Notable Children's Recordings

Dooby Dooby Moo

Written by: Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by: Betsy Lewin

Cronin, D. (2006). Dooby dooby moo. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended grades: Pre-K -2nd grades

Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Audio Recording

Summary: Another hilarious story about Farmer Brown and the lovable animals at his farm. This time the animals decide to enter a talent show to win the grand prize, a trampoline.

Personal Reflection: I usually use this book during an author study on Doreen Cronin, but the recording is so fantastic that I will have to start using it instead. The added music and animal noises make the book come alive. I also liked that on the CD there were two additional tracks. One was the song Born to be Wild sang by the duck and then the pigs song dance. This audio recording will surely get the students involved in the story.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this audio recording for library purchase because it is interactive and engaging.

If You Were a Penguin

Written by: Wendell and Florence Minor

Minor, W. & F. (2009). If you were a penguin. New York: Scholastic INC.

Genre: Informational

Recommended grades: Pre-K - 2nd grade

Awards: 2010 ALA Notable Recording

Summary: This book gives kid-friendly facts about penguins.

Personal Reflection: I use this book to introduce penguin species. I do a two week unit on penguins. The students are so fascinated by the numerous penguin species, especially that some live underground and in warm places. This audio recording keeps the students engaged with fun noises and sounds.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this audio recording and book for library purchase.

Newbery and Newbery Honor Books

Because of Winn-Dixie

Written by: Kate DiCamillio

DiCamillio, Kate. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. New York: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Recommended grades: 5th – 7th grade

Awards: 2001 Newbery Honor

Summary: The protagonist, Opal, and her father, a preacher, had just moved to a small town in Florida when she meets a stray dog in the local grocery store, Winn-Dixie. She quickly names him Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie has something special about him that makes everyone want to open up. The two of them spend the summer making friends and sharing stories.

Personal Reflection: This book should be used in classrooms to show how people grow and change throughout their lives. Opal resents her mother’s abandonment years before, but through Winn-Dixie she learns to forgive and forget. This is an important lesson of which all children and adults need to remind themselves.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase, because of its important lesson of forgiving.

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

Written by: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by: Timothy B. Ering

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of Desperaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. New York: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended ages: 3rd – 6th grades

Awards: Newbery Award 2004

Summary: DiCamillo divided this story into four books. The first three happen over the course of years and lead up to the fourth book. This book is mainly about Despereaux, a castle mouse, as he tries to save a beautiful Princess.

Personal Reflection: This is a great story to compare and contrast against E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Both protagonists, Despereaux and Wilbur, are runts of the litter’s but both have a belief that they can be special.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase.

Historical Fiction

The Wednesday Wars

Written By: Gary Schmidt

Schmidt, G. (2007). The Wednesday Wars. Clarion Books.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended grades: 6th-8th grades

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 2008

Summary: Holling Hoodhood is the only student left at school on Wednesday afternoons and he knows that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him for it. Throughout the book Holling has to make life changing decisions as he comes into his own. This book is set on Long Island in 1967-1968 during the Vietnam War.

Personal Reflection: This book was an amazing book that should be read no matter your age. This historical fiction book will appeal to many readers including boys as the protagonist is a boy. Educators understand that there are not many books geared for boys as they reach middle-school. This book will excite the reader as they dive into Holling’s trials and tribulations. I enjoyed the uniqueness of its setting. I found myself comparing and contrasting how his childhood differed from mine and how it differs from children today. Although there are many differences, it is interesting to see what has stayed to same.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase because its theme of growing up is universal. Because the book is set in 1967/1968, students will be engaged between the differences and similarities children and families face compared to present day.


Al Capone Does My Shirts

Written by: Gennifer Choldenko

Choldenko, G. (2004). Al Capone does my shirts. New York: Putnam.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended grades: 4th – 7th grades

Awards: Newbery Honor

Summary: Set in 1935, Moose Flannagan moves to Alcatraz with his family so that his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. Piper, the warden’s daughter, lures Moose into her secret cleaning service in which students give them clothes to be washed at Alcatraz by the inmates, Al Capone being one of them.

Personal Reflection: Choldenko does a great job at integrating historical elements of Alcatraz and Al Capone with traditional storytelling. As an educator, I would use this book to illustrate empathy for others as Moose has to take care of his sister after school. The protagonist in Al Capone Does My Shirts is a boy which will appeal to both boy and girl readers. The famous mobster connection also leads to its popularity with young readers.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase because it’s a hilarious story that will appeal to all readers.

Modern fantasy/Science Fictions Books

The Lightning Thief

Written by: Rick Riordan

Riordan, R. (2005). The lightning thief. New York: Miramax Books Hyperion Books for Children.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended grades: 6th – 12th grades

Awards: Bluebonnet Award 2006 Nominee, ALA Notable book 2005,

Summary: Percy Jackson thinks that he is an unlucky boy; he just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Percy soon finds out that he is a demigod and that his father is Poseidon. Percy, Grover and Annabelle begin a quest to find Zeus’ master bolt before the summer solstice. While on the quest, they face many mythological creatures.

Personal Reflection: This book is a good example of integrating fiction with mythology. This book would be a great addition to high school or middle school literature during a unit on Greek myths. Students could compare and contrast the mythological creatures based on what they have learned. Riordan modernizes mythology and makes it relatable to students. Because the protagonist in this book is a boy with ADHD and dyslexia, this book relates to a wide variety of readers.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase because it is fun book that both boys and girls would read.

A Wrinkle in Time

Written by: Madeleine L’Engle

L’Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended grades: 5th – 8th grades

Awards: 1963 Newbery Award winner

Summary: Meg Murry, her younger brother, Charles, and classmate, Calvin O’Keefe meet three celestial beings that take them on a journey through space to find her father who is being held captive on another planet. They travel through a tesseract—a “wrinkle” in time and space—whose existence Mr. Murry was working on when he was captured.

Personal Reflection: As a professional educator, I think this book is a good example of the fantasy/science-fiction genre. This book would definitely appeal to children because the characters are relatable and the book does not contain difficult vocabulary. Meg learns many life lessons during her quest to save her father and, eventually, her brother from captivity. The prevailing themes in this book are those of conformity and good versus evil. When Meg returns to save her brother, she has to fight against IT. The only way to defeat ITs unstoppable mind-controlling power is with love. This teaches the students that love is the most powerful emotion.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase because students will be drawn to its fantastical science-fiction aspect.

Mildred Batchlder Award or Honor Book

The Cat or, How I Lost Eternity

Written by: Jutta Richter

Translated by: Anna Brailovsky

Richter, J. (2007). The cat or, how I lost eternity. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended ages: 9-12 years old

Awards: Mildred Batchelder Award

Summary: Everyday as an eight-year old girl walks to school she stops and talks to a white cat. She gets scolded at school for telling her teacher that she is late for school because she is talking to the cat. As the story develops, the girl has trouble believing what the cat says as the cat is spiteful and selfish.

Personal Reflection: I think that this book would appeal to students that are having an internal struggle with right and wrong. This book is mainly suited for middle school- aged children. Children this age are starting to develop their own thinking about the world. This book would be a great book to use in the classroom to dissect the cat’s ponderings.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase for middle school-aged children, because it gives students something to think about as their perception of the world is changing.

Rapunzel Books

Rapunzel

Written and Illustrated By: Paul O. Zelinsky

Zelinsky, P. O. (1997). Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Genre: Fairy Tale

Recommended ages: 2-11 years old

Awards: Caldecott Award Winner (1998)

Summary: Rapunzel’s parents have been caught stealing from an evil sorceress and as punishment they are forced to give her their only child, which they name Rapunzel. Rapunzel is cared for by the sorceress and is isolated from society in a tower only accessible by Rapunzel’s long hair. One day Rapunzel meets a Prince and nothing is the same.

Personal Reflection: The illustrations in this book are highly detailed in this adaptation of Rapunzel, which will keep the children engaged while listening. Zelinsky won a Caldecott for his work in this book. Zelinsky’s retelling of Rapunzel is one that should be read to children of all ages. Many activities can be completed through this story, such as comparing and contrasting different versions of Rapunzel or other fairy tales. I would use this in my first grade classroom to compare and contrast differences and similarities between different versions on the story Rapunzel.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for purchase in a library because it’s a classic story that should be told to all children.


Rapunzel’s Revenge

Written by: Shannon and Dean Hall

Illustrated by: Nathan Hale

Hall, S. & D. (2008). Rapunzel’s revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

Genre: Graphic Novel

Recommended grades: 6th – 10th grade

Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book, Great Graphic Novel for Teens (YALSA)

Summary: In this rendition of Rapunzel, Rapunzel discovers the truth about “her mother” and is locked into a tower high above the forest. But instead of waiting to be rescued, she takes matters into her own hands and escapes once her hair is long enough. She has many adventures before she finally returns home to have her revenge on Mother Gothel.

Personal Reflection: This is a hilarious rendition of the classic fairy tale but with a more modern theme than the original. I recommended this book for grades 6th – 10th but I think that with careful planning this book could be used in upper elementary grades. This book can be used to introduce students to graphic novels or compared and contrasted to the original. In high school, students could complete a their own graphic novel by taking a fairy tale and modernizing it.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for middle school and high school libraries.

Schneider Family and Honor Books

The Deaf Musicians

Written by: Pete Seeger and Paul Dubois Jacobs

Illustrated by: R. Gregory Christie

Seeger, P. & Jacobs, P. D.(2006). The deaf musicians. New York:G.P. Putnams’s Sons.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Recommended grades: Pre-K – 5th grade

Awards: 2007 Schneider Family Award Winner

Summary: This book follows a pianist who has to leave his band because he becomes deaf and cannot hear the notes. When he goes to a deaf school to learn sign language, he meets another musician and they decide to form a band.

Personal Reflection: This book is great to teach acceptance of others differences. I would like to read this book and lead a discussion with the class about how everyone is different but they are all talented in their own way. I would also use this book to teach onomatopoeia, sound words. I do a writing workshop lesson on onomatopoeia. I like how these words are written in different writing, color and seem to be moving across the page.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase, because its theme of acceptance is universal.

Becoming Naomi Leon

Written by: Pam Munoz Ryan

Ryan, P. (2004). Becoming Naomi Leon. New York: Scholastic Press

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Recommended grades: 6th – 8th grades

Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children 2005, ALA Schneider Award, Pura Belpre Honor Book 2005

Summary: In this coming-of-age story, Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw discovers her family in the most difficult circumstances. All of her life, Naomi has had to live with a unusual name, hand-made clothing, and a problem feeling like she didn’t fit in; but when her mother shows up after abandoning her and her brother, Naomi’s whole world changes. With help from Gram, Naomi tracks down her father to keep her abusive mother away from her.

Personal Reflection: This book is an important book for children to read, but because of its realistic depiction of a broken home it is not for elementary aged readers. However, for those students that are in middle school, this would be a great read. At my school, many of my students come from broken homes and some have already been through instances of abuse and abandonment. When these students are ready, I can see how reading a book like this could help bridge the gaps in their lives.

Recommendation: I would not recommend this book for elementary schools, but I would highly recommend this book for library purchase in middle schools because its theme is universal and significant as children age and develop into teens and adults.

Poetry Books

I’ll Meet you at the Cucumbers

Written by: Lilian Moore

Illustrations by: Sharon Wooding

Moore, L. (1988). I’ll meet you at the cucumbers. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended ages: 7-10 years old

Awards: Lilian Moore is a NCTE award winning poet.

Summary: Adam Mouse is afraid to leave the farm to visit the city, until his friend Amanda Mouse convinces him. Once there, he visits the library and realizes that he is a poet.

Personal Reflection: This is a great book to introduce students to chapter books and poetry. The poetry is seamlessly integrated into the story as a part of Adam’s character. Once students read this book, they will start getting interested in poetry and will want to read and write poetry just like Adam. I also like that the characters visit the library where Adam realizes that what he is saying is poetry. For the upper elementary grades, I would take each poem from the story and analyze its meaning with the class. This is a great way to introduce students to poetry and get their brains thinking about meaning and themes.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase because it’s a great way to introduce readers to poetry through lovable characters.

A House Is a House For Me

Written by: Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrated by: Betty Fraser

Hoberman, M.A. (1978). A house is a house for me. New York: Viking Press.

Genre: Poetry

Recommended grades: K – 2nd grade

Awards: Mary Ann Hoberman is a NCTE award winning poet.

Summary: This book describes all the different houses that animals live in.

Personal Reflection: This is a great introduction to poetry that is kid friendly. The theme is easy to identify and the poem is easy to understand for primary grades. I would recommend that this book be used at the beginning of a poetry unit. As a class afterwards, I would create a poem that follows the same format such as food we eat or favorite places to hide. This would give the students chance to create poetry that is not intimidating.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for library purchase because it’s a great way to introduce students to poetry that is at their level.