Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very bad day by Judith Viorist

I remember reading this book in class when I was younger. It is about a boy named Alexander who believes he is having one of the worst days of his life because nothing seems to be going his way. I enjoyed this book as a kid because I could relate to it. I had days just like Alexanders and was happy to find out I was not the only one.

I can see children enjoying the book because it has repetition in it and they can read along. After every bad thing that happens to Alexander he says "This is a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day." It allows the children to get involved in the reading when they can join in. This book is a lot of fun, by the pictures are in black and white so if kids really enjoy big colorful pictures then they might not enjoy this book.

I always like to read this book because it reminds me that everyone has bad days, but they end and hopefully good days will follow!

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner is not the same three little pigs story we all know and love. In fact, it is very different. I picked out this book thinking it was the same story, but I was sadly mistaken. The book starts out the same way the the three little pigs starts out. One pig makes a house of straw and his house is blown down and then all the sudden the pig appears "outside" of the story with word bubbles coming out of his mouth like a cartoon sketch and from there on was confused till the end of the story, which still does not make sense to me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I kept finding myself more and more confused as I turned the pages. There was not really a plot behind it and it was mostly focused on the pigs trying to rewrite the original story, but just not a way the reader could follow. I feel like a student may find this story confusing like I did, but maybe that is just my own opinion.

The one thing that kept me from closing this book half way through were the illustrations. The pigs were life like and the pictures were really mesmerizing. For me, they were really the only thing I enjoyed about this story. I would take the original over this book any day, but I would not rule out this book for all teachers. The book is a winner of the caldecott medal so there is obviously something great there that I am just not seeing. I would say give it a read and see what you think, but for me it is sadly not a book I will run back to read.

The Very Hungry Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the first book I remember reading as a kid. The book is about the process a caterpillar goes through when transforming into a butterfly. It starts off with an egg being laid and then a little hungry caterpillar emerging from the egg. The caterpillar is hungry and searches for food. It eats anything it can find. The caterpillar was very full from all its eating and built himself a cocoon to rest in. When the caterpillar emerged from the cocoon days later he was not a beautiful butterfly.

The story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is very well known and popular. It is great to read to students in kindergarten to second grade because it is a very basic story. The book explains the life of a caterpillar and teaches the reader about how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. I remember in first grade we all got our very own caterpillars and had to take care of them until they built their cocoons and became butterflies. Once they completed their transformations we released them outside. It was one of my favorite projects and one of the few memories I still have of first grade.

The book is also useful when teaching counting to your students. When going through the various fruits the caterpillar eats, pictures are shown of what he eats and how many. This could be very helpful as a visual to your students when learning to count. The pictures in the book are very colorful and beautiful. They will definitely catch the students eyes. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a sure winner to use in your classroom with your students.

Cool Zone with the Pain & the Great one by Judy Blume

Cool Zone with the Pain & the Great one is a short childrens novel that contains stories about a brother and sister. The brother Jacob , who is known by his sister Abigail as the pain is in first grade and Abigail, known by Jacob as the great one, is in 5th grade. The two bicker and fight as any brother and sister would do but Abigail sticks up for her brother when he is in trouble and Jacob is always grateful when she does.

Cool Zone with the Pain & the Great one is a fun book for readers in 3rd to 5th grade. I feel like this book is more appropriate for girls rather then boys. The book deals with issues such as bullying, crushes, school, and a relationship between a brother and sister. The book was a fun read and contained pictures. This could be fun for a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader because it is not technically a picture book, but the pictures are fun and add to the story.

I enjoyed that the chapters switched off narrators between Abigail and Jacob. It was nice to get stories from each of their perspectives. I liked the book dealt with real issues that the readers will most likely also face in their own lives at school. It makes the book relatable to the readers. This would be a fun book to have on the shelf in your classroom for the students to pick out as a free reading book. Overall I enjoyed the book and think young girls will enjoy it as well.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is the winner of the caldecott medal. After reading this story for the first time, it is clear why. The story is about a house that lives in the country on a hill. The house is very happy but it is curious about the city and what it would be like to live there. As the seasons change, so does the little house's surroundings. Soon, big buildings, trains, lights, and cars are all around the little house. The little house begins to miss living in the quiet country. After some time, the owner of the little house decided to restore it and move it back to the country. The little house is happy to be back in the quiet, peaceful country.

The Little House is a story about change over time. Though there are no living characters in the story, the reader will grow to love the little house and feel badly for it when things around it begin to change. This story is one that is important to read to children because many young children do not like change and grow accustomed to routine. It is important to show them that overtime, things will change. The house was lucky enough to be returned to a place that made it happy.

The beautiful pictures in the story are what really made it for me. The use of color, shading, and detail were really beautiful. Children will love reading this book and looking at the pictures and watching the scenery around the house change. Though the major themes of this book can be a little over the heads of younger children, it is still a beautiful story that has a happy ending!

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

"Let the wild rumpus start!"
Where the Wild Things Are is a classic children's book that captures the hearts of many children and adults a like. When young max (dressed in wolf pajamas) gets punished and is sent to his room, he escapes into a dream world where he stumbles across big fuzzy "wild things" who welcome him as there new king. Max and the wild things had fun together dancing and swinging from branches. After a while max felt lonely wanted to return home where he knew he would be loved. The wild things begged him to stay, but Max went home and returned just in time for dinner.

Where the Wild Things Are is a short childrens book with a lot of heart. The winner of the caldecott medal for most distinguished picture book of the year, this simple story is so beloved that it was recently made into a motion picture. The pictures in the story, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, capture the story very well. My favortie images are the ones with no text underneath where you see Max and the wild things having fun in the forest. The wild things he created were so unique and different then anything I had seen before.

The story is wonderful for young children to read because it is short and has a wonderful message about the importance of family. Though Max was upset with his parents for punishing him, overtime he grew to miss them and missed being loved unconditionally. I also love that Max found a whole new family off with the wild things and one of my favorite lines in the book is when Max is leaving and the wild things say to him "Oh please don't go, well eat you up, we love you so!" This truly showed that the wild things loved him, but nothing could replace the love of his family.

I will most definitely read this book with my class because I it is one of my favorites and one that I think they will enjoy too.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

"Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy". The Giving Tree is a classic children's book that can be read and appreciated by those of all ages. This touching story is about a little boy who begins a friendship with a tree and spends his days swinging from the trees branches and eating its apples. As the boy grows older, he returns to the tree looking for necessities he needs. The tree offers the boy his apples to sell, his branches to build a house,and his trunk to build a boat. Each time the boy returns asking for something new, the tree happily gives never asking anything in return. At the end of the story, the boy returns an old man. He is tired and wants to sit down. The tree, now only a stump, offers the only thing he has left. The boys sits on the tree's stump and the tree is happy.

In important theme in this story which I believe makes it an important book for children to read is the idea of giving. Not only giving, but giving without expecting anything in return. Shel Silverstein does a great job at showing the reader that the act of giving in itself is rewarding and we do not need to receive anything tangible back to be happy. The pictures in the book, though simple and only in black and white, represent every part of the story well. The book is simple and yet beautiful.

The ending could be viewed as a bit depressing, but the main ideas of giving and friendship are easy for young children to follow. The deeper meanings could be explored further if read by students in higher grades. The teacher could plan activities for the classroom to participate in after reading the story that follow the themes of the book or possibly create a classroom giving tree of their own.

The Giving Tree may have been around for many years, but its powerful themes and wonderful story are still ever present. Students of all ages will fall in love with the Giving Tree just as I have.