CB#4 The Higher Power of Lucky

Author: Susan Patron 
Title: The Higher Power of Lucky 

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

Subgenre: Ages 9-12

Theme: Finding your purpose

Primary and Secondary characters: Lucky, Brigitte, Lincoln, Miles
Awards: Newbery Honor

Publishing company: Random House

Brief summary of how to use with students: This is a book for older students but I didn't really like the plot. The characters were pretty relateable but the story line wasn't (for me at least). It's about a girl who's mother dies and her father doesn't want to take care of her so he has his ex-wife, a blonde french woman who is from Paris, take care of her. And they live in "Hard Pan" California, which is basically a deserted town of 43 people.

CB#3 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

Subgenre: Ages 9-12

Theme: Love and loss

Primary and Secondary characters: Edward, Abilene, Bull, Lucy, Nellie, Lawrence, Bryce and Sarah Ruth

Publishing company: Candlewick Press

Brief summary of how to use with students: I think I officially love this author! Such a beautiful story about love and heartbreak. It may be a children's book but I think anyone would enjoy reading it. There are some very sad parts though and the tone is serious so I would recommend it for mature readers only.

PB#16 Tops & Bottoms

Author: Janet Stevens

Title: Tops & Bottoms

Illustrator: Janet Stevens

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 4-8

Theme: Beating hardship by using one's wits.

Primary and Secondary characters: Bear and hare  
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Hardcourt Brace & Co

Brief summary of how to use with students: This hilarious book is sure to catch the attention of children immediately because the book opens sideways. With the story going from top to bottom. It's a funny book but also has a lot of good information about vegetables in it! It's one that keeps you guessing and excited to see what happens next.

PB#15 10 Little Rubber Ducks

Author: Eric Carle

Title: 10 Little Rubber Ducks

Illustrator: Eric Carle

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: PreK-1st grade

Theme: Learning direction and number 
Publishing company: HarperCollins

Brief summary of how to use with students: This cute books teaches young children about direction and simple math concepts such as counting.

CB#2 Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants

Author: Barbara Park

Title: Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants

Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

Subgenre: Ages 4-8

Theme: The ethical issue of cheating

Primary and Secondary characters: Junie B., May, Herbert, Lennie, Jose, Mr. Scary 

Publishing company: Random House Books

Brief summary of how to use with students: Junie B. is the funniest and this is a great example of how younger students may deal with cheating. She says she only "borrowed" May's homework assignment and Herb "gave" her an answer for a test - but she learns that those aren't the right words. She is cheating and has to come to terms with that. Great ending though.

PB#14 Gone Wild

Author: David McLimans

Title: Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet

Illustrator: David McLimans

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 4+

Theme: Becoming aware of endangered animals.

Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Walker & Company

Brief summary of how to use with students: Each page of this book is a letter in the alphabet and each letter represents an endangered animal. Though this is considered children's book, everyone should read it! The illustrations are super creative and the message is very important: so many animals are becoming endangered and it's mostly because of habitat loss.

PB#13 The Lion & the Mouse

Author:  Jerry Pinkney
Title: The Lion & the Mouse
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Subgenre: Wordless; Grades PreK-3; Aesop's Fable
Theme: Kindness
Primary and Secondary characters: The lion & the mouse.
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Publishing company: Little, Brown and Company
Brief summary of how to use with students: The is the most beautiful book I've ever seen! The illustrations are so amazing you don't even need text. It's a sweet story about a lion who helps a mouse and then the mouse ends up having to help the lion. It's one of the most well known of Aesop's fables about an unlikely pair that learns no act of kindness is ever wasted.

PB#12 Jimi Sounds Like A Rainbow

Author: Gary Golio
Title: Jimi Sounds Like A Rainbow
Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe
Genre: Juvenile Literature
Subgenre: Biography; Ages 9-12 (Grades 4-8)
Theme: Inspiration is all around!
Primary and Secondary characters: Jimi Hendrix
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Publishing company: Clarion Books
Brief summary of how to use with students: This book is likely to fascinate older children and reluctant readers who might be familiar with Hendrix's music, and could easily be tied into art and music curriculum.

PB#11 Officer Buckle and Gloria

Author: Peggy Rathmann 
Title: Officer Buckle and Gloria

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 4-8

Theme: Safety and friendship

Primary and Secondary characters: Officer Buckle and Gloria 
Awards: Caldecott Medal

Publishing company: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Brief summary of how to use with students: This is a very funny book about how Officer Buckle finally got the students of Napville Elementary to pay attention to his safety speeches.

PB#10 David Gets in Trouble

Author: David Shannon 
Title: David Gets in Trouble

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 3-8

Theme: The craziness of childhood.

Primary and Secondary characters: David

Publishing company: Blue Sky Press

Brief summary of how to use with students: Sometimes kids can do and say the craziest things and this book is about just that. David is easy to sympathize with because he can't seem to stay out of trouble!

PB#9 Space Station Mars

Author: Daniel San Souci

Title: Space Station Mars

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 4-8 (Grades 1-4)

Theme: Imagination and adventure

Primary and Secondary characters: Danny, Billy, Craig, Andy, Bobby, and Neil.  

Publishing company: Tricycle Press

Brief summary of how to use with students: This is a fun book and one I know any young boy would want to read! It's about the silly adventures of childhood, having fun, and finding adventure in anything.

PB#8 To Be an Artist

Author: Maya Ajmera & John D. Ivanko

Title: To Be an Artist

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 4-8 (Grades K-3)

Theme: Using various art forms to express creativity.

Primary and Secondary characters: Kids from all around the world.

Publishing company: Charlesbridge

Brief summary of how to use with students: A colorful book with real-life pictures of kids from around the world - creating/ preforming art.

PB#7 The Red Book

Author: Barbara Lehman

Title: The Red Book

Genre: Children's Picture Book (Wordless)

Subgenre: Ages 4-8 (Grades K-6)

Theme: Getting lost in a book.

Primary and Secondary characters: A little girl and a little boy.

Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Houghton Mifflin

Brief summary of how to use with students: This is a wordless story about a girl who gets lost in a book that can take her across the ocean! She goes from a big city to a small island to meet a little boy.

CB#1 The Magician's Elephant

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Title: The Magician's Elephant

Illustrator: Yoko Tanaka

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

Subgenre: Grades 4-6 (Ages 9-12)

Theme: Trusting the unexpected

Primary and Secondary characters: Peter Augustus Duchene, Vilna Lutz, Leo Matienne, Adele

Publishing company: Candlewick Press

Brief summary of how to use with students: This story starts off sad and there is a lot of sadness in the book but the ending is so great. It's all about trusting the unexpected and making the extraordinary come true.

Poems#1 Orangutan Tongs

Author: Jon Agee 
Title: Orangutan Tongs

Illustrator: Jon Agee

Genre: Children's Book of Poems

Theme: Poems and rhymes 

Primary and Secondary characters: Every poem has a different set of characters. 

Publishing company: Disney & Hyperion

Brief summary of how to use with students: This would be a great book to read aloud to your class to introduce poems or rhyming.

PB#6 Terrific

Author: Jon Agee

Title: Terrific

Illustrator: Jon Agee

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 3-7

Theme: Teamwork and friendship

Primary and Secondary characters: Eugene and the parrot, Lenny 

Publishing company: Hyperion

Brief summary of how to use with students: This would be a good book to read aloud to your class if you were wanting them to learn about how important team work is. It's also a fun one to ask foreshadowing questions about.

PB#5 The Blizzard's Robe

Author: Robert Sabuda

Title: The Blizzard's Robe

Illustrator: Robert Sabuda

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 5-8

Theme: Kindness

Primary and Secondary characters: Teune and the Blizzard 

Publishing company: Atheneum

Brief summary of how to use with students: This book would be great to read if your class was learning about arctic regions or about how some people use stories to explain natural occurrences. Also a beautiful book to read when the winter season hits.

PB#4 Sector 7

Author: David Wiesner

Title: Sector 7

Illustrator:

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Wordless

Theme: You can have an adventure anywhere as long as you use your imagination.

Primary and Secondary characters: Young boy and the clouds
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Clarion

Brief summary of how to use with students: The story is about a boy who goes on a school field trip to the Empire State building and ends up taking a trip into the sky with the clouds! The watercolors are so amazing you don't even realize there aren't words. It would be a great story to read, maybe, if you were talking about clouds in a science class :)

PB#3 City Dog, Country Frog

Author: Mo Willems

Title: City dog, Country Frog

Illustrator: Jon J Muth

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 2-6

Theme: Friendship

Primary and Secondary characters: City dog and country frog

Publishing company: Hyperion

Brief summary of how to use with students: This is a sweet book with beautiful images about changing seasons and changing friendships.

PB#2 Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Author: Mo Willems

Title: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Illustrator: Mo Willems

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 2-6

Theme: Interactive

Primary and Secondary characters: The bus driver and the pigeon 
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Hyperion

Brief summary of how to use with students: This book, I would say, is for a very young audience. It's talking to the reader and requires them to interact.

PB#1 Knuffle Bunny Too

Author: Mo Willems

Title: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Illustrator: Mo Willems

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Ages 3-8

Theme: Sharing

Primary and Secondary characters: Trixie and Sonja
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Publishing company: Hyperion

Brief summary of how to use with students: This story involves two girls in preschool so I think it would be a great book to read aloud in a preschool classroom. It's a funny story about sharing and making new friends.