The Misfits

The Misfits is written by James Howe.

Juvenile Novel

5th Grade & Up

4 out of 5 

The Misfits is about four misfit students who start a 3rd party for their school student council elections to represent all students that have ever been called a name.

I really enjoyed reading this book because the plot was both touching and realistic. I think the plot was good because the author did not have the students just win; I think this was important because it is important for readers to understand that they do not need to come in 1st place to actually win. The plot and characters were both very developed. The characters were really developed and I was able to get to know and connect to everyone of the members of the Gang of Five. I was able to understand who they were and what their values were by their actions. I think it is an easy book to relate to because I am sure that everyone has gone through name calling and can understand how to feels to be judged by something about them. I also liked this book because it was very easy to read and understand even with it jumping from a narrative from the viewpoint of Bobby to a script of what happens at The Forum.

I think that this book would be a great boo to use in the classroom because it confronts a very important topic in school today, bullying. This book would be great to help students understand how it feels to be called names. Also, it would be great for students who may get called names to understand that they should not let it bother them and overcome it. This would be a great book for class discussion and great for students to get to know another. One activity that may be interesting to do is to have every student anonymously write down a name they may have been called in the past and place it in a cup then to go read through the names and have students listen and think about or write about how they would feel being called these names that others have been called.

Jacqueline Woodson

Jaqueline Woodson is a great author. She is the author of several award winning books for children and young adults. I really enjoyed reading her book, Hush, and also learning about several of her other books. From the experience I learned that she many of her books confront topics such as interracial relationships, losing a best friend, a disconnect from a motherly figure, and memories. Hush was about a African American family in which the father was a cop in an all white precinct. The House You Pass on the Way also had an interracial relationship with a African American and white marriage. Losing a best friend or loved one from the past was also a theme in several; in Hush Evie was forced to leave her best friend, Lulu. Another theme in many of her books was the character finding themselves. In her books she talks about memories many times; I think that by doing this she has the character talk about the memories so that they stay memorable. Several of her books also jumped from past to present or skipped time and did not show certain parts; I liked this part of her writing because it left some wonder to the story. 

A Rainbow of Friends

A Rainbow of Friends is written and illustrated by P.K. Hallinan.

Multicultural Picture Book

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade

3 out of 5

All friends are special and should be valued no matter their differences.

I think that this book was fairly okay. The plot was not very exciting but because it had a good moral to the story I still liked it. I think that it was good to read because it is important to remember how special each and everyone of my friends are and to appreciate their differences. It was an easy and fairly fun read because it is written in verse with many rhyming lines. This book had several examples of multicultural topics, such as, clothing, personality, intelligence, views, interests, etc. I like that it gave many examples of differences people can have but said that everyone should me treated like they are not different and all loved. I also liked that the characters were drawn to represent several different ethnic and racial backgrounds as well as different traits like hair color, body type, etc.


This book would be a good addition to the classroom because it teaches a lesson that all students need to remember and practice. It teaches about several differences that people may have. However, it does not teach about all the differences. Therefore, a fun activity to do would be to have each student make a book about their friends and their friends differences and why the appreciate these differences.

Whoever You Are

Whoever You Are is written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Leslie Staub.

Multicultural Picture Book

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade

4 out of 5

Although everyone around the world are very different they still share many emotions and events that bring everyone together such as, love, joy, and pain.

I like this book because it is a book everyone can relate to. I was able to relate to the feelings portrayed in this book, such as, pain, joys, laughs, because myself and everyone else feels these. I think this book is laid out in a way which makes it really easy to read; the font is large and the pages are not overcrowded with text. I really loved the illustrations. I like how just from the illustrations I am able to see where the people are from and how different their life is from mine. The illustrator also did a great job representing people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. I also like the illustrations because each page is bordered in a intricate, beautiful gold and gem border. This book has a great multicultural perspective. It has several multicultural topics including race, work, lifestyle, school, language, environment, etc.

This book would be great in a primary elementary classroom. There are many topics you could teach young children about, including all the multicultural topics it discusses. These topics are important to teach students about because they are subjects they will face in everyday life and should now what is important to them about themselves and also that different cultural topics should be valued and understood. A mini-lesson that you could do in the classroom is to have the students make their own page to add to the book that says "_____ is the same", for example, "Smiles are the same". This activity will show what students have learned about different people and how they still have many similarities.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Caroline Binch.

Multicultural Picture Book

2nd - 3rd Grade

5 out of 5 

Grace's classmates say that she can not play Peter Pan in the school play because she is black and a girls. Grace finds out that she can do anything she puts her mind to.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the plot because it has a good moral, that you can do anything you set your mind to. The author also captured the amazing imagination young children have. You are able to connect with Grace through her imaginative adventures, struggles, triumphs, and excitement. The illustrations are beautiful. They are detailed and the characters are drawn with such great variety and uniqueness. I love that her classmates are illustrated as students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Amazing Grace addresses a couple great multicultural topics. Two multicultural topics it addresses are race and gender. These topics are both able to be overcome by Grace. They are both addressed when her classmates say that she can not play the part of Peter Pan due to these factors. I think it is great that she is able to get cast as the part of Peter Pan. This demonstrates a good lesson, that a person should not be judged because of factors like these, that they may not be able to control.

I think that Amazing Grace would be a great book to use in a classroom because it addresses multicultural topics which are important for students to understand. It is important that they learn that they can not judge people based off these ideas. Another idea that you could teach using this book is that you can do anything that you put your mind to. You could use this book to intrigue children's imaginations and creativity by creating a play or writing about imaginary play they are involved in.

Bootsie Barker Bites

Bootsie Barker Bites is written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann.

Picture Book - Bullying Perspective

1st - 3rd Grade

2 out of 5 

Bootsie Barker only wants to play games in which she can bite, until her friend makes up another game.

I think that this book is fairly funny because Bootsie Barker only wants to play her way. I also thought it was funny because I think most little girls at her age can relate because they like to play the games that they want to play and not what their friends want to play. The main thing that I did not like about this book is the resolution to the bullying. I wish that the bullying would have had a better lesson. Bootsie Barker's friend made up a game in which she was the mean one and in charge in order to stop Bootsie's bullying.

I do not think that this book would not have a good place in the classroom unless you were teaching about the perspective of bullying. This would not be a good book because it teaches students the wrong way to resolve bullying.

Horton Hears A Who!

Horton Hears A Who! is written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss.

Picture Book

2nd - 4th Grade

5 out of 5

Horton Hears A Who! is about an elephant, Horton, who hears a town of people living on a speck. He works to save this town and convince the rest of the Jungle of Nool that it the people are real.

I love this book and always have! The plot is very cute and keeps the readers attention the whole time through. Throughout the whole story you never lose sight of the reason of the book, Horton trying to save the speck. Another reason I think this book is great is because it rhymes. This makes it fun to read because it has a good rhythm. The illustrations in this book are amazing. They are black and white with bright colors. The characters are drawn with such great detail and imagination. Horton Hears A Who! has a great moral to the story. Horton says several times, "A person's a person, no matter how small." This little line has so much meaning. Horton believes in this line and it teaches the reader to never look past someone no matter who they are or where they come from.

This book would be good in a classroom just because of the moral it provides. There is a movie based off the book that is also classroom appropriate. I think you could do several writing activities involving this book. You could have students write about a time they may have followed Horton's motto or a time that they did not and should have.

Hush

Hush is written by Jacqueline Woodson.

Young Adult Novel

5th - 8th Grade

5 out of 5 

Hush is about a little girl and her family. Her father is a cop who witnesses a murder and after telling the truth is forced to be placed in the witness protection program along with his family. They are forced to change their names, past, and move to a new state. This change pushes many of the family into new identities. 

I really liked this book. It was an easy read but it was still great. I think that the plot was intriguing and kept me wanting to read. The first chapter was the best because they did not come out and tell you what happened to Toswiah, no Evie, but I made predictions as I was reading. I also like how in the beginning they do not just come straight out and tell the reader that this family is black that keep that secret because the family does not want that to be an important factor. Another reason I loved this book is because every family member was lost trying to find their own personal identity, all in a different way. There is one thing about this book that I wish would have been more dramatic. I wish that the ending would have had a final resolution of her father getting a job and having their life go back to normal for Evie.

I think that this book would be a great book to use in the classroom. Although, it may be controversial I think that you could do it in a manner that would be appropriate. When Toswiah left she had to leave behind everything she loved. An activity you could do is have students write a story from her point of view, one where they must change their name and leave everything they love behind. Students could go into detail of what they love and how they would feel.

The Giver

The Giver is written by Lois Lowry.

Young Adult Novel

5th - 8th Grade

5 out of 5

The Giver is about a dystopian society in which the citizens complete lives are chosen for them. Jonas is given the job of the receiver of memory. The job seems great in the beginning but quickly he learns the truth of his community.

I love The Giver. I like the plot because I like the idea of a dystopian society in which the citizens have no clue of their corrupt community. I also liked it because it is interesting to think about what it would be like if our world was actually run like the community in the book. Although, some of the parts were sad, for example, when the baby was killed, I think that this gruesome factor just adds to the not-so-perfect community. I feel like I am really able to get to know and understand Jonas because the story is told from his point of view, had the book been narrated by someone else, the entire story would have been different. I could not put the book down because I continually wanted to know what was going to happen next. I think that the book did a great job using detail in the memories Jonas received; I could feel the pain, joy, and excitement that he was feeling. One aspect about the book that I wish was different was the end because I would really like to know what happened to Jonas. Although, I can make my own assumptions, I still wish I knew for sure.

I think The Giver would be a great book to use in the classroom even though it can be very controversial. There are many literary elements that could be taught along with this book, character, plot, time, point of view, setting, etc. I think that you could teach about character and point of view because Jonas is the narrator and the reader is able to connect with this. You could have students tell chapters of the story from different points of view and compare what they wrote and how the story changes when you change this element. You could have students design their own dystopian society and make up the rules for this society. Another activity that you could use in the classroom, which we did in class, is to assign chapters to students and have them draw a visualization of the chapter they were assigned. Another great activity you could have students do is to have them make up and write their own ending to the story because the book is ended with no definite answer.

Llama Llama Mad at Mama

Llama Llama Mad at Mama is written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney.

Picture Book

1st - 2nd Grade

3.5 out of 5

The kid llama wants to play but his mom makes him go shopping with her instead. Llama is mad and makes a mess at the store.

I really liked this book. I think it is really cute! I love the Llama character, I think he is adorable and acts like a real child would act. I think that the illustrations added to how cute. Another thing I really like about the illustrations is that there are pre and post illustrations to the story with signs that you would see in a store. I think the story is. I I did not like that Llama was misbehaving when his mother was buying nice new stuff for him. I think that this could teach little kids to be unappreciative.


I do not think that this book has a place to be taught in the classroom but I do think that it would be a great book to have in the classroom library. I think that it would be a good book to have in the library because it is easy words for young children to read. Also because it rhymes which can teach students about rhyming and is also for young kids to read.

Madelines's Rescue

Madeline's Rescue is written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans.

Picture Book

1st - 3rd Grade

4 out of 5

This book was about a house of 12 little girls. One little girl, Madeline, falls in the river and is saved by a dog. The girls keep the dog until the dog is taken away after an inspection on the house. In the end the dog returns home pregnant and has 12 puppies.

I really liked Madeline's Rescue. I also liked this book when I was young. This book is Caldecott Medal winner. I personally love the pictures and can understand why the book won this award. Some of the picture are just yellow, black, and white with little detail, while some are all colors and very detail-oriented. I think these different picture make the book different from many other books because usually illustrators have the same technique throughout an entire book leaving all the pictures to have the same look. I think the plot of this book was good because it actually had a story, a beginning, climax, and ending. I think that the ending is really cute because after the girls have been fighting about who the dog gets to sleep with, the dog has exactly enough puppies for each girl to have her own to sleep with. Another reason I liked this book is because of the rhyming. Every sentence rhymed making it fun and easy to read.

I do not think that this book would have a specific place in the classroom. However, it would be a good book to have in the classroom library. I think that a lot of girls would love this book to read during guided reading time. It would be a good book for students to read when learning about rhyming.

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are is written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

Picture Book

1st - 3rd Grade

5 out of 5 

Where The Wild Things Are is about a little boy, Max, who was misbehaving and was sent to bed without dinner. In his room that night he went an imaginary land. Once he had his fun there he decided he missed his mom and returned home.

This book is one of my favorite books and was one of my favorite books as a child. I love it because I think myself and every kid can relate to misbehaving, getting in trouble, and going to an imaginary land where you can do whatever you want. This book won the Caldecott Medal and I can completely see why. My favorite part about the book is the illustrations. They are extremely detailed. I also love the illustrations because of the imagination of the wild things he meets in the imaginary land. They look like they are a mix of many different animals and creatures. I also like the plot because when reading it I still use my imagination to see this land he goes to. There is a movie based off this book and it is also really great; it makes me look at the book in a different light because of the larger plot.

I think that this book could be used in a classroom as a mini lesson prior to reading or writing time. This book will get kids to target their imagination. You could have students write about an imagination they may already have and go to or they could make up an imaginary land to write about. You could also have them draw and write about their own "wild thing". You could then have kids interact and play acting like their characters.

Circle Dogs

Circle Dogs it written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.

Picture Book

1st - 2nd Grade

1 out of 5

Circle Dogs is about two circles dogs in a square house and their lives.

I did not like this book. I do not think that it had any strong characters or plot. The plot was not funny or sad or cute. It was just a story about what these dogs do. I also thought that some of the pages were repetitive. For example, two pages said, "Now they sleep and sleep and sleep and sleep. Now they sleep and sleep and sleep some more." There was no excitement and it was boring. I did not think that the illustrations were good. They were unrealistic and dull. I was surprised that I did not like this book because Kevin Henkes is a great author and I like many of his other books.

This book would not have much purpose in the classroom. The only lesson you may be able to use it along with is when teaching shapes, specifically circles and squares because it talks about the circle dogs in the square houses.

Knuffle Bunny Too

Knuffle Bunny Too is written and illustrated by Mo Willems.
Picture Book
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
3.5 out of 5
The Knuffle Bunny Too was about two little girls who both brought their knuffle bunnies to school. After having them taken away they are mixed up. The girls notice the mix-up and their dads make a late night trip to exchange to knuffle bunnies.

I think that Knuffle Bunny Too was a really cute book with a really cute plot. I enjoyed the plot because it was a story that could actually happen, leaving me to feel like I could connect to the plot and character. I know how it feels to lose something important to me just how Trixie felt when she lost her knuffle bunny. I think that the ending to this book was good because the two girls became best friends. I also thought the ending was good because although she became best friends with Sonja, Willems states that knuffle bunny is still her best friend. The text was kind of confusing because it was in story form and there was dialogue and I did not know what to read first. On a couple pages the story did not make sense if you read the wrong one first. I liked the pictures a lot because they were just illustrations but they were illustrated characters on real photograph settings. I also liked the illustrations because there is a small detail that the illustrator made sure to pay attention to when the girls switched their knuffle bunnies, this detail was the color of the inside of the bunnies ears. I thought it was funny because you do not notice this difference between the bunnies until you know they got them mixed up and go back and look.

This picture book would be a good book to use in a primary classroom. I do not think that it would be of any specific use in an older classroom. An activity you could do in the classroom is to read this book and allow students to bring in their favorite stuffed animal and have show and tell. You could have them find similarities and differences in their stuffed animals and why they likes them. Students could draw a picture of their stuffed animal and write a brief description of it. Another fun activity to would be to turn the previous picture into a "wanted" or "missing" sign and have them design it similar to one.

Almost to Freedom

Almost to Freedom is written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Colin Bootman.

Picture Book

3rd Grade

3 out of 5

Almost to Freedom is written from the perspective of a young girl's doll. The story is about the girl's escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad.

I think that this book is really cute. I liked it because it was written from the doll's, Sally's, perspective which does not happen in many books. You were able to see and hear about the girl, Lindy, and her family's situation from the outside looking in. However, I did feel like it was hard to connect with the doll because she is not a real person. I also liked this book because many people can relate to the connection they may have with a toy or inanimate object like Lindy and Sally had. I think that the pictures in this book are beautiful. They were dim but still managed to be vivid. The shading on the faces of the people was perfect and very realistic. I wish that the book would have ended with Lindy and Sally being reunited so that I would have known if Sally made it to safety in the north.

I think that this book could be kept in the classroom library or as a book to go along with teaching about slavery. However, I do not think it is a good book to read as a class or use to directly teach about slavery because the book is not very informational and does not teach a lot about the Underground Railroad or slavery. It just mainly tells a story of a relationship between a doll and a slave girl.

The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky is written by Susan Patron and illustrated by Phelan.
Young Adult Novel
> 5th Grade
3.5 out of 5


This book is about a little girl, Lucky, who is looking for her higher power. Brigitte, her father's ex-wife, is Lucky's guardian. Lucky believes that Brigitte has plans to move back to France so Lucky makes her own plans to run away.


I think that The Higher Power of Lucky is a great book. I liked it because I think that many people can relate to it because Lucky is trying to find her higher power, much like many young teens also are trying to find their higher power, or trying to find themselves. I think that Susan Patron did a great job developing the characters. Not only does she develop the many characters but she goes all the way to develop Short Sammy and HMS Beagle. Through her characterizations I felt like I was able to get to know them and understand their feelings. I think that the little illustrations placed throughout the book really added to my connection to the story because I was able to see what Lucky what seeing or feeling. My favorite picture of the book was on the second to last page; it is of Brigitte holding Lucky on her lap and you can see how comfortable and happy they are to be back together. 


I think that this book would be a good addition to a classroom. It could be read as a class, group, or individual. This is great book to teach students about the different literary elements because they are very present in this book. You could teach about character, setting, plot, point of view, and many other elements. A fun activity you could use with this book is to have the students write a portion of the book from another perspective to see how different a book can be from different view points. You could also have them write about which character they feel they can relate to most. There are many activities that could be done on this book in the classroom.

Just A Dream

Just A Dream is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.
Picture Book
3rd - 4th Grade
5 out of 5

This book is about a little boy who wishes he could live in the future, until he has a dream that he lives in the future and the world is ruined by pollution. After having this dream he begins to understand the importance in taking care of our environment.

I love this book. Everything about it is great. It has a great plot and moral to the story. The story leaves you wanting to make a change in the world because the book tells and shows us what it could end up like in the future. The pictures in this book really help add to the plot of the story because it shows the young boy, Walter, watching from his bed from the outside at what is happening to our world in the future. They also show what the world will look like in the future if pollution is not controlled. I also like how the book goes from a full 2-page illustration to a page of text and a page of a small picture and a little text and then back to the beginning of the pattern. I think the full 2-page illustrations will help so that the reader is able to understand the total devastation of pollution in the future.

Just A Dream would be an awesome book to use in the classroom to teach students about protecting our world. This could be an opening to help them understand what our world could be like if everyone does not work to save it from pollution. I think kids would really love this book because it is from the viewpoint of a young boy so that they will be able to relate and also because the pictures are detailed and amazing. You could have students figure out a way to aid in helping the environment by fundraising, teaching the community, or any other project that will help our future world.

Mommy Laid An Egg

Mommy Laid An Egg is written and illustrated by Babette Cole.

Controversial Book

3rd Grade and higher

1 out of 5 

This book is about 2 children explaining to their parents where babies come from using their own illustrations.

I think that this book could be controversial for many reasons. The first reason being that the facts in the book about sexual reproduction are not accurate. They are written from a child's perspective and are not informational or correct. They do not use good terminology when describing the anatomy and process. Another reason that this book could be controversial is because there are parts that are not appropriate for the age group that the book is aimed at. One portion that I found to be completely unnecessary is the page that basically is a manual of different sexual positions. This type of information is not necessary to teach children about sexual reproduction. However bad I think that the book is, I think that the idea of having the kids explain it and use their drawings is cool because then children will feel more comfortable  to discuss the topic with adults or peers and to be able to discuss it in their own ways but they should first be taught the proper way. I also think that the title is deceiving because humans do not lay eggs and that is the main title of the book.

I think that this book has no place in the classroom. Not only because it is not appropriate but mainly because it is not educational about the topic. It is important to teach students sexual education but not in the manner that the book teaches it in. I do think that it would be a good way to learn to have the students, once they've had sexual education, draw their own illustrations but to make sure that the drawings are kept PG.

Sheila Rae, The Brave

Sheila Rae, The Brave is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.

Picture Book

2nd - 3rd Grade

3 out of 5

Sheila Rae, The Brave is about a little mouse girl, Sheila, who was not scared of anything until she got lost on her walk home from school. Her little sister, Louise, has followed her and is able to show her the way home. Sheila Rae then decides that Louise is also very brave.

This book was a good book. It was not too wordy and long, it was good length with a good amount of words on every page. My favorite part of this book is the illustrations. Kevin Henkes has written several children's books which all have the characters as mice. The pictures bright and fun. This illustrations are black and white ink pens and watercolor. Another aspect I like about the illustrations is that they are detailed and well thought out. For example, when Sheila Rae is lost and her sister is following her, Kevin Henkes has placed her somewhere is every picture. I also like that the pictures are not just sqare shaped, they are faded on the edges. I feel like a lot of people can relate to this book for many reasons because everyone has needed help at one point when they were not able to do everything that they thought they could. One part of the story that I thought could have been left out is when she ties Wendell, a boy classmate, up at recess. I think that this aspect may be a bad example for kids because Sheila Rae never gets in trouble for it or even told that it was wrong to do to someone.


This book is a good book to have in a classroom library because it is good for many reading levels and it is not too hard. The text is spaced in a way that makes it inviting to read to kids. One major idea that you could teach along with this book is bravery and fear and what each feels like or looks like. Another important lesson you could teach along with this book is that teamwork can help to overcome obstacles. I was able to read this book with a 2nd grader and she thought it was really funny, especially the part when Sheila Rae growled at the dogs and cats.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.

Picture Book

2nd - 3rd Grade

4 out of 5

Chrysanthemum is about a mouse who's name is Chrysanthemum. She thought her name was perfect until she went to school and her classmates made fun of her name. She then began to love her name again when her music teacher was also named after a flower and planned to name her daughter after Chrysanthemum.


This book is a great book. It is so cute and fun; I loved it. I think it was great how at the end Chrysanthemum's classmates learn that it is good to have a different name and they actually became jealous that they did not have such unique names. I also thought it was funny how when she went home Chrysanthemum began to like her name when comforted by her parents because everyone knows that your mom or dad can make you feel better, so I could relate to how she felt. I also liked how the text and pictures were different on almost every page. The picture would on some pages be split into several different pictures on one page. The text also was not in the same spot on all the pages. Several time in the text they referenced to her being a flower, for example, "Chrysanthemum wilted." I think it was creative and was not over the to, just placed when it made sense with the story.


I think that this book is a good book to use in the classroom. It could bring on a lot of thinking and questioning for students. I was able to read this with a 2nd grader who also loved the book. After reading the book we did a writing activity in which I had her write about what her name means to her, why she liked her name, and why her parents picked that name for her. Another activity that could be done in the classroom with Chrysanthemum is to have the students write a poem about their name, this would also be a lot of fun and would help get them thinking more abstractly. Since she is named after a flower you could teach students what the flowers talked about in the book before you read it so they understand the references made in this book.

The Stranger

The Stranger is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.

Picture Book

2nd - 4th Grade

4.5 out of 5 Stars

The Stranger is about a stranger who was ran over and then taken and taken care of by Farmer Bailey and his family. This Stranger eventually leaves after growing a bond with the family changing the weather forever.

I loved this book. I thought that everything from the plot to the illustrations to the differing meanings was amazing. The plot was mysterious which kept me wondering and thinking about what was actually going on. Even at the end of the book I still had no clue who the stranger was and I still do not know who he is. This is good because it kept me reading and also makes me want to read it again. The book was a little creepy which made it that much better because it was not like a typical children's picture book. The illustrations are so detailed and amazing. The people are realistic. I like how they draw the stranger so that the reader wants to learn more about him. The literary element of time was important because its based in the fall when the leaves begin to change colors.

This book would be a lot of fun to use in a classroom because it is so mysterious and this will help get kids thinking and using their imagination. I used this book in a mini-lesson in class. In this mini-lesson I had the class predict mid-way through the book what they thought was going to happen and at the end I had them write who they thought the stranger was or what he meant. It was interesting to see what everyone said and also fun to see how their predictions differed from who they thought the stranger was. As an outcome of using this in class I wanted students to keep questioning and thinking about what they were reading.

Where Did I Come From?

Where Did I Come From? is written by Peter Mayle and illustrated by Arthur Robins.

Children's Informative Book/Controversial Book

2nd - 4th Grade

.5 out of 5 Stars

Where Did I Come From? is an informative book about sexual intercourse. It covers topics such as orgasms, reproduction, and child birth.

Although, this book did have valuable information, I think that it was totally inappropriate for the age group that it was aimed at. It was way too detailed and went into topics that are personal. It was about sexual reproduction but went into too much detail. It gave unnecessary play-by-plays of the sexual intercourse process. It was raunchy and I, even at 21 years old, felt uncomfortable reading this book. Not only was the content disgusting but the pictures may have been worse. They were drawn in detail that was not needed to learn about sexual reproduction.

This book does not have a place in the classroom but not only that I think that it should not even be in the school library. I would never allow my students to read a book like that in school. If a parent let their child read it then it would not be allowed in classroom; it was just over and above what children need to know. Sexual education needs to be taught in schools at a young age but not at all in the manner that this book taught it.

The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl is a story from the Brothers Grimm, retold by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Robert Sauber.

Fairy Tale

4th - 6th Grade

2 out of 5

A princess, traveling with her maid, is on her way to meet the prince she is going to marry. The maid forces her to switch places with her so that she can marry the prince instead. The maid marries the prince and has the real princess killed.

This fairy tale seemed like it would be a good one from the cover and first page but I guess I really should not read a book by its cover. This book was not appropriate for the age group that it was aimed at. It was gruesome and a little scary. The mother pokes herself with a pin so that she will bleed on a handkerchief for her daughter, the princess, to take with her on her trip to meet the prince. It got much more worse, the maid has the princess killed. The princess is killed by having her placed naked into a barrel lined with sharp spikes and having that barrel drug down the streets until she is dead. Another gruesome detail they described was having the horse killed and its head hung over a gate. I think that this details were unnecessary and made it not your typical, happy ending fairy tale.

The Goose Girl really has no place in a classroom. It is inappropriate. I imagine it would be scary for little kids to read and hear about the deaths of the horse and princess. The only way that it could fit is into  the topic of fairy tales but it would not be appropriate for a young classroom. It may be useable in a middle school classroom but there are many other books that you could use that are more classroom appropriate and also just overall better fairy tales.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was retold by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by Mercer Mayer.

Fairy Tale

3rd - 5th Grade

3.5 out of 5

Beauty and the Beast is about Beauty, a beautiful, non-judgemental, loving daughter, who in order to save her father's life takes his spot when threatened by the beast. After living with him for a long time she falls in love with him and he turns into a handsome prince and they live happily ever after.

I really liked Beauty and the Beast. The plot was similar to the plot of the famous Disney movie but also different in many ways. That is one of the reasons I liked it because it was not the exact same story as the one I already knew. The differences were that Beauty had sisters who were very different from her and lived sad lives, the father was not held in a cage waiting for the daughter to come he was allowed to go get her and she had a choice if she wanted to take his spot, and in the movie her name was Belle. I think that the illustrations in the book were very beautiful; they were very detailed, fantastical, and elegant. I was really able to get to know the characters through their description. I was able to understand that Beauty would do anything for her father, she is not worried about how she lives, and she is gentle and kind. I was able to understand that the Beast, although his name sounds threatening, is really also very gentle, loving, and put others needs over his own.

This book would be a good book to use when teaching different genres, with this book being a fairy tale. You could go through with students what makes up fairy tales and how they differ from other books. You could use it to make comparisons and differences between the Disney movie and the story, and also the many other remakes of this story.

Focus Question

How does knowing about literary elements impact understanding a story?

There are many ways in which literary elements greatly affect a story. Some literary elements that affect a story are perspective, time, character, and plot. Not only do they affect them but the student understanding each of these affects how they view a story. This is because they will be able to decide what each element means or adds to the story. Perspective is important because it is good to know and understand what perspective a story is from and how it would differ had it been written from a different view. Perspective and character both add to the story because they can personify a character and help you to really connect with the book. Time is another element that can affect a story because time can be in order or flashback, each idea of time adds to the story line of the book. The time of a book is important because the author can tell information through time and it can give background information to a story.

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business is written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus

Children's Novel

2nd - 4th Grade

3.5 out of 5

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business is about a little girl, Junie B. Jones, and her life. This book is in a series. In this book her mother has a baby, leaving her with a baby brother. Through a misunderstanding she thinks that her little brother is a monkey and tells her class during show and tell, which causes excitement and confusion at school.

This book is a very good book for little girls. I think that it was funny and had a good plot. I liked how the book is written from a young girl's perspective, Junie B. Jones, making it more fun to read and making her come to life. This also added to the energy of the book because not everything was correct grammar but it made it more realistic, however, this could be confusing for young students because they have been told different ways to write and read. It was a very easy read. It was not too long and the font was bigger. There was also pictures every couple pages keeping the book from dragging on. With Junie B. herself telling the story it is easy for us to feel and understand her emotions or jealousy, fear, and misunderstanding. Once thing that I did not like about this book is that Junie B. Jones has such an attitude. She interrupts her parents and teachers without being told that she is being disrespectful.


I do not think that Junie B. Jones is a book that would be good for use in classroom curriculum but I think that it is an appropriate book to have in the classroom library or school library because it is easy and fun to read. This is good because students will read best when it is something that they enjoy. I got to read part of this book with a 2nd grade student and she loves this series. She thought that it was really funny. I really liked listening to her read it because she was able to show such enthusiasm with the voices. She was also able to relate because she has a younger sister. Throughout reading we were able to talk about her little sister and what it was like when she joined their family.

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Llama Llama Misses Mama is written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney.

Picture Book

K - 2nd Grade

4 out of 5

Llama Llama Misses Mama is about a little llama who goes to his first day of school and realizes that he really misses his mama. It isn't until he finds out that his mom will come back at the end of the day to pick him up that he begins to have fun and then when his mama finally comes to get him he realizes how much he loves her.
I think that this book is absolutely adorable. Everything from the pictures to the story make a great book. This book was really easy to read because of the rhyming and you could read it with rhythm. The rhymes would also make it easier for children to read. I really liked the pictures in this book because they were full pages and there was a full picture page before and after the story. The pictures were adorable and you could really feel Llama's emotion through them when he was sad at school. They were bright and the animals were all so cute. I feel like many people can relate to this story because we've all been in a new experience where we may have felt alone.
I think that Llama Llama Misses Mama could be used in a kindergarten classroom but not really in any older classrooms. I think this because it is more aimed at children just starting school. I think that it would be great to use in the very beginning of the school year or even the first day of school to make scared children, just like Llama, feel more comfortable in the classroom. I know when I am a mom I will read this book to my children when they are getting ready to go to school.

The Stinky Cheese Man

The Stinky Cheese Man is written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith.

Picture Book/Fairy Tale

2nd - 4th Grade

4 out of 5

This book is a spoof of many well-known fairy tales, which the book calls "Fairly Stupid Tales".
I really liked this book as an adult and I also liked it when I was a child. I think that it is really funny to compare the chapters in the book to the fairy tales they are based on. My favorite story in the book is The Really Ugly Duckling. It is based off of the Ugly Duckling but instead of the duckling turning beautiful in the end, the duckling in this story just turns into a really ugly duck. Another thing I loved about this book is the pictures. They are really funny and different than most books you see. They are dark and intricate. The Stinky Cheese Man won the Caldecott Honor for the illustrations.


The Stinky Cheese Man can be a great book when used in the classroom or just to have in the classroom library. I was able to read this book to a student and she loved it. She thought it was hilarious and she also loved the illustrations. She wanted to stop after reading each page to examine the pictures. I thought of many activities you could do involving this book. The activity I did with the child I read it to was to read the book and then try and write our own funny fairy tales based off of other famous fairy tales we already knew. She really enjoyed this activity but it was hard to get her to use her imagination. Another activity I thought about doing with this book is to read the book and then to create our own fairy tale character and make up a story about the character.

Animals should definitely not wear clothing.

Animals should definitely not wear clothing is written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett
Picture Book
1st - 3rd Grade
3 out of 5
This book gives reasons why animals should not wear clothing. It goes through different animals and the reasons why they should not wear clothing.
I think that the book, Animals should definitely not wearing clothing, is a really cute book. It made me think of reasons why animals should not wear clothing.I thought that it was funny. For example, one of the pages, my favorite pages says, "because opossums might wear it upside down by mistake", which I thought was funny; the drawing also was funny. The illustrations were drawings and they were simple but were good at showing the story. The pictures did not take up the entire page but did not need to because they were funny and made it easy to see why the animals they talked about should not wear clothing. The pictures also told the story; I could have looked at the pictures and understood the story. The words were big and inviting. The words also made it easy to read.
This book could be very fun to do a mini lesson on with students. You could have students read the book and once they were done make their own page to publish into a class book. The page would have text and a drawing of animal and explain why this animal should not wear clothing.

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth

"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth is written and illustrated by Eric Carle.
1st - 2nd Grade
Picture Book
1 out of 5
This book is about a sloth who is judged for being lazy. The sloth explains why he enjoys his life.
I did not like "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth because I felt that it was really boring and really repetitive. Almost every page says the same thing but a different activity that the sloth does. The pages do not say anything exciting and it isn't until the very end that the sloth finally speaks up and tells all the animals in the jungle why he does not care that he is lazy and enjoys that he is lazy because he just does everything with relaxation. I just did not enjoy this book and it was hard to get through for me. In the beginning of the book there is a forward written by Jane Goodall about the sloth. I think that this part was interesting because it tells the reader about the animal and about how it is becoming extinct and hopefully this forward will help readers becoming aware of the amazing animals in the world. The illustrations in this book are like most all books that Eric Carle illustrate; they are painted tissue-paper collages. I love the pictures in this book because they are bright and beautiful.
I do not think that this book would have a good place in the classroom. This is because I do not think that the students would find this book at all entertaining. One fun activity you could do in the classroom involving this book is actually involving the forward; you could have the students research sloths and think of ways to raise money to donate for preservation of sloths and of the rain forests.

Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct was written and illustrated by Mo Willems.
Picture Book
1st - 2nd Grade
4 out of 5
This book is about a dinosaur, Edwina, who did not know that she was extinct. Everyone in town loved Edwina, she helped them whenever needed and also liked to make chocolate chip cookies for everyone. A little boy in town, Reginald wanted Edwina and everyone else to know that she is extinct so he tries to do whatever to convince the town. After several attempts no one, including Edwina, listens or cares.

I really liked the book, Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. I think that it was really funny not only for kids but I also thought that it was funny. It was funny because the dinosaur walked around with the town's people like nothing was wrong. She also was funny because she carried a purse, had her claws painted pink, and wore a necklace and hat. I thought the illustrations were good because they were different than most books. They were different because some pages would be 1 big picture full of color and the some would be a couple separate pictures and paragraphs. I thought that it was very to read and could be read with fun expressions. The plot had good flow and was a good story. The story at times left you hanging until you flipped the page. One part where it does this is when Reginald has just told Edwina that she was extinct and the page says, "There was no doubt about it in Edwina's mind: she knew she was extinct" and the illustrations shows her being very upset, but on the next page it says, "She just didn't care."
I think that there this book could be used in the classroom as a mini lesson in several ways. One way that I was able to actually do with a student was to read the book and on a page that had a sense of suspense slam the book shut and then we wrote and drew an ending to the book. The page that I think it is good to stop on is when Reginald is sad because no one was listening to him and a voice from behind him says, "I'll listen to you". The child that I read this book with really liked the book. She loved the pictures which at times made us get off track but overall the activity went really well. Another activity you could do with a student is to have them write and draw what dinosaurs would be like if they were not extinct or to write about what extinct means. You could also teach the class about extinct animals and why they can't exist today.

Paul Fleischman

-Was born in 1952.

-Grew up in Santa Monica, California.

-Son on Sid Fleischman, who is also an author and who won a Newbery for The Whipping Boy in 1987.

-Did not picture himself as becoming an author when he grew up.

-Spent most of his time outside and not inside reading.

-His family owned at home printing press and Paul spent a lot of his time making stationary, business cards, etc. 

-Graduated from University of New Mexico.

Paul Fleischman is an author for children and young adults. Fleischman said that he is, “a maker at hearts”. By saying this he means that he writes about the most unthought about events and items. He writes about everything from historical events to objects that he has collected over time. Fleischman says that his writing is like writing music to him; he pays careful attention to the rhythm in words. Fleishman has won a Newbery Honor, for Joyful Noises: Poems for Two Voices.

I think that it is really interesting that Paul Fleischman did not originally want to be an author like his father but then ended up becoming once also. I like how he says that he tries to write his stories like making music because it shows me that he really cherishes his writing. I also like this because I read parts of his books and I can notice this rhythm that he describes.