Book Love: First Day Jitters

*Back to School Book Love*

Title: First Day Jitters

Author: Julie Danneberg

Illustrator: Judy Love

Why I Love this Book: My site teacher gave this book to me last year at the end of my student teaching for 2 reasons. Mainly because it is a story about how even teachers get the jitters on the first day of school. But the character in this story is a teacher named Sarah (yes, spelled with an h--so not exactly like me, but close enough). I enjoyed reading this book to myself as I was preparing for my first first day of school as a teacher. I did feel a little bit jittery, but I was also really excited. :) This book is a great way to talk about some of the different emotions both teachers and students feel at the beginning of the school year. 

Book Love: David Goes to School

School is starting this week, and I want to share some of the back-to-school books that I love and will be using in my classroom! Here's the first in a back-to-school series of Book Love posts.

Title: David Goes to School

Author: David Shannon

Why I Love This Book: If you are familiar with the David books that this author produces, you know that they are simple, funny, and true to life. I think this book is a fun way to talk about rules and procedures in the classroom. I think it's especially great for Kindergarten kids because they are new to Elementary school, and for some of them, new to the structure and routines that come with being a part of a class. From a teacher's perspective, I think we all encounter kids like David who might need a little bit more help to learn how to be a student. We have the opportunity to help teach them those essential skills that will allow them to be successful throughout their education. For me, this book is a humorous reminder to be patient with those students who seem like a terror, but really just need our support and guidance. 

Book Love: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Authors: Don and Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood

Why I Love This Book: I was camping this weekend in "bear country," and for some reason thought of this book. It's a simple, interactive story that promotes ideas of problem solving and sharing as the little mouse needs to find a way to keep his red, ripe strawberry safe from the big hungry bear. The illustrations are fun and engaging, as is usually characteristic of this author and illustrator duo. It is a great read aloud for all different levels of early readers, including toddlers and preschool aged children, because of its interactive nature. 

Book Love: I Can Be Anything!

Title: I Can Be Anything!

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Illustratior: Jimmy Liao

Why I Love This Book: This was another find as I was browsing in a book store one day. This is just a fun and happy book that celebrates imagination and believing in yourself- whether you want to be a "paper- plane folder" or a "puppy-dog holder." Many "when I grow up" stories focus on jobs and careers, which is an important thing to learn about, but I love that this book explores the idea that there are many other things that we can do and be in life, besides our jobs. I love that it places value on all of life's possibilities. Honestly, I think this is a book that younger kids, older kids, and kids-at-heart can all enjoy and learn from. 

Book Love: The Lion and the Mouse

Title: The Lion and the Mouse

Author and Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Why I Love this Book: This book is essentially wordless, as the story is told through the incredibly beautiful illustrations. A book like this can be used with children who are just developing their literacy skills, as well as fluent readers, as wordless picture books can be a valuable way to work with concept of print, comprehension, story sequencing, and more. This book is a great way to experience this classic fable through illustrations that capture the life and emotion of the story. 

Book Love: DogFish

Title: DogFish

Author: Gillian Shields

Illustrator: Dan Taylor

Why I Love this Book: I was browsing in a bookstore when I found this book, and it just put a smile on my face. I love the underlying theme of optimism, and making the most of what you have. The boy in the story has a pet goldfish, but really wishes it was a dog. Since his family can't have a dog, the boy decides to pretend and in the process discovers that he has a great pet in his goldfish. The text is written from the boy's perspective and reflects child-like thought processes and perceptions, which makes for a delightful read. This is a story that kids can make a connection with, and can be used as a backdrop for discussions on needs and wants, and being happy with what you have. 

Book Love: My Heart is Like a Zoo

Title: My Heart Is Like a Zoo

Author: Michael Hall

Why I Love this Book: I think this book is a fun, delightful way to talk about feelings with young children. The simple text uses similes to relate various feeling words to animals you might find at a zoo. Don't we all have days where we are "snappy as a crab" or "frightened as a rabbit?" Helping kids to build an understanding of their emotions is key to both social and emotional development, and this book could be a great tool for guiding conversations about feelings, in addition to being colorful and engaging. The illustrations are bright collages, with all the animals made out of heart shapes. The simplicity of the text is especially great for preschool and Kindergarten aged students. 

Book Love: The Dot

Title: The Dot

Author: Peter Reynolds

Why I Love This Book: It is simple, but has a great message. The young student in this story doesn't think she can draw, and feels frustrated with art. But after some encouragement from her teacher, she explores the world of art through creating dots, and finds her own sense of accomplishment and success. I love that this book supports the idea that creativity, uniqueness and individuality should always be celebrated- not only in art, but in life! Kids should have opportunities to freely create their own masterpieces, even if it is just a dot.

Book Love: Mouse Mess

Title: Mouse Mess

Author: Linnea Riley

Why I Love This Book: This simple, rhyming text is especially great for preschool aged kids, and can be used to explore concepts of nutrition, cleaning up, and perspective. The bright and colorful illustrations are delightful, and depict a variety of foods that children can make connections to. including crackers, corn flakes and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It could also be a fun way to introduce vocabulary words for foods that might not be common to English-language learning students. 

Book Love: The Seven Silly Eaters

Title: The Seven Silly Eaters

Author: Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrator: Marla Frazee

Why I Love This Book: This book was a favorite around my house when I was growing up, and maybe that's why I love it. But I also love the fun rhyming text, the creatively detailed illustrations, and the concept behind the story. It seems like kids tend to be pretty picky about what they eat, and the family in this story is full of picky kids. In the end though, all the kids decide to work together and put their preferences to good use by making their Mom a culinary surprise. This is just a fun (and silly) story that could be great to touch on themes of family or nutrition. It could also be used alongside a baking activity...but you'll have to read the book to find out exactly what to bake. :) 

Book Love: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Title: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Author: Robin Page

Illustrator: Steve Jenkins

Why I Love This Book: First of all, some author/illustrator love for Steve Jenkins. His books are always full of amazing illustrations, creative text, and great information about animals and associated science concepts. This is one of my favorites. It explores the different functions of animal parts, such as eyes, tails, feet, and mouths. I even learned some new things the first time I read it! The presentation of these concepts makes it really fun for kids, as they can engage in guessing the animals based on pictures of only their tails or noses. The science content is simple enough that it could work well for Kindergarten and First Graders, although the the ideas and pictures could make for great conversations at any age. There is also a section in the back with  more detailed information about each animal that would be great for more advanced thinkers within or above those age groups.  A very fun, informational book!

Book Love: The Water Hole

Title: The Water Hole

Author: Graeme Base

Why I Love This Book: The best part about this book is that it contains elements of both math and science, and could be used to reinforce a variety of topics. The book explores animals from all over the world as they each take a turn drinking (or swimming) in a water hole. It takes a typical counting book to a whole new level, because as the number of animals on each page increases, the water hole gets smaller and smaller. Besides the variety of animal life, it is also a simple way to look at elements of the water cycle or water conservation. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, and really bring the various animals to life. This book would be especially beneficial for children in preschool and Kindergarten. 

Book Love: Bobbie Dazzler

Title: Bobbie Dazzler

Author: Margaret Wild

Illustrator: Janine Dawson

Why I love this book: I came across this book in an International Children's Literature class, and I just fell in love with it. It was originally published in Australia and it's all about a wallaby named Bobbie who wants to do the splits. With the support of her Australian animal friends (Koala, Possum and Wombat), Bobbie keeps trying until she finally achieves her goal. It's a simple and uplifting story about friendship and perseverance that will help encourage kids to keep trying  new things, even when they are difficult. The illustrations are delightful,  and really add to the story's simple text as they bring the characters, and their emotions, to life. The book also contains some other fun active words such as jump, skip, and do somersaults that can support vocabulary and inspire kids to develop their own movement skills.

Book Love: The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry

Title: The Big Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry

Editors: Bill Martin Jr. and Michael R. Sampson

Illustrators include: Ashley Bryan, Lois Ehlert, Steven Kellog, and more

Why I Love this Book: First of all, I love poetry! Poetry is a great tool for developing literacy skills with young children as they listen to and work with the rhythms and rhymes in the text.This collection of poems is full of words and colors that can capture imagination and inspire young readers and writers. The selection of poems is quite broad, and features works from Robert Frost to Emily Dickinson to Kaliki to Jack Prelutsky, and even includes 5 poems by Bill Martin Jr. Each poem is brought to life with fun and beautiful illustrations that come from a variety of talented artists. The poems are organized into chapters that cover different topics such as people, animals, school, feelings, food and Mother Goose nursery rhymes.  This is a great resource for children of all ages- at home or in the classroom! 

Book Love: Rain

Title: Rain

Author: Robert Kalan

Illustrator: Donald Crews

Why I Love This Book: Honestly, my favorite part of this book is the illustrations, most of which are made up of words. (as shown by the cover) The text is simple and fun, and makes for a great exploration of rain, weather and color concepts for young minds and early readers. 

Book Love: Earthdance

Title: Earthdance

Author: Joanne Ryder

Illustrator: Norman Gorbaty

Why I Love This Book: This book explores the Earth in a unique and simple way, with poetic text that inspires imagination and flows beautifully through each page. It celebrates the wonder and beauty of both living and non-living things on the Earth. The illustrations are bright, colorful and creative. I was introduced to this book while student teaching in a 2nd grade classroom. They used the book as inspiration for a beautiful dance that they performed about the Earth. It could easily be used with K-3 students. 

*Watch for a Book Love post every week, featuring a book or two that we love.