Childre's Book

Both of my daughters and students while substituting have throughly enjoyed Junie "B." Jones and her on going situations. Join Junie and follow her through riding the bus, makes friends, looses teeth. All of the life situations that our little ones are experiencing or soon to they can read about and commiserate with Junie. All of the books that I have read are also written in a way to be interesting to adults also.

River of Dreams: The Story of the Hudson River

This is a truly fascinating read written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott. For those history buffs out there wanting to pass on the gene to your children, or History, Science or Environment teachers, this is a really great book. It is historically accurate, thorough, and the illustrations are beautiful and complement the information very well.

This book really goes to the extra mile to discuss the historical significance of the Hudson and those that lived and relied upon it. What is so cool is that I even learned things I didn't know about the Hudson, such as its influence on the environment (it was the birthplace of the entire movement). The book accurately begins with the creation of the Hudson River, which is illustrated with glaciers depositing water into the river valley (known as "Mahekanituck" to the Mohicans, which I thought was a cool tidbit) flowing down from the Adirondacks. He continues with the discovery of the New World (which he illustrates on the beautiful front cover), the Revolutionary War, steamboats (and other technology) and the environmental losses and gains of the Hudson.

It's a great book for discussions on a variety of topics, as it covers History, Science, Environmentalism, and more. It would also be a good introduction into a discussion of other influential places in our nation's history.

Crow Call by Lois Lowry

This is a great picture book written by Lois Lowry and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. I'm drawn to books that are centered on pivotal points in history, particularly U.S. History. This book is based on Lois Lowry's experiences of her father coming home from WWII after being gone for a very long time and her struggle with his return.

Crow Call centers on Liz and her father and the journey they embark upon to reconnect after he returns from the war. While some might say that this book would be more appropriate for adults that lived through this experience (such as Lois Lowry did), I would argue that this book would be a great read for kids that currently have a parent overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan. Almost all of us know someone that is or has been stationed in one of these places in the last several years. If not, we're all at least vaguely familiar with the sacrifice that their families must endure while they are away, one of them would be having to live without a father or mother for so long and the readjustment time once they return.

What really makes this book special for me is the illustrations. They are exactly what you would expect or hope to find in a book centered on the post WWII era. They also represent the feelings of the characters in the book: the colors-to me- represent melancholy and sadness, but you can see the hopefulness in them as well.

Very good book for all generations.

National Geographic Kids: Dogeared Book Club

http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared

I found this resource by going to a resource I use all the time: The American Library Association Website (http://www.ala.org/). I'm sure most of you have used this site at some point or another, but if not you really should check it out. They have a particular page designated to great web sites for kids. I chose this one because I have used National Geographic Kids in the past as a resource and know them to have excellent information. What is so cool about National Geographic Kids Dogeared is that it is a blog for kids that is ALL about books. Kids can share information on the books they've read, their opinions on them, create reading wish lists, and so much more. It's really a fantastic resource for kids, but also for teachers. Teachers can go on this site and find out which books students like and enjoy. The bloggers are of all ages: 6, 12, 12, etc. What's also so cool about this site is that you can navigate through it so easily. You can search by blogger, subject or category, or just browse. You really must check it out!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - Jack Gantos

As soon as I started reading this book I couldn't stop. I was immediately caught up in the life of Joey. And what a life he has! I am normally not the biggest fan of children's literature, but this book has everything that I want a book to have...I was laughing throughout, but I also cried. Joey's story is so touching it seems impossible not to get emotionally involved in the story. I was amazed by how engaged I became when reading this novel. I would recommend this book to children and adults alike. Reading Joey reminded me of myself sitting in school, although Joey is an extreme case of a child who just can't seem to sit still. This book has value to teachers and students for the number of issues that can be addressed. Additionally, it should be a pleasurable experience for most readers, but also an emotional rollercoaster. Gantos really makes readers feel for Joey and his most difficult life. Yet, the story isn't as somber as Joey's life actually could be.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (Reprint) (Paperback)
Author: Jon Scieszka
Edition: Reprint (1996-03) Other editions Publisher: Puffin Books Paperback: 32 pages

I love this book!!! It just makes me smile to read the title. By A. Wolf??? Who wouldn't laugh at that? I believe that this book brings the lesson that there are two sides to every story to just about any age group. For the very young reader it would be best to read the book to them and then prompt with questions and for the more advanced reader I believe that they can get the message on their own. I also like that the book does not really try to address the fact that there is another version of this story out there, just acknowledges it and then tells the story from the wolfs perspective. A great read for any classroom and easily adaptable.


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