Cowboy and Octopus

Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator:   Lane Smith
Publisher:  Viking
Publication Year:  2007
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   School Library Journal and Horn Book starred reviews

Summary:  Cowboy and Octopus are unlikely pals (even the endpapers and the dedications show their differences). In these seven small stories, they meet, work together, eat baked beans, dress up for Halloween, explore the weather, tell jokes, and appreciate (or not) each other's hats. Silly but sometimes profound fun! Lane Smiths' "collage" creations illustrate the story perfectly (surreal but nice).

Classroom Ideas: This book has a great theme of appreciating people for their individuality and looking beyond the outside. If you can't figure out the themes, Octopus will point them out for you- great introduction to the idea of theme or moral for younger readers.

Robot Zot

Author: Jon Scieszka
 Illustrator: David Shannon  
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Publication Year:   2009
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   School Library Journal starred review, NY Public Library Top 100

Summary:  Robot Zot crashes onto Earth and attacks all of the appliances in the kitchen. The story takes a turn when Robot Zot meets the princess, a pink cell phone. David Shannon's colorful illustrations fill the page and pull the reader into Robot Zot's world.

Classroom Ideas: This book is such a great example of onomatopeia and great word choice, especially vivid verbs.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Author: A.Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka
Illustrator:   Lane Smith
Publisher:Viking 
Publication Year: 1989  
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   ALA Notable, NEA "Teacher's Top 100 Books", School Library Journal "Top 100 Picture Books of All Time"

Summary:  Another Scieszka story that turns a traditional tale upside down. In this one. the story of the three little pigs is told by the wolf instead of the pigs. In it, the narrator talks directly to the reader and his tells his story where he was just looking to borrow a cup of sugar from his pig neighbors. Once again, Lane Smith's creative illustrations and the amazing use of typography make this book into something special.

Classroom Ideas: Obviously, this book is perfect for perspective and point of view. In the 2013 Tennessee Writing Assessment, 5th graders were asked to take a given story and then rewrite it from a different perspective. This would be a very accessible example of that idea to start kids in thinking about the process.

The Frog Prince Continued

Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Steve Johnson
Publisher:  Viking
Publication Year: 1991 
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:  

Summary:  This is a continuation of the frog prince story- what if they didn't live happily ever after? The prince wants to turn back into a frog and relive his happier times Along the way he meets the witches/godmother from many familiar tales and realizes that maybe he does love the princess after all.

Classroom Ideas: Kids will love picking out the characters that they recognize from other fairy tales. This is a perfect book for a writing exercise where students write what happens next in other stories. There's also a theme to be found in here somewhere!

Math Curse

 

Author & Illustrator:   Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
Publisher:  Viking
Publication Year: 1995 
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Booklist Editor's Choice

Summary:  After her Math teacher tells her that "almost everything in life can be considered a Math problem", the narrator starts to find Math throughout her own environment. She finds examples of algebra, probability, statistics, and fractions. In the end, she breaks the curse and has the ability to solve any problem. Smith's amazing illustrations add to the fun of this book! 

Classroom Ideas: I always read this book on the first day of Math class and talking to a friend who's a high school teacher I discovered that she did the same! It's a great introduction to real-life Math and problem solving.

Baloney (Henry P.)

Author: Jon Scieszka
 Illustrator:   Lane Smith
Publisher:  Penguin
Publication Year:   2005
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   IRA Children's Choice Award

Summary:  Henry P. Baloney is an alien schoolboy who has to come up with a reason why he is late to szkola again. Thus begins his hilarious tale of rocket ships and flying saucers, made even better by the inclusion of vocabulary from many different languages. Again, Lane's detailed illustrations make this a book that older kids want to examine over and over again. (And, yes, there are two pictures here because my kids LOVE the silver foil book jacket for this one and I had to include it.)

Classroom Ideas:  I used this book in my 5th grade classroom to introduce context clues to my students by using clues to figure out the meanings of the foreign words. It could also be used in writing as Miss Bugscuffle the teacher refers to Henry's story as a tall tale which always led to an interesting discussion with my students as to the defining characteristics of tall tales.

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales

Author & Illustrator:   John Scieszka & Lane Smith
Publisher:  Penguin
Publication Year:   1992
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Caldecott, NYT Best Illustrated

Summary:  This is a collection of fractured fairy tales that has hilarious, tongue-in-cheek versions of classic stories like "The Really Ugly Duckling," "Cinderumpelstiltskin," and "The Stinky Cheese Man." Lane Smith's unique illustrations include unconventional typography and page arrangement that fascinates both kids and adults alike. Scieszka's naughty narrator throws traditional structure on its head by rearranging the end papers, the table of contents, and even the title page. I adore this book!

Classroom Ideas: I have used this book in my 5th grade classroom when studying versions of fairy tales. It could also be used in a figurative language unit, especially with hyperbole and sarcasm. It would be great for talking about text features and parts of a book.