Graphic Novel

Coraline

I have heard stories about the book Coraline but, I did not know that it was also in a graphic novel version. It tells the story of a young girl who moves to a new house with her family. When she goes into a door in the new house, she finds another house, that is similar to her own. She finds that it looks so much better than her own. When she gets there, the food is better than at home, and the toy box is filled with fluttering wind-up angels and dinosaur. When she looks around, there is another mother and father. It was odd to her that she realized that they wanted her to stay with their child as well. After she learns that these people want to change her into their family, she has to fully get back to her other lifestyle. I knew that's how the original story went and the same goes for this graphic novel as well. It seems like a great book to be interesting and engaging for the young readers. It is also in another format that can be appealing to them as well. The format has great pictures and sentences that the children can understand. The only exception that I would have about this story is that it might be a little scary for some readers knowing what the story line is about and knowing that they might lose their family. I would rate this book with an overall 4 out of 5 stars. 

Title: Coraline

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: P. Craig Russell

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publishing Date:June 24th, 2008

ISBN: 006082543X

Graphic Novels

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Another book that is definitely very popular today in schools and is great to blog about is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This books talks about a boy who finds himself dealing with a lot in middle school. There is experience with stress that he has at home and at school. After reading the book for my literature circle project, I have come to the conclusion that there is a lot of humor and relation with the book to children today. There are hazards of growing up and its revealed through words and drawings as Greg, the main character records them in his diary. There is testing of friendships and seeing what it is like for middle school students today. After reading the book and learning more about it, the author recalls his experiences with school and expresses aspects of what it is like in middle school. I thought the illustrations and excerpts in the book were displayed appropriately and different from regular graphic novels. The story is also realistic and relatable to the readers. I would rate this book with a 5 out of 5 stars.

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publishing Date: April 1st, 2007
ISBN: 0810993139

Graphic Novels

Smile

It seems like this book is all the rage in a fourth grade classroom. At my field placement this semester, which is seventh generations charter school, all of the students are talking about this books. After looking at the content, flipping through the pages of the book, and read some parts, it seems like it is very appealing to children at this age. The pictures and graphics are appropriate and are relatable to the children at this age. The author writes the novel as a perspective of a sixth grader. The sixth grader tells the stories of her life as a normal sixth grader until one night after her girl scouts meeting when she trips and falls.  She severely injures her two front teeth. It seems as if there is a long and frustrating journey with on and off again braces, surgery, headgear, and a retainer with fake teeth. There is also stories about a major earthquake and boyfriend and friend troubles . After reading about this in the book and hearing stories from my field students, it seems like the students feel that the story is interesting to them and that they are able to read it well. Also, the language in the book is very appropriate for the students who are reading this book and I feel it is a great graphic novel to read. I would rate the book with an overall 5 out of 5 stars because of how appealing it was to me and how I was able to see how appealing it was to the students as well. 

Title: Smile
Author: Raina Telegemeier
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Publishing Date: February 1st, 2010
ISBN: 0545132053

Poetry

The New Kid on the Block

In this book, there are poems that many people may have never thought of before or even read about before. There are many animals that the readers are introduced with and associated with the silliest of things. For example, stories that have a creative side of boneless chicken, jellyfish stew, bouncing mice, and ridiculous dogs. There are even things like eating a dinosaur or having an alligator for a pet which can sound very interesting. I love how this book gives an edge to it and how the author allows the readers to think out of the box. It portrays that the children are able to understand that anyone can be creative and have their own way of thinking. There are over 100 poems in this book that allow children to be fully engaged. These poems are also very easy to comprehend with child friendly language. The illustrations are also bring light into the poems. I would give this book with an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars because of the creativity that is portrayed and how the poems are geared toward young readers in a unique way.

Title: The New Kid on the Block
Author: Jack Perlutsky
Illustrator: James Stevenson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publishing Date: August 20th 1984

Poetry

The Napping House

In this picture book for children, there are many elements of poetry but also a cute sleepy story about children, a granny, and animals that carry an engaging story. There are many comical illustrations that are shown within moonlight until the sun comes up and that's when all of the color comes back to awake the household. It is great to see books that are in the form of poetry along with bigger books because many children might only want to read one story. I feel that it is good that authors can put stories into picture books. The book got many awards for its story and pictures. I would overall rate this book with a 5 out of 5 rating because it takes a twist that is different from other poetry books and the story is very appropriate for children to love. Lastly, the illustrations are very realistic for the readers and helps tell the wonderful story.

Title: The Napping House
Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date: September 1st 2000
ISBN: 0152026320

Poetry

Where the Sidewalk Ends

In this wonderful poetry book, there are many poems that are child friendly and appealing to young readers. In the book there is about a little over 100 short poems that relate to stories of children and their families and friends. The poems also mention many events that children might do when they are younger. The poems have characters of all kind including humans and animals. The author portrays a great sense of alliteration, rhythm, and rhyme of stories that can be funny and interesting to young children. Along with having great poems that children can read, there are also great illustrations that make the stories more lively. After looking through the book and reading some of the poems, I would rate this book with an overall 5 out of 5 stars because the poems are very relate able to children's lives. They are also again very engaging and realistic for young children to understand the story line as well.

Title: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author: Shel Silverstein
Publishing Date: November 20th 1974
Publisher: HaperCollins Publishers
ISBN:0060513039

Historical Fiction

The Gardner

The story tells a little girl who has a suitcase full of seeds and brings it to a city to stay with her Uncle who is baker. The city is going through a lot during this time and wants to try to make people smile and be happy again. The city is in a dark era because it is during the Depression. She starts to work in the shop and bring smiles to the customers faces with the flowers that she grows. She also has a secret that nobody knows about and that is where she works on her garden. It is a rooftop garden that she hops will make her uncle smile and see that she can make things happen. The story is told through letters that are written at home and there are many illustrations that express what the Depression era was like and different observations that the characters make. I feel that this book expresses many elements of what it was like in the Depression era and also the connection between a girl and her uncle. Letter are also a reflection of how many people communicated back then. It is written in a child friendly way and you could see the culture back then. I feel that the book is a great representation of historical fiction but I feel that there should be a little more information on the depression era specifically. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars based on my explanations.

Title: The Gardner
Author: Sarah Stewart
Illistrator: David Small
Publishing Date: August 30th 1997
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
ISBN:0374325170

Historical Fiction

Survivors: True Stories of Children of the Holocaust

Throughout this book about children in the holocaust, there are text features and different stories that young readers can really be interested in. There are many elementary schools and middles school touching on the topic of the Holocaust and how it was known. The stories are real-life situations that the children gone through during their lives of danger and fear. The children found a way to make it through the rough times of the war. There were some who escaped the camps and there were also others that were not that lucky and had to experience the horror. Their ultimate goal was to get to survival and by reading the short chapter book, you can see the courage, motivation, and inspirations that it brings to young readers. After going through this book and seeing what the life was like during these times, it seems like there are many connections that the younger readers can make since they were children just like them. The readers can sense the children own feelings in the book and see how it impacted them the most. I like how the books is a chapter book and gives much detail about the stories. I also feel that there might be some words in the book that might be a little challenging for readers but besides that, it can be very engaging. That allows me to rate the book with an overall 4 out of 5 stars.

Title: Surviors: True Stores of Children of the Holocaust
Author: Allan Zullo
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Publishing Date: March 1st 2005
ISBN:0439669960

Historical Fiction

Baseball Saved Us

In this book, there is a boy named Shorty who is a Japanese American that was sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. There was a lot of other people who were Japanese Americans that were also sent to the camps as well, which were very harsh. The conditions were harsh by having long hot and hard days that they did not know what was going to happen. Shorty and his father thought that they were going to fight these conditions of the dessert and build a baseball diamond and form a league to have for the people to have enlightenment during these hard times. The story tells not only about the story of the camp and fun with baseball but, to help others learn about dignity and self respect. After looking at this book, I thought it was a great story for children to learn about and see what it was really like in the internment camps after the Pearl Harbor attack. They can see what the time period was about and how other suffered from it. Since the moral of the story is to gain a positive and greater insight about bad situations, it helps children to see how they can do the same. The picture book has a realistic element by expressing them through pictures and the text. I would overall rate the book with a 5 out of 5 stars because it tells a great historical story about a child during the times of Pear harbor and young readers can understand the perspective more as it is focused on a child. The text and pictures are very realistic as picture books should be. The children can also learn a moral that is proposed in the story and carry it out with them in any situation. 

Title: Baseball Saved Us
Author: Ken Mochizuki
Illustrator: Dom Lee
Publishing Date: March 1st 1993
Publisher: Lee and Low Books
ISBN:1880000199

Informational Text

Just Ducks!

As a child growing up, I was very interested in ducks and how they were very unique to the rest of the world. There are many units or themes that teachers do on Ducks and learning all about them if there are students in their class that love them. There are also just children out there that might have a interest in ducks or want to learn more about them even if they do not. This book is a very child friendly story about a young girl that shares her observations about the mallard ducks near her house. She talks about them as if she is very engaging in what their characteristics are. She goes into detail about the ducks and what they are doing as well. The girls goes into talking about the sounds they make and the way that the ducks move. She also starts to explain how the ducks are getting food and moving all around the water and outside the water. She describes how the feathers are in such great detail and the illustrations reflect what she is saying. Lastly, she goes into where they nest and where they sleep to explain fully about their lifestyle. I specifically like this book because it is told from the viewpoint of a child and she is explaining what the mallard ducks are. I would rate the book with an overall 5 out of 5 rating because of how the text is appropriate for children using child friendly definitions, how the story is told from the perspective of the child, and how the watercolor illustrations stand out. I would definitely recommend it for reading!

Title: Just Ducks!

Author: Nicola Davies 

Illustrator: Salvatore Rubbino

Publisher: Candlewick

Publishing Date: March 27th 2012

ISBN: 0763659363

Informational Text

Seeds

This children's informational book is all about seeds and how they change and are used within the environment. In the summer and spring, there are many trees and plants that are coming into full bloom and flowers that are appearing as well. There are many fruit trees and other fruits that are coming into season for people to buy or have their own garden. As the book begins, it talks about the the start of all this blooming is the tiny little seed. The little seed is what makes all of the blooming happen because how people can plant them. The young readers of this book will learn how to plant and grow the seeds. The book draws out and compares how the seeds are different for each plant or fruit. It also draws out how they are different in shape, size, and patterns that are associated with them. It also talks about cherry pits to exploding pods, to sticktight seeds. It goes through how nature and seeds work within the environment. I would rate this book with an overall 5 out of 5 stars because of the use of vocab and the illustrations that are in there are very child friendly and great to use in an elementary setting. The teacher can incorporate this in the classroom library and within ecology lessons. Lastly,  it can also be incorporated with a unit for plants or seeds. 

Title: Seeds
Author: Ken Robbins
Publisher: Atheneum Books For Young Readers
Publishing Date: January 1st 2005
ISBN: 0689850417

Informational Text

Owls

Throughout this book there is much information about owls and their own characteristics. The author seems to know how to explore the wonderful world and workings of owls in her latest nonfiction picture book. She touches on numerous species of owls and discusses their biological similarities as well as their differences. The book goes on to explain their ideal habitats, life styles, birth and development and environmental hazards that are threatening certain species. Throughout the book there are many illustrations, pictures, and diagrams that grabs the readers attention and engages them to look at other places of the book. The use of text in the book is also very child friendly and appropriate for the picture book. It also poses definitions of the words that are used within the book and there are also ones that are included for additional extensions and further thinking. I would rate this book with an overall 4 out of 5 because the some of the definitions in the book might be a little hard for the children to comprehend but everything else was appropriate. 

Title: Owls
Author: Gail Gibbons
Publisher: Holiday House
Publishing Date: March 15th 2006
ISBN: 0823420140

Fantasy Book

The Polar Express

As you were younger, many know this story being popular around Christmas time but, today most children read it year round. The story is about a little boy who wants to listen hard for Santa's sleigh bells. A friend told him that many people do not believe in Santa and that he is not real so he wanted to find out for sure. He stayed up and finally heard a sound coming from his window of a train and was shocked to see that it was not Santa. The conductor invited him on the train with the other children to go to the North Pole to meet Santa and his Elves. He got one special gift from Santa and that was the silver bell but ended up loosing it. After reading through the book, the children are able to see how the little boy is able to get a special gift that Christmas morning.

The book has great illustrations and words that are appealing and friendly for the children. I remember reading this book when I was little and seeing how it impacted my life by using many connections. The children can make connections to the story and know what the boy was feeling through this fantasy. I would give the book with an overall rating with 5 out of 5 stars because of it being a high quality children's book and relevant to the lives of children who celebrate Christmas.

Title: The Polar Express
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date: October 28th 1985
ISBN:0395389496

Fantasy Book

The Cat in the Hat

Dr. Seuss presented his books in a way that just screams fantasy! Many people enjoy his books and still read them today. The Cat in the Hat is a book about a cat that wars a hat and makes learning that is very enjoyable. In the book, it is a rainy day and Dick and Sally (two of the characters) can’t find anything to do. Well, it started to change when the Cat in the Hat unexpectedly appears. The Cat in the Hat turns their cloudy afternoon into a fun-filled day. The book also features many other characters who are in other Dr. Seuss books like, Fish and Thing 1 and Thing 2. Throughout the story, the characters pop in and out and make it lively for the reader to keep wanting to read.

The book is a great way for the students to have during a read alone and on their own. It also is very popular at home and in the classroom or at libraries as well. It has great illustrations throughout the book and there are many words that most younger children can read or easy to sound out for them. They can break down the words and even if they can't, the book can be read aloud to them as well. I would over all give the book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I would give the book this rating because even though it is very child friendly and appropriate, I am not sure if a child would get very overwhelmed at the sight of all of the rhyming words or words in general.

Title: The Cat in the Hat
Author: Dr. Seuss
Publisher: Random House Readers for Young Children
Publishing Date: March 12th 1957
ISBN: 039480001X

Fantasy Book

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web is a book is a classic of children's literature that is perfect for a chapter book of children who are just started to get higher levels with their readings. The use of words show how the animals in the book express a story about their lives on a farm. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply just wants a friend. The book also tells a story of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter. It goes on to tell the story of how they became friends and went on to have many discoveries together. The novel expresses a lot of friendship, love, life, and death that many children can make connections too and learn to love overall. The edition contains some color illustrations to also have another side to the reading and engage the reader. After looking up the book online, it says that it does support the Common Core State Standards, which many teachers would be happy about!

I could remember reading this book when I was younger and having many images in my mind that I can still see today. The use of language in the book helps the reader to visually see what the scenes look like and how they can picture it in their own minds. It tells a great fantasy story of the animals and guide the children in how they can think about all of the imagery that is in the book. I would overall give the book a 5 out of 5 because of the use of language, the realistic, and also the fantasy element that makes the books appealing.

Title: Charlotte's Web
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Garth Williams
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publishing Date: October 1st 2001
ISBN:0064410935

Realistic Fiction

The Wednesday Surprise

Eve Bunting does many books that are realistic fiction and done very well. The one book that I read from here is The Wednesday Surprise and it is a good story about a Grandma and Granddaughter. Anna (the granddaughter) and Grandma are planning a surprise for her Dad's birthday but, Dad thinks he has received all his presents. Grandma wants to give him the best of all by reading the stories that Anna has taught her within her life. Anna and her grandmother spend Wednesday evening while her father is away for work reading stories together. The plan that they had to surprise her father on her birthday went over very well because Anna taught her grandmother how to read and enjoys everything about it now. It is shocking to see a story like this but it shows a great plot twist and a sweet message for children that they can make an impact on anyone. It is a good story that touches on family, love, and aspects of literacy. I would give the book with an overall 5 out of 5 stars because of the realistic factor and how Eve bunting was able to catch the readers attention with the story. It is definitely worth sharing with all children and make many inferences and connections. 

Title: The Wednesday Surprise
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Donald Carrick
Publisher:Clarion Books
Publishing Date:March 20th 1998
ISBN:0899197213

Realistic Fiction

Be Good Eddie Lee

While looking for books in realistic fiction. This picture book stood out to me greatly because there are students that are different in their own unique way. This book expresses differences that children might see in others and putting the understanding in a book form is a great way for the children to see it. It tells the story of a little boy named Eddie Lee who is "different". He has down syndrome and looks different then everyone else but some people are not nice. The story goes on and tells the story of children who have an unconditional friendship between one another. A mother always tells Christy to be good to Eddie Lee who is her neighborhood friend. Even though Christy does not want to tag along with him, he does take her on an adventure and teaches her many beautiful things  can you can find in unexpected places within the woods. It is just a beautiful story that children can relate to friends and classmates having disabilities and knowing that everyone is different in their own way. I would give the book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars because the story is so connectable to children's lives and how they can learn about a new story or know that everyone is different. The illustrations in the book are also very detailed and eye appealing to the reader. 

Title: Be Good Eddie Lee
Author: Virginia Fleming 
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Publisher: Philomel Books
Publishing Date: October 27th 1993
ISBN: 0399219935

Realistic Fiction

Thunder Cake

The first realistic fiction book that I chose is Thunder Cake because it seemed very eye appealing to me on what it would be about. The book tells that cute story of a thunderstorm that rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse.  The Grandma says that it is thunder cake baking weather and calls her granddaughter to get together to gather ingredients to start making thunder cake. The goal of the Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. The  list of ingredients are long and not easy to find and the storm is coming closer and closer. The story is very cute telling how both the grandmother and granddaughter have fun together to make thunder cake and overcome the fear of thunderstorms. The book has a great story line and shows a true real life experience of what other children might experience. The chose of words are appropriate for children as well. The pictures were also very eye appealing and detailed greatly. I would give the book an overall 5 out of 5 stars because of how realistic it can be for children and the overall quality of the book. 

Title: Thunder Cake
Author: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publishing Date: August 25th 1997 
ISBN: 0698115813  

Traditional Literature

The 3 Little Pigs

Another great classic children's book is The 3 Little Pigs. Although there are many versions of the story, this one by Jon Scieszka it also very appealing to children. The story takes the original story of the 3 little pigs and twist the point of view and perspective. The author does this to have the young readers finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” Even though is it not the exact original book, it still is very traditional and a classic to children's literature. The book has a great humorous side to it that will make all readers laugh. I would give this book an overall 5 out of 5 because of how it takes the original story and put it together with the other side of the story as well. The text and the illustrations are also very child friendly.

Title: The 3 Little Pigs
Author: Jon Scieszka
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publishing Date: March 1st 1996
ISBN:0140544518

Traditional Literature

The Little Red Riding Hood

When looking for this book, I decided to chose the classic version because it is a true expression of the story. It shows how the story is represented to be an authentic experiences as the reader is engaged. It tells the original story of the little red riding hood and how she goes through the woods with a suspenseful plot. She realizes that her grandma is not the person that she though she would be. Throughout the whole book, there are great illustrations and text gradient that is appropriate for children. The book is also a great way to incorporate dialogic reading to engage the students more. There are also great classroom activities that go with the book. Overall, I would rate this book with a 5 out of 5 stars because the book very child friendly, engaging, and sparks the interests of the reader. It's a classic that I love and brings back many childhood memories!

Title: The Little Red Riding Hood
Author and Illustrator: Tryna Schart Hyman
Publisher: Holiday House
Publishing Date: April 1st 1986
ISBN:0823404706

Traditional Literature

The Ugly Duckling

For a long time, The Ugly Duckling has been a childhood favorite. I know when I was little it was one of my favorite to read. Jerry Pinkney's is the illustrator and puts new images to a new generations of readers. The artist captures a lot about the tale of the duckling and what it goes through. The story is about an awkward duck that goes through hecklers, hunters, and rough seasons. The story talks about how the duckling survived by transforming into a beautiful swan. When the duckling turns into the swan, it portrays a moral about how you can have true happiness. Whenever I think of the story, I see how there was one duck that stood out from others and was different and how it's normal to be different. The artist has a lot of great  watercolors to go along with the story. I would rating this book with an overall 5 out of 5. There are great illustrations and it gives an authentic experience, which is why it deserved the Caldecott Award. Even though there are many editions to the story, I feel that this one is the best!

Title: The Ugly Duckling
Author: Hans Christian Anderson
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney's
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publishing Date: March 24th 1999
ISBN: 068815932X

Picture Books

The Snowy Day

The book tells the story of a boy who wakes up one morning to go out into the snow and gives sounds effects of walking through the snow. It tells how the boy walked in the snow to make tracks and finds a stick to smack the snow. He saw other boys playing a snow ball fight and having fun but, he knew that he wasn't old enough to play along. He decided he was going to make a snowman and make snow angels instead. He then started to climb a big heap of snow and slide down. Before leaving, he packed a snow ball in his pocket to save for the next day and changed to get ready for bed when he got home. When he went to check to see if the snow was still there, he noticed it was gone and was very sad. He was so sad that he had a dream that the sun melted all the snow but, when he woke up, the snow was still there was happy again. I thought this book had a great story line and the pictures were very bright and appealing. As I was reading the book, I was able to connect the words with the pictures which was great. I would rate this book with an overall 5 out of 5 stars.

Title: The Snowy Day
Author and Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publishing Date: October 28th, 1976
ISBN:0140501827

Picture Books

No David!

As you all know, this book has shown up in library's, school's, and bookstores all over the world. It tells the story of a little boy who gets into things that he shouldn't be doing. His mother in the book says, "No David!" all the time. For example, some of the actions that he does is playing games in the house, playing in the mud, taking a bath and splashing the water all over, playing with his food, etc. His mother finally got upset and sent him to his room but, that didn't stop him from fooling around and doing things he wasn't supposed too. At the end, David ends up breaking something of his mothers and he realizes what he did was wrong. The mother comforts him in the end by saying, "I Love You". I would rate this book with a 5 out of 5 stars because there were less words than a normal book and focused more on the photos. Another reason why I gave it a high rating is, because the teacher can use the moral of the story to have the students make real-life connections and reflect on what David could have done differently.

Title: No David!
Author and Illustrator: David Shannon
Publisher: Blue Sky Press
Publishing Date: September 1st, 1998
ISBN:0590930028

Picture Books

Bear Snores On

This picture book tells the story of a bear who sleeps through a long winter while snoring very loud. The story goes on to tell about how the other animals who are his friends take shelter in his cave during a winter storm. The bear remains in a deep sleep as a mouse and hare make tea and pop corn. The bear doesn’t awake even when they are joined by the gopher, mole, wren, and raven. The friends start a fire, sing, dance, and cook. The bear is still sleep as this goes on in his cave. Finally, the bear starts to wake after sneezing over the pepper that they had in the cave and he realizes that he is surrounded by uninvited guests. The bear starts to get very angry by growling at the other animals because he was sleeping and not able to have any fun. The animals help him to cheer up and tell him that they can make more food. As they are making more, the other animals start to fall asleep and the bear is now left with his friends sleeping. The book showed many great pictures of the animals and the background pictures as well. They are very eye appealing for the reader and focuses more on them rather than the words. I would rate the book 5 out of 5 stars for its overall detail in pictures and few words.

Title: Bear Snores On
Author: Karma Wilson
Illistrator: Jane Chapman
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publishing Date: January 1st, 2002
ISBN: 0689831870

Decodable Text

I Can Read: Big Pig

The Big Pig book is part of the I Can Read decodable text bundles. The story is about a big pig that does many actions. For example, "Big pig is taking a bath, Big pig is eating food, and Big pig is in the farm". The decodable book is for the readers to find the rhyming words and understand what ones they are. The book is very simple and short for students to specifically see the words that are rhyming. I like how the authors chose to have shorter sentences because it seems like it is less over-whelming to see the rhyming words when it is broken down. I would give the book a 5 out of 5 rating because the decodable part correctly used the rhyming words and in a format that is easy for beginning readers.

Title:Big Pig
Author: Dr. Julie M. Wood
Illistrator: Sabastien Brown
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publishing Date: 2014 in New York, New York
ISBN: 978-0-06-226689-7

Decodable Text

The Berenstain Bears: Batter Up!

All of the decodable books based on The Berenstain Bears are very child friendly and catches the readers attention. The Batter Up book that I chose is showing how short a is being used. It tells the story of the bears playing baseball, but in the end it does not turn out to be the real baseball rules and was not planned. Throughout the book they used many words that had short a like, after, at, bad, ball, bat, fast, had, and hat. Overall I would give the book a 5 out of 5 rating because they showed all of the words in the book and the story was very friendly for the children to be drawn too. At the end of the book they also had the list of words there for the parents to check and examples of other words too, which I think is very helpful.

Title: The Berenstain Bears: Batter Up!
Author: Jan and Mike Berenstain
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Berenstain Publishing
Publishing Date: 2013 in New York, New York
ISBN: N/A

Decodable Text

Floppy Mop

The Floppy Mop is a decodable text that is from the Set 3 Word Families Bob Books. The Story of the book goes through and talks about a mop dog that interacts with a cat, rat, and his owner doing silly things. Throughout the book there are short sentences on each page that use the word families,
-op and -at. It also has words that rhyme with some of the other main words in the book as well. Lastly, the book guides the beginning reader to make words with the new beginnings for those word families. Overall, I would rate the book with a 5 out of 5 rating because it was shown as a decodable text should be and showed the word families throughout the whole book. The topic was fun and enjoyable for children to be engaged!

Title: The Floppy Mop
Author: Bobby Lynn Maslen
Illustrator: Sue Hendra
Publisher: Scholastic
Publishing Date:1996 in New York City, New York
ISBN:0-439-17563-1

Wordless Picture Books

Flashlight




There are always so many books out there that are about night and incorporate different stories. This wordless picture book setting is night inside a tent. There's some questions that the book makes the reader pose to make it more interesting. For example, some of the questions I had were What is going on outside of the tent? Is it dark? Is it scary? Who is out there? If you have your trusty flashlight with you, then it seems like you are golden in this story of the book. Through the images the artist seems to have created a great exploration of night and nature in the element of art. The book really portrays the reader to see what can be part of  the night and what you can truly see using your flashlight. Overall I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 because there are many imaginations that children can create when they are reading the book. It naturally guides children to make predictions. 

Title: Flashlight
Author: Lizi Boyd
Publisher:Chronicle Books
Publish Date: August 12th 2014
ISBN:1452118949

Wordless Picture Book

The Lion and the Mouse


This wordless picture book shows how you can see the fable tell its story with a lion and a mouse. The lion has plans to eat the mouse who was very trembled by the lion. Later on in the story, the mouse comes his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. There are many pictures of the landscape of the Africa and fantastically drawn characters. The pictures of the characters and what they go through in the book show how children can fully tell their own story and make their own predictions. The illustrations are very perfect for the children to experience the life of African Serengeti and I feel that the children can use their own prior knowledge through this story that they might have learned in other books about animals. Overall, I would give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 because of the fantastic illustrations and the way the other created the book for children to have a story of their own imagination.

Title: The Lion and the Mouse
Author: Jerry Pinkney
Publisher: Brown Books for Young Learners
Publishing Date: September 1st 2009
ISBN:0316013560

Wordless Picture Book

Carl's Afternoon in the Park


After finding this wordless picture book, it stood out to me because I feel as if these were classics when I was younger. There are children still today reading these books as well. It has the story of Carol the dog, the puppy, and the younger baby that go around the park exploring for the day. It shows pictures of them having fun doing different things in the park. The illustrations of the book are also very clear and eye appealing. As I went through the book I was able to create my own story looking at the pictures. There are other pictures besides the characters which makes the book more interesting for you to use your imagination. I would give the book an overall 4 out of 5 rating because the pictures are able to guide the children into telling their own story. The only downfall that I would say about the book is that there should be a little more excitement. For example, some of the pictures do not have much of a plot, which I feel should have one. Overall the book is still able to show how the children can make predictions and tell their own story.

Title: Carl's Afternoon in the Park
Author: Alexandra Day
Publisher: HarperCollinsCanadaLtd
Publishing Date:1991
ISBN:0-374-31109-9

Board Book

Big Red Barn

Who loves children's books about farms and the life behind them?! Big Red Barn by Margret Wise Brown is the last board book that I found and a fiction story about life on a farm. It showed the animals that live on the farm, the sounds that they make, and what they do while there. The story also talks about how they roam around the farm, eat together, and go out their lives on the farm from day to night. It shows the children how they would normally see on a farm in a child friendly way. I really did enjoy reading the story about the animals on the farm and how they live together from day to night. The illustrations were also very realistic for the viewer to see.

Title: Big Red Barn

Author: Margret Wise

Illustrator: Felicia Bond

Publisher: Harper Festival

Publishing Date: First Board Book Edition in 1995

ISBN: 0-694-00624-6
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Board Book

The Noisy Book

There are numerous noises that many animals, cars, trucks, people, things, etc. make and The Noisy Book by Soledad Bravi sure does cover many! The book has all different things that make noises and  show what kind of noise that they make for younger children to see the culture of what is around them in the world. The pictures and the writing are big to catch the reader and viewer's attention and a great way to portray to children what they are. I do feel that the book is very child friendly, but the reader should be aware and use a lot of enthusiasm when reading aloud to make it engaging for the child!

Title: The Noisy Book

Author: Soledad Bravi

Publisher: Gecko Press USA

Publish Date: English Edition in 2010 and American Edition in 2012

ISBN: 978-1-877467-52-3
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

1 is One

Board Book
For this week's blog, I decided to check out the DeSales Library in search for Board books. The first book that I found was 1 is One by Tasha Tudor. The book is geared toward younger children learning what numbers mean and how to count. Through the book, the author starts with the number one and how it is shown. For example, "1 is one bird in a tree" and it shows with pictures as well.

It goes one to show each number and how it is represented with real life experiences, people, and animals, and things that children this young would see around them. The book does show how it can be a great beginner to help children understand the difference between the numbers by using words and pictures.

Title: 1 is one
Author: Tasha Tudor
Publisher: Little Simon
Publish Date:1956 and renewed in 1984
ISBN Number: 0-689-85142-1
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars