Drew Moon
Table of Content
3-7 Picture Books
 8-12 Traditional Literature
 13-17 Modern Fantasy
 18-22 Poetry
 23-27 Contemporary Realistic Fiction
 28-32 Historical Fiction
 33-37 Nonfiction
 38-42 Biography/Autobiography
43-47 Multicultural and International Literature
 48-52 Chapter Books


The Cat in the Hat wanted to take a bath and eat
cake but he made a red ring in the tub; so he
helped get the ring out.
The Cat In The Hat Comes
Back
Author: Seus, Theodor
Setting: House, modern
Date: 1958
Genre: Picturebook
Awards: N/A
Age: 5-8
Pages: 64
Publisher: Random House
Main Character: The Cat in
the Hat
This book demonstrated how to have confidence
in someone and how to have faith in someone
else. The Cat in this story did a lot of things wrong
but he ultimately fixed his mistakes and made
things better for the two kids. He never gave up
on things and was persistent about helping the
kids. Having faith in people and believing in them
can help them go a long way in life. Never doubt
ones ability to do something. If someone looks at
this book in the right perspective, it could teach
them an important lesson.
Alexander wanted to have a good day but nothing
was going his way; so he said he was going to
move to Australia.
Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day
Author: Viorst, Judith
Illustrator: Cruz, Ray
Setting: Normal house and school,
present
Date: 1972
Genre: Picturebook
Awards: Georgia Book Award
(Illustration)
Age:6-8
Pages: 32
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Main Character: Alexander
I think this is a really neat book to read. It
reminded me of when I was younger and in school
because I remember reading this book over and
over again. The pictures in this book are kind of
plain. The only color to this book is on the title
page. All of the other illustrations appear to be
done in pencil and in pen. I think this book would
have been better if it had more color. Although,
not having color went along with the story
because Alexander was having a bad day and
nothing went right. When I think of colorful things,
I think of positive things and not bad days.
Grandpa wanted to show his grandkids what he
did in the good ole days but he does not perform
anymore; so he did a show in the attic.
Song and Dance Man
Author: Ackerman, Karen
Illustrator: Gammell, Stephen
Setting: Old and dark attic,
present
Date: 1988
Genre: Picturebook
Awards: Caldecott
Age: 9-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Main Character: Grandpa
For starters, I loved all of the illustrations in the
book. I think they were very interesting because
they were not clean cut and precise. I liked how
they looked. They were just pencil drawings
someone could do on the side of their paper at
school. The color of the illustrations was also neat
because they were all dull looking and not too
overpowering on the page. Reading this book
made me feel at ease and relaxed. I thought it
was a good book because it made me think of my
own grandfather, how he always spent so much
time with me as a kid, and how my grandfather
always has tons of energy like the grandpa did in
the story.
There are a lot of people who want to chat but not
all people do; so you have to find a person who
wants to chat back.
Chatting
Author: Hughes, Shirley
Setting: A normal town, present
Date: 1994
Genre: Picturebook
Awards: N/A
Age: 3-5
Pages: 16
Publisher: Candlewick
Main Character: A little girl who chats
This was an enjoyable book. This book has a lot
of repetition in it. I like that for the fact children can
pick up on the story if someone is reading it to
them and they can read it with the adult. The
illustrations seem vivid and they draw your eyes to
them. When reading this book, I would want to
look at the illustrations before I read the page to
see if I could see what the little girl was going to
chat about .
The animals wanted you to find them but they
were always hiding behind things so you had to
hunt for the animals.
baby animals
Author: Bockol, Leslie
Illustrator: Phillips, Jillian
Setting: Places around the world,
present
Date: 2009
Genre: Picturebook
Awards: N/A
Age: 3-5
Pages: 20
Publisher: innovativekids
Main Character: animals
I believe this is an awesome book for a young
child. This book helps their mind kick into gear
and look for the animals. All through the book, it
says “Where are the baby…?” This gives the child
the opportunity to actually be a part of the reading
and find them. The pictures along with the words
are very relaxing in part because of the color
pallet. All of colors seem to be neutral and go with
the green start feeling. In the back of this book, it
has all kinds of facts about endangered species
and helping the environment that the child can
learn about and even the reader or adult. It might
be a kids book but even I learned something new.
The Sun wanted the water to visit him but he
needed to build a big house before he would visit
so he built the house and it forced the sun and the
moon in the sky.
Why the Sun and the
Moon Live in the Sky
Author: Dayrell, Elphinstone
Illustrator: Lent, Blair
Setting: A small village, past
Date: 1968
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: N/A
Age:8-11
Pages: 34
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Main Character: water, sun, moon,
and sky
While reading this book, I could tell it was written
many years ago because of the way it was
written. At times, the book was a little bit confusing
with all of the different elements in the story. I
have never thought of an explanation of why the
sun and the moon are in the sky but this story
gave me a perspective that I have never thought
of before. It gave me a total different look at it in
case a young child asked me how they got in the
sky.
The boy wanted to know who his father was but
he had no idea who he was so the boy went on an
adventure to find his father.
Arrow to the Sun
Author: McDermott, Gerald
Setting: Pueblo village, past
Date: 1974
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Age:6-8
Pages: 44
Publisher: Viking
Main Character: Boy
This book kept my attention with the illustrations
alone. All of the illustrations were very block like
and reminded me of Aztec drawings that you
might find at a pyramid. On every page of this
book the page was a different color and had
different shapes and hues of color on the page.
Reading this book made me want to go out and
paint on a canvas. The illustrations in this book
are very powerful and great attention getters.
Flossie wanted to know if Fox was really a fox but
Fox could not prove it so he had to do things to
prove he was a fox.
Flossie & the Fox
Author: McKissack, Patricia
Illustrator: Isadora, Rachel
Setting: Cabin in the woods, past
Date: 1986
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: N/A
Age:10-12
Pages: 32
Publisher: Dial
Main Character: Flossie and Fox
I think this was just a neat book to read. I liked
how the pictures went along with the story and
how the illustrations were very colorful and fun.
The pictures reminded me of back in the day
when life was much simpler. The book
demonstrated that not everyone has the same
perspective. It also showed that it takes time and
hard work to accomplish your goal. While reading
this book, I felt at ease and very calm.
The Rough-Faced girl wanted nothing more but to
be beautiful but she was very scared up and dirty
so she bathed in a lake and became perfect.
The Rough-Face Girl
Author: Martin, Rafe
Illustrator: Shannon, David
Setting: Village at Lake Ontario, past
Date: 19
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Georgia Book Award
(Illustration)
Age:9-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Putnam’s
Main Character: Rough-Faced Girl,
Invisible Being
This book was a very fun and interesting book to
read. I loved how all of the pictures in this book
seem to flow and appear soothing. While reading
this book, I felt at ease with how the brush strokes
fell in the illustrations. I liked the story this book
told and how it showed that anything can be made
beautiful as long as it is given the opportunity.
When I read this book, it reminded me of the old
saying, “the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Martina wanted a good husband but all of them
where not right for her so she kept looking and
eventually she found who she was looking for.
Martina the Beautiful
Cockroach
Author: Deedy, Carmen
Illustrator: Austin, Michael
Setting: A street lamp, present
Date: 2007
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: N/A
Age:8-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Main Character: Martina
When I first saw this book, the cover got my
attention with the color and the attention to detail.
Throughout the whole book, all of the illustrations
had great detail and were very colorful. I liked how
the illustrator made a cockroach which is normally
something nasty and ugly into something that is
beautiful and elegant. This book made me think of
how everyone and everything has feelings and
how it can be hurt or made happy. I think
everyone needs to be happy and feel good about
themselves.
The old lady wanted a cat so the old man went to
find her a cat but he came back with millions of
cats instead of just one.
Millions of Cats
Author: Ga’g, Wanda
Setting: Little clean house, Past
Date: 1928
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-10
Pages: 32
Publisher: Coward-McCann
Main Character: Little old man
and woman.
Reading this book was a little overwhelming for
me. I think that it was overwhelming because the
man comes back with so many cats and I do not
really care for cats. I do think that it would be an
appropriate book for most children. I think it would
be only good for a student who likes cats. The
illustrations in this book are good but they did not
have any color to them. They seem to all be done
in pencil and pen. I think that the story would have
been better if the story had color in its illustrations.
The Littles want to find Uncle’s friend but they live
in Trash City so they have to go there and
experience new things in their way.
The Littles and the Trash
Tinies
Author: Peterson, John
Illustrator: Clark, Roberta
Setting: Dump, modern
Date:1977
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: N/A
Age: 9-12
Pages: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Main Character: The Littles
This is an interesting book. This book makes your
imagination wonder about what is all out there that
we might not think or worry about. In this story,
they have to worry about the simplest things such
as a cat that is trying to eat them. To us it is just
an everyday animal but to them it is danger. The
book describes struggles that the Littles go
through. It is very suspenseful because I wanted
everyone to make it out safely. I think this is a
good book to read for a student who likes
adventure and has an open mind to new things.
George wants to make his grandmother not so
cranky and not grow anymore but he ends up
getting the exact opposite so he makes more
medicines to try and reverse what he did.
This book was a lot of fun to read. It put me in a
good mood. The book was very humorous and
kept me laughing throughout the story. The
illustrations in this book seem to be done in pen
Author: Dahl, Roald
and seem to just be sketched. They are almost as
Illustrator: Blake, Quentin
if someone drew them on the side of a paper
Setting: Farm, modern
when they got bored. I would recommend this
Date: 1981
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction book to a student who has a good sense of humor
and to a student who needs a laugh.
Awards: N/A
Age: 10-12
Pages: 90
Publisher: Puffin
Main Character: George
George’s Marvelous
Medicine
Lilly wanted to show off her new belongings but
none of the teachers would give her time so she
decided to take matters into her own hands.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Author: Henkes, Kevin
Setting: school, modern
Date: 1996
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: N/A
Age: 4-7
Pages: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Main Character: Lilly
This is a good story to teach a child patients.
They have to understand that nothing will just be
given to them and they have to wait and take their
time to earn things. Lilly wanted to show her
belongings when she wanted and she didn’t get to
so she did what she wanted. It made her do
something not called for and she had to make up
for what she did. If she was patient ,she might
have not had to go through all the embarrassment
that she went through.
Puff the Magic Dragon wanted a good friend but
his friend left him not to return so Puff was
saddened.
Puff the Magic Dragon
Author: Yarrow, Peter/ Lipton,
Lenny
Illustrator: Puybaret, Eric
Setting: Honalee, medival
Date: 2007
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Awards: N/A
Age: 5-7
Pages: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Main Character: Puff the Magic
Dragon, Jackie Paper
I liked this book for the fact it can teach younger
children that they can find a friend in anything. It
does not always have to be another human being.
It can be something you might imagine or
something that means something to you. There
are all kinds of things that can make someone
smile and be happy and in this case it was a
dragon that made Jackie feel good. The
illustrations in this book are really good. All of the
pictures in this book seem to be very smooth and
flow well. While reading the book, I felt like I was
in a far away land with Puff and became part of
the book.
The boy wanted to know where everything and
everyone went; so he kept asking different people
to find his answer but in the end he found
everyone when it snowed.
Where Does Everyone
Go?
Author: Fisher, Aileen
Illustrator: Adams, Adrienne
Setting: Fall & winter, modern
Date: 1961
Genre: Poetry
Awards: N/A
Age: 9-11
Pages: 44
Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell
Main Character: A curious boy
I would have never been able to think of anything
like this. The whole book asked tons of questions
of where things or people might be. That kind of
stuff would not come to my mind. In the story, it
came to the little boys mind and he was very
curious about it all. I liked the book for how it
made me think about all of the questions that the
boy wondered about. The illustrations seem to be
done in pencil, pen, and possibly crayon. A lot of
them are done in colors that are not realistic but it
might be a color that a child would use. I think that
the illustrations will relate well to a young reader.
Everett wants Christmas to hurry and arrive but he
cannot make the days go by any faster so he just
thinks about it and stays excited about Christmas
Day.
Everett Anderson’s
Christmas Coming
Author: Clifton, Lucille
Illustrator: Ness, Evaline
Setting: Between 14A, Modern
Date: 1971
Genre: Poetry
Awards: N/S
Age: 4-8
Pages: 32
Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Main Character: Everett Anderson
The illustrations catch my attention before
anything else. The illustrations in the book are
interesting because they look to be done in
marker and the color does not stay in the lines. It
made me think of being a little kid and I think
younger children can relate to the illustrations.
The book is a good book because it talks about
Christmas and how happy of a time that is and I
agree because it is one of my favorite holidays of
the year.
The children wanted Christmas to hurry and get
here so they went to bed and dreamed of St.
Nicholas.
The Night Before
Christmas
Author: Moore, Clement C.
Illustrator: Hildebrandt, Greg & Tim
Setting: Home at Christmas, present
Date: 1981
Genre: Poetry
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-10
Pages: 24
Publisher: Western
Main Character: St. Nicholas
Ah, the memories that this book brings me. I
absolutely love this book! It has been one of my
favorites since I was a little kid. I remember my
mother reading it to us around Christmas time
over and over. Still to this day, I know what is
coming and can almost tell you the words before I
read them. I love this book for the story that it
tells. It got me excited around Christmas and how
it just flows off the tip of your tongue.
Danitra Brown wanted to just be an ordinary girl
but some people gave her a hard time and picked
on her so she just looked passed them and stayed
herself.
Meet Danitra Brown
Author: Grimes, Nikki
Illustrator: Cooper, Floyd
Setting: City, present
Date: 1994
Genre: Poetry
Awards: Coretta Scott King
Age: 9-12
Pages: 32
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard
Main Character: Danitra Brown
I liked reading this book. Throughout the book, the
writing seemed to flow very nice and it was an
easy book to read. I thought it was a realistic story
because it told of something that could happen to
anyone and everyone. At times, everyone is going
to have a bad day or something is going to go
wrong. Danitra seemed to always keep her head
up and stay positive. The illustrations in the book
were different than other books. They seemed to
be a little fuzzy or hazy. They all were done in
earth tone colors. They gave the reader a calm
feeling.
This book explains the personality of dogs, how
dogs are different, and how they all have different
traits.
Once I Ate a Pie
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia &
Charest, Emily
Illustrator: Schneider, Katy
Setting: In the house, present
Date: 2006
Genre: Poetry
Awards: N/A
Age: 6-8
Pages: 32
Publisher: Harper Collins
Main Character: Dogs
I think this is a fascinating book! I loved reading it.
The book had a boxer in one of the stories and it
described my dog to a tee, lazy! I then read about
a Boston terrier and it described my girlfriend’s
dog to a tee, innocent! I was impressed with how
it described our dogs perfectly. The illustrations
were very good also. The illustrations were like
the illustrator looked into my mind’s eye and drew
the pictures. They seem to be done in acrylic
paint. There were all kinds of colors and brush
strokes in the illustrations.
Peter wanted to play in the snow but he had a
dream that all the snow melted so when he woke
up he realized it was just a dream and more snow
had fallen.
The Snowy Day
Author: Keats, Ezra Jack
Setting: Snowy day, modern
Date: 1962
Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Fiction
Awards: Caldecott
Age: 4-8
Pages: 40
Publisher: Viking
Main Character: Peter
This book was entertaining. It reminded me of
when I was a little kid and the blizzard of 1993. I
remember playing in the snow for hours each day.
I think this is a good book for younger children to
read because they can relate to playing like Peter
did. They also cannot do all of the things they
want to do because they are young like Peter. The
illustrations are very bright and colorful. They are
not very detailed but they do get the point across
and make you feel as if you are part of the book.
Tommy loved and respected both of his Nanas but
his Nana Upstairs died when he was young so he
always thought of her in his imagination.
This book was remarkable. I thought that it was a
good book because I can relate to it. It talked
Nana Upstairs & Nana
about how Tommy knew both his grandmother
and his great grandmother and so did I. I was
Downstairs
about the same age as Tommy when my great
Author: dePaola, Tomie
grandmother died too. Reading this book made
Setting: Sunday at Nana’s house,
modern
me happy because I had the privilege of knowing
Date: 1973
such great women in my life. The illustrations in
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction the book are good as well. All of them seem to be
Awards: N/A
smooth and do not have any rough edges.
Age: 8-11
Pages: 42
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Main Character: Tommy, Nana
Upstairs, and Nana Downstairs
Tanya wanted to finish the quilt but Grandma got
sick so Tanya worked on the quilt every day for
many months to finish the quilt for her grandma.
This book brought back memories for me. It talked
about quilting and Tanya’s grandma and it
reminded me of my grandmother when I was
younger. I stayed with her when my mother
The Patchwork Quilt
worked and I always helped my grandmother sew
Author: Flournoy, Valerie
her quilts and pillows. It is times that I will never
Illustrator: Pinkney, Jerry
forget and will always hold close to my heart. The
Setting: Household, modern day
illustrations in this book are very nice and colorful.
Date: 1985
It looks like a lot of the illustrations may have been
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction done with watercolors. I love how every
Awards: Coretta Scott King
illustration goes along with the story on that page.
Age: 8-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Dial
Main Character: Tanya, Mamma,
Grandma
Grace wanted to be Peter Pan in a play at school
but the kids said she couldn’t because she was a
girl and she was black so she practiced all
weekend and got the part of Peter Pan.
Reading this book I felt really inspired to go out
and do whatever I wanted to do at the time. I felt
as if I could do anything as long as I put my mind
Amazing Grace
to it. This book is very inspirational and up lifting. I
Author: Hoffman, Mary
liked it for the fact that it said “as long as you put
Illustrator: Binch, Caroline
your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” I
Setting: Small community, present
totally agree with that quote. Nothing is too big to
Date: 1991
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction be accomplished with determination and hard
work. The pictures in this book are very well
Awards: N/A
illustrated. All of them are bright and colorful and
Age: 9-11
show great detail.
Pages: 25
Publisher: Dial
Main Character: Grace
Kitten wanted a bowl of milk but could not get it on
her own so she returned home to find just that, a
bowl of milk.
I really liked this story and thought it would be a
neat way to demonstrate to the students the
concept that anything is possible. This book
Kitten’s First Full Moon
demonstrated the ideas of not giving up and to
Author: Henkes, Kevin
keep trying new ways to obtain your goal. There is
Setting: A dark night, modern
always more than one way to do something. I
Date: 2004
really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. All of
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction the pictures were done in black and white and
looked to be done in pencil. I liked the illustrations
Awards: The Caldecott Medal
for the fact that they did not seem over done and
Age: 3-5
too overwhelming. The pictures were very straight
Pages: 32
-forward and to the point.
Publisher: Scholastic
Main Character: Kitten
Brady could not decide if he was for or against
slavery but he wanted to help Moss so he kept his
father’s secret about a station of the Underground
Railroad being on their farm.
Brady
Author: Fritz, Jean
Illustrator: Ward, Lynd
Setting: Pennsylvania, past
Date: 1960
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 11-14
Pages: 223
Publisher: Puffin
Main Character: Brady Minton
It took me a few pages to get into the book but
toward the end I could not put it down. There was
suspense and I wanted to know what was going to
happen next. I enjoy reading about this time
period in history. The book was about ordinary
people and their decision of what was right and
wrong. The few pictures were black and white like
they were years ago. I would recommend this
book to all students but especially to the boys.
Tommy wanted to help the slaves get to Canada
but he had to keep quiet so they would not get
caught helping the slaves escape on the
Underground Railroad.
The Drinking Gourd
Author: Monjo F.N.
Illustrator: Brenner, Fred
Setting: Small town, past
Date: 1970
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: N/S
Age: 8-11
Pages: 62
Publisher: Harper Collins
Main Character: Tommy Fuller
I really liked this book. I think that it is a very good
book for children to read. I would recommend it to
anyone. I liked the book for the fact that it talks
about our history and things that might have
happened during the time of slavery. The book is
very exciting and keeps you wanting to read more
to find out what will take place next. The pictures
in the book help the story to be understood. All of
the pictures go along really well with the story. It
looks as if the pictures are drawn in pen. I enjoyed
reading this book.
Annemarie wanted to keep her Jewish friend safe
but the Germans wanted to relocate the Jews; so
Annemarie helped her friend and her parents
escape to Sweden.
Number the Stars
Author: Lowry, Lois
Setting: Denmark, Past
Date: 1989
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Newbery Medal
Age: 9-12
Pages: 138
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Main Character: Annemarie
The book was very good. Even though the story is
told from a girl’s point of view, I think boys will
enjoy it too because it took place during war time.
The story had a lot of suspense and I was unable
to put it down until I finished it. It would be a good
book to use to discuss what happened to the
Jews in World War II. Annemarie was afraid of the
Germans but she was brave enough to do what
had to be done. I learned scientists created a
powder of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine to
hinder the dogs from sniffing out Jews trying to
escape.
The little boy just wanted to be liked but he was
Japanese so since the war was going on no one
liked him and everyone made fun of him.
Baseball Saved Us
Author: Mochizuki, Ken
Illustrator: Lee, Dom
Setting: WWII, Past
Date: 1993
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 7-10
Pages: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low
Main Character: Japanese Boy
I think this is an awesome book to read! I liked
reading this book because it can teach children
how discrimination is wrong. Everyone should be
treated as an equal and no one is better than
another person. I thought it was very interesting
and at the same time taught an important lesson. I
like history so it held my attention very well. The
illustrations in this book are amazing. I would love
to be able to paint like this illustrator did. All of the
shading and how the colors seem to flow together
makes the book much more interesting and more
fun to read.
Henry wanted to be free but he was a slave so he
had to figure out a way to gain his freedom and
escape the south.
This book was a good book. Although it is for
younger children ,I am not so sure I would
recommend it to one. The book is very informative
about slavery and how slaves were treated but the
Henry’s Freedom Box
book is on the sad side. Reading this book made
Author: Levine, Ellen
me feel a little down. I felt bad for Henry and all
Illustrator: Nelson, Kadir
the things that he went through. As an adult
Setting: South during slavery, Past
though, I did like reading this book. The pictures
Date: 2007
are really nice. The illustrations seem to be done
Genre: Historical Fiction
in some kind of paint and pen is used to make
Awards: Caldecott Honor
accents in them.
Age: 8-10
Pages: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Main Character: Henry
Mammals can be found in about every part of the
world. Certain mammals live in different parts of
the world.
Mammals
Author: Meeks, Esther K.
Illustrator: Tsugami, Kyuzo
Setting: World, Present
Date: 1965
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Follett
Main Character: Mammals
I think this is a really good book to read for
children who are interested in animals and have a
love for them. For any student that is interested in
animals, this book will widen their view and
knowledge of them. I liked how on almost every
page it introduced at least two different animals. I
also liked how with every animal that it discussed
there was a picture of the animal so the reader
can see what it looks like. This book gives the
children information and a visual of the mammals.
There are tons of trees in the world and all trees
are different. Not two are exactly alike.
Look At Trees
Author: Kirkpatrick, Rena K.
Illustrator: Worth, Jo & Knight,
Ann
Setting: World, Present
Date: 1978
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 7-9
Pages: 32
Publisher: Macdonald-Raintree
Main Character: Trees
This book is a wonderful ,informative book about
trees. This would be a really good book for a
young student to read if they would like to learn
about trees or are interested in nature. It is a good
resource book and filled with all kind of
information. I like this book also for the fact that on
every page there is an illustration to show
examples of the tree, bark, or leaves that might be
talked about on that page. It helps you put two
and two together, so to speak. Also, I liked the
questions in the back of the book that can help the
student refresh their memory and make sure that
they understood the book.
All animals and humans have senses. There are
five different types of senses that one can have.
Your Five Senses
Author: Broekel, Ray
Setting: Around the world,
Past/present
Date: 1984
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-9
Pages:48
Publisher: Childrens
Main Character: Children and
animals
This book is really informative and gives great
examples of all of the five senses. Reading this
book makes you think about them and how they
are used in everyday life. We take them for
granted most of the time. The pictures help you
visualize each sense. I would recommend this
book to my students. I think this book would be a
good one to read during a science lesson to help
get them involved and get them to give examples
of how the senses might be used in their lives.
Tano and Binti wanted their friend Amber but she
disappeared so they survived on their own with
the skills Amber taught them.
Tano & Binti
Author: Davolls, Andy and Linda
Illustrator: Davolls, Andy
Setting: African forest, modern
Date: 1994
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-10
Pages: 24
Publisher: Reed Consumer Books
Limited
Main Character: Tano, Binti, and Amber
I enjoyed reading this book. Every time I finished
a page I wanted to turn it to the next and find out
what was going to happen. This is a good book for
children so they will understand how chimpanzees
can live in the wild on their own. It teaches how
monkeys take care of themselves and how they
get another monkey to help them in some
situations such as cleaning. The illustrations were
very good and they almost melt your heart.
There are more than 38,000 types of spiders and
you can find them any place you go.
Spiders
Author: Bishop, Nic
Setting: Everywhere,
Present
Date: 2007
Genre: Nonfiction
Awards: Sibert Medal
Age: 9-11
Pages: 48
Publisher: Scholastic
Main Character: Spiders
What an awesome book! This book was cool,
even though I cannot stand spiders. The book
kept my attention and made me want to read
more every time I reached the bottom of the page.
I had no idea there were so many types of
spiders. A spider is a spider to me no matter what
kind it is. The pictures Nic Bishop took to go in this
book were phenomenal. I cannot express how
close and detailed that the pictures were that he
took. The pictures actually at some points made
me shrink up and get the chills. Although the
spiders were creepy, I loved reading and looking
at all of the photos in this book.
Tom wanted to do something with his life but did
not care for school so he decided to work for
himself and started inventing things.
Tom Edison Finds Out
Author: Lowitz, Sadyebeth & Anson
Illustrator: The Latter
Setting: United States and Canada,
Past
Date: 1967
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-10
Pages: 48
Publisher: Lerner
Main Character: Tom Edison
The book is full of interesting facts about Tom
Edison. We all know that he invented the light bulb
but while reading this book I learned about some
of the battles and obstacles that he had to go
through in his life to be successful. The book gives
good illustrations. Even though the illustrations are
not done in color, they still get the point across
and help the reader understand what all Tom did
and went through at that specific time and place.
Rosa Parks wanted to be treated as an equal but
the whites did not want colored people to have the
same as them so she stood up for the colored
people.
Rosa Parks
Author: Greenfield, Eloise
Illustrator: Marlow, Eric
Setting: Montgomery, Past
Date: 1973
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Awards: N/A
Age:8-10
Pages: 32
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Main Character: Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was an amazing women and a strong
women. This book talks about all of the courage
that she displayed. I believe if half of the people in
the world had as much courage as she did then
the world would be a much better place. Rosa
Parks stood up for what she believed was right. I
think this book could inspire young children and
help them believe in themselves and understand
their actions can make a difference .
Robert E. Lee wanted peace but there was war so
Lee tried his best and did his duty.
Robert E. Lee
Author: Greene, Carol
Setting: World, Present
Date: 1989
Genre:
Biography/Autobiography
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-11
Pages: 48
Publisher: Children
Main Character: Robert E. Lee
This book is one of my favorites. I loved all of the
facts and information that it provided. The pictures
and photographs were wonderful because they
were actual pictures of Robert E. Lee, his family,
his home, and his surroundings. I did not want the
story to come to an end. I enjoyed reading it and
learning about Robert E. Lee, what he did, and
how he played a part in the war between the
North and the South. He was a very brave man
who tried his best to do what he believed in and
he tried to make the country a better place.
Patricia wanted to do something for kids so she
decided to start writing children's books.
Firetalking
Author: Polacco, Patricia
Illustrator: Midgale, Lawrence
Setting: California, present
Date: 1994
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Awards: N/A
Age:8-11
Pages: 32
Publisher: Richard C. Owen
Main Character: Patricia Polacco
This book was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed
reading this book and finding out about Patricia. I
was not really looking forward to the end of this
book because I wanted to find out more and more
about her. She has done so many things. I love
and am jealous how she has lived in four different
countries. The pictures were very interesting too
because they were actually pictures of her in her
house, on her porch, and her and her neighbors
sitting and drinking coffee. While reading this
book, I almost felt like I was part of her life.
Dahl wanted to do something with himself so he
pursued many adventures.
Roald Dahl
Author: Jill C. Wheeler
Setting: Around the world,
Past/present
Date: 2007
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Awards: N/A
Age: 8-11
Pages: 24
Publisher: ABDO
Main Character: Roald Dahl
I loved this book about Roald Dahl! I thought it
was very interesting and it was so filled with facts!
I learned our birthdays were only one day apart
and I thought it was neat because two of his
stories Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory are two of my favorite all
time books and movies. I had no idea till now that
he is the person who wrote them. One thing we
have in common is he loved and wanted to travel
and that is one of my favorite things to do.
Knowing he also wrote two of my favorite stories
makes me think that we could have a great time
talking if he was still alive today.
Chang wanted to save his brother but he could
not say his brothers long name again so he took a
deep breath to say it and got help for his brother.
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Author: Mosel, Arlene
Illustrator: Lent, Blair
Setting: China, past
Date: 1968
Genre: Multicultural & International
Literature
Awards: N/A
Age: 6-8
Pages: 42
Publisher: Henry Holt
Main Character: Tikki Tikki Tembo,
Chang
This book is a very repetitive book. I think it would
be good for a young reader because it repeats
over and over so they have more time to
comprehend the book. I thought it was neat how it
gave an example of why in the Chinese culture
the names tend to be shorter names than what we
hear in the United States. The illustrations seem
to be done in marker and not many colors are
used. The only colors that are used are earth
tones and the color blue.
The little girl went into a dream and dreamed she
went away to Africa. She crossed oceans,
danced, and sang. She lived the good life in her
dream.
Africa Dream
Author: Greenfield, Eloise
Illustrator: Byard, Carole
Setting: A dream, modern
Date: 1977
Genre: Multicultural & International
Literature
Awards: Coretta Scott King
Age: 7-9
Pages: 29
Publisher: Harper Collins
Main Character: Young girl
This book had interesting illustrations. I liked them
because they were not all precise and clean cut.
They seemed to be more like sketches in a sketch
book and not perfect. I liked them because it is the
way that I draw when I draw. I loved all of the
shading and how she made all different grays and
blacks with it. The book was very calming and
seem to put me at ease. I liked reading this book
and thinking about how it would be to have a
dream like that. I think it would be a good dream
and not one I would want to wake up from.
The quilt was something that was passed down
from generation to generation. Each time the quilt
was used for the same things and events.
The Keeping Quit
Author: Polacco, Patricia
Setting: New York, past
Date: 1988
Genre: Multicultural &
International Literature
Awards: N/A
Age: 9-12
Pages: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Main Character: Anna
Reading this book was really fun. I liked it
because it reminded me of my grandmother. She
used to always make quilts and then we would
play with them. When I was old enough, my
grandmother passed down some of the quilts to
me and I still have them today. The illustrations
are all done in black and white except for the quilt.
The quilt is the only thing done in color. Everything
else seems to be done in charcoal. This book was
a good book to read and brought a smile to my
face.
Even though we are all different around the world,
many similarities can bring us together.
Whoever You Are
Author: Fox, Mem
Illustrator: Staub, Leslie
Setting: All over the world, present
Date: 1997
Genre: Multicultural & International
Literature
Awards: N/A
Age: 4-6
Pages: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Main Character: All children
I really enjoyed this book because of all the color it
had in it. The entire book is filled with illustrations
and bright colors. The book caught my eye and I
wanted to see more. I liked how it gave examples
of all types of people and situations. People’s
emotions of love, hurt, and joy are similar all
around the world. I liked how throughout the book
you feel like you are in different places of the
world when looking at the illustrations.
Peter wanted to draw but so many things went on
throughout his life; so he drew pictures of his life
events.
I think this is a truly amazing book. First of all, I
loved his illustrations. They appear to be done in
pencil. There is not much color in any of them.
The only color that is consistent throughout this
The Wall
book is the color red in every illustration. While
Author: Sis, Peter
Setting: All over the world, present reading this book, you can learn a lot about
history. It gave me insight into what he went
Date: 2007
through and how he saw it through his eyes. It
Genre: Multicultural &
was like sitting down with a person and letting
International Literature
them tell you their life story.
Awards: Sibert Medal
Age: 9-12
Pages: 45
Publisher: Frances Foster
Main Character: Peter Sis
The boy wanted to be able to read but they were
poor, black sharecroppers so he helped his family
until one day he met a teacher.
Sounder
Author: Armstrong, William H.
Illustrator: Barkley, James
Setting: Deep south (Georgia),
nineteenth century
Date: 1969
Genre: Chapter Book
Awards: Newbery Medal
Age: 9-13
Pages: 116
Publisher: Harper & Row
Main Character: The child and
Sounder
The book was well written and it was a story that I
could see in my mind as I read it. The story was
sad even though the boy learned to read. The boy
described his loneliness and the death of his
father and Sounder. The story took place in this
area because it talked of Gilmer and Bartow
counties. I liked the Bible stories in the book but I
do not know if I should recommend it to students
because of separation of church and state.
Peter did not want to be ignored but Fudge, his
younger brother, got all the attention; so Peter felt
like a fourth grade nothing.
Tales of a Fourth Grade
Nothing
Author: Blume, Judy
Illustrator: Doty, Roy
Setting: New York City, modern
Date: 1972
Genre: Chapter Book
Awards: Georgia Book Award (Writing)
Age: 8-12
Pages: 120
Publisher: Dutton
Main Character: Peter Hatcher &
Fudge
The book was funny and entertaining. I would
recommend it to any student, especially those that
have a younger sibling. Judy Blume did an
outstanding job making the book sound like it was
told by a child instead of an adult. The book told of
one funny thing after another that took place in an
ordinary day of a child. Fudge always caused
trouble for Peter. The book was written 38 years
ago and it still sounds like life today.
Brain wanted to go see his father in New York but
his plane crashed; so he had to survive on his
own in the woods until he was rescued.
Hatchet
Author: Paulsen, Gary
Setting: Canadian woods, present
Date: 1987
Genre: Chapter Book
Awards: Newbery Medal
Age: 10-13
Pages: 196
Publisher: Bradbury
Main Character: Brain
I absolutely love this book. I remember reading it
when I was in the fifth grade. Even when I read
the book again, I could not put it down. It kept my
attention so well and is such an inspiration to me.
It reminds me of how good I have it and how it is
so easy to take everything for granted. I would
highly recommend this book to anyone who wants
to read a good story. This is one book that I could
read over and over again.
The family at Singing Pines Farm wanted to know
who was helping out at the farm but no one knew;
so the Woodlanders solved the mystery.
The Hidden Hand
(A Woodland Mystery)
Author: Schultz, Irene
Illustrator: Yasui, Meredith
Setting: Singing Pines Farm, present
Date: 1996
Genre: Chapter Book
Awards: N/A
Age: 7-11
Pages: 133
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Main Character: The Woodlanders
I enjoy mysteries but this one was not very
exciting. It may be because the reading level is
fairly low. The book gave the pronunciation of a
few words that may have been difficult. I liked the
fact that the story could have been true. Tony, the
man doing the chores, was a Vietnam Veteran.
Tony came to the Farm to tell the family about
their relative, Ted, who had been killed in the war.
A low level reader might enjoy the book more than
I did.
Jack wanted to be a normal teenage boy but he
was put in a concentration camp by the Germans;
so he resolved not to hate and wins the game of
survival.
Surviving Hitler
Author: Warren, Andrea
Setting: Poland, Germany, U.S.,
past
Date: 2001
Genre: Chapter Book
Awards: Sibert Honor
Age: 11-15
Pages: 146
Publisher: Harper Collins
Main Character: Jack
Mandelbaum
The writing of this book is awesome. I would
recommend it to any fifth grader but not to anyone
younger. The horrors of the Holocaust are
described but because of Jack’s positive attitude
the book will not give someone nightmares. Jack
chose not to hate and to not take it personally.
Even though his living conditions were beyond
terrible, he made friends and helped others
survive. The book teaches about history and
character development.