Frindle

Written by: Andrew Clements

Genre: Audiobook, fantasy

Awards: 2016 Phoenix Award

               1999 Texas Children's Crown Award

               1998-1999 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award

Summary:

Nick Allen has always been the class clown, making class a little more lively for teachers and other students. Then Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class put an end to all of Nick's fun. On his first day of class, Mrs. Granger assigns Nick a research assignment: find where words in the dictionary originate. Mrs. Granger is proud of Nick's work and tells him that people choose what words mean. When he finds a gold pen, Nick devises a plan to change the school by changing the language. The school would now refer to pens as frindles. Frindle took the school by storm, leading to issues with the principal, school board, and media. Though Nick struggles with his popularity in fifth grade, he eventually realizes that his knack for trouble-making makes him a leader among his peers. His experience with the frindle teaches him that he cannot prevent change.

Teacher Evaluation:

I think this book would be best for third to fifth-grade classrooms. Frindle would be a fun book for a unit on the structure of language. In my classroom, we would discuss the organization of language and how they're applied. We would break this unit into two main parts: history and writing systems. The history will help students understand why language works and is continually growing. We would analyze different types of texts to see the rules in practice, then write short essays to apply the information.

Cog

Written by: Greg van Eekhout

Illustrated by: Beatrice Blue

Genre: science fiction

Summary:

Cog looks like an average 12-year-old boy, but he's actually a robot built to learn what it means to be human. He has a small family made of the scientist who created him and his sister robot, Gina and Ada. When unMIND takes him hostage, Cog discovers a more ominous side of humanity. This unique tale shows the difficulty of being an outsider and trying to understand humanity. 

Teacher Evaluation:

Cog is a great adventure filled with danger and humor, making it great for third to sixth-grade students. It would be interesting to integrate some computer science curriculum into the classroom with this text. My students would become "app developers" to create software that focuses on characterization in stories. First, we would discuss what features the author uses to shape each character in this book. Then, students would use a basic app development software to create books where the narrator paints a clear picture of the characters using the features we discussed. 

Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo

Written by: Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by: Brian Biggs

Genre: science fiction

Awards: N/A

Summary:

In this book, boy-genius Frank Einstein, his friend Watson and their robot pals Klink and Klank want to help Janegoodall become the starting pitcher for the Midville Mud Hens. The best way to do this would be to strengthen the human body. The group explores all the systems of the human body to find where they could help Janegoodall. Across town, T. Edison is trying to enhance the human body by making a super-powered brain. Of course, he is also trying to over the world.

Teacher Evaluation:

This book would be great for older students in grades four through six. Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo is about half fiction, half science textbook, allowing teachers to combine the two subjects. In my classroom, students would create short plot summaries that highlight key moments in the story. Then they would create hypotheses about how to improve the human body, build a model of their ideas, then write a short report about why it would or wouldn't work.

Dinosaurs Before Dark

Written by: Mary Pope Osborne

Adapted by: Jenny Laird

Illustrated by: Kelly and Nichole Matthews

Genre: graphic novel, fantasy

Awards: Massachusetts Children's Book Master List 1994

               Delaware Diamonds Award (Grades K-2) 1997

Summary:

In this adaptation of Mary Pope Osbourne's award-winning chapter book, Jack and Annie begin their journey in the Magic Tree House. The siblings find what seems to be an abandoned treehouse in the woods near their home; to their surprise, it's filled with books! The books address a range of subjects, including one about their hometown, Frogcreek, Pennsylvania. The treehouse magically transports the duo when Annie accidentally wishes she were in one of the books. Jack and Annie face off against dinosaurs while trying to get home and figure what is special about this treehouse.

Teacher Evaluation:

I would use this book for first through fourth-grade classes. This book would be a good subject for story mapping in these grades because it is high interest with low reading difficulty. Students would keep a journal (written or digital) that tracks important things from the story. The class would complete a story map by filling in characters, settings, main events, and details. To complete the lesson, students would reconstruct the story using the story map. Dinosaurs Before Dark could be a companion text for a non-fiction book about dinosaurs, and students could compare the information presented in each book.

Harold's Treasure Hunt

Written & Illustrated by: Crockett Johnson

Genre: Fantasy

Awards: 

Summary:

Harold is on a new adventure with his purple crayon; he's exploring life as a pirate, using his imagination to go on a treasure hunt. Harold takes us along for the ride as he spends time on a pirate ship, under the sea, and with a unique array of sea creatures. Once he finds a deserted island, Harold continues his search in a dark cave, where he finds a box of toys, the best treasure of all. 

Teacher Evaluation:

Harold's Treasure Hunt would be best for early education students through second-grade students. Young students can benefit from this book because it demonstrates the importance of art and creativity. I would have these students create their own adventures using what they know from art classes. This book would be great to discuss chronological order for older students. First and second-grade classes could complete a classroom treasure hunt where they have to reconstruct the events of this story.  Students could then create their own treasure hunts where they put the rules of chronological events into practice.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Written by: Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by: Lane Smith

Genre: Fantasy

Awards: 2009 Notable Children's Recordings

                1991 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award 

                1991 Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award 

Summary:

Here's the story: Alexander T. Wolf, better known as the Big Bad Wolf, is innocent. At least, he believes that he is innocent. In this book, we finally hear the wolf's side of the story. He claims that what we've been told about the Three Little Pigs is all a big misunderstanding. Mr. Wolf says that he had no issue with the pigs; he just wanted to borrow a cup of sugar for his Granny's birthday cake. He also was dealing with a sneezing cold, which was why he kept blowing their houses down. Of course, when the pigs died, he couldn't just leave a good meal there. The wolf lays all these details out for readers to determine if his time in jail is deserved. 

Teacher Evaluation:

I think this book would be best for first-grade through third-grade students. My classes would use this book along with a traditional telling of the Three Little Pigs to complete a compare and contrast unit. We would first construct a general timeline using information collected from each story, then complete a Venn diagram that shows what both tales have in common and where they differ. I would also teach point of view and how it affects the story.

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel

Written by: Adam Rubin

Illustrated by: Daniel Salmieri

Genre: Fantasy 

Summary:

Oh no! We've run out of tacos! In this sequel, readers see that the Dragon's love for tacos has grown so much that they've depleted their supply. A boy and his dog decide to use a time machine (conveniently placed in the garage) to go back and get enough tacos to plant a taco tree. They run into some trouble, accidentally going to the time the dragons ate spicy tacos, then going too far back to the time of primitive people. The boy and his dog finally get the time machine to the right moment and grab enough tacos to plant a field of taco trees.

Teacher Evaluation:

I would use this book for pre-k through first-grade classrooms. For early learners (pre-k and kindergarten), I would use this book to work on listening skills and some basic reading, like phonetics and letter sounds. This book would be good for teaching first-graders sequencing and plot orders. I would first teach the parts of a plot then we would identify the parts in Dragons Love Tacos 2. I would also use this book to explain the writing process. I would use a taco foldable that shows each part of the process. 

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons

Written by Julie Fogliano

Illustrated by Julie Morstad

Summary:

When Green becomes Tomatoes is a collection of poems that follows a year of seasons. It starts in early spring, where snow is still clinging to the trees. A poem titled "April 3" explains the transition into the rainy season and how it affects the world. The following section describes summer and some activities that are popular for that time. Fall begins with the poem called "September 22" and brings cooler weather and calm feelings. Winter poems express the fun of snow days and time spent by the fire. This book ends with the promise of another beautiful spring. 

Grade Level and Unit:

I believe that this book would be best suited for third to sixth-grade classrooms. The language in this book is a bit more elevated, which will help students' writing skills. These poems would fit best in a unit on poetic themes, tones, and moods. This book could also be an example when discussing narrative writing since the poems express a complete story. 

A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play

Written by Marilyn Singer

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Summary:

A Stick is an Excellent Thing is a collection of poems about outdoor play. It covers a range of topics including, jacks, monkey in the middle, hide and seek, and hopscotch. The poem titled "Jump" expresses the joy of playing double dutch. It uses onomatopoeia, repetition, and rhyme to explain the experience of the fun game. Each poem had illustrations to match the mood of the tale presented. 

Grade Level and Unit:

This collection of poems would be great for students in preschool through grade three.  Early grades (preschool and kindergarten) can discuss what they do for fun and get ideas for class activities. First through third-grade can use this talk about the features of poetry and how they contribute to the overall story. Students can then attempt to create poems regarding outdoor play using the elements discussed in the lesson. For fourth-grade through sixth grade, this book could be used as a refresher before beginning to discuss themes of poetry. 

Full, Full, Full of Love

Written by Trish Cooke

Illustrated by Paul Howard

Awards: 2x2 Reading List 2004

Summary:

It's Sunday which means family dinner at Jay Jay's grandmother's house. Jay Jay is especially hungry today and is anxious for dinner to be ready and for the family to arrive. While they wait, Jay Jay and his Grannie spend a bit of quality time together. They set the table, feed the fish, and Jay Jay tries to sneak some candy. Jay Jay also comments on how full his Grannie's house is: full of hugs, kisses, cuddles, fish, and great food. For Jay Jay, this is what makes his Grannie's house special to him. The rest of the family finally arrives, and they enjoy each other's company over their meal. Jay Jay goes home feeling full of love and happiness (and a lot of food).  

Grade Level and Unit:

This book would be best for kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. I think this could be an anchor text for an "All About Me" unit. Family and tradition are clear themes in this book, and students can use this to share about themselves. This book also uses some onomatopoeia and repetition; I would use these examples to teach figurative language skills in fourth or fifth-grade classes. I would have students point out each occurrence and explain why it fits that type of figurative language.

Poetree

Written by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds

Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani

Awards: 2020 Crystal Kite Award

Summary:

Olivia loves spring and loves to write poems celebrating the season. When the snow melts, she writes a poem then ties it to a birch tree in the park. The next day she sees another poem tied to the tree, which she believes has come from the tree. The next day she goes to school, but daydreams about the tree and is bothered by Walt's mean words about her. Olivia learns about haiku in class and writes a new poem for her new friend.  She delivers her work to the Poetree and finds a new poem there. This poem confirms her friendship with the tree. Olivia finds Walt pondering her connection to the tree. Both children learn that have a shared friend in the Poetree and find that they both love writing poetry. Their friendship blossoms as they look for words to describe their experience. 

Grade Level and Unit:

I would use Poetree in kindergarten to third-grade classrooms. I think that these students would enjoy the description of the seasons through the creative language in this book. This book can be used in a unit about the progression of seasons for early education classrooms. Second and third-grade classrooms could use this in a unit about descriptive language and sensory details. This could also be used to demonstrate appropriate classroom behavior for younger students. 

Imagine

Written by Juan Felipe Herrera

Illustrated by Lauren Castillo

Summary:

Author Juan Felipe Herrera tells the path his life followed through this short poem. He shares about his time in a village of farmworkers as a child. He talks about moving to a new village and working the land with his mother. Herrera describes his experience as a student at a new school and having to overcome the language barrier. Despite these challenges, Herrera begins to succeed in school and learns to love the English language. His love of language grew into a passion for writing, leading him to create poetry. Lastly, Herrera shares about becoming the poet Laureate of the United States. This story ends by encouraging readers to imagine what they could become in life. 

Grade Level and Unit:

I think this book could be used for all grade levels. Imagine covers a wide range of ages and there is something for all students to relate to regardless of grade level. Kindergarten through second-grade classrooms could use this book to get students thinking about what they'd like to be in the future. For higher grades, this book could be used in a poetry unit or autobiography unit. The use of free verse poetry in this book can be used to teach poetic form and figurative language. A third through fifth-grade classroom could use this book as an example for a "Who am I" assignment. Students could follow Herrera's example and create autobiographical poems.