This Tree Counts!

April 22nd is Earth Day! This Tree Counts! by Sarah Snow is a great way to begin talking to young readers about the importance of taking care of our beautiful Earth. The book goes through a Tree and explains each living thing (animals and organisms) that need the tree to survive. The students in the book quickly become attached to the tree and begin to understand how they can help to preserve the Earth themselves. The pictures are layered and look as though they were cut out of a magazine and taped to the page. There are also numbers that follow through the book which would help very young students - incorporating this book into a math lesson. This book would work as a great introduction to a new "Earth Unit!"

Dogs by: Emily Everett

This might be my favorite picture book that I have read - possibly ever. To start off, the book has amazing pictures of detailed dogs of all different breeds. The book is perfect for young readers who are not yet very confident in their reading skills. The book is repetative, "I love big dogs and I love small dogs." Although the text is simple, the adorable pictures of the different breeds being compared to eachother keep the reader engaged and excited as to what dog is going to come next. I cannot rave enough about the illustrations particularly because they have such finite detail that takes such a simple piece of literature (text wise) and makes it something extraordinary. I have enjoyed many of the books this semester but this was has something special about it that you can only understand through going to the library and checking it out!

Grades: PreK- 3rd grade (adults will love it too!)

Our Old House

by: Susan Vizurraga
Illustrated by Leslie Baker

Ages: Pre-K - 3rd grade
I find that some of the most loved books have a story that uses description with in the text to bring to life such simple pictures. This book is about discovering history within a house that dates back many years. The descriptions that the author writes about the simplest things draw in the reader and allow the reader to create their own attachment to the house that the author depicts. Knowing where home is can be a difficult topic for children who might not feel that sense of belonging. At the same time, being able to create a home from an "Old House" that needs alot of work can give a sense of home to everyone. This may be a book that could be problematic to students who may not beable (or are afriad) to describe their home. Even so, it would be a great book to use to talk about description and the way that using all of the senses can take a reader into the story you are trying to explain to them. I would use this as an example for a writing lesson in my own classroom.

Brave Charlotte and the Wolves

By: Anu Stohner
Illustrated by: Henrike Wilson

Brave Charlotte and the Wolves is a sequel to the NY Times Best Illustrated Book, Brave Charlotte. Charlotte, a brave sheep has a mind of her own and sets out to find out where the howling is coming from in the forest, despite warning from her flock. Charlotte is not phased by those to love to tease her, she continues to do what she knows to be right and her brave spirit inspires the rest of the flock of sheep. This book expresses how important it can be to not always be just one of the herd. There is something to be said for individualism. I found growing up that it can be hard (especially in middle school) to express yourself without feeling ridicule from others. This book does a great job of emphasizing how great it is to be who you are, even if you don't fit in.

Ages: Kingergarden - 3rd grade

Hurricane!

By: Jonathan London
Illustrated by Henri Sorensen

Talking about extreme weather seems to be a very strong interest for many kids. Considering the earthquakes, hurricanes, and Tsunamis that have recently devastated parts of the world over the last few years, I think that talking about these kinds of weather can give great knowledge to kids who might not understand these types of extreme weather. Hurricane! Is a beautiful personal account of what it is like before, during and after a Hurricane that hits eastern Puerto Rico. It is difficult to decide if the vivid oil paintings or the lyrical descriptions of each moment are more exciting for the reader. I think that this book would be great for a weather unit and helps to bridge the gap between what extreme weather really is and how it actually affects those who are involved and caught inside of it.
Ages: 1st - 3rd grade

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - A Graphic Novel by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Being unfamiliar with Graphic Novels, this book turned out to be much more interesting than I had first anticipated. The pace of the book is quick and the beautiful pictures help to explain what is going on. Without the pictures, so much would be left out of this book and graphic novels in general (hence the name, Graphic Novels). What I enjoyed more than anything was the humor in this book, which is enhanced and understood more thoroughly through the pictures. Taking place at the turn of the 19th century, the pictures are in black and white, but are incredibly detailed. They are funny to look at and will be sure to pull a laugh out of anyone reading this book. The story of Benjamin Button is about a boy who lives his life from this oldest age to when he was born. It is an interesting concept and would be great to use in class for a teacher who is not too sure about using graphic novels. It would be a great way to have students understand stories beyond what is written on the page and to dig deeper into the pictures that tell the story. I would highly recommend this book for 4th grade and older.