Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares

I think this is a great book that not only teaches about baseball, but also the treatment that African Americans had to go through before the Civil Rights Movement. This book works so well in the classroom, because it has the ability to connect to a lot of boys who do not want to read about history. Like we discussed in class the other day, children's books are mostly geared toward girls, so it is good to find an enjoyable, educational book that boys would be drawn to.

Henry Aaron's Dream is about the famous baseball player who was one of the first African American players in the MLB. It talks about his struggles and obstacles that he had to overcome in order to reach his goals. He never gave up, even though he could not practice on a real field when he was young and received death threats when he started to achieve success. This message is a great one for young readers, especially since it is a true story about America's favorite pastime.

Cinderella Retold by Lynn Roberts

I find it extremely fascinating reading and watching different versions of the same story. When I came across this version of Cinderella, I was excited to read it. One thing that I noticed right away was that the depictions were very unusual. After looking at the book closer, I noticed it said on the cover "An Art Deco Love Story." The illustrator, David Roberts, created this story to look like it came out of the 30's or 40's. I, personally, did not like this style as much much as the "normal" version, if there is such a thing. I found the people to be kind of creepy, as they had very pointy, odd shaped heads. Cinderella is supposed to be beautiful and charming, but I think she was just as ugly as her evil step sisters in this book. I did really like that they had her vacuuming in this version, as opposed to scrubbing the floors. I think the modern twist helped to make it a little more relatable.

Child of the Civil Rights Movement by: Paula Young Shelton & Raul Colon

I thought this book was really neat, especially since it was from the perspective of the child that went through the Civil Rights Movement. She used some of the information that she remembered during that time, and also stories from her other family members. This historical fiction book does a good job portraying famous figures as normal, hardworking people. One thing that is kind of a negative of the book is that it is quite long and wordy. There is obviously a lot of information to cover when writing anything about history, but I think even I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with all of the names, dates, and places

My favorite part about this book was definitely the illustrations. They are all done in really vibrant and rich hues of browns, blues. It looks like there is a grainy texture to the pages, which almost made everything look like it was in 3-D. After being so drawn to the images I was fascinated to learn what technique the illustrator, Raul Colon, used. To get these beautiful images, Colon had to go through many steps, 5 in all. I think that they are so good, they would be able to tell the story, even without the words. The cover of the book is definitely eye catching, so I am glad the story in side is a positive, educational book for students to read and to learn from.

First Pooch The Obamas Pick a Pet by: Carole Boston Weatherford

This book was just recently published in 2009, and was, obviously, based on a true story. It is crazy to think that this story is already made into a book, because it seems like just yesterday that we saw the entire thing unfold. I think this book is well written and the illustrations are wonderful portrayals of the actual people and of Bo and the other dogs.

Pets are a huge favorite of elementary students, so I think that many of them would love to read this story. They may learn a thing or two about getting their parents to agree to a pet. I think if any child does as much work and is as giving of their time as those two girls, then they would earn the rights to a pet as well.

The Lion's Share by Matthew McElligott

Very fun, educational book. This book is very unique, as it has a lot to do with math and the signs of division and multiplication. I think kids would really get a kick out of this sill story line, where each animal, starting with the biggest, takes half of the cake to eat for themselves, but by the time it gets to the ant, he is not able to cut it in half. Because of this, he insists on making the lion, the king, a whole cake to eat tomorrow. All of the other animals felt like the ant was sucking up, so beginning with the next smallest animal, they double how many cakes they are going to bring the king to eat tomorrow. The elephant ends up having to bake and bring 256 cakes to the King.

Beatrice Doesn't Want To by: Laura Numeroff

This books illustrations made me laugh. The main characters in the story are dogs, but they are dressed up as people. I think it is funny and cute, and I think kids would have the same reactions. This book shows the importance of making connections to the stories you read. Beatrice does not like books and is upset that she has to sit in the library and wait for her brother to finish his report before they can go home. One day though, her brother takes her to a room where a librarian was reading a book. Hearing this book, and being able to see the reaction of the other kids got Beatrice interested and she started to listen to the book. When she noticed that the main character was doing something she loved, she began to relate to the story and really enjoy it. Throughout the entire book she did not want to do anything her brother told her, except go home. In the end of the book, after she discovered the story that she loves, she repeats "I don't want to", when he tells her it's time to go home.

Mrs. Muddle's Holidays by Laura F. Nielsen

I love this book! After all, who doesn't love celebrating holidays?Mrs. Muddle moves into this new neighborhood and all of the children discover that she is always celebrating new, unique holidays. The children love celebrating them with her, and decide they want to make up a holiday of their own. They end up calling it Mrs. Muddle Day and they decorate their whole neighborhood with bright colors, lights, and balloons. Mrs. Muddle is very surprised and the kids are happy with their new holiday.

I think this book would be a great addition to any classroom. It is very practical and could be used as a great tool to spark imaginations and creativity. I could definitely see myself using this book as an opener to a language arts lesson, where I would have the students, individually or with groups, each create their own holiday. They could describe the date, reason, colors, food, music etc... that goes with their holiday. There are so many great holidays out there, and most children do celebrate at least one, so it is something that everyone can relate to. Very fun way book, that all can enjoy!