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.

And Then It's Spring

The book and then it's spring by Julie Fogliano is a great book about planting seeds and having to wait patiently. The story is about a little boy who plants many seeds right before spring. He plants them and then he waits and wishes for rain. The rain them comes but everything around him is still brown. He waits and waits for the brown to go away but one day it does. And then it is spring.

This book is a very sweet and poem-like. The pictures help to capture the meaning behind the book and the beauty that comes with spring. This book can be used in the classroom right before spring to help students understand the process of gardening and the importance of rain and soil. This can also get students very excited for spring time. In the classroom, a teacher could have students plant seeds of their own to have their own little garden in class. They can wait for the plants to grow all together, just like the boy in the story. Parents can also use this book at home to express the importance of springtime and what it brings to crops and the world around us.

You Can't Have Too Many Friends!

The book You Can't Have Too Many Friends! by Mordicai Gerstein is a fun book about how you can never have too many friends. This book is about a Duck who has a great garden and he grows many jelly beans. One day the King of the land asked to borrow his jelly beans and the Duck allowed him. The Duck waits a whole year but the King never returns his jelly beans, so Duck decides to go to them himself. Along the way he runs into many friends that want to come along. He shrinks his friends down and carries them with him as he went to see the King. When he gets to the King's castle, the King refuses to help him and keeps sending the Duck away. The Duck uses his friends to help him get his jelly beans back.

This book can be used to teach children forgiveness and friendship. This would be best used for children in younger grades to help them see that friends are everywhere even if people are mean to you before. Parents can also use this book at home to teach the same thing to their children. Friendship is an important concept for all children to understand. This book does a great job of helping children realize that forgiveness is important and so are friends.

Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

The book Edwina The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems is about dinosaur who does not know she is extinct. She loves to be around all the people in the friendly town and no one else even knows that she is suppose to be extinct besides, Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. He wants everyone to know that she is not real but no one will believe him. No one will even take the time to listen to him until one day Edwina says she will listen to him.

This book is a fun book that can teach students about dinosaurs but also just about being a good friend. Teachers can use this book in the classroom to teach students that listening to someone can make them very happy. It can also teach students to be kind and willing to listen to others. This book can also be used at home for parents to read to their kids. It is a fun book and really cute with great illustrations. Mo Willems books are always fun for children.

The Duckling Gets A Cookie

The Duckling Gets A Cookie by Mo Willems is a fun book about the Pigeon and the Duckling. In this book the Duckling gets a cookie simply by asking for one, politely. The Pigeon gets very upset by this because he did not get a cookie. He begins going on a rant about how he asks for so many things but never gets them. The Duckling ends up giving the Pigeon the cookie because he wants it. Then the Duckling asks for another cookie.

This is a really cute book that can be used to teach children to ask for things politely and that they may not get everything they ask for. Parents and teachers can use this book. Teachers can also use this book for craft lessons on how to write a full circle story. This book can also be used at home for a fun read with kids. Mo Willems has other books similar to this one about the Pigeon and the Duckling.

Those Darn Squirrels!

Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin is a really sweet book about an old man who loves birds but hates to see them go every winter. He tries to find ways to have the birds stay by placing many bird feeders outside his house. The birds love the food but so did some other animals, the squirrels. The old man gets so mad because the squirrels are taking all of the birds food. He begins to create traps to keep the squirrels out but the squirrels are too smart and find ways to eat the food anyway. It begins to get cold and the birds leave to fly south for the winter. The old man begins to get very sad because his only friends are gone. But the squirrels want to help and create ways to cheer up the old man and it works!

I loved this book and I feel this book can be a fun read aloud for K-2 classrooms. This book can help teach students that friends can come from the strangest places. Parents can also use this book at home to read to their children. Children can learn about how birds fly south for the winter and also that making someone smile is worth it.

E-mergency!

E-MERGENCY! by Tom Litchenehld and Ezra Fields-Meyer is a really fun book about letters. It starts off explaining how all the letters in the alphabet live in one house and help each other to make new words. Until, one morning E was running down the stairs too fast and fell. She hurt herself very badly and had to go to the hospital. So to give E the rest she needed, everyone needed to stop using the letter in and instead they would use the letter O. The letters travelled everywhere, from Washington DC to speak to Congress and even across the world. The letters needed to make sure that no one was using the letter E so that she would get better.
I loved this book because it is really fun and helpful for students who are just learning sounds and letters. Teachers in any K-2 classroom can use this book for students who need extra help with letter and the importance that they have. Its a super fun book for kids because the letters say hilarious things using the letter they start with. Parents can use this book at home as well for children who are beginning to learn letters and sounds or even to get their child ahead of the game.

That One Spooky Night

That One Spooky Night by Dan Bar-el is a graphic novel about Halloween. It is a very fun read for any age and the pictures are fantastic. This book contains multiple different stories about one Halloween night that went a little crazy for different people. The stories are funny and keep the reader very engaged. The reader not only has to read the words but they must look at the pictures because some of the pictures have no words. This book is very unique because it contains many stories about one spooky night, or Halloween.
This book can be used in the classroom around Halloween time. A teacher could use this book for a unit on graphic novels and could have the students create their own "One Spooky Night" story. The teacher can make this a writing assignment and have the students actually publish their own story to add to the book. Parents can use this book to read to their children before bedtime around Halloween. Parents could also use this book to show their children a different type of book.

Seedfolks

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman is an amazing book about immigration and planting. The book changes perspectives in every chapter and no character is every repeated. All of the characters have one thing in common, they live in a neighborhood in Cleveland where someone has started to grow a garden. All of the characters have different reasons for connected with the garden and some participate in the growing and some just sit and watch. I thought this book was so interesting and it was a fun read. It helps to put immigration on the minds of the reader and it makes the reader think about how everyone has a different story and life.

This book would be best used in high school or middle school settings. Younger readers would not connect with the book as well as older readers would. This book is a great read and a quick one. Students would love it because it could be made into sort of a play. Each student could be a character and read their chapter. This activity would be great because it would help to make the character's real in the minds of the readers. This book could also be used at home to help children understand that everyone is different and comes from some place different.

Angels

Angels by Eloise Greenfield is a book of poems. These poems all relate back to one common idea: angels. The poems are all soft and short but the comfort you as you read them. In someway, every reader can connect with the poems. The illustrations help to draw a clearer picture for the reader but the words create a strong story.
This book of poems is a great one that should be used carefully in the classroom. Some poems do relate to God and should not be used in public schools. This book can be used in classrooms that are allowed to discuss God. I loved the poems in this book because they are loving and really put you in the place of the person in the poem. These can used in the classroom as poems to reflect upon and how the reader feels after hearing the poem or what it makes them think about. This book would be great for any age students and the teacher can read them one poem at a time. This book could also be used at home by parents to read their child a nice poem before bedtime.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune by Eloise Greenfield is a fun read about a very interesting woman. Every since Mary was a young girl she had always had a passion for reading. She wanted to make the world a better place through her reading. She became a teacher when she got older and later founded a school. Once the school got bigger she added a hospital.
I loved this book and I think this is a great one to read to young children in elementary school. This book teaches children to work hard no matter what and to remember they can always become something if they work hard enough. Mary grew up in a very poor family but worked very hard to get scholarships to go to schools and further her education. This book could also be used at home for children to learn to work hard and stay in school. I loved this book because Mary worked so hard to get where she was and it is truly an inspiring story.

The Great Migration: Journey to the North

The Great Migration: Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield is an interesting read about a family moving North during a hard time for African Americans. During the Great Migration in the south, African Americans were forced to be segregated from white people even though they were free people. Many African Americans felt the need to get out of the south and move to North to live a real free life. This book is loosely based on Eloise Greenfield's life because it is about a family moving from North Carolina to Washington, DC, which is exactly what her family did. This book gave different perspectives about the move from different characters points of view. I loved this because it helped to show what each member of the family was thinking as they were moving to a new place.

This book is a great book to explain what happened during segregation in the South. It helps give the reader a perspective of what it would have been like to grow up during this time or even be an adult. This book could be used in any classroom that is learning about this time period. It could also be used at home to explain to children why everyone needs to be treated equally but also to teach children about American's rough past. The pictures in this book help to tell the story and they are beautifully done. There is a lot behind some of the pictures but to see it the reader will need to look very closely. This book might best be used for older elementary school children who understand slavery and what it was like to be a minority during this time.

The Magic Horse of Han Gan

The Magic Horse of Han Gan by Chen Jiang Hong is a story about a boy named Han Gan who loves to paint but his family was too poor for him to buy brushes. One day he meets a famous painter named Wang Wei and he cannot resist but sketch one of his horses in the sand. Wang Wei loves his sketch and gives him supplies to paint on his own at home. Han Gan started drawing every second he could and was always drawing horses. He became so talented that within seven years the Emperor and Han Gan was offered a place at the Academy of official painters. But when he got there, Han Gan refused to change his craft that the teachers asked him to do. Han Gan only wanted to paint horses and that was all. People began to judge him because of his love for painting horses.

This is a great book with many amazing pictures and an amazing story of trying your best. Han Gan can relate to many students who love to paint or have a passion for certain things. This can be used in the classroom to teach children to work hard and become to the best at what they love. Han Gan is also Asian which can relate very well to Asian students. This can also be used to help students practice their drawing and the teacher can ask the students to draw pictures of horses. This can also be used at home to help students realize that they can work hard and never give up on what they love.

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan is an incredible story of a girl going from having everything to struggling to survive. Esperanza is a girl whose father owns a large farm in Mexico. They have a lot of money and have servants who take care of them until one day her father is killed by thieves. Esperanza and her mother have to flea to America with her servants to survive leaving her grandmother behind. They work on a camp site where they live in small cabins and work in fields. One day her mother gets very sick and is forced to work more to keep her mother alive. All she wants is to have her family back together and her mother healthy again.

This story can be used in upper elementary school and middle school. It is a great read and teaches important Spanish words along the way. Children can learn that even when people have a lot of money it can easily be taken away and that working your hardest can make a big difference in your life. They can learn from Esperanza and how hard she worked to keep her family going. Many children could relate to this story because some have families that are in a similar position. Parents can read this book to children at home to help them learn that not everyone is fortunate and many people have to work hard to get where they are.

King For A Day

King For A Day by Rukhsana Kham is a story about spring festival of Basant in Lahore, Pakinstan. This festival includes feasts, parties, and kite-flying battles. Malik is a boy who takes part in the kite-flying competitions. Unfortunately, he has to fly his kite against the mean boy who lives next door. He has many tough competitors but he pursues. He even has the chance to become King of Basant.

This is a great book about childhood and also the festival of Basant. Teachers could use this in their classroom to teach students about the festival and how it could compare to festivals here in the United States. Teachers could also use this to explain that bullies are everywhere and can teach a lesson on being kind to everyone. Parents could also use this book at home to teach acceptance to their children and to teach them about other cultures across the world. This book is very helpful in explaining this festival and children can get a good understanding of what it is about.

Knock Knock

Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty is a touching story about a boy and his love for his father. The boy shares a game called knock knock that him and his father has created. One day his father is not there to play the game when he wakes up. The boy waits and waits for him to come back but his father never does. The boy decides to write his father letters and leave them in his room in case his father is coming by when he is not there. One day the boy returns from school and there is a letter waiting for him at home. It is from his father and it tells him all the dreams is father has for him in his future.

I loved this book and this is a great story for any young man who does not have a father around. The boy learns that he can still be strong without his father and he can always be a better man. This book can be used in school to teach children that not all families are the same and some children do not have a father at home. Parents can easily use this book both single moms or single dads or both parents. Children can learn that their parents just want the best for them not matter what. The illustrations in this book are creative and fantastic. They really help to tell the story but they can also be used to see more of the story. A teacher could read this book to a class and after have the students create their own illustrations like this book.

The Name Jar

The Name Jar by Yangook Choi is a great story about a young girl from Korea named Unhei. She has just come from Korea with her family and is about to start school in America. On her first day on the bus, she get teased about her name. When she enters her classroom for the first time she feels worried about telling the class her name. She decides to tell the class that she will come up with a name on her own and then will tell the class. The next day at school, the whole class has created a jar that they have placed their favorite names in. They tell Unhei that she can pick any name she likes from the jar. The jar continues for a few days while Unhei discovers what her real name really means to her.

This is a great book that can be shared with students who have a new student coming to the class. A teacher could use read this book to their class before the student comes from another country so the class can understand how this student may feel. This book can teach students to accept others even if they are different from themselves. Parents could also use this book at home to read to children who need help accepting their name or accepting themselves. This book is great for any age child but especially upper elementary students because this is the age that children begin to tease others.

The Incredible Twisting Arm

The Incredible Twisting Arm by Kate Egan is a story about a boy name Mike who loved magic. Mike is not a very good student in school but he really wanted to improve. He find out that the magic shop he loves so much is having a special magician come for a show but it happens to be on the same day as his grandmother's birthday party. He wishes he could go but instead of being upset, he makes a plan to gain more privileges so he will be able to ride his bike down to the shop without his parents. He decides that maybe if he works harder in school or shows his parents how responsible he can be, he will be able to gain the extra privilege. Mike finds out that his science teacher is going to offer extra credit for creating a science experiment using everyday household items. Mike feels that this can be his way to be able to ride to the magic shop alone.

I feel that this story can relate to many students in upper elementary school. Not everyone is the best student but some want to change that. This story would be great for students who are just entering fourth or fifth grade because that is about the age of Mike. Teachers could use book to teach students that there are many ways to show responsibility and earn respect from parents or adults. This book would also be fun to use in science class to do some of the experiments and magic tricks. Parents could also read this book their children of this similar age because it will explain to them how they can gain the trust of parents. I would recommend this book for any child who loves magic because it teaches the reader a lot of tricks that would be fun for any young magician. This book is also the second book of a series called The Magic Shop.

Bicycle Book

Bicycle Book by Gail Gibbons is a very fun informational text about bikes and how they have changed over the years. This book shows many pictures of bikes and gives descriptions of bikes and how we have improved on the technology of bikes. It also has a page dedicated to explaining each part of the bike and how it works. 

This book could be used to parents to help teach their children the parts of the bike. Children who are very interested in engineering and building would love this book. They would be able to understand how bikes work and how each part is used. This book could also be used in a unit about building and how technology advances with time. Teachers could use this book to show how bikes have changed over many years and then talk about how other things have also changed. This book has great illustrations and is interesting for people who love bikes! 

Angel Girl

Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman is an amazingly touching story about a boy in a concentration camp during World War II. The boy is separated from his mother when they are forced into the camps. He wishes he could see his mother again but he never does. He goes through terrible times of being starved, over working in factories, and being so cold. One night he has a dream about his mother and she tells him an angel will save him. Two days later, a little girl is standing by the fence and throws him an apple just as the guards look away. Everyday they do this, and when she is about to leave he says "you are my little angel girl". I will not spoil the ending but it is truly amazing.

This book could be used in high schools or even middle schools when teaching children about World War II and concentration camps. I would say this book is too graphic for younger children and might scare them too much. I loved this book and feel that it can bring light to such a terrible time for the World. This book would help students to see what concentration camps did to people, even children. It has amazing pictures that can help students to picture the concentration camps and what it might feel like to be in one. It has a great ending and I feel that people of any age would love it!

Henry and the Cannons

Henry and the Cannons by Don Brown is the story of Henry Knox. Knox was a well known bookseller who lived in Boston during the time of the Revolutionary War. George Washington was leading the US Army but he was having a hard time. He needed more weapons. Knox knew just where to get them and he set on a long journey to Fort Ticonderoga. The way there was much easier but on the way back he struggled to get 59 cannons to Boston which was over 300 miles North. It took him nearly 3 months to do so but he did not lose a single cannon. Knox's ability to get these cannons helped America to beat the British in Boston.

This is a great informational text with fun pictures and awesome writing. Knox's story can be used in the classroom when learning about the Revolutionary War with students of any age. Younger kids will love the pictures and the story itself. But middle school aged kids as well as high schoolers would love this book because it holds so much information in a fun way.

Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique

Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique by Jane O'Connor is such a cute book about being an older sister and doing the right thing. It starts with Nancy going shopping for her little sister's birthday that is coming up. Nancy, her littler sister, Jojo, and their mom go shopping to get party supplies. While shopping, Nancy finds this lace fan she really wants but does not have enough money to buy it. Instead of asking her mom, Nancy makes her own boutique at her house using her grandmother's old clothes. While running her new store, Jojo finds a necklace she really wants but Nancy's friend already wanted to buy it. Jojo throws a fit and asks Nancy to give it to her for her birthday. Nancy feels badly because her friend already bought it, so she goes to buy it back from her friend.

This book could be used by any parent very easily in their own to teach their children bout responsibility and taking care of family members. Nancy does the right thing for her little sister and in the end she is rewarded. Parents who have multiple children, could read this to both the younger ones and the older ones to teach them about family and its importance. This book could also be used in the classroom to teach children new fun vocabulary words and also about responsibility. I loved this book and it is also a series. Check them out!