Oh, No!

Author: Candace Fleming
Illustrator:   Eric Rohmann
Publisher:  Schwartz & Wade Books
Publication Year: 2012  
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Kirkus starred review & Best Book, School Library Journal starred review, Bull-Bransom Award

Summary:  The rhyming text in this book is infectious! Frog falls into a hole and then his friends try to get him out. Unfortunately, they all fall in too. Then Tiger comes over, sees all the tasty animals in the hole together and offers to "help" them out. Instead, Elephant comes along and shakes the ground so Tiger falls in too. In the end, Elephant helps almost all of them out, but Tiger remains in the hole. Rohmann's gorgeous relief cuts pull the reader into the jungle environment perfectly, and the final endpaper with Tiger's paws just showing to pull him out of the hole is priceless!

Classroom Ideas: This book is full of rhyme, rhythm, onomotopeia, and repetition. It would be fun to show kids the two endpapers and have them make predictions about the story, as they perfectly bookmark it!

In the Small, Small Pond

Author & Illustrator:   Denise Fleming
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company
Publication Year:   1993
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Caldecott Honor

Summary:  This is the story of how a pond comes to life during the spring time as the animals move around. The gorgeous, vibrant illustrations were created by "pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils [to create] images set in homemade paper!"

Classroom Ideas: While it only uses a few words, they are masterfully chosen and could easily be used to spur a lesson on word choice. There is also rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. Obviously, it could also be used to teach science and life cycles.