PARENT AND CHILD MAGAZINE - #4 ALL TIME CHILDREN'S BOOKS
SNOWY DAY, THE
AUTHOR -EZRA JACK KEATS
GRADES - PRE - K
HONORS/AWARDS
CALDECOTT MEDAL - WINNER - BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK
SCHOLASTIC PARENT AND CHILD MAGAZINE - #4 ALL TIME GREATEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS
THEME - ENJOYING THE SIMPLE PLEASURES OF SNOW
A classic in children’s literature, The Snowy Day was one of the first books to portray a black child as he enjoys the wonders of snow. It was banned in many schools and libraries.
GENRE - CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. At the end of the story, what do you think Peter and his friend are going
to do in the snow?
2. What is your favorite snow activity or if you could play in the snow, what would
you like to do?
3. Would you like to live in a place where there was snow everyday? Explain.
4. If you could choose another color for snow, what would it be? Why?
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. - TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
STELLALUNA
AUTHOR -JANNELL CANNON
GRADES - PRE-2
HONORS/AWARDS
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. - TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - TOP 100 PICTURE BOOKS OF ALL TIME
AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS - BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
CALIFORNIA YOUNG READER MEDAL
KEYSTONE TO READING - BOOK AWARD
READING RAINBOW -FEATURE BOOK
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNCIL ON LITERATURE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
AWARD
PARENTS MAGAZINE - BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
THEMES - ACCEPTANCE, RELATIONSHIPS, ACT OF KINDNESS
A fruit bat gets separated from her mother during an owl attack and is raised by a family of birds.
GENRE - CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. What do you think would have happened to Stellaluna if she did not find her
mother?
2. Could bats really be friends with birds?
3. Why is it important to “be yourself?
ENDORSED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ☮️
WALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK, THE
AUTHOR - JON AGEE
GRADES - K-3
HONORS/AWARDS 👍🏿
BOSTON GLOBE - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. - NOTABLE BOOK
NEW YORK TIMES - BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2018
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - BEST BOOKS OF 2018
PEOPLE MAGAZINE - BEST GIFT BOOKS FOR KIDS
ENDORSED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 👍🏿
KIRKUS REVIEW - STARRED
THEMES - JUDGING OTHERS, ACCEPTANCE
A young knight is glad that there is a wall in the middle of the book because it protects him from the ogre who lives on the other side. He soon learns a valuable life lesson about judging others.
GENRE - CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. What lesson do you think the boy learned from this story?
2. What would have happened to the boy if the ogre didn’t lift him over the wall?
3. What happened to his friend, the duck?
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. - TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN - #8
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
AUTHOR - SHEL SILVERSTEIN
GRADES - K-6
HONORS/AWARDS
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. - TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN - #8
SCHOLASTIC - 100 GREATEST BOOKS FOR KIDS #20
TIME Magazine - 100 GREATEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN #10
AMAZON - TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
GOODREADS - 100 BOOKS TO READ IN A LIFETIME #10
THEME - ENJOYING LIFE FROM A CHILD'S POINT OF VIEW
If you could buy one book of poetry for your child, this would be it. I would also buy the accompanying cd narrated by the author. This humorous collection has been a teacher favorite for over thirty years. It clearly is the best of the best in children's poetry, as noted in the honors listed below.
GENRE - HUMOROUS POETRY
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1.After reading “If the World Was Crazy,” page 146, ask the class to write their
own verses using the topics eat, wear, and do.Try a class poem first. Your
creative students can make up their own topics.
2. After reading “One Inch Tall,” page 55, ask the class to write their own version.
How about if you were ten feet tall?
3. After reading “True Story,” page 43, have the class write their own “True
Story.”
4. After reading “What a Day”, page 118, have the class write about their day.
JANE ADDAMS PEACE AWARD - HONOR ☮️
IDA B. WELLS, VOICE OF TRUTH
AUTHOR - MICHELLE DUSTER
GRADES - MATURE 3 - 6
HONORS/AWARDS👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
JANE ADDAMS PEACE AWARD - HONOR👍🏿
The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY👍🏿
This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE AWARD👍🏿
THEME - FIGHTING INJUSTICE
Although this biography is a picture book, the vocabulary and the concepts are best suited for upper graders. Readers will learn that Ida B. Wells was born into slavery during the Civil War. She became a teacher and realized that separate but equal was not really equal. When her African American friends were lynched because they operated a successful business, Ida became a civil rights activist. She later became one of the founders of the NAACP. The book’s format is perfect for those children who have reading issues. It was written by Well’s great granddaughter.
GENRE - CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. The author said that Ida refused to make herself small. What did she mean?
2. What word would best describe Ida? Explain.
OFFICIAL CHILDREN'S BOOK OF MASSACHUSETTS
MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS
AUTHOR - ROBERT MCCLOSKEY
GRADES - 2-4
HONORS/AWARDS
INDIES CHOICE BOOK AWARDS - PICTURE BOOK HALL OF
FAME
CALDECOTT MEDAL - WINNER
OFFICIAL CHILDREN’S BOOK OF MASSACHUSETTS
OVER 5 MILLION BOOKS SOLD
THEMES - APPRECIATING NATURE, CARING FOR ANIMALS
I read this book to my fourth grade class in 1962 and it has been on the top of my list ever since. The plot is simple. Two mallards decide that country living was too dangerous a place to raise a family, so they decide to move to Boston where they encounter a whole series of new obstacles. Thanks to an understanding police force, they are able to survive the various city hazards. The illustrations are outstanding which allow for large group presentations. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this book. Kids love it!
GENRE - CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. How can you help wild animals?
2. Do you think the ducks will continue to live in the city? Why?
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW
NANA AKUA GOES TO SCHOOL
AUTHOR - TRICIA ELAM WALKER
GRADES - K-3
HONORS/AWARDS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW
BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW
KIRKUS REVIEWS -STARRED REVIEW
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW
SHELF AWARENESS - STARRED REVIEW
EZRA JACK KEATS NEW WRITER AWARD - WINNER
THEMES - GRANDPARENTS, CULTURAL DIVERSITY
It will soon be Grandparents Day at Zuma’s school. She is worried that if she brings her grandma, the other children will laugh at her or will be afraid of her. Nana Akua has tribal markings on her face which are permanent. Nana resolves this dilemma by bringing a quilt and some paint to class. She tells the class the meanings of the markings on the quilt. The students then selected a mark that best suited them and Nana painted their faces. At the end, everyone had marks on their faces and were proud of them.
GENRE -REALISTIC FICTION
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
1. Design a mark that best describes you.
2. If Nana could take off the marks, would she do it?
No. She said she was proud of them.
3. What do you admire most about your grandmother or grandfather?
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
DAY IN THE LIFE OF MARLON BUNDO, THE
AUTHORS - MARLON BUNDO AND JILL TWISS
GRADES - I-2
😪WARNING! THIS BOOK HAS BEEN BANNED!😪
HONORS/AWARDS
GOODREADS CHOICE - AWARD NOMINEE
#1 NY TIMES BESTSELLER
#1 AMAZON BESTSELLER
RAINBOW BOOK LIST - PICTURE BOOK
THEME - ACCEPTANCE
Two male bunnies fall in love and decide to marry. While they are celebrated by their peers, the stinkbug, who makes the rules, objects. He claims that male bunnies should only marry female bunnies and that being different is a bad thing. The other animals try to convince the stinkbug that being different could be a good thing. Stinkbug refuses to change his ways and is voted out of office.
NOTE: From 2010 - 2019, this was the 19th most banned and challenged book in the United States.
GENRE - GAY RIGHTS
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
Is there someone in your life that you enjoy being with? What makes that person so special?
BOSTON GLOBE HORN BOOK AWARD - HONOR PICTURE BOOK
YELLOW ELEPHANT - A BRIGHT BESTIARY
AUTHOR - JULIE LARIOS
GRADES - PRE-4
HONORS/AWARDS
BOSTON GLOBE HORN BOOK AWARD - PICTURE BOOK - HONOR
BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW
THEME - APPRECIATING ANIMALS
This book of poems features fourteen animals, each assigned to a specific color. As you turn the pages the bold illustrations make the text come alive and totally engages the reader/listener. From the poem called Yellow Elephant, you see a large yellow elephant walking with her trunk up in the air. Opposite the text reads :
“Yellow elephant
in the jungle sun
in the day’s yellow heat,
trumpeting her song
and galumphing along... .”
As I read this book, I found a surprise waiting on each page.
GENRE - POETRY
FOR DEVELOPING YOUNG MINDS
DURING READING
1. Green Frog Show the illustration. What happens to the frog when it jumps into
the water? Why do you think the author used green for this page? Listen to the
poem and find out.
Grass turns green in the spring.
2. Red Donkey Show the illustration. What is the donkey doing? Why do you
think the author used red for this page? Listen to the poem and find out.
Red is often associated with anger.
3. Yellow Elephant Show the illustration. What do you think the elephant is
doing with his trunk? How is the elephant walking? Why do you think the
author used yellow for this page? Listen to the poem and find out. Discuss the
meaning of trumpeting and galumphing.
4. Blue Turtle Show the illustration. Why do you think the author used blue for
this page? Listen to the poem and find out.
Blue is often associated with cool. It is cooler in the shade.
5. Gray Goose Show the illustration. How is the gray goose feeling? Listen to
the poem and find out.
She is in a tizzy because she cannot find her gosling.
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