“She could make something!“

This would be perfect for a classroom where students are expecting a new little sibling, as well as a book for home where a new baby is expected. This is perfect to help aid the conversation of another member of the family being welcomed.

Loretta's Gift by Pat Zietlow Miller and Alea Marley (2018) is a picture book about bringing a new baby into a family. Loretta, the baby's big sister, notices that the baby is getting all kinds of presents. So Loretta spends the whole story trying to find a present that she can give him. It's not until the end of the story that Loretta realizes that she herself is a present to the baby!

“Then you arrive at home again, and you look at your window from the outside. Someone you love is waving at you, and you can't wait to go in. So you do.“

This can teach children to fully embrace the beauty of all of the lives around them. This would be good to have in a classroom where students have a habit of being negative. We can work on bringing positivity!

“Windows“ by Julia Denos is a colorfully illustrated picture book with a beautiful sunset on almost every page. This story shows how each window you can look into holds another unique and beautiful life happening inside. It teaches young children to appreciate their own life as well as the ones happening around them.

“But one day, your voice will wiggle it's way out“

I would use this book to help advocate for those in class who feel shy or may need help using their voice! It would be a great topic about expressing yourself/standing up for one another. Showing compassion!

Willow Whispers by Lana Button (2010) is a fictional picture book that has some real big emotions connected to it. It centers around the the idea of willow who has a quiet voice and is not often heard/overlooked because of this. The theme shows us to use our voice proudly and to look for helpful tools if we need help. Don't be afraid to speak up, your voice has value!

“Flora put her super-special heavy-duty red boots back on, then straightened Crispin's hat and brushed a shred of rainbow from his coat.“

This could be very helpful for a student who tends to bicker a lot with younger siblings or even other classmates. We could chat about better ways to resolve this conflict.

Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall is a picture book with whimsical, flowing illustrations. The story begins with Flora being mad at her brother and “not caring“ if he gets blown away by the wind. However, as the story continues, Flora realizes she really does need her brother around and does everything she can to get him back, including getting blown away alongside him.

“Spinach!“ squealed the pea. My favorite!“

I would use this as a fun alternative in the classroom to talk to students about our similarities and differences in what we like. Emphasizing the fact that people can enjoy different things and that is OKAY. I would build on students knowledge by asking them to relate to the story with something they like to eat and something they might not want to eat. Sharing our ideas and differences is how we learn best!

Little Pea by Amy Krouse (2005) is a fictional picture book that is humorous to readers. It has a theme of children eating their veggies but in this case, pea hates eating candy. The illustrations are fun, simplistic, and engaging for the readers with pops of green to represent the peas. The ending shows pea enjoying a plate of spinach for dessert and will be sure to make students think about their attitude towards things they like/dislike.

ROAR!

I would love to use this book alongside some other books about embracing change. Tiger figures out that even in a new space, he missed his family and friends and that his change left an impact on others in the community. I want to encourage students to do the same in their classroom!

Mr. tiger goes wild, by Peter Brown (2013) is a great fiction picture book with a theme of embracing change and testing the boundaries of what is considered normal. The layout has lots of different shapes, colors, vertical houses and tiger being vertical to show him going against the rest of the illustration. The illustrations do a great job of following the emotions of tiger as he discovers more about himself and his home.

“But what if we fell?“ said michael
“what if we could fly?

I could use this story in my classroom to help spark imagination and also conversations of working together for the betterment of our classroom! We are discussing rules and the WHY behind them and this would be beneficial to show them!

Zen Shorts, written by Jon J Muth. Published in 2005, and awarded a Caldecott in 2006. This story includes detailed drawings of a panda where the theme involved collaborating with others for the betterment of each other. The panda offers a theme of wisdom through his wise words and stories of pastel watercolors. This story is a joy for children to listen to!

“Most adventures have only one story to call their own.“

This story would be great for my imaginative first graders! I think the illustrations are just beautiful and you can point out the different settings and characters involved in this story. It also describes the mixed cultural identity which is important for students to embrace each others culture.

The truth about dragons, by Julie Leung published in 2023 and received the Caldecott honor in 2024. This book has SO many details and colors. The unique images stand out as the story is told of a boy going on a journey to discover the truth about dragons. It brings light to the cultivation of creativity and imagination having kids look beyond the surface and explore their own adventure!

“Free Bird! Happy Bird!“

This is a great opportunity to bring a story with fun images but also a true story to the classroom! We have been talking about nonfiction vs. fiction this week and the students would enjoy hearing about henry, a real character who also went through hardship and emotions they can connect to or empathize with.

Henry's freedom box, By Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson. Published in 2007, received a Caldecott award in 2008. This story is a true story about the underground railroad. This picture book helps readers to understand the social studies and deeply rooted history of the characters, places, and events. There are some photos with big, zoomed in images, and others with words vertically that adds depth and importance to each page.

“Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful“

I would love to use this book in the classroom as we are talking this week about our differences and embracing them! This past week we read a book called “I like myself“ and this would go really well with the theme of embracing what makes you, you!

Last stop on Market street, by Matt de la Pena, Illustrated by Christian Robinson. This was published in 2015, and received the Caldecott award in 2016. This book uses bright oranges and colorful pages to display the differences of people and how to embrace that. It is a story about character principles and enjoying the little things in life. While also making note of and embracing the different lifestyles people live!

“The cat knew them all, and they all knew the cat“

I would love to use this book in my classroom to describe that we are all unique and see things in a different light, just like the cat! That does not make one right/wrong, and embrace our differences!

They all saw a cat, by Brendan Wenzel published in 2016, won a Caldecott award in 2017. This book was a great picture book showing the different perspectives of how we see the world. There were lots of different shapes and sizes and colors of characters to show the way that animal “sees“ the world. Not only was there lots of texture and color but the theme flowed beautifully throughout exploring the unique illustration.

“Someone else would have made nests of their heads, but not Cinderella. She was good. She dressed them perfectly“

I could use this book in my placement to talk about the moral values of being kind, fair, and to do what is right! I think my students would enjoy the older photos with so much color and detail.

Cinderella, by Marcia Brown published in 1954 and received the Caldecott award in 1955. This is a classic story that uses simple, yet eye catching illustrations that connect readers with the story. There are reds and blues outlined with black to make the pictures pop. Cinderella is an old tale that emphasizes the moral character principles of treating others fairly and that beauty comes from within.

“and in every life, blessed is the love“

I think my students would love this book because as first graders, they feel a lot of emotions and also like characters to connect with. This book has a little of everything and brings the different types of relations to characters and pictures life to the story with vibrant colors throughout!

In Every Life, by Marla Frazee published in 2023. This book received a Caldecott award in 2024. This picturebook shows gorgeous illustrations displaying bright colors that children love! There are different characters showing different emotions like sadness, love, etc. and they are all met with the comfort of different images displaying that emotion.

“That's my name, and it fits me just right! I am Alma, and I have a story to tell.“

Alma and how she got her name, by Juana Martinez-Neal. This book received a Caldecott award in 2019. This is a picturebook has deep grey undertones and backgrounds on the paper with pops of color that help the characters to stand out. This story tells us a lot about uniqueness and how names are important history!

“But Rabbit means well. And he is my friend“

My Friend Rabbit, by Eric Rohmann, 2002. Received a Coldecott award in 2003. I loved the illustrations of this book, there are warm purples and blues to display the characters of the story. The layout also switched from horizontal, to vertical which was interesting and fun!

“The cat showed the new cat what to do“ This role transfers over from the old cat, to the new cat, and then the cycle repeats. The circle of life!

Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper, 2017. This book was awarded a Caldecotte honor in 2018. I loved this book because of its simplicity. The pictures are black and white, and the words run across the page - just like the cats. It is a story of growing up, and getting old with animals and all of the growth that comes along with that.

Me & Mama, by Cozbi A. Cabrera, 2020. This book was awarded a Caldecotte honor in 2021. It has beautiful illustrations with bright colors and big brush strokes to create a picture that jumps off the page. The theme is to enjoy the little things that people do together, like brushing your teeth and playing in the rain!

Quote: “We sing out loud to sky. Sky is taller, taller than the trees. Mama says a song is highs and lows“