Cloudy with a Chance of
Meatballs
By Judi Barrett
Illustration by Ron Barrett
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs begins with Grandpa making pancakes for his
grandchildren. The pancakes remind Grandpa of a great bedtime story about the
town of Chewandswallow. This town is different from any other town. It has no
food stores and it does not rain, snow, or have any regular weather patterns.
The people of Chewandswallow do not get to choose what falls from the sky.
Sometimes it could be hot dogs, hamburger or even meatballs. Everything in the
town is great until the portions of food that fall from the sky become bigger.
There is even a huge pancake that covers the school and causes school to close
for good. The people of the town decide they need to leave and build boats out
of bread to travel out of town. They reach a new town where there is no food
falling from the sky and where they buy food in the local grocery store. Grandpa
ends his bedtime story here and the grandchildren wake up the next day to go
sledding. For some reason they imagine they are sledding on mashed potatoes.
About the Author:
Judi Barrett is an author of many picture books and currently teaches
kindergarten in Brooklyn, New York. She received her B.F.A. from the Pratt
Institute in 1962. Judi married the artist Ron Barrett, who illustrated some of her
most popular books. Even though soon after Judi and Ron Barrett were divorced,
they continued to collaborate on books for many years.
Judi Barrett Books:
 Animals Should Definitely Not Act Like People
 Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing
 I Knew Two Who Said Moo: A Counting and Rhyming Book
 Old MacDonald Had an Apartment House
 Pickles to Pittsburgh
 The Marshmallow Incident
 Things That Are Most in the World
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 1
RL.1.1 - Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
 Students will answer questions throughout the book to confirm their
predictions such as:
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“Boys and girls how would you try and remove the pancake from the
school?
 “It looks like this town is in trouble, readers. What do you think the people
of Chewandswallow will do?”
RL.1.7 - Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting,
or events.
 Students will work with a partner to discuss the characteristics of the town
Chewandswallow, which will then be recorded on chart paper.
Big Words for Little People
By Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustration by Laura Cornell
Big Words for Little People helps children understand the meaning of adult words
and family values. The family in this picture book helps discover that words are
both big and small. The illustrations demonstrate how to be good and
responsible citizens in school and at home. A happy teacher is portrayed as
praising good spelling with "stupendous!" and "superb!" After one sister is caught
chewing gum her “consequence” is to sit inside at recess. The book explores the
variety of language that connects children and adults.
About the Author: Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. She is
best known for her film debut in 1978 by starring in the film Halloween. Curtis
was born in Santa Monica, California and attended University of the Pacific in
Stockton, California. Her 1998 book Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That
Make My Day made the best-seller list in The New York Times. In between
acting and writing picture books she is a blogger at Huntington Post. She is
married to Christopher Guest and has two adopted children. Curtis tells her
readers that she "moonlights as an actor, photographer, and closet organizer."
Jamie Lee Curtis Books:
 When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old's Memoir of Her Youth
 Tell Me Again About The Night I was Born
 Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day
 Where Do Balloons Go? : An Uplifting Mystery
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I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem
It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel
Is There Really a Human Race?
My Friend Jay
My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story
Teaching Ideas:
Kindergarten
L.K.4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words
and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
 Students are given puzzle pieces with big words and definitions and must
properly match up with the appropriate puzzle piece.
W.K.1 - Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion
pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are
writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My
favorite book is...).
 Students will draw pictures of their families and label each family member
with three “big words” about each person under their illustrations.
Because of Winn-Dixie
By Kate DiCamillo
Opal and her father, the preacher, moved to Naomi, Florida in the summer.
Opal’s mother left her and her father when she was young. She is trying to find
her way in this new town, but she finds she misses her friends. One day Opal
went into the Winn-Dixie grocery store and found an orphan dog. She decided
she would name this dog Winn-Dixie and bring him home. Winn-Dixie becomes
Opal’s best friend and helps her makes new friends and memories.
She visits the library to listen to Miss Franny Block tell all her wonderful stories
and goes to Gloria Dump’s, who is almost blind, to help her with plants and read
to her. Opal needed a collar for Winn-Dixie and made a deal with Otis, the ex-con
and the manager of the pet store, to help work at the store. Otis agreed after
Winn-Dixie puts in her hours he would give her the collar. Opal loves when Otis
plays his guitar and the animals listen. Opal spends this summer thinking a lot
about her mother and asks her father to tell her ten things about her mother.
Throughout the summer Opal listens to lots of stories and make wonderful
memories with her friends. At the end Opal brings all of her friends to have a
party when a storm comes through. Through all the chaos she could not find
Winn-Dixie and decided to go searching for her best friend through the storm.
After hours of searching they found Winn-Dixie hiding under the bed because
she was scared of the thunder. In this book Opal learns the real meaning of
friendship and what it means to love and forgive.
About the Author: Kate DiCamillo was born on March 25, 1964 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. As a child she had chronic pneumonia and her family moved her
to Florida for the warmer climate. DiCamillo received her college degree in
English from University of Florida in 1987. She then moved to Minnesota to work
in a book warehouse, which led her to meet a sales representative from
Candlewick Press. DiCamillo submitted a draft of Because of Winn-Dixie to this
publisher and this was the beginning of her writing career. Her novel The Tale of
Despereaux and the novel Flora and Ulysses each won the annual Newbery
Medal. In 2014, she was named the National Ambassador for Young People's
Literature by the Library of Congress. DiCamillo currently resides in Minnesota
with her dog.
Kate DiCamillo Books:
 The Tiger Rising
 The Tale of Despereaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some
soup, and a spool of thread
 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
 The Magician's Elephant
 Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
 Bink & Gollie series
 Mercy Watson series
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 3
RL.3.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
 After reading independently students will then reread specific passages in
response to a set of text-dependent questions to help them analyze and
examine the meaning of the text.
W.3.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with
reasons.
 Opal does not know her mother and asks her father to tell her ten things
about her. In this lesson students write ten things about someone else and
discuss different characteristics of the students and characters in the
book.
Dragons Love Tacos
By Adam Rubin
Illustration by Daniel Salmieri
A boy and his dog are told that Dragons love every kind of tacos and explain that
if you want to be friends with dragons, tacos are the key. As much as dragons
love tacos they do not like any kind of spicy salsa. If dragons have anything
spicy their ears smoke and their snort sparks. This is why the toppings for the
tacos must be very mild. Dragons love tacos, but the thing they like most is taco
parties! They decided to host a taco party for the dragons. The boy and dog
buried the spicy salsa in the backyard so the dragons would not confuse the
salsas at the party. The party is going great until they noticed green specs in the
salsa. The boy had bought mild salsa with spicy jalapeno peppers! They tried to
stop the dragons, however it was too late and flames fired from the dragons
mouths. The dragons decided to help and rebuild the boy’s house. The boy
didn’t know if it was because they are nice and feel bad about wrecking his
house or because they had taco breaks. Either way, dragons really do love
tacos.
About the Author: Adam Rubin is currently the Creative Director at a New York
ad agency called Firstborn and has been in advertising for ten years. He is a
graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and is a New York Best Selling
Author. In his spare time he writes children’s picture books and teaches improve
classes in Brooklyn.
Adam Rubin Books:
 Those Darn Squirrels
 Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door
 Those Darn Squirrels Fly South
 Big Bad Bubble
 Secret Pizza Party
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 4
W 4.4- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
 Students will read the writing prompt “If you had a pet dragon” and
respond with five sentences.
RF.4.4 - Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
 Students will be asked to read pages from the book aloud and answer
questions regarding the setting and characters.
Falling Up
By Shel Silverstein
Illustration by Shel Silverstein
Tell me I'm clever,
Tell me I'm kind,
Tell me I'm talented,
Tell me I'm cute,
Tell me I'm sensitive,
Graceful and Wise
Tell me I'm perfect-But tell me the TRUTH.”
― Shel Silverstein, Falling Up
About the Author: Shel Silverstein was born into a Jewish family on September
25, 1930 in Chicago. He attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Roosevelt
University for three years. In 1953 he was drafted into the United States Army
and then served in Japan and Korea. Silverstein began drawing cartoons at a
young age and began submitting cartoons to magazines when he graduated. In
1975, he became one of the leading cartoonists for the magazine Playboy and
traveled the world creating an illustrated travel journal. His other well-known
cartoon collection is Now Here's My Plan: A Book of Futilities, which was
published by Simon and Schuster. Silverstein was encouraged by his editor to
write children’s poetry even though he had never written poetry. He also loved
music and composed original music for films and other projects. In 1959
Silverstein staged an off-Broadway comedy Look, Charlie: A Short History of the
Pratfall and went on to write more than 100 one-act plays. He passed away
suddenly from a massive heart attack at the age of 68 on May 10m 1999 in Key
West, Florida.
Shel Silverstein Books:
 Take Ten
 Grab Your Socks!
 Now Here's My Plan
 Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book
 Playboy's Teevee Jeebies
 Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back
 A Giraffe and a Half
 The Giving Tree
 Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?
 Uncle Shelby's Zoo: Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies
 More Playboy's Teevee Jeebies
 Where the Sidewalk Ends
 The Missing Piece
 Different Dances
 A Light in the Attic
 The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
 Draw a Skinny Elephant
 Runny Babbit
 Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies Every Thing On It
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 2
L.2.1.E - Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on
what is to be modified.
 Students will identify adjectives by circling the word in the poem and
substitute their own adjectives in place.
SL.2.5 - Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other
visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify
ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
 Students will then record their new “Tell Me” poem and read their work in
front of the class.
Frindle
By Andrew Clements
Nick Allen has just started fifth grade and is not thrilled about his English teacher,
Mrs. Granger. Nick has always been great about distracting teachers, but that
did not work with Mrs. Granger. During the first day of class Nick tried to distract
Mrs. Granger by asking about dictionaries and where books come from. Instead
of giving him an answer, Mrs. Granger assigned him to do research on this topic
and have a presentation ready for the next day. Following his presentation Nick
creates a new word for pen called “Frindle.” Nick recruits all his friends and
classmates to start using the word Frindle. Mrs. Granger does not find Nick’s new
word to be acceptable and finds it disrespectful to original word pen. She makes
students stay after school and write sentences for using the word Frindle. This
causes chaos to erupt in the school and the principal visits Nick’s parents at
home. Nick’s parents don’t see the problem using the word Frindle and tell Nick
not to be disrespectful, but he can still use the word Frindle.
Frindle starts being used in advertisements and printed on merchandise. Nick’s
dad’s friend suggests buying the rights to the word “Frindle” and builds a secret
fund for Nick when he is older. Frindle becomes a common word in the English
language that people use and this makes Nick a wealthy adult. In later years
Nick receives a copy of a new dictionary with the word Frindle from Mrs.
Granger. With this dictionary is a letter explaining how Mrs. Granger stood
against the name to make the word Frindle more popular. Nick then sends Mrs.
Granger a gold pen and told her she may call this any name she would like. Mrs.
Granger was Nick’s favorite teacher and even created a scholarship in her name.
About the Author: Andrew Clements was born on May 29, 1949 on Camden,
New Jersey and moved to Illinois when he was eleven years old. Clements
family were avid readers and would go to the summer in Maine with no electricity
and spend time reading at night. After being complemented in high school on a
funny poem he written he decided to major in literature at Northwestern
University. Soon after he earned a Masters of Arts from National Louis University
and went onto to teach in Chicago Public Schools. Clements married and had a
son, but was layed off from teaching due to reduction in force. He and his family
decided to move to New York City where he would focus on his career as a
singer-songwriter. During this time he worked for a small publisher, which led
him to develop a company with his friend that imported picture books from
Europe. From this moment Clements began writing children’s books and never
stopped. His book Frindle won sixteen state book awards, as well as the
Christopher Award. He currently resides in Massachusetts and continues “to
write one word at a time.”
Andrew Clements Books:
 Bird Adalbert
 Noah and the Ark and the Animals
 Big Al
 Santa' Secret Helper
 Temple Cat
 Mother Earth's Counting Book
 Billy and the Bad Teacher
 Who Owns the Cow?
 Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers
 Philipp's Birthday Book
 Riff's BeBop Book
 Real Monsters Go for the Mold!
 Things That Go EEK on Halloween
 Real Monsters Stage Fright
 Music Time, Any Time!
 Double Trouble in Walla Walla
 Workshop
 Gromble's Haunted Halloween
 Hey Dad, Could I Borrow Your Hammer?
 The Landry News
 Look Who's in the Thanksgiving Play!
 The Mouse Family
 The Janitor's Boy
 Circus Family Dog
 The Christmas Kitten
 The School Story
 Things Not Seen
 The Jacket
 A Week in the Woods
 Slippers at Home
 Naptime for Slippers
 The Report Card
 The Last Holiday Concert
 Slippers at School
 Slippers Loves to Run
 A Million Is a Lot of Dots
 Lunch Money
 Things Hoped For
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Room One: A Mystery or Two
No Talking
Things That Are
Lost and Found
Extra Credit
We the Children
Fear Itself
Troublemaker
About Average
The Whites of Their Eyes
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 5
W.5.3.B - Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to
develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to
situations.
 Students will be asked to work with a partner to write a short scene where
two character talk about a new word that was invented.
L.5.5.B - Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and
proverbs.
 Students will look up the meaning of idiom in the dictionary. Each student
will choose a slip of paper with a different idiom. They then will write a
paragraph on what they think their chosen idiom means.
Frog and Toad Together
By Arnold Lobel
Illustration by Arnold Lobel
Summary:
This book is about two best friends, Frog and Toad, and their stories doing
everything together.
A List: Toad makes a list of all the things he needs to do. One of the things on
the list is to take a walk with Frog. While they are taking the walk the list blows
away and cannot remember what was on the list. He finally remembers that
sleeping was on the list so Frog and Toad go to sleep.
The Garden: Frog gives Toad seeds to plant a garden just like him. Frog tells
Toad to be patient and let the sun and rain will the seeds grow. When Toad
wakes up the next morning he notices the seeds started to grow. He will soon
have a garden like Frog.
Cookies: Toad bakes delicious cookies and Frog cannot stop eating them. They
will promise to stop eating them and learn how to have control. They tie up the
cookies in a box and put them on a high shelf so they are not tempted to eat the
cookies. They eventually take the box outside and feed the cookies to the birds.
They decide they will bake a cake next.
Dragons and Giants: Toad and Frog read about a book about knights and brave
heroes. Even though they look brave looking in the mirror, they decide to
challenge themselves my climbing a mountain. They finally reach the top of the
mountain, but leave in a rush to get away from a hawk. They realize when they
return home that they’re brave enough to have each other as friends.
The Dream: Toad has a dream that he is on stage in costume. There is a voice
that announces Toad as The Greatest Toad in the World. Toad performs every
act for the only audience member, Frog. Toad asks Frog if he can do these acts
just like Toad. Frog shrinks every time he says he cannot do something Toad
asks him. Frog shrinks so small that Toad cannot see or hear him. Toad calls
out for his friend and he begins to spin in the dark when his dream ends. When
he wakes up Frog is in his house and they play outside together. Toad is
thankful it is just a bad dream.
About the Author: Arnold Lobel is a famous author and illustrator of children’s
books. He was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Schnectedy, New York. In
1981, Lobel won the Caldecott Medal for his illustration in the book Fables. He
was also a runner- up for his books Frog and Toad are Friends and Hildilid’s
Night in 1971 and 1972. The New Jersey Library Association awarded him the
Garden State Children’s Book Award for Mouse Soup in 1977. On December 4,
1987 Lobel passed way from Aids in New York City.
Arnold Lobel Books:
• Prince Bertram the Bad
• A Holiday for Mister Muster
• Giant John
• Lucille
• The Bears of the Air
• Martha the Movie Mouse
• The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog
• The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments
• Small Pig
• Ice-Cream Cone Coot, and Other Rare Birds
• On the Day Peter Stuyvesant Sailed Into Town
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Owl at Home
Grasshopper on the Road
A Treeful of Pigs
Fables
Uncle Elephant
Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
The Book of Pigericks: Pig Limericks
The Rose in My Garden
Whiskers & Rhymes
Odd Owls & Stout Pigs: A Book of Nonsense
Frog and Toad are Friends
Frog and Toad Together
Frog and Toad All Year
Days with Frog and Toad
The Frogs and Toads All Sang
A Zoo for Mister Muster
A Holiday for Mister Muster
Mouse Tales
Mouse Soup
Teaching Ideas:
Kindergarten
RL.K.3 - With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major
events in a story.
 Students will recognize the characters, setting and examples of friendship.
A chart will be used to help compare and contrast differences between the
chapters.
W.K.2 - Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose
informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and
supply some information about the topic.
 Students will draw a detailed picture illustrating friendship from one of the
chapters in Frog and Toad Together.
How Rocket Learned to Read
By Tad Hills
Illustration by Tad Hills
Rocket the dog loved to play and spend his time running outside. One day while
playing outside a little yellow bird startled Rocket. The yellow bird was so excited
that Rocket saw his sign “Class starts today.” Rocket told him he saw the sign,
but did not know how to read. The little bird told him this is great news because
he can teach him! Rocket was not interested so he walked away to take a nap.
The bird began to read a book aloud and Rocket could hear the story from where
he was napping. Rocket was so intrigued by the story and wanted to know the
end of the story that he ran over to the little bird to find out the ending. However,
the little bird had left so Rocket went back to the spot early in the morning to hear
the rest of the story. Everyday Rocket came to class and the little bird taught him
the alphabet, how to sound out words, and to read. The winter was coming and
the little bird had to leave, but reminded Rocket to practice his words and would
see him in the spring. Rocket practiced his spelling and sounding out the
alphabet. Soon it was spring and the little bird came back to teach Rocket. They
read books about all different things and when they were done they would read
them all over again.
About the Author: Tad Hills was born April 1, 1963 in Norwell, Massachusetts
in a house that was full of creativity. His grandmother was an artist and his
mother a 4th grade science teacher who loved animals. Hill graduated from
Skidmore College, New York with a degree in Art. He began illustrating books
when his wife was the VP and creative director for Simon and Schuster in the
90’s. His first picture book, Duck & Goose, a New York Times bestseller and ALA
Notable Book for Children His children remind him of what it feels like to be a kid
and tries to capture this feeling in his books. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife
and two children.
Tad Hills Books:
 Duck & Goose, Goose Needs a Hug
 Rocket Writes a Story
 Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny!
 Duck & Goose, It’s Time for Christmas
 Duck & Goose, How Are You Feeling?
 Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin
 Duck & Goose, 1, 2, 3
 What’s Up, Duck?
 Duck, Duck, Goose
 Duck & Goose
 My Fuzzy Safari Babies: A Book to Touch & Feel
 My Fuzzy Farm Babies: A Book to Touch & Feel
 Knock Knock Who’s There?: My First Book of Knock Knock Jokes
 My Fuzzy Friends
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 1
RF.1.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds
(phonemes).
 Student will use letter tiles to create and sound out words like Rocket did
in the book.
L.1.2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
 Students will draw Rocket doing an action and write one or two sentences
explaining what he is doing in their illustration.
Miss Nelson is Missing
By Harry G. Allard
Illustration by James Marshall
The kids in Room 207 were the worst behaved class in the whole school. They
never listened and would never behave for their teacher. Their teacher, Miss
Nelson, knew something would have to change. The next morning Miss Nelson
did not come to school. The students were so excited that they would not have
to listen and could do whatever they wanted. However, a woman in an ugly
black dress named Miss Viola Swamp came into class and began to yell at the
students to open up their books. They could tell she was not very nice and gave
the class a lot of work to accomplish. She told them if they misbehaved that they
would be in trouble. The students missed Miss Nelson and went to find her so
she could come back to school. They went to see Detective McSmogg to see if
he could help and he came to the conclusion that Miss Nelson is missing. The
students even went to her house to see if she was there, but they saw Miss Viola
Swamp around the corner so they decided to leave. The students thought
something terrible had happened like she was eaten by a shark or went to Mars!
The kids in Room 207 were very upset and realized Miss Nelson was not coming
back. Until, they heard footsteps in the hall and saw it was Miss Nelson. The
students were so happy to see her! That day when Miss Nelson went home for
the night she hung her coat right next to an ugly black dress, “I’ll never tell,” she
said.
About the Author: Harry G. Allard was born on January 27th in Evanston,
Illinois. He moved around and grew up in Long Island, Chicago and California.
In 1943 he graduated from Northwestern University and then was called to active
duty in Korea. After Korea, Allard moved to Paris for many years and became
fluent in French. This inspired him to receive a Masters degree and Ph. D in
French from Yale in 1973. He became a college professor and taught French
classes until he moved to Boston. When Allard moved to Boston he met an
illustrator James Marshall. Together they collaborated and published many
picture books including Miss Nelson is Missing. Allard still lives and works in
Massachusetts.
Harry G. Allard Books:
 Miss Nelson is Back
 Miss Nelson has a Field Day
 The Stupids Step Out
 The Stupids Have a Ball
 The Stupids Take Off
 The Stupids Die
 Starlight Goes to Town
 Bumps in the Night
 It’s So Nice to have a Wolf Around the House
 There’s a Party at Mona’s Tonight
 The Cactus Flowey Bakery
 Crash Helmet
 The Tutti-Frutti Case: Starring the Four Doctors of Goodge
 The Hummingbirds’ Day
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 2
RL.2.1 – Ask and answer such questions such as who, what, where, when, why,
and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in text.
 Students will explain their predictions while they are recorded on the white
board and determine if their prediction is current by the end of the book.
W.2.8 – Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided
sources to answer a question.
 Students will be asked to provide examples of rules for the classroom so
their classroom is not disruptive like Miss Nelson’s. They will create a
rules chart for their class to follow for the year.
I Want My Hat Back
By Jon Klassen
Illustration by Jon Klassen
A bear has lost his hat and goes to find it. He stops and asks all his animals
friends if they have seen his hat. The fox, the frog, the rabbit, the turtle, the
snake and the beaver did not see his hat. When the bear asks the deer if he saw
his hat, the deer responds, “What does your hat look like?” After the bear
describes his hat he realizes he has seen his hat! The bear confronts the rabbit
and finds his hat the rabbit stole. A squirrel then asked bear if he had scene a
rabbit wearing a hat. The bear responded in the same way the rabbit had, “No.
Why are you asking me. I haven’t seen him. I haven’t seen any rabbits
anywhere. I would not eat a rabbit. Don’t ask me any more questions.”
About the Author: In, 1981 Jon Klassen was born in Canada and grew up in
Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from Sheridan College majoring in Animation in
2005 and moved to Los Angeles. He worked on animation of the feature films
Kung Fu Panda and Coraline. Klassen won both the American Caldecott Medal
and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration for This is
Not My Hat. He is the first person to win both awards for the same work. This
book and its sequel I want My Hat Back were on the New York Best Seller’s List
for more than 40 weeks.
Jon Klassen Books:
 This is Not My Hat
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 2
RL.2.4. - Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration,
rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
 Students will be encouraged to read repetitive phrases chorally. (OK.
Thank you anyway.” and “Have you seen my hat?” and “No. I haven’t seen
your hat.”)
SL.2.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
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Students will turn and talk to partners right before the ending to predict
how the bear will solve the problem and give an opinion if they liked the
ending.
No, David!
By David Shannon
Illustration by David Shannon
This book is about a child, David, who broke all the rules and always heard his
mother say “No, David!” Each illustration shows David reaching for cookies,
being loud, playing with his food and jumping on his bed. David was always
getting into trouble. Until the end, when his mother tells him “Yes, David…I love
you!” No, David! is inspired by a book the author made when he was five years
old. The author enjoyed recreating the different variations of “no” we all heard
growing up.
About the Author: David Shannon was born on October 5, 1959 and grew up in
Spokane, Washington. In high school Shannon would create his own illustrations
based on books he was reading and decided he wanted to pursue a career in art.
He attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and
decided to focus on learning about political illustrations. Shannon moved to New
York City in 1993 to begin working for the New York Times and the Book Review.
Shannon’s book No! David won the Caldecott Honor in 1998. Shannon is
currently working on the screenplay for Georgie Radbourn, for a DreamWorks
live-action film and resides in Los Angeles, California with his family.
David Shannon Books:
 A Bad Case of Stripes
Alice the Fairy
 Bugs in My Hair!
 David Gets in Trouble
 David Goes to School
 David Smells!
 Duck On A Bike
 Good Boy Fergus!
 How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball
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It’s Christmas, David!
Jangles: A BIG Fish Story
Oh, David!
Oops!
The Rain Came Down
Too Many Toys
Teaching Ideas:
Kindergarten
RL.K.7 - With prompting and support, describe the relationship between
illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an
illustration depicts).
 Students will be asked to explain what the illustrations represent in the
story.
W.K.3 - Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single
event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which
they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
 Students will draw a picture of a rule they have at home and write one
sentence.
Out of My Mind
By Sharon M. Draper
Melody Brooks is an eleven-year-old girl who is living with cerebral palsy. She is
confined to her wheelchair and does not have control over her body. What
people don’t seem to understand that Melody knows exactly what is going on and
that her brain works like everyone else. She talks about what it feels like to be in
special education classes and how frustrating it is not being able to
communicate. Her parents have always wanted the best for Melody and give her
opportunities to succeed as best she can. Mrs. V, Melody’s neighbor, has been
extremely influential in Melody’s development. Mrs. V pushed Melody not to rely
on her parents for everything, but try and do things herself. She became more
self-sufficient because of Mrs. V, but still cannot walk, talk or feed herself.
When Melody is eight years old her mother becomes pregnant and her sister
Penny is born. Penny is born normal and is able to do things that Melody cannot.
Melody loves her sister, but is a little jealous of Penny and what she can do.
When Melody is in fifth grade she is able to participate in an inclusion class
where the special education students are in the regular class with other students.
She has an aid that assists her in these classes and really enjoys learning
regular lessons. All of the students and teacher in the class treat Melody as if
she doesn’t understand or doesn’t have a brain. Melody feels hurt and frustrated
that she cannot express how she feels. One day the teacher gives out a trivia
quiz to see who will make the Trivia Team. Melody participates in the quiz and
receives a perfect score. Not only is Melody surprised, but so is the teacher.
During this time Melody is given a computer where she can type and
communicate with others. This is very exciting for Melody and changes her
communication with school and her family. She ends up making the team and
prepares to fly to Washington, D.C. for the national competition. Unfortunately,
Melody’s flight is canceled due to weather and the other teammates leave
without her.
Even though Melody is hurt and upset she insists on going to school the next
day. Melody’s mother is tired and does not see her sister Penny in the driveway.
Melody kicks and screams trying to warn her mother. However, her mother does
not understand Melody and hits Penny with her car. Melody feels absolutely
horrible and guilty that she could not warn her mom. Penny is sent to the
hospital and will be fine. The Trivia Team apologizes to Melody and life
continues the way it was.
About the Author: Sharon M. Draper was born on April 11, 1952 in Cleveland,
Ohio. This New York Times bestselling author graduated from Pepperdine
University and went onto be an educator and writer. Draper has been a guest on
television and radio shows and is a public speaker who addresses educational
and literary groups of all ages. She is a member of the National Council of
Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, and Top Ladies of
Distinction. In 1997 Draper was the National Teacher of the Year and is a fivetime winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. She had the privilege of being one
of four authors to speak at the National Book Festival Gala in Washington, D.C.
Draper currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and dog.
Sharon M. Draper Books:
 Tears of a Tiger
 Forged by Fire
 Darkness Before Dawn
 Romiette and Julio
 Double Dutch
 The Battle of Jericho
 Copper Sun
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November Blues
Just Another Hero
Out of My Mind
Fire from the Rock
We Beat the Street
Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs Series
Sassy Series
Teaching from the Heart: reflections, encouragement, and inspiration
Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy around the Edges: inspiration, laughter,
and encouragement for teachers
Panic
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 6
W.6.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event
sequences.
 Students will write a personal essay that describes a special memory or
loss in their life and give explanation.
RL.6.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 Students will provide evidence in the text Out of My Mind about how
Melody feels about school and her classmates.
Owl Moon
By Jane Yolen
Illustration by John Schoenherr
Late one winter night Pa invites a little girl to go owling with him. The moon was
very bright and all they could hear was the sound of a train whistle. A dog
answered the whistle of the train and they sang back and forth for a long time. It
became quiet as the little girl and Pa headed towards the woods. They walked
through the snow as they made shadows. Now and then the little girl would have
to run and catch up with Pa, but never she never called out. They reached the
pine trees and Pa held up his hand to signal to stop. He looked up at the sky and
called the sound of a Great Horned Owl. He called again and again and there
was no answer so they continued to walk on. The little girl was getting colder
and colder, but still kept silent. She knew this was part of owling. The woods
became dark with shadows, but she knew she had to be brave when owling.
They came to a clearing in the dark woods where the moon was high above
them. Her Pa called to the owl and they both looked and listened very carefully.
All of the sudden the owl came through the trees and Pa howled back. The owl
came closer and flew right over Pa and the little girl. Pa turned on the flashlight
and caught the owl landing on a branch. The little girl stared at the owl for a
couple of minutes and then it flew away. It was time to go home and the little girl
knew she could talk, but continued as a shadow walking home. “When you go
owling you don’t need words or warm or anything but hope.”
About the Author: Jane Yolen was born on February 11, 1939 in New York
City. As a child she enjoyed writing and created a newspaper for her apartment,
which her brother sold for 5 cents. After graduating high school she attended
Smith College and then returned to New York City. She published her first book,
Pirates in Petticoats, at the age of 22. Yolen has written over 280 books and
won the Nebula Award for Novelette for Lost Girls including many more. In 2012
she became the first woman to give the Andrew Lang lecture. Yolen lives with
her husband and next door to one of her daughters in Western Massachusetts.
Jane Yolen Books:
 The Pit Dragon Chronicles
 The Bird of Time
 The Simple Prince
 The Gift of Sarah Barker
 Children of the Wolf
 The Stone Silenus
 Cards of Grief
 Sister Light, Sister Dark
 The Dragon's Boy
 White Jenna
 Greyling
 Wings
 Wizard's Hall
 Merlin and the Dragons
 Briar Rose
 The One Armed Queen
 Armageddon Summer
 Raising Yoder's Barn
 The Wizard's Map
 Queen's Own Fool
 Wild Wings: Poems for Young People
 Girl in a Cage
 Sword of the Rightful King
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Prince Across the Water
The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin
Pay the Piper: A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale
The Rogues
Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters
The Last Dragon
Curses! Foiled Again
Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters
The Devil's Arithmetic
Lost Girls
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 4
L.4.5.A - Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as
a picture) in context.
 Students will highlight similes and metaphors as they read and will explain
their reasoning.
W.4.3.D - Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey
experiences and events precisely.
 Students will write a story about being at a party using at least five similes
or metaphors.
Pete the Cat:
I Love My White Shoes
By Eric Litwin
Illustration by James Dean
Pete the Cat was so excited to walk down the street in his new white shoes.
Throughout his walk Pete stepped into a pile of strawberries that turned his
shoes red and then stepped into a pile of blueberries that turned his shoes blue.
On his way home he then stepped in a big pile of mud that turned his shoes
brown. When Pete stepped in a bucket of water all the brown, red, and blue
washed away leaving his shoes white and wet! The moral of the story is “no
matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song.”
About the Author: Eric Litwin was born On August 16, 1966 in New York City.
He graduated from George Washington University, and the University at Albany.
His Pete the Cat series have been on New York Best Selling List and is also
author of the new musical series The Nuts. He is a performing artist who tells
stories through singing and guitar playing. Litwin currently resides in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Eric Litwin Books:
 Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes
 Pete the Cat
 Pete the Cat Saves Christmas
 Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
 The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 1
SL.1.5 - Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate
to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
 Students will demonstrate the comprehension skill of cause and effect by
drawing what happens when Pete the Cat steps in mud.
W.1.8 - With guidance and support from adults, recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
 Students will write two sentences describing what happened when Pete
stepped in mud with white shoes.
Don’t Let the Pigeon
Drive the Bus!
By Mo Willems
Illustration by Mo Willems
The bus driver had to leave for a while and asks the reader if he or she can
watch his bus until he gets back. He reminds the reader not to let the pigeon
drive the bus! Throughout the book the pigeon begs the reader to let him drive
the bus. He says “C’mon! Just once around the block!” and “What’s the big
deal?” The pigeon gets very upset that he cannot drive the bus and starts
yelling. Finally, the bus driver comes back and thanks the reader for not letting
the pigeon drive the bus and drives away. In the last illustration the pigeon is still
daydreaming about getting to drive the bus.
About the Author: Mo Willems was born on February 11, 1968 in Des Plaines,
Illinois and raised in New Orleans. Willems graduated cum laude from New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts. He started his career as a writer and
animator for the TV show Sesame Street. While working at Sesame Street he
performed stand up comedy and created two shows for Nickelodeon. Willems
later worked as head writer on the first four seasons of Codename: Kids Next
Door. He then left the show and became a stay at home dad in 2003. During
this time he began writing his children books. Three of Willems' books have been
awarded a Caldecott Honor: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny:
A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. He now
resides with his family in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Mo Willems Books:
 Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
 The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
 The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!
 The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
 Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
 The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! (I Really Do!)
 The Duckling Gets a Cookie?
 Don't Let the Pigeon Finish this Activity Book!
 The Pigeon Needs a Bath! (I Do Not!)
 Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
 Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity
 Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion
 Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct
 Leonardo, the Terrible Monster
 Time to Pee!
 Time to Say "Please"!
 You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons
 Today I Will Fly!
 My Friend is Sad
 There is Bird on Your Head!
 I Am Invited to a Party!
 I Will Surprise my Friend!
 I Love My New Toy!
 Are You Ready to Play Outside?
 Watch Me Throw the Ball!
 Pigs Make Me Sneeze!
 Elephants Cannot Dance!
 I Am Going!
 Can I Play Too?
 We Are in a Book!
 I Broke My Trunk!
 Should I Share My Ice Cream?
 Happy Pig Day!
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Listen to My Trumpet!
Let's Go For a Drive!
A Big Guy Took My Ball!
I'm a Frog!
My New Friend Is So Fun!
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed
Big Frog Can't Fit In: A Pop Out Book
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
That is NOT a Good Idea!
Don't Pigeonhole Me! 2 Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook
Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator!
Cat the Cat, Who Is That?
Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly
What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound?
Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep!
City Dog, Country Frog
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 1
SL.1.1 - Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about
grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
 Students will work with partners and discuss a time they wanted to do
something, but they knew they were not allowed.
L.1.5.C - Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note
places at home that are cozy).
 Students will identify words in the text Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
they recognize from their real life.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
By Philip C. Stead
Illustration by Erin E. Stead
Amos McGee was an early riser and always woke up every morning right on
time. He took the number five bus every day at 6 am to the City Zoo. Everyday
Amos would play chess with the elephant, run races with the tortoise, sit quietly
with the penguin, lend a handkerchief to the rhino, and read stories to the owl.
One day Amos woke up with a cold and decided to stay in bed for the day. All
the animals patiently waited for their friend Amos and wondered where he could
be. Later in the day the animals decided to take a trip and visit Amos at his
home. Amos played chess with the elephant and hide and seek with the tortoise.
The penguin sat quietly while Amos took a nap and the rhino gave Amos a tissue
when he sneezed. At the end of the day Amos read a bedtime story to all the
animals. They all went to bed so they would be able to catch their bus the next
morning.
About the Author: Stead met his wife Erin Stead in a high school art class in
Michigan. They married and he began working at the Brooklyn Children’s
Museum. After moving back to Ann Arbor, Michigan he collaborated with Erin to
write the Caldecott Medal winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, also named a
New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best
Children’s Book of 2010. Stead is an artist like his wife Erin and both wrote and
illustrated Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast. The Steads currently live in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he teaches at Washtenaw Community College.
Philip C. Stead Books:
 Sebastian and the Balloon
 Bear Has a Story to Tell
 Hello, My Name is Ruby
 A Home for Bird
 Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
 Special Delivery
 Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 2
RL.2.3 - Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
 Students will talk with a partner and predict what will happen when Amos
McGee gets sick and cannot visit the zoo.
W.2.3 - Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short
sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings,
use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
 Students will write a one-sentence response to these questions: Have you
ever had to stay home from school when you were sick? Was your
experience like Amos’ experience?
Stargirl
By Jerry Spinelli
This book begins talking about how Leo Borlock, a student at Mica High School,
receives an anonymous porcupine necktie for his birthday. Who knew he loved
porcupine neckties?
It is the first day of school at Mica High School and Leo Borlock is catching up
with old friends. He happens to notice a new student that he has never seen
before. Her name is Stargirl and she is wearing a long dress, carries a bag with
a sunflower on it and has a pet rat. At lunch she takes out her ukulele and
begins to sing Happy Birthday to a particular person each day. Everyone
wonders how she knows it is that person’s birthday.
Leo and his best friend Kevin find Stargirl to be captivating and cannot stop
wondering about her story. Leo and Kevin have a TV show called “The Hot Seat”
where they interview interesting people from school. Kevin pushes for Stargirl to
be on their show, but Leo doesn’t think it is such a great idea. Many students do
not associate with Stargirl except Dori Wilson who sits with her at lunch. The
whole school waits to see what Stargirl will do next.
A retired paleontologist and professor, Archie, has class in his house for kids in
the neighborhood. Leo and Kevin attend these classes and find out that Stargirl
also goes to Archie’s house to learn.
At a football game Stargirl starts cheering and flipping on the field. The crowd
enjoys her excitement and enthusiasm that she in invited to join the cheerleading
squad. She becomes a popular girl at school and everyone wants to be Stargirl’s
friend. Kevin is still intrigued by Stargirl and wonders if this is all an act. Her
popularity starts to decline when she starts cheering for both football teams and
helps a hurt player on the opposing team. The Mica High School blames Stargirl
for losing the game and shuns her for other mistakes she makes.
Stargirl and Leo both begin to fall for each other and secretly hang out after
school. Leo is embarrassed to be with Stargirl because no one in school is fond
of her. He begs her to become “normal” and she changes overnight into her
original name “Susan.” Stargirl blends in with every other teenager and doesn’t
really stand out in the crowd like usual. After winning her speech contest in
Phoenix, Stargirl hopes everyone will love her again and celebrate her success.
However, no one shows up to congratulate her. Stargirl goes back to dressing
her old way and singing in a group with Dori even though students make fun of
her. She attends the school ball without Leo and dances by herself as if no one
is watching while leading the bunny hop. After that night Stargirl never goes back
to school and Leo finds a sale sign on her house.
Fifteen years later Archie shows Leo where Stargirl’s workshop was in his shed.
Inside the shed were newspaper articles, pictures and stories about students and
residents in Mica. Leo realizes this was how she knew birthday dates and
important events in people’s lives. Leo drives my Stargirl’s house every time he
comes to town and makes sure to read the articles and comments in the local
newspaper. One day before his birthday he receives a package in the mail with a
porcupine necktie and knew Stargirl was still out there spreading kindness.
About the Author: Jerry Spinelli was born on February 1, 1941 in Norristown,
Pennsylvania. As a child he had a love for sports and wrote a poem about
football, which inspired him to write more. Spinelli was the editor of the college
literary magazine at Gettysburg College and graduated in 1963. A year later he
received a MA from John Hopkins University. After he graduated he had normal
jobs and would write at any free moment he had. His fifth novel Space Station
Seventh Grade was intended for adults but became a children’s book. This book
started his successful career an author. He currently lives in Phoenixville, PA
with his wife Eileen and has six children and 21 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli Books:
 Space Station Seventh Grade
 Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?
 Jason and Marceline
 Night of the Whale
 Dump Days
 Maniac Magee
 The Bathwater Gang
 Hallie Jefferys Life
 Fourth Grade Rats
 Report to the Principal’s Office
 There's a Girl in My Hammerlock
 Do the Funky Pickle
 Who Ran My Underwear Up the
Flagpole?
 Picklemania
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Tooter Pepperday
Crash (Spinelli novel)
The Library Card
Wringer
Blue Ribbon Blues: A Tooter Tale
Knots in My Yo-Yo String
Milkweed: A Novel
My Daddy and Me
Love, Stargirl
Eggs
Smiles to Go
Jake and Lily
Loser
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 6
SL.6.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
 Students will be paired in groups to discuss conformity and how it applies
to their lives through the text of Stargirl.
W.6.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
 Students will write a newspaper article on the details, opinions and facts
about Stargirl.
Stellaluna
By Janell Cannon
Illustration by Janell Cannon
In the forest there lived a Mother Bat and a baby bat, Stellaluna. Every night
Mother Bat would hold Stellaluna as they flew to search for food. One night an
owl came after Mother Bat and knocked Stellaluna into the air and she fell into
the forest. Stellaluna wrapped her small feet onto a tiny branch and waited for
her mother. She no longer could hold on and fell into a baby bird’s nest.
The baby birds took Stellaluna into their nest and treated her as if she was part of
the family. The mama bird would fly away and return with food for the baby birds.
Even though Stellaluna did not want to eat bugs, she was hungry and opened
her mouth and ate. She learned to be like the birds by staying awake all day and
sleeping at night. However, she still liked to sleep by hanging by her feet. One
night all of the other baby birds tried to sleep hanging by their feet. Mama bird
told Stellaluna that she is teaching her children bad things and must promise to
obey her rules. Stellaluna agreed and behaved like a good bird from then on.
When the birds began to fly Stellaluna followed. The birds could land on
branches, but Stellaluna had a hard time keeping her balance. One day the birds
went flying together, it was getting dark and Stellaluna went ahead of the rest of
the birds. They could not find her and decided to go back home to be safe.
Stellaluna found a branch and hung by her hands to fall asleep. Bats found her
and asked why she was not sleeping upside down. She then explained this is
how she was taught to sleep by her mother. The bats informed her that she was
a bat and should sleep during the day and upside down. Mother Bat realized
Stellaluna was her baby that she lost after the owl attacked. They went flying
during the night and found a mango tree for Stellaluna to eat.
The next day Stellaluna went to visit the other birds and told them about the bats.
Stellaluna wanted them to go flying with her at night, but when they tried to fly
they could not see anything and almost crashed. Stellaluna saved them by
grabbing the birds and bringing them to a tree branch. They talked about how
they were different but so much a like, but that it didn’t matter because they were
still friends.
About the Author: Janell Canon was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1957. After
high school in 1975 she moved to California and became a graphic artist for the
Carlsbad Library. She loves and admires animals and this has inspired many of
her works. When working at the library and researching for a program on bats
she found there were only two books on bats. This inspired her to write the book
Stellaluna. After the success of Stellaluna she left her job to write more books.
Cannon continues to work from home with her cat and parrot.
Janell Cannon Books:
 Crickwing
 Little Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale
 Pindull
 Verdi
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 3
RI.3.9 - Compare and contrast the most important points and key details
presented in two texts on the same topic.
 Throughout reading students will use a Venn diagram to compare and
contrast birds and bats.
W.3.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
 In groups students will research the topic bats on the Internet and present
brochure reports based on the information they find.
The Dot
By Peter Reynolds
Illustration by Peter Reynolds
A little girl, Vashti, was in art class sitting at her desk with a blank paper. Her
teacher came over to ask her about her drawing. Vashti responded that she
could not draw. Vashti’s teacher encouraged her to just make a mark and see
where it takes her. She made a dot and the teacher asked her to sign her name.
When Vashti came back into class she noticed her dot was hanging above her
teacher’s desk in a gold frame. Vashti looked at her dot and thought she could
make a better dot than that. She painted a collection of different color and size
dots. She even made a dot by not painting a dot. At the art show at school
Vashti showcased her collection of dots. A little boy was admiring Vashti’s work
and told her how she was a great artist and how he wished he could draw. She
told him I bet you can draw! The little boy told her he could not draw a straight
line with a ruler. Vashti handed him a paper and asked him to show her. Vashti
then asked the little boy to sign his artwork just like her teacher did with her
artwork.
About the Author: Peter Reynolds is an identical twin that was born in 1961 in
Canada. He attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Fitchburg State
College. During his time there he received Communications Student of The Year
Award in 1983, Alumni Recognition Award in 1999 and was awarded the title
Litterarum Humanarum Doctor. Reynolds founded an educational media
company called FableVision where Reynolds twin Paul is currently the CEO. He
also created animated short films like The Blue Shoe and Living Forever.
Reynolds currently lives in Dedham, Massachusetts where he co-owns the family
bookstore Blue Bunny Bookstore.
Peter Reynolds Books:
 The North Star
 Ish
 I’m Here
 So Few of Me
 The Smallest Gift of Christmas
 Rose’s Garden
 My Very Big Little World: A SugarLoaf Book
 Sydney’s Star
 The Best Kid in the World: A SugarLoaf Book
Teaching Ideas:
Kindergarten/Grade 1
RF.K.3.C - Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you,
she, my, is, are, do, does).
 Students will participate by identifying sight words when reading the book
The Dot.
RI.1.3 - Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or
pieces of information in a text.
 Students will record their text-to-text and text-to-self connections by
recording these connections in a graphic organizer.
Wonder
By R.J. Palacio
Wonder is about a ten-year-old boy, August Pullman, who describes himself as
anything but normal. August loves to play video games and hang out with his
dog like normal kids his age. He has a great family including a sister Viola. On
the inside August is a regular kid, but on the outside he is a little different. He
was born with a serious medical problem that caused deformity to his face and
skull. August has been homeschooled up until now and begins to go to a regular
school in fifth grade. When August attends school for the first time kids begin
staring at August and laughing. They even create a game called the “plague”
where if kids touch August they act like they get a disease. A boy named Julian
leads these bully games and continues to bully August through out the book.
August makes friends with a girl Summer and a boy Jack. Even though Jack
really likes August he says some mean things to Julian and August over hears
the cruel comments he makes. They eventually make up and this creates
conflict between Julian and Jack. When August and Jack go to a sleepover
retreat they run into a confrontation with older boys from another school. Boys
from August’s school defend him and help him get to safety.
August ends up having a triumphant school year while receiving an award for
courage and making the Honor Roll. He learns to like school and make new
friends after all. In the end, he is just a normal ordinary kid like everyone else.
About the Author: R.J. Palacio was an art director and book jacket designer for
non-fiction and fiction writers for twenty years. She always wanted to write, but
never had the time to until now. Wonder is her first novel. Palacio lived in New
York City with her husband and two sons.
R.J. Palacio Books:
 Wonder
Teaching Ideas:
Grade 5
W.5.1- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with
reasons and information.
 Students would respond to this writing prompt using figurative language
and connections to their own lives: If you could have just one wish, what
would it be? How does your wish compare to August’s wish?
RL.5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
 Students will find quotes to support and Understand Via’s feelings towards
August.