The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

This book is one of my multicultural and international literature books.

This graphic novel is a lot like the original version of the Wizard of Oz. When Dorthy lands in munchkin land, her house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East and kills her. In this story, the shoes that Dorthy gets are not red, but they are a grey color. As Dorthy makes her way to Emerald City, she meets the scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and the lion. All three ask to join her on her journey to the wizard, for they each would like to ask the wizard for something themselves. On their way to Emerald city, they encounter many different obstacles, yet by working together they are able to them. When they go and see the wizard, he tells them that they all have to work together and kill the Wicked Witch of the West, and then he will grant them their wishes. On their way to kill the witch, the witch sends flying monkeys to destroy them. The monkeys take Dorthy and the lion back to the Witch. The witch locks up the lion and puts Dorthy to work. The Witch wants to get the grey shoes from her. The Witch trips Dorthy one day and gains one of the shoes, for it flew off her foot. When she would not return it to Dorthy, Dorthy got enraged and through the bucket of water on the witch. The water caused the witch to melt and Dorthy killed the witch. With the help of the other members of the land, they got the scarecrow and Tin Woodsman back together with the lion and Dorthy. After getting back together, they ventured back to the Wizard so he could grant them their wishes. When returning to the Wizard, they discovered that he was nothing but a humbug of a man and was not even a wizard. He tried his hardest to grant all the wishes. When he was trying to get Dorthy home, he built a hot air balloon, but before she could get in, the balloon was floating away with the wizard. With the help of others, she traveled to see Glenda the good witch. Along the way each of her friends encountered a place that needed them, so they agreed that once they returned Dorthy to Kansas, that they would return and be each places ruler. As they travelled to see Glenda, they encounter many more obstacles, but together they overcame them. Glenda used the power of the Flying monkeys to return the scarecrow, tin woodsman, and the lion back to the lands where they are to rule. Glenda told Dorthy to return home all she had to do was use the silver slippers. Dorthy said goodbye to everyone and used the slippers to return home to her aunt and uncle. I would use this to teach students about diversity. I would teach students that just because you do not think you are great, your actions will show differently, such as the lion having courage even before he was given it, and the scarecrow and his brain, and the tin woodsman and his heart. Each person did not think that they had each of those aspects, but as you read the store you could see that they did have those characteristics, they just did not realize it because they believed the did not have them.

Cinderella Translated by Marcia Brown

This book is one of my Traditional or Folk Literature books.

This book is a version of the original Cinderella. This book tells of how Cinderella's step mother makes her do all the horrible chores and does not allow her to go to the ball when the sisters go to the ball. Cinderella cries and her godmother, who is a fairy, appears and turns her into the beautiful person she is with or with out her rags. She goes to the ball the first night and returns promptly before midnight, then on the second night she forgets about the warning and runs out at the stick of midnight, leaving her glass slipper behind. When a man comes around fitting the shoe on all the ladies of the land, Cinderella sees her slipper and laughingly says let me see if it will fit. The sister laugh and make fun, then when they see that it fits and she has the matching one, they fall to their knees and beg for forgiveness of their horrible ways. Cinderella forgives her sisters and when she moves into the palace she marries the Prince and marries both her sisters off to courts men. I would use this story to tell about folk literature and about how no matter what you look like or how you are treated, there is someone out there for you. I would teach students about how there are different versions of the same story.

Siberian Huskies by Gillia M. Olson

This book is one of my nonfiction books.

http://voicethread.com/share/419587/

Valentine's Day by Miriam Nerlove

This book is one of my Realistic or historical fiction books.

This books talks about where valentine's day comes from and what happens on valentine's day. This book is a continues poem from start to finish and talks about the way we celebrate valentine's day at home and at school. I would use this book to teach students about poems and about Valentine's day.

World of Insects: Moths by Martha E. H. Rustad

This book is one of my nonfiction books.

This book talks about what a moth is and what it comes from. This book talks about what moths eat and how males use their antennas to find females. It also talks about how females will lay lots of eggs at once on a leaf. I would use this book when teaching students about insects and showing them the differences in butterflies and moths.

World of Insects: Butterflies by Martha E. H. Rustad

This book is one of my nonfiction books.

This book talks about what a butterfly is and how they live. It talks about what they eat and how they transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The book talks about what different colors mean and what different parts of the body are used for. At the end of the book, there is a glossary of words from the book. I would use this book when teaching students about different types of insects.

It's Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky

This book is one of my realistic or historical fiction books.

This book is a collection of poems about Thanksgiving. The book talks about traditions at dinner, parades in the town, and even the football games that dads must watch. I would use the book when teaching the students about poetry. There are many different types of poems throughout the book and it teaches them about different experiences people have during the thanksgiving time.

Star Wars-Boba Fett Maze of Deception by Elizabeth Hand

Star Wars-Boba Fett, Maze of Deception by Elizabeth Hand is a Science Fiction book.  This book was interesting because I was familiar with the story of star wars but not all of the characters.  This book is one of the many published in the star wars series.  The book is about a bounty hunter Boba Fett that is looking for the fortune his father has left behind for him.  Boba Fett is the only person that can claim this fortune but, he does not know where it is.  Another character names Aurra Sing knows where the fortune is, but Boba Fett was taught by his late father not to trust Aurra Sing.  Through out the book you learn about Boba Fetts life and connection to his late father Jango Fett who has left a dangerous legacy behind for his son.  In the end Boba realizes that his fathers advice about Aurra Sing was correct and that she could not be trusted.  She tries outsmart Boba and take his fortune but she is not successful.  I thought this was an interesting book.  I would use this book as a free choice read in my classroom.  I think that some kids would really enjoy the story but I think it is more for enjoyment than anything else.  Students could detect that this story falls under the Science Fiction genre because it takes place in another world.

Milo and the Magical Stones

This book is one of my modern fantasy books.

This book is about a mouse that finds a magical stone that gives him warmth and light. His other mice friend see his stone and want one for themselves. This book offers two endings a happy ending where all the mice get stones and thank the Island for their stones by giving the island homemade gifts. The other ending is a sad ending where all the mice get jealous and greedy and take all the stones they can and do not thank the island, all but Milo that is. In the sad ending the mice caves get destroyed by the water and Milo's cave is the only one that lasts because he thanks the island for his gift. I would use this book to show students that greed doesn't get you far in life. You should be thankful for what you are blessed with and not be greedy about it.

Magic Tree House #25 - Stage Fright on a Summer Night By Mary Pope Osbourne

Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osbourne would fall under historical fiction as well as fantasy.  The story is the 25th of the 28 that Mary Pope Osbourne has written.  The main characters of the books are Jack and Annie.  The stories are based off of a tree house that the kids found that is owned by Morgan le Fay.  Morgan introduces the students to a new world in which the children help her.  In addition to helping Morgan they also learn and they do not miss a minute of time in their real lives.  In versions 25 thru 28 the children learn about different types of magic.  In this story Morgan sends the children to find magic in England.  It sets them in England in the 1600's.  Through out the story they mention important people in history such as Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare though they do not mention Williams last name until the end.  When they meet William he requests that Jack perform in one of his plays.  Jack shows extreme disinterest while Annie persuades Jack to do so under the condition that she can be in it as well.  Will lets her perform as long as she dresses like a boy and tucks in her hair.  The children were scared to perform but they end up doing an amazing job and learning the magic of theatre.  I think that this book is a great read when trying to get students into acting and theatre. This book also gives students an introduction to important people in history.  I would probably try to incorporate the magic tree house collection in my classroom because of the educational aspect.  

Note:  This book is a Modern Fantasy book

Ignis by Gina Wilson

This book is one of my Modern Fantasy books.

This book is about a dragon, Ignis, that doesn't feel like a dragon because he does not have his fire like all the other dragons. Ignis decides to take a trip to see if he can find his fire. On his way he encounters many different animals that all tell him that he is a dragon, his fire is just within him. On his journey he meets a young girl. He spends a week with this girl and learns a lot about himself. After leaving the young girl, he climbs a volcano. A flare from the volcano gets stuck in this throat and leads to him finding his fire. He returns to his home and now feels like a real dragon, since he is like all the other dragons. I would use this in my class to explain to children that just because they develop slower than the rest of their friends, doesn't make them any less of the same as they are.

The Secrets of Droon-The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet By Tony Abbott

The Secrets of Droon-The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet is considered fantasy.  The story starts off with a young boy named Eric having to clean out his basement.  His two friends come over to help him out and when the enter the closet they find a whole new world.  In the closet the floor disappears and takes the three children on a stairway to a land called Droon.  The children are confused on what to do and where they are until they meet Keeah who is a beautiful princess.  Keeah tells the children that she is in trouble and that they need to find the Great Galen and give him a message for her.  The children figure that this is their only way out so they venture off to find Galen.  The children run into obstacles along the way, but eventually find Galen.  When meeting with Galen they find out that they are all in danger.  The children help to save Droon and find Keeah.  Keeah keeps her end of the bargain and sends the children back to their world.  The story ends with a message from Keeah that lets Eric know that, he will see the land of Droon again.  I think this story was a good read and I would use it as a free read in my classroom.  I would place it with other fantasy books and just remind the children to use the five finger rule when choosing their books.

Note:  This book is a Modern Fantasy

The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury

This book is one of my Traditional or Folk literature books.

This book is a version of the Three Little Pigs and the Big bad wolf. In this book the wolves build 3 houses one of brick, one of concrete, and one of barbed wire, armor plates, iron bars, heavy metal padlocks, Plexiglas, and some reinforced steel chains. All three of these houses the Big Bad Pig was able to break through. The little wolves decided to build one last house and use flowers. Well when the Big bad Pig tried to blow this house down, the sweet smell of the flowers made him see all the bad he was doing and changed him into a Big Good Pig and they all lived happily ever after together. I would use this book to teach my students about different versions of the same stories, along with teaching them about how no matter how mean someone may be, they can become good if they are shown the right things.

Three Cool Kids by Rebecca Emberley

This book is one of my traditional or folk liturature books.

The three cool kids is a version of the Billy goats gruff. In this book the kids live in the city and the lot they live on is just not getting any better. They know of an empty lot just down the road but are afraid to go because of stories of this mean rat. When the kids are down to their last piece of grass they decide that that is that and they head to the new lot. As the youngest two kids cross the street one at a time they both encounter this mean rat. The rat wants to eat them for dinner and each one says that he wont cause the other kids will tell him what's what. When Big, the oldest of the three, crosses the road he shows the rat what's what and they never hear from the rat again. The kids cross the street and live happily in the new lot. I would use this to teach students about books that are all different versions of each other, along with teaching that being mean will not get you far.

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

This book is one of my traditional and folk literature.

This book is about Benjamin Bunny and his Cousin Peter. Benjamin helps peter get his coat and shoes that are being used on a scarecrow in Mr. McGregor's garden. On their way out of the garden they take several onion. On their way back to Peter's house, they run into a cat. They hide under a basket for five hours until Benjamin's dad comes and scares the cat off. Benjamin's dad spanks both of the boys and makes them leave the onion. When Peter got home his mom did not care that he should be punished, she was just happy to see that he was home and had gotten his clothes back. I would use this book in my class to teach them that following the rules and doing what they needed to do would keep them from getting in trouble.

Dora's Backpack adopted by Sarah Willson

This book is one of my multicultural and international books.

This book is about Dora the explorer and how she needs our help as the readers to help her get her library books to the library on time. Along the way she encounters a few obstacles that she needs help to get through. In the end she gets past the obstacles and gets her books to the library on time. I would use this book to teach my students about Spanish and about having getting help when they are stuck.

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

This book is one of my Multicultural and International books.

The Sneetches is about a town where there are two sets of people. Some have stars on their bellies, and others do not. The people with stars on their bellies get special treatment and the ones with out do not. The sneetches without stars want to be like the ones with stars so they go through this machine that will put stars on their bellies. When the sneetches with the stars realized that the ones that originally had none had stars they were angry so they got their stars removed. The sneetches with back and forth removing and adding stars until all their money was gone. In the end the sneetches realized that it did not matter if they had a star or not, they were all just the same. I would use this to teach me students that just because you look different does not mean you need to dislike someone. You should not judge a book by its cover, but by what's in it.

Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie DePaola

This book is one of my Traditional or Folk literature books.

This book is about an Irish man that is the laziest man in all of Ireland. Jamie is so lazy that his wife has to do all the farming just so his family can have food for the winter. Well one day his wife gets sick and he has to do all the farming. He decides that he needs to co and make a confession, while on his way he encounters a leprechaun and tries to get the pot of gold from the leprechaun. The Leprechaun out smarts Jamie and gives him a potato seed that will grow the biggest potato ever and all Jamie has to do is plant it and wait. Jamie takes the seed thinking he has made the best choice. When he returns home his wife tells him he made a horrible choice. Jamie planted the seed and waited. As the potato grew, it grew so big it lifted the house. Jamie tried and tried to get the potato out of the ground. When he finally got it out, it rolled down the hill and got stuff in the road between the wall and blocked the town. The towns people had not idea what to do. After a little while they all decided to work together and cut the potato into pieces and give everyone some of the potato. By the town working together they were able to save their problem and have enough food for everyone for the winter. I would use this book to teacher my students about team work and how if you work together you can succeed better than if you are all fighting with each other.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book is one of my Multicultural and International books.

This book talks about a town that is set in its ways. At certain ages you gain new items that tells the rest of the town what age you. In this book Jonas learns that having everything perfect is not always right. Jonas is a young boy that becomes the training giver. The giver contains all the memories and truth behind everything. As the Story progresses Jonas learns that even his parents are not perfect and do things that seem so unfit. In the story Jonas learns what it means to be released and tries to save the young baby that his father is the caregiver of. By doing this Jonas has to escape the perfect world he knows to a land that he does not know. I would use this book to teacher students about diversity and how everything is not black and white. Everyone is different and these differences make us all who we are.

The Journal of Joshua Loper: A Black Cowboy

This book is one of my Realistic and Historical fiction books.

This book is about a young boy that goes on his first cattle drive. This book is a journal of his experiences while on the cattle drive. This book talks about how his mother did not approve of him being on the drive, especially with his father being away at war. The book shows the struggles that a cowboy endures while on a cattle drive. This goes from sickness all the way to death, not only of people but of the animals as well. I would use this book to talk about the history of how cowboys deal with their jobs and the hardships that African American cowboys go through.

Fairy Realm: The Rainbow Wand by Emily Rodda

This book is one of my modern fantacy books.

With this book it is the tenth book in the series. The book still takes place at the "Blue Moon" garden and realm. In this book, Jessie's grandmother is out of town. Jessie and her mother are going to pick up the grandmother, when the nosy neighbor asks to stay over because her house is being repainted. While the neighbor stays at the house, she invites a your girl over to babysit her. Since the neighbor is staying at Jessie's and Jessie doesn't trust her, she talked her mother into letting her stay at the house with the neighbor. The neighbor asked Jessie to run to the store to get ice cream for all of them. When Jessie returned from gettin the ice cream, she noticed that there was a note left by the neighbor saying that the little girl had gone missing and that the neighbor had gone looking for her. Jessie searched the yard and garden and found the girl's hairclip by the door to the Realm. Jessie frantically entered the Realm and searched for her. She went to the palace to ask for help. Her fairy friends told her she could go talk to the wizard and ask him if she could use the rainbow wand to find the little girl. On her way to the wizard, her friends told her about how when the wizard was testing the wand his young daughter went missing because she went outside the realm. When she arrived to the wizard's place, he refused to let her use the wand until Jessie told him that his daughter would want him to lend it to help find the little girl and protect the Realm. The wizard allowed him to use the wand and told her that the wand is always set to find his daughter, but for a short time it could be used to find another child. Jessie was supposed to say that the lost child has returned home to return the wand to it's orginal position. Jessie and her friends followed the wand and found the little girl with some of the fairies in a field of flowers. Jessie took the girl and returned to the garden with her. When Jessie and the girl returned from the Realm, the nosy neighbor was waiting the garden for them. The neighbor had arranged for this to be a trap. She had called the local news and they were on the way to see the Realm. Thanks to Jessie's teacher stoping by, she was able to show the news people that it was all fake. Jessie was relieved when the news did not believe the neighbor and that all the evidence had disappeared. When Jessie's grandmother returned home, she looked at the teacher and knew she was a missing child from the Realm. Jessie's teacher turned out to be the wizard's missing daughter. The teacher was returned to the wizard and everything at the garden and Realm were returned to normal and saved. I would use this book as a lesson to the students about putting their noses in other peoples business is always a dangerous thing, and you should not do it.

Fairy Realm: The Flower Fairies by Emily Rodda

This book is one of my Modern Fantasy books.

This book is about a young girl that is the daughter of a fairy Queen. She travels through the "Blue Moon" garden to get to the other realm. While at the realm she encounters many different types of people. In this story the Realm has acquired to much magic and the Griffins are guarding everything they want to guard, instead of what needs to be guarded for the queen. The fairies ask for help and Jessie has the idea to trick the Griffins into guarding the treasure house. Jessie and the fairies used the Chest of Magic wings to trick the Griffins into guarding the treasure house by telling them that these were the Queen's prized possessions and that it would take all the Griffins to guard them.. After getting all the Griffins to guard the treasure house, the magic was starting to get back to normal in the realm. Jessie had borrowed one set of wings to help her dance at her concert that evening and was planning on returning the wings the next day. When Jessie returned to the garden she was tired and went upstairs and took a nap. What Jessie did not realize is that the fairies came through the garden warn her. The Griffins over heard that Jessie had a pair of the wings and they came through the realm to retrieve the wings. By the Griffins and fairies all coming through the realm door, it cause problems in the human world. When Jessie wakes up she tracks down all the fairies and helps save them. Her grandmother returns the Griffins back to the realm with the fairy wings. After Jessie's concert, she learns that the fairy wings she danced with were not the magic ones and that she was able to dance. With this book I would use it to teach the students to have faith in themselves. They don't need magic or luck to be great at somethings.

Arrorro, Mi Nino By Lulu Delacre

Arrorro, Mi Nino by Lulu Delacre is an interesting multicultural book.  The book goes through the many different similarities between american lullabies and hispanic lullabies.  This book would be a great book to use with students that are brand new to the english language.   The reason why I say this is because the book contains songs that can make learning english fun.  The children will be able to assimilate the english words to the spanish words.  This book would be incorporated into a classroom with lower leveled readers that are first learning to speak english. Higher leveled students would probably not enjoy this book and feel as if it were for younger kids.  I would recommend this book for first to second grade but, could be used as a great resource for ELL students.

Note: This book is a multicultural book

My Very Own Room By Amada Irma Perez

The book, My Very Own Room by Amada Irma Perez is Multicultural Literature because it is written in both spanish and english.  The story is based on the authors family history.  The story explains how the family did not have a lot of room in their house and how five to six people had to share beds.  The main character is the only girl and the rest of the children are younger boys.  The story goes on to explain that she would just like some privacy.  She searches through out her entire house and finds the perfect spot for her to set up  a bedroom.  Her parents help her as well as neighbors and friends.  Her parents help her by getting her a lamp, her brothers help her by clearing the area and friends help by giving her a bed and a table.  In the end the girl appreciates everything she has and her little brothers respect her privacy and new bedroom.  I would use this book for a student that is ESL and needs help with reading.  I think that being able to look at the words in spanish and in english help the students progress in reading and writing.  These books can be used for the opposite purpose as well.  If students want to learn spanish they can use this book as a resource.

Note: This book is a Multicultural book

Drum, Chavi, Drum! By Mayra L. Dole

The story Drum, Chavi, Drum! By Mayra L. Dole is a greta example of a multicultural book.  The book gives students the story in both english and spanish.  I think this helps ELL students out immensely.  The story is about a young hispanic girl named Chavi who loves to play the drums.  In her culture she is told that girls are not able to play drums.  Chavi does not care what anyone says.  Chavi is determined to play drums.  There ends up being a school parade that Chavi really wants to drum in and the school tells her she can't because she is a girl.  Chavi ends up dressing up like a boy and sneaking into play.  She surprises as well as amazes everyone with her talent and becomes the first girl drummer in her school.  I though the quality of the story was a little off because of the story line and how they talked about drummers only being males.  I might incorporate this story in  my classroom if I was teaching the children about different careers and I wanted them to see that no matter what, they can be or do anything. This book might be a good read for an ELL learner when discussing the career path topic.

Note:  This book is one of the Multicultural books

Morning Girl By Michael Dorris

The Book Morning Girl By Michael Dorris falls under the historical-fiction genre.  I came to this conclusion because the book tells the story of a native american family and their lives before Christopher Columbus.  Most of the book discusses the lives of both Morning Girl and her brother star boy.  Morning girl has her name because she never misses a minute of the morning and star boy has his name because he never misses a minute of the night time.  I think the author used these names to show how different the siblings can be.  The story sets a very calm and cool setting with some family issues through out.  The family deals with the welcoming of a new family member as well as a bit of sibling rivalry.  Towards the end of this book the author does a great job at describing Morning Girls interaction with a strange man.  It shows the perspective of the Native Americans which is great for students to see.  The last chapter ties the while story together.  Through out the story I became close with these characters and then saw things through a different light.  I would keep this book in historical-fiction and refer to it if students wanted to see that time period in a different light,  Because of the touchy views on Columbus I would probably steer clear from using this book as a read aloud.  I would also steer clear of using this book because there were certain parts that I lost interest.  I think if I was able to lose interest my students might do so as well.

Note:  This is one of my Historical-Fiction books

The Wolves in the Walls By Neil Gaiman

The graphic novel, The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman was a very interesting book.  I found that in some parts I was scared to see what happened next.  The pictures through out the book were so gloomy that it makes the reader feel like they are in the story.  The story starts off with a young girl hearing noises in the walls.  The girl insists that the noises are being made by wolves but her family tells her that she is crazy and that it must be mice.  One day the wolves come out of the wall and Lucy's family has to make a run for it.  They end up having to live in their garden for a couple days.  Then one day Lucy decides to recommend living in the walls just like the wolves did.  The family goes to live in the walls and sees that the wolves are dancing, singing, wearing all of their clothes, eating all of their food, and destroying all of their prize possessions.  Lucy rallies up the family to fight back.  So the family comes out of the walls and scares the wolves away forever.  This book would also fall under the fantasy genre.  This story contains talking animals which closely relates to fantasy.  I would read this book to my class on the week of Halloween as a fun class read.  It is a good way to show students that graphic novels are not always just comic strips and that they can vary.

Note: This is my GRAPHIC NOVEL book

Martin's Big Words By Doreen Rappaport

The book Martin's Big Words, The Life of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr By Doreen Rappaport and Illustrated By Bryan Collier is a Biography.  This story is biography because it was written by someone other than the person it is about and it explains the time line of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life.  The story starts off by explaining the influence MLK's parents had on him when he was younger.  Martin always knew to love and respect and spread those words through out his life.  The story explains the struggles the african american community had to face in the south and how Martin's father was a preacher and how Martin followed in his footsteps.  Through out the story there are so many amazing illustrations that are both powerful and tell the story so well.  The constant message I took from this story is that Martin taught people to love not fight and put his views out there for everyone to live together as a happy community.  Martin Luther King was an active member of the community and this book is a great contribution to his life and the memory of him.  At the end of the book the author explains Martin Luther King Jr.'s death and how his big words have traveled and are still big today.  I would incorporate this book in my classroom when explaining, biographies or for black history month.  This is by far my favorite book because of the powerful illustrations.

Note: This book is one of my biography books

The Pirate Queen by Emily Arnold McCully

The story, The Pirate Queen by Emily Arnold McCully would be considered a biography.  The book tells the story of Grania O'Malley's life.  Grania was a pirate starting at a young age.  She headed up her own army at the age of 16 and continued to apply her passion for pirating through out her life.  The story of her life peaks when she is shut down by King Richard Bingham.  Grania was seconds away from being hanged and then saved by a friend who spoke in her honor.  With Grania's ships and army destroyed, she goes to Queen Elizabeth I to get backing to defend the crown which will allow her to fight against Bingham and his army.  The queen gives Grania the backing and support she needs as well as  ownership of her late husbands land.  Grania later dies in battle.  Grania's visit to Queen Elizabeth made it possible for people to know of her existence and accomplishments because of an eighteen question interview she went through before meeting with the queen.  I would use this book when explaining biographies in the classroom.  I think that it would be a strong attention grabber for the students because it contains a girl pirate.  The students will be intrigued to hear more about the pirates accomplishments.

Note:  This is a Biography book

Are Trees Alive? By Debbie S. Miller

The story, Are Trees Alive by Debbie S. Miller would fall under the general non-fiction genre.  The reason for this is because the story describes the life process of a tree.  In the story we learn the life cycle of a tree.  The author uses facts and compares trees to humans through out the book.  For example, the author says that trees have short, tall and medium stumps just like humans have legs.  The book goes on to compare the veins in a hand to the veins on leaves, sap to blood, the ages of trees to the ages of humans, and the nutrients of trees to the nutrients of people.  The story ends with people having a picnic and the trees having their own picnic by getting sunlight, rain and wind.  The author explains that sunlight, rain and wind are the trees food, drinks and music.  I really enjoyed this book and I think it is a great book to use when first introducing the idea of trees to a student.  It helps students connect what they already know to new information by using the human vs. tree comparison.  This book also opens doors to having the students think out-side the box.  After reading this a student would be more likely to compare other aspects of their human world their natural world.  I would place this book in general non-fiction or keep it in a group with nature books. This way the students can have a different level to read at if need be.

Note:  This is a Non-Fiction book

Throw Your Tooth in the Roof by Selby B. Beeler

The story, Throw Your Tooth in the Roof by Selby B. Beeler would fall into the folk tale genre as well as multicultural/international.  The reason it is a folk tale is, because it explains the many tooth traditions and beliefs all around the world.  As for multicultural and international, it qualifies because it opens the door to traditions through out the world for students.  The book goes through numerous places in the world and explains what each child does with their tooth.  Some of the places are places such as, the US, Guatamala, Sri Lanka, Russia, France, Spain and Sweden.  The most common of the two traditions is, under the pillow and throw the tooth on the roof.  I found this interesting because I never thought of the different tooth traditions around the world and I definitely never thought there were as many as this book listed.  The tooth tradition I found most interesting is, Costa Rica traditions.  I thought it was most interesting because tradition calls for the parent to take the tooth, have it gold plated and made into an earring.  It would be hard to incorporate this story into the classroom because you might run into questions about the tooth fairy and it is hard to know where the students beliefs lie.  I think that this story would be a great book to read with a child before bed to learn about the different tooth traditions around the world.  I think you could put this story in a folk tale grouping as well as multi cultural because of all the in depth explanations around the world.

Note: This book is one of my Traditional/Folk Literature books

Fearless Jack by Paul Brett Johnson

The story Fearless Jack by Paul Brett Johnson is considered a folktale.  The story best fits in this genre because, it contains a mythical character which is a unicorn.  The story also contains a hero.  The story is based from famous stories called, "Jack Tales".  In the beginning of the book the author explains that when early Americans settled they used Jack Tales and then they tapered off until the 1940's when they reappeared in mostly Appalachian versions.  In the story the main character Jack is sent off to find a job because his family is poor and he is the able worker.  The work Jack ends up finding is capturing wild varmints.  Jack ends up stumbling on each creature and capturing them by pure luck.  At the end of the story Jack has all the money he could need and more but, before it ends he is challenged with a group of giants.  The story ends after that but, it left me thinking he would surely stumble u[on the giants as well.  I think it is really neat that they have brought these stories back and I really enjoyed reading Fearless Jack.  I would incorporate this story into my classroom if i wanted to explain the history and origins of fairy tales and folk tales.  I think this would be a good story because in the beginning it explains how the story, "Fearless Jack" came to be.

Note:  This is one of my Traditional/Folk Literature books

Duffy and the Devil By Harve & Margot Zemach

The book Duffy and the Devil by Harve and Margot Zemach would fall under the genre of Folktale.  The reason it is a folktale is because the story has good vs. evil, characters of royalty, contains magic and a happy ending.  This is common for this genre.  In this story the main character Duffy is hired for a job in which she is required to knit and spin clothes for her boss.  Duffy takes the job with out any knowledge of sewing, spinning or knitting.  In order to stay there Duffy calls for the devil and as soon as she does, the devil appears.  The devil makes a deal that he will sew, spin and knit anything she want for the next three years as long as she agrees to go with him at the end of the three years.  He also tells her that the only way that she can get out of her deal is by guessing his name.  Duffy gets away with everything for just about three years and in those three years she ends up marrying her boss and becomes well known aruund town for her sewing, knitting and spinning.  At the end of the three years Duffy confesses her wrong doings to a friend, Miss Jone.  Miss Jone helps Duffy to find out the Devils name and breaks the curse on her forever.  I liked this story and would use it when teaching my students about fairy tale/folk tales.  I would read this story as a class and have the students give me a thumbs up when they thought I read something that clued them in on the genre.

Note: This book is used as one of my Traditional/Folk Literature

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother By Patricia Polacco

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother By Patricia Polacco is a fiction book that focuses on the subject of sibling rivalry/brother and sister relationships.  The story focuses on the relationship between Tricia and her brother Richie.  He is always boasting about how he can beat Tricia in everything and anything. He tricks Tricia into all sorts of compitetions that she ends up losing such as rhubarb and berry eating contests.  Tricia goes on through out the entire story trying to beat her brother.  She keeps failing and getting so frustrated until one night when her grandmother, Babushka is putting her to bed.  Tricia wishes that she could beat her brother at something.  Sure enough, the next day a carnival arrives and Tricia ends up beating her brother in a merry-go-round contest.  At the end of the contest Trisha boasts about her victory and passed out from dizziness.  When she awakes she finds that her brother carried her all the way home and ran to get a doctor for her.  It changes their relationship forever and gives them the love and respect for each other that a brother and sister should have.  I think that any child would enjoy this story.  Students that have siblings can relate to that sibling competition and students that do not have siblings can see what it can be like to have have them.  This story could go under a life lesson fiction book or I could also start a bin of Patricia Polacco books.  Patricia Polacco is an amazing author that the third graders I am currently interning with enjoy.

Note: This is a free choice

Chocolate Fever By Robert Kimmel Smith

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith was hilarious.  I feel that the book would fall under fiction.  The story is about a boy named Henry who eats way too much chocolate.  One day after eating loads of chocolate Henry starts noticing some spots and there is a strong aroma of chocolate coming from him.  When he goes to get help, people are amazed by his chocolate spots.  Henry gets so embarrassed that he runs away.  When Henry runs away he ends up facing many different obstacles.  One obstacle in particular that I enjoyed was when he runs into a bunch of bullies.  Henry thought quick and used his chocolate spots as self defense.  Henry then meets Mac a truck driver for a candy company that does not judge Henry for his spots.  He treats Henry with respect and makes Henry comfortable by relating to his problems.  Mac and Henry end up getting into an obstacle of their own when they get robbed.  The robbery ends up being a blessing in disguise because it gets Henry to the owner of a candy factory. The owner has the remedy for Henry's chocolate fever and Henry realizes that he should not over indulge anymore.  This story is a humorous story for children to read that passes a subtle message that all people should do their best in respecting others and not judging people because of their appearance.  It also teaches students not to over indulge in certain things as well as, appreciate things in moderation.  I could put this book in a genre with humorous fiction, fiction, or fiction-life lessons.

Note: This is a free choice book as well as a chapter book

Third Grade Pet By Judy Cox

Third Grade Pet by Judy Cox would be considered fiction.  This could also be realistic fiction because the story takes place in modern times and could actually happen in real life.  The main character of this story is Rosemary.  Rosemary is a kind girl that enjoys school, family and friends.  In the story Rosemary finds out that her teacher, Mr. Wilder has enough money in the class budget to get a classroom pet.  Rosemary hopes for the fish but the final decision ends up being a rat.  Rosemary is disgusted and scared because she does not like rats.  Her family is not animal friendly, especially her mom. Rosemary ends up having to be the first one to take care of the new class pet with the classroom bully, Brian.  Rosemary decides to let her guard down and becomes a huge fan of the rat.  So much that she doesn't want to leave the rat at school in fear that her bully classmate Brian will take it home and torture the rat.  Rosemary decides to steal the rat from the class in order to protect it.  Because of this, Rosemary gets into a bunch of predicaments through out the story.  My favorite is when she takes the rat to the dentist with her and the rat gets out of her book bag.  I think it is something that the children can relate to.  Rosemary quickly learns that her house is no place for a rat and has to sneak the rat back into her classroom.  She realizes that things aren't always what they seem to be and that you should never just judge a book by its cover.  She also learns that just because one person may not like something does not mean that the next person won't.  She thought because her mom hates animals she would too.  I would use this book to teach the students to be open-minded. Sometimes children decide to dislike things because they don't know enough about the topics or ideas.  I think that this would go into a bin under fiction or I could also do a life lessons bin.  It would be books that teach the students life long lessons.

Note:  This was a free choice book as well as a chapter book

Babushka's Doll By Patricia Polacco

Babushka's Doll By Patricia Polacco is falls under the fiction genre.  The story contains three characters.  A young girl named Natasha, her grandmother, which she calls, Babushka and a doll that comes to life.  In the story Natasha is insistent that her Babushka drop everything and play with her.  Her Babushka is patient with her  and just explains that she can not do the many things Natasha wants her to do because she has other things that need ti get done.  AFter lunch one day, her Babushka decides to let Natasha play with a doll of hers while she steps out.  The doll ends up coming to life and running Natasha ragged by treating Natasha the same way that Natasha had been treating her Babushka.  Through this Natasha sees that she should be respectful of others and their time and that it is not kind to run people ragged.  You could use this book in the classroom if you wanted to teach the students about respecting others time and giving others some independent time.   This book is a great idea when wanting to teach students patience and understanding.  

 

NOTE: This is a free choice book

A Farming Family Heritage

CINDERELLA (CinderFOOT)

Tinker Bell Narrative

three little pigs readers theatre