reindeer and sure enough when he gets his suit out, there is a brand-new pair of long underwear from his team of elves and reindeer. 

Author: Andrea Beaty 

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: K-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/04/2021

This is an interesting story that I thought was true at first. Sofia is upset that her Abuelos gets injured by a trash heap. She pitches the idea to turn it into a park and everyone agrees but leave all the organizing and lobbying work up to Sofia. She charms city hall by asking the lady, “What would you do if you were me?” I was charmed by her wit. 

Author: Katy Hudson

Genre: Children’s fiction picture book 

Grade level: K-1

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/03/2021

This is a not-so-cute story about a turtle that wants to hibernate with all the comforts that humans sometimes require. The challenges the turtle faces are all playful friends that “interrupt” his long winter nap. Most of his friends are warm blooded. He decides at the end while flying down a treacherous hill into an ice pond that winter really is fun. I just thought it was very disrespectful to science since turtles do need to hibernate and turtles die if they are moved within a certain circumference from their home terrain, so I would have censored this one from my child. 

Author: Suzanne Slade 

Genre: Children’s Picture Non-Fiction Biography

Grade level: K-3

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/2021

This is a wonderful book about Katherine the Nasa scientist that helped launch the first spaceship with her math calculations. The book explains how she wen to college at age 15 and how she advocated for her whole math team to join NASA’s campaign to the moon. The book had beautiful pics and made me wonder how her older brother felt when she graduated high school first. 

Author: Edward Hemingway

Genre: Children’s Picture Fiction

Grade level: K-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/2021

This is a really cute book about a fox that spits out the cookie and then tries to figure out what purpose a yucky cookie has by testing the cookie’s skills like running and decorating. Finally they discover his place is on the tree and finishes with a cute challenge to the fox. 

Author: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Genre: Children’s Picture Fiction

Grade level: K

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/05/2021

This is a cute picture book about all the things in Grandma’s purse. The young lady puts on the lipstick, earrings, and scarves to feel more grown up. Of course the gift that Grandma brought to her is a purse of her own, it’s pretty cute. 

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: Children’s fiction historical fantasy

Grade level: 1-4

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/18/2021

This was another great adventure that Jack and Annie didn’t even realize where they were headed. They land on an island and are taken captive. They dig for treasure with real pirates. Luckily they think quickly and escape with the help of Polly the Parrot. 

Author: Jerry Craft

Genre: Graphic Novel

Grade level: 3-7

Awards: Newberry Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature

Review: Read 02/18/2021

I loved this book. It’s really cute cartoons about Jordan Banks going to a high-end school from a different neighborhood. He is observing the social norms that seem nuts to young people and then expressing them in a way that makes you embarrassed of racism and classism. It’s well done and deserves the awards that it got. 

Author: Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Genre: Biography Nonfiction

Grade level: 10-12

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/21/2021

I enjoyed reading this memoir about Che travelling by a cheap dirt bike with his trusty doctor friend across the continent. He assisted the doctor and helped to care for the people in the villages they came across. It was easy to see his passion and personable character would later become a leader in the Cuban Revolution. I thought a lot about how he reached out to the working-class people because of this bicycle trip which the bike didn’t even make it. I also would like a cup of hot mate tea. 

Author: 

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: 4-7

Awards: Newberry Medal

Review: Read 02/22/2021

I only liked this story. I was wondering why this boy seemed so thirsty for female companionship and opinionated about others in his friend’s life. I might have been that way when I was younger. I thought it was fun to pretend to be king and queen of a pretend land until the apex of the story. First, it’s country setting was quaint and Jesse was responsible for milking the cow. He was shy of his family’s poverty as any self-conscious boy would be. I was interested that the Leslie was a pretty tomboy that liked to run and had an independent mind. The apex is heart wrenching though as Jess goes to an art museum with his favorite teacher, he doesn’t tell anyone. Leslie goes to Terabithia without him and the rope to cross the creek breaks and she drowns. How are kids supposed to deal with this tragedy? It’s difficult to hear and I cried a lot. Overall, I liked the story and afterwards there was an interview with the author asking her son if she could print it because it was sort of based on his friend at age eight that had gotten struck by lightning.  

Author: Jason Reynolds

Genre: fiction

Grade level: 5-6

Awards: A National Book Award Finalist

Review: Read 02/27/21

I loved this book too much. It’s about a kid with ptsd from his father trying to kill him which taught him how to run. He just knew he was a runner, so he challenged some kids on a track. A coach took him on but didn’t know all the impulsive and dumb mistakes he would make. The writing is obviously from a youthful perspective and is very engaged and emotional. The story is about Castle, the boy who renames himself Ghost due to the survival of his father. He finally opens up to other track mates and shares his father’s story after all of them had a story to share. One’s mother lost custody after losing her legs due to diabetes. Another lost his mother during childbirth and his dad used to make him run. The book ends with Ghost’s first meet against a bully in school. It’s a great story to rise from impulsivity to running into maturity and gaining control of his behavior because he could finally think about who he wanted to be.  

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Genre: Graphic Novel

Grade level: 9-12

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/27/2021

This was cute. The two middle graders combine in a cute attempt of becoming famous manga creators. One nerdy kid Akito Tekagi wants Maritaka Mashiro to draw manga for his stories. They were both pressured to go to college and try to start a successful life. Instead Maritaka is exposed for really liking another middle schooler. Akito encourages him to speak to her. They do and thru some strange turn of events find out that her mother was Maritaka’s love interest. His uncle was a famous Manga writer that didn’t draw too well. Finally, they combine forces with Azuki’s interest in becoming a voice actress. She agrees to love Maritaka if they become famous, and they find themselves reliving his uncle’s youth. In the end, but the beginning of the series, they submit their first book to a publisher. The results would surely be in book 2. 

Author: Kwame Alexander

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade level: 5-7

Awards: Newberry Medal Winner

Review: Read 02/28/2021

The book is written with rhymes intertwined by a young man’s experience. Josh and JB are twin basketball players. JB starts by cutting Josh’s dreadlocks and then JB gets a girlfriend. Josh feels left behind by JB and almost breaks his nose in a game. They are fascinated by his father’s basketball success and discover that an injury ended his career. A foul injures JB during a game. That isn’t the worst thing. As they discover their father’s ailing health is related to his refusal to see a doctor, the boys rise to the county championship. As they are playing, their father is dying from a heart attack. It’s poetic and sad. 

Author: Kevin Beals

Genre: Children’s NonFiction

Grade level: 1-3

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/01/2021

This is a fun nonfiction book about how light works. It talks about your hand blocking, transmitting and other fun things about light. It was fun to read to my students about true blackness and that I have been in a cave and seen true darkness. It was really interesting all the effects of windows too, reflective, transmitting, and absorbing light. I enjoyed it. 

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Genre: Children’s Chapter Book

Grade level: 5-6 

Awards: Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott King Award
Review: Read 03/02/2021
This is a classic about a boy who starts living in an orphanage with a mother that passed away. He learns to adapt by being tough. He gets fostered into an abusive situation that makes him run away. He finds a friend and they try to jump a train out west. He is trying to find his father and the mystery in the meantime while clinging to whatever possessions his mother gave him prior to her death. In those possessions are rocks that match up to a big band leader. The boy finds his home in the band and learns to play the saxophone. The band leader finds the rocks and finds out the boy is his grandson. 

Author: John Howard

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction

Grade level: K-3

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/01/2021

This is a nice little dinosaur book. It goes over the most vicious like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Allosaurus to the vegetarian swimmers Diplodocus. It had pretty scary black and white pictures with lots of biting and teeth. There was also a river reptile that resembles the Lochness monster.

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: Children’s fiction historical fantasy

Grade level: 1-4

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/18/2021

Morgan Le Fay was in trouble and they had to find five things to help break a magic spell. They travel to Japan’s ninja country where there are battling houses. They meet an old master that gives them the item they need, a moonstone. Turns out all the items begin with the letter M. 

Author: Claire Llewellyn

Genre: Children’s NonFiction

Grade level: K-2

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 02/27/2021

This is a very good book about what happens when the seasons change. It has facts about leaves drying out before they fall. It shares simple photos of wintertime and talks about new growth in the spring. Summer has a photo of a sunflower. It is a simple starter for children on the seasons. 

Author: Peter Gill

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction

Grade level: 4-6

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/02/2021

This is a great book about general lifestyles and features of birds. It talks about feet that are so agile they can walk on lilly pads and how quiet owl feet are due to their feathery legs. It talks about the wingspan of a condor can reach 10 feet and I think I have seen one in California. I didn’t know eagles add to their nests every year and one nest was 42 feet tall. That would make great compost.

Author: Molly Marr

Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction

Grade level: 1-2

Awards: N/A

This is a book full of interesting facts about Butterflies and insects. I wasn’t aware of a lot of the details about insects, butterflies, and more. I didn’t know that insects see a kaleidoscope of thousands of images. I cannot imagine! It also stated that ants have dairy farms of aphids which I thought was funny. Most interesting is that mummies were petrified in honey.

Author: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction

Grade level: 9-12

Awards: Corretta Scott King Award

Review: Read 03/04/2021

This is a neat graphic novel that starts around the inauguration of Barak Obama. Mr. Lewis has visitors including a few young men. He tells them about his past and gets real far into it before he has to go see the inauguration. There was a timeline when he was a boy he was a chicken farmer and would practice his sermons on his flock. He became really attached to each chicken and cared for them greatly. His parents had a few acres and grew a garden. He left to seek a career as a pastor and went to school. At first he hid from his parents to catch the school bus. He loved the library too. 

Author: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction

Grade level: 9-12

Awards: Corretta Scott King Award

Review: Read 03/04/2021

This one dove into the history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and all of the leaders that were trying to change things. I learned John Lewis lived in Nashville, which I have called home. He took action in sit ins which were interesting from his historical perspective, like I never knew that one fast food joint tried to gas them. This also covered the freedom riders and how he came close to seeing very violent attacks on his comrades. It’s so important to gather perspectives from our past, even if they aren’t comfortable to talk about. I can’t wait to read a few more. 

Author: Renee Watson

Genre: Children’s Nonfiction

Grade level: 4-6

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/01/2021

This is a cute story about a young girl and her brother moving from a larger home to a smaller home. She makes friends pretty easily and plays in the park with her brother. Her mom sells at a local market and she gets to investigate some items in the new home and loves to bake. She is lost for the talent show but finally her best friend is sick and so she gets to be master of ceremonies. It’s a feel-good story with too much cake eating in it for me. In the end, they are expected another baby sister. 

Author: Marguerita Henry

Genre: Children’s Historical Fiction

Grade level: 3-7

Awards: John Newberry Award

Review: Read 03/07/2021

This is a story about a small and stout horse that is all American. The original stud was a mixed breed of unknown origin and was a small colt. The story follows the guy that started to train him and his crossings with him throughout his illustrious life. The colt would go on to win contests in pulling, racing contests, and meet the president of the United States. He fought in the war of 1812. Morgan horses in America all descend from him. The story was neat at the end when he is a small pull horse and abused. Joel, his trainer finds him after looking for years, and nurses him back to showman quality and then brings him to President Monroe. I like the story however the writing is infused with working class versus elite themes that are all boring to me. 

Author: C. S. Lewis

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Grade level: 3-6

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/07/2021

I really enjoy these series. This is book one and it follows Diggory and Polly, two curious children that are exploring a neighborhood. Digory’s mother is sick and they are staying with his grumpy but magical uncle. They discover rings that bring them into other realms through a portal, rather the uncle tests his rings on the children. They find an almost dead country and a tall witch that rides back to London with them. Then she follows them to Narnia while Aslan is building it. Aslan sends Diggory on a quest to get the apple of youth. They plant the apple and a tree sprouts up and Aslan gives Diggory an apple to give to his ailing mother. His mother recovers, the apple core is planted in the back yard. They become wealthy and purchase a large home in the country. When the tree dies, Diggory has it made into a wardrobe. The horrible witch Jadis hides in Narnia. 

Author: C. S. Lewis

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Grade level: 3-6

Awards: N/A

Review: Read 03/07/2021

This one was made into a classic movie and I still love it. The Turkish delight that Edmund eats will kill someone with poison in it that makes his a traitor to the witch who is calling herself queen. The battles are tremendous and the gathering at the stone table was a little different. Sometimes I just want to imagine tree women and not see them. I truly enjoy the fantasy. In the end the four children take the throne of Narnia and rid the country of Jadis. Aslan helps them along the way and then disappears.