Poems

The Dentist and The Crocodile 

By Roald Dahl

This humorous poem is about a crocodile going to the dentist to get his teeth cleaned. The only problem is that the crocodile wants the dentist to put his whole head in his mouth! A few couplets of lines do rhyme, which I found aesthetically pleasing. I give this poem a 5 out of 5 stars because I feel children would really love the silliness of it and also it is by Roald Dahl whom is an iconic children's book writer. 

About the Teeth of Sharks

By John Ciardi

Yet another poem about the teeth of a vicious animal! This is about the teeth of a shark and how they look, but what happens when you put your head too far in the sharks mouth? Uh Oh!! I give this poem a 5 out of 5 stars because I enjoy the way that each couplet of lines rhymed. And at the end the child gets a surprise. 

Mrs. Mitchell's Underwear

By Dennis Lee

Another silly poem! This is about a pair of underwear, as one could infer from the title of the poem. A very descriptive rhythmic tale of a pair of underwear drying on the line. I know any child would get a laugh out of that. Especially, if their teacher's name happened to be Mrs. Mitchell! I give this a 5 out of 5, I really enjoyed reading this poem, and almost singing it because of the rhythmic feel of it!

Informational

Owls 

 By Gail Gibbons

ISBN: 978-0823420148

Published by Holiday House in 2006

If you want to learn about owls then I would suggest reading this book! Learn about their lifestyle, how they sleep, and even what different environmental hazards are threatening them. I would give this book a 3 out of 5 because they aren't actual pictures of owls they are just illustrated. I think it's very informational, but I feel it would have been better to have real photographs in the book.

Dolphins 

By Seymour Simon

ISBN: 978-0064462204

Published by Harper Collins in 2011

This is a very informational children's book all about dolphins. There are real photographs that depict how dolphins live and how they swim. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because Seymour Simon worked on this book with the Smithsonian, one of the most trusted names in science. Therefore, you know that this book is sharing accurate information with the children reading this book. 

My Country, 'Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights

By Claire Rudolf Murphy

ISBN: 978-0805082265

Published by Henry Holt and Co in 2014

Illustrations by Bryan Collier

This is a great story about the iconic song that children don't comprehend the true meaning. Reading this story to a child helps them realize the importance of this song to our nations history and it also shows how far our country has come. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I feel that learning about our nations history is incredibly important and all children should be able to know this song and the true meaning.

Fantasy

The Polar Express 

By Chris Van Allsburg

ISBN: 978-0395389492

Published by Houghton Mifflin 1985

The Polar Express is a fantastic fantasy story about a young boy who has lost all of his Christmas spirit and his ability to believe in Santa Claus. Christmas Eve a train magically appears in front of his house and he gets on with hesitation to travel to the North Pole! I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because as a young child this was one of my favorite books to read, especially around Christmas time. It is well written and it definitely engages children, even now with the movie!

Where the Wild Things Are

By Maurice Sendak

ISBN: 978-0064431781

Published by Harper Collins in 1984

Where the Wild Things Are is a story about a young boy who keeps misbehaving. He gets sent to his room and there his imagination goes wild! His bedroom becomes a jungle with many new friends!

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I really enjoyed the story line and also the illustrations get bigger and bigger on the page, making it enticing for children to read.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By Crockett Johnson

ISBN: 9780060229368

Published by HarperCollins in 1951

Late one night, Harold leaves his house with just a crayon. He realizes that there is no moon out that night, so he draws one. There also isn't a path so he draws one, too! Harold goes on the biggest adventure of his life so this book deserves a 4 out of 5. I didn't think it was as creative as some of the other fantasy books that I found, but it is a classic. 

Realistic Fiction

Now One Foot, Now the Other

By Tomie dePaola

ISBN: 9780142401040

This is a story is probably the cutest story I have ever read! In the story it shows a young boy growing up with his bestfriend, his grandfather. As he grows up they still remain super close, but one day the grandfather has a stroke and can't walk or remember his grandson. So, his grandson helps him learn how to eat again and also how to walk, just like he taught him when he was little. I give this book a 10 out of 5 stars! The illustrations were adorable and typical Tomie dePaola. Every page the grandfather got grayer hair and more wrinkles. It really was a great read and definitely a great book to read to a child coping with an older relative who just suffered a stroke. 

A Day's Work

By Eve Bunting 

ISBN: 9780395845189

This story is about a mexican american young boy help his grandfather, who doesn't speak any english, find work. They go to various jobs together and get picked up on street corners. His grandfather also does not really know how to garden so Francisco helps his grandfather. This is a great story showing how immigrants have to adapt to the culture and still provide for their families. This book will get a 5 out of 5 stars. 

When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really, Angry...

By Molly Bang

ISBN: 9780439598453

Sophie is a little girl that is fighting with her sister over her toy. Her parents tell her that it is Sophie's sister's turn to play with the time, which makes Sophie "really really" angry. This is one of those stories that has a hidden lesson inside of it for children and ways to combat their anger in situations they could get into in real life. This book gets a 5 out of 5 stars because the whole series is really cute and can help children feeling the way Sophie is feeling. 

Traditional Children's Books

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs 

By Jon Scieska 

ISBN: 978140544510

Published in 1996 by Puffin Books

This is a story in which the Wolf from the infamous tale of the three little pigs claims that he was framed and that he truly is a good person. He says that he was framed and he never meant the pigs any harm. The illustrations looked like they were cut and pasted from a newspaper. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because I thought that there wasn't a lot of color incorporated in the illustrations. I, of course, adored the story line so if I was only looking at the words I would give the book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Rapunzel

By Sarah Gibb

ISBN: 9780807568040

This children's book is base on The Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel. This book was the typical story that has been told over a million times. She's locked away in a tower and the prince saves her. The only thing that made this book stand out was the illustrations. The pale pinks used really appealed to my girly nature, so I really enjoyed that and I'm sure little girls would love it, as well. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 just because it didn't have a twist it was just a typical story of Rapunzel.

The Gingerbread Girl

By Lisa Campbell Ernst

ISBN: 9780525476672

Again, another typical fable told with a twist, exactly how I like my Traditional Children's Literature. Instead of a gingerbread man Ernst makes the main character a gingerbread girl, thus appealing more towards girls. I really enjoyed the slight differences in this book than just the traditional retelling of the Gingerbread Man. This book gets a 5 out of 5 stars.

Picture Books

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

By Doreen Cronin and Betsey Lewin

ISBN: 9780689632130

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type is an adorable children's picture book that I remember loving in elementary school. In the book the cows are on strike because of the conditions they are living in. They would leave typed notes on the barn door that there would not be milk today, or that they were closed.. ALL because they wanted electric blankets! I thought that it was an adorable story the illustrations were very cute and the way that the words stood out on the page made it easy for a child to read. I also think that kids would enjoy this story, as it is a funny story. The cows are on strike because they want electric blankets.

5 out of 5 stars!!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie 

By Laura Numeroff

ISBN: 0060245867

This is another adorable children's book that I used to enjoy and happen to still love. This story is about a little boy who meets a mouse and gives him a cookie. The mouse then proceeds to ask the boy for different things like, a glass of milk, a nap, and even to draw a picture. I think it's a silly concept so kids really enjoy a mouse asking for all of these different things when they know that mice cannot talk. The illustrations were great and I loved the way that the story flowed from page to page. 

5 out of 5 stars

The Rainbow Fish

By Marcus Pfister

ISBN 9781558580091

Another one of my favorite children's book is Rainbow Fish. This a beautiful story about a fish with the most beautiful scales, but feels that no one loves him because he doesn't want to share his scales when people ask him. Finally, after speaking to The Wise Octopus he decides to share his scales in order to be happy. I think this is a wonderful story to read and the illustrations were phenomenal.

This book gets a 5 out of 5. It's a great story for teachers to read in a classroom, as well, to avoid bullying and encourage sharing.

Decodable Books

Big

https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-books/book/?id=174

The decodable book Big is for kindergartners according to readinga-z.com. I think it is a great concept book for children who are just beginning how to read. I also think that this book would count as a predictable read as every page starts out with "A big ______." So, by looking at the pictures the child could easily read this aloud and to himself. 

5 out of 5 stars!

Show Some Love

https://www.readinga-z.com/books/leveled-books/book/?id=1735

Show Some Love is also another book for Grade K. I think this is a great decodable text because it is also teaching children how to show that they love someone. I think that it's great that this book is teaching them concept reading, while also teaching them a great lesson with pictures of real people! 

5 out of 5 stars!

How Many Do You See?

https://www.readinga-z.com/book.php?id=404

This book helps the child count different animals. I thought that this was really well made because in the book it says how many sheep do you see, but instead of the word sheep it actually has the picture. (See picture below). I think that this is a great way to help the child count by having them know exactly what they are looking for.

5 out of 5 stars!!