International Children's Digital Library

This was a site with a lot of great information and many books.  It is a free site and books are read in different languages. The books are divided by age level, author, illustrator, make belive books, true books, folktales and award winners.  The books are not animated (like TumbleBooks or Speakaboo) consequently I did not find it as engaging as the other sites I reviewed.

It would be good to use for shared reading time.  Teachers and/or students were in charge of when to turn the page (unlike the other sites where you had to push pause in order to stop to discuss what you were reading or to slow down the pace of the story).  I also liked the fact that it had lesson ideas and exposed students to different languages.

On a much more informal note.....they need a kindergarten teacher on staff to "cute things up"!

SPEAKABOOS

I previewed the site Speakaboos.  At first I really loved the site.  It had so much to offer.  It was very aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.  It has stories, songs, games, nursery rhymes and even printables. I was also thrilled that the stories were also in Spanish!  The stories we divided up by theme and were displayed in a cute "town" with different sections for each one.  These themes included; sports, fairy tales, food, sports, animals, ABC's and adventures.  I was very excited and ready to use it the next day in class.....then I saw a little counter at the bottom that said I only had four stories left!  I clicked the subscribe button and found that my first month would cost me .99 cents and after that would be $4.99.  I did see that you could contact them for bulk rates for schools.  I am interested enough in this great site to pay the first month to see if it is something that I could use in my classroom but I am unsure if I would continue my membership since our school already subscribes to TumbleBooks.  I did think that this site had more options and after the trial may propose a switch to Speakaboos.

Tumblebooks

Tumblebooks is an online site that has a lot to offer.  The section I am most familiar with is the Storybook  section.  This section offers many books that read aloud. The stories are presented in a very professional manner.  The pictures are easily seen and the words are displayed as the story is read making is easily accessible to all learners.

This site also features; puzzles and games, non-fiction books, quizzes, lesson plans and even a playlist and a place to save your favorite books.

I have used this site before to practice retelling a story.  It is fun to listen to the story being read and then show the book again muting the sound and letting a student tell the story using the pictures for clues.  Students love to hear the stories and this site is very user friendly and easy to use.  I would recommend this site.

Puff the Magic Dragon

By Peter Yarrow, Lenny Lipton

Illustrated by; Éric Puybaret

The song Puff the Magic Dragon was written by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton and this book is based on it's lyrics.  It is about a young boy and his dragon friend Puff.  In this book Jackie Paper loves Puff as his best friend. They do everything together and have many adventures. Jackie Paper would have to leave Puff behind because as the books states, "dragons never grow up but boys and girls do".  Even though Jackie does not play with Puff anymore he later brings his daughter to play with Puff the way he did as a young child. 

I had to post about this book because it is very dear to me.  I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Peter Yarrow sing and talk about his book.  It was a touching experience and this book means more to me because I feel a real connection to the author.  

All the World

by Liz Garton Scanlon

All the World, tells about a day in the life of a family and shows through pictures and rhyme how valuable one day can be.  As the day progresses you see it includes more family and friends within it.  Through the beautiful illustrations you can see lives beginning to intertwine with one another. The story travels from the beach to the market to the fields, churches, parks, restaurants, and back to the homes.  Everything comes full circle at the end of the story. 

I not only was touched by the beautiful poetry in this book but also by the exquisite illustrations.  Each time I turned a page it reminded me of a time in my life with family and friends.  This book stresses the importance of all the things around us.  It is a great reminder about our important role in the world.

SeedFolks

By; Paul Fleischman

The story starts with Kim.  She lives in apartment building in a busy city neighborhood.  Kim plants some Lima beans in a vacant lot thinking of her father who died before she was born.  She wants to show her father that she can work hard and have patience.  The rest of the story shows how this small act has a ripple effect on the entire community.  The vacant lot becomes a place for a community garden and as the plants grow and change so do the people who tend to it.  

I LOVED this book.  I found so many "seeds" of wisdom.  Gonzalo told of his uncle and how coming to this country changed him.  His statement, "the older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States" really made me think.  Our school has many families who have recently moved to the United States.  As I read this statement I remembered a mother telling me (with the help of an interpreter) that in Mexico she had a biology degree and was a teacher but because she could not speak fluent English she was now cleaning hotel rooms. As I reflect upon my short visit to Mexico,  I also have a deeper understanding of this statement.  I too was like a baby and I needed to rely on others for help with the simplest of tasks like working the washing machine or getting directions.  I think that is why this chapter meant the most to me.

Where Else in the Wild; Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed

By; David Schwartz, Yael Schy and Dwight Kuhn

I loved this book!  The author and photographer have done an excellent job working together to create this book.   It had wonderful photographs and I fun "search and find" element. Each photograph shows an animal in its camouflaged habitat. The reader opens the flap to reveal where the animal is hiding in the photograph.  Going along with the gorgeous photo is a poem that gives you clues and information about the animal.  My favorite part the poem was the visual element that went along with it.  Many of the poems featured text that was written going up and down or spiraled to help the reader visualize how the animal may move.  Each page also featured information on each animal.   

Students of all ages will enjoy this book on different levels. Young readers will enjoy finding the animal in each picture and getting information from the photograph. Older readers will be able to read the poem to learn additional information. Advanced readers will like reading the added information that is available on each flap page.  I am excited to read other books in this series by this author!

A Birthday Basket for Tia

Author;  Pat MoraIllustrator;  Cecily Lang

This is a story about a young girl and her way of showing love for her great aunt.   Her Tia (Tia means Aunt in Spanish) is having a birthday! Cecilia wants to make a special basket full of surprises for her Tia's birthday.  Each item that is placed into the basket has some special significance for the two.  The cat is always getting into things as each page turns and this adds a very humorous element to the story.

This book is very engaging and kept the reader wondering what would be added next to the basket and why.   I really loved that there were a few Spanish words throughout.  This adds to the story for both English and Spanish speakers. 

Seven Blind Mice

By; Ed Young

This is a beautiful picture book about seven mice that come upon something strange at the water hole. Each mouse believes that the object is different from what the other has found. On the first day, Red Mouse reports that the something is a pillar, but the other mice don’t believe him. So on each of the following days, a different mouse explores a different part of the something and each reports completely different findings!   The seven blind mice try to decide what the figure standing by the pond is.   

This is a simple story but teaches an important lesson.  The mice learn about working together.  The book teaches that you shouldn't make judgments about something until you understand the entire thing.

The Girls in the Circle

By; Nikki Giovanni

I loved this simple text and beautiful illustrations.  It brought back memories of my childhood playing dress up with my friends.  The poem tells of girls playing dress-up with their grandmothers’ clothes.  They paint their toes, spray perfume and balance in high heels! Now they are all dressed up with no place to go! Their mother will not take them out "looking like that." 

I think this is a great way to introduce young readers to poetry, especially young girls.

Too Many Tamales

By; Gary SotoIllustrated by; Ed Martinez

Too Many Tamales is a story about a girl named Maria who is celebrating the Christmas holiday with her family. Maria has always wanted to wear her mother’s wedding ring and sees the perfect opportunity when she finds it sitting by the kitchen sink.   Shortly after she puts the ring on, she and her cousins begin making tamales for a holiday party. They have to knead the masa in order to prepare the tamales. The children finish making the tamales and go upstairs to play. This is when Maria realizes that she has lost her mother’s wedding ring. It was no longer on her finger, so she concludes that she has lost it in the masa of the tamales. All of the children decide to go down and eat all of the tamales that they had prepared for the party, in order to try and find the wedding ring. By the time the children are to the last tamale, they are stuffed and have not found the ring. When Maria decides to go tell her mother that she has lost the wedding ring, she sees the ring on her mother’s finger. The story ends with the whole family coming together to make another batch of tamales for the party.

This would be a great story to share different holiday traditions and foods.  This book was very engaging and fun to read.  The illustrations really added to the story and showed the emotions on the children's faces and brought life to the characters. 

Boys Without Names

By; Kashmira Sheth

This book is based on the true stories of young boys who are kidnapped and forced to work in sweatshops in present day India. Gopal and his family are forced to move after their landlord threatens to take away their farm and send his father to jail.  The family leaves taking only what they can carry.  Gopal tries to find work and meets an older teen who offers him a job in a factory. Soon Gopal finds himself locked in a sweatshop with six other boys, forced to work long hours each day making beaded picture frames.  The boys are forbidden to talk and are not allowed to tell their names.  The boys are beaten and mistreated.  Gopal tries to keep their spirits up by telling stories to the boys. 

This is a very profound book and opened my eyes to the horrors of child labor.  This was a difficult subject to read about.  I think this would be a great book for older children and would prompt deep discussions.

Like Bug Juice on a Burger

By; Julie Sternberg
Illustrated by; Matthew Cordell

This book brought back many memories of my own experiences at camp.  Like Eleanor camp was not something I looked forward too or enjoyed as much as the other campers.  This story is about Eleanor who receives a trip to summer camp as a gift from her grandmother.  She will be going to the same camp that her mother attended as a child. Eleanor thought it sounded like a good idea, but when the time to leave draws near, she begins to have doubts about leaving her parents. As soon as she arrives at Camp Wallumwahpuk, she starts to try to find a way to get home. Many things go wrong for Eleanor at camp. She hates the food, her bed is uncomfortable, and she is the only one in her cabin that has to wear a life jacket to the water trampoline. However, she also meets her new friend, Joplin and receives encouragement from the camp counselors.  Eleanor does find some things that she loves about camp and eventually gets to take off her life jacket.  She does finally admit that even though she doesn't love everything about camp she did have a good time.

I think any child could identify with this character's feelings and uncertainty they feel when spending time away from home.  This is a great book to introduce students to verse books and poetry.  It is easy to read and it is a subject most students can relate to.

By; Jon Klassen

I loved this book.  I enjoy reading books with humor and if it has a surprise ending it's even better!  It tells the story of a bear that has lost his red pointy hat. He walks around asking all the animals he meets if they have seen his hat, and they all say no - including the rabbit who is wearing his hat! The bear finally realizes he did see his hat and runs back to the rabbit to get it from him.  After recovering the beloved hat he gets his revenge....although it is not stated, the reader infers that the bear eats the rabbit!

Now I know that this is not a good moral lesson for children....but what a fun read aloud.  I loved seeing my students faces when they figured out what happened to the rabbit.  It was also very interesting to see how the students noticed that the rabbit was wearing the bears' hat long before the bear realizes where his hat is.  When I was finished reading, I immediately heard, "read it again!"

By; Patrick McDonnell

This book is based on Jane Goodalls' life. This book tells of Jane as a girl who loves to be outside watching the animals. She takes her toy chimpanzee Jubilee with her on all of her adventures. Jane loved to read books about animals, climb trees, and watch animals and try to learn more about them. Jane dreams about being Tarzan in Africa and a life where she could study animals, learn about them, and watch them up close. The final pages of the book have information on Goodall’s life as well as a message from Jane herself to the readers.

I think this is a great way to introduce biographies to young readers. This book is a great way to teach students about Jane Goodall through simple text and colorful illustrations. It is also a wonderful way to encourage students to write about themselves or others.

By; Pat Mora
Illustrated by; Cecily Lang

This story is about a boy named Pablo and his grandfather and the special way they celebrate Pablo's birthday. Pablo's grandfather has tree that he planted on the day that Pablo was adopted. Each year on his birthday Pablo can hardly wait to spend the night with his grandfather and visit his special tree. Every year since Pablo’s birth his grandfather has decorated the tree with some special gifts like streamers on his first birthday and wind chimes on his fifth birthday. Pablo spends his birthday with his grandfather and looks forward to the next year when he will be surprised by what is placed on his tree.

This would be a wonderful book to share with students to introduce them to different traditions and cultures. It would open up wonderful conversations about how we all celebrate our birthdays.

Turtle in Paradise

By: Jennifer L. Holm

Turtle is an 11 year old girl growing up during the depression. Turtle and her single mom often struggle to get by. Turtle is sent to live with family when her mother's live-in housekeeping job does not allow children. Turtle arrives in Key West and is immediately surrounded by family members she has never met before and lots of adventure. 

This is such an enjoyable book.  The plot was fast moving and unpredictable with plenty of twists and turns along the way. In my opinion, the prevalent theme was one of the strongest points of the book. "Don't take what you have for granted, it may be exactly what you have been searching for all along." Historical details are well woven into the book, it was educational without feeling forced at all. The author's notes at the end of the book are quite informative as well.

Jack and the Night Visitors

By; Pat Schories

This story is about a little boy and his dog that are awakened by some visitors.    The visitors want to play and then ask for something to eat.  The little boy goes to the cupboard and feeds his guests some cereal.  The boy tries to capture one of the visitors under a glass jar.  When the others see what he has done they get scared and go back to their spaceship.  Jack the dog sets the visitor free and he returns to his ship and they fly away.

Ball

By; Mary Sullivan

The only word in this book is the word ball.  This book is about a dog that loves to play ball.  From the minute he wakes up he wants to play ball with his owner.  She eventually needs to leave to go to school.  The dog then tries to find others to play ball with him.  When he finds that no one else wants to play he tries to play ball with himself.  He eventually falls asleep and dreams about his ball.  When he wakes up he hears the door and is very happy when his owner is finally home and can play with him.

Wind Flyers

Written by;Angela Johnson

Illustrated by; Loren Long

A boy shares the story about his uncle who becomes a wind flyer for the historic Tuskegee Airmen. His uncle had wanted to fly from the time he was a little boy. He tried to fly at the age of 7 by jumping off the barn and flapping his arms like a bird.  Eventually, his uncle became a Tuskegee Airmen in 1941. This  squadron was made up entirely of African-America men.  The story tells of how his love of flight takes him on a journey from Alabama to the skies of Europe during World War II.

This is a beautiful book.  It is interesting that we never learn the names of uncle and nephew, making it feel like a collective honor for all the men who were part of the original Tuskegee Airmen.  There is minimal text, and it reads very similar to a poem.  The beautiful illustrations help tell the story.  This would be a great book for children to learn about the Tuskegee Airmen or to use during Black History Month as it takes place in a time where rights were not equal for all men.  It is an inspirational book about how to follow your dreams.

Mr. Williams

By; Karen Barbour

This book is full of Karen Barbours memories of the stories she grew up hearing Mr. Williams tell.  Mr. Williams was born in 1929 and grew up duing the time Calvin Coolidge was president, the Great Depression and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth.  He and his 11 siblings lived in a pine house  in Arcadia, Louisiana.  Their family plowed the feilds and grew cotton, peanuts, sugarcane and other crops.  His stories tell of his life and the farm and also how he was treated by some of  "the white people" he came in contact with.  The ending line gives a wonderful summary to this book, "That's how it was back then, and that was a long time ago."

The illustrations in this book are wonderful and depict the time period very well.  I enjoyed reading about Mr. Williams life and would imagine myself sitting around the table listening to him tell of his childhood.  The back page of the book includes the authors note along with a picture of Mr. Williams.  I think this is a wonderful book to help students really connect with someone who lived in this time period.  I feel that students would reasily relate to J.W. and the way he grew up, the chores he had to do, and how he celebrated Christmas.  It would also be a great book to introduce students to biographies and even encourage students to write stories about their peers.

 

 

 

Papa and the Pioneer Quilt

By: Jean Van Leeuwen
Illustrated by:  Rebecca Bond

This story tells the tale of a young girl whose family picks up and moves to Oregon.  This book depicts the hardships of the Oregon Trial in 1853.  The characters in this story wear out their shoes and clothes and oxen on the way. While walking across miles to their new home the little girl hears about a quilt another traveler plans on making from scraps that she collects along her journey.  The young girl in the story decides to collect scraps of her own to also make a quilt. The family suffers and yet finally makes it through to Oregon where they find rich land.  The little girl and her mother make her quilt together and hope that they have stopped thier wandering and have found home.

This is a wonderful book to teach children about the hardships pioneers found along the Oregon Trail.  The story teaches us to value our past and embrace the hardships that make us who we are.  Many times throughout the book you find yourself concerned and saddened by the families trials and are relieved when they make it to their new home.  I would recommend this book, not only for a study of the Oregon Trail,  but any other trials experienced by our ansestors and their sacrifice for something better.

Just Like Josh Gibson

by; Angela Johnson

illustrated by; Beth Peck

In this story Grandmama retells one of  her childhood memories to her grand-daughter.  Grandma tells about being and African American girl in the 1940's.  She wanted wanted nothing more than to play baseball like her hero Josh Gibson but girls at that time were not allowed to play.  Her father buys her a bat on the day she is born and teaches her how to play.  Sometimes she was able to play with her brother and his friends.  Everyone said it was a shame she was a girl because she could catch and throw just like the boys.  She always watches the game from the sideline.  She finally got her chance to play in a game when her brother broke his arm and they needed and eighth player.  She ends her story by recalling the cheers she heard that day. 

 

This is an inspiring story about following your dreams and not giving up.  The story itself does not give much information about Josh Gibson but there is great information in the back about black baseball players, including Josh Gibson.  Although the story does not teach about the famous baseball player it does do a nice job of  showing what it was like to be discriminated againt.  It is a wonderful book to teach African American History.

 

 

F is for Freedom

 by Roni Schotter

 

Ten year old Amanda discovers that her home is a stop on the Underground Railroad. Her parents have brought in a family of four slaves and has hidden them in thier Hudson River farmhouse. Amanda befriends the oldest child, Hanah.  As with most slaves, Hannah has been forbidden to learn to read or write by her former owner.  Hannahs mother tells her, "Reading is freedom" and she believes that this is the only way to be truly free.  Amanda risks everything to help her friend and gegins to teach Hannah to read and write.

 

I think this book is a wonderful book to teach children about the Underground Railroad and the treatment of slaves.  The most beautiful central message of the story is how reading is freedom and something we should value.  The friendship between the two girls gives this book a very endearing feel.  This book not only gives children general knowlege about the historical events of this time period but also the power of reading and true friendship.

 

The World According to Humphrey

By; Betty B. Birney

Humphrey is the classroom pet hamster of Room 26 and the narrator of this story.  Each weekend, Humphrey visits the home of a different student, and learns a little bit more about each of them. Life, school, friendship, and family, are seen through the eyes of a hamster, and Humphrey makes a difference in the lives of the families who care for him.  Humphrey helps everyone from Mrs. Brisbane's angry husband to Aldo's lonely social life, but the story also shows that people have many different reasons for acting the way they do.


This is a great book. I really enjoyed reading it for a number of reasons.  Reading a book from a hamster’s perspective is very interesting and could teach children to understand life as seen through someone else’s eyes. Children would also be able to make many connections to this book since it is set in a classroom.  The story describes students and teachers and therefore would be easy for a student to associate with the context and identify with the activities and adventures which take place. The end of each chapter has funny and informative nonfiction tips about hamsters. There are also fun pages at the end with games and comprehension questions and a fun quiz on how well you know Humphrey! This would be a great book for literature circles and/or class discussion.  

The Brief Thief

Published 2013

Author; Michaël Escoffier 

Illustrator; Kris Di Giacomo

Leon the chameleon is having a good day until he has to go poo and there is no toilet paper.  He uses an old pair of underpants and, after tossing them in a bush, a voice questions his naughty behavior. The chameleon washes the underpants and hangs them to dry as instructed. The voice of his conscience is revealed to be a rabbit who wears the underpants as the mask to his superhero costume. An unexpected and laugh-out-loud ending!


This book is a humorous, lighthearted, fun read! Children will love the bathroom humor. This is a book to read for pure enjoyment.  If you needed to find a moral to the story it would be to "listen to that little voice inside of your head"; but who needs a moral                                                                           when this book is such hilarious fun! 

The Princess and the Pig

By; Jonathan Emmett 

Illustrated by Poly Bernatene

copyright 2011





A poor farmer and his little piglet are passing by the castle one fateful day when a mishap causes the piglet to swap places with the new born princess.   Due to the mix-up, the pig was raised as a princess and the princess was raised as a peasant.  Many years later when the farmer figures out what must have happened, he and his wife attempt to right the wrong and return their beloved daughter to the palace.
Their attempt is rejected as the King and Queen who think the story is foolish accuse the farmer of trickery. The three return to their life on the farm and "live happily ever after".  Although the ending is not as enchanted for the pig.

The book stands out as a fun play on the traditional fairy tale.  In fact, many references are made in the book to other fairy tales. The characters in the story are always comparing their situation to "the sort of things that happens all the time in books" while pointing to the tale they are referring to.  This would be a great addition to a fairy tale unit as students will be naturally curious to read the story mentioned by each character.  

This book was funny and cleverly written.  It would appeal to all ages because of its depth.  This book can be read for pure enjoyment or the reader can dig deeper into the different fairly tales and/or contemplate the struggle the farmer faces in deciding to tell the King what he has discovered.

Spoon

By, Amy Krouse Rosenthal 

Illustrated by Scott Magoon

Published in 2009

Spoon is a charming story about a young spoon that thinks everyone else has life better than him, the knife gets to cut and spread and chopsticks are just so exotic. Meanwhile his friends think that spoon has it pretty good too. He gets to be silly and measure things.  As his mother tucks spoon in bed she reminds him of the neat things spoons can do!

Spoon is an inspirational story that children and adults alike can relate to. Everyone has moments when they think the grass is greener elsewhere, or that life is better in another section of the utensil drawer. Some cute little jokes are peppered through the story, like Spoon mentioning that the fork does not go 'stir crazy' and part of the spoon's family history when his great grandmother ran off with a dish. The illustrations are perfect and add humor and emotion to the utensil characters.

I highly recommend Spoon, and think that it will entertain and open the way to discussions about jealousy and appreciating differences in others and seeing the good in ourselves.  Spoon brought a smile to my face and had me thinking of how wonderful it is that we are all unique and we all have a special part to play in the "place setting" that is our world.