Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
by Lloyd Moss
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 1995 32 pages
Genre: Picture books, Music and Counting
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is about musical instruments and it is about counting, but it tells it in poetry form.
Response: I liked this book very much
Your Dad was Just Like You
Written and Illustrated by Dolores Johnson
Publisher: Macmillian Publishing Company 1993
Genre: Picture books, and Family Life
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is the story of a little boy who is having problems with his father and he wants to live with his grandfather. His grandfather tells him about his father when he was a boy and Peter learns to understand why his father was so upset when he knocked the purple cup on his father’s dresser. Peter goes home and fixes the cup and apologizes to his father.
Response: I liked this book. It deals with real life and teaches a lesson.
Yo! Yes?
Written and Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Publisher: Orchard Books 1993 32 pages
Genre:Picture book, Humor and Friendship
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is the story of two strangers that meet on the street and with very few words, they become friends. It also shows that people who are different, can still communicate and be friends.
Response: I like this story very much. The thing that I like most about this book is the principle behind it. If more people could exercise the same understanding as these two boys, the world would be a much better place.
Tuesday
Written and Illustrated by David Weisner
Publisher: Clarion Books 1991 32 pages
Genre: Wordless Picture book, Fantasy and Adventure
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is a wordless picture book about the magical nature of Tuesday nights that allows frog to fly on their lilypads and at the end of the book, pigs fly on the next Tuesday.
Response: This is a wonderful book and very funny. The illustrations are fantastic.
Time Flies
Written and Illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Publisher: Crown Publishers 1994
Genre: Wordless Picture book, and Nature
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is a wordless picture book. A bird flies into a museum to get out of the storm. As she flies through the museum, the dinosaurs seem to come to life and the bird flies among them until one of them tries to eat the bird, and it turns back into a skeleton and the bird flies away.
Response: This is a good story, but there is a question that the book raises that I am not sure about. Is the bird dreaming, is she traveling in time or is she remembering her ancestors?
The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain
Written and Illustrated by Peter Sis
Publisher: Frances Foster Books 2007 56 pages
Genre: Picture book and History
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: This book is based on the experiences of Peter Sis as he grew in Czechoslovakia when it was under Soviet rule. At first he didn’t question what he was told, but then he started questioning the State. He quietly protested against the state through his drawings. He even formed his own rock band, though rock ‘n roll had been forbidden by the State.
Ideas for Activities: (optional)
Study about Lenin and the USSR.
Response: This book is absolutely wonderful. It really makes you think about the difference between democracy and communism.
The Three Pigs
Written and Illustrated by David Weisner
Publisher: Clarion Books 2001 40 pages
Genre: Picture book, and Fairy Tales
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is a very original look at the classic story of the Three Little Pigs. In this version, the pigs are blown out of the story by the big, bad wolf and all three of them go into the nursery rhyme of Hey, diddle diddle. When they left, the cat with the fiddle followed them out. They went into another story and rescue a dragon from the knight. Then all of them, the pigs, the cat and the dragon, went back into the three pigs’ story and the dragon scared the wolf away and they all lived happily ever after.
Response: I love this book. It’s funny and I especially like the twist in the story.
The Serpent Came to Gloucester
by M T Anderson
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Publisher: Candlewick Press 2005 40 pages
Genre: Picture book, Historical Fiction, and Myths
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is based on a true story of when a Sea serpant came to the town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. People came from all over to see the serpent and some came to try and capture it. None of them succeeded. The next year, they came back and once they thought that had it, but it turned out to be a giant mackerel fish. Soon after, they saw the serpent playing in the waves. The sea serpent left and was never seen again.
Response: I liked this book. It reminded me of Moby Dick.
The Missing Mitten Mystery
Written and Illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers 2000
Genre: Picture book, Humor and Mystery
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: A little girl loses her mitten into the snow and it is the fifth one that winter. With the help of her dog Oscar, she retraces her steps and finds it in the snowman that she helped make earlier in the day.
Response: I liked this book very much. It was cute and showed deductive reasoning by the protagonist.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Written and Illustrated by Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic Press 2007 511 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Winner of the Caldecott Award 2007
Summary: This story is about a orphan, Hugo Cabret, that maintains the clocks in the train station in Paris after his uncle disappears. He meets Georges Melies and his goddaughter Isabelle when he is caught stealing from Georges’ toy booth. To punish him for it, Hugo is forced to work in the toy booth, fixing the broken toys. While he is fixing the toys, he manages to steal small gears to fix the automaton, which Hugo’s father was working on before he died and is somehow connected to Georges because he is convinced that Hugo stole the notebook. With the help of Isabelle, Hugo gets his notebook back from Georges because Georges took from Hugo and together they fix the automaton, but it only causes more questions because it draws a picture of a bullet going into the eye of the Man in the Moon, but it also writes the signature of Georges Milies. This convinces that Isabelle that Hugo stole the machine from her godfather. Hugo and Isabelle discover some pictures drawn by Georges, which were hidden in an armoire. Georges finds them with the drawings and destroys the drawing. Hugo, through his friendship with Etienne, does some research at the Film Academy library and discovers that Georges Melies was one of the first filmmakers. Through the help of Monsieur Tabard, one of Etienne’s professors at the Film Academy, they learn the story of Georges Melies’ film career. When the war came, his film company was ruined and Georges destroyed everything and has forced to sell his films to a company that melted them down into shoe heels, so he opens his toy booth and forbade his wife to ever talk to it about it. Georges and his wife adopts Hugo and he becomes a magician, which is his dream.
Ideas for Activities: (optional)
Discuss the early film industry or plan a unit of study centered around it.
Discuss the moral implications of stealing.
Response: I loved this book. The plot is very complex, the characters very well written and the illustrations are the best part. They draw you into the story better than the writing alone could have done.
Hello, Goodbye Window
by Norton Juster
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Publisher:Hyperion Books for Children 2005 32 pages
Genre:Picture book, Fantasy, and Family Life
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is the story of a little girl who stays with her grandparents while her parents are at work. There is a special window called the hello, goodbye window. It is a magical window. She tells of all things that you can do with this window and about her grandparents.
Response: I liked this book very much. It makes me wish that I had experiences like this with my grandparents, but they lived too far from me and now they have all passed away. The illustrations are very well done.
The Green Truck Garden Giveaway
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated by Alec Gillman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 1997
Genre: Picture book and Gardening
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is a story about a pickup truck that goes around teaches people how to plant gardens and how to take care of them. As the people work in their gardens, they learn to like it and soon they are driving their Green Truck Garden Giveaway, truck.
Response:I liked this book. It has a good story and it serves an almanac for gardening.
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
Written and Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
Publisher: Puffin Books 1983 40 pages
Genre: Picture book and History
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:Louis Bleriot was the first man to fly across the English Channel. This book tells the story of the series of flying machines before he got one that worked successfully.
Response: I never knew about this man until I read this book. I learned a lot.
The Stray Dog
Written and Illustrated by Marc Simont from a true story by Reiko Sassa
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers 2001 32 pages
Genre: Picture book, and Family Life
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: A stray dog meets a family who is on a picnic. The family falls in love with him and even name him Willy. They go home without him thinking that he must belong to someone, but when they come back the next week, they seen Willy being chased by a dog and they rescue him by saying he is their dog and they take him home.
Response: I liked this story very much. It is a cute story and the illustrations are very good.
Song and Dance Man
by Karen Ackerman
Illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf Inc. 1988
Genre: Picture book, and Music
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is about a grandfather who was a song and dance man on the vaudeville stage. When his grandchildren visit, he takes them into the attic, takes his hat, vest and tap shoes out of his chest and dancing for his grandchildren.
Response: I really liked this book.
Show Way
by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Hudson Talbott
Publisher:G P Putnam’s sons 2005 48 pages
Genre: Picture book and Genealogy
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This story follows the history of the women in her family, that starts with slavery and goes Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, up to the present day. It tells the story of how the slaves used to use quilts to show other slaves the road to freedom. After slavery was abolished, they used those same kind of quilt blocks to remember where they came from and to give them courage for the future.
Response:I liked this story because I am a family history nut myself and love hearing about other people’s family history.
Probuditi!
Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mufflin Company 2006
Genre:Picture book, Humor, and Fantasy
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is the story about Calvin. Calvin is a little boy who gets tickets to see a magician for his birthday. The magician was hypnotizing people and bringing them out of it by saying ‘Probuditi!’ He goes home and hypnotized his sister and made her believe that she was a dog. After a while, he was tired of it but he couldn’t remember the word to end it. So he put his sister in his wagon and he and his friend took her across the town to see the magician. They didn’t find him, so they took her back home. They got her to wake up by banging trash lids and throwing a bucket of water on her. It worked. He was sent to his room for making his sister cry and he didn’t get any of his birthday dinner or birthday cake.
Response: I liked this book. It was very funny. It also teaches the consquences of our actions.
Peppe the Lamplighter
by Elisa Bartone
Illustrated by Ted Lewin
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books 1993 32 pages
Genre: Picture book, Historical Fiction, and Family Life
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is a story about Peppe who goes to work as a lamplighter to help support his family. His father acts ashamed of him at first and so eventually Peppe doesn’t light the lamps and one of his sisters has not come home. He lights the lamps and finds his sister under one of the lampposts. He learned how important his job really is and his father is happy about Peppe’s job.
Response: I liked this book because it is true to life and Peppe and his father both learn a valuable lesson.
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Publisher: The Viking Press 1979
Genre:Historical Fiction, and Picture book
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is the story of a farmer and his family and how they make and grow products to sell at market in the fall.
Response: I liked this book.
Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by John Schoenherr
Publisher:Philomel books 1987 32 pages
Genre: Picture book, Family Life and Nature
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: A father and son go out owling and find a Great Horned Owl
Ideas for Activities: (optional)
Study about Great Horned owls and other owls as well.
Response: This is a wonderful story and it shows courage and patience on the part of the child.
Mouse Went out to get a snack
by Lyn Rossiter McFarland
Illustrated by Jim McFarland
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux 2005 32 pages
Genre: Picture book, Humor and Counting
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is the story of a mouse that leaves his hole to go get a snack. The snack consisted of 1 piece of cheese, 2 plump plums, 3 baby carrots, 4 fried chicken legs, 5 ears of corn, 6 tasty tacos, 7 assorted jelly beans, 8 colorful cupcakes, 9 jolly gingerbread men, and 10 slices of chocolate cake. Just as he gets all on a plate, the cat wakes, and he throws it up in the air and the plate falls on the cat and the 1 piece of cheese goes into the mouse’s hole.
Response: I loved this book. It teaches counting in a very funny way.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Kad
ir Nelson
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children 2006 48 pages
Genre:Picture book, and Historical Fiction
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is the story of Harriet Tubman, her transition from being a slave and then running away with the Lord’s guidance and then she went back and helped other people, including her own family, on their path to freedom. She was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and she went back many times to led slaves to freedom.
Ideas for Activities: (optional)
Have the children study about the Underground Railroad and slavery.
Response: I liked this book very much. I liked the fact that they mentioned the role of God in her escape and in her journeys, helping others to freedom.
Make Way for Ducklings
Written and Illustrated by Robert McCloskey
Publisher: Puffin Books 1941
Genre: Picture book, Action and Adventure
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are trying to find a place to find their nest. The first place is no good, due to the fact that there are no many bicycles around. They finally find a island in the Charles River that is quiet enough to hatch their ducklings. Mr. Mallard decides to explore the rest of the river and tells that he will meet in a week in the Public Garden. Mrs. Mallard teaches her children all they will need to know and when she is satisfied with their progress, she leads them off the island and start for the Public Gardens. With the help of a policeman, they reach the Public Garden in safety.
Response: I like this story. It’s cute and I especially like that the policeman help the ducks.
Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow books 2004 40 pages
Genre: Fantasy and Humor
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary:This is the story of a kitten who sees his first full moon and thinks that it is a bowl of milk in the sky. No matter how far we walks after the moon, he never reaches it. He goes home and finds a real bowl of milk waiting for him.
Response: I liked this story very much. The kitten has a child-like innocence that is truly adorable
Jumanji
Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mufflin Company 1981 32 pages
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: Peter and Judy found a game in the park and brought it home. This is a very unusual game. Peter goes first and gets the instruction ‘Lion attack, go back two spaces,’ and a lion appears on top of the piano. The lion chases Peter upstairs and then gets his head stuck under the bed. The game also produces monkeys in the kitchen, a monsoon in the living room, and a lost jungle guide sitting on the doll house. Peter gets bitten by a tsetse fly and gets sleeping sickness. Next is a stampede of rhinos, a python on the mantle, molten lava comes from the fireplace, and hits the water from the monsoon and fills the room with steam. Judy reaches Jumanji and everything disappears. They grabbed the game and running, took it back to the park. They started a puzzle after they got home, but fell asleep before they could finish; they were waken by their parents and after changing into their pajamas and having dinner, they were working on their puzzle, they looked out the window and see Daniel and Walter Budwing. Danny has a long thin box under his arm.
Response: I had never read this book before, although I have seen the movie. I liked it very much. The illustrations in this book are incredible.
Island Boy
Written and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Publisher: Viking kestrel 1988 38 pages
Genre: Picture book and Story book
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Summary: This is about Matthais, the youngest of 12 children, who grew on an island. He went to sea in his uncle’s boat, the Six brothers, as a cabin boy. He sailed on the Six Brothers for 15 years. By this time, Matthais was the master of the ship. He moved back to the island and fixed up the house, as his parents had left by the island by this time. He married and brought his bride to the island. They had 3 daughters. The girls grew up and married and left the island. Then, Hannah, his wife died. He stayed on the island even after that because his youngest daughter, Jane sent her son, Little Matthais, every summer. Soon thereafter, Jane’s husband died and she and Little Matthais came to stay on the island for good. As he was bringing the produce that grew on the island to the mainland, he was lost in a storm and was never seen again. People came from all over to the island for the funeral.
Response: I liked this book. It has a very sweet story.
