Sea Otter Heroes: By Patricia Newman

 This book talks about sea otters, but also about a man named Brent who studies sea otters as well as how they affect the environment and how other things impact their environment.  This book primarily talks about what Brent discovered during his studies.  It has a lot of pictures and even some map drawings which I feel add a lot to the book.  

I think this would be an interesting book to have in my classroom but I am not sure if I would use it in my lesson because it is pretty broad and not really a topic specifically taught in elementary school. I do think it would be a very interesting book for individual students.  

The Water Cycle: By Craig Hammersmith

 This book is all about the water cycle.  It talks about the different forms water can take and how we see it.  It takes about the order of the cycle as well as explaining how and why things happen.  It has a lot of pictures to illustrate the different forms.  I also really like that it has a glossary in the back of the book that explains some of the scientific words.  

I would definitely use this book in my classroom.  I really like how it illustrates the different forms as well as explains how they are formed. This book would pair very well with a science lesson on the water cycle.  I think this book would work for any elementary class that was talking about the water cycle.  

Meet Kit, an American girl Book by Valerie Tripp

 This book is about a girl named Kit who is growing up during the great depression.  Kit loves to type on her typewriter and often creates a "newspaper" for her family to read to know what is going on. Due to the Great Depression, Kit's father loses his job and the family ends up having to take in borders.  

I think I would use this book in my classroom.  I think it is a very interesting viewpoint that I haven't really read many books about.  I think these books go really well with history lessons since there are books in this series from a lot of different time periods.  I think this book is good for students in grades 3-6.  

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad Book: By Ellen Levine

 Henry's Freedom Box tells the story of Henry Brown, who begins the book as a slave. Henry marries a girl who is owned by someone else and when money gets tight, Henry's wife and children are sold.  After seeing his wife and children sold, Henry is determined to escape the grasp of slavery and decided to mail himself away.  He mails himself to Philadelphia and begins his new life there.  

I think I would use this book in my classroom.  I feel like it is a good book for students around the 2nd-4th grade.  I think this would pair very well with a history lesson.  

Meet Rebecca: An American Girl : By Jacqueline Dembar Greene

 This book is the first in the series about a girl named Rebecca and her family.  Rebecca's family is from Russia but Rebecca is a first-generation American who lives in New York City.  Rebecca's family is Jewish which is very evident by many of the events and traditions highlighted in these books. In the first book, Rebecca is desperate to grow up and be more like her older sisters.   

I do not think I would use this book in my classroom for a group reading but I do think these books are very good for children to read during independent reading.  While I would encourage any student to read these books, as they are called American Girl Doll Books, I have often seen them appeal much more to girls than to boys so I feel like if I wanted to read a book on this subject with the class I could find a different book that has a greater appeal to more of my students.  

So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847: By Barry Denenberg

This story is a fictional diary from the viewpoint of Mary Driscoll.  It follows her from Ireland to America and then shows the hardships she went through once arriving.  She has to work in a factory under terrible conditions and longs for her family she left back in Ireland.  

 I am not sure if I would use this book in my classroom because it is definitely more appropriate for around 5th or 6th grade, I do think this is a very good book for young readers.  It has a lot of historical accuracies built into the story.  It also depicts hardship that while readers today may not relate to them specifically, it shows hardships that are often not depicted in other youth historical fiction books.  This specific book talks a lot about living in Ireland during the 1840s.  This would pair well with a history class, or with a writing assignment if students were having to keep their own sort of a diary.  

Peter's Chair: By Ezra Jack Keats

 This story is about a boy named Peter and his experience when he gets a new baby sister.  Peter struggles with all of his belongings from when he was a baby has been painted pink for his new sister.  He decides to run away from home with the one thing that isn't pink yet, his blue chair. In the end, he learns that he can no longer use his baby things and helps paint his chair pink for his sister.  

I think I would use this book in my classroom.  I really like how it talks about growing up and getting a new addition to one's family.  This book would be a good read aloud for any elementary student.  

Miss Nelson is Missing: By James Marshall

This book is about Miss Nelson's class.  Miss Nelson's class has not been listening to her, so she decides to trick them.  She "doesn't come to school then next day" and instead dresses us in a disguise as Viola Swamp.  In her disguise, she gets the students to behave again because all the students are scared of her.  The next day, Miss Nelson returns and her students realize how lucky there are to have her as their teacher.  They have learned to listen and not take advantage of her kindness.  

I think I would use this book in my classroom.  It is such a fun read-aloud that I loved when I was younger.  It is also a fun book to talk about when talking about things like following the rules and respecting people.  I think it would be good for any elementary student.  

 

Frindle: By Andrew Clements

 This book is about of group of students who begin to call a pen a frindle.  The teachers do not agree with this and instill punishments for anyone using the new "made-up" word.  The students argue that this is not fair because technically every word in the dictionary is made up by someone.  In the end, they end up getting their new word added to the dictionary and the teacher who was the most against it reveals she was only against it to stip up awareness of what was happening.  

I probably would not use this in my classroom because it is for a much higher grade level than I plan on teaching.  If I did use it in a higher grade, I would use it to talk about word origin and language.  

Clementine: By Sara Pennypacker

 Clementine is a creative young girl, who's creativity often gets her in trouble.  In book 1 of this series, Clementine finds a creative way to fix her friend, Margret's hair after getting glue in it in art class.  Clementine attempts to just cut off the tips where the glue is, but by the time she is done, she has cut off almost all of Margret's hair.  She then tries to 'draw' hair on with a marker. 

I  am not sure if I would use this book in my classroom. I personally loved the books to read, however, I am not sure how helpful they would be in the classroom.  While I do love the creativity Clementine displays, she often acts without really thinking.  While I don't think I would use this specifically, I think it would be a fun book for independent reading for around grades 3-5.  

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse: By Kevin Henkes

 This book is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.  This book follows the story of a student named Lily who has just received a new purple plastic purse.  This purse consumes Lily while she is at school and causes her to ask quite inconsiderately towards her teacher and classmates.  Lily learns the lesson of how to be respectful to her teacher and how she should behave in the classroom.  

I would use this book in my classroom.  It shows readers what it means to be respectful and also models apologizing.  I think it would be a fun read-aloud for lower elementary school students.  

Ramona and Her Father (Audio Book): By Beverly Cleary

This book tells the story of Ramona and how she navigates changes in her home when her father loses his job.  Ramona struggles to fit in and her thinking outside the box causes many adults to be frustrated by her thinking.  I really like this book because it shows how Ramona learned how to retain her creativity and personality but learns how to think before she acts and pay attention to how it might affect others.  

I am not sure if I would use this audiobook in my classroom. I personally found it very hard to listen too and it seemed rather monotone.  If I am wanting my students to listen to a book being read, I want them to hear it will the stress on words and I want them to learn how to be enthusiastic readers.