OFF THE SHELF--The Night Before Kindergarten

The Night Before Kindergarten (Reading Railroad Books Series) 

by Natasha Wing , Julie Durrel (Illustrator) 

 Penguin, 2001

I bought this book when my son was about to enter kindergarten.  Since then, I have suggested it to every parent I know has a kid about to start school.  The poem shows kids getting their clothes and backpacks ready for the first day of school.  The first morning, they find the classroom to be fun and engaging while the parents wait anxiously in the hall.  A great way to help kids move smoothly into their first day of school, by calming their fears. 

Level:  K-1

If I Ran the Rain Forest

If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests 

by Bonnie Worth , Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator) 

 Random House, 2003

Summary:  Two kids join the Cat-in-the-Hat in a journey through the rain forest, where they learn about the features, plants and animals of a tropical rain forest. 

Lesson:  I sent this book to a teacher who was doing a unit on the rain forest.  The students enjoyed having the "lesson" narrated by a familiar and fun character. 

Level:  1st-4th

A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper

A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper

Nate LeBoutillier

Coughlan, 2004

Summary:  Using real pictures to match the text, the book chronicles all the duties and responsibilities of a zookeeper.

Lesson:  I used this book in my lesson comparing Fiction and NonFiction.  The students loved it so much, it was checked out for the rest of the year. It was paired with A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead for the Fiction title.

Level:  PreK-3

OFF THE SHELF---Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles

Mini-lessons for Literature Circles

by Harvey Daniels , Nancy Steineke

Heinemann, 2004

Teachers and Student Interns often ask where I get some of my creative ideas.  I have to give a lot of credit to Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke's Mini-lessons for Literature Circles.  While Mr. Daniels previous books on literature circles provided a lot of theory behind the practice, this book provided actual lessons that could be quickly adopted or modified.  It is probably the single most influential professional text for activities that I have read.  I have adapted its tenets for other subject areas and units. 
Level: Professional

Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk

Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors? 

by Brian P. Cleary , Brian Gable (Illustrator) 

Lerner Publishing, 2009

Summary:  A rhyming book that uses humor to show the difference between similes and metaphors.  Full of examples, the pictures help the reader to imagine comparison made by the figurative language. 

Lesson:  The 5th graders were doing a creative writing assignment in class.  After using this book to understand the writing technique, I grouped students with poetry books and asked them to find more examples. 

Level:  2nd-6th

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

Twosomes

Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom 

by Marilyn Singer , Lee Wildish (Illustrator) 

 Random House Children, 2010

Summary:  Each page is a couplet devoted to an animal.  Cute pictures go with each poem.

Lesson:  The first graders were doing research projects on animals.  I showed them this book, which they immediately identified as a rhyming book.  I had them write a couplet about their animal, which they put in their research folder.

Level:  2nd-4th