Raining Cats & Dogs

Raining Cats and Dogs is a fun book all about idioms. Will Moses writes a fun book with a collection of over 40 idioms. Some of the idioms are commonly used like "In a pickle" or "Hook, line and sinker." Others are ones that were fun to read because I had never heard of them or how they were used in a sentence ever. Some of those idioms included "Red herring" or "Wolf at the door."

One of the best parts about this book was that the author not only gives the idiom, but he also writes in a sentence what the idiom means. Lastly, he puts the word into a paragraph with a detailed picture to explain the meaning even further. Some of my favorites included:

Make a beeline
Means: Head straight for something - as quick as you can
"Buzz was tired of the city and intended to make a beeline for the country."

Bookworm
Means: A person who loves reading so much, he or she always has a book in their hands.
"Hector Vector was a real bookworm; he always had his nose in a book."

These are just a few examples of the fun idioms that he writes. I am going to use this book when I teach writing. I am going to have my students try and use some of these idioms in personal narratives, poetry, or any type of writing we do.

If you liked this book by Will Moses try reading his version of Mother Goose.

The Lion and the Mouse

The only thing I can say about The Lion and the Mouse is WOW!!! There is no doubt in my mind why this book won The Caldecott Medal in 2010. Jerry Pinkney is the author of this incredible wordless picture book. He took the very famous Aesop's fable and designed incredible illustrations to tell the entire story. The illustrations are unbelievably gorgeous. It is so hard for me to believe that someone was able to create such a masterpiece. 

The message in this book is simple. It is about the importance of family and helping others. I think this would be a wonderful book to read at any elementary school grade. I believe a kindergartner would get the message of helping others just as well as a 6th grader would. 

If you like this amazing book by Jerry Pinkney, then also read Little Red Riding Hood. His take on the classic is an ALA Notable Book.

If you want to see an insider peek on Pinkney's process during this book, then take a look at the video below.

Dying to Meet You

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise is one of the most creative and clever books that I have read in a long time. Klise pays so much attention to detail throughout the entire book. She makes sure there is really good character development as well as a thoughtful plot. From the moment you open this book, you will also realize how different it is than any other. Once you open the inside cover, you immediately see the blueprint of the house. The blueprint gives amazing detail. As you turn the next pages the reader is shown portraits of the characters. Some of the names include I.B. Grumply, Anita Sale, Seymour Hope, and Paige Turner. I love how Klise played on words with the characters names. One of my favorites characters name was E. Gadds. Before you even get to the story, the reader also experiences a warning page. The creativity before the story even begins is awesome.

The story just gets better from here. The story is about an old writer who is experiencing writer's block. He moves to a rental home in Ghastly, Illinois. He soon realizes he is not living alone. His roommates consist of an 11 year old boy named Seymour and a 190 year old ghost named Olive C. Spence! Olive won't stop haunting the house until one of her own books gets published.

This book is so funny and I know kids over 3rd grade would love it. The book is written almost entirely of letters going back and forth from one character to the next. Within the book there are also newspaper articles and short clips from Grumply's next book. I do believe that students would really enjoy this format. It's fun and different than a lot of other books out there.

If you like this book by Klise then continue reading the series. The next book is called Over My Dead Body. Check out the YouTube clip below. This clip was actually done by Kate Klise herself along with her sister who illustrates the book. I found out from this clip that the house on the cover of the book is actually real!

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle is such a great non-fiction book written by Don L. Wulffson. This book has over 100 stories of inventions and how they came to be. It truly was amazing to read how some of the simplest things came into existence. For example, some of the inventions include chewing gum, the bikini, windshield wipers, Twinkies, and Sundae's. My personal favorite story happens to be after my favorite soda pop - Dr. Pepper. Here is a clue: Dr. Pepper was invented after a broken heart and a person who caused it! Read how Dr. Pepper was invented and so many other great inventions in this fantastic book.

Each story of invention is only one page long. I think this will be a great book to have in a classroom for any grades higher than 3rd grade. It is really interesting and with the very short stories, I think it has great potential to keep students attention. This book, I believe, will really draw in your boy readers. Non-fiction tends to do this more, but with the idea of inventions and short stories, they are bound to love it!

If you like this book by Wulffson then also try his other book about inventions called Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society is the first book in a series of three by Trenton Lee Stewart. I wish I could have counted how many times I actually laughed out loud during this book. Stewart does an amazing job developing the characters and each of their own unique personalities. Throughout the book, you are constantly waiting to see what your favorite character will do next. Half way through the book, there is no question in my mind that you will have your favorite character already picked out. Mine happens to be Kate Wetherall...aka...The Great Kate Wether Machine!

This is a very unique book where the characters are all gifted and orphans. They come together throughout the book in a very interesting way. It all starts out when certain children answer a very unusual ad in a newspaper, "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?" From here, there is a secret mission that only these children are able to complete. At times, it is very difficult to put the book down because you are constantly wanting to see what Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance will all do next. If you are looking for a book for the intermediate grades, definitely take a look at this one!

If you like this book by Trenton Lee Stewart, try completing the series with The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

It's A Book

It's a Book by Lane Smith is a perfect book for this day in age. The book is based around animal characters and the discussion they are having around a book. The donkey keeps asking what he is holding. Obviously, it is a book. The donkey keeps asking if he can download it, blog with it, plug it in, and so much more.

Check out the video below to get a better idea...




Considering how technologically driven we are in today's world, it is quite funny to see this conversation go on. This would be a great book to show kids just to let them know about the simplicities that a book has. It does not blog, text, nor need to be downloaded. You just pick it up and read! A simple message.

Warning: Be cautious of this book. The book refers to the donkey by its other name...if you catch my drift! It is already proving to be a bit controversial. If you use it in your classroom, be wary of your audience. If anything, just replace the name with donkey and you will be good to go!

If you like this book by Lane Smith, also try John, Paul, George & Ben. This is a great book about historical figures with fun illustrations.

The Journey: Stories of Migration

Cynthia Rylant has done it again with another great book. I have never really known Rylant to be a writer of non-fiction, but this book proves me wrong. In The Journey: Stories of Migration Rylant talks about many different animals and insects that have an incredible migration story. She talks about insects like locusts and butterflies to animals like whales and the caribou. It is amazing to think that such creatures are capable of such a huge task.

This book works perfectly for me. In science I teach life cycles and I can use this book to discuss the butterfly. The video below just adds to how amazing the monarch butterfly truly is!



If you like this book by Cynthia Rylant then here are some others to try: When I Was Young in the Mountains, The Old Woman Who Named Things,  and Scarecrow.

www.animoto.com

Even though this is not a book, you can sure use this site to do book reviews with your students. I just heard about animoto from friends in my master's class and I am obsessed. It is such a fun and new way to do book projects with kids and so much more. Animoto is a simple and easy way to create videos and they do all of the work for you. Just put in pictures from their gallery or yours, select your music, and then you are done. It takes about 5-10 minutes for them to create the video and you are good to go!

I am going to be ambitious and use this with my third graders at the start of 2011. I am so looking forward to their final products.

Bonus: IT'S FREE for educators!

Check out some of the examples I have created below.

The Book Whisperer

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller is one of the best professional books I have ever read. I have very rarely found a teacher book that I was able to read cover to cover. This book was one of the very few that I can admit I read every single word. The ultimate message that Miller wants to get across to the reader is that every child has the opportunity to love reading. As teachers, Miller shares with us what we can do in our classroom to foster the love of reading to all of our kids. Miller, a 6th grade teacher herself, shares in her book things like "The 40 Book Challenge", student reflection forms like "Reading Interest-A-Lyzer" and an End-of-Year Reading Evaluation, also many tips that teachers can do to help students love reading as much as possible. My favorite section in the book is where she gives ideas on how to improve upon "Traditional Practice" ideas. For example, instead of doing traditional book reports, she suggests book commercials or book reviews. She goes into detail about how to make that work in the classroom.

When reading this book, my mind could not stop about how I could apply it to my own teaching. Granted, I cannot take everything from this book and make it work, but I can and have taken some things. This book made me reevaluate some of the things I do during my reading block. One of the biggest things I got out of The Book Whisperer was to just make more time for independent reading. I hope this is a book you enjoy as much as I did!

If you like this book by Donalyn Miller and want to see what she is up to, follow her blog:
Donalyn Miller's Book Blog

Tomorrow's Alphabet

George Shannon has written a fantastic ABC book called Tomorrow's Alphabet. This is not your typical ABC book. The book has more of a before and after type relationship. It starts off...

A is for seed-
tomorrow's apple

B is for eggs-
tomorrow's birds

C is for milk-
tomorrow's cheese

The book continues to go through the alphabet using fun and creative words. I have used this book every year in my teaching. One way I use this book is when I teach how to infer. I start the book and my students and I discuss clues in the book along with our background knowledge. Once they get the hang of it, they LOVE to try and guess the rest of the letters and what they stand for. I love how George Shannon has taken an idea like an ABC book and has added a fun and unique twist to it. If you use it for nothing else, at least have it in your library. You will love the faces your students give as they try to figure everything out!

If you enjoy this book by George Shannon, also try Stories to Solve (illustrations by Peter Sis).

The Heart - Our Circulatory System

Seymour Simon has an amazing way of creating non-fiction texts that include amazing facts and incredible pictures in an easy to understand way. In, The Heart, Simon shares facts like, "The heart will beat over 2,000,000,000 times in a lifetime," and, "There are 700 times more red blood cells than there are white blood cells."

Simon has created an entire series of books that have many purposes. These books would be great to use in actual units of study (The circulatory system, Universe, Human Body, etc.). Also these books are great non-fictions reads that will hook boys. Boys love when they can read about blood and guts and anything in between. These books will be flying off the shelf if you have them in your own library in your classroom.

If you like this book by Seymour Simon, make sure to check out Tornadoes, Bones, Oceans, and Lightning (All apart of the Smithsonian collection.)

Among the Hidden

The more science fiction I read, the more I start to wonder...could this really happen? Sometimes it is a scary thought. As I read Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, I kept thinking about Luke, the third child where 3rd children are forbidden. I started to put myself in his shoes. I pictured myself having to stay home alone all day...no friends...people pretending I never existed...a lifetime of solitude. I couldn't even imagine doing a fraction of what the main character had to go through. This book has so much suspense. Each chapter leaves the reader with a mini cliffhanger. Anything from Luke finding out he is not the only third child in his neighborhood to having a close encounter with the Population Police. This book will really make you think about what our world would be like if we had population control. It's quite the thought...

*This is a pretty mature book. I would recommend 4th graders and higher read this.

If you like this book by Haddix you are in luck. This is the first book in a series of seven. Read the second of this Shadow Children series Among the Impostors.

It's Time for School, Stinky Face

 

Lisa McCourt writes a fun and creative book about a boy who asks a lot of "What if..." questions and a very quick thinking mom who has very creative answers for these questions. As a teacher, if I had a nickel for every "What if..." question I received, I would have enough to go on a very nice vacation. It's Time for School, Stinky Face is a fun book that was recommended to me by my teammate. We spoke about the possibilities that this book could have in the everyday classroom. She had the idea to take these "What if..." questions from the book and actually have the kids write about them for themselves. This would allow for some very creative writing and imaginations would go wild! Just imagine what some students could come up with to this:

 

"What if the school bus was already stuffed with too many kids and the second I stepped inside, all the tires popped flat?"

This would be a fun and energetic way to get more creativity into your everyday classroom.

If you like this book by Lisa McCourt also read I Love You, Stinky Face (The prequel to It's Time for School, Stinky Face.)   

Al Capone Does My Shirts

   
Historical Fiction happens to be one of my favorite genres in literature. I love how I can be transported to another time in history and pretend like I was there. That is exactly what Al Capone Does My Shirts will do for you. You will feel like you are on the small island with Moose and Natalie or playing baseball with the convicts. 

This book does an amazing job at setting the scene and making the reader feel like they have been immediately transported to Alcatraz. The very first sentence says:

"Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water."

As a reader, I immediately feel for Moose and just want to continue reading. 

If you have ever visited San Francisco and have been to Alcatraz Island then the book takes on a whole new meaning. Gennifer Choldenko uses the exact places on the island where all of the characters go.  The connections you will be able to make elevate the book entirely.


Take a look at Alcatraz below and be inspired!





If you like Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts then you must read the sequel Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Relive the experience all over again!

Owl Moon

Jane Yolen won The Caldecot Medal in 1988 for Owl Moon. Over 20 years later, many teachers are using this book in their classroom. It's no wonder all considering this book has beautiful language, poetic words, and a simplicity all at the same time. Yolen makes the reader feel like we are walking along with the main character and her grandfather while they are owling. She uses similes in the book like, "The trees stood still as giant statues," and, "...it was as quiet as a dream."

John Schoenherr does an amazing job at capturing the moods and feeling with this book with his illustrations.

 If you enjoy this book by Jane Yolen then read How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? and Encounter.

When Marian Sang

Pam Munoz Ryan writes an amazingly touching and inspiring biography about Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson was a black singer who was considered one of the all time best singers. She was born in the late 1800's during a time when racism was still very prevalent. This book takes the reader on the journey of Marian's life. She discovers in her life that although things get tough to keep following her dreams.

This book uses amazing language and vocabulary. With words like harmony, tragedy, endured, and so much more. The book also incorporates many of the songs that Marian sang throughout her life. Many of these songs are laced with similes and metaphors.

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long ways from home. A long ways from home.

Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
A long ways from home. A long ways from home.

This book would be perfect to use when teaching biographies. This book would give a new perspective on a person that is not talked a lot about. Marian Anderson would be a great role model to study in class and the perfect example of someone following their dreams. 

Check out a love clip of Marian singing at the Lincoln Memorial. A performance that will forever live on!


If you like this book by Pam Munoz Ryan you need to read Esperanza Rising. If you enjoyed the illustrations by Brian Selznick, then read The Invention of Hugo Cabret. You won't be sorry you read either of these books!

Love That Dog

 

Sharon Creech, without question, is one of my favorite authors. I don't know how she does it, but every time I read a book of hers, I just can't put it down. Love That Dog is no exception. This poetic book infuses a nice combination of humor, sadness, and reality all at once. This book follows a young boy, Jack, in school and takes you on his journey of his love/hate relationship with writing. The first two pages read:

September 13

I don't want to

because boys

don't write poetry.

Girls do. 

September 21

I tried.

Can't do it.

Brain's empty.

Read this book to see how Jack copes and what loving a dog has anything to do with this book!

I would use this book when teaching poetry. It just goes to show kids that poetry is limitless. It has very little boundaries and writer's can do so much with it. It also shows how to make fun shape poems.  Also, I think this book has the power to reach boys in their writing. This might just be a book that would make a boy want to write!

If you LOVE Sharon Creech, take a look at Hate That Cat, Ruby Holler, The Wanderer, and Walk Two Moons. 

Dream - A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, & Wishes

The winner of 11 different awards, Dream, is a book that should not be passed up in your own classroom. This is a book that has it all. Written by Susan V. Bosak, this book reads like a song. With its beautiful language, amazing message, and spectacular illustrations this book is one of a kind. This book takes the reader on a journey through life and the dreams that people have at different ages. It starts out with a baby dreaming in its crib and follows the person growing and maturing until a tender old age. Then, they have realized how many memories they have made along their way of trying to achieve their dreams.


My favorite line in the book is, "Dreams grow like seeds. They need to take root, then stretch toward the sun. They grow slowly. They must be tended to. And sometimes a gray day gives them just the rain they need." I think expressing this thought to children in a classroom would be so important. With the way digital media and technology is shaping our youth they are very used to immediate gratification. Sharing with them that dreams take time and they need to be tended to could be a potential lifelong lesson.


This book won awards for such things as International Reading Association Children's Choice, Teacher's Choice, Best Book Celebrating the Human Spirit, and many more.


What makes this book especially unique is that is uses 15 illustrators. Each page is done by a different illustrator. Each illustrator adds their unique touch to this book, yet it all flows together perfectly.


If you like Susan V. Bosak, then also try reading A Little Something & Something to Remember Me By.

I Love You as Big as the World

 

This was the first book that was written by author David Van Buren. This book is rich with similes. From page to page Van Buren talks about the love that Big Bear and Little Bear share for each other. He uses such similes like, "I love you as bright as the sun," "I love you as blue as the sky," and, "I love you as high as the mountain top." 

This would be a great book to use in writing when teaching similes. Since this book is riddled with so many, it makes it very simple to talk about how to compare something in writing to something else. This book does not have much more to it, so students can stay focused on the specific, yet sophisticated and complex lesson. If you did not use it for writing, I think it would be just a fun and cute book to read to a primary class to talk about the importance of relationships between living things. 

This is the first book written by David Van Buren. However, if you like the illustrations by Tim Warnes check out Rise & Shine and A Surprise For Rosie. He is mostly known for his illustrations of animals.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Rodrick Rules

By now, every teacher has heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This series has taken the educational world by storm. For the past two years in a row, every student, and yes I mean EVERY STUDENT has read this book at least once in my class. Now, I will go on record saying that this series in no way has the best literary elements to it. I very rarely find strong vocabulary, figurative language, or anything like that. But...when a book can get all kids in a classroom/school to read it and like reading...WHO CARES!?!?! I will even admit, I was cracking up at all of the "bathroom" humor that this book had to offer. I can see why so many kids love these books!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Rodrick Rules continues following Greg as he enters a new school year. In this book, he is still trying to figure out just how to fit in, how to deal with Rowley, of course put up with everything Rodrick does to make Greg miserable, and try to keep his "terrible" secret kept from the past summer. This book has also been nominated for a Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult book award for 2011.

Check out the trailer from the first movie!

If you enjoy this book by Jeff Kinney, be sure to read any of the other books in the series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Days, The Last Straw, and the Do-it-yourself Book. 

MOST IMPORTANT: Your students will love you when you tell them that Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Ugly Truth is coming out November 9th, 2010. Check out the Scholastic book orders. They are having a pre-sale already!

Ish

Ish by Peter Reynolds is a perfect way to set the tone in your classroom for the year. As a primary teacher, I am always looking for a book that has a positive and worthwhile message. I believe Ish is perfect. I can't take any credit for finding this book though. The instructional coach at my school introduced the staff to this book this year by reading it to us at one of our first days of reporting. Throughout the book, you could hear the "Oohs!" and "Aahs!" as she turned page after page.  Finally, at the end, you could tell that this book touched many adults in the room. As she read the book to us, I found myself being like a kid myself...captivated during read aloud.

The message that Reynolds reinforces in this book is to try your best. Someone does not have to make everything perfect. As long as you try hard and enjoy what you are doing, people will always find beauty in it.

As my coach read Ish to my class the first week of school, I could not help but fall in love with this book all over again. I was enjoying it as much as anyone in my class. I know that the message in this book will resonate with me and my class throughout the year.

If you enjoy this book by Peter Reynolds also try The Dot (prequel to Ish). Also, Reynolds is an illustrator. If you enjoyed the illustrations in Ish then make sure to check out Someday by Allison McGhee, and the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald.

The Last Dance

Carmen Agra Deedy is a an author who uses such beautiful language and knows how to set a mood and a scene in her books. The very first line in this book reads, "On nights when the moon sat full-bellied on the treetops beyond the graveyard, Ninny would leap over the stone and mortar that was the orchard wall between our houses." I would use this book when teaching descriptive writing. Throughout the book it uses words like: shimmied, grinning, crunching, milk-moon nights, and worn-wooden steps.

This book would mean different things to adults and children. To your students this would probably be a book about keeping a promise, with some very descriptive language sprinkled throughout the pages. To adults this is a very romantic and powerful love story about two children growing up together, the life they make for themselves, and the eternal love that they share for one another.

If you enjoy this book by Carmen Agra Deedy, try her latest 14 Cows For America. Deedy does not disappoint in this book either. She continues to use the same descriptive language and this book has beautiful illustrations that go along with the book as well. 14 Cows For America is also a 2011 Colorado Children's Book Award nominee. 

The Hunger Games

Take a look at this trailer and tell me you are not interested! The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins is a book not to be missed. Without a question this is one of the best books I have read in years. This book has many elements of science fiction without being too overpowering, yet it parallels many events that are happening in today's world. In this book, the reader will go on an adventure with Katniss Everdeen. This strong headed and determined young female character is in for the fight for her life as she is put into The Hunger Games. All she needs to do...be the last one standing. With this book comes great adventure, selflessness, and a love story. I guarantee you will want to finish this book as fast as you can!

Bonus: If you love this book and want more, The Hunger Games is the first in a series. Catching Fire and Mockingjay (released August 24th) complete this trilogy.

If you enjoy the works of Suzanne Collins try reading Gregor the Overlander.