40. Houndog True (chapter)

By: Linda Urban
Illustration by: N/A
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Friendship and families
Primary characters: Mattie Breen
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2011
Publishing Company: Harcourt
Summary: This story is about Mattie Breen who does not quite fit in with her other 5th grade classmates. She hasn't remained in one particular for too long. This is her 5th school. She does not enjoy lunch and recess time. She finds these events awkward and does not know how to act in social situations. She devises a plan to help out her uncle who is the "Director of Custodial Arts" and follows him around with a notebook hoping he will notice that she could be a help for him. This story is about family, friendship, and acceptance. This would be a good independent read for a classroom.

39. The Flint Heart (chapter)

By: John Paterson
Illustration by: John Rocco
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Fantasy
Theme: Fairy Tales
Primary characters: Shaman, tailsman, Charles, Unity, Billy
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2011
Publishing Company: Candlewick press
Summary: It is about a flint heart that changes whoever possesses it into an evil person. It begins telling about how the flint heart was made. As the years pass the stone is buried in a town in England for over 5,000 years. Pixies, fairies, trolls, dwarfs, all are after this stone. With many twists and turns this book will grab a hold of a child's attention. The story is a fantasy story that could capture a child's imagination. A book like this should be on a teacher's bookshelf.

38. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (chapter)

By: Barbara Park
Illustration by: Denise Brunkus
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Family
Primary characters: Junie B. Jones
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1993
Publishing Company: Random House
Summary: Juni B. Jones in a kindergartener realizes that her new baby brother is the center of attention. She is in kindergarten and her two best friends really want to see him. She is funny and a great children's chapter book. The class would enjoy this series of Juni B. Jones from all ages.

37. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (chapter)

By: Jeff Kinney
Illustration by: Jeff Kinney
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Realistic fiction
Theme: Friendship
Primary characters: Greg Heffley, Rowley Jefferson
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: Amulet Publishers
Publishing Company: 2007
Summary: This story is about the trials and tribulations that Greg goes through during middle school. The story opens up where he complains about walking around with a journal that says "diary" on the front. He thinks that he goes to school with a bunch of morons. He wants to grow up and be famous one day. Greg and his friend Rowley experience Halloween together and many other struggles. They get into fights and their friendship is at stake. This book is about middle school and friendship. This is an entertaining book that can capture a students attention. This would be a great independent read.

36. The Tale of Despereaux (Chapter)

By: Kate DiCamillo
Illustration by: Timothy B. Ering
Genre: Children's Chapter book
Subgenre: Fantasy novel
Theme: Adventure
Primary characters: Despereaux, Roscuro, Miggery Sow
Awards: Newbery Medal
Date of Publication: 2003
Publishing Company: Candlewick Press
Summary: This book is about a mouse names Despereaux who wants to save a human princess. The book is told from each of the characters point of view through out the book. There are four main parts of the book. The first part was about the mouse that was born in a castle. He is not like every other mouse. He does not scurry or act like every mouse. This is when he falls in love with the princess. He is reported and put into jail. Tho book goes on to the mouse wanting to save the princess he is in love with. This is a great book and would be good for children to read independently.

35. Hoot (Chapter) [Newbery Award]

By: Carl Hiaasen
Illustration by: N/A
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Conservation and bullying
Primary characters: Roy, Beatrice, Mullet Fingers
Awards: Newbery Award
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Knopf
Summary: This story takes place in Coconut Cove, Florida. Roy has two friends that want to stop the construction of a pancake house. Where the pancake house is being built is where burrowing owls live and made homes. This book goes through bullying stages and is about friendship and acceptance. Great story that can be a class effort. It teaches about bullying and animal conservation which are both really important.

34. Grandfather's Journey (picture) [Caldecott Medal]

By: Allen Say
Illustration by: Allen Say
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Nonfiction book
Theme: Home
Primary characters: Man from Japan
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Date of Publication: 1993
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin
Summary: There is a man from Japan who moves to California. He loves the Sierra mountains. Later he realizes that he misses home so he moves back to Japan and marries his high school sweet heart. He moves back to California to raise their daughter. The man remembers his childhood in Japan and wishes to take his family back to Japan. He is happy to see old friends and moves to a city nearby for his daughter. She marries and has a son.The son is the narrator of the story. The man wishes he could go back to California one more time. He longs to see the Sierra Mountains one more time. But he never gets the chance due to World War II. So the grandson, the narrator, travels like his grandfather and learns the love his grandfather had for both homes. This is a great story about the importance of a home. But this story allows you to see that you can have more than one home, which many children do these days. This would be great for the library in a classroom.

33. Henry's freedom box (picture) [Coretta Scott King Award]

By: Ellen Levine
Illustration by: Kadir Nelson
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Freedom
Primary characters: Henry
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Date of Publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Summary: Henry does not know how old he is since they don't keep slaves' birthdays. Henry dreams about freedom most of the time. That is all his head is filled with. He ends up getting sold to work in a warehouse farther away from his family than he has ever been. Freedom seems even further now. Later, his family is sold on the slave market. He doesn't know what to do now. He finally gets the idea as he is working and wants to stuff himself in a crate and mail himself to his family. The rest of the story is about the journey to his family. This would be a great book to show children the stuggle of the slave trade and the importance of freedom and family.

32. Lizette's Green Sock (picture)

By: Catharina Valckx
Illustration by: Catharina Valckx
Genre: Children's Picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Friendship and bullying
Primary characters: Lizette
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: Carus Publishing
Summary: Lizette finds a pretty green sock one day. She beings to wear with and bullies star making fun of her. They tell her that socks come in pairs and you should not wear only one sock. Lizette looks everywhere for the missing sock's mate. She has no luck at all. One day her friend helps her. They end up working something out and realize that friends are also work better in pairs as do socks. This is a good and creative book that can be about group work and friendship.

31. Freedom Summer (picture)

By: Deborah Wiles
Illustration by: Jerome Lagarrigue
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Friendship and segregation
Primary characters: Joe and John Henry
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Summary: Set in Mississippi around 1964 with two friends. John Henry is black and Joe is white. They are inseparable until their town separates them. Joe does not understand why him and his best friend cannot do somethings together. This is the time during desegregation. Joe and John Henry love swimming together in the town creek and walking everywhere together. One day a public pool opens up and they are both excited to go swimming. Joe then realizes they can swim together in a pool that once was for whites only. They arrive at the pool and it is closed down. Whites would rather not have a pool then share one with blacks. This was a sad day for the two best friends. Joe doesn't understand why they  have to be different. This is a great story that would be good to read aloud in a classroom. This brings desegregation down on a child's level. Every child has a dear friend that they would hate if they couldn't do fun things with.

30. What do you do with a tail like this? (picture) [Caldecott Honor]

By: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Illustration by: Robin Page
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Realistic fiction
Theme: Animals
Primary characters: Many animals
Awards: Caldecott Winner
Date of Publication: 2003
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Company
Summary: This is a clever and fun book for children. It starts out with pictures of tails and when you turn to the next page it has each animal the tail belongs to. It starts like a guessing game. This goes on to the animal's eyes, tails, ears, noses, and mouths. A person from any level can learn something new with this book. This is great for a younger audience and informative. This book should be read in front of the classroom because it is very interactive.

29. Spiders (picture) [Robert Sibert Winner]

By: Nic Bishop
Illustration by: Bishop's photography
Genre: Non fiction
Subgenre: Children's non fiction
Theme: Animals/Nature
Primary characters: Spiders
Awards: Robert Sibert Winner
Date of Publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Scholastic
Summary: This is a very information book about the creepy crawlers, spiders. You learn many facts about spiders for instance; how some can make good pets and they are not insects because they have two body parts with eight legs. You learn about the webs they spin and the food they eat. The photography is very detailed and will capture a child's attention. You really see spiders in a new light. This would be great for a classroom library. A teacher can start a discussion asking what the children already know about spiders and go from there.

28. Hip Hop Speaks to Children (picture/poetry)

By: Nikki Giovanni
Illustration by: Alicia Vergel de Dios,  Damian Ward, Kristen Balouch,  Jeremy Tugeau,  Michele Noiset
Genre: Poetry book
Subgenre: Hip Hop
Theme: Importance with beat poetry
Primary characters:Children
Awards:N/A
Date of Publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Source Books
Summary: This book comes with a CD so children can hear the beats and rhythm of the words. This poetry book has rhythm. This book is diverse from the words to the illustrations. The vernacular is extremely important. Every poem is different in its own way.

27. The Thief Lord (chapter book) [Mildred L. Batchelder Award]

Original Title:  Herr der Diebe
By: Cornelia Funke
Illustration by: Christian Burmingham
Genre: Fantasy
Subgenre: Adventure
Theme: Adventurous
Primary characters: Prosper and Bo
Awards: Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: The Chicken House/Scholastic Publishing Company
Summary: This book is about Prosper and Bo who are brothers that run away to Venice, Italy. Orphans that live in a movie theater take the brothers in. In the beginning you learn that the main orphan, Scipio, steels money from the rich and sells them to a shopkeeper.  Scipio calls himself the Thief Lord. The brother's aunt and uncle eventually finds out where they have been staying and sends a detective after the two boys. This story is about the encounters with the detective and the secret Scipio is trying to keep from the other orphans. Great adventurous story that will keep students on their toes. This would be a great independent read for the classroom.

26. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring (picture) [Orbis Pictus Winner]

By: Jane Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Illustration by: Brian Floca
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Nonfiction
Theme: Working together
Primary characters:
Awards: Orbis Pictus Winner
Date of Publication: 2010
Publishing Company: Roaring Book
Summary: This book is about Martha Graham's dance "Appalachian Spring" and how many dancers, choreographers, and other people come together to make this beautiful dance come alive. Many artists are solo artists. Painters, singers, and photographers can work alone but this book shows that a ballet dance must have multiple people involved and working together. This a good book for a classroom to show how working together can help make master pieces.

25. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past (picture) [Robert F. Sibert Winner]

By: James M. Deem
Illustration by: Photographer
Genre: Children's nonfiction
Subgenre: Informative
Theme: Historical Glaciers
Primary characters: Husband, Wife, Otzi
Awards: Robert F. Sibert Winner
Date of Publication: 2009
Publishing Company: Houghton Mifflin Company
Summary: It's a story a husband and a wife that climb a mountain in northern Italy in 1991. The couple come across a human corpse left beside a melting glacier. They later discover that this corpse was Otzi. This was one of the most important archeological discoveries. There have been discoveries of human bodies from the Andes Mountains, Himalayas, and the European Alps because of the melting glaciers. In this story the couple discovers many stories behind the melting glaciers. This would be very informative for a classroom while drawing attention from the interesting stories.

24. Star of the Week [picture]

By: Darlene Friedman
Illustration by: Roger Roth
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Adoption and loving families
Primary characters: Cassidy-Li
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2009
Publishing Company: The Bowen Press
Summary: Cassidy-Li is chosen for the start of the week at school. She is excited about presenting a poster for her classroom. As she begins her project she realizes that she does not have a picture of her birth parents. Her adopted parents love her very much and give her the idea to draw a picture of her birth parents. She is excited and draws the photos. This is a touching story about an adoptive family relationship. I have two cousins adopted from China and this book would be great for them. This book would be useful in class to show other children that all families are not alike. Children need to be aware of diversity in the home and this book is great for that topic.

23. Mommy Mine [picture]

By: Tim Warnes
Illustration by: Jane Chapman
Genre: Chidlren's fitcion
Subgenre: Realistic fiction
Theme: Mother and baby relationships
Primary characters: Animals and their babies
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Summary: This book is about mommies and their babies. It is easy to read and children can really relate to this book. Every child believes they have the best mom in the world and this book shows that. It says that mommies come in all shapes and sizes and everyone cares for their mommy. The illustrations are nice and inviting and will attract a child's attention. This book will warm the heart of mommies and babies all year around.

22. A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee [picture] (Caldecott Winner)

Author:  Philip C. Stead
Illustration by: Erin E. Stead
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Investing in friendships
Primary characters: Amos Mcgee and the animals
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Date of Publication: 2011
Publishing Company: Roaring Brook Press
Summary: Amos Mcgee is an old man that works at a zoo. Everyday no matter how busy he is, he takes time and visits all the animals. He plays chess with the elephant, runs races with the tortoise, and sits with the penguin. He even spends time with the rhinoceros and owl. One day he does not show up to work because he is feeling sick. All of the animals sit in boredom and worry about the nice old man. Eventually they escape from the zoo and arrive at Amos's home. They spend time with him as he would with them. They keep him company while he is sick. This is a very touching story with nice warm illustrations. The classroom would really enjoy this book for it teaches about the importance of friendship and that it should be cherished.

21. The Gruffalo [picture]

By: Julia Donaldson
Illustration by: Axel Scheffler
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fantasy
Theme: Courage
Primary characters: Mouse, Gruffalo
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1999
Publishing Company: Macmillan
Summary: The mouse uses his cunning ways to get him out of danger. The mouse gets invinted back to a fox, owl, and a snake's house. Those animals eventually want to eat him but he tricks them and says that he has dinner plans with his friend a gruffalo, who eats the animal he is dining with at the time. Later the mouse runs into an actual gruffalo. He thought he was making up this animal the whole time. The gruffalo wants to eat him, but the mouse once again thinks of an idea. The mouse tells him that he is the scariest animal in the forest. The gruffalo, intrigued, walked with him into the forest. They encounter the snake, owl, and fox the mouse was with earlier. They all flee in fear of the gruffalo that might eat them. The mouse then threatens to eat the gruffalo, then he flees. This story would be great to enterain a classroom of early elementary children. The plot will hold their attention and the illustrations are colorful.

20. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock [picture]

By: Eric A. Kimmel
Illustration by: Janet Stevens
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Trickery
Primary characters: Anansi, Elephant, Lion, Little Bush Deer
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1988
Publishing Company: Holiday House
Summary: Anansi is a spider that likes to trick animals. He uses a moss-covered rock to trick other animals in the forest. This book is part of a series. This book would be good in a classroom because Anansi is later taught a lesson because of his trickery.

19. Keeping the Night Watch [picture] (Corette Scott King Honor)

By: Hope Anita Smith
Illustration by: E.B. Lewis
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Poem book
Theme: Family
Primary characters: C.J, Mother, and Father
Awards: Coretta Scott King
Date of Publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Henry Holt and Company
Summary: C.J's father walked out on his family when he was young. Now his father is wanting to come back into his house and be a whole family again. The other brother's and sister's do not have a problem with this as much as C.J. does. His dad left many responsibilities on C.J.'s shoulders when he abandoned the family. The family is slowly trying to come back together and Peter describes his anger and frustration through the many poems in this book. There are many broken homes these days and many children might be able to relate to this book. it would be great for children that are going through a similar situation.

18. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? [picture]

By: Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
Illustration by: Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Informing what do animals sounds like
Primary characters: Polar bear
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1991
Publishing Company: Henry Holt and Company
Summary: This books goes through many animals asking what do they hear. This book helps children identify animals and the sounds that each animal makes. This would be great anticipatory set for a class project. Children can draw their own animals and put what they sound like. You can easily print out worksheets and coloring sheets for this famous book. There are many books that these authors do that are also similar to this one.

17. The Rough Faced Girl [picture]

By: Rafe Martin
Illustration by: David Shannon
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Cinderella Story
Primary characters: The invisible being, father, and three daughters
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1992
Publishing Company: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Summary: This story is about a young girl in a village that gets tortured by her two older sisters. They call her the rough faced girl because they make her tend to the fire in which flames leaves scars on her face. There is the invisible being in the village who every woman wants to marry. He is said to be handsome and very kind. The invisible being lives with his sister and in order to marry him the woman must prove that she has seen him before. One day the two older daughters turn to their father and ask for the finest clothes he can afford. They get all dressed up and head towards the invisible beings wigwam to marry him. They arrive at the great wigwam and ask to marry the invisible being. The sister stands there and asks them questions to prove if they have seen her brother. Of course the girls lied and did not answer the questions correctly, so they were sent home. The rough faced girl then goes to her father and asks for nice clothing and new moccasins. The father looks at her sadly, and says that the other two daughters took all he had. He gave her some worn moccasins and broken shells to make a necklace. She does her best to look presentable as she hesitantly walks through the village towards the great wigwam. She encounters the sister, who looks at her and smiles. She can tell the rough faced girl is sincere. The girl answers the questions correctly and gets dipped into a pool where her inner beauty is now shown on the outside. Her and the invisible being live happily ever after. This story would be great to show a class another Cinderella story from another culture. This book takes on a popular folk tale and places it within another culture. Learning about other cultures is important.

16. Two Times the Fun [chapter]

By: Beverly Cleary
Illustration by: Carol Thompson
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Twins/playing
Primary characters: Jimmy and Janet
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: HarperCollins
Summary: This is a chapter book for really young children. This would be great in a preschool setting. It is involved in a series that shows two twins, Jimmy and Janet, and how they act. Both of the twins love to have fun and play outside. In this book Jimmy prefers to play with an adult shovel while his sister wants to use her imagination and be a bird. This is a really cute book with attractive pictures. Very short but would hold a young child's attention!

15. The Giver [chapter] (Newbery Medal)

By: Lois Lowry
Illustration by: Lois Lowry
Genre: Soft science fiction
Subgenre: Dystopian society
Theme: Rules and choices
Primary characters: Jonas
Awards: Newbery Medal
Date of Publication: 1993
Publishing Company: Bantam Books
Summary: Jonas lives in a harmonious society where jobs are assigned individually based on their skill. Husbands and wives are also picked for them as well. There are birth mothers and families have to apply to get their children. The society also consumes pills to suppress their emotions and feelings of love and desire. Jonas is assigns to be the Receiver of memories when he reached twelve. He then gets trained the Giver. His mind is then open to true feelings of sadness and things like true love. He isolates himself because he feels separate from everyone in his society. With this book's ambiguous ending, this can cause for a class discussion. This book should be read as a class because there are many ideas and interesting plots in this book.

14. Bud, Not Buddy [chapter] (Corette Scott King Award/Newbery Medal)

By: Christopher Paul Curtis
Illustration by:Christopher Paul Curtis
Genre: Young Adult Novel
Subgenre: Multicultural novel
Theme: Importance of family and trying to find your purpose
Primary characters: Bud Caldwell and Herman E. Calloway
Awards: Coretta Scott King and Newbery Medal
Date of Publication: 1999
Publishing Company: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Summary: During the Great Depression, Bud Caldwell experiences the death of his mother. He becomes an orphan and lives in several foster homes. He ends up leaving a home because he does not get along with the abusive older son. He wants to find Herman E. Calloway so he leaves. Bud meet Lefty Lewis and stays with him one night. The next day he runs into Calloway's band. After getting wrongfully accused for stealing something of Calloways, he later finds out that Calloway is Bud's grandfather. His mother ran away about eleven years before this time. It was a very touching book. Classes would enjoy reading this independently to learn about importantance of the family relationship. Students can show what they think of this book means to them.

13. Because of Winn-Dixie [Chapter] (Newbery Honor)

By: Kate DiCamillo
Illustration by: Cherry Jones
Genre: Children's fiction book
Subgenre: Realistic fiction
Theme: Lonliness and relationships
Primary characters: India Opal Buloni
Awards: Josette Frank Award, Mark Twain Award, Newbery Award
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Candlewick Press
Summary: India Opal, 10 year old girl moved to Florida. She stumbled upon a dog in the Winn-Dixie causing problems. She wants to convince her dad to keep the dog because she saved it from getting put into the pound. It's a very cute story that concentrates on India's past and relationships with others. I would love to recommend this book to students in my classroom to read independently. Reading aloud is important, but it is also important for a child to read independently. Everyone remembers the books they got lost in.

12. Wayside School is Falling Down [chapter]

By: Louis Sachar
Illustration by: Adam Mccauley
Genre: Children's Chapter Book
Subgenre: Child's fiction
Theme: Entertainment
Primary characters: Teacher and many students in the classroom
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1989
Publishing Company: HarperCollins
Summary: This book is part of a series of three. They are all little strange and entertaining chapters. Each book contains 30 (technically 29) chapter because that is how many floors are in the building. All of the stories involves the teacher and students in a certain weird incident. This book makes me want to read more of the series. I would definitely recommend this books to students with an active imagination.

11. Muggie Maggie [chapter]

By: Beverly Cleary
Illustration by: Tracy Dockray
Genre: Children's Chapter book
Subgenre: Child's realistic fiction
Theme: Learning cursive
Primary characters: Maggie
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 1990
Publishing Company: HarperCollins
Summary: Maggie expresses her new hatred towards learning cursive when her teacher says her cursive "Maggie" looks like "Muggie". She is not excited at all to learn this new form of writing. The teacher soon makes her deliver mail that is written in cursive and Maggie thinks it's notes written about her that she can't read. She soon learns to write cursive. Very cute book. Beverly Cleary is an all time classic. Kids can really relate to these books and I would love for the class to read this.

10. Holes (Newbery Medal) [Chapter]

By: Louis Sachar

Illustration by: Vladimir Radunsky

Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Child's fiction

Theme: Fate and family curse

Primary characters: Stanley Yelnats

Awards: Newbery Medal

Date of Publication: 1998

Publishing Company: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary: Stanley Yelnats is sentenced to Camp Green Lake where he is forced to dig a hole as punishment ten feet deep and ten feet wide. Little does he or any of the other boys know that they are digging holes for a real reason. He makes friendships and ends up trying to escape while dealing with his family's past. This was a very good book with a few twists that will keep students at an older age intrigued.

9. Stinky Stern Forever [Chapter]

By: Michelle Edwards
Illustration by: Michelle Edwards
Genre: Children's chapter book
Subgenre: Child's realistic fiction
Theme: Dealing with death
Primary characters: Stinky Stern and Pa Lia
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Harcourt
Summary: This is an interesting book. It is about a bully that ends up getting hit by a car after getting off of the school bus. The student's deal with '"Stinky Stern's" death differently. They each get to speak out in front of the classroom and express their feelings. This story is mainly about a young girl Pa Lia who saw Stinky Stern get hit by the bus. She has a hard time understanding her feelings. This book is one of a series of different books. I think this book could be good for some kids who are dealing with a similar situation. But then again, the book started out abrupt and I was in shock when I read that a child died and how it happened. I think it was a little harsh for young children.

8. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! [Picture]

By: Karen Beaumont
Illustration by: David Catrow
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Child's fiction
Theme: Painting
Primary characters: Little boy
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2005
Publishing Company: Harcourt Children
Summary: The words in this book go along with a familiar folk song. It is about a child to insists on painting all over the house until Mama comes and takes his paint away. The persistent little boy sneaks the paint back and uses himself as a human canvas and paints all over his body. Young children would love this book! It would be great for entertainment purposes. The illustrations are wonderful and extremely colorful to grab a child's attention.

7. A Visitor for Bear [picture]

By: Bonny Becker
Illustration by: Kathy Macdonald Denton
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Child fiction
Theme: Friendship
Primary characters: Bear and mouse
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Candlewick
Summary: I loved this book. The illustrations complimented the story so well. This book was about a bear who never wants any guests. This mouse keeps sneaking in his house after bear kicks him out. The mouse insists on staying for tea but the bear does not want his company. Finally, the bear gives in and when the mouse wants to politely excuse himself Bear does not want him to leave. This could teach my students a certain moral, I would ask them what they thought of the book and lead into a class discussion.

6. Yoko Writes Her Name [picture]

By: Rosemary Wells
Illustration by: Rosemary Wells
Genre: Children's picture book
Theme: To accept people from different cultures.
Primary characters: Yoko
Awards: none
Date of Publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Hyperion
Summary: This book is about a Japanese cat who is not accepted by her fellow classmates. Everything she does is incorrect to them, including writing her name. I love this story because it teaches children to be aware of other people's cultures. Everyone is different and special. I would read this to my younger students in class. I believe that accepting other people is very important.

5. Joseph Had A Little Overcoat (Caldecott Winner) [picture]

By: Simms Taback
Illustration by: Simms Taback
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Child fiction
Theme: You can make something out of nothing
Primary characters: Joseph
Awards: Caldecott Winner
Date of Publication: 1999
Publishing Company: The Penguin Group
Summary: This book is about Joseph's overcoat that gets ruined and he turns it into a jacket then to a vest etc. This book's main message is that "you can always make something out of nothing." Taback does an amazing job on the illustrations and the book as a whole is adorable. It is the second version of the original made in 1977. There is even a song in the back. I would read this to entertain my classroom.

4. That's Why We Don't Eat Animals [picture]

By: Ruby Roth
Illustration by: Ruby Roth
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Animals
Theme: Explaining to children why we shouldn't eat animals
Primary characters: No primary characters
Awards: None
Date of Publication: 2009
Publishing Company: North Atlantic Books
Summary: I absolutely adore this book. It was written by an art teacher in Los Angeles. This book explains to a child why we do not eat pets, farm animals, and sea animals. It also shows the child how eating animals effects our environment. This book really brings light to what we choose to consume really isn't a personal choice, our choice effects many aspect of life. The end of the book gives the reader many other ideas on how to be more socially conscious. Here is a website devoted to this book!
http://wedonteatanimals.com/

3. Tuesday (Caldecott Medal) [picture]

By: David Wiesner
Illustration by: David Wiesner
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's fiction
Theme: Imagination
Primary characters: Frogs
Awards: Caldecott Winner
Date of Publication: 1991
Publishing Company: Clarion Books
Summary: This is strictly a picture book with few captions. I love this books and I remember it from when I was in school. This helps stimulate student's imagination. I believe this book could be used almost at any level. This books is basically about frogs floating on lily pads during a Tuesday night.

2. The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle [picture]

By: Nuria Roca
Illustration by: Rosa M. Curto
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Informative/Teaches children how to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste
Primary characters: Paul
Awards: None
Date of Publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
Summary: This book teaches children and families how they can help reduce waste. I love how this book asks questions to the reader. It is very interactive and challenges the young mind. I would use this for children in 3rd-5th grade. At the end of the book it teaches the reader how to  build a bird house, make a notebook, and many others experiments. It is important for students to become more socially conscious at a young age.

1. My Friend Rabbit (Caldecott Medal) [picture]

By: Eric Rohmann
Illustration by: Eric Rohmann
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Juvenile Fiction
Theme: Friendship/Teamwork can solve problems
Primary characters: Rabbit and Mouse
Awards: Caldecott Winner
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Roaring Book Press
Summary: This book is great. I love all of the detailed and colorful pictures. Since this book does not have many words in it, I would ask my students to describe the pictures. This book teaches children about working together. Mouse still accepts his friend even though Rabbit always makes situations worse. Great for a younger age group.