"Tuck Everlasting" is a book about a little girl named Winnie. Winnie discovers a boy drinking from the spring on her family's land one day while she is playing. The boy and his family kidnap Winnie. They are the Tuck family. The Tuck family tells Winnie a story about how the spring has given their family everlasting life. They want Winnie to understand why she cannot tell anyone of the spring before they return her to her family. Winnie forms a bond with one the younger of the two Tuck boys. His name is Jesse. Jesse gives Winnie a bottle filled with water from the spring and asks her to drink it when she turns seventeen. He would like Winnie to stay with him forever. In the end, Winnie must decide whether or not she wants to live forever.

"Tuck Everlasting" was an interesting book. It makes you realize that there is a reason that the circle of life needs to continue. At first, I thought that it wouldn't be so bad to live forever. The more I read, the more I realized that people need to die in order for new people to be born. This was a pretty good book, although some may not agree with the ending.

For the classroom, we would discuss the ending. I would have everyone vote on Winnie's decision. I would have everyone draw a picture of what they thought the Tuck's spring looked like.

"Olive's Ocean" is a book about a little girl named Martha Boyle. Martha is constantly thinking about the death of one of her classmates Olive Barstow. She thinks of how she could help ease the pain of Olive's mother. Olive had always wanted to visit the ocean. Martha collected a bottle of seawater and wanted to give it to Olive's mother. When she goes to the house she finds that Olive's mother has moved. Martha takes the seawater to the spot where Olive was killed and pours it there. She also writes Olive's name there. During this story Martha is also dealing with her own life. She is pondering on what she wants to do when she grows up, and she is also starting to like boys.

"Olive's Ocean" was a good book. It had some parts in it that were sad, but for the most part it was upbeat. martha is caught between a child and a woman and is discovering herself. She is also feeling somewhat guilty for not being Olive's friend before she died.

In the classroom, I would use this book as a lesson to why you should always be kind to others. I would have them discuss how they would have tried to help Olive's mother deal with her daughter's death.

"Princess Academy" is a book about a little girl named Miri. Miri lives in a village and is smaller than the rest of the children so she is not allowed to work the fields as the other children do. One day an announcement is made by the king. All girls between certain ages are to attend a princess academy. The winner will be chosen to be the prince's new wife. At first Miri is not interested, but as the academy progresses she sets her sights on the crown.

I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of my childhood when I would sit for hours reading. I don't think that boys would find it very interesting though. Little girls will love it.

For the classroom, I would discuss with my students how they feel a princess should act. We would discuss whether or not the prince made the right decision when he chose his princess. I would have a box and have everyone write the name of the person they think should have won. The will put their paper in the box. I will pull the slips of paper out of the box and tally up the votes. We will see who got the most votes.

"Silent Music" is a book about a young boy who lives in Baghdad. He uses his love of calligraphy to ignore the violence of war that surrounds him.

"Silent Music" is full of beautiful illustrations of calligraphy. I really liked this book. It even has a few foreign words in it that the people of Baghdad use. It was a great book!

This would be a great book to use during a multicultural unit. I would have my class practice writing their own calligraphy. In English of course. I think it would be fun to see my students write their own calligraphy.

"Rosa" is a book about the important events in Rosa Park's life. It tells of that history making day when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It also explains how that day helped pave the future for African American rights and freedom.

This was a great book. It gives you more details on the story of Rosa Parks than I ever learned in history class. It gives more background and personal information. It shows how certain historical events tied in to each other.

I would read this book to my class after learning about desegregation. I would discuss with my students how they would have handled the situation. I would ask them if they thought her actions were justified and why they felt the way that they felt. I would want them to learn that although they may feel like their actions are unimportant, they can change history with one simple action.

"Theodore" is a book about the life of former President Theodore Roosevelt. It explains how Theodore Roosevelt was not only a great president, but also a wonderful father.

I chose this book because I noticed it was written by Oklahoma's former Governor Frank Keating. It was a very well written account of the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

I would use this book after teaching a unit on former Presidents. I would want my class to learn more about the personal life of Theodore Roosevelt, since he was able to overcome health issues in order to become a very important man in our nation's history. I would like my students to learn that you can effectively have an important job and still maintain a great family life.

"Bintou's Braids" is a story about a young girl who just want to have her hair in braids like all of the other older women in her village. Bintou saves the lives of two fishermen who are drowning. As a reward she is told that she will have her hair fixed. Bintou's grandmother fixes her hair up really nice and puts birds in it. Bintou finally feels as if she is special.

This book was really cute. It was a good example of a girl who longs to be older but isn't. I remember that time in my life and it was a very confusing time.

I would use this book as an example to my students that everyone is different, and everyone is special. I would have my students share with the class times that they felt special. I would stress the importance of being unique.

"It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends" is a book that will answer any questions that a child might ask regarding sex, puberty, and even reproduction. It is also filled with illustrations of female and male bodies to make all this information easier to comprehend.

This book had an age range of 4-11, but I feel like some of the information is too complex for a four year old to grasp. I would consider it more for ages 8-11. It uses a lot of big words and techinical terms that would be too advanced for younger children. I found this book to be very informative and plan on using it when the time is right for my children.

I would be leary of using this book in the classroom since it does have so much mature content. I would definately get permission from parents first on this one. For a classroom activity, I would have a box that the kids could put any questions they may have about this book. We would then discuss all of the questions in class. I would not say who asked what question since that might embarass someone.

"Runny Babbit" begins with an explaination on how the author has rearranged words to make silly rhymes. It is a collection of poems with a bunny rabbit as the main character. The poems describe various things that happen in the bunny rabbit's everyday life. For example, in one of the poems the bunny decides to give himself a hair cut. He tells his mother the barber did it. When his mother scolds the barber the barber swears he didn't do it. The poem of course is written with the letters arranged abnormally.

This book was very cute. I found it to be difficult to read. I had to read it very slowly in order to understand what the poem was saying.

In the classroom, I would have my class try and write their own silly poem the way that Shel Silverstein wrote this one. Everyone who wanted to share their poem could. I would not grade this assignment. This assignment would just be for fun.

"Go Away, Big Green Monster!" is a picture book with cutouts of body parts like eyes, ears, hair, etc. As you turn the pages more and more of the monster appears. Then after he is complete when you turn the pages more and more of him disappears until he is completely gone.

This is the coolest cutout book I have ever seen. My son loved it. I liked it as well. The colors were super vibrant.

For the classroom, I would have my students make monster parts and layer them on a paper plate with brads. They could take the parts on and off to mimic the story we just read.

"David Gets in Trouble" is a book about a boy who suddenly has a bout of bad behavior. His behavior includes lying, burping, and even saying bad words. At the end of the day the boy feels bad about his behavior and tells his mother he is sorry and that he loves her.

This is a cute book about bad behavior. I read this book to my kids. My son was able to recognize David's behavior as bad behavior. He doesn't realize at times he acts the same way. This was a really good book and the illustrations were funny too.

In the classroom, I would have a box and the students would write on a slip of paper their naughtiest behavior. We would have fun pulling strips out of the box and comparing bad behavior. After this I would explain to the students the importance of good behavior and all the rewards that it can reap.

"Why Do Some People Use Wheelchairs?" is a book full of questions about people with different types of disabilities. The disabilites range anywhere from being deaf to being paralyzed.

This is a great book to read to kids that have questions about people with disabilities. Children tend to poke fun at people who are different, so this book may help them understand why people can be different. I felt this book had very appropriate answers. I found it very useful.

In the classroom, I would bring a braille book from the local library and let the kids explore the pages to see how blind people read. I would also take my class to the special education class and introduce my students to the other children who have disabilities. I would let them see how the special education kids spend their school day, and show them how the special education kids are kids just like them. In my school the average kids were seperated from the special educations kids so you never got a chance to interact. This way my students would learn how important it is to respect the special education kids and not poke fun at their disabilities.

"Llama Llama Mad at Mama" is a story of a little llama who is forced to go shopping with his mother when he really just wants to play. He ends up behaving really badly while in the store. His mother scolds him and reminds him that shopping is not fun for her either. She also tells him that it is a chore that has to be done.

This story reminds me or when I take my kids to Wal-Mart. As soon as they hear we are going to Wal-Mart they immediately start with the I don't want toos. I read this book to my kids and they liked it.

For the classroom, I would ask my students if they were ever forced to go shopping when they didn't want to. We would make booklets with brads and construction paper, and coupon cutouts. These booklets would be filled with items that you can find at the store. I would tell my students that they could take these to the store and try to locate as many items as they could while there. That way they would be mildly entertained while their parents shopped.

"The Other Side" is a story of an African American girl who is forbidden by her mother to go to the other side of the fence. Apparantly the white girl that lives on the other side of the fence was told the same thing by her mother too. Both girls stare longingly at each other for about half the summer until the white girl sits on top of the fence one day. The African American girl does the same thing. After a few days the other African American girls join them on the fence. The girls spend the rest of the summer on top of the fence having fun and talking with each other.

This is a beautiful story about children found a way to look past racism. I loved the story line of this book. The illustrations really give the story its meaning. I think it is great how these girls were able to look past skin color in a time where that kind of behavior was not acceptable.

For the classroom, I would ask my students if they ever have been affected by racism. I would ask them how they felt about it. I would ask them what they thought of this story. I would explain to them how racism can affect other people.

"The Elves and the Shoemaker" is a tale of a shoemaker who is having trouble making money selling his shoes. Every morning when he wakes up there is a newly made pair of shoes on his work table. Eventually he and his wife figured out that was elves who were making the shoes. The shoemaker's business had picked up so much with the shoes that the elves had made, that the shoemaker and his wife decide to find a way to thank the elves. His wife made them both a set of clothes. They loved the clothes that the shoemaker's wife made them. That was the last night that the shoemaker would ever hear of the elves.

This is a very nice story. I heard it once myself as a child and had forgotten about it. The illustrations are great in this book. It is the classic version by the brothers Grimm. I really enjoyed this book and so did my children.

For a classroom idea, I would have my students make a shoe or boot with construction paper, glue, string etc.

"The Giant and the Beanstalk" is basically a spinoff of the traditional story of Jack and the beanstaulk. It does have a few twists of its own. This version of the book includes many popular nursery rhymes such as Jack be nimble, Jack and Jill, Little Jack Horner, etc. It ends with all of the giants shedding their scary image and becoming nice and pleasant.

This is a great version of Jack and the beanstalk. I like how the author was clever with including all the popular nursery rhymes. The giant is also portrayed as a nice giant who only wants his hen back. In the end he gets his hen back and even persuades the rest of the giants to trim their nails and wear flower crowns so as to not look so scary.

I would see if my students could find all of the hidden nursery rhymes. Then I show them if they were right or wrong.

"The Soda Jerk" is a collection of poems about a boy he gets a job as a soda jerk. The poems can be read seperately, but if you read them in order they actually form a story about this boy's life. The poems talk about numerous things such as working in the soda shop and even town gossip.

This is one of the first books of poems that I have read in a long time. It was nice that they poems actually made a story if you read them all.

In the classroom, I would have the students pick their favorite poem out of the book. I would let them read that particular poem aloud to the class if they wanted to. We could also make coke floats as a snack, since the students of today probably don't even know what a soda jerk does or even what the term soda jerk means.

"Little Teddy Left Behind" is a book about a teddy bear who is left by his family when they move. He spends the entire duration of the story looking for his families new home. He eventually ends up back with his loving family.

This is a very cute story. My copy of the book is a soft touch book. The teddy bears sweater is accented in velvet so you can touch it. I really liked this book.

For the classroom, I would discuss with my students whether or not they have ever forgotten something in a move. I would ask them all if they had a special toy and if so what toy that was.

"Coming on Home Soon" is a story about a young girl who lives with her mother and grandmother. Due to the war the girl's mother is forced to work away from home for the first time in the girl's life. The girl is afraid and worried that her mother might not come back. During this story she is delighted to find a kitten and hopes that her grandmother will let her keep it. Her grandmother insists that there is not enough food to feed the kitten. The girl spends her days playing with her kitten and waiting for word from her mother. She is relieved to finally get a letter in the mail from her mother.

The first time I read this book was for an assignment in my Children's Literature class. I really liked this book. The illustrations were wonderful. I would highly recommend this book.

For the classroom, I would have my students pretend they were the girl in the story and write a letter to their mother who was away.

"The Song of the Swallows" is a book about a boy who becomes friends with the gardener of his village. He learns from the gardener that every St. Joseph's Day, in the spring there is a group of swallows that comes to the mission. They stay until late summer. The boy decides that he wants some swallows to come to his house so he builds a garder complete with a small pool to attract them to his house in the spring. He is pleased when all of his efforts attract two swallows to his house.

This book has pretty illustrations, but I didn't really care for the story itself. I liked how it ended with the boy attracting his beloved swallows to his house.

For the classroom, I would discuss with my class whether or not any of them have birds that come to their house. I would see if any of them have birdhouses. I think this would be a good story to make pinecone birdfeeders with pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed.

"The Very Special Christmas" is a story about a little rabbit who just wants to decorate a Christmas tree. She goes around the forest collecting things to put on her tree. When she uses all of the things that she has collected to decorate her tree, she ends up very disapointed with the results. She runs home upset. That night while she is sleeping her mother wakes her up and takes her to her tree. The tree has been beautifully decorated by the animals in the forest. They all sit back and enjoy the tree.

This is a nice Christmas story. It gives you a little more holiday cheer when you read it. I like how my version of the book has christmas lights that actually light up when you get to the last page.

For the classroom, I would have my students decorate a tree with decorations that I have brought for them. I will ask them to bring up any decorations from home that they would like to include on the tree. We would leave the tree up until Christmas break.

"Hop on Pop" is another one of Dr. Seuss's silly books for very young children. It is a collection of strange off the wall rhymes filled with Dr. Seuss's signature illustrations.

I like to read this book to my kids. They think it is cute.

For the classroom, I would ask my students if they could think of any other rhymes that could be added to this book.

"Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears:A West African Tale" is a Caldecott medal winner. It is a book about a pesky mosquito who annoys a Iguana. The Iguana puts sticks in his ears in hopes to ignore the mosquito. In turn the python takes offense to the iguana ignoring him and so on and so on down the line this continues. During this story one of the owl's babies are killed. In the end everyone is looking for someone to blame and it turns out that they beleive it is the mosquito's fault and that the mosquito should be killed. The mosquito hears all of this and goes around buzzing in people's ears asking if everyone is still mad at him.

This is a beautifly illustrated book. The illustrator drew the pictures to resemble Africa. There is a large assortment of African animals. The story line is cute as well.

In the classroom, I would ask my students if they could draw their favorite African jungle animal. We would have fun sharing our pictures and explaining to each other why this particular animal was our favorite.

"The Tooth Book" is a classic Dr. Seuss book except in this book he is trying to teach a underlying lesson about oral hygiene. It is a book all about teeth.

This is not my favorite Dr. Seuss book, but it is still cute. I like how this book teaches children all about the importance of caring for their teeth.

For the classroom, I would get a empty coffee can and put in slips of paper with a food or drink on written on them. I would have students take turns pulling out the slips of paper and say whether or not the food was good for your teeth or bad for their teeth.

"Theres a Wocket in My Pocket" is a book filled with silly rhymes and made-up characters. Characters include wockets, zamps, bofas etc. The illustrations are classic of all Dr. Seuss illustrations.

This book is fun to read with all of the silly rhymes. It is almost like singing an short song. I like the last two pages the best. There is one page filled with a long rhyme that is fun to try to say really fast.

In the classroom, I would ask my students if they could think of any silly names for a make believe character of their own. It would be interesting to see what they could come up with.

"The Foot Book", is a cute book that is all about feet. It includes many of Dr. Seuss's original rhymes. The illustrations are wacky as would be expected of a Dr. Seuss book.

This book is a staple at our house. It is almost impossible to get my kids to bed before we read this book. My son has it memorized. I have read it to him since he was six months old. I think it is a really cute picture book.

For a classroom project, I would get different colors of construction paper and have my students trace their feet and then cut them out. We would have a bulletin board titled, "All About Feet." I would hang all of their cutouts on the bulletin board.

"Another Monster at the End of This Book" is a book where Grover is afraid of the monster at the end of the book, and Elmo who is not afraid keeps turning pages. Grover tries many ways to prevent Elmo from turning the pages, but he always finds a way. In the end, the monster ends up being Grover and Elmo. There is no other monster at the end of the book.

The first time I read this book with my kids I hated it. The more I read it, the more I like it. My kids always squeal with delight before you turn the last page and find there is no monster.

Before I read this book to my class, I would have my class draw a picture of what they thought the monster at the end of the book would look like. I would tell them that we would compare them. I would think they would be pleasantly suprised to realize there is no monster.

"Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You" is a cute book by Dr. Seuss about a man who can make all sorts of sounds. He makes sounds like animals, people, and objects.

"Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You" has always been a favorite in our house. I read this book to my kids almost eveynight at bedtime. They have heard it so many times that my four year old can recite the entire book from memory, and my one year old can make the correct sound at the correct time.

For the classroom, I would practice making all of the sounds with my class.

"Fancy Nancy" is a book about a girl who decides that her family needs to be more fancy. She uses fancy words, and wears fancy clothes. She decides to get her family to dress-up nice and go to eat at a local restaurant. While at the restaurant Nancy embarrases herself and decides she wants to go home. That night when her parents are tucking her in for bed they both tell her, "I love You." Nancy realizes that there is no fancier way to say, "I Love You."

I loved this book. I love girly and fancy things. I purchased this book to read to my daughter, and I think I enjoyed it even more than she did. I can't wait to read more books in the "Fancy Nancy" collection.

In the classroom, I would bring in dress-up ideas and play tea sets and we could all prentend that we were fancy just like "Fancy Nancy" did in her book. I would tell the students in advanced that they could bring something from home that they considered fancy if they would like.

"Pirates Don't Change Diapers" is a book that goes along with the book "How I Became a Pirate." You don't have to read "How I Became a Pirate" in order to enjoy this book. Reading "How I became a Pirate" would just give you a little more background information. "Pirates Don't Change Diapers" is a book about a boy who wants to get his mother a birthday present and doesn't know what to get. The pirates show up at his doorstep while his mother is out and his father is napping. He is in charge of babysitting his little sister at this time. When the pirates wake up his little sister from her nap, they attempt to change her diaper. The pirates are at the boy's house looking for treasure that they have buried. They cannot look for the treasure until the boy's little sister goes back to sleep. Once the little sister goes to sleep they realize they can't locate their map. In the end the little sister ends up with the map as well as helping them locate the treasure. The boy finds his mother the perfect birthday present in the buried treasure box.

I personally enjoyed this book. The illustrations were great. I loved how the illustrator showed everyone's frustration with caring for the little sister. The one where they are attempting to change her diaper is pretty cute and humorous. This book was a light hearted story that included pirates and buried treasure.

Ideas for the classroom would include having my students draw their own treasure maps. Either that, or I would seperate the show more students into groups and give them all a map that I have drawn and have them try and locate a buried treasure. I would have a different map for each group so that everyone would find buried treasure. Buried treasure would include things such as passes to the library, one homework free afternoon, candy, stickers, etc. show less