Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

Young Trisha is excited when she goes to school. She is excited to learn how to read and to taste the sweetness of books. However, as she goes through school, she realizes that she isn’t able to keep up with the other kids. When she reads, the letters get jumbled, and it is hard for to see the words. She fakes her way through her classes, and is relentlessly teased by her classmates…that is until she gets a new teacher, Mr. Falker. Mr. Falker is able to build a relationship with Trisha, see her difficulty, and work with her until she is able to overcome her difficulties. This is a delightfully heartfelt story that every teacher should read.

Highly Recommended *****

Parvis, S. (2009). Jonas brothers. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Pub.

Preteen girls will be very excited to read this story. This book goes into the stories of the Jonas brothers, and gives facts and details about their lives. I found this story very hard to read as an adult, because it turns out that the Jonas Brothers have not lived very interesting lives, despite the fact that they are popular singers. However, despite the fact I didn’t enjoy the book, I know that my students will love it!

Highly Recommended ****

Fletcher, S. (2007). Dadblamed union army cow. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Dadblamed Union Army Cow is based on the true story of a cow that follows her owner throughout the war. The cow, while a nusance at times, ends up being incredibly useful to the union army. When I read this book to my students they loved reading with me “moo” and “that dadblamed cow!”. This book is a great way to start talking to students about the Civil War.

Highly Recommended *****

Attenborough, L. (2001). Poetry by heart: A child’s book of poems to remember. New York: Scholastic Inc.

This is a great collection of children’s poems, which include authors such as Roald Dahl, Shakespeare and Robert Frost. It is a good book to be used to introduce poetry to children, as there is a wide array of types of poems. Some of the poems are serious such as The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, while others are silly such as How Doth the Little Crocodile by Lewis Carroll. A good addition to any children’s collection.

Its alright **

Borden, L. (2002). America is… New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

This book is an illustrated poem, that explores the idea of what America is. This would be a great way to start teaching students about American history, or what it means to be an American. It explores concepts such as states, the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem. It shows the immense differences that are found in the United States, such as the large cities, or the small towns. This books is a good way to start conversations with students about poetry or US history.

Its alright **

Climo, S. (1993). The Korean Cinderella. Mexico: HarperCollins Publishers.

The young Pear Blossom is mistreated by her step mother and stepsister. They tell Pear Blossom that she may attend the villages festival after she weeds the rice patties. Of course, there was too much work for Pear Blossom to finish on her own. A black ox appears and clears the weeds for Pear Blossom, and she goes the festival she looses her shoe in the water. The magistrate finds her shoe, and believes that the show will bring him to the one he should marry. The story is very similar to the version known in the United States, with a new flavor.

Recommended ***

Johnston, T. (1998). Bigfoot cinderrrrrella. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

The bigfoot prince is looking for his princess, but he needs someone who meets specific qualifications: she must be odoriferous, have lots of fur, and care about the environment. This clever twist on the classic story of Cinderella could be used to get students excited about comparing and contrasting stories, and even to get young boys interested in what may seem like “girls” literature.

Highly Recommended ****

Martin, R. (1992). The rough-face girl. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

The Rough-Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian version of the classic Cinderella story. The poor rough-face girl has become rough faced because her face has been burned working closely around the fire. All of the women in her village want to marry the Invisible Being. The invisible being however, will only be married to the woman who can prove to his sister that they have seen him. The Rough-Face Girl’s sisters get dressed in elaborate and expensive clothing, and strut around the village, as they pretend that they have seen the invisible being. Rough-face girl however, is able to show that she has seen the invisible being, and the story ends happily. This story would be a great addition to a fairy tale unit, or a supplement on Native American studies.

Highly Recommended ****

Perrault, C. (1954). Cinderella or The little glass slipper. (M. Brown, Trans.). New York: Atheneum Books for Young People.

Cinderella, as translated by Marsha Brown, is the classic French Cinderella story. Cinderella is a young girl, and when her father gets remarried to a harsh stepmother with two cruel daughters, Cinderella has a positive attitude and helps her sisters prepare for the King’s Ball. When Cinderella wishes to attend the ball, her fairy godmother appears and magically transforms her into a beautiful princess. Cinderella is then able to go to the ball two nights in a row, where she accidentally looses her slipper as she runs away (due to loosing track of time). The prince finds her by having all of the ladies around to try on the lost slipper. In the end, Cinderella marries the prince, and graciously forgives her cruel stepfamily. This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1955. The illustrations are lacking in interest and dated. It is the simple classic story of Cinderella. Can be used to compare other Cinderella stories to, but this version is very dull

Not really recommended at all *

Willis, J. (2008). Daft bat. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

When bat moves into the neighborhood, the neighbors bring bat a welcoming gift: a new umbrella! When bat says that he needs it to keep his feet dry, the young animals begin to wonder about how intelligent bat is. Daft bat! When they go to owl with their concerns, owl recommends that they try to look at the world from bat’s perspective. This is a short, cute story, that has a great moral. Could be used in the classroom setting to teach students the vocabulary words for baby animals (ex: giraffe calf, lion cub, etc.)

Recommended ****

Hopkinson, D. (2008). Abe Lincoln crosses a creek: A tall, thin tale (introducing his forgotten frontier friend). New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek is the story of young Abe Lincoln and his childhood friend, Austin Gollaher. Austin and Abe decide to cross a creek, when the water becomes turbulent, and in the end Austin saves the future 16th president of the United States from falling into the creek. The author cleverly invites the illustrator into the story, discusses the way history can be interpreted, and includes a thought provoking conversation on the moral of the story. Students are sure to love this story!

Highly Recommended *****

Winter, J. (2005). The librarian of basra: A true story from iraq. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

The Librarian of Basra is based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian in Basra, Iraq. When war seems to be coming, Alia works to hide her collection of books. When no one is looking, she hides these books in her home, and in a local restaurant. After her library is burned to the ground during the war, Alia is able to save more than 30,000 books of her collection. Every librarian, or other persons who sees values in books should read this story of courageous Alia Muhammad Baker.

Highly Recommended *****

Verla, K. (2007). Rough, tough charley. Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press.

This story uses rhyme to tell the story of Charley Parkhurst. As a youth, Charley runs away from the orphanage, and finds work caring for horses. As Charley grows, Charley becomes known for his ability to care for horses, and was a stagecoach drive through the old west. Before his death, he joined the Odd fellows, and lost an eye. At his death, the doctor found a shocking surprise! Charley was a woman! Turns out Charley may have been one of the first women to vote in the state of California.

Rough, Tough Charley is a great book to use during women’s history month, and during lessons that ask students to challenge gender roles.

Highly Recommended *****

Watt, M. (2009). Chester.

Melanie Watt is trying to write a book about a mouse. Unfortunately, Chester her cat, decides that he would also like to write a book… about himself! He writes all over poor Melanie’s story, and they feud over what the book is about, and WHO will be writing it. While this story is meant for younger students, I read it to my fourth grade classes, and they loved it! Chester’s sharp humor made them all giggle, and was one of the most popular read aloud’s this year.

Highly Recommended *****

Ernst, L. C. (2006). The gingerbread girl. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.

After the tragic death of the gingerbread boy, who was tricked and eaten by a fox, the little old man and the little old lady decide to try again. They are so very lonely, and decide this time, they will bake a gingerbread girl, who shall be covered with sweets, because a sweet little girl would not run away from them! As soon as the gingerbread girl leaves the oven, many people who would like to eat her pursue her. Will the gingerbread girl be able to avoid the same tragic fate as her older brother? Or is she clever enough to out trick a fox? When read aloud to children, they are easily able to chant along to “with a leap and a twirl, you can’t catch me! I’m the gingerbread girl!”

Highly Recommended ****

Cyrus, K. (2008). Tadpole rex. Orlando: Harcourt.

Tadpole Rex is a story about a young tadpole that was alive during prehistoric times. This book begs to be read aloud to young children, and then recited as a group. The use of rhyme in the story is very appealing and could be used as an introduction to poetry. Also, Tadpole Rex has an inner tyrannosaurus rex, that many children (and even adults) can relate to! The end of the story has an author’s note about the evolution of frogs, and how they in fact do have an “inner tyrannosaurus rex” as they have lived for so long on the earth.

Recommended ***

Bateman, T. (2007). Fiona’s luck. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

All of the luck in Ireland has been take by the leprechauns! The big people are now unable to grow potatoes, the chickens no longer can lay eggs, and the cows are no longer giving milk! A witty girl named Fiona sets out to find the King of the Leprechauns in order to get the luck back. Fiona’s Luck could be used to supplement a unit or lesson on the potato famine or Ireland.

Recommended ***

LaRochelle, D. (2007). The end. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

This backwards fairytale, that begins with “They lived happily ever after”, will intrigue children as they find out how the end came to be. Children will laugh at loud and they discover a ticklish dragon, a hundred bunny rabbits, and a temper tantrum-throwing giant. There is repetition of the word “because” and as it is read aloud, younger children will be able to “read” with the story. The entire story is backwards, including the title pages, and the copyright pages. The End can be used as an interesting way to talk to students about the parts of a book, and even the parts of a story.

Highly Recommended ****

Thomas, S. C. (2008). Cesar takes a break. New York: Sterling Pub. Co.

Cesar the iguana leaves the pet shop when he finally finds a class to adopt. When he finds out that the students of Pinebrook Elementary school are going on vacation, he feels betrayed and depressed. What is he going to do while his classmates are gone? Cesar keeps a diary of the adventures he goes on, as he decides to explore the school, and meets the other class pets in the school. At the end of the story, the author includes a fact sheet about iguanas, which is “written” by Cesar. Cesar Take a Break is a fun story to be read with students around spring break or used as a way to introduce a science unit on reptiles.

Recommended ***