It doesn't matter what is on the outside, true happiness is on the inside! A little duck was different from his siblings. He didn't understand why. HisIt doesn't matter what is on the outside, true happiness is on the inside! A little duck was different from his siblings. He didn't understand why. His mother told him that he was unique and special. Lesson: It doesn't matter what other people think of you. It is how you view yourself. We are all different and that is what makes us special. I think that this is a great book to read to PreK- to 3rd grade....more
A story about a farmer who was sad because he didn't have any children. His wife finally had a child, and he was no bigger than a thumb. Tom was so smA story about a farmer who was sad because he didn't have any children. His wife finally had a child, and he was no bigger than a thumb. Tom was so small that he fit inside a teacup. Tom's dad was scared for Tom and never let Tom help him do anything because he thought that he wasn't capable. Tom proved him wrong. A man approached Tom's dad and asked if he could come work for him. Tom went with the man but the man was a bad man and Tom ran away. Next Tom met robbers and tricked them and made them flee. Then Tom managed to get into a cows mouth. Tom got out of the cows mouth with meat stuck on it. A wolf grabbed the meat with Tom stuck onto it. Tom tricked the wolf into taking them to Tom's house where Tom's dad chased the wolf off.
Lesson: Don't take someone's size for granted. Some people will take advantage of you because you are different, just because someone is different that doesn't mean they are not educated....more
This is a great story about a little girl Ada. She lived near a landfill that had tons of trash being dumped every day. People would pick out the plasThis is a great story about a little girl Ada. She lived near a landfill that had tons of trash being dumped every day. People would pick out the plastic to be recycled to collect money as their daily job to live. Ada did not talk much but she loved to sing. She was 11 years old when her grandmother signed her up for music lessons. There were not enough instruments for all the children, and they could not get nice instruments because of theft problems. Ada's dad came up with a solution by using the garbage from the landfill and turning some pieces into musical instruments. Ada's face was priceless, and she went from no expressions to happy and smiling. The "Recycled Orchestra" was born. The performed in the countries, and when Ada was 16, she toured all over. This story is a reminder that sometimes we need to get creative in order to achieve our destination or our journey for our goals in life. Buried within the garbage you can find a treasure!...more
A Coretta Scott King Honor Winner. "Water is wet" is what the 10-year-old 5th grade boy named, Anthony would say. He thinks that he is grown now by beA Coretta Scott King Honor Winner. "Water is wet" is what the 10-year-old 5th grade boy named, Anthony would say. He thinks that he is grown now by being in the 5th grade, but his family still treats him like a baby. Anthony, Ant, as his nickname is, just wants to play his favorite card game and get through school. His father struggles with alcoholism and gambling. Everyone knows but Ant. When Ant was a baby, his mother and brother went shopping and Ant stayed home with their dad. The dad decided that gambling was more important than his son and left him alone in the house. Ant climbed out of his playpen or crib, and Ant's mother came home to her baby alone in the house. Things were never the same after this happened. Ant's brother eventually told Ant what had happened and then Ant realized that his dad had been staying up late in the night to gamble and was drinking again. Their mother found out and Ant's dad was kicked out of the house for breaking his promise to their mom to stay sober. Ant made new friends, with a girl named Shirley. Turns out that they met when they were still in diapers and didn't know it. In the end, the dad ruins Ant's big day by showing up late to his special card game and he was drunk acting a fool. ...more
The illustrations were amazing. It is snowing in the story and you can see the wolfs breath and the footsteps taken. You can see the different emotionThe illustrations were amazing. It is snowing in the story and you can see the wolfs breath and the footsteps taken. You can see the different emotions that the child is going through by the facial expressions. The child has eye movement in his face. There are different ratios of snow falling from the sky. The cub is crying and the mom is looking for it. The cub has facial expression as well. The mom wolf shows us anger in her expressions on her face. The child breathes and we see his relief and breath with the visual illustrations. The cub refuses to leave the little boy until his parents come. This was a great book. It had amazing visual examples and beautiful illustrations for readers to understand what is happening in the moment....more
**spoiler alert** A true story based on a little girl in a wheelchair. She attends a school who does not accept her since she has a disability and the**spoiler alert** A true story based on a little girl in a wheelchair. She attends a school who does not accept her since she has a disability and the school tells her she doesn't belong there. The girl finds a new school but the children are not welcoming and tell her that she will never be one of them. Her family get involved with activist and attend a meeting. Jennifer and her family begin to protest to have equal rights for people with disabilities. Jennifer goes to school and she and her friend are not allowed to eat in the cafeteria with the other kids. What an absolute disgrace. Who tells children things like this? Jennifer and her family go to Washington to protest, not only for Jenifer but for all people with disabilities. Jennifer decides to climb the steps since there are no ramps she gets out of her wheelchair and drags herself to the top. Reporters are watching her. Finally a law is passed for the ADA. It took time but Jennifer and others were able to succeed. It is important for people with disabilities around the world to have the opportunity to do everything that people without disabilities can do. This is a great book for children of elementary school children because it teaches them what people with disabilities go through. ...more
Mockingbird written by Kathryn Erskine was an interesting book read. My book cover is different from the one portrayed on this page. Mine has a littleMockingbird written by Kathryn Erskine was an interesting book read. My book cover is different from the one portrayed on this page. Mine has a little girl burying her face into a tree. From a first look at the book cover, a reader might think that the little girl might be playing hide and seek, but once reading the book, the reader understands why the little girl is burying her face into the tree. Caitlin, a fifth grader, has had much loss in her life over the course of 2 years. She lost her mother to cancer and then loses her brother Devon in a school shooting. Not only does she have to deal with a devastating loss of her family members, but she also doesn't know how to manage her emotions because of Asperger's. We learn through Caitlin's perspective how life is through her eyes. I now understand more in depth to how some people think and go through different emotions in different ways. Caitlin discovers what closure means. She gets her dad to finish the eagle project also known as Devon's chest. They work on it together and finally get some closure in their lives. This book is full of emotions and devastating events. I love how the book was easy to read and understand....more
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart was amazing. I could not put the book down. The book was written from third person telling the story of a friends jThe Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart was amazing. I could not put the book down. The book was written from third person telling the story of a friends journey. A boy named Mark had cancer and knew he was going to dye. Mark told his best friend Jessie that he was going to climb the mountain before he died. Mark took his dog with him on his journey. Mark encountered bullies who stole his belongings, slept out in the cold, and met strangers along the way. Mark did not care about the bullies taking his things as long as he had his dog by his side Once he got to the mountain after his long journey getting there, he climbed the mountain with his dog. They did not make it far when a snow storm had hit. The dog almost died but Mark saved him. That is when Mark realized that he did not want to die on the mountain, alone, with no one there besides his dog. Mark gets saved and eventually passes away. Mark left a journal that Jessie had. This book had me on my toes for sure. I loved it....more
This is a book of short poem stories. It is an African American depicted book with beautiful illustrations and artwork details. I don't know that my yThis is a book of short poem stories. It is an African American depicted book with beautiful illustrations and artwork details. I don't know that my younger students would enjoy this book but my older students would enjoy this. my two favorite poems are "I am a Mirror" and "Do the Rosa Parks". I think the Rosa Parks poem would be a great read once the students have learned about who she is and how amazing she is....more
A story about a stray dog who finds a home. Told from the dog's point of view. He takes us through the daily life of a dog. He expresses his feelings A story about a stray dog who finds a home. Told from the dog's point of view. He takes us through the daily life of a dog. He expresses his feelings to us. He is bored and excited and nervous. He hopes that he gets to stay with his forever home. ...more
A sequel to A Ball for Daisy. This picture book captures Daisy at the park with her favorite ball. She sees a squirrel and wonders off and gets lost. A sequel to A Ball for Daisy. This picture book captures Daisy at the park with her favorite ball. She sees a squirrel and wonders off and gets lost. Daisy is scared and howls for her human companion. Daisy reunites with her owner, and all is right again. This is such a cute book....more
A Caldecott winner in 2006, Chris Raschka writes a story about a little girl who visits her grandparents. The window is a centerpiece for the story. TA Caldecott winner in 2006, Chris Raschka writes a story about a little girl who visits her grandparents. The window is a centerpiece for the story. The illustrations look as if done by a child. The window is a special place that holds endless possibilities. This book is a great read for first and second graders....more
In this book a little black crow encounters a boy with many questions about things that happen to him. My students enjoyed this book. The loved the ilIn this book a little black crow encounters a boy with many questions about things that happen to him. My students enjoyed this book. The loved the illustrations and clean lines. They especially enjoyed the rhyming words....more
Fighting words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was a great book. This book was about two sisters, Suki and Delicious, or Della as they call her. Their moFighting words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was a great book. This book was about two sisters, Suki and Delicious, or Della as they call her. Their mom got "incarcerated" for blowing up a motel while she was cooking meth. To add to that craziness the girls were in the room of the motel while their mother was cooking up the meth! So that is the mother's story. The poor girls ended up with the mother's creep boyfriend Clifton. Clifton sexually abused Suki for years and Suki could not do much about it because she was afraid that Clifton would try to abuse her little sister Della. One night Suki came home and found Clifton sexually abusing Della and made sure there was evidence. Clifton went to jail and the girls ended up with a foster care mother named Francine. Francine made it clear that it was a job to the girls. Pretty much saying don't expect much from me. The girls were used to taking care of themselves and didn't rely on anyone anyhow. Suki and Della face challenges in school. Della deals with a bully and finds the courage to stand up for herself. Della makes friends. Suki gets a job and a grocery store and sometimes Della goes and helps Maybeline, a worker in the deli. Della thinks of herself as a wolf. She is strong, brave, takes care of her pack, and don't take no crap from no one. Suki struggles with mental pain from Clifton. She tries to take her life. Della stops her. Francine isn't the motherly type, but she is always there for the girls like they are her own blood. Suki goes to a hospital where she can get help and Della sees a psychologist as well. This is a great book and powerful one. It is really sad and breaks my heart as a mother and as a person that these things happen way too often, and no one does anything to prevent these types of situations. Dealing with drug addiction, sexual abuse, mental illness, bullies, being brave, i mean this book blew me away....more
The story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema was a great read. I enjoyed learning about Shakespeare as a boy and the hardships The story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema was a great read. I enjoyed learning about Shakespeare as a boy and the hardships his family fell upon. Who would of thought that the son of a glove maker, a small town boy, who only went to grammar school, could have written these amazing plays. I think that my students were astonished to find out that the actors were all men in this time period. The women were not considered proper for the parts. Can you imagine that now in this era? Shakespeare became a famous and wealthy man and wrote numerous plays. He wrote tragedies comedies, and histories. The illustrations are well done in gouache, opaque watercolor paint on Fabriano watercolor paper. ...more
This book was beautiful with colorful geometric shapes. A boy wanting to know about his father goes on a journey. He goes through four obstacles to prThis book was beautiful with colorful geometric shapes. A boy wanting to know about his father goes on a journey. He goes through four obstacles to prove his worth to get to the mystical sun. Overall I liked the book because of the beautiful artwork but I don't think that my kids enjoyed it....more
**spoiler alert** This about A girl named Jude. Her family lives in Syria. There is an outbreak of war that is close to their town and her father want**spoiler alert** This about A girl named Jude. Her family lives in Syria. There is an outbreak of war that is close to their town and her father wants them to leave. Jude's brother refuses to leave and wants to be part of the war to fight for his rights. Jude and her mother board a plane to go to stay with her uncle Mazin and their family in Cincinnati. Jude encounters people of different ethnicities and she is judged for her looks. She makes friends and learns better English through a ESL class in school. Her cousin is secretly jealous of all the time that she and her uncle spend together. Jude's mom is pregnant with a little girl. That was a big factor in leaving the country. Jude loves her baby sister. "I just wish that someday the script will call for our roles to take place on the same side of the Atlantic." (p324) Jude is happy that her brother is alive and safe but secretly wishes that he was with them. She wishes they could all be together again. This book makes me sad that families do have to go through this and this is reality. Heartbreaking....more
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