Book Love: Stars

Title: Stars

Author: Mary Lyn Ray

Illustrator: Marla Frazee

Why I Love This Book: I think I was drawn to this book because I find stars fascinating, and the night sky is such a great backdrop for imagination. This book goes beyond the stars that you see in the sky however, and is a beautiful look at nature in general. Hands down, my favorite part of this book is the illustrations. They are enchantingly beautiful. The text is very simply, but also thought-provoking, which gives it the opportunity to be a meaningful read for a variety of ages. I just love the deeper message of finding light in the darkness: "A star is how you know it's almost night. As soon as you see one, there's another and another. And the dark that comes doesn't feel so dark."

Side Note: My husband and I recently went camping down in Southern Utah, and we enjoyed taking some night photography. There really is something so awesome and beautiful about a sky full of stars!

Book Love: We are in a Book!

Title: We Are in a Book!

Author: Mo Willems

Why I Love this Book: My husband gave this book to me for my birthday, and we both laughed out loud as we read it. Mo Willems is so great at writing books that are interactive for kids at their level, and this book is no exception. The text and illustrations work well together to display the thoughts and reactions of these two characters as they realize that they are being read in a book. This amusing and creative concept is also informative for young readers as it describes various parts of the book, such as page numbers and the ending. As such, it makes for a great read to support early concepts of print and basic book handling knowledge.

Book Love: How to Teach a Slug to Read

Author: Susan Pearson
Illustrator: David Slonim

Why I Love This Book: I didn't know about this book until recently. Last week was Reading Week at my school, and to kick it off the principal made a video of herself reading this book so that the whole school could watch it. The kids loved it, and so did I. It talks about the process of learning to read in a fun and humorous way. The illustrations especially bring the element of humor to the story with their creative depictions and captions. This is a great book to encourage young readers to keep reading and enjoy the process.

Book Love: My Map Book

Title: My Map Book

Author: Sara Fanelli

Why I Love This Book: This simple book is perfect for helping young kids to think about different kinds of maps. The text and illustrations are presented as if they were created by a child. I think this approach makes it especially engaging to kids, and is a perfect backdrop for text-based connections. I also love the variety and creativity of maps used, from the "Map of My Bedroom" to a "Map of My Day" to the "Map of My Heart." This book is a great addition to a study of maps in the classroom, and could easily be used with students throughout the primary grades. 

Book Love: David's Drawings

Title: David's Drawings

Author: Cathryn Falwell

Why I Love This Book: This is such a great book for discussing friendship and the idea that everyone can have something to contribute in a classroom setting. In the story, a boy named David begins to draw a picture of a tree, and one by one his friends in the class have ideas of things that they could add to the picture. David gives a great example to young students as he chooses to share his picture with his classmates, and allows them to each add something to his drawing. In the end, it becomes a class picture and everyone is happy and proud. The text is simple, the illustrations are colorful and engaging, and the message is clear to kids as they read this story. My students wanted to make their own class picture after we read the book...which was perfectly aligned with what I had planned to go along with this story. A great read for the classroom! 

Book Love: The Mitten

Title: The Mitten

Author: Alvin Tresselt

Illustrator: Yaroslava

Why I Love This Book: The story of the mitten has been portrayed in a few different books, and I think each one brings something a little different to this Ukrainian folktale. While the most popular tends to be the one written by Jan Brett, I also really enjoy this earlier rendition that seems to be the most unique. The bright colors contrasted with the black and white drawings make for beautiful illustrations that also have an authentic Ukrainian feel to them. Young children love this story, and my students had fun experiencing it many times as we compared the different books. 

Book Love: The Sun is My Favorite Star

Title: The Sun is My Favorite Star

Author: Frank Asch

Why I Love This Book: This simple book explores both scientific facts and childlike interpretations about the sun. It is a great way to introduce and discuss basic facts about the sun with young children. The story with short, repetitive text and fun, colorful illustrations provides an engaging resource for teaching, and would be especially appropriate for preschool and Kindergarten-aged learners. 

Book Love: Snow

Title: Snow

Author: Uri Shulevitz

Why I Love This Book: You don't always know when a few snowflakes are going to turn into a snowstorm big enough to cover the world with white, and that is part of the magic of this story. This book touches on the sometimes unpredictability of weather, as well as the simple delight that can be found in a good snowstorm. I especially love how the illustrations depict how the world changes as the snow falls. This is a great backdrop for talking about snow and winter, in addition to conveying the emotions that such changes in the weather can bring. 

Book Love: Pete the Cat- I Love My White Shoes

Title: Pete the Cat- I Love My White Shoes

Author: Eric Litwin

Illustrator: James Dean

Why I Love This Book: Honestly, I had seen this book around on teacher blogs, and I just wasn't that interested to look into it. I guess you could say I was judging the book by its cover... But this past week, the music teacher at my school used this book with my class by putting the pages on a projector and playing the song that goes with it. The kids LOVED it, and so naturally, I did too. This is a fun way to get the kids engaged in a patterned story that explores colors, in addition to providing a simple message about taking what comes in life and "going with the flow." I would definitely suggest using the song to read this book aloud, as the storyteller's voice and music really bring the story to life. This would be an especially fun book for preschool through first grade aged students. Now I'm kind of excited to check out the other Pete the Cat books to see what they have to offer!

Book Love: Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect

Title: Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect

Author: Richard H. Schneider

Illustrator: Elizabeth J. Miles

Why I Love This Book: A teacher introduced this book to me last year, and I fell in love with it. I was pleasantly surprised to receive it as a gift this year for Christmas, and I'm so excited to add it to my library. The story is about Small Pine, a tree in that hopes to become the Queen's Christmas tree. It is beautifully written, and the messages about the beauty of charity and kindness are perfect for the Christmas season. The illustrations accompany the story beautifully as they highlight the details and emotion of the text. Although the text is a little long for very young children, the story could easily be simplified while reading aloud in order to share its message. 

Book Love: Sophie's Masterpiece

Title: Sophie's Masterpiece

Author: Eileen Spinelli
Illustrator: Jane Dyer

Why I Love This Book: Well, I actually hate spiders, but I love this beautiful story about giving and kindness. This story has a more serious tone to it, but its message can be inspiring for kids and adults alike. The illustrations are wonderful, and give added emotion and depth to the words of the story. A great book for toying with the idea that spiders might not be so bad after all...or maybe for recognizing that everyone has something to give, even if they seem scary because they are different. 

Book Love: Pumpkin Pumpkin

Title: Pumpkin Pumpkin

Author: Jeanne Titherington

Why I Love This Book: This books explains the life cycle of a pumpkin with beautifully illustrated pictures and text that is simple and meaningful for young children. I especially love how realistic the illustrations are, as it adds to the informational aspect of the book. Although this would not be considered a true non-fiction book because it still contains a fictional story, the book does provide some basic facts about pumpkins and how they grow.  A great read for beginning conversations and explorations about pumpkins!

Book Love: We're Different, We're the Same

Title: We're Different, We're the Same 

And We're All Wonderful!

Author: Bobbi Kates

Illustrator: Joe Mathieu

Why I Love This Book:  I just love the simple and fun way this book addresses the topic of how individuals are similar and different using familiar characters from Sesame Street. I especially love the overall message of the story, that is that we are all wonderful and can all belong even with our similarities and differences. What an important message for young students to learn as they broaden their circle of peer friends and acquaintances by going to school.  

Book Love: I'm as Quick as a Cricket

*Back to School Book Love*

Title: I'm as Quick as a Cricket

Author: Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood

Why I Love This Book: This is another great book for exploring individuality and self esteem. Depending on the day, we can be so many different things: "tough as a rhino," "lazy as a lizard," or "busy as a bee." But the important message of this story is that when you put all of those things together, it makes up who we are and that is something to celebrate. I especially love the beautiful and imaginative illustrations that bring each of these ideas to life. The simple, rhyming text is accessible for young toddlers and preschool aged children, while still very meaningful and engaging for Kindergarten aged students as well. 

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: 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.