I love to recycle so this is a very interesting and fun book to me. I found this book very informational and filled with great vocabulary. It would be great to teach students about the environment and pull vocabulary words from. I think this would be a great book to have in the classroom because it goes over the specifics on how some materials are recycled such as paper, glass, aluminum cans, and plastic. The big idea of this book is recycling and why it is important. The pictures in the book are colorful and realistic and go along great with the story. Some of the pictures are even labeled!

This is the first of the Junie B Jones series, and is all about Junie B starting kindergarten. The main idea of the book is confronting and resolving fears. Junie B is terrified of the bus and hides at the end of the day, so she does not have to get on it. This leads to lots of trouble when she is left in the school alone. The story is hysterical and told and written from a kindergartener’s perspective. Junie B says silly things like “ ‘Cause when you sniff, you can smell if there’s people around.” The story ends with Junie B getting in trouble and learning it is okay after all to ride the bus. This story is relatable to young kids who are starting the school year again and are nervous about change and possibly even riding the bus.

This book in the series is all about Junie B attending a sleepover at Lucille’s. Of course Junie B messes things up at the sleepover due to her outgoing, obnoxious attitutude. The story is entertaining and hysterical because Lucille’s house is elegant, classy, and pretty much untouchable, which is the exact opposite of Junie B. As you read the story Junie B manages to break something, ruin a tablecloth, and break all the rules of the house. This story is relatable for little kids when they go over other people’s houses and have to respect their rules. The main idea of this story is to respect others property and have manners.

This book is highly entertaining; I could not stop laughing while reading. The main idea of the story is that kids can grow up to be anything they want to be. In this book Junie B decides she wants to be a janitor when she grows up. Junie B gets made fun of because everyone says it is a man’s job. “Girls can be anything boys can be! Right, Mrs.? Right? Right? … Mrs. did a smile.” This is one example in the book her Junie B is put on the spot and embarrassed. The book is hysterical because like always Junie B is running her mouth at school and gets in trouble a lot.

I love ‘The Adventures of Captain Underpants’ when I was growing up. The chapters are really short, funny, silly and relaxing. The pictures are also really good and help the reader visualize the action. The two boys comic book hero comes to life, and the book is filled with silly childish jokes. The big idea of the story is the friendship of the two boys who created Captain Underpants, George and Harold.

I love this story it is such a classic book. The big idea of the story is the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte on a farm. The story is so cute and easy to read and understand, "If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?" This is the start of the story where the little girl decides to care for Wilbur. This chapter book also includes some pictures that go along great with key parts of the story. I absolutely love this story and think it would be a great asset to a classroom.

This story is very different from a classic witch story. This main idea of this book is curiosity. A little girl wants to meet the witch that lives in her town and waits for Halloween night to do so. The witch Broomhelga took the little girl for a ride " it might be thrilling to have a passenger screaming for mercy." Turned out that the witch was good after all and they had a fun ride in the sky, very cute story. The illustrations were on black pages with bright colors so they popped. I enjoyed reading this story, especially with the unexpected ending.

I love the illustrations in the book, however I found the story very difficult to follow. The story is very weird itself about a girl who lives underwater. The illustrations were large, bright and very interesting. The book has great vocabulary and is very descriptive, “ shells into her shining dark hair. On special occasions she lets her wear dazzling necklaces.” There is no real big idea to this story beside the topic of underwater and adventure.

This story is very cute and informational all at the same time. The big idea of the story is friendship along with Muscular Dystrophy. The boy in the story as M.D and has a service dog that does things for him that he cannot do himself. The book illustrates what a service dog does such as turning on the lights. The story has a great message that shows that a disability and being wheelchair bound does not hold you back or make you less capable. The illustrations in the story are very realistic and go along well with the story. I loved this story and will definitely include it in my classroom.

This is a very repetitive story that is about a little boy who goes from one animal to the next around the zoo. Although this story does not have a big idea, it is such a cute book to read aloud to younger students. The story repeats “that’s good” or “that’s bad” on almost every page. The story also includes a ton of fun sounds effects such as “glug glug.” This is silly fun story that kids would love to look at the pictures and listen to “the little boy lost his grip, whoops, and landed on the back of a giraffe, hooray!” The pictures are bright and colorful and go long great with the story. The book ends with the little boy getting returned to his parents by the stork.

This book is great to use in the classroom. The main idea of this book is using your imagination and exploration, but at the same time the chapter book is informational. This series is very cute and entertaining, I loved it! Jack and Annie go on another crazy adventure where they meet woolly mammoths, cave people and the sabertooth tiger. The book covers what the Ice Age looked and felt like as well as the culture of the people who lived during that time period. The story is exciting and even includes pictures. I loved reading these books when I was growing up.

“Mittens” is a folktale that has many different versions. The main idea of the folktale is that sharing is important. The story had me guessing how many animals will fit into this one little mitten. The story was repetitive with one animal after the next asking “is there room for me in that nice warm mitten?” After all the animals squish in together the mitten finally tears and each animal gets a little piece to keep them self-warm. The story is cute and creative. The illustrations are simple and reflect the Ukrainian Culture, which is where the folktale originated, as well as, set the mood for a winter forest.

“Listen Buddy” was one of the favorite books growing up. Buddy is a rabbit with huge ears but never listens to anyone. He commonly responds to his parents with ‘who,what” and always messes things up because he does not listen. Buddy goes on hop by himself and ends up going the wrong way because he did not listen o his parent’s directions. The story is comical and entertaining because Buddy is very silly and acts dumb. The illustrations go along with the story and are very funny as well. At the end of the story Buddy learns his lesson when he ends up at Scruffy Varmint’s who is a scary monster. Buddy does not follow Scuffy’s directions clearly and, so Scruffy threatens to eat Buddy. Buddy gets away and never messed anything up ever again. This message of this story is that listening is important.

This story is very simple and repetitive. The grumpy man keeps lettings animals on his boat until the inevitable happens and the boat tips over. The grumpy man sets rules for each animal such as “ very well, but don’t muck around.” At the end on the story each animal breaks their rule, which is why they tip. I liked this very simple story and think it would be a great book for a child to try and read on their won. The illustrations are simple as well and not very detailed. There is not a main idea to this story. One activity that this book could be used for is a re aloud. Stop and ask the students “how many animals will be on the boat when the chickens get on?”

This story is an easy read and is very straightforward. The story is about a boy who is forced into taking piano lessons but would rather be playing baseball. “ I beg my mother to let me stop taking lessons. She tells me we don’t have quitters in this family.’ After his grandma injures her ankle, he is there to help her recover and keep her company for the entire World Series. He is determined to please his Nana and does so by learning ‘Take me out to the Ballgame” on the piano. After all he likes playing the piano when he is not forced to play it. This main idea of this story is to give something a chance and never give up. I enjoyed reading this story as a kid and found it very relatable. I think this a very gender neutral story and would be a great book to have in a classroom.

“Bear and Roly-Poly” is all about learning to love an adopted sibling. Bear is new big brother to Roly-Poly who happens to be a panda bear. Bear is confused as to why she is different. ‘ Babies come in all colors and sizes,” replied Nora. Through out the story bear is determined to help take care of Roly-Poly and quickly sees that she loves him back. The story ends with Bear pushing his bed next to Roly-Poly’s and him giving her a kiss goodnight. This story has a very subliminal message but will teach kids about parenting and learning to love their siblings. The illustrations are somewhat realistic and go along well with the story. I love this book and think it would be great to have in a classroom!

The big idea of this story is exploring curiosity at a young age. A young owl keeps asking his mom questions about the how many stars there are, how high the sky is and how deep the ocean goes. Owly’s mom keeps relying with “ go and count them” or “go and see.” The story is repetitive and ends on a sweet note. Owly tells his mom “I love you as much as the sky is high and the ocean is deep.” This is a great story for young kids to read and think about the answers to Owly’s questions. I enjoyed reading this story as a kid and I still love it!

The big idea of this chapter book is using your imagination. Class clown Harry has imaginary “Purple People” in class 2B save the day. The entire story is about Harry trying to convince his class to believe in the invisible people. This book is very funny and is perfect for its intended age group. The situations and quotes through out the story are very relatable and a direct hit for a second grade classroom. “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye” is one way Harry promised his classmate Mary the “Purple People” were real. The story is full of nonsense conversations and situations that take place in second grade classrooms every day. I could not stop laughing reading this story to myself. Students would enjoy reading this book and it is a great transition from pictures books to chapter books! The story is very straightforward and includes helpful illustrations.

This is a great book with the main idea of a birds’ life. The story is so cute and happy kids would really enjoy it. The story is very straightforward and has very detailed illustrations. The Mallards are searching for the perfect home in Boston to raise a family. It also provides facts about Mallard birds while still being fun. “ After Mrs. Mallard had laid eight eggs in the nest she couldn’t go visit Michael any more, because she had to sit on the eggs to keep them warm.” The story ends with the birds walking through the city streets and finally finding the perfect place to live. Kids would find the story funny and entertaining.

This story is all about loosing your first tooth with the big idea of growing up. After Sal freaks out about loosing her first tooth in the sand she realizes that she is growing up and it’s not a big deal. Sal promises her mom she will watch her little sister “I’m a big girl and I can so she doesn’t tumble into the water.” The book is very relatable for little kids because it is all about a typical morning with your family. I liked the story because it tells little kids that it is common to loose your first tooth and it is not the end of the world. Just like all of McCloskey’s books this one is also very straight forward with extremely detailed black and white illustrations.

I have never read this book before and I loved it! Such a cute story to read to young kids! The story is very straightforward and easy to follow; along with the story are simple black and white illustrations. “ Little Sal picked three berries and dropped them in her little tin pail….kuplink, kuplank,kuplank!” This is one example of simple wording used through out the story, and the sound affects that McCloskey uses as the story goes on. The story is about the adventures of Sal and a baby bear hunting for blueberries with their moms. Sal and the little bear do the same things on different sides of the mountain, which makes the story funny and repetitious. The main idea of this story is parenting.

I liked this book because it was old fashioned and different from books that I have been reading. The main idea in the story is how kids can be independent. The little boy is craving pancakes so his mom makes him go out and find all the ingredients needed “ The water wheel turned around and round, turning the millstone round and round too, to grind the wheat into flour.” This quote shows how old fashioned the story really is, and the illustrations that went along were perfect because they illustrated exactly what a water wheel looks like. The illustrations went along with the story and were cartoonish. This book would be great in the classroom because it shows teamwork, determination, and even includes animal sounds.

This is a cute story that has a main idea of loving your family. The older sister through out the story get s frustrated her younger sister tags along her play date. After getting ditched and bullied by her friend, she realizes that she will always have her sister and should always be glad to have her along side. The story is very relatable for young kids who have older siblings and also kids who have been bullied. “ Then you can’t sit here. Go sit with the little kids where you belong!” This is one of the times bullying is shown though out the story. This story is tad long but has a great message of how important family really is how to deal with your feelings.

This is a great book with a big message of determination. This story was adorable and full of lots of alliterations and descriptions of characters. The illustrations were huge and cheerful, and radiated Jenny’s energy. ‘These cafeteria catastrophes must cease.” This is just one of the cute alliterations through out the story. This book shows how a child can follow their passion to make a difference in the world.

The big idea of this story is life as a dog. The story is very linear and easy to read, which would be great for new readers. The illustrations were bright, large and went along well with the story. I really liked this story because I have never read a book from the point of view of a dog.

The big idea of this story is curiosity. The little boy through out the story is walking around the city with his grandfather questioning everything he sees. The grandfather teachers his grandchild the lesson “I ask many questions, and little by little I learn a lot. As long as I keep asking, I’ll keep learning a little at a time.” I thought the theme of the story was very cute but I found the illustrations to be muddy and not engaging or interesting. I think for a young reader they might lose interest in the story.

Loved that the book was so straightforward and easy to understand, cute book that took an unexpected turn when Ferdinand got picked. This would be a great story for a child to understand and use the pictures for assistance. The book is very linear and the black and white illustrations were cute and simple and went along well with the story.

This book was so cute and I loved the illustrations. They really helped me visualize exactly what Grace was acting out through out the story. I liked this book because it was different than any other children’s book then I have read before. I really liked the big idea through out the story of using your imagination along with not letting anyone hold you back from your dreams. This book also touches on racism.

This book was not my favorite. I would most likely not choose this book to re aloud in my classroom. I did like the illustrations and almost wish the book were only full of the pictures. The illustrations were fun and colorful and I feel as though the text took away from them. The text was boring too me “Then, for a little while, she cries.” The big idea of this story is dealing with emotions specifically anger.

I found this book to be very cute and I think that young readers will enjoy the story. I like that the main character is a boy baking rather than the stereotypical girl baking. The illustrations were cute and not over the top so they did not take away from the story. The story had a cute surprise at the end “ Benny stops, wipes his eyes, and opens up the door…” I big idea of this story is celebrating a birthday with people you love.