My Abuelita

Johnston, T. (2009). My Abuelita. Yuyi Morales. Boston, NY: Harcourt Children’s Books.

Brief Annotation: The book begins by going through the morning routine of a girl and her grandmother, from the point of view of the child. The book does not tell what Abuelita does for a job till the very end. Can you figure it out?

Genre: Fiction; Picture book; Culturally Diverse book

Grade Level: PreK-3

Readers who will like this: Children who like picture books, children who like puzzles and figuring things out.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; I think this book is adorable. I love that throughout the story the reader is not told the profession of Abuelita. It was fun to sit and wonder what she was getting ready for.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you have a morning routine?

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Hoban, T. (1986). Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Brief Annotation: As stated in the title, this book is all about shapes. In order to display the shapes in this book the author took pictures of things from our everyday lives. This helps children to begin to notice shapes in objects around us such as houses and buildings.

Genre: Fiction; Picture book; Concept book

Grade Level: PreK-K

Readers who will like this: Children who like picture books, children who like to find things in pictures, and children who like to learn about shapes.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; This book is a great resource for shape identification practice. The pictures are wonderful and offer many opportunities for children to find shapes in their everyday lives.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you see any shapes in the room around us? What are they?

Show Way

Woodson, J. (2005). Show Way. Hudson Talbott. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Brief Annotation: This book tells of the history of the author, Jacqueline Woodson’s family. Her family before her consists of many outstanding and brave black women who stood up for the rights of all people and supported the abolition of slavery and civil rights.

Genre: Fiction; Picture book; culturally diverse fiction book

Grade Level: K-4

Readers who will like this: Children who like picture books, and children of color, children interested the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; I really loved the illustrations in this book, the story was very interesting also. This book is very easy to follow and I think would therefore be good for both older and younger students.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Is there a skill that is passed down in your family?

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose

dePaola, T. (1985). Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose. Hong Kong: South China Printing Co.

Brief Annotation: Genre: Fiction; Picture book; Poetry

Grade Level: PreK-3

Readers who will like this: Children who like rhymes, picture books, and Tomie dePaola illustrations.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; Because I grew up hearing Mother Goose rhymes I really love this book. It reminds me of my childhood and learning the songs that accompany many of these rhyming stories. I also love Tomie dePaola’s illustrations so this was a huge perk for me in reading this book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever heard a rhyme? Can you tell me a rhyme that you know?

Chalk

Bibliographic Information (APA): Thomson, B. (2010). Chalk. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.

Brief Annotation: Wordless picture book. On a rainy day three kids find a bag of chalk on the playground. Magic happens when they draw with the chalk.

Genre: Wordless Picture Book

Grade Level: Pre K- 3

Readers who will like this: Children who like magic.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4 out of 4. I thought this wordless picture book was an excellent way to tell a story! The pictures said everything.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you think a story can be told without any words?

The Day The Babies Crawled Away

Bibliographic Information (APA): Rathmann, P. (2003). The Day The Babies Crawled Away. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Brief Annotation: A boy follows five babies as they crawl away from a picnic he saves the day by bringing them back.

Genre: Stories in Rhyme

Grade Level: 1-2

Readers who will like this: Readers who like to rhyme!

Response/Rating (1-4): 2.5 out of 4. I really liked the pictures (the silhouettes), and the rhyming.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Who knows what a rhyme is? What are some words that rhyme? Do rhyming words always have to be the same number in length?

The Little Match Girl

Pinkney, J. (1999). The Little Match Girl. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Brief Annotation: This story is sad and happy. A little girl goes out to sell fake flowers and matches on a very cold New Year’s Eve. She lights a match to keep warm and sees beautiful visions of stoves, feasts, Christmas trees, and even a vision of the only person who was ever kind to her, her grandmother. By morning the little girl is dead, but she died with a vision of her grandmother taking her to heaven.

Genre: Fiction; Picture book

Grade Level: 1-4

Readers who will like this: Children who like picture books, a child who just lost a loved one.

Response/Rating (1-4): 2; I thought the illustrations were beautiful and it was well written, but I don’t think I would want to read this story aloud. I feel like it’s a really sad topic.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you know anyone who has died?