Henry's Freedom Box

Author: Ellen Levine
Title: Henry’s Freedom Box
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Genre: Picture Book
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Freedom
Primary Character: Henry Brown
Secondary Characters: His family
Award(s): Caldecott Honor
Date of Publication: 2007
Publication Company: Scholastic Press
Summary: Henry Brown grew up not knowing when his real birthday was. He was a slave. After losing his wife and children to the slave trade, this bright and determined young man does whatever he needs to in order to ensure his freedom, even if it means mailing himself in a box to Philadelphia.
How to use with students: This book can be used for many grade levels (3-6) to teach about slavery and how the slaves felt.

Are You My Mother?

Author: P.D. Eastman
Title: Are You My Mother?
Illustrator: none
Genre: Picture Book
Subgenre: Animal
Theme: Belonging
Primary Character: The little bird
Secondary Characters: His mother
Award(s): none
Date of Publication: 2005
Publication Company: Picture Lions
Summary: A bird hatches from an egg. His mother is not there with him because she flew to find him some food to eat. The little bird goes on a hunt for his mother. He goes to various animals asking if they are his mother. He eventually finds his mother.
How to use with students: I think this makes a good book for early readers, just as it is suggested. It has a lot of words that students will learn as sight words (basic verbs like went and said, other words like up, down, stop) and many other common words that students learn early on (bird, kitten, dog, plane).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Author: Dr. Seuss
Title: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Illustrator: none
Genre: Picture Book
Subgenre: Fantasy
Theme: Christmas
Primary Character: Grinch
Secondary Characters: mayor, Cindy, max
Award(s): Caldecott Honor
Date of Publication: 2004
Publication Company: HarperCollinsChildren
Summary: How the Grinch stole Christmas by Dr. Suess is an all-time classic! It is about the Grinch, the people of Who-ville, and the Grinch’s dog, max. The story is about how much the Grinch hates Christmas. He hates it so much he attempts to take Christmas away from the people of Who-ville. So he dresses max, his dog, into an reindeer and builds a sleigh, then rides into the city and takes the all food, presents, ect. In the end when he heard all the people of Who-ville cries, his heart grew 3x in size.
How to use with students: This is a great book to use during the Christmas season. Everyone loves the story of the Grinch and Whoville.

Interrupting Chicken

Author: David Ezra Stein

Title: Interrupting Chicken

Illustrator: none

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Animals

Theme: Manners

Primary Character: The little chicken

Secondary Characters: Her father

Award(s): Caldecott Honor

Date of Publication: 2010

Publication Company: Candlewick Press

Summary: This is a funny book about a family of chickens. It is time bedtime for the little chicken and the father attempts to read him a bedtime story. Despite her father’s attempts the little chicken interrupts his story over and over. 

Use with students:  I would use Interrupting Chicken to teach K-3 lessons on the simple fundamentals of manners and the role of the son/daughter/father. Though for this title, I would just read this story for the pure enjoyment of modernized tale-telling. 

All the World

Author:  Elizabeth Garton Scanlon

Title: All the World

Illustrator: Marla Frazee

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Poetry

Theme: family, our world

Primary Character: The family

Secondary Characters: none

Award(s): Caldecott Honor

Date of Publication: 2009

Publication Company: Beach Lane Books

Summary: In this book, we follow a boy and a girl as they go about their day, observing the happenings of the world around them.

Use with students:  This would be great for guided or independent reading with younger elementary school.

A Bad Case of Stripes

Author: David Shannon

Title: A Bad Case of Stripes

Illustrator: David Shannon

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Fantasy

Theme: Be Yourself

Primary Character: Camilla

Secondary Characters: Her mother and classmates

Award(s): none

Date of Publication: 2004

Publication Company: Scholastic Paperback

Summary:  Camilla Cream likes lima beans, but when she gets made fun of for liking them, she gets embarrassed and tells her family that she no longer wants to eat them. She then breaks out with stripes. The doctors however cannot find anything wrong with her so her mother still makes her go to school. Camilla’s classmates discover that whenever they yell out colors or designs she turns into whatever they have yelled out. Camilla discovers the only cure to actually eat what others make fun of her for, the lima beans, and when she does she turns back into regular old Camilla. 

Use with students:  I loved the message in this book and think it would be great for those third and fourth graders who are beginning to feel pressure from their peers. The story gives the message that is it okay to be an individual and important to do so.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Author: Kevin Henkes

Title: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

Illustrator: none

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Animals

Theme: Consequences for your actions

Primary Character: Lilly

Secondary Characters: Mr. Slinger

Award(s): none

Date of Publication: 1996

Publication Company: Greenwillow

Summary: Lilly is a young mouse who adores her teacher Mr. Slinger. She sets a goal for herself to want to be a teacher just like Mr. Slinger when she grows up. One day, Lilly brings a purple, plastic purse to school and she is so excited to share it with the class that she interrupts class to show it to everyone. When Mr. Slinger takes the distracting purse away, Lilly is furious. She writes Mr. Slinger a nasty note, and slips it into his bag. 

Use with students:  This story sends an excellent message about the power of one’s words, and how anger can make you do some mean things. Sharing this book with students can let them see Lilly's mistakes, and the images make them know what it is like to feel guilty, and how it takes time and effort for negative words to heal one’s soul.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Author: Doreen Cronin

Title: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Humor

Theme: Animal Rights

Primary Character: Cows

Secondary Characters: Farmer

Award(s): Caldecott Honor

Date of Publication: 2000

Publication Company: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: The animals on the farm find a typewriter. They start to send the farmer messages. They demand to have electric blankets because the barn is cold at night. They eventually go on strike and refuse to give their milk or eggs. The duck is the mediator in the story.
Use with students: This book would work great for teaching "working together" type themes, because the cows work together to get something they want. This might also be a great story to do a flannel board. It should definitely be used with younger readers.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Author: Mo Willems

Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Illustrator: none

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Animals

Theme: Persistance

Primary Character: The Pigeon

Secondary Characters: The bus driver

Award(s): Caldecott

Date of Publication: 2004

Publication Company: Walker Books Ltd

Summary: This book takes place when a bus driver needs to take a break and put you, the reader, in charge of his bus. He leaves you with one rule: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. The pigeon persists and pleads throughout the book to have just one turn to drive the bus before its real driver gets back.
Use with students: The book would be great to use for early readers.  It can be used to teach personification and what persistence means.

When You Reach Me

Author: Rebecca Stead

Title: When You Reach Me

Illustrator: none

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: Mystery

Theme: Friendship, Growing up

Primary Character: Miranda

Secondary Characters: Sal, Miranda’s mom

Award(s): Newberry

Date of Publication: 2009

Publication Company: Wendy Lamb Books

Summary: When Miranda's mother unexpectedly fell pregnant during college, she put her studies on hold and took time out to care for her baby. Twelve years later mother and daughter are poor but happy together.  Miranda is a good girl, but like many her age her world is small and revolves mainly around herself. When strange notes appear which tell her about things that will happen in the future, she is intrigued. As she tries to solve the mystery she is gradually drawn out of herself, and for the first time she understands the needs of those around her.
Use with students: This would be a great choice to read to fourth graders.  It could open their eyes and make them realize the needs of those around them as well.

Matilda

Author: Roald Dahl

Title: Matilda

Illustrator: none

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: Fantasy

Theme: Overcoming Obstacles

Primary Character: Matilda, Miss Honey

Secondary Characters: Miss Trunchbull, Matilda’s parents

Award(s): none

Date of Publication: 1998

Publication Company: Puffin

Summary: Matilda is a very, very intelligent kid. She is just 4 or 5 years old, but she already has a very advanced mind. She loves reading books and seems to be a math genius. Unfortunately, she has a very mean and problematic family. Her parents hate her, and they neglect her all the time.  She goes to school and meets the terrifying Miss Trunchbull. Miss Trunchbull runs the whole school, and she is feared by everybody, even by Matilda's teacher Miss Honey.  Matilda hates Miss Trunchbull, and so does Miss Honey. Matilda discovers that she has the power to move objects with her mind. She uses this power to scare Miss Trunchbull away. It turns out that Miss Trunchbull is actually Miss Honey's aunt. She took care of Miss Honey when she was still little, after her mommy died. Miss Trunchbull is very abusive towards her, and she became even more atrocious when Miss Honey's father died.  Matilda uses her amazing power against Miss Trunchbull. She fools her into thinking that Miss Honey's late father has come to haunt her for what she has done.

Use with students:  I believe younger students would enjoy this book very much.  It would be a great way to introduce fantasy that is somewhat believable.