Title: Where The Wild Things Are
Author/Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper and Row 1963
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 40

Rating System: Early Elementary 5 (recommended)
This book is a pre-K-1 grade reading level. This book is a classic for all ages and helps with building imagination. The pictures in the book make it easy for kids to use their imagination and the text makes this book seem real to some kids. Any book that involves students using their imagination is a spectacular book.

Summary:
There is a little boy named Max. He is looking for a little fun, so he dresses up like a wolf. Unfortunately, his mother is tired of this  and sends him to bed without any supper. But unexpectedly a forest grows in his bedroom and Max is taken away to a land of Wild Things. Thankfully, the Wild Things are nice Things and do not eat Max; but instead they make him their king. Will Max return to his mother and finally eat his dinner?

Educational Purpose:
This book is a classic and so many activities can be used with it. In my classroom, I would have my students look at the pictures but come up with their own version of the book. This will show me how creative my students are. When the students get done with writing their own version, I will have them do a share out and they will share their versions of the story with myself and their classmates.

The Polar Express Book Review

Title: The Polar Express
Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1985
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 32

Rating System: Early Elementary 5 (recommended)
This book is a K-2 grade reading level. This book offers amazing illustrations on every page that will help young readers understand what's going on in the book if the text gets to challenging for them. The text can be very lengthy with some challenging vocabulary words. One of the things I love about this book is that it gives great insight about Christmas and what it means to be grateful for what you have. This would be an awesome book to read during Christmas time.

Summary:
One late Christmas Eve night, a boy boards a mysterious train called "The Polar Express". It was heading for the North Pole. Once the express arrived, Santa offers the little boy any gift he so desires. The boy asks for one special gift, a bell from the harness of a reindeer. But then the bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The boy's mother admires the bell. He shakes the bell and only he can hear it, no one else can.

Educational Purpose:
Since this is a Christmas book, I will present it to the class during the holidays. I would make sure the students understand what it means to be grateful for what you have and get for Christmas because one of their friends or classmates might not get anything for Christmas. After we read the book, we will decorate "Polar Express" sugar cookies.

Mr. Wolf's Pancakes

Title: Mr. Wolf's Pancakes
Author/Illistrator: Jen Fearnley
Publisher:Tandem Library 2001
Pages: 28
Genre: Folklore

Rating: Early Elementary 4 (recommended)
This book is a K-2 reading level. This book has lengthy text along with illustrations on every page that are very appealing to the eye. I rate this book a 4 because it has a serious of events that can be fun to follow along and you never know what is going to happen next. Early elementary students would love this book.

Summary:
This book is about Mr. Wolf and he wants to make pancakes for breakfast but doesn't know where to start. He then goes on an adventure asking his neighbors. He asked Chicken Little, Wee Willy Winkle, the Gingerbread man, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Three Little Pigs to ask what he should do. All of his neighbors didn't help him so he had to figure it out himself. After a while, Mr. Wolf figures out how to make them and he makes a HUGE pile of pancakes. His neighbors smell the pancakes and calls Mr. Wolf asking if he will share his pancakes but he gets his just "desserts".

Educational Purpose:
When I read this book it makes me think of being a bully and excluding people. After I were to read this book to my students I would ask them if not helping out a "neighbor" or a friend is nice? What are ways we can help our friends? How can we include them? I feel this would be a great lesson when teaching students how to treat others with respect. I would also make pancakes during this lesson and SHARE with all the students so they get the full effect.

Pig Boy: A Trickster Tale From Hawaii

Title: Pig Boy: A Trickster Tale From Hawaii
Author/Illustrator: Gerald McDermott
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt New York 2009
Pages: 32
Genre: Folktale

Rating: Grade 2-Grade 4 4 (recommended)
This book is recommended for second grade through fourth grade. There are illustrations that are very appealing to the eye. They text can be lengthy and with more challenging vocabulary words. This story is very useful because its a great example of a trickster tale.

Summary:
With the tropical colors and cadences of the islands,
Big Boy is a hairy, dirty boy is very hungry. He goes through many obstacles and causes problems all throughout the book. When trouble comes along he always knows what to do because he is a "trickster" and they know everyway possible to get themselves out of trouble. Does he go all he way through the book without getting trouble? You will have to read it to find out.

Educational Purpose:
I would use this book when showing different types of folk tales. I would read this trickster tale and a fairy tale and have the students compare and contrast both of them. I would also use this book for an art project. I would explain the difference between warm and cold colors. Then I will assign them to make their own pig boy.

The Real Mother Goose Review

Title: The Real Mother Goose
Author: Blanche Fisher Wright
Illustrator: Blanche Fisher Writght
Genre: Poetry and Rhymes
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publisher Date: First published in 1916. Scholastic printed in 1994         
Pages: 128

Rating: Early Elementary 4 (recommended)
This book is for early elementary. There are illustrations that are very appealing to the eye with tons of poems in it. There are some strong vocabulary words but the stories are very easy to understand and to the point.

Summary:
This book has a collection of nursery rhymes that tend to be very lively and "roll off the tongue". These stories are meant for a fun time while reading. The illustrations really help the reader better understanding about what they are reading. This book also shows many different types of poetry.

Educational Purpose:
Before I read some of the nursery rhymes, I will ask them if they have ever heard of nursery rhymes. I will then ask them if they know what a poem is. I want the students to make connections to get them excited about poetry. I would use this book and read random poems to get them interested in poetry. Then I will ask my class to write two of their own poems and if they feel comfortable, I would ask them to read them out loud to the class.

Barnyard Banter Review

 Title: Barnyard Banter
Author: Denise Fleming
Publisher: Scholastic
Published Date: February 1995
Pages: 29
Genre: Poetry and Rhymes

Rating: Early Elementary 4 (recommended)
This book is a K-1 reading level. I feel this book is challenging when teaching young students correct sounds, animals and the sounds they make. I feel this book would only be challenging to younger kids. If I were to read this book to an upper elementary class they would be uninterested quickly.
 
Summary:
This book is an adventure book. Before you turn the page, you will be wondering what is going to happen next. This book is about a goose who chases a butterfly. The goose then, chases the butterfly all through the barn. Then the goose.... To figure out what happens next, you will have to read this awesome book.

Educational Purpose:
Before I would read this book to my students, I would ask them if they know any animals on a farm?  If so, what sounds do those specific animals make? I would do this just to make connections before diving into a book.  I would read the animals names, say the sounds they make and have my students repeat after me. To follow up the book, I would have them draw their favorite barnyard animal, tell me the sounds it makes and why they chose to draw that specific barnyard animal.

Title: The Berenstain Bears And Too Much Junk Food
Author: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Illustrator: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Mar 12, 1985         
Pages: 30

Rating: Early Elementary 4 (recommended)
This book is a K-2 reading level. This book has lengthy text along with illustrations on every page. I rate this book a 4 because being healthy is very important and this would be easy to incorporate into education.

Summary:
Momma bear notices the cubs are gaining a little weight and eating a lot of junk food. She brings the family to the doctor so they can learn about being healthy and nutrition. The family realizes that they need to be more healthy,so the next time they go to the store they buy all healthy foods and zero junk food. The family notices how great they feel when they fill their bodies with healthy nutritious foods.

Educational Purposes:
Our world is very obese and needs to learn to be healthy. This book introduces many concepts about being healthy and ways you can change your diet and life style to become healthy. I feel this book has a lot of educational purposes.

      

Ruby the Copycat Review

Title: Ruby the Copycat

Author: Peggy Rathmann

Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann

Genre: Fiction

Publisher / Copyright Date: Scholastic Inc 1991

Pages: 28

 

 

Rating:

Early Elementary K-2. 4 (Recommend)

This book is a K-2 reading level. There are pictures on every page but the text is longer on some pages. I would give this book a four because of all the purposes it serves for children growing up and going through school. The vocabulary is challenging as well.

 

Summary:

Ruby is a little girl who is very unsure of herself. She goes to school and copies a little girl that sits  her. Everything the little girls says,she says it. One day she went home and made an outfit that looks exactly like the little girls. The teacher figured out what was going on and told Ruby that its important that she is okay with being herself because she was perfect the way she was.

Educational Purpose: This book teaches students that its important to be yourself. Copying other people may make others mad and you don't want to be like that person because you are you for a reason.