Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott
Illustrated by Louis Jambor
Published by Grosset and Dunlap, Inc
Copyright 1947

Summary: Four sisters living with their mom and the challenges they face growing up.

Strengths: The illustrations were very good: I liked how on one page there was an illustration and the other was the text that portrays the picture. It is a story that is easily understandable even though it is set in a different time period than present day. The titles of each chapter give a good sense of what the chapter is about.

Concerns: There are many different versions on the story and it is way too long. The story itself is very enjoyable but I feel that if some details were left out, the story would be much more enjoyable to read since the length is intimidating.

Age level: Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: To learn about kids just like us but living in a different time period in history.

The Face on the Milk Carton

by Caroline B Cooney
Published by Dell Laurel-Leaf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books
Copyright 1993

Summary: A girl glanced at an ordinary girl on a milk carton realizing it was she.

Strengths: It was a book I could not put down. I kept wanting to know what would happen. The characters in the story were very easy to relate too.

Concerns: The print is tiny to the point that its as if you woulf need a magnifying glass to read it.

Age level: Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: It is a good book for pleasure reading and to also see a different life other than your own of the same age.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

by Beverly Cleary
Illustrated by Tracy Dockray
Published by Harper Trophy(registered trademark of Harper Collins Publishers)
Copyright 1981

Summary: It goes through the daily life trying to be a 3rd grader.

Strengths: There are cute illustrations scattered throughout the pages. I like how it is still primarily a chapter book even with pictures that give the reader a break from just reading pages of just text. The text is big and visible and the titles summarize the chapters in a sentence.

Concerns: I did not like the book itself. It was not eventful and not much happened.

Age level: Elementary(3-5)

Classroom Use: It encourages free reading and children can relate their experiences to the ones exemplified in the book.

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls
Pulished by Yearling ( imprint of Random House Children's Books)
Copyright 1961

Summary: A boy and his two dogs adventure into the hunting grounds of the Cherokee country.

Strengths: It is such a heart warming story. It is very easy to read and sparked my interest being an animal lover, especially for my love of dogs. The length of the chapters was perfect: it wasn't too long or too short.

Concerns: The chapters did not have titles but roman numerals. Roman Numerals make it hard to find out what chapter you are on. Maybe if it did not want to have chapter titles, to have numbers for the chapters and not roman numerals. Also, the print is small that it is hard to read.

Age level: Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: Teaches that animals are part of the family since they are very protective creatures and love you unconditionally just like parents and siblings.

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems

by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Beckie Prange
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright 2005

Summary: A collection of poems that provide a look at some of the animals, insects, and plants that are found in ponds, with accompanying information about each.

Strengths: The illustrations are fantastic! It looks like the pictures are popping out of the page which almost looks three dimensional. The words take on different shapes in the presentation of the text. There is also a brief description and background information of each animal being described. The bright colors on the page drew me in.

Concerns: I would not have known about this book if it was not on the capital choice list and we were not required to read one on this list. It turned out to be a poem I could not put down and wanted to read more.

Age level: Elementary(3-4) and Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: Learning about different animals and their habitats

A Bad Case of the Giggles: Poems that will make you laugh out loud

Illustrated by Stephen Carpenter
Published by Meadowbrook Creations
Copyright 2008

Summary: A collection of humorous poems by such authors as Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, and other lesser known poets.

Strengths: I like how each poem is divided into different categories in which the peom pertains to a specific category. Pictures that take over two pages relates to two seperate poems, but it brings both poems by a single picture. The illustrations are cute and can easily grab children's attention.

Concerns: Its very similar to Shel Silverstein even helping that some of his poems are in there. The title is misleading-the select poems that I read did not make me laugh out loud; it just brought a smile :)

Age level: Elementary(3-4) and Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: Explaining that poems can be classified into categories

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost
Illustrated by Susan Jeffers
Published by Dutton Children's Books
Copyright 1923,1969

Summary: Illustrations of wintry scenes accompany each line of the well known poem.

Strengths: The illustrations are very detailed and a good representation of the setting. The colors express the time of day for example, the darker the picture shows a later part of the day. There are bright colors surrounding the mostly white page bring out the pictures even more. I also like how the words on each page illustrate the picture's action.

Concerns: I felt the poem's language was hard to comprehend even for me let alone young children. I feel it is to poetic for young children.

Age level: Upper(5-6) and Middle School

Classroom Use: It is a good poem to teach when introducing the art of poetry.

Falling Up

by Shel Silverstein
Published by Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 1996

Summary: A Collection of funny, cute, light hearted poems.

Strengths: These poems are cute and funny that are extremely imaginative. The illustrations enhance the poem even more especially since they are in black and white. Whether the poems are short or long, some take up the entire two pages with the text and illustrations. I like this because it is all random in which takes over two pages or one.

Age level: Elementary(3-4) and Upper(5-6)

Classroom Use: Reading Shel Silverstein's poetry is a fun, leisurable activity to engage with children. It is also a good thing to do on a rainy or snowy day especially since many of his poems pertain to activities pertaining to this.

The Witch's Children

by Ursula Jones
Illustrated by Russel Ayto
Published by Henry Holt and Company
Copyright 2001

Summary: When the two older witch's children use their magic to create trouble in the park, the Little One knows how to fix the problem.

Strengths: The illustrations were good and detailed. The illustrations using a double page spread are essential and exemplify the action. With the use of words and pictures, it relates well to a child's point of view. Certain words are exemplified in BIG BOLD LETTERS that involve emphasis.

Concerns: The words are scattered all over the pages which can get a bit confusing as I was reading.

Age level: Primary (K-2)

Classroom Use: Teaches children to always ask their parents when they need help. It is also a good book to read right before Halloween to get the kids excited about the upcoming fun holiday!

The Snowy Day

by Ezra Jack Keats
Published by Puffin Books
Copyright 1962

Summary: The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

Strengths: There are such cute illustrations which provide a wide variety of colors. Some pictures are expressed in a double page spread which works because it creates a scenic scenery of winter time and this is expressed across both pages. I like how this book shows how much fun someone can have on a snow day. The texture in the snow is not just plain white, but it has musty colors embedded which makes the snow look more realistic in a way. Both the sounds and words illustrate each picture's actions.

Age level: PreK

Classroom Use: Teaches children about sounds and a fun book to read on a snowy day

Grimm's Fairy Tales: The Companionship of the Cat and the Mouse

by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Illustrations by Walter Crane
Published by Borders Classics
Copyright 2008

Summary: A Collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales

Strengths: Their are clever names used throughout the tale. It is also easily readable and able to be understood. This story possesses similar characteristics of the movie/show Tom and Jerry which makes me want to believe their is some connection that lies there.

Concerns: The ending of this tale is violent which is not suitable for young readers in many aspects.

Age level: Upper (5-6)

Classroom Use: Teaches the act of greediness and deception. This is a great tale to teach children not to act this way. Always choose your friends wisely.

Classic Fairy Tales: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Illustrated by Scott Gustafson
Published by The Greenwich Workshop Inc
Copyright 2003

Summary: An illustrated collection of ten traditional fairy tales including "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Puss in Boots", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Snow White", "Tom Thumb", "Hansel and Gretal", "The Frog Prince", "Rumpelstiltskin", "Cinderella", and "3 Pigs."

Strengths: Its such a classic story with very good illustrations. I like how certain words of the text emphasize emotions such as expressing anger when the bears are angry.

Concerns: Some of the text stated does not illustrate the selected pictures shown on the page.

Age level: Primary (K-2)

Classroom Use: It teaches to always use your manners and to always be respectful and polite.

The Korean Cinderella

by Shirley Climo
Illustrated by Ruth Heller
Published by Harper Collins Publishers
Copyright 1993

Summary: In this version of Cinderella set in ancient Korea, Pear Blossom, a stepchild, eventually comes to be chosen by the magistrate to be his wife.

Strengths: The illustrations are incredible. This version was not at all how I expected it to be- it didn't resemble the Cinderella story that we know and love today and it brought a different cultural aspect to it for us to embrace. The text sets up the action of the picture on the next page. It is extremely creative, diferent, and not what one would expect with the title given as Cinderella.

Concerns: It is a little hard to understand if one is not familiar with the Korean culture. I had to reread some events that happened a couple times because it was hard for me to understand and comprehend.

Age level: Upper

Classroom Use: It embraces a new culture and helps students learn about different cultures other than their own. This story helps students see how classic stories are portrayed in different cultures and countries.

Rapunzel

by Paul O Zelinsky
Published by Dutton's Children's Books
Copyright 1997

Summary: A retelling of the German folklore in which a beautiful girl with long golden hair is kept imprisoned in a lonely tower by a sorceress.

Strengths: The illustrations are extremely detailed with lots of vivid colors. Alot of the pages have the text one one side with the picture on the other emphasizing it. The colors displayed in the illustrations do a good job enforcing night time and day time settings.

Concerns: I personally did not like this version of the story. I felt it was more violent especially when the prince is thrown off the tower and becomes blind. His blindness is cured from one of Rapunzel's tears which is extremely unrealistic. This version also seems to tie in an Adam and Eve aspect when Rapunzel's mother eats the rapunzel food from the sorceress's garden anyway when told not too. In consequence, her child is given to the sorceress as she continues to eat the rapunzel.

Age level: Elementary, Upper

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

by Kevin Sherry
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2007

Summary: A giant squid brags about being bigger than everything else in the ocean-almost.

Strengths: There are very cute illustrations and the text and pictures do a good job at corresponding with each other. The many double page spreads throughout the book works well with the story as well as the folding pages containing repeated actions.

Concerns: The text ends before the book ends and leaves it up to the pictures to finish off the story. Although the illustrations are good, I didn't like how the text just ended. I feel some of the vocabulary does not correspond to the elementary level. In addition, some of the illustrations of the creatures are scary looking.

Age level: PreK-Primary

Classroom Use: Teaches about the ocean and the size of creatures

Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Sheila Mcgraw
Published by Firefly Books
Copyright 1987

Summary: Tells the story of a child growing up

Strengths: There are very detailed illustrations with lots of colors. The song the mother sings to her child in the book repeats throughout the story and this reinforces how important a mother's love is for her child. Also, the repeated action of the mother going into the son's room every night shows her love for her son. On the pages that contain just text, the black and white spotted drawings makes these pages more lively.

Concerns: The text pages with no spotted drawings are very plain and the text itself is on the small side. Some events in the story show rambunctiousness from the boy which can give readers the wrong idea of behaving.

Age level: Elementary

Classroom Use: teaches the love of your family and its unconditional love

Happy Birthday Moon

by Frank Asch
Published by Aladdin Paperbacks
Copyright 1982

Summary: When a bear discovers that the moon shares his birthday, he buys the moon a beautiful hat as a present.

Strengths: The illustrations do a very good job at reflecting the night time scenery without giving off a scary mood. They are also displayed in a frame setting which outlines the page and in the frame, there is a good variety of small and big illustrations.

Age level: Primary ( K-2)

Classroom Use: possesses determination- when you put your mind to something don't give up for example when the bear lost the moon's birthday present and he traveled across the rivers and mountains to get it back for him.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by Eric Carle
Published by Philomel Books
Copyright 1969 and 1987

Summary: Follows the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food, until, full at last, he forms a coccoon around himself and goes to sleep.

Strengths: The illustrations show a wide variety of vivid colors and being happiness because of such the bright colors. The author's use of the white spaces works in this book because it brings out the vivid use of colors. The illustrations are also simplistic which makes it easy for readers to depict what things are.

Concerns: It is just the same black font throughout the entire book and it is also small which can be hard and difficult for viewers to see who are sitting farther away in a classroom.

Age level: (PreK, Primary)

Classroom Use: It is good for progressions in which the caterpillar goes from being very small to being very fat and it goes through the stages of becoming a beautiful butterfly. Also, this book emphasizes counting principles by counting how many foods he eats each day when he becomes fat.