Have you ever asked your mom for a dog and gotten the run around? “Dogs are too loud.” “Dogs are too messy.” Well, what if you asked her for a dragon? Thinking that she’s being clever, Mom says “yes” to the dragon. Big mistake. It turns out that dragons are VERY bad pets and won’t leave when you ask them to leave. Luckily, they are terrified of dogs. So, when it’s time to get rid of the dragon, what better choice than a dog? This funny, clever book won applause from my second graders. What a great read aloud!
Son, by Lois Lowry
Published December 11, 2012 by Dagmar
For your kids that love dystopian novels. Son, is the fourth novel in The Giver series. The Giver is one of the original dystopian novels without all the violence. Son can be read on its own, but definitely has more meaning if you’ve read the Giver and is better yet if you’ve read books two and three, Gathering Blue and Messenger. I loved this book. There was just the right amount of suspense, the characters were really beautifully drawn and there the element of “creepiness” that dystopian readers crave. For those who have read the previous books, it’s fun to try to trace where this book intersects with the previous books in the Giver series.
Synopsis: Claire is assigned to be a birthmother at her 12 ceremony. She and other girls are to give birth to “products”. Once they’ve given birth to three products, they move on to another job in society. Claire has difficulty with her first birth and is quickly reassigned to another job. So quickly, that those in charge forget to give her her daily pills. Slowly her feelings for her son awaken. Claire imagines running away with her son. Her son, a difficult baby and toddler has been chosen for “release”. That’s when Claire discovers that her son is missing, taken away by a boy from the community. So begins Claire’s desperate search for her son.
“Stand Back, Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” by Patricia Thomas
Published December 6, 2012 by Dagmar
Oh, oh. The Elephant is going to sneeze. The last time he sneezed, terrible things happened. This was a very fun book that was applauded after I read it to our pre-k class today.
Synopsis: Elephant warns everyone that he’s about to sneeze. Every animal begs him not to sneeze, because the last time he sneezed, the monkeys were blown out of the trees, feathers were blown off all the birds, the fur was blown off the bear, etc. Luckily, a little mouse scares the elephant just enough that he forgets to sneeze. Everything looks like it will end well, until the elephant falls to the ground laughing, because he didn’t sneeze. Oh, oh!
Cat Up a Tree, by John and Ann Hassett
Published December 6, 2012 by Dagmar
Such a funny book! A great read aloud for K-2.
Synopsis: Nana Quimby sees cats up a tree and calls for help. Every person she calls, including the fireshouse, the post office, the police station and city hall all say they can’t help. Soon there are forty cats up a tree! Finally Nana lets the cats into her house. When the mayor calls reporting mice everywhere in town, Nana Quimby gives him her own, very unhelpful response.
Pumpkin Soup, by Helen Cooper
Published December 6, 2012 by Dagmar
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I can see why. The pleasant rhymes and great, colorful illustrations really hook students. They loved this book!
Synopsis: Cat, Duck and Squirrel live together in an old white cabin. They love to make pumpkin soup together. Cat slices the pumpkin, squirrel stirs the soup, and Duck puts in the salt. When Duck decides he would like to stir the soup, the friends fight. Duck leaves the cabin. When he doesn’t return by supper, Cat and Squirrel make pumpkin soup by themselves. But, it’s too salty! Worried about Duck out at night in the dark woods, Cat and Squirrel go outside to find him. Thinking the Duck left them to find better friends who will let him help, they return to the cabin. There is Duck! The friends decide to make soup and kindly look the other way as Duck makes all sorts of mistakes stirring the soup by himself.
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai
Published December 5, 2012 by Dagmar
Recently, there have been a lot of novels written in verse. I like the format and found a few books that I really enjoyed. Here is one that I loved. I thought the diary format and verse helped lighten the difficult issues the main character faces. Short chapters also make it very attractive to reluctant readers. One such reader in my library returned it to me, then promptly checked it out again, because she loved it so much.
Synopsis: This semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of Ha, a 10 year old girl living with her family in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her father is a member of the South Vietnamese navy and is missing in action. Ha lives alone with her mother and brothers. Ha longs for the papayas to ripen on her papaya tree and hopes that her father will return from his mission so that her mother can smile. The family reluctantly leaves South Vietnam with their uncle on a South Vietnamese navy ship. Conditions are terrible on the ship. Everyone is hungry until a U.S. Navy ship arrives, providing food and a tow to a refugee camp in Guam. The family is asked to choose a country where they would like to live. Ha’s mother chooses the United States. Sponsored by a family in Alabama, and dependent on the charity of others, Ha deals with being different struggles learning English.
This book won a Newbery Honor in 2012.
My Weird School and My Weird School Daze, by Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot
Published November 29, 2012 by Dagmar
I can’t say enough about these very funny book series. These books are among the most popular books in my library. I bought them because my son read every single book in the two series in second grade. This is great for second grade or for reluctant readers in older grades. There are lots of books in the series, so plenty of material for students to enjoy.
Little White Rabbit, by Kevin Henkes
Published November 29, 2012 by Dagmar
I had never read this book by Kevin Henkes and didn’t know what to expect. I loved that the little white rabbit imagined himself as different things. This gave me a great opportunity to ask my preschoolers to close their eyes and imagine with the little white rabbit. The illustrations are beautiful, in a wonderful green and pastel pallet that is pleasing and soothing at the same time.
Synopsis: Little white rabbit wonders what it would be like to be green, to be as tall as a fir tree, to flutter like a butterfly and as still as a stone. When he runs from a cat, he runs home. “Little white rabbit wondered about many things, but he didn’t wonder who loved him.”
Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown
Published November 29, 2012 by Dagmar
This is a wonderful pre-school read aloud. The rhyming is very nice as are the illustrations. It give you a great way to talk about farms (I work in an urban school) and to interact with students as they “help” me make farm noises. Best of all, the book ends in such a peaceful way that all those wiggly bodies settle down and are ready for another book.
Synopsis: A day begins on a farm. The people are away, so only animals are there to play. There are horses, donkeys, roosters, hens, sheep, goats, mice, bats, cats, and even a scarecrow. They all live and sleep in a big red barn.
One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Published November 28, 2012 by Dagmar
What a book! I read it in one night and was moved to tears by the end of the book. Carley, the main character, has a wry sense of humor that I think middle schoolers and tweens can really relate to. What really recommends this book, though, is the fact that the sixth grader I recommended it to didn’t want to return this book to the library but wanted to keep it because she loved it so much.
Synopsis: Carley Connors ends up in foster care while her mother recovers after being attacked by her stepfather. Carley’s foster mom is Julie Murphy, is a a pretty suburban mom with three small boys. Carley, who was also attacked by her stepfather is haunted by the memory of the attack and has a hard time liking the Murphys. She says of her new home, “The whole place smells like dryer sheets. Reminds me of the Lucky’s Laundromat back in Vegas, but it isn’t nearly as bright.” Carley slowly starts to accept her foster family and even makes a friend at school. Everything is going well until Carley’s mom wakes from her coma and Carley has to go home.
Kids' Lit Corner 