This semester has gone by quick by I have learned many valuable things that I will implement into my own classroom. I have gotten the chance to read many great children's books and this has opened by eyes to what children are actually reading. For example, before this class I had no idea what a graphic novel was and I especially did not know what a Manga book was but it turns out that these books are quite popular with students. Being exposed to new books and ideas can only help me as a teacher. I have also learned that there is more to a book then just the actual text and pictures. The cover, cover page, and even the back of the book can add to the story. Now that I know this, I can show this to my students and hopefully they will find it as interesting as I did. Right now, I am working on my text set and I am finding it fun to search for many different books on the same topic. It gets me excited to actually start teaching and doing lessons on the text set. I can only imagine the great conversations that will take place after reading good books.

Who Bop? by Jonathan London

This poem is about animals going to the sock hop. I like this book because it is catchy. It rhymes and while reading it I find myself bopping my head and singing the words. There are parts in this poem that repeat itself so kids will eventually catch on and they can say the poem with you. The text is all over the page and in different directions which makes it a more fun read than your average left to right, straight line text.

This book is illustrated by Henry Cole and he does a great job of adding humor in the pictures. The pictures are not very detailed but they are straight to the point and it works for this book. The illustrator adds character and human-like qualities to the animals which I think is a reason why kids may enjoy this book. The illustrator doesn't use a lot of color but again, I think it helps this book by making it straight to the point. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-6.

Honey, I Love by Eloise Greenfield

This poem is about a young girl and all the things that she loves. She loves the simple things like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama's arm. This is a good book to have in your classroom and share with your students. The main focus of this book is family and friends and I think it is important to show your students that you should love everyone. Another reason to have it in your classroom is that it is multicultural and I think that a lot of children can relate to the topic that is being talked about. This is also a good book to have at home for bedtime stories. Throughout the book, the young girl talks about everything that she loves but close to the end of the book there is one thing that she does not love and that is going to sleep.

The illustrator, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, does not have a lot of detail in her pictures but she does do a great job of adding many colors. She also does a great job of making the people in this book look real life like. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-6.

Splish Splash by Joan Bransfield Graham

This book is a collection of poems that are all about water. There are poems about rain, the ocean, tears, ice cubes, dew, etc. The text is in the shape of the water that is being talked about. For example, for the ice cube poem, the text is in the shape of ice cubes that are in a cup. The text in the icicle poem is in the shape of icicles.

This would be a great book to accompany a science lesson. It would also be useful to show how poems can be written. After reading this, you could have your students write a poem in the shape of what they are talking about. For example, if they want to write a poem about an apple, have them write the text to form the shape of an apple.

The illustrations, by Steve Scott, are very simple. There isn't much detail and the illustrator doesn't use a lot of colors. However, he did do a great job of making them go along very well with the text. I would recommend this book for ages 5-10.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You by Mary Ann Hoberman

This book is a collection of short poems that are organized so that two people can read them together. When the words are aligned on the left, one person reads them and when they are aligned on the right, the other person reads them. When the words are in the middle, you read them together. Each poem is very simple and easy to read and they are humorous. This would be great for partner reading in the classroom or for storytime with your own child at night. Since this book is a collection of poems, the entire book doesn't have to be read at one time; you could read one poem each time.

The illustrator, Michael Emberley, matches the pictures with the text. The pictures do add to the text but I think the main focus is the text.

The poems in this book all rhyme so it has a nice flow to them. Let's face it, when kids think of poetry they think of rhyming words. When I was younger, the only poems that I would want to read were the ones that rhymed. I think this book is definitely in tune with what kids want. I recommend this book for kids ages 2-10. The younger kids probably wouldn't be able to read along but I think they would enjoy listening to it.

Bees, Snails, and Peacock Tails by Betsy Franco

This is a great book for the classroom. It is about the patterns and shapes that are found in nature. This book rhymes so I think kids would have fun reading it because it has a nice flow. Some of the text is in the shape that is being discussed. For example, the text that talks about the shell on a snail is in the shape of a spiral.

This would make a great cross-curricular book. You can use it for lessons on math because of the shapes and patterns that are being discussed. You could also use it for a science lesson because of the facts of the animals that are being discussed. In the back of the book, there is a page that gives an extra fun fact about each animal that was in the book.

The illustrator, Steve Jenkins, does a great job of making the animals seem life like. The pictures are very simple so the reader can focus on the animal or shape. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-6.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

This book is written as if a boy named Jack is keeping a journal or diary because he has to for class. He writes it in poetry form. In the beginning of the school year, Jack doesn't like poetry. He thinks it is for girls. As the book progresses, he realizes that he actually does like poetry and he gets more comfortable with writing it. He writes a poem about his dog named Sky that has passed away and he models the poem off of a poet he really likes. He gets excited when he writes the poet and he comes and visits the school.

This book is a great tool for the classroom. Many students have trouble writing poetry or they aren't into it because they think it is only done a certain way. This book shows the many ways one can write poetry and the many purposes of it. This is a quick read so students would probably be interested in reading it but it does have a lot of deep meaning. I think students will each interpret this book differently and find ways that they can connect to it. I connected to it because when I was in 3rd grade, my dog died and I remember writing a story about it. I think it was a way for me to cope, just as Jack used his poetry to cope with the loss of his dog. You can also use this book to show students how they can write in their writer's notebook and it would also be useful for a lesson on poetry. I recommend this book for ages 8 and up.

One Dark and Dreadful Night by Randy Cecil

This book is so interesting. The narrator, Maestro Von Haughty, is putting on three plays and the reader is the audience. He tries to recreate famous fairy tales but his actors keep messing up. He gets frustrated and stops the plays, which ends the books. This book is really funny because while the Maestro is narrating the play, the actors have a lot of side-talk. For example, the Maestro is telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood and he talks about her red coat. The actress playing Little Red Riding Hood says "Do you think we can talk wardrobe into doing something about this outfit?" This side-talk continues throughout the story and it makes the book funny because it frustrates the Maestro. In the play, Jack and the Beanstalk, instead of the giant coming down, a giant bunny comes down and this makes the Maestro mad because this isn't how he had envisioned his play.

The illustrations in this book are good but I wouldn't say that they are the best. They go along well with the text but it is really the storyline that makes this such a good and funny book. This would be a great book to show students the different styles and purposes of writing. This would be a great book to use in mini-lessons. You could also have students write their own play after reading this book. I would recommend this book for all ages.

Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin

This book is too cute! The book is written as if a spider is writing a diary. Some of the entries go together and some of the entries are random. This book has a lot of humor and a lot of spider puns. The book has the entries to read, conversation bubbles, and you can also read postcards or signs that are in the drawings.

The illustrator, Harry Bliss, does a great job of adding humor in the pictures and making the text go along with the pictures. The pictures are very kid friendly. I also like that the book has pictures that the spider took in the front and back of the book. Each picture has a caption to explain what the picture is. I think kids really enjoy this book because it is funny and it is different; there aren't many books written in this format.

This would be a great book to use for mini-lessons. I used it to show how to make the text and illustrations match. It would also be good to use to show kids different styles and purposes for writing. You can use it as an example of how kids can write in their writer's notebook. I recommend this book for all ages.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi

This book is about a young girl (Sookan) and her family who live in North Korea during WWII when her country was occupied by Japan. After suffering abuse from the Japanese, the war is over and they are free.....until the Russians occupy North Korea. Sookan must try to flee to South Korea with her mother and younger brother where it is safe to meet up with her father and three older brothers.

I like this book because of the emotions that it evoked. I couldn't imagine going through what this family has gone through. The books I remember reading in elementary school are the ones that evoked emotion such as Mick Harte was Here, Number the Stars, and Bridge to Terabithia. Kids don't always want to read about the perfect family living the perfect life. They want something that they can relate to and having books like this is very helpful to students and can help them grow as readers.

I felt this book took a little long to get going. It started out slow and I thought I was going to have a hard time finishing it. But before I knew it, the book picked up and I couldn't put it down. I had to see if they made it to South Korea safely. This book left me with questions but I think this is what good books do. For example, I was curious about the "farmer" that was paid to take Sookan, her brother, and mother across the border. The kids got separated from their mother and was informed by a lady working at a hotel that their guide was actually a double agent and was paid by the police to turn in the traitors. Because of this information, the kids left before the guide could return. I am wondering if this was necessarily true. It could be that the guide was a double agent but he was also paid well to bring them across the border so maybe he would have done that. I am curious as to whether or not the guide would have actually turned them in. Either way, whether he turned them in or not, the story would have been different. This is an amazing book of courage and I would recommend it for readers ages 10 and up.

Mr. Mumble by Peter Catalanotto

This book is about Mr. Mumble who has a cough. While he is running his errands, he is misunderstood and doesn't get what he asks for. For example, at a diner he asks for two scrambled eggs and a corn muffin but because of his cough he gets two scarecrow legs and a car muffler. At the bakery he asks for a dozen bagels but instead receives a dozing beagle. This continues throughout his day. At the end of the story, he goes to the doctor and when he opens his mouth, a bird flies out. Throughout the story the reader sees (cough) which shows the reader when to add a coughing noise in the story. I can picture kids really getting carried away with the coughing noise and having fun with it because it is something that they don't see often in books. It can also give kids ideas if they want to incorporate a sound in a story that they are writing.

When I first read the book, I wasn't sure where the bird came from at the end of the story. I was rather confused. When I looked at the book again, I noticed that the cover and cover page have a picture of Mr. Mumble sleeping and a bird (the same bird at the end of the story) flying around the room. I liked how the author/illustrator used the entire book to tell the story.

Catalanotto also does the paintings for the story and I like that they are realistic and detailed. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-8 and I think that all the kids would enjoy the humor.

The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

This book is about a farmer who hits a stranger in the road and brings him back to the house to take care of him. He has seemed to lost his memory. The stranger seems a little weird; he doesn't talk, he is not sure how to eat or use a pitchfork, and animals are attracted to him. At the end of the book, he realizes that the leaves on the trees around the farm are green while the other leaves are red and orange. The stranger finally regains his memory and suddenly leaves the farm. After he leaves, the leaves turn red and orange. Every fall, the leaves on the farm turn colors a week later than the other trees. And etched in frost on the farmhouse windows are words that say "See you next fall."

This is a great book because there are so many things you can do with it. This would be a great book for students to practice making predictions. Since the answer is never given, you are left to wonder who the stranger is. I like this because it leaves so much up to the imagination and I think it is good for kids to use their imagination and not always get the correct answer. This is a popular book among teachers and there are many lesson plans devoted to this book.

Chris Van Allsburg also does his own illustrations. I love his drawings; especially in his book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, which is a book with pictures and each picture has a corresponding sentence but the pictures don't go together as a story. This book also leaves the reader to make predictions about what is going on. I have come to the point where I am able to identify Chris Van Allsburg's drawings/paintings. I would recommend this book for all ages; younger children may not understand what is going on in the story but I think they would still enjoy it.

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

This book is about a young girl named Lydia Grace Finch who leaves her Grandmother, Father, and Mother to live with her Uncle Jim while her Father finds another job. Uncle Jim lives in a city and while there, Lydia plants a garden on the roof of the building. On the Fourth of July, she surprises her Uncle by showing him her garden. Lydia then learns that her Father has found a job and she will be moving back home.

The entire book is written in letter format. In the beginning, Lydia writes to Uncle Jim and throughout the rest of the book, she is writing to her Grandmother, Father, and Mother. I like this book because it is different. There aren't many books written in this kind of format and I think kids enjoy reading something that is different. This book would be great to use during a lesson. It shows the many purposes for writing, such as writing letters. It also gives ideas how kids can write in their writer's notebook or ideas for a story. I also like how this book centers around one topic: gardening. It can inspire kids to write a story about a certain topic that they enjoy.

The pictures in this book are by David Small and they are amazing. He adds so much detail in every picture which helps make them realistic. This book is good for all ages. Younger children would enjoy this book and older children can use this book as an example for ideas or writing purposes.

The House of Boo by J. Patrick Lewis

This story is about 3 kids dressed as ghosts who go to the haunted house on Humpback Hill to try to see Boo Scoggins. The children encounter frightful things on there way there and they are unsuccessful in their attempt to try and spot Boo. This is a great Halloween book. This book is written in poem form and at the end of the book, there is an author's note explaining what kind of poem it is. It is called a Rubaiyat poem which means that the poem links the stanzas; the third line's end word is the major rhyme. This book would be a great model if you were trying to get your students to write a certain way. For example, if you are doing a unit on poetry you can introduce all the different types of poems and they can choose what kind they like and write a poem of their own.

The illustrations in this book are by Katya Krenina. I like them because she does a great job of making the pictures look only a little scary. They aren't too scary where they wouldn't be appropriate for younger kids. I also like how some of the text is on signs or on gravestones. Also, all the text is in orange except for the word "blood" which is in red. I would recommend this book for kids ages 4 and up.

Did You Say Ghosts? by Richard Michelson

This story starts out with someone being scared of ghosts but the narrator says not to be afraid of ghosts because the werewolves will get them. Then the person is scared of werewolves so the narrator says not to worry because giants will get them. The story continues in this manner until they are back at ghosts. This would make for a great Halloween book.

For my child study, I read the kids No Zombies Allowed because it talked about a lot of different Halloween creatures. I then had them pick a creature and write a letter to them asking questions. For example, one of the students wrote to a ghost and asked if they really go through people. I then wrote them back later pretending to be the Halloween creature that they wrote to. They thought this was so cool. This book would work the exact same way because of all the creatures that are mentioned.

I also like this book because of the poetic language. The rhyming makes it have a nice flow. This book is illustrated by Leonard Baskin and I must say that the pictures are quite scary but they are good illustrations. Because the pictures are scary I would recommend this book for kids ages 6 and up.

The Enormous Snore by M.L. Miller

This story is about a little girl who got lost from her parents. While searching, she hears a terrible noise. It is the King snoring. All the villagers are upset with the loud noise so they try to put stuff under his mattress to quiet him. The little girl comes up with an idea; she suggests to take the King to Echo Ravine. When he gets there, the King lets out a giant snore and the echo makes it come right back to him. He is awoken and never snores again because now he knows hoe dreadful it is. The story ends with the little girl finding her parents.

Parts of this story reminded me of The Princess and the Pea but I don't think many kids would get this because I don't think that fairy tale is well known. I know that someone puts a pea under the princess' bed but I don't know why so I wasn't sure why the townspeople were putting stuff under the King's bed. I do think that kids may think it is funny because they put silly things under the bed such as a lawn mower, a dinner gong, five sesame seeds, a rowboat, and seven jelly beans.

The illustrations in this book are by Kevin Hawkes and although he is not my favorite illustrator, the pictures are good. He does a great job of filling the page by I don't think there is enough detail in the pictures. I would recommend this book for kids ages 2-8.

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathman

This book is about the adventure the babies go on when they crawl away. A young boy follows them and returns them safely to their parents. The young boy is then brought safely home by his parents.

I like this book because of the poetic language. The entire story rhymes which gives it a great flow. The illustrations of the people and land are all silhouettes (as you can see on the cover of the book). The only color on the page is the night sky. It is gradually getting darker and darker and the sky pictures change colors to show the sun setting.

This is a great bedtime story that I think younger children would like. I would also use it in my classroom to model poetic language in a picture book. I would recommend this book for children ages 2-6.

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey

I read this book during my child study and the kids thought it was very funny. The front covers follow the format of a movie, with a "starring" section and a section that explains the rating; it is rated EG for Extremely Goofy, some material may be too goofy for grown-ups. This book uses real pictures of animals which I think is one of the reasons that kids are attracted to it. In the town of Mousopolis, the mice are having a barbecue when the smell attracts Dogzilla and the only way to get rid of him is to give him a bath. This is a good book for adults to read with children because there are a lot of puns that I think adults would enjoy. The book even has a hilarious ending; the next year at the barbecue the smell attracts Dogzilla again but this time there are puppies!! If you love dogs like I do, then you will love this book. It is a great way to get kids reading. This really is a good book for all ages.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This book is a fictionalized autobiography in which eleven year old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan after World War II. Yoko lived in Korea with her brother Hideyo, her sister Ko and her mother. Her father worked for the government at another location. While Hideyo is off at work, mother gets notice that they must flee the country or they will be killed. After a difficult journey, mother, Ko, and Yoko make it to Japan. Mother dies which leaves Ko and Yoko on their own. Months later they are reunited with Hideyo and according to the book's footnotes, they are reunited with their father six years later.

I loved this book because of the emotions that it evoked. I could not imagine going through the difficulties and pain that this family and many other families like them endured. They were so familiar to death. The author does a great job of explaining events and making them come to life. I had such great, yet sad, mental images throughout the entire book. I am curious as to what is fiction in this book. I feel like the author could not have made up all these events but the book is considered fiction. I would love to sit down with the author because I have so many questions to ask. I would be very disappointed if I found out most of the events in the story weren't real. I think the reason that the book evoked so much emotion in me is that I think it is real. This is a book that I would have my students in my classroom read either as group reading or a read-aloud. I would recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Even though it is a short novel, I think adults of all ages would enjoy it.