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.