The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Author/Illustrator: Dave Pilkey
Genre: Graphic Novel
Grade level: 2-5
The Adventure of Captain Underpants is a graphic novel about two fourth grade boys, George and Harold, who love to write comic books and always pull pranks and get in trouble. One day, their principal, Mr. Krupp, threatens to expose George and Harold's prank until they hypnotize Krupp and turn him into an unfortunate superhero named Captain Underpants.
Dave Pilkey authors and illustrates the Captain Underpants series. He includes several pages of flip-o-ramas and black and white illustrations that give the book that old school comic book feel. These cartoonish illustrations will be sure to have readers of all ages laughing out loud.
This book is extremely silly so I would not do a whole class read aloud of it, but I would of course allow my students to read it if they were interested. This could be the type of book that will create a reader or even a writer. This book is actually one of my childhood favorites and really got me interested in reading because of its humor.
An Elephant Is On My House: And Other Poems By O.D.D. Cummings
Author/Illustrator: O.D.D. Cummings
Narrator: William Turbett
Genre: Audiobook
Grade level: PK+
An Elephant Is On My House: And Other Poems By O.D.D. Cummings is a collection of cheerful poems written and illustrated by O.D.D. Cummings. He writes very whimsical and fun-filled poems that children of all ages enjoy. These rhymes step away from the traditional scheme and a little different and sometimes unpredictable.
O.D.D. Cummings also created all of the illustrations for his collection of poems. The illustrations are just as creative of the texts themselves and seem to follow right along with the story of the poems. They are bright, colorful, and simple, perfect for young readers.
Poetry is a great way to get children interested in reading. This is an audiobook, which can be very useful in the classroom during the block five reading stations. Having the book read to them while they are following along is a great way to teach students how to read.
I See Without My Eyes
Author: Mark Brauner Hayward
Illustrator: Nancy Lee Hartman
Genre: Special Needs
Grade level: K-3
I See Without My Eyes is a story of a young blind girl and how she adapts to living with her disability. She learns to function with it so that she does not let it stand in her way of being the best she can be. This book teaches students about reading in Braille, their senses, and other resources that the blind use to adapt to life without sight.
Nancy Lee Hartman illustrates cute drawings throughout the book that are in cartoon form. The young blind girl seems to be drawn looking almost like a page of coloring book. The illustrations bring light to the struggles and hardships that are faced daily by those who are blind.
This book would be great to read to children in grades kindergarten through third if there is anyone in the class or even in the school that is blind. This book teaches students many of the resources used by the blind that they may see in school or in daily life, for instance, Braille or guide dogs.
Same, Same But Different
Author/Illustrator: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Genre: Multicultural
Grade level: K-3
Awards: Ezra Jack Keats Award, Children's Choice Award
Same, Same But Different is a book a boy named Elliot from America and a boy named Kailash from India. They become pen pals and learn that they enjoy a lot of the same things. They are from different places, but find many similarities in their lives.
The author and illustrator, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, creates a beautiful story using colorful and vibrant illustrations to show how two boys living worlds apart can have so many things in common. The illustrations are collage-like and have a child's point-of-view in mind.
I would read this book to a class from kindergarten to third grade for any cultural unit. This is excellent to show the theme of cultural diversity. Through this book, a reader will learn to appreciate other cultures and realize no matter what culture someone is from, we are all people with commonalities.
Last Stop on Market Street
Author: Matt de la Pena
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Genre: Multicultrual
Grade level: PK-3
Awards: Newbery Medal 2016, Caldecott Honor 2016, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor 2016
Last Stop on Market Street is a very honorable book in recent years. It is about how a young boy, CJ, and his grandmother ride the bus across town. CJ begins to wonder why they do not have all of the things his friends have like a car and electronics. His grandmother helps him see the beauty in their routine. In the end, the reader finds out that they go on the bus ride every day to serve the soup kitchen.
Christian Robinson does an amazing job illustrating this heartfelt book, and even gets awarded the Caldecott Honor because of it. He uses color and light in a way that almost creates a whole new world for the reader. These lovely illustrations perfectly complement the lovely story.
This book is a perfect read for early readers. It has a beautiful message of being grateful for what you have and having a heart of service. Young readers will relate to this story because it is seen through the eyes of a young boy. The lessen he learns of being thankful and seeing the beauty in everything will strike a chord in readers no matter the age.
Circle Unbroken
Author: Margot Theis Raven
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Genre: Multicultrual
Grade level: PK-3
The book, Circle Unbroken, is about keeping African heritage alive. A grandmother teaches her granddaughter how to sew a traditional sweetgrass basket, while teaching about African tradition. The story begins with a boy sewing a basket so tightly it could hold rain, then the story circles all the way back to the granddaughter sewing the basket today.
E.B. Lewis illustrates this picture book using powerful images of cultural tradition. The paintings walk the reader through time and are so detailed it seems that the reader is there in whatever time period or setting that the story is in. This story is filled with realistic paintings that captivate its readers.
I would use this book in my classroom to promote cultural diversity and tradition. This book would be great to use in a Social Studies time when teaching on culture because this book is all about how a culture keeps a tradition from generation to generation with an unbroken circle.
When I Was Young in the Mountains
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Diane Goode
Genre: Caldecott
Grade level: K-3
When I Was Young in the Mountains is a Caldecott Medal winner about growing up in the Appalachian Mountains. It is written in beautiful, lyrical texts. The author remembers and writes about many cherished memories of her childhood living with her grandparents in the mountains.
Diane Goode does an amazing job illustrating this thoughtful book. The illustrations are very detailed so that they play as a visual text for the reader. The pictures are mesmerizing and almost seem like a lullaby because they are so gently done. This story's illustrations won it the 1983 Caldecott Medal.
This book tells a specific story, but it also tells a general story or message of finding happiness with whatever you have or wherever you are. This story teaches children the message of being content and happy with what they have in live. I would suggest this book to readers in kindergarten to third grade, but can be enjoyed by all readers.
