“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger.“

I'm not sure where this book could be used in a school, especially because I feel like parents may have a problem with a religious book being in the classroom. I do think the art style would be very cool for children to see!

Animals of the Bible by Dorothy P. Lathrop is a clear Caldecott winner! The illustration style is black and white only, with what looks like pencil stippling. This art style will be very cool for young children to see. This book explores animals spoken of in the Christian bible.

“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.“

This book would be perfect for a civil rights unit in a social studies classroom.

Voice of Freedom. This story is clearly a Caldecott award winner! This book is a biography that tells the story of American civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hammer. Oil paint was used to create the beautiful, detailed illustrations.

“Will you walk into my parlor?“ said the Spider to the Fly.

I would use this book as a spooky (but still cute) addition to my classroom library during Halloween time.

The Spider and the Fly. Completely illustrated in black and white, it is clear why this book won the Caldecott award. The pictures are the perfect amount of spooky/cute for young children and would be awesome for any classroom during Halloween time.

I would use this in my classroom if I had a student dealing with loss. They could connect with Daisy and the lack of words would help facilitate a good conversation with the student.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka is a Caldecott winner. This book has no words and you follow the main character, Daisy the dog, chasing her ball across the pages. Daisy eventually loses the ball and becomes a great way to introduce the concept of loss to young children. The lack of words leaves the illustrations open to interpretations for young children.

“You interrupted the story. Try not to get so involved.“ “I'm sorry, Papa. But she really was a witch.“

There are so many cute and fun activities you could do with this book within a classroom to encourage hand raising/keeping your idea to yourself until you are called upon.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein is a Caldecott award winner. This story follows a rooster and his chick reading bedtime stories, but the chicken cannot stop interrupting and warning the rooster about possible dangerous situations.

“Squeak squeak squeak.“

In my classroom, I would use this story to explain that even if two things don't seem like they could go together, they can!

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott winner. The mouse in this story starts off by being scared of the lion, as mice usually are. However, after getting trapped in rope, the mouse decides to help the lion and chew the rope off of him.

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

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!

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!

“Still, as the pile got taller, Loretta felt smaller and smaller and smaller.“

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 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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

“Everyone was perfectly fine with the way things were. Everyone but Mr. Tiger.“

This book can be used in a classroom to teach students to break out of their shell and be a little silly!

Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. This is a very spunky, creative picture book about a tiger who lives in a very proper animal town. He decides to go on all fours, take off his suit and top hat, and go wild like a real tiger should. By the end of the story, all the other animals in the town follow suit.

“So she went back home—and there was a great big bowl of milk on the porch, just waiting for her. Lucky Kitten!”

Children of any age would love this book and the simple illustrations of a young kitten exploring.

Kitten‘s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, 2004. Caldecott Award Winning Book. This is a very cute, simply story about a kitten who desperately wants to get to a bowl of milk in the sky, not realizing that it is a full moon. The illustration shows an adorable kitten jumping, falling, and exploring the world around her to get to the “bowl of milk”. The illustrations are black and white and look like pencil.

“Jasper couldn‘t get enough carrots…until they started following him.”

I think my 3rd graders would find this book very funny and entertaining, especially with the spooky illustrations.

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, 2012. Caldecott Award Winning Book. This is a bit of an odd book but with a very creative story line and very cool illustrations. The illustrations perfectly show the creepy energy the author wanted to give off in the story, with darker illustrations only showing the colors black, white, and orange.