Always (eBook)

Always by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Pascal Lemaltre is a cute story about a dog always keeping his house safe. He refers to the house as a castle and tells the reader all about how he will keep the castle safe from different types of things; like monsters, seas and even meteors. At the end the reader kinds out why he wants to keep the castle so safe and it is very sweet.

This is a great book for early readers or beginning readers. It teaches students about pets, love, loyalty, imagination, friendship and how to protect. Grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade would connect with it best. It aligns with many common core standards as well through all three grades. It is a short book so it can be used quickly but it has a long lasting impact on the reader.

Ace Lacewing: Bad Bugs Are My Business (eBook)

Ace Lacewing: Bad Bugs Are My Business was written and Illustrated by David Biedrzycki. This is a book about Scratch Murphy and his flea bag full of dough going missing and Lace Lacewing is on the case. With the help of his partners Xerces and Zito, Ace searches Six Legs Park for clues.

This is a very fun book for students in grade 1 through 4. It also aligns with common core standards 1.RL.1, 1.RL.2, 1.RL.6, 1.RL.9, 2.RL1, 2.RL.9, 3.RL.1, 3.RL.3, 3.RL.4, and 4.RL.4. This is a great book for students to use their detective skills to solve the case and it is very interactive. This books takes about 13 minutes to listen to so the teacher will need to allow for that much time. Students will love this book because it allows for them to solve the case along side of Ace Lacewing. This book is also part of a whole series of Ace Lacewing books.

The Man With The Violin (eBook)

The Man With The Violin was written by Kathy Stinson and illustrated by Dusan Petricic. This is an eBook that is posted on tumblebooks.com. This book is based on a true story of Joshua Bell, a famous violinist who took played his violin in a metro station in Washington, DC. While he was playing, thousands of commuters ran by him but only a few stopped to listen to him for more than a minute. The story is about a boy named Dylan who notices everything and while walking through the metro with his mom he notices the violinist. The music fills the air but his mother does not let him stop to listen to it. Dylan does not forget the violinist and later on convinces his mother to stop and listen to the music too.

This is a great book that can be used for students in grade Kindergarten through 2nd grade. It even aligns with common core standards 1.RL.2, 2.RL.3, 2.RL.6, and 2.RL.7. Before reading this book I was not a fan of eBooks but after it I feel in love with the idea. The pages flow so well with the book and it also reads the book to you. I loved that because even students who are not the best readers can follow along and read while the words are being read to them. Teachers can use this in their classroom for read alouds and other activities. There is a lot to learn from this particular story but this website has many other eBooks as well.

Word With Wings

Words With Wings by Nikki Grimes is a verse novel about a young girl whose parents are getting divorced. The story is written in poem form, which some are long and some are short and some even rhyme. The girl in the story loves to dream and she loves words. Even just one word can take her on an amazing journey but her teachers and her parents do not like this. She is easily taken into her other world and away from the world we live in. She struggles with being in both worlds because she is criticized for day-dreaming so often.

This book can be used in many different types of classrooms, but mainly middle school or high school. The poems are so well written and students can learn a lot about poetry and about themselves from this book. Middle school or high school students would be able to connect well with the girl and understand what it is like to not always fit in. I loved this book and how quick of a read it was with such a lasting impact on the reader.

Behold The Bold Umbrellaphant

Behold The Bold Umbrellaphant by Jack Prelutsky is a book of poems where animals are made into other objects. The first poem is about an elephant who is also an umbrella. This book is full of different types of animals and objects that we see everywhere. This book is an interesting read for students of all ages and can even be used in high school English classes. This book also has very cool illustrations that look like paper glued together.

Teachers can use this book in many different types of classrooms. As I stated because high school English teachers can use this in their classrooms to teach poetry and bringing together two unlike objects. Teachers in elementary classrooms can do the same but in a much more simple way. Students will need to use their imaginations to create these ideas and they will cut out images much like the illustrations in this book. Parents can use this book at home with very young children to teach them about objects and animals.

I Didn't Do It

I Didn't Do it by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest is a very cute book of poems about dogs. The first poem in the book is about puppies being born and it goes on from there about how puppies play but also have rules. The poems are all written very differently but also as a story all together. This book has wonderful illustrations that will grab students attention and will make them love puppies even more.

This book can be used in many ways in the classroom. First it can be used to address poetry and how poems can all be very different. It can be used to teach how poems can tell a story even if the poems are not all written the same way. A teacher can also use this book to show how artists create amazing illustrations. Students can take pictures of their favorite animals and write a poem about them and draw an illustration from the picture. Parents can also use this book at home for fun to read about dogs and their life styles.

Awful Orge Running Wild

Awful Orge Running Wild by Jack Prelutsky is a picture book full of poems. The poems are all about Awful Orge and his adventures he gets into. Each poem is written differently, some rhyme while others do not and some are long while others are short. I like this because it helps to show students that all poems can be different and rhyming does not make it a poem. The pictures in this book work very well the poems and are fun to look at and examine. Children will love the pictures and the stories that are told through poetry.

This is a very fun book for students of all ages. This is also part of a series of book about Awful Orge. This book is a great way to teach students about poetry and how it can be used in many ways. Teachers can use this in their classrooms to show the wide variety of poetry while parents can use this book at home to read for fun to their children. Orge is a very fun character that students can connect with and laugh with.