Definitions of the Genres Below:

Definitions: 

Alphabet Book: A book about the letters and symbols in the alphabet.

Counting Book: A book that teaches a child how to count.

Color Book: A book about different colors or a coloring book that a child fills out.

Concept Book: A book about a different action or concept in a child's life. For example: brushing your teeth or getting dressed.

Multicultural Book: A book about the many different cultures in the world.

Traditional Book: A book whose story was passed down through ear from generation to generation

Folk Tale: a tale or legend passed down as an oral tradition of people.

Fables: Usually a short tale that teaches a lesson that normally has animals with human characteristics.

Fantasy: A book using a lot of imagination dealing with magic, monsters, witches, etc.

Realistic Fiction: A book or story that is untrue, but is also realistic and can happen in real life.

Non-Fiction Books: Books that are completely factual and correct.

Biographies: A book about a person in detail about their life and what they did.

Poetry: A written or spoken story of any length that can be rhythmical and also uses beautiful, imaginative or creative language. 

Graphic Novels: A longer book that uses some graphic images throughout the story.

Historical Fiction: An untrue story that takes place in historic time periods.

Non-Fiction/Biography/Poetry Books Continued

What the World Eats by Faith D’Aluisio

This book is about what everyone in the world eats.  Millions of families around the world eat different thing whether they eat at a table, on the floor or outside.  This book was about 25 different families in 21 countries.  Each family described what and how they eat.  There were many pictures and information for each family.  There were a lot of facts and interesting details.  I liked this book because it was interesting to see how other families survive and hunt for food.

A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston

This book is all about butterflies and how they live.  It has many different species and pictures of butterflies.  There are a lot of neat facts and details about every butterfly in only 40 pages.  This book was really interesting to read.  I think it would be a great book for the beginning of spring.

The Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 

This book is filled with a lot of different short poems.  The poems range anything from animals to people, nature and buildings.  It is a classic that I loved to read when I was little.  I recommend reading a couple of the poems to your classroom because they are all interesting in their own way.

Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Francis Child

This book in a very enjoyable and humorous spoof of the traditional version.  It would be great for a classroom of children that celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo 

This book is a biography about Audrey Hepburn.  It is all about her life and her sense of fashion.  It her like off camera and how she was raised in Nazi-occupied Europe and how she works with UNICEF to raise money.  I liked this book because her work always inspired me and it was really interesting to learn about her.

Traditional Books Continued

Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault

This book is about a cat named Puss, and his master, and the miller’s son.  They in many adventures that are really comedic and fun.  This book is a great excited story that will keep children, as well as adults on their feet and left wanting to read more.  I liked this book because I have an image of Puss already in my head from the Shrek movies.

Persephone by Sally Pomme Clayton

The young goddess Persephone is snatched from her home by Hades, evil god of the Underworld. She was taken away to live underground and become his bride. Persephone's mother, Demeter, goddess of Earth, is so brokenhearted that she curses all the land so nothing can grow making winter the season all year round. This book is all about Greek Mythology and how she escaped the underground.  I loved this book because I have always loved Greek Mythology.

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

This book is about a duckling that doesn't fit in with the other ducklings. Everyone treats him poorly, and teases him so he decides to run off. Someone takes him in for the Winter but sets him free when it is Spring. At the end of the book he turns into a swan and a group of swans adopt him.

The Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe

After hearing tales of the Far Off Land, a young mouse travels to find it. On the way to Far Off Land, he meets a magical frog named Jumping Mouse. Throughout the adventure, Jumping Mouse meets a variety of other animals all in need of his help. Jumping Mouse helps the other animals and is rewarded by magically becoming an eagle who will live in Far Off Land forever.  I liked this book because it is a great story about the good karma from helping others.

Cinderella by Charles Perrault

This book is the French version of the classic Disney story of the young girl who is poorly treated by her mean stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella received this name from her stepsister because she always liked to sit next to the chimney in a pile of ashes. It was Cinderella that did all the handy work in the house. Cinderella was a beautiful child, but she had horrible luck. One night the prince was having a ball. Cinderella’s stepsisters did not let her go to the ball, but she is visited by her godmother who gave her a beautiful chariot and all the works. She helps her godmother gather all the pieces of the look and arrives at the ball. She goes to the ball and dances with the prince but has to run out late to leave by midnight; when the magic wears off. She leaves a shoe behind that the prince ends up finding.  With the shoe, he tests it on all the girls of the town and finds her!  They end up living “happily ever after”.  I loved this book because it is a classic and always great to read again.

Multicultural and Diversity Books Continued

Julian, Dream Doctor by Ann Cameron

This book is about a little boy name Julian who decides to get his Dad a special birthday present.  Him and his brother and sister, Huey and Gloria decide to get him something scary! This book is all about their adventure to get the present and figuring out what Dad wants.  I liked this book because it was entertaining and funny.

Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson

Keena is a second grade girl who lives with her mom and brother in the DC during the week and with her dad in Maryland on the weekends. Keena's mom has given her a journal to write in to try and help her manage her feelings without yelling or pinching because she was always in time-out in school. She explanied, "I say a lot of things you aren't supposed to say out loud. I think I will have A LOT to write in my new journal". Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up is written in the Keena's voice, in a journal form. This book was kind of funny and entertaining. I liked this book and recommended to all second graders.

Baby Rattlesnake by Te Ata

This book takes on a different spin of Multicultural and Diversity books. Baby Rattlesnake is young and does not have a rattle like his siblings. His crying keeps the Rattlesnake People up all night, which makes the family give into his needs. Happy about his new rattle, he starts to scare other animals with it. One day he rattles to the wrong animal and gets in big trouble.  This book is really enjoyable because it teaches the students about self control in a strange and different prospective. 

I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

This story is about a small little girl named Keyana, who is getting her hair combed by her mother. This is very painful for Keyana, which makes her aggravated towards her hair. Her mother tells her that she should be proud to have such beautiful hair and all the different kinds of styles she can do to her hair. I liked this book because the message is to be proud of your body and who you are.

The Rough-Face Girl by David Shannon

This book is a Cinderella tale, set in the Algonquin Indian tribes of North America. The Rough-Face Girl is mistreated by her sisters and is literally scarred by their meanness. The Rough-Face Girl must "sit by the fire and feed the flames" and as the branches burn, she is burned by the sparks. The Invisible Being lived in this village and all the young women wanted to marry him. The Invisible Being's sister told that whoever could see her brother would marry him. As fate has it, the Rough-Faced Girl does see the Invisible Being and is able to answer his sister's questions. The sister gives the Rough-Faced Girl the finest buckskin robes and a perfect shell necklace, and the Rough-Faced Girl transforms to be as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. She then marries the Invisible Being, and they live "happily ever after."

Alphabet and Concept Books Continued

Picture Books

Alligators All Around by Maurice Sendak 

This book is a fun and interesting way to learning the alphabet.  There is an alliteration for every word, for example: Getting Giggles, Juggling Jellybeans and Forever Fooling.  It is simple and fun with great illustrations. I like this book because it is simple and straightforward. 

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

This book is a great alphabet book for learning the different fruits and vegetables.  This book has a list of foods from A-Z with great illustrations.  I love this book because it is a different way to learn about the alphabet and the different food too!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

This book goes through all the letters in the alphabet has the climb up the coconut tree.  It is a fun and creative way to learn the alphabet.  I love this book because it is one of my old time favorites.  It is great for art in your classroom or easy board games.

My First Book of Letters by Nadeem Zaidi

This book is great for a first level learning student.  For the children that are just starting to learning, this book will be helpful.  It lists all the letter in simple form.  I like this book because it is so simple and easy.

Animal ABC by Cedco Publishing

This book is great because it lists off the alphabet with different animal names.  I love this book because it is a double learning option - animals and letters!

H is for Haunted House by Tanya Lee Stone

This book is a great book for the Halloween season.  It is a picture book of all the different Halloween objects from A-Z.  I love this book because I love Halloween and I think it is a fun way to learn the alphabet.

Whose Ears Are Those? by Lana Jordan

This book is great for young children who need to learn about animals. There are a lot of interaction in this book.  It is about a little sister that gets into her brother’s toy collection.  All of the animals have come-apart in weird ways that all of their ears are switched.  It is a lively book filled with useful animal information with a fun and interesting twist.

Realistic Fiction Books Continued

Chapter Books

Stargirl by Jeff Spinelli
Stargirl left homeschool and started new in a tenth grade classroom of a public high school in Arizona. She has a lot of enthusiasm. The other students had difficulty understanding her. She was asked to join the cheerleading squad and she did. Then during the basketball season, many of the fans thought that she cared too much whenever someone was injured on the field for the opposing teams. This turned the school against her. The students stopped talking and interacting with Stargirl and Leo, her boyfriend. Leo did not like this and wanted Stargirl to try to be more like the other students. She did change for him, but the other students continued to ignore them. So, Stargirl returned to the way she was. Stargirl went to the Ocotillo Ball without a date and she danced by herself at first, but then she asked the band to play a bunny hop. After the dance, Stargirl never returned to school. Her actions stayed, the small group of basketball fans who, years later at school basketball games, always cheered the first basket scored by the opposing team. I didn't really like this story that much because I did not like the ended too much.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

One summer Opal and her father, who is a preacher, move to Florida, Opal goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket and comes out with a dog. The dog is not the best looking dog, but it has a great sense of humor. She names the dog Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, the preacher tells Opal ten things about her absent mother, one for each year Opal has been alive. Winn-Dixie is better at making friends than anyone Opal has ever known. Together they meet the local librarian, Miss Franny Block, who once fought off a bear with a copy of the book War and Peace. Later they meet Gloria Dump, who is almost blind but sees with her heart, and Otis, an ex-con who sets the animals in his pet shop loose after hours, then plays his guitar to them. Opal spends all that sweet summer collecting stories about her new friends and thinking about her mother. But because of Winn-Dixie or because she has grown, Opal learns to let go, just a little, and that friendship, and forgiveness, can sneak up on you. I love this book.  I remember loving it was I was a little girl.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

A young boy named Roy Eberhardt moves to Coconut Cove, Florida where he tries his hardest to help save the burrowing owls. He has to stop the construction on the piece of land where they live. He helps the owls and makes new friends in the process which changes him into a more mature young man. I thought this was a great book because it cares so much for the owls.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Camp Green Lake is a boys’ juvenile detention center in Texas, but there is no lake there. The boys spend each day digging five-foot holes in the dried up lakebed and have to report what they have found if they get lucky enough. Stanley Yelnats, a boy who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, is sent there for ‘stealing’ a pair of used sneakers.  Stanley believes his bad luck is because of a curse placed on his family after his great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, stole a pig from a gypsy, Madame Zeroni.  In the book the reason why he stole the pig is explained.

At Camp Green Lake Stanley is given the nickname “Caveman”, because Stanley has some acceptance from a peer group for the first time. He grows stronger and tougher as he battles the harsh conditions at the camp. He becomes friends with a boy called Zero by agreeing to teach him how to read in exchange for helping his digging process. This upsets the other boys and causes a fight. In the aftermath, Zero gets into trouble and runs off into the desert. Stanley attempts to steal a water truck and go out after Zero, but he drives the truck into a hole, gets out of the truck and runs away. He heads out across the desert toward a rock called “God’s thumb,” the place where his grandfather, the first Stanley Yelnats, survived after being robbed by Kissin’ Kate Barlow a hundred years ago.  Kissin’ Kate became an outlaw because for revenge for killing her love.  Before she died, she left treasure behind without telling anyone where it was. The Warden at Camp Green Lake tells people that the boys there dig holes to build character. In reality, she is continuing the search for Kate Barlow’s treasure. Stanley continues to walk across the lakebed and finds Zero under the remains of a boat.  Zero is weak and sick, but they manage to walk up to “God’s Thumb”. After a few days the boys have regained their strength and decide to go back to the camp to try and dig up Kate Barlow’s treasure. Under cover of night, the boys return to the hole where Stanley had found the lipstick tube. Stanley digs and unearths a suitcase, just as the Warden arrives. In the light of flashlights, the boys see that they are covered with yellow-spotted lizards. They stay completely still until the sun rises and the lizards go down into the shade, off of the boys. It turns out that Zero’s real name is Hector Zeroni, the great-great-great-grandson of Madame Zeroni, the gypsy that had cursed Stanley’s great-great-grandfather. By carrying Zero up the mountain, Stanley had broken the curse. I loved this book because I loved the story line and plot; so creative.

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Kevin is a very smart child, but has birth defects.  His birth defects cause him to wear braces on his legs. Max is powerful and huge, but he feels worthless and dumb. Each boy seems like half a person, but when they meet the summer before eighth grade starts, join together, and become friends. They are both known as Freak the Mighty. The novel Freak the Mighty focuses on one year of the boys’ life. It follows them through their first meeting, their summer adventures, their return to school, and even Max’s Christmas Eve kidnapping at the hands of his murderous father. Although the boys are eventually reunited, their happiness cannot last forever. Kevin’s health problems worsen, leading to an unfortunate end of Freak the Mighty. A devastated Max learns how to face the world without his best friend. I loved this book because it is so different but empowering. 

Historical Fiction Continued

Chapter Books

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

  This is the first book of the Little House series which is based on the life of the writer. This book is set in the period before the Ingalls family moved to the prairie. This is the place of Laura’s birth and the beginning of her childhood.  Little House in the Big Woods portrays a little girl with eyes full of wonder and heart full of love for her Ma and Pa and sister Mary. The theme of this book is very clear and simple —caring, sharing and growing up during a time when, even though you are a little girl, you do your part to help your family. The theme is brought out simply in each chapter. Laura and Mary had their "chores" each and every day. They were done —without hesitation or pushing from Ma and Pa —completely and thoroughly; then and only then would Laura play.  Little House in the Big Woods is one adventure after another in Laura’s life. It is a book of vivid descriptions of first-time happenings for Laura. There’s the dance at Grandpa’s where Laura watches all the "big girls" dress up. There is Laura’s first experience at seeing a town, and of course the fun at butchering time roasting the pig’s tail. I liked this book because it is really informational and interesting for many ages.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

  Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March are four sisters living with their mother in New England. Their father is away serving in the Civil War, and the sisters struggle to support themselves and keep their household running after losing all their money. In the process, they become close friends with their neighbor, Theodore Laurence, known as "Laurie." 

As the girls grow older, each faces her own personal demons and challenges. Jo, the protagonist, must stop acting like boy and learn to be more ladylike while working to be a great writer. Meg, the oldest, must put aside her love of money to be able to follow her dreams. Beth, the shy one, must try to be more outgoing, while Amy, the youngest, has to get rid of her pride. The girls are guided by their mother, "Marmee," and their faith.

The family's bonds are changed when Meg falls in love with John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Meg and John marry and get a home of their own, and have twins, Daisy and Demi. Another marriage seems likely when Laurie reveals to Jo that he has fallen in love with her, but she cannot care for him in the same way. Jo goes to New York as the governess for a family friend, Mrs. Kirke, experiencing the big city and trying to become a professional writer. Meanwhile, Amy travels through Europe with her rich Aunt Carroll and cousin Flo, learning how to be an artist. Laurie goes to Europe with his grandfather. He finds his passion for music and tries to forget about Jo. I liked this book because it is a page-turner and you never want to put it down.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

  Point of view of ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen. The story is set in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark in September 1943, the third year of the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Annemarie and her best friend Ellen, who is Jewish, are stopped by soldiers on their way home from school. The two girls, who go to the same school and live in the same building, are unsettled by their first direct encounter with the Germans. Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen are concerned and ask the girls to take a new route to school. The encounter makes Annemarie reflect on what her father has taught her about Denmark and also about her older sister Lise's death a few years before the start of the novel. Later in the fall, Annemarie and her younger sister Kirsti discover that Mrs. Hirsch's neighborhood shop has been closed. This event further alarms Mrs. Johansen, though Annemarie does not understand why. During a late night visit from Peter Neilsen, a member of the Resistance and the man Lise was to marry, Annemarie is told more about the war. Her parents and Peter explain that Jewish stores are being closed. The next day, the Rosens must flee. They leave Ellen with the Johansens. During the night, German soldiers come to the apartment demanding that Mr. Johansen disclose the location of his friends. He refuses and they search the apartment. Ellen pretends to be one of the Johansen's daughters, but her dark hair causes the solider to be suspicious. Luckily, Mr. Johansen is able to show them a baby picture of Lise with dark hair, which convinces the soldiers. The next day, Mrs. Johansen takes the three girls to her brother Henrik's home in Gilleleje, Denmark, where Henrik is a fisherman. They spend a peaceful day in the house by the ocean before Henrik announces that their Great-aunt Birte has died. The service is to be held that evening. Annemarie knows that no such aunt exists, and demands the truth. Uncle Henrik explains the importance of not knowing too much when bravery is needed. That night the coffin arrives and they gather around it. Many more people arrive, but all are silent. Soon Peter appears with the Rosens, who are reunited with Ellen. Soldiers, drawn by the post-curfew lights, come to the house. They demand that the coffin be opened, a problem since the coffin is empty. Mrs. Johansen thinks quickly and says that her aunt died of highly contagious typhus. The soldiers leave. Henrik takes the first group of people down to his boat. Mrs. Johansen follows with the Rosens. Annemarie, who now understands that the people are being taken to safety in Sweden, awaits her mother's safe return. When her mother does not appear, she discovers that Mrs. Johansen has broken her ankle. Because of this, Annemarie must take an important package to her uncle before they can leave. On the way to the boat, soldiers with dogs stop her. They search her basket and discover the package. But when they rip it open it contains only a handkerchief, and they let her go. Annemarie makes it to the boat in time, to Henrik's evident relief. That evening, Henrik is safe at home having dinner with Annemarie, Kirsti, and Mrs. Johansen, whose ankle has been taken care of by the local doctor. After dinner, Uncle Henrik takes Annemarie to learn how to milk the cow. They talk about the events of the day. He explains that he hid his passengers in the bottom of the boat, and the handkerchief was essential because it kept the Germans' dogs from smelling the human cargo. Uncle Henrik praises Annemarie for her bravery and reassures her that Ellen is safe and they will meet again someday. The war ends in May, and Annemarie and her family watch from their balcony as people parade in the streets with the Danish flag. Annemarie thinks of the Rosens and realizes that they, along with all the others who were forced to flee, will soon be returning home. Peter Nielsen has died. He was shot in a public square for his involvement in the Resistance. Annemarie's parents tell her that Lise was a member of the Resistance, too, and that she did not die in an accident, but was killed by the Germans. Thinking of Lise and of Ellen, Annemarie goes to the trunk of Lise's things in her room and takes out the Star of David pendant that she has been keeping for Ellen. She says she will wear the necklace herself until Ellen returns. I liked this book because it taught me a lot about the history of the Nazis and the Resistance.

Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne 

  Jack and Annie go back to Ancient Egypt and get lost in a pyramid. They find a ghost queen inside. She asks Jack and Annie to help her find the Book of the dead so that she can go to the afterlife. Jack and Annie try to decode a message on the nearby wall for the ghost queen and are successful. They follow the ghost down the hallway, up some stairs, and into a cold, drafty room. Here the ghost disappears.They find a boat on the other side of the room and grab a jar out of it. Then they grab a scroll out of the jar. It is the Book of the Dead. They walk through a door and into a room with only a long golden box in it. The kids look into the box and are stunned to see a real mummy. Annie runs off in disgust. Jack sets the Book of the Dead on the box and backs out of the room. He continues out the boat room and down the stairs. He turns into the hallway and tries to find his sister. He hears her voice, but starts walking in the wrong direction. He turns and heads in the other direction. He walks back up the stairs and into the room with the boat. He notices an open door that he didn't notice before. He enters the room, which is at the top of a staircase exactly like the room he had just come up. He walks down the stairs and enters a hallway that also looks like the previous one. Jack finds Annie, who had gotten lost, and they turn to go back up the stairs. Just as they do, the doors close and the torches go out. They walk down the hallway looking for secret doors, but instead end up right back where they started. They hear a meow and see the black cat from before. They follow it all the way to the outside of the pyramid. The cat then runs off and disappears into the waves of heat in the distance. The kids go back to the tree house and grab the Pennsylvania book. Jack turns and sees the queen in her boat floating through the air on her way to the Afterlife. The Jack points to the book and wishes them home.When they got back, they organized the books in the tree house. While doing this, they discover an "M" in the floor. Jack touched the M and felt a tingling in his body. Leaves started to blow. The kids leave the tree house and go home. When they arrive, their mom is making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I liked this book because it is really interesting for many people of all ages.

Picture Book

The Wall by Eve Bunting

 A dad and his son making that long trip to visit father/grandfather, whose name is printed into the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. They look under 1967, the year Grandfather died in the war. Once they find his name, Dad takes out paper and pencil to make a rubbing of his father's name as a keepsake. They leave a picture of the grandson below the grandfather's name. The boy has already looked through some of the items that relatives and friends leave at the base of the Wall. They meet many different groups people: an elderly couple obviously visiting their son's name, a grandfather and grandson visiting the soldier-dad's name, and a group of girls on a field trip. Their behavior is proper, but not reflective of loss such as the others experience. The fourth type of visitor becomes the most deeply moving encounter. A man in a wheelchair with a blanket folded over where his legs should have been, a soldier with a decorated ribbon, and obviously a Vietnam veteran at that, rolls in. It is a chance meeting the boy will never forget. When they leave, the boy is sad, but a lot wiser. He would like a grandpa as the other boy had, but he is proud to know his grandfather served his country. I loved this book because it is really touching and informational.