Clifford's Pals

Clifford's Pals
by Norman Bridwell

Summary:  Clifford and his pals play in a construction site, where it is dangerous.  After several narrow scrapes, where Clifford has to break machinery and anger the workers, they decide to stop playing there and return to a safer place to play. 


Lesson:  One of our school-wide expectations is to "Be Safe".  After reading this book, we talked about why it was not safe to play at a construction site.  We also suggested some safe places to play. 

Level:  PreK-1st grade

OFF THE SHELF -- Number the Stars

Number the Stars 

by Lois Lowry

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1989 Newbery Medal

Last year I had a fifth grader who was a ferocious reader.  She liked books that were realistic and gritty, but still was a Harry Potter fangirl.  I suggested Number the Stars, which is my favorite Lois Lowry novel.   This is not Anne Frank or The Book Thief: this is the story of a young girl growing up as she realizes that life is not a fairy tale.  Set against the Danish Resistance's drive to save the Jews from Hitler's machine, two 10-year old best friends see the world as a child where the Danish King lives well in his castle with his white horse and the Nazi soldiers are the big, bad wolves chasing small girls in red riding hoods.  As Annemarie's Danish family struggles to smuggle Ellen's Jewish family out of the country, the girls come to see the gritty underlying truth of war.  An excellent read for teens and adults.

Level:  4th and up

OFF THE SHELF -- Fox Makes Friends

Fox Makes Friends

by Adam Relf

Sterling Publishing, 2005

This book comes with my son's seal of approval.  I cannot even begin to count how many times he brought this book home from his school's library between kindergarten and 2nd grade.  So when I first started working in an elementary library, it was my "go to" choice when a student asked for a "good book".  When Fox's mother suggests that he go outside and make some friends, he takes her literally and starts to build a friend with sticks.  As other animals come along to help him with his task, he unknowingly fulfills his task by making real friends.

Level:  PreK - 2nd

City Dog, Country Frog

City Dog, Country Frog 

by Mo Willems , Jon J. Muth (Illustrator) 

Hyperion, 2010

Summary:  Told in soft water colors, the City Dog visits the country and befriends the County Frog.  As the seasons pass, they play froggie and doggie games, until one disappears forever. It's use of parallel structure with each season makes it easy for younger readers to follow. 

Lesson:  I read this book as part of a book talk promoting new books in the library and the students loved it.  Several purposes jump to mind for its use in the library or classroom.  One is the seasonal changes that occur.  A second is the comparison with the original city mouse/country mouse tale.  Another is a biology lesson about animals and seasons/weather.  And a fourth is one about death being part of the cycle of life, and moving forward after it strikes a loved one.  Finally, that death is actually left up for interpretation, and so asking students what happened to the missing animal is a good discussion on reading between the lines. 

Level:  Kinder--3rd

OFF THE SHELF--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by JK Rowling

Scholastic, 1997

A student teacher asked me for a book written on a 5th grade reading level.  Most 5th graders are about 11 years old.  I recommended the first book of the Harry Potter series.  It is the book that Harry turns 11 years old, and it is written on that level.  Each of the books becomes more complex, as Harry ages, and so as the reader ages, the reading level becomes more complex, too.  The book speaks to many of the concerns of a 5th grader, also.  The fear of leaving what you've always known as you go off to a new school (in the US, that would be middle school).  Making friends and creating enemies as cliques start to form on the playground.  Starting that adolescent trek of learning who you are as an individual.  It hits the 11 year old reader on all levels.

Level:  4th-8th

The Recess Queen

The Recess Queen

by Alexis O'Neill , Alexis O'Neil , Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator)

Scholastic, 2002

Summary:  Mean Jean is the playground bully.  All the kids are scared of her, that is, until the new kid in class befriends and tames her wild ways. 

Lesson:  Making new friends; dealing with bullies; the new kid in class

Level:  PreK-3rd