Mice and Beans

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

Illustrator: Joe Cepeda

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: 2001

Genre: Picture Book

Audience: Pre-K-Gr.3

Awards: American Library Association Notable Children's Book (2002)

Overview: In this bilingual conversion of English and Spanish, meet Rosa Maria in her tiny little house and spend every day of the week preparing for a birthday party extravaganza! Learn how to make a birthday cake, fresh lemonade, enchiladas, rice and beans, and a piñata for this family celebration that truly shows how big the heart can be. Be careful, though, not the let the mice get in the way.

Reviewer’s Name: Nadeline Fleischer

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

Author: Majorie Priceman

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Publication Date: 1994

Genre: Picture Book

Audience: Gr. Pre-K - 3

Overview: Baking warm, sweet apple pie requires many ingredientsBut, OH NO! The market is closed! That’s okay, travel the world to get fresh ingredients! When you come home you will have warm pie and great adventures to share with friends and family!

Activity: If your kids like this picture book, surely they would enjoy Hot Air, which is also written by Majorie Priceman. A template for a picture flip book that illustrates the main events of this book would be a fun activity for the children to do after reading it.

Reviewer’s Name: Nadeline Fleischer

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

Author: Barbara Park

Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Publisher: Random House, Inc

Publication Date: 1992

Genre: Fiction

Audience: Pre-K - 3

Overview: Junie B. Jones describes her feelings about starting Kindergarten and having to ride the “stupid smelly bus” to school for the first time. This is a hilarious book to share with children who are nervous about starting school. It is a fun and pleasurable easy read for both children and adults. Junie B. Jones will make anyone laugh with her entertaining stories!

Activity: Do you remember your first day of Kindergarten? What was your first experience on a school bus like? Write 3 sentences about your first day of school or the first time you rode a school bus

Reviewer’s Name: Corri Deegan

May I Bring a Friend?

Author: Beatrice Schenk De Regniers

Illustrator: Beni Montresor

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication Date: 1964

Award: Caldecott

Genre: Picture Book and Fantasy Fiction

Audience: Gr. Pre-K-3

Overview: The King and Queen ask a little boy to multiple eating functions and each time the boy is asked to join, he asks if he can bring a friend. By the end of the story, you realize where the boy is getting his friends from and then the boy and his friends ask the King and Queen to join them for tea.

Activity: Have each child discuss a place that their best friend and them went to. After each child has discussed their event, have them draw and color in a picture of what their friend and them did.

Reviewer’s Name: Traci Daelemans

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Author: Arlene Mosel

Illustrator: Blair Lent

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Publication Date: 1968

Genre: Multi-Cultural, Folktale

Audience: Gr. Pre-K-3

Awards: American Library Association Notable Children's Books; Boston Globe - Horn Book Award

Overview: Tikki Tikki Tembo-No Sa Rembo-Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo is the name of the first born and most honored son in the Chinese family in this story. This folktale tells the story of how the Chinese started giving their children short names instead of long names. It is going to be a good book to read aloud and will energize and excite the reader.

Activity: While reading the book have students recite the name Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo as a class as you read it aloud and add music and make it an interactive reading experience. After reading have students design and share their own long version of their name.

Reviewer’s Name: Alison Jakovics

Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride

Author: Majorie Priceman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Publication Date: 2005

Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Picture Book

Audience: Gr. Pre-K-3

Awards: Caldecott Honor Book

Overview: This picture book ingeniously puts a twist on an historical event, by accounting the first hot air balloon ride, based on a rumor that a sheep told her, but who heard it originally from a sheep, who heard it from a rooster. Kids will laugh and be impressed by this silly story and the descriptive illustrations that at times in the book, are displayed to have wordless meaning.

Activity: This is a great lesson to jumpstart a lesson or unit on transportation and aviation!

Reviewer’s Name: Nadeline Fleischer

The Rainbow Fish

Author: Marcus Pfister, translated by J. Alison James

Illustrator: Marcus Pfister

Publisher: North-South Books

Publication Date: January 1999

Genre: Picture Book, Fantasy Fiction

Grades: Gr. Pre-K - 3

Overview: The Rainbow Fish is a great story about selfishness and greediness. It is a story about a fish that had rainbow scales that were so beautiful that all the other fish were in awe. However, the Rainbow Fish was aware of the fact that he was so much different from the other fish, and loved his beautiful scales. He had so much pride in them, that it turned into cockiness and made him lose all of his friends. With the help of the wise octopus, he realized that the only way to get his friends back was to be more down-to-earth about his scales and share them with all his friends. Finally, he realizes that he only has one of his rainbow scales left, but is happier than ever before he realized the importance of sharing and being friendly. Great illustrations, full of detail and color.

Activity: Using colored construction paper, have each child make their own special scale.

Reviewer’s Name: Sarah Garretson

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More

Author: Karen Beaumont

Illustrator: David Catrow

Publisher: Harcourt Books

Publication Date: 2005

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book

Audience: Gr. Pre-K- 3

Awards: ALA Notable Children's Books - Younger Readers Awards

Overview: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More follows the catchy tune of the song, “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”. This lyrical picture book will capture children’s attention and will engage them in self-expression. This story follows a young boy as he struggles to obey his mother’s wishes of not painting anymore; read the book and find out whether or not he listens!

Activity: Sing together, “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More!” on a rainy day, and write in journals: What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Reviewer’s Name: Nadeline Fleischer

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

Author: Trinka Hakes Noble

Illustrator: Steven Kellogg

Publisher: Penguin Group

Publication Date: 1980

Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Picture Book

Audience: Gr. Pre-K- 3

Overview: Follow a young girl as she revives her dull field trip to the farm by retelling the day’s events to her mother. Suddenly the boring field trip is full of chaotic and imaginative events. Crying cows, destructive boa constrictors, and food throwing, adds to the silliness of this book. This picture book proves that the ordinary can really become extraordinary.

Activity: Describe something you do in your life that you feel is boring, and paint it with your imagination to make it extraordinary!

Reviewer’s Name: Nadeline Fleischer

 

Goodnight Moon

Author: Margaret Wise Brown

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 1991

Genre: Board Book

Audience: Gr. Pre K- 2

Overview: Goodnight moon is about a little rabbit that goes around saying goodnight to everything in his room before going to sleep.

Activity: What are the top 5 things that you would say goodnight to in your room? Draw pictures to explain your story.

Reviwer's Name: Erin Mazzatta

Alexander, Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday

Author: Judith Viorst

Illustrator: Ray Cruz

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: 1978

Genre: Fiction Picture Book

Audience: Gr. Pre-K - 3^rd grade

Overview: This is a great second book about Alexander and his perils.  In this book, Alexander and his brother were each given a dollar from their grandparents.  Alexander thinks about saving his money but many temptations come his way.  Find out what happens to Alexanders money.   The illustrations show wonderful body and facial expressions of the characters.  The illustrations are all black and white but are very detailed.

Activity: Children can write a story about what they would do if they were given a dollar.

Reviewer’s Name: Pavon Pavon

The Umbrella

Author/Illustrator: Jan Brett

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publication Date: 2004

Genre: Fiction picture book, science & nature

Audience: Gr. pre-k-3^rd grade

Overview: As usual Jan Brett’s illustrations are beautifully done in watercolor medium. Each page is artwork to study and catch each detail.  The umbrella is reminiscent of The Mitten.  This story takes place in the Costa Rican cloud forest. A small boy named Carlos takes his banana umbrella into the forest to look for animals. He puts the umbrella down to climb a tree. Carlos gets his umbrella and walks home wondering why he did not see any animals that day.  Find out what happened in the rain forest that day.

Activity: Before reading the story, have the students  predict what they think happened to the umbrella in the rain forest that day.

Reviewer's Name: Paula Pavon