Picture Book 16: Mr. Lincoln's Way

Author: Patricia Polacco

Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: bullying, finding people's strengths, effects of family, racism and bigotry, change

Characters:

~Primary: Mr. Lincoln, Eugene

~Secondary: Grampa, Eugene's dad

Awards: N/A

Date of Publication: 2001

Publishing Company: Philomel

Summary: Everyone thinks that Eugene is trouble, that he is a bully that cannot be helped. Mr. Lincoln, however, is not ready to give up on him.  Despite Eugene's racist remarks, Mr. Lincoln uses his love for birds to connect with him and make him see how diversity should be embraced. 

Recommendation: This is a wonderful book for embracing the topic of diversity in schools.  The book passes on a good message without being didactic. Students will be able to connect to the book, and teachers will be able to use it to address problems of bullying, racism and bigotry in the classroom.

Picture Book 15: Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices

Author: Paul Fleischman

Illustrator: Beppe Giacobbe

Genre: Poetry

Themes: death, family, gossip, hunger, appreciating what you have, simple pleasures

Characters: seventh-grade students, ghosts, families

Awards: N/A

Date of Publication: 2000

Publishing Company: Candlewick

Summary: Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices is a book of speak-aloud poems.  The three different poems have completely different themes.  The first is about the sounds of a family.  Second is about the gossip in a seventh-grade class.  The last is about a meal that a family is having while being watched by their ghostly ancestors.  All the poems have different stories, but they are all connected by the sing-song melody of the four voice harmony.

Recommendation: This is another book that is just fun.  I love the sound of spoken-poetry, and this is the perfect book for sharing that love with a group of students.  Poetry is one of those subjects that is difficult to share, because people tend to be scared of it.  This book makes poetry fun, so people do not have to be scared of it anymore. 

Picture Book 14: Raven: A Trickster tale from the Pacific Northwest

Author: Gerald McDermott

Illustrator: noneGerald McDermott

Genre: Traditional Literature

Themes: cunning, mischief making, magic

Characters:

~Primary: Raven

~Secondary: Sky Chief, Sky Chief's daughter

Awards: 
~Caldecott Honor

Date of Publication: 1993

Publishing Company: Harcourt

Summary: Raven is a trickster who is always causing mischief.  When he sees that mankind is in darkness, however, he decides to go searching for light.  When he finds light emanating from the house of the Sky Chief, Raven transforms himself so that he is swallowed by the Sky Chief's daughter.  Raven then becomes a baby boy, and waits for his chance to steal the light, which is coming from the sun, and share it with all man kind.

Recommendation: As an origin myth, this story would be great to compare to other stories from around the world.  Students can see similarities and differences between myths from each culture they study.  For example, the focus on light in this story is similar to the focus on light in Judeo-Christian scriptures.

Picture Book 13: So You Want to Be President

Author: Judith St. George

Illustrator: David Small

Genre: Nonfiction

Themes: U.S. government, history, leadership

Characters:

~the first 42 presidents of the United States

Awards: 
~Caldecott Medal

Date of Publication: 2004

Publishing Company: Philomel

Summary: Presidential history may seem boring to some, but this book makes it interesting.  Filled with facts about the presidents, some quirkier than others, this book is certain to keep students entertained.  In addition to telling about each individual president, this book also instills a sense of respect for the office of president and imparts some of the difficulties that presidents face in their terms in office.

Recommendation: This would be a good book to read in U.S. History.  I remember most of the presidents by an interesting fact.  For example, it is easy to remember that President Tyler follow President William Henry Harrison because of Harrison's campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!"  Or that Taft is the largest man to be president, making him easy to identify, because he had to install a custom bathtub in the White House.  These are the kind of facts that students remember.

Picture Book 12: When Sophie Gets Angry-- Really, Really Angry

Author: Molly Bang

Illustrator: Molly Bang

Genre: Fiction

Themes: family and siblings, emotions and feelings, healing in silence of nature

Characters:

~Primary: Sophie

~Secondary: Sophie's parents, Sophie's sister

Awards: 
~Caldecott Honor

Date of Publication: 1999

Publishing Company: Blue Sky Press

Summary: When Sophie's mother insists that she share a toy gorilla with her sister, Sophie does not know how to deal with her emotions.  She runs away, and is able to find solace in a big beech tree.  After spending time alone, Sophie is able to find a cure for her anger.

Recommendation: This would be a good book to use with younger students. It shows other people going through emotions that they understand, and show a way to control those emotions.  Teachers can use the book to establish "cool-down" procedures for their classroom.

Picture Book 11: R is for Rhyme

Author: Judy Young

Illustrator: Victor Juhasz

Genre: Poetry

Themes: elements of poetry

Characters:

~Primary: none

~Secondary: none

Date of Publication: 2005

Publishing Company: Thomson Gale

Summary: R is for Rhyme is an alphabetic poetry book.  Students learn about different elements of poetry and types of poems through example.  In addition, each poem is accompanied by a summary and a question to help the reader delve deeper into the poems.

Recommendation: This book is a good way to introduce concepts of poetry, especially to younger audiences.  Each of the twenty-six poems is entertaining and engaging, and the glossary in the back gives easy to understand definitions of difficult concepts.

Picture Book 10: Don't Let the Pigeons Drive the Bus (Caldecott)

Author: Mo Willems

Illustrator: Mo Willems

Genre: Animal Fantasy

Themes: keeping promises

Characters:

~Primary: pigeon

~Secondary: bus driver

Awards: 
~2004 Caldecott Honor Book

Date of Publication: 2003

Publishing Company: Hyperion Press

Summary: When the bus driver leaves, he asks the readers to watch his bus for him.   The readers need to remember that promise when a mischievous pigeon tries to trick the readers into letting him drive the bus. 

Recommendation: This book is really funny.  Students will love to respond to the quirky pigeon as he tries different ways to get to drive the bus. This is a great interactive book to read with a class.

Chapter Book 8: The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Author: Beverly Cleary

Illustrator: Louis Darling

Genre: Animal Fantasy

Themes: unusual friendship, sharing and trust, bravery in the face of obstacles, sacrificial love

Characters:

~Primary: Keith, Ralph

~Secondary: Ralph's mother; Ralph's aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings; the maid; Matt; Mr. and Mrs. Gridley; the terrier

Awards: 
~Nene Award (Hawaii)
~ALA Notable Children's Book
~Great Stone Face Book Award (New Hampshire)
~William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas)

Date of Publication: 1990

Publishing Company: HarperCollins

Summary: Ralph is a young mouse longing for adventure, so when he sees a toy motorcycle he wants nothing more than to ride it.  His daring escapade lands him at the bottom of a trash basket.  Thankfully, he makes an unlikely friendship with the little boy who owns the motorcycle, Keith, who teaches him how to ride the motorcycle.  Through a series of adventures, Keith and Ralph become close friends.  When a sudden illness begins to affect Keith, Ralph must summon his courage to help find medicine that will help cure Keith.   

Recommendation: I really enjoyed reading this book. The majority of the book was lighthearted and fun, but with just enough conflict to keep students interested.  I think that both boys and girls will be engaged by this story, making it a great choice for a class read-aloud.  

Chapter Book 7: Kira-Kira

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Illustrator: none

Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: growing up, siblings and family, loss and grief, success

Characters:

~Primary: Katie Takeshima

~Secondary: Lynn Takeshima, Sammy Takeshima, Mr. and Mrs. Takeshima, Silly,
 neighbors

Awards: 
~Newbery Medal
~ALA Notable Children's Book
~Asian/ Pacific American Award for Literature

Date of Publication: 2004

Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster

Summary: Katie Takeshima has always been close to her sister Lynn.  Lynn teachers her everything, even the things in life that are kira-kira, glittering, like the sky and people's eyes.  Even when the two sisters are uprooted by their parents from a small community in Iowa to Georgia, the two sisters remain close, but their relationship changes as Lynn begins to grow older and experiences a terminal illness.  Now, Katie must find a way to hold her family together and remind them that there is always something kira-kira in the world.

Recommendation: Although the book was slow at times, it was a good read.  The sibling relationships in the book were very well developed.  I think that students would enjoy the book for individual reading; however, I would be hesitant to read the book aloud in class since a sibling going through cancer is a traumatic and not uncommon event.

Picture Book 9: The House in the Night (Caldecott)

Author: Susan Marie Swanson

Illustrator: Beth Krommes

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: magic of books, imagination

Characters:

~Primary: little girl

~Secondary: bird, adult

Awards: 
~Caldecott Medal
~2008 Parents' Choice Award
~AARP BookBooks for Grandparents
~Publishers Weekkly Best Books of 2008
~Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2008est 
~ABA Best Books for Children
~2008 Booklist Top of the List- Youth Picture Book
~Minnesota Book Award for Children's Literature

Date of Publication: 2008

Publishing Company: Houghton Miflin Company

Summary: After receiving the key to a house, a little girl experiences the joys of reading a good book.  On the wings of a bird from a book, she explores the night and sees the sun and the moon up close.  Finally, the little girl returns home with the realization that the real place to find the light is in a home full of love.

Recommendation: This is a good book for beginning readers.  There are few words and very descriptive pictures.  I would use this book with students who are transitioning from reading words to reading phrases.

Chapter Book 6: Gooney Bird Greene

Author: Lois Lowry

Illustrator: Middy Thomas

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Art of storytelling, uniqueness, welcoming new friends

Characters:

~Primary: Gooney Bird Greene

~Secondary: Mrs. Pidgeon, Felicia Ann, Malcolm, Beanie, Keiko, Tricia, Barry
 Tuckerman

Awards: Rhode Island Children’s Book Award

Date of Publication: 2004

Publishing Company: Yearling

Summary: A heartwarming tale about the new girl in class, Gooney Bird Greene introduces the art of storytelling to students through her clever and “absolutely true” tales.  Despite being the most recent addition to the class, Gooney Bird immediately draws everyone in with her unusual style and engaging personality. Throughout the entire book, Gooney Bird teaches by example to help her classmates and their teacher understand the most important aspects of being a good storyteller.

Recommendation: This book is funny.  Students will love to read it and make predictions about where the story will be going.  In addition, the book helps students understand the elements of a story and gives practical examples of how to find stories from everyday life.