Author- Susannah Buhrman-Deever 

Illustrated by Matthew Trueman 

Published by Candlewick Books on May 26, 2020

Genre- Non Fiction 

Ages 5-8 

#32 pages 

Artistic Media-

Matthew Trueman’s dynamic illustrations, starring a raft of charismatic sea otters. Back matter includes more information about sea otters and kelp forests, including their importance and current status, and the effects of the international fur trade on indigenous people.

Literacy Elements-This children's literature book summaries how important the otters were to the kelp forest underwater. When the otters were being hunted by people, the kelp forest started to deteriorate because no one was eating the sea urchins. When you take away a positive factor, there is always something being affected. This story has a cause and effect theme. This literature is global considering it is informational to everyone around the world. 

Personal Response- I think this is a great book for younger students to show a cause and effect relationship. We see one animal being taken away and the rest of the sea being negatively affected. This can open students eyes into thinking about the effect they have on certain things if they are making quick and uneducated choices. 

Date: August 29, 2017

Publisher:

Grade: 9-11

Number of pages: 256

Literacy Element: With power and good humored laughter, this middle schooler fights back when her favorite book is taken off the shelves of the school library. A girl named Ann fights for what's right and uses her freedom to make posters and bring the banned books back.

Personal Response: Personally, I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it is an important message to spread and see the main character defend. Banning books is something that is an ongoing issue today. There are a variety of opinions about this topic and I thought the book did a great job at expressing both sides. As future educators, it is our job to make sure our students feel comfortable and have the best resources they can. If there is any concern the school board is here to fix the issues and hear a child out.

Illustrator- Pamela Zagarenski

Publisher- Clarion Books

Date Published- October 4th 2016

Grade Level- k-3

Page Number- 40

Artistic Media-With beautiful mixed-media paintings, the Caldecott Honor–winning artist Pamela Zagarenski explores the transcendent nature of friendship and love.

Literacy Element- This book is about a stuffed animal named Leo and his owner Henry. Henry one day looses Leo in the woods and gets worried he will never find him. Everyone believes Leo is not real but Henry supports the idea that Leo is as much alive as everyone else.

Personal Response- I personally really enjoyed reading this book. It shows the idea of loyalty and how much someone can mean to you in their life. I think this is a light hearted message that could be a great book in my classroom.

Illustrator- Celia Krampien

Publisher- Greenwillow Books

Pages- 400

Date- March 22, 2022

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- Cash, Fitch, and Bird Nelson Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade. The country waits expectantly for the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties. We see in the book that middle school throws them for a loop. Cash believes he is a failure and they face challenges when learning about space.

Personal Response- Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to see the different personalities and what each character went through. I think this book would be cool to make an activity out of. This may look like picking one character and drawing a chart about them.

Illustrator- Patricia Castelao

Date- January 17, 2012

Pages- 336

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a gorilla and his best friend who live in a cage at the mall. They have no personal space to roam and are becoming weak. They are on a mission to get out until his best friend passes away. Ivan (the gorilla) took charge in taking care of Ruby a baby elephant who got thrown into the cage. They make posters and try to spread the word around the mall in hopes of getting out. They were able to soon roam free.

Personal Response- I personally thought this book was filled with a lot of action and kept you on the edge of your seat. I think elementary students will like the fact that the main idea revolves around animals. It is a cool story line that keeps you engaged.

Illustrator- Melody Bremen

Date Published- 1997

Pages- 254

Artistic Media- Water color, drawing

Literacy Element- In this book, there is a boy named Indigo who's passion is paining. He is poor and moves from shelters because he has a bad home life. His best friend is there for him and supports his passion for painting. We see his journey throughout the book.

Personal Response- Personally, I thought this book had a cute story with important lessons. Different people go through different hardships but seeing Indigo work for his dream gives the reader motivation and proves that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Illustrator- Jacqueline Davies

Publisher- Clarion Books

Pages- 192

Date- 2007

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- Before school starts, Jesse and Evan decide to battle on who can make the best lemonade. They only have so much time before summer ends so everything is on the line. It becomes a tough call on who really made the best lemonade. Will they ever really know?

Personal Response- Personally, I loved the competition in this book. I think the bander between the two best friends showed an interesting dynamic. I would put this book in my classroom as a fun read.

Illustrator- Marcus Pfister

Date- 1992

Pages- 32

Grade Level- k-12

Artistic Media- Holographic foils and paintings

Literacy Element- This book is about a beautiful fish who was surrounded by tons of others in the ocean. He was cocky and thought he was the best fish out of them all. He didn't have many friends because he was stuck up. When he started to share his scales he soon realized it wasn't all about beauty.

Personal Response- I think this book had a very good message. In life you get farther with your personality than you do your looks. In elementary school, I think it's important to hear this message and to be nice to others no matter what they look like. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Illustrator- Felicia Bond

Publisher- Harper Collins

Pages- 32

Date- 1985

Grade- 1-5 years old

Fiction

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy who gives a mouse a cookie. After one task is completed, the mouse keeps asking for more because he knows the boy will give it to him. We can see the boy getting used. At the end, the boy and the mouse enjoy a cookie together at the end.

Personal Response- Personally, I think this was an important message to share. It is easy to get taken advantage of if you are not careful. We see the mouse get handed everything and that is not okay. It is rude to use people just because you know you can get something out of them. I think this is a good read for an elementary school student.

Illustrator- Vivien Mildenberger

Publisher- Abrams Books for Young Readers

Date- Aug 9, 2022

page- 48

Artistic Media- Water color, Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl named Judith who struggled with everyone saying she couldn't do certain things and always telling her know. She was a student with a disability who stood up for herself until the section 504 bill was passed. She not only fought for herself but she would help many others.

Personal Response- I think this book is a great read considering it is a real life issues. There may be students in your class with disabilities or someone you may know who has one. It is important they are treated equally and have the same opportunities as everyone else. I think this is a great message.

Illustrator- Deborah Melmon

Publisher- Two Lions

Date Published- Jan 29, 2013

Page Count- 32

Artistic Media- Drawing, watercolor, blending

Literacy Element- This book is about a bunch of animals who are fighting against themselves to find water. Whoever is the first to complete this task is the winner and becomes the chief. Everyone has doubt in the Gecko and tells him to give up because he is the smallest. Little do they know he would accomplish the task first.

Personal Response- Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it had a cool story line with a ton of great lessons. It is important not to judge someone based on their looks because they may end up surprising you. I would defiantly put this in my classroom library.

Illustrator- Andrea Castellani

Publisher- Flashlight Press

Date- September 26, 2012

Pages- 32

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy named Frank who is so truthful it seems to hurt him in the long run. He is losing friends because he shares everything without knowing when to stay quiet. His dad gives him a lesson on the importance of not airing out the truth all the time.

Personal Response- Personally, I really liked this book. In elementary school you learn that it is important to tell the truth but as time moves on it is also good to know when to stay quiet. I think this lesson is good and can be beneficial to elementary school students.

Illustrator- Micha Archer

Publisher- Nancy Paulsen Books

Date Published- February 6th 2019

Pages- 32

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl named Bobbi Gibb who loves to run. Her dream is to run in the Boston Marathon. She is shut down quickly when she applied due to her gender. Bobbi continues to train and is eager to get in the race. She disguises herself and jumps through a bush into the race. She finishes before multiple men!

Personal Response- I really enjoyed reading this book. It shows that if you put your mind to something you can accomplish it. Reading this book made you realize all the work Bobbi put in and the reward she got for completing the race. Girls can accomplish anything a guy can.

Illustrator- David Messing

Publisher- Bucket Fillers

Date Published- Aug 1st, 2008

Page-24

Artistic Media- Drawling, shading, water color

Literacy Element- This book is about each individual having a bucket that they carry with them throughout their life. This bucket is imaginary and it is filled up when you feel love from others. It is completely empty when no one makes you happy. You fill others buckets when making them happy.

Personal Response- I think this book is fun and lighthearted. It shows the impact happiness has on other people. When reading this, it motivates you to want to go and fill other peoples bucket. I think this book is positive and great for elementary school students.

Illustrator-Doug Cushman

Publisher- Simon and Schuster

Pages-32

Date- June 1, 2002

Artistic Media- Drawing, Bright colors

Literacy Element- This book is about what teachers can't do. Some examples are riding a bike to school, buying themselves apples, or never be tardy. This was a sarcastic book to read with great humor.

Personal Response- I personally though this book was super engaging. It kept me reading due to its humor. This may be a book some students get confused about. If they aren't understanding the humor I can see them getting the wrong impression. Overall, I think it is a cute book.

Illustrator-Wendy Mass

Publisher- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date Published- October 5th 2010

Page- 446

Artistic Media- Realistic Colors, Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about four kids who are in a competition with each other to see who can make the best candy. They face challenges along the way as the rules keep changing and more keep getting added. They have to get creative and use their best assets to keep going with the competition

Personal Response- I think this book had a very good story line. It was fun to add competition and read about each characters process in trying to win. This book has a lot of action and is upbeat. I would add this to my library.

Illustrator- Todd Bright

Publisher- Worthy Kids

Date Published- April 7th 2020

Pages- 32 pages

Artistic Media- picture book, drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl named Amera who needed to taste her words after speaking rudely and saying mean things. There would be a bad taste in her mouth after eating food because she was unhinged. She would so learn that if she is nice a good taste would come into her mouth.

Personal Response- This book has a good message of the importance of being nice. We as individuals can all say thing that are mean and useless. It is good that kids are seeing how much of an impact it can make on other people and themselves. No one wants a bad taste in their mouth.

Illustrator- Shel Silverstein

Publishing date- October 7, 1964

Pages-64

Grade- 2nd

Artistic Media- sketch art, drawing

Literacy Element- The book is about a boy and an apple tree. This tree gives the boy whatever he pleads and the boy never says thank you. The tree is ripped apart until there is nothing left to give.

Personal Response- I personally think this book has a long lasting message. It shows the danger of being selfish and not once showing appreciation. In the world today, it is important that we show how grateful we are to others when they provide for us or help us out. It is how spread good in the world. If you are never returning the favor, it is worthless.

Illustrator- Eric Carle

Publishing date- June 3, 1969

Pages- 32

Grade- K-3

Artistic Media- drawing, picture book, flip book

Literacy Element- This book is about a caterpillar who is very hungry and eager to eat food. He decides to only eat unhealthy things that lead to him becoming big. Due to his bad choices of food, he is stuck in a bad position.

Personal Response- Personally, I think this is book has a great story line. As an elementary school student at one time I always just wanted to eat junk food. Knowing the side effects from this book is beneficial for students to see. If you eat unhealthy it can lead to heath problems and you not feeling the best. It is good to have a balance.

Illustrator- E. H. Shepard

Publishing Date- October 14, 1926

Publisher- Dutton

Pages-176

Artistic Media- drawing, line art, warm colors

Literacy Element- This book is about ten different stories about a variety of adventures that Pooh and his friends go on. They face struggles and use their imagination when going on each adventure. The theme of friendship is the main message in this book

Personal Response- I personally enjoyed reading all of the different stories. There was a sweetness in each book that revolved around friendship and adventure. I think this book would be great for elementary school students and open their imagination.

Illustrator- Michael Wright

Publisher-Square Fish

Date Published- July 20th 2010

Page- 48

Artistic Media- picture book, colorful, drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy named Jake who was very timid to leave his parents when going to school. They had to stay with him in the class and at recess. He was unable to do things independently because he was nervous. It was until the teacher read a book where the character had the same name as Jakes dog that he became relaxed and able to leave his parents.

Personal Response- This book shows the idea of comfort and how much it can do for a person. If a student is uncomfortable in a classroom they are not going to want to learn and are going to be miserable. It is important we as future teachers make sure each student feels seen and is able to express themselves.

Illustrator- Patrice Barton

Publisher- Knopf Books for Young Readers

Date- October 8, 2013

pages- 40

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy named Brian who struggles with feeling invisible. No one pays much attention to him because he is pretty quiet. His teacher looks over him and only listens in to the louder students. He finally becomes with the new kid named Justin. They are seen as outsiders and bond over that

Personal Response- Personally, I really enjoyed reading this book. We as future teachers are going to have students who struggle with finding friends. It is our job to look after this and teach them the lesson that everyone isn't going to get along and that is okay. I think this message is important because no one should feel invisible.

Illustrator- Taeeun Yoo

Date published- October 27th, 2015

Page-32

Artistic Media- Drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy and his pet elephant. They were two best buds who did everything together. One day they went to a "Pet Club Day" and noticed that there was no elephants allowed in. This was disappointing as they noticed a skunk and its owner as well. They decided to create a club where all animals were aloud.

Personal Response- Personally, I think the message of inclusion is one of the most important messages a kid can read. It is very hard to form relationships and can be easy to kick someone to the side due to their differences. It is important we don't judge people on their looks or how they identify. I would put this book in my classroom library.

Illustrator- Shelley Johannes

Publisher- Love and Logic Press

Date- February 19th, 2013

Pages- 30

Artistic Media- drawing, watercolor

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl named Emily who is confused about the idea of Empathy. She doesn't realize that doing things for others shows a great deal of empathy. She helped her dad with a simple task and saw his mood change completely. When looking back at what she has done for others and how much appreciation is shown she grasps the ideas.

Personal Response- I personally think empathy is important for children in elementary school to learn. We always need more empathy in our lives and seeing the effects it can have on others is impactful. It is normal for kids to not know what empathy is right away but introducing it can only make a positive impact.

Illustrator- David Shannon

Publisher- The Blue Sky Press

Date-1998

Pages- 32

Grade- k-3

Artistic Media- Bright colors, drawing

Literacy Element- Camilla Cream starts developing stripes on her body that are all different colors. Her biggest worry is judgement and what others will think of her. Her stripes turn all the same color in different scenarios. For example, if she were to be embarrassed her whole body would be red.

Personal Response- Personally, I think this is an important message because not everyone is going to look "perfect" all the time. There are going to be bumps around the road where a stupid may feel insecure of be worried someone is going to make fun of them. My biggest recommendation is to try and accept everyone for who they are and not what they look like.

Illustrator- Dom Lee

Publisher- See and Low Books

Date- 1993

Pages- 32

Artistic Media- Drawing, realistic coloring

Literacy Element- This book is about a family who is sent to an internment camp during Pearl Harbor. Shorty (The boy) and his dad come up with the idea to create a baseball field where inmates can play. This helps create friendship and keeps the inmates sane.

Personal Response- Personally, I like the fact that this book has a good solution. They are put in a terrible position and find a way to make it somewhat positive and fun. This is important because some students may run into barriers where they need to find the good in things. This book shows hardship and has a great message.

Illustrator- Julie Fleet

Date- February 5, 2019

Publisher- Theytus Books

Page- 32

Artistic Media - drawing, darker color

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl who goes into the woods looking for berries. She soon stumbles across a wolf and is frightened. Her mother is worried and warned her ahead of time. The wolf uses his smell to take the girl back and reunite with her mother.

Personal Response- Personally I enjoyed reading this book. Some people may surprise you with a kind act like using their senses to get you home. It is important to stay aware and listen to your parents. Elementary school students don't know how to take care of themselves so they need to keep an eye out.

Illustrator- Alicia Ortego

Publisher- My Superpower Books

Page-38

Date- July 27th 2020

Artistic Media- bubble art, drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy named Lucas who was dealing with being in a bad mood and being mean to others. He confides in his mom and asks what kindness is. His mom provides examples of how he can be nice towards others. Lucas takes this into consideration and changes his ways.

Personal Response- I think this book is beneficial for elementary school students to read. If they are reading examples of kindness they may use those in their life. This book shows the impact of what kindness can do and the importance of it. I would put this into my classroom library.

Illustrator- Cartoon Saloon

Publisher- Groundwood Books

Date-January 1st, 2018

page- 80

Artistic Media- darker colors, drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a girl named Parvana who is under the rules of the Taliban. She cuts off her hair and looks like a boy because she got wrongfully arrested. We see Parvana meet her best friend and start their own business together. This is their bit of freedom. Parvana deals with family issue due to her mom being depressed and her father leaving.

Personal Response- Personally, I thought this book had a lot of structure too it. There were many details to follow and a great story line. We see struggle and her overcome her issues. I enjoyed this read and would recommend this to an upper elementary class.

Illustrator- Kadir Nelson

Publish Date- January 7th 2001

page-40

Artistic Media- Drawing, watercolor

Literacy Element- This book is about a boy named Henry who is in slavery. He has kids that are ripped away from him and sold. Henrys dream is to be free and reunited with his loved ones. He gets shipped off in a box with three holds in order to taste freedom. He is never reunited with his family.

Personal Response- Personally, this is a deeper meaning book that is heavy on the heart. It shows that people go through different struggles so it is important to appreciate life. We see Henrys story unfold and get better during the end. I think this is a great read.

Illustrator- Kana Urbanowicz

Publisher- Little Bee Books

Date- March 15th 2019

page-40

Artistic Media- pop of color, drawing

Literacy Element- This book is about a guy named Ando who created the "Magic Ramen." This ramen is able to be made instantly. Ando created this ramen so people wouldn't starve. He saw everyone waiting in line and wanted to create something that would be fast and efficient.

Personal Response- I thought this book was lighthearted and a fun read. I liked the solution of making this magic ramen. The author made the book super passionate and keep the reader engaged. I would recommend this book to my students.