Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller is a picture book biography that tells the life story of Helen Keller. Her story is recounted factually by author, Doreen Rappaport, starting from the time she was six months old, which was in 1880, through the time of Helen’s death, which was in 1968. On each page, in addition to the facts, are quotes from Helen Keller herself. It’s a nice combination in this way, as you learn facts along with getting a personal feel for what was going on in Helen’s mind as she went through her life. This book was a beautifully written book. In addition, the illustrations, done by, Matt Tavares, are rich in details. This is especially seen in the facial expressions of those being talked about on the page, which helps in inferring what the people were feeling and, perhaps thinking throughout this story. This would be a great book for grades 2-4.

Technically, it’s Not My Fault, is a book of concrete poems written by John Grandits. It’s told from the perspective of an eleven year old boy named Robert. The poems are all centered around his thoughts about his daily life…skateboarding, gifts from an aunt who is completely out of touch, farts, video games, his sister, and much more. John Grandits does a great job of writing poems that actually feel like they came out of the mouth of an eleven year old boy. This book is very entertaining and attention getting in a laugh out loud kind of way. It would be a great read for grades 4-6.

Mailing May, set in 1914, is an interesting tale based off of a true story, about a girl named, Charlotte May Pierstorff. Charlotte May, who simply goes by May, desperately wants to visit her Grandma Mary. However, there are a couple of barriers in her quest to visit Grandma Mary. One if that it’s seventy-five miles away over the mountains of Idaho. The other is that her family doesn’t have the $1.55 to send her by train. With some creativity and some help from the post office, May sets out on an adventure to fulfil her wish of visiting her Grandma. Mailing May, written by Michael O. Tunnell and illustrated by Ted Rand, is a feel good story that reminds us not to give up on what’s important to us. It would be a great book for grades K-3.

The Pot That Juan Built is a picture book biography about Juan Quezada, who is a famous potter from Mexico. Written in the form of, The House That Jack Built, it tells the story of how, growing up in Mexico, Juan Quezada tried many different jobs before realizing his love and talent of working with the natural materials of the earth to create amazing pottery. The Pot That Juan Built, is beautifully written by Nancy Andrews-Goebel and illustrated by David Diaz. This book lends itself well to a fun read aloud as an introduction to an art unit or a culture unit for grades K-3.

Faithful Elephants is a story of how the animals at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan were affected during World War 2. It tells how the zookeepers were forced to make some very tough decisions that they felt had to be done in the best interest of the animals, by in particular, three elephants. The author, Yukio Tsuchiya, tastefully gets his point across that war can be very impactful not only to people, but to all living things. He ends it by telling of a memorial that stands on the grounds of the Ueno Zoo to this day, in which children of Tokyo decorate with paper cranes in honor of what happened to the three elephants focused on in this book. The content is somewhat serious, which may be sad to very young children, but with a brief discussion or warning before reading, this book would be appropriate for grades 2 and up.

It’s bedtime for Cole and he asks his mom to tell him a story. She tells him a tale of a World War 1 soldier named Harry, who was her great grandfather. While in the Army, Harry purchases a bear cub who he names Winnipeg or Winnie for short. Winnie stays with Harry until he is called to fight in the war. Winnie then goes to a zoo where he makes a very special friend named Christopher Robin Milne. Finding Winnie, written by Lindsey Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is a fun and sweet, fictional account of the bear that inspired A.A. Milne in his creation of Winne the Pooh. This would be a great read aloud book for grades K-3.This book was also a Caldecott Award Winner.

A young frog desperately wants to be a different animal. He wants to be an animal that is cute and furry. He goes through a list of animals he would rather be, but soon learns that being a frog is not so bad. This book has a great message in that we should all just be happy with who we are. I Don’t Want to be a Frog written by Dev Petty and illustrated by Mike Boldt would be a great book for boys and girls grades K-3.

A young hoot owl is hungry. He hunts for food by dressing up in various disguises, but his prey continues to escape before he gets to it. He ends up getting some food…but not exactly what you’d expect an owl to “hunt”. Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise, written by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Jean Jullien, was a simple, silly, repetitive and fun book. Because of this, it would be best for grades K-2 and maybe 3rd grade at the beginning of the year. The illustrations were very well done as well. The facial expressions of the hoot owl while he’s on the hunt are very entertaining!

A dog appears at a farm and asks the farmer for a job. He is willing to do just about anything, but the farmer keeps turning him away. Most dogs (or people) would give up after a while, but not this dog. Ultimately, his creativity and perseverance end up helping the farmer out in a huge way. Because of this, the farmer realizes how much he does need the dog. This story draws you in as you read through wanting to know what was going to happen next. Job Wanted, written by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Chris Sheban, would be a fun book for grades K-3.

Bruce is a grumpy bear. He isn’t like other bears in most ways. This is particularly true in his choice of foods he likes to eat. Instead of hunting down his meals, he likes to try different recipes he finds on the internet. One day, while attempting to cook some eggs, he gets a surprise when the eggs he’s cooking, hatch. The geese inside immediately call him “Momma”. Bruce tries and tries to get them to leave, but they are sure he’s their Momma and they end up staying on. A good reminder of the importance of “rolling with life” as it doesn’t always go as planned! This was a very fun and feel-good story. Mother Bruce, written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins would be a great read for grades K-3.

Three students, one from Guatemala, one from Korea, and one from Somalia are all newly moved to America and starting school. None of them speak English. They each start out a little sad missing the familiar things of home. With encouragement from teachers and peers and by sticking with it, their confidence comes and they began to feel better in their new surroundings. I’m New Here, written and illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien, would not only be good to share with ELL students K-4, but also those students who are not ELL. It might help them to get a better perspective.

Sophie’s homework assignment to look up facts to write about polar bears and the Arctic is of NO interest to her. She’s practically falling asleep when she gets a surprise from Olafur, a polar bear who takes her on an adventure that changes her mind and gives her a new perspective on polar bears and the Arctic. This book was wonderful from beginning to end. We’ve all been in that situation when it’s hard to get into a homework assignment. The creativity used to help change Sophie’s mind and get her excited about it was great. The artwork was amazing in this book as well. The Bear Report written and illustrated by Thyra Header, would be appealing to students K-4.

After attending weekly art classes at a local museum, a boy learns that anything that’s special or important to the artist can be considered art. This gives him an interesting idea about something he thinks should be added to the museum. The museum curator likes his idea, but doesn’t agree with what he wants to do. This leads the boy to a very creative idea to honor a special member of his family. I thought Grandma in Blue with Red Hat, was a very sweet story with an unexpected ending. I love the strong connection the main character has with his Grandma. Grandma in Blue With Red Hat written by Scott Menchin and illustrated by Harry Bliss would be appealing to kids K-3. The artists/art that were featured were a nice addition in this book and would be a great part of introducing kids to some famous artists.

Roosevelt became the youngest man to ever hold the Presidential office. However, you will soon learn while reading, The Great Adventure, Theodore Roosevelt, and the Rise to Modern America, that being young certainly did not detract from his Presidential plight. This book gives a comprehensive account of Roosevelt's life; beginning with his young childhood days, to when he was President and would only meet with congress from 10-12 Monday-Friday. He was one of our most influential Presidents from the way that he believed people should be judged on merit, not color, to his conservation movement, to his famous Roughriders and his work for the Panama Canal. These are just a few of the facts included in, The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern American. This is a thorough biography that would be informative and interesting to students 5th grade and up.

In the genre of Informational Text, Splat! The Most Exciting Artists of All Time by Mary Richards is a fun, creative, and kid-friendly book. Richards did a great job of using a variety of techniques to sequentially display information about various artists throughout history. She included cave paintings from 35,000-10,000 BCE to artists of today. The margins were used to display side notes, along with captioned pictures. Each artist discussed is introduced via a "The Big Idea" heading, which includes basic, yet valuable information about each artist, along with a "playing card" printed at the bottom of the page that depicts a picture of the artist and some facts, which may surprise you, about his/her life. Splat! The Most Exciting Artists of All Time, by Mary Richards would be a hit with anyone wanting to know more about artists throughout history.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is written by Ransom Riggs. In addition to writing this Modern Fantasy YA novel, he also has included old photos throughout to illustrate the story as it goes. Jacob Portman is teenager who is feeling very unsatisfied with his life. He has few friends, his parents REALLY don't get him, and he works a boring job at a drug store that his family owns. He feels like he can't quit the job, because it's family owned, as well as, his co-worker's feel like the only reason he has the job is because his family owns it. To make things exponentially worse, the only person he's ever truly been close to, his grandfather, Abe, has ailing health. Abe calls Jacob up one evening just as he is finishing a shift at the drug store. His call is very disturbing as Abe is yelling warnings and telling Jacob that "they found him". Because this is so disturbing, Jacob immediately goes to his grandfather's house to check on him only to find that the house has been ransacked and his grandfather is no where to be found. While outside, Jacob sees a monster of sorts. From here on, Jacob's life will never be the same. He is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime, in which he makes many new friends, finds that he has some powerful gifts, and that he has a purpose in this life, after all. I read this book in 1 sitting! It was very exciting and an easy read. In addition, the photographs that Ransom Riggs included throughout were an excellent addition to the show more story. Although, the scary and the photos were a bit scary at times. Also, there were a few times when adultish ideas came up (alcohol and sex). Because of these ideas and the scare factor, I would recommend this book for ages 13 and up. show less

Back of the Bus is written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This is a book that was written from a young African American boy's perspective. He and his mom are on a bus ride, sitting in the back as they were expected to. As they are riding along, the bus driver tells them that it's time to move because the bus is getting crowded and he needs the seats for the whites. Some people do get up and move, but not everyone, including a single African American woman who is Rosa Parks. She stands her ground. The boy telling the story gets nervous as the bus is stopped. He can tell by looking at his mom that she is nervous too. After 15 minutes, the police come and ask Rosa to move. She simply tells them that she doesn't think she should have to get up and the police hand cuff her and take her away. As they take her away, the boy can tell that his mom is stirred up. It can be inferred at the end that he is feeling like he thought it was okay what Rosa Parks did and that he, might be brave enough to do the same thing some day. I liked this book very much. I especially liked how it was told from a young person's perspective who, in the end, felt empowered. I would recommend this book for 2nd grade and up.

In the category of CRF, I'm going to review Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Within it's non-descript covers, this is the story of a girl who is new to Mica High. Her name is Stargirl and she's like no one they've seen before. She plays the ukulele in the lunchroom while singing songs and serenading people on their birthdays. She is free in her actions. She speaks her mind. She doesn't conform to other's style of dress. At first, people don't know what to make of her, then after a series of random events.....they think she is the coolest thing ever! But..like all new things, they may be popular for awhile, but eventually, like a passing fad, the novelty of different can wear off, especially when it involves the social games of high school. Stargirl is told from the perspective of Leo, a 16 year old boy. Leo, struggles with what to do and how to act when Stargirl and he date. At first everything is fine, but when the entire school turns against Stargirl, they also start to turn against him. Stargirl is classic in it's timeless tale of how the social "rules" of high school work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stargirl and would recommend it for grades 7th and up.

Bevery Naidoo shares sixteen tales in her interpretation/version of Aesop's Fables. I liked the introduction she included at the beginning of the book in which she briefly talks about growing up in South Africa, a place where she was actually able to see some of the animals that are featured in the fables. I also liked how she shares some background about who Aesop was. I think kids would enjoy the information she included in this introduction and may even want to know more about Africa, the animals of Africa, or Aesop. Of the sixteen fables included in this book, I had actually only heard versions of 3 of them prior to reading this. I noticed that those 3 stayed fairly true to the tale I had heard from previously, with some subtle, fun a, kid-friendly differences. One thing that stood out to me in all the stories is the use of language. In the more traditional Aesop's Fables, there is very traditional language used, which can, at times make some of them hard to get a clear picture in you head of what's happening. Naidoo uses very colorful descriptive words and/or phrases. This use of language, along with the creative and playful illustrations by Piet Grobler make this a fun read to self or read aloud! I would recommend this book for grades 3 and up.

Blue Lipstick is a book of concrete poems written from the perspective of Jesse, a teenage girl. She is very real and no-nonsense in her descriptions of day to day teenage life. I was struck by how well, John Grandits does in showing a true understanding of what teens (boys and girls) are going through via poetry. I was also impressed by his use of the concrete poem. The structures/pictures were very effective in adding to and relating to each poem individually. While I do think elementary aged kids would be capable of reading Blue Lipstick, I would recommend this it for grades 7 and up to fully get the messages the author is trying to convey. This was a very relatable and fun book!