What the No-Good Baby Is Good For by: Elise Broach

What the No-Good Baby is Good For is a clever story in which the older brother, John, discovers that his baby sister is not all bad. In the story he starts off by saying a bad thing that she always does, and then sees a positive in it. I think that this story is good, because a lot of older siblings have issues when their is a new baby in the family. I know that my youngest sister was really upset when a new baby was brought home, and I think this book would really help her see that she actually likes the baby. I love how the mom in this book is able to show John just how much he would miss her if she was gone, by agreeing to get ride of her and taking her to grandma's house. The mom did not just come out and say, "I think you would miss her if she was gone forever," instead she says and does things to make John realize it on his own. This self realization is so much more powerful, and really helps to increase the meaning in the story.

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea By: Pamerla Duncan Edwards

Princess Pigtoria and the Pea is about a poor princess pig that wants to find someone to marry so he can fix up her house. She finds an add for a prince Proudfoot looking for a bride, but he turns out to be to into himself. Pigtoria ends up falling in love with the pizza delivery guy, they get married, open a chain of successful pizza places, and live happily ever after. I think this story is a cute twist on a classic. I like that she went with her heart, and it ended up being the best decision. I especially like the fact that they started a successful business together, a pizza restaurant,which brought them together. I think we can all learn from Princess Pigtoria, and choose the path that seems to be best in the long run, rather than the current easiest path.

The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks By: Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen

The Magic School Bus series is shaped around Miss Frizzle,"the strangest teacher in school." These books are very informational and creative. Another reason I think this particular book is great, is because it includes interesting facts about water and the purification system throughout the book. Water is so important to all of our lives, it is good for children to know where it comes from and how much we need it. It is so much more powerful that this information is in a fun picture book, rather than a text book, or some other format that is less relateable for the students. I think Ms. Frizzle is the kind of teacher a lot of us want to be. I hope that I am able to be as creative and present information that my students can relate to, and, ultimately, understand and teach others.

Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy By: Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy is about their class pet day. Although Junie B. starts off being excited she soon finds out that her dog will not be allowed in the school. She becomes very upset, which can be seen throughout the book. I think that this author, Barbara Park, did a great job portraying Junie B's excitement, sadness, and anger. The punctuation and capitalization really made me feel like I think Junie felt. Not only is Park able to convey these emotions, but the reason I like this book the best is because she was able to capture the witty sense of humor and eclectic speech that children use.

Don't Look Now By: Ed Briant

Don't look now is a very interesting children's book that is designed in a comic book format. There are very few words, which is why it is so important that the illustrations are amazing. They are very bright and vibrant, helping to bring the story alive. There are two boys in this book that go on an adventure, finding and creating things that cross from reality to fantasy and back again. The lack of words do not make this book any less climatic or interesting.

Amelia Bedilia's First Day of School By: Herman Parish

Amelia Bedilia is a student that a lot of teachers dread. Unfortunately a brand new teacher has Amelia in her class and she definitely has her work cut out for her because Amelia takes everything she says literally. I can definitely relate to this situation, as I have many younger brothers and sisters who innocently mistake what I am trying to say. Although this story is very funny, I can see my self getting very frustrated in this situation. After all, who would really glue themselves to their seat?!

Annie's Chair By: Deborah Miland

I enjoyed reading Annie's Chair,especially because I was surprised by the ending. All throughout this book it is made known that Annie loves to do everything in her chair and no one else is allowed to sit in it. Near the end of the book she finds her dog, Benny, sitting in her chair, so she tries everything to get him out of it, but nothing works until she starts crying. Annie crying makes Benny cry, they end up consoling each other and Annie tells Benny never to sit in her chair again, without her. I can relate to this story, because I have certain things that I do not like lending people, but I do not mind as much when I am with them.