kiddieliter

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Joffe Numeroff is a fantastic book about the consequences of giving a hungry little mouse a cookie.  This book chronicles a fascinating sequence of events, and is colorfully illustrated by Felicia Bond.  Young readers would enjoy this book because the narration is very lively and entertaining.  The book’s mood is very lighthearted and fun, and is sure to inspire laughs from both readers and listeners.

The Rainbow Fish is a great book about acceptance and generosity.  This book helps children see that just because you may have more then another person does not mean you are happier.  It teaches the importance of sharing, and how it just feels good to make someone else happy.  This is a great book to use when you want to focus on social skills and friendship.

This book was about a spider who wanted to throw a tea party.  She prepared a fancy table and special treats but all of the bugs that came near were afraid of her.  A series of bugs come and go, but one moth cannot fly away because his wings are soaked.  Miss Spider cares for the moth and sends him on his way.  The moth told one bug and the news spread that there was no reason to fear Miss Spider.  The book ends happily with Miss Spider entertaining all of the bugs nearby.  It was a sweet little book that could be used to show how stereotyping can hurt others’ feelings.

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a little pig would be like? Well Ian Falconer takes you there with his book “Olivia”, which is about a little pig that has many different adventures. Olivia loves to sing, dress herself and go to the beach. That is not all Olivia can do, she is very good at many different things. This book can give students the courage to try a variety of activites as Olivia does. Olivia is a winner of the Caldecott Award and is a great book for any age of children.

A warmhearted substitute teacher brings Humphrey, a hamster, to Room 26, explaining, “You can learn a lot about yourself by taking care of another species.” However, when Mrs. Brisbane, the class teacher, returns, she is less than enthusiastic about taking on a class pet. In fact, Mrs. Brisbane’s dislike for “small, furry creatures” leads to one adventure after another for Humphrey, as he gets to spend each weekend with a different student from the class. During his escapades, Humphrey learns to read and write, shoot rubber bands, and much more. Even more compelling is the impact Humphrey has not only on the students of Room 26, but on their families as well. Eventually, not even Mrs. Brisbane can escape Humphrey’s charm. Written with wit and compassion, The World According to Humphrey is an engaging and entertaining story for both young and old alike.

This book by Dr. Seuss is a book about a little bird who popped out of his egg while his mother was away.  He fell out of the tree and went to search for his mother.  He asked a kitten, a hen, a dog, a cow, a car, a boat, a plane, and a “big thing,” “Are you my mother?”  Each of the animals responds no, and in the end the “big thing” puts him back in his nest where he finds his mother. This is a cute story about a lost bird trying to find his way home.

This is a very cute story about a mouse and a  rabbit. They are best friends. The rabbit gets a new airplane and flies it right into a tree. He tells mouse not worry and that he has an idea. The rabbit seems to have very good ideas, but trouble always follows him.  He brings all sorts of animals in to help him get the plane. They all stack up and mouse tries to reach for the plane. Then all of a sudden the animal stack F -A -L- L- S to the ground. Even though trouble always follows the rabbit, the mouse is still a loyal friend. Not only does this book have a great story, it also has great pictures. The pictures complete this story. This 2003 Caldecott winner is sure to entertain any elementary classroom.

This is one of my favorite books. Duck’s duties include taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, and grinding coffee beans. At the end of the day duck is covered with grass and espresso beans. He wants Farmer Brown’s job. So he makes a sign saying farm election tomorrow. All the farm animals get to vote if they live on the farm and show valid ID. Duck wins the election. He is in charge of the farm, but not without a recount. Running the farm was very hard work and not fun at all, so duck decided he would run for governor. He got busy on the campaign trail. Duck won again, but not without a recount. Being governor was not fun either and he had a very bad headache, so duck decided to run in the presidential election. It was back on the campaign trail for duck. He won the election, but not without a recount. The President job was very hard work and he had a very bad headache. He seen a duck needed ad for the farm, must be able to mow the lawn and grind coffee beans. Duck decided to go back to the farm and work on his autobiography.

A young boy interviews a cat using the title question. In a rhymed speech, the cat informs the boy about life as a cat. The illustrations really connect with the words of the story. It is a particularly good read-aloud book as it offers the reader an opportunity to be dramatic and expressive, just like a cat.