Phoebe and Digger

Author: Tricia Springstubb
Illustrator:   Jeff Newman
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   featured in CCYAL Best of the Best 2013

Summary:  When Mama got a new baby, Phoebe got a new digger. At the park, Mama & the baby sit on a bench while Phoebe & Digger play in the dirt. A big mean girl comes and steals Digger even though Phoebe uses her words to ask for Digger back. Phoebe begins to feel a cry coming but Mama makes the mean girl give Digger back and Phoebe realizes Mama is still there for her too.

Classroom Ideas: A wonderful addition of a strong female character who wears red & green and plays with a digger. There is the idea of problem solving and the reassurance that mothers have enough love for all their children.

Everyone can learn to ride a bicycle

Author & Illustrator:   Chris Raschka
Publisher:  Schwartz & Wade
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus & School Library Journal starred reviews

Summary:  A girl in a big helmet chooses a bicycle and practices a lot. Her very patient father helps her take off the training wheels and try over and over again until she finally learns. The retro inspired illustrations are watercolors with blocks of color. There are very few words, but the true story is told in the pictures of the girl and her father. She falls again and again and continues to try. He hugs her and encourages her: "Don't give up. You'll get it. Find the courage to try again......until by luck, grace, and determination, you are riding..." Sure to bring a tear to every parent's eye.

Classroom Ideas:  A character study of the unnamed girl and her father with an extremely strong moral told with very few words. Beautifully touching.

Samantha on a Roll

Author: Linda Ashman
 Illustrator:   Christine Davenier
Publisher:  Margaret Ferguson Books
Publication Year:   2011
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Charlotte Zolotow Award, Kirkus starred review

Summary:  In rhyming text, this is the story of the brash Samantha who wants to learn to skate. Even though her mother doesn't have time to teach her, she takes off to teach herself (without her mother's knowledge.) Despite not knowing how to brake, she heads up Hawthorne Hill and heads down, destroying everything in her path. When she sees a kite, she rides it home where her mother is now ready to teach her to skate! The colored pencil and watercolor illustrations perfectly capture Samantha's facial expressions and her body language.

Classroom Ideas: There is some great vocabulary (flustered, swerving, snags) and some onomatopoeia. Samantha is a captivating character as well.

Rabbit's Snow Dance

Author: James & Joseph Bruchac
Illustrator:   Jeff Newman
Publisher:  Dial
Publication Year: 2012  
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Elizabeth Burr/Wozalla Award honor,

Summary:  An Iroquois pourquoi tale that tells about Rabbit, who was short on patience, and couldn't wait for the snow to come. Even though it's summertime and the other animals are ready for cold weather, Rabbit does his dance ("I will make it snow, AZIKANAPO!"). The snow comes and Rabbit just keeps going until he has to take a nap. When he awakes, he has an accident that explains why Rabbit has a small tail today! The illustrations are amazing line drawings and the colors are beautiful.

Classroom Ideas: The retelling of a traditional story is ripe for a classroom/library study of pourquoi tales. Rabbit is a perfect character for studying the effects of his impatience and perhaps the lesson he learned (moral).

Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution

Author & Illustrator:   Don Brown
Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   School Library Journal starred review

Summary:  In winter of 1775, a bookseller named Henry Knox drags 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. This book describes that trip in detail with simple line drawings and subtle watercolors. The story is told in a straight forward way that easily explains the amazing feat.

Classroom Ideas: A classroom study of the American Revolution or a character study on Henry. Through his actions, he shows determination and bravery.

Extras: map of the journey, bibliography

When Randolph Turned Rotten

Author & Illustrator:   Charise Mericle Harper
Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Year:   2007
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Publisher's Weekly starred review, Junior Library Guild selection

Summary:  Two friends Randolph and Ivy are roommates. Ivy gets invited to a sleepover birthday party, but Randolph feels left out that he didn't get invited. Randolph gets mad and starts to hope that Ivy has a horrible time. His insides turn horrible, rotten, awful, and icky; and he does mean things to ruin Ivy's party. Then he starts to feel guilty. Meanwhile, Ivy accidentally locks the party-goers out of the house, but Randolph's "mean" additions to her bag end up saving the day. When Ivy gets home, Randolph apologizes and Ivy shares her stories of the beach party. The comic strip type illustrations are wonderful with details that kids will want to pour over.

Classroom Ideas: This book can be used to show how feelings become actions- it would be a great book for a guidance counselor or a teacher to use when talking about bullying.  Randolph is an excellent character to talk about.

Black Dog

Author & Illustrator:   Levi Pinfold
Publisher:  Candlewick
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Kate Greenway Medal,ALSC Notable, NYT Notable, CYBIL Award finalist

Summary:  A black dog appears outside the Hope family's house, and as each family member encounters it, the dog seems to get larger and larger. Then the smallest Hope (nicknamed Small) laughs at her frightened family and goes outside to meet the dog. She calls the huge beast "guffin" and it "snuffs" at her. The big dog chases her around the town until it shrinks and follows her in through the cat flap. The family realizes that Small has been quite brave and they welcome Black Dog into the family. The paintings in this book are rich in both color and detail, and the text is accompanied by gorgeous sepia thumbnails that perfectly imitate the old-fashioned feel of the story.

Classroom Connections: Despite the realistic characters and setting, this story is a fantasy and would do well in a classroom discussion of what makes fantasy. The characters show their personalities through their actions as well. 

Song and Danceman

Author: Karen Ackerman
Illustrator:   Stephen Gammell
Publisher:  Dragonfly Books
Publication Year:   1988
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Caldecott Medal, Horn Book Fanfare, Booklist Choice,

Summary:  Grandpa danced on the vaudeville stage and he shows the kids his memorabilia from the ear. He puts on his old costume and performs for the kids in the attic. His show is "better than any show on TV." The enjoy the show, but Grandpa knows he wouldn't trade anything for the time he gets to spend with his grandkids. The illustrations are beautiful with lovely rainbow backgrounds that glow with the good feelings that Grandpa has with his memories and with his life.

Classroom Ideas: The word choices here are wonderful (lots of similes like "shoes make soft, slippery sounds like rain on a tin roof") Although Grandpa doesn't talk too much, he's a strong character.

Up and Down

Author & Illustrator:   Oliver Jeffers
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Year:   2010
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards: CBI Book of the Year shortlist,  starred review Kirkus

Summary:  A boy tries to help a penguin in his unsuccessful efforts to fly. He takes him to the zoo to ask for help, but the penguin runs off to join the circus and be a living cannonball. After the two get separated, they both are lonely and unhappy. When the penguin is shot from the cannon, the boy races to the circus in time to catch him. The two friends decide that maybe penguins don't like flying after all and they head home.

Classroom Ideas: The theme of this book revolves around friendship and support. The main characters are strong.

Boot & Shoe

   

Author & Illustrator:   Marla Frazee
Publisher:  Beach Lane Books
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Kirkus Best Book, Starred Reviews in School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Junior Library Guild Selection

Summary:  Boot & Shoe are pupies born into the same litter who do everything together except Boot spends time on the back porch and Shoe on the front. Then suddenly, a squirrel comes along to bother them and they chased it and chased it around the yard. They each end up on the wrong porch waiting there all night for the other.  They begin crying, but they meet at a  tree overjoyed to see each other! And they head off to bed together. I love Marla Frazee's illustrations so much!

Classroom Ideas: The tone here is poignant and sweet, and the theme is one of love and friendship. Boot & Shoe would make a great character study.

Train to Somewhere

Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator:   Ronald Himler
Publisher:  Clarion
Publication Year:   1996
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   Kirkus & Publisher's Weekly starred reviews, Parent's Choice, ALA Booklist Editors' Choice, ALA Notable, Jefferson Cup Award Honor

Summary:  In the late 1800s, orphans were sent on trains to find families to adopt them. This is the story of the fictional orphan Marianne who believes that her mother will be at one of the stops to fin her. She carries with her a feather that she took out of her mother's hat. At each stop, the younger, more attractive children are taken until at the final stop Marianne is the last child left. An older couple is there who offer her a toy train with the words "Sometimes what you get turns out to be better than what you wanted in the first place." Marianne "crumbles" and offers them the feather as she goes off to become their daughter.

Classroom Ideas: A perfect way for children to understand the plight of the children on the Orphan trains in the 1800s. This book has a wonderful theme and Marianne is a strong character. You can't help hoping that she ends up with a perfectly happy life.

Peter's Chair

Author & Illustrator:   Ezra Jack Keats
Publisher:  Viking
Publication Year:  1967
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   Kirkus starred review,

Summary:  Peter, of The Snowy Day fame, has a new sister named Susie, and he is not happy about it. He has to be quiet around here, and she's getting all of his things. He decides that he and his dog Willie will take his blue chair and run away! They go in front of the house, but when Peter tries to sit down his blue chair is too small. Then rejoins the family, in a grown-up chair, and suggests that they paint his little chair pink for his sister.

Classroom Ideas: This would be an excellent story for characterization, as Peter changes during the process. A teacher, librarian, or counselor could also use this story to talk to kids about jealousy and sibling rivalry.

Lilly's Big Day

Author & Illustrator:   Kevin Henkes
Publisher:  Greenwillow
Publication Year:   2006
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   School Library Journal best book, Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor, ALA Notable, Booklist Editors' Choice, Kirkus starred review

Summary:  When Lilly's beloved teacher announces his engagement, she is positive that she will be his flower girl. When she realizes that she will only be an assistant to Mr. Slinger's niece, she is devastated. But when Ginger gets stage fright, Lilly saves the day and helps her down the aisle. Henkes's illustrations are perfection, especially when Lilly (in her red cowboy boots, of course) is practicing for the big day.

Classroom Ideas: Lilly is an incredible character that many elementary girls can identify with. Students can use clues to infer what Lilly's parents are trying to say to her, what Mr. Slinger is thinking, and what Ginger is thinking while realizing that the story is only told from Lilly's perspective (perhaps a companion to This is Not My Hat to discuss unreliable narrators?).

Olivia

Author & Illustrator:   Ian Falconer
Publisher:  Atheneum
Publication Year:   2000
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Caldecott honor, Parent's Choice, ALA Notable, Publisher's Weekly Best Books, Kirkus starred review

Summary:  Olivia is a pig like no other- she is very good at wearing people out. The story follows Olivia and her family through a typical day at the beach, art museum (where Falconer includes reproductions of actual art pieces from Degas & Pollock), and home. The amazing illustrations bring Olivia and her sass to life, as she picks out clothes (from 17 pictured choices), imagines herself as a ballerina, and imitates Pollock on her bedroom wall (Time Out). The simple black, white, and always red color scheme makes Olivia pop off the page, and readers will quickly see themselves in her personality and spunk.

Classroom Ideas: Olivia would make for an excellent character study for younger children. It also could introduce Degas and Pollock for an art teacher.

Mrs. Katz and Tush

Author & Illustrator:   Patricia Polacco
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Year:   1992
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Jane Adams Peace Assoc. and Women's Intl. League for Peace and Freedom Honor,

Summary:  Larnel and his mother go to visit the recently widowed Mrs. Katz. The next day he brings her a kitten (Tush) and agrees to come back and help her with him. A friendship grows between the two of them, and many parallels are drawn between the Jewish people and African-Americans. Larnel shares Passover with Mrs. Katz and celebrates the birth of Tush's kittens. "at last I am a bubee" At the end, Mrs. Katz stays a member of Larnel's family and becomes bubee to his children.

Classroom Ideas: The theme of friendship between generations, races, and love between different people is so very lovely here.

Mr. Lincoln's Way

Author & Illustrator:   Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Philomel
Publication Year:  2001
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   Jean B. BellavanceYoung Reader's Choice, California Young Reader Medal, 

Summary: The principal Mr. Lincoln is beloved by everyone in the school except the bully "Mean Gene." Gene calls everyone names, including using a racial slur for Mr. Lincoln; but Mr. Lincoln keeps trying to find a way to reach Gene. One day he notices Eugene watching the birds outside the atrium window and gets the idea to get his help in attracting more birds . Gene has learned a lot about birds from his Grampa and he & Mr. Lincoln work together. Fighting against Eugene's father's bigotry, Mr. Lincoln tries to teach the him about accepting  and respecting of all his “little birds,” both feathered and human. When the ducklings hatch, Eugene and Mr. Lincoln lead them safely to the pond where their parents wait.

Classroom Ideas: The themes of tolerance and respect in this book are strong and would lend themselves well to being used by a guidance counselor. It also has strong characters in Mr. Lincoln and Eugene, and it would even be interesting to see what inferences kids could make about Eugene's family from the text clues.

My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother

Author & Illustrator:   Patricia Polacco
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Publication Year:   1994
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   ALA Notable, School Library Journal Best Book, American Bookseller Pick, Publisher's Weekly & School Library Journal starred reviews

Summary:  Tired of always losing to her brother, Patricia makes a wish upon a star that she can be better than him at something. The next day the carnival comes to town and Tricia rides the merry-go-round longer than her brother. But when she goes to get off, she falls, hurts herself, and he has to carry her home! From then on, her relationship with her brother gets a bit easier as she realizes what he will do for her.

Classroom Ideas: Another memoir from Patricia Polacco's life that kids could use as a mentor text and write a story about their own siblings. Polacco also draws strong characters. There's a stated theme: "Be very careful what you wish for....It just may come true!" but there are also strong themes of love, family, and competition.

Chicken Sunday

Author & Illustrator:   Patricia Polacco
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Year:   1992
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist starred reviews; Golden Kite Award for Illustration; ALA Notable, Booklist Editor's Choice, IRA Children's Choice Book

Summary:  After her beloved babushka's death, Patricia adopts her neighbors as new brothers and takes on their gramma as her own. The kids want to buy a special Easter hat for Gramma but they don't have enough money. The owner of the store where the hat is thinks that they vandalize his shop by throwing eggs at it, so to pay him back (even though they didn't do it) they make him Russian psysanky (painted) eggs. He offers to sell some in his shop to make money for the hat. In the end, he gives the hat to the children who are so proud to give it to Gramma.

Classroom Ideas:This is another book based on Patricia Polacco's life and an example of personal narrative. There are strong characters of different ethnicities. There's also some strong figurative language here- "a voice like slow thunder and sweet rain" "You'll be as flat as a hen's tongue")

Thank you, Mr. Falker

Author & Illustrator:   Patricia Polacco
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Year:   1998
Location: Personal Collection

Awards:   Parent's Choice Award

Summary:  This is the autobiographical story of Patricia Polacco's fifth grade teacher. Tricia was unable to read because of dyslexia and was teased by the other kids. Her teacher, Mr. Falker, recognizes her challenges and her strengths and helps her learn to read.

Classroom Ideas:This could be a mentor text for a personal narrative about a student's own challenges or about someone who's made a difference in their life. Both Patricia and Mr. Falker are strong characters.

Nobody Asked the Pea

Author & Illustrator:   John Warren Stewig
Publisher:  Holiday House
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Lawson McGhee

Awards:   Common Core Writing connection

Summary:  This is the traditional story of the princess and the pea told from different perspectives: the pea, the queen, the prince, a mouse in the castle, a maid, the head housekeeper, the king, the doorman, a page, and the princess.  The characters are incredibly well-described through their individual voices.

Classroom Ideas: This book is perfect for the 5th grade common core standard of perspective where students are expected to be able to retell the story in a different point of view.