photo by foxypar4 www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Bea the sheep as the main character
*Rating: Be unique is the message in Bea Rocks the Flock, and this book’s illustration and cute sheep make it unique, too.
Short, short summary: Bea is having a hard time in the flock. She just doesn’t do [...]

photo by lululemon athletica www.flickr.com
To get ready for spring and April, National Poetry Month, I thought we should start having some Wacky Wednesday posts about teaching kids poetry. Whether you teach your kids at home or you are a K-12 teacher, your students can benefit from reading and studying poetry. The next two weeks, [...]

Talk about timeless–how about this book from 1937? It’s Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book, and I thought I’d wrap up this week of celebrating his birthday with talking about one more of his classic books. And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street is, of course, a fantastical version of an actual [...]

photo by mape_s www.flickr.com
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders, fantasy
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Dr. Seuss is at his best in If I Ran the Zoo–from made-up creatures to fantastical places to those ever-clever rhymes.
Short, short summary: Gerald McGrew says that his local zoo is a “pretty good [...]

My Basset Hound, Hush Puppy, under the Christmas tree
*Picture book for preschoolers through 2nd graders
*Young girl and cute dog as main characters
*Rating: Anyone, child or adult, who has ever been searching for the perfect pet will love You? by Vladimir Radunsky.
Short, short summary: In the park, a poor, little lonely dog is searching for [...]

photo by mdxdt www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers (However, this can be used with elementary students during a poetry unit.)
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Red Sled is a clever book about a night time sled ride for a boy and his dad. Not to mention, there’s wonderfully bright illustrations!
Short, short summary: A sad [...]

photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Two young donkeys as main characters
*Rating: The Big Elephant in the Room is a cute and funny picture book. Your children or students will be laughing out loud at Lane Smith’s text and illustrations!
Short, short summary: One donkey friend with a bow tie says [...]

Melanie Watt (who is supposed to have a mark over the first e in Melanie, but I don’t know how to do that on Wordpress. Help?) is the author of the ever popular Scaredy Squirrel series. This book is just as wonderful!
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders (although you could use this [...]

photo by Thomas Ott www.flickr.com
*Picture book, Kindergartners to third graders, contemporary, Christmas
*Three children (two boys and one younger girl) as main characters
*Rating: Santa Calls is a great adventure Christmas story for children.
Short, short summary: Art Atchinson Aimesworth receives a call from Santa to go to Toyland in the North Pole. He takes with [...]

photo by scalespeeder www.flickr.com
Come on, admit it, how many of you that read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis went to the back of your closet (of if you were lucky–a wardrobe) and tried to go to the land of Narnia? I’ll raise my hand! I did [...]