And Tango Makes Three

1. And Tango Makes Three

2. Richardson, J., Parnell, P. (2005) And Tango Makes Three Illus. Henry Cole. New York, New York Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing

3. This is the true story of two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo that raise Tango, who could not be cared for by his biological parents.

4. Non-fiction Picturebook

5. Suggested K-2 (banned because not appropriate for this range)

6. Readers who will like this book would be children who come from non traditional family situations. Also, any child that loves animals.

7. I really enjoyed this story and the fact that it is a true story. I like that the book shows that not all things in nature relate in the ways that have been traditionally expected. The society, and what is acceptable, is changing and this book can help open eyes to new ways of thinking. I give this book a 4!

8. Have you been to the zoo? Have you seen baby animals?

Goodnight Moon

1. Goodnight Moon
2. Brown, M (1991) Goodnight Moon Illus. Clement Hurd, Printed in Mexico, HarperFestival
3. This is a story of a rabbit going through a bedtime routine. The rabbit says goodnight to everything in the room, including the air and noises.
4. This is a patterened picture book
5. Pre-K (Beginning readers)
6. The book is intended for toddlers but beginning readers can use the patterns and pictures to help make connections to the story.
7. The artwork is old and may not be appealing to all children. A question for the classroom could be, "Do you have a bedtime routine?" "Who do you say goodnight to before bed?" "What do you like to do before going to bed at night?"

Show Way

Bibliographic Information (APA): Woodson, J. (2005). Show Way. Illus. Hudson Talbott. New York, NY: Putnam's Sons.

Brief Annotation: This is a book about slavery. It is a family history of Jacqueline Woodson and how her family sews quilts to help slaves make it to safety when running away.

Genre: Children's Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 1st-3rd

Readers who will like this: Many children will like this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is a great learning tool on history.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; I loved this book. It is beautiful in every way. Although it is a little confusing keeping Woodson's family tree straight it tells a beautiful story of slavery. Woodson's ancestors would sew quilts that would help guide slaves to freedom and safe places.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you know your family history?

Bink and Gollie

Bibliographic Information (APA): DiCamillo, Kate., & McGhee, Alison. (2010). Bink and Gollie. Illus. Tony Fucile. Somerville, Candlewick Press.

Brief Annotation: This is a cute graphic novel about two sisters. Gollie is often annoyed with her younger sister Bink. They have wonderful imaginations and do many things together.

Genre: Children's Realistic Fiction.

Grade Level: 2nd-3rd

Readers who will like this: Children that have younger siblings will be able to relate to this book very well.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3; This is beautifully illustrated and very simplistic. It's a very cute little book about two sisters. Gollie often times loses her patience with her little sister Bink but is always there for her in times of need. There are three stories within this little book so the children can pick it up and put it down without feeling as if they are missing something.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you have a younger sibling?

The Graveyard Book

Bibliographic Information (APA): Gaiman, Neil. (2008). The Graveyard Book. Illus. Illustrator Chris Riddell. London, England: Bloomsbury.

Brief Annotation: This is a novel about a boy named Nobody Owens, "Bod" for short, that finds himself orphaned as a toddler. He wanders into a graveyard and the graveyard inhabitants take him under their wings and raise him.

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Grade Level: 5th- 8th grade

Readers who will like this: Many children will like this but it is not for the faint of heart. It does involve murder and ghosts.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; This book had a slow start but when you get almost halfway through the plot quickens and becomes much more interesting. Bod is a quiet little guy that is very inquisitive. He meets many of the graveyard inhabitants and learns a lot from them. It does have some scary parts so it is definitely for older children.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever wished you could talk to ghosts?

Reading Strategies Connection:

Reading Logs:

This book could be used as a read aloud in the classroom. After each read aloud the children should write into a reading log. This can be a spiral notebook titled with the name of the book or white paper stapled together. Each page would be titled whatever the children think fits. They will write their thoughts and reactions to what they just heard in the book. The teacher can also assign a specific topic to write about in the logs. The teacher will monitor the logs to check for comprehension. It is a great way to get the children thinking and writing.

Alphabet City

Bibliographic Information (APA): Johnson, S. (1995). Alphabet City. Illus. Stephen Johnson. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

Brief Annotation: This is a wordless picture book. This book uses pictures of letters of the alphabet that the author found.

Genre: Alphabet Children's Book

Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten

Readers who will like this: Children who are learning the alphabet or children who like search and finds.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3; The pictures seem a little outdated but I love that this is so different that most alphabet books. When looking through this book sometimes I had to pause and try and find the letter in the picture. Not all of the letters in this book are obvious and jump out at you. It would be fun to use this as a read aloud and have the children try to find the letters in the picture as well as determine what letter will come next in the book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Who has ever noticed letters in things such as trees, rocks, or anything outside?

Reading Strategies Connection:

Alphabet Book:

Children will examine this alphabet book as well as some others. The teacher will write all the letters of the alphabet on a large piece of paper. The children will each choose a letter to create for the book. When all of the children have a letter the teacher can talk about ways they can make a page for their letter. They can draw it, take a picture, or paint it. Each of the letters will be compiled into a class book. The teacher will bind it and then read it to the class.

Seven Blind Mice

Brief Annotation: This is about seven mice using their senses to discover something new that moved into their pond.

Genre: Children's PictureBook

Grade Level: Preschool-1st

Readers who will like this: Many children will like this. The children can guess along with the mice to figure out what it is that moved by their pond.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3; It is a cute book about using only your other senses to discover something new. This is a great book that has unique collage illustrations. A game could easily be made from this book to help teach the five senses.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever tried to find something in the dark?

Reading Strategies Connection:

Book Boxes:

This is a great way to tie the book together with a science unit. Have each child gather a box, this can be a plastic tub, old ice cream container, or even a shoe box. Have the children decorate the outside of their boxes with things that pertain to the book. Inside the box they will put 3 things that relate to the book. It could even just be things that are the same color as the mice. The children will then share their boxes with the classroom. To make things more interesting the children can use all their senses except sight to figure out what is in each box. The children can shake it, reach in and feel it, and even try to smell it. The children will each get a guess or the teacher can call on individual kids to try to guess and then the item will be shared after the guessing is done.