This semester I did my service learning in a 3rd grade classroom. I saw this book sitting on one of the students desk, and the first thing I thought was “I didn‘t know Peter Brown wrote novels!” So I picked it up and decided to give it a try. This SF novel is great! I‘m not a fan of science so this definitely took me by surprise. There was a shipwreck, and all the robots didn‘t make it, but Roz did. She finds herself on an island thinking that‘s

Dragons Love Tacos, written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri is a funny MF book. It‘s a New York Times bestseller! It would be great for S or IR. Dragons LOVE tacos, who doesn‘t? But remember....if you don‘t keep the toppings mild you‘re in for some red-hot trouble! Storytelling this book would be fun for students, after you could even have a taco class party! This link will bring you to a website with different activities to go

“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world” ❣️ Malala‘s Magic Pencil is a heartwarming B story written by Malala herself. When Malala was a girl she wished for a magic pencil. At first she wanted one to erase the smell of garbage in her city and to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she got older and she noticed that girls in her country weren‘t allowed to go to school anymore, she picked up a real pen and made

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a great P book. A boy who loves to climb and play with the tree grows older and stops visiting the tree. The tree gets sad and when the boy returns she asks him to play with her. He has to say he‘s too old to climb her, eventually the tree gives the man everything he needs until there‘s nothing left to give. I would use this as an RA or even S in my future classroom. The authors website has a great teachers

Out of Wonder written by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth is a collection of original poems written in the style of 20 famous poets. Some of the famous poets being celebrated in this collection are: Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes. This P collection won the 2018 Coretta Scott King Award. In my future classroom I would use this book as a RA to support students comprehension of poetry and to talk about

A Place for Pluto written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Melanie Demmer is a great book to use in a science class! This SF book is about Pluto getting demoted. He didn‘t belong to the group of planets anymore so where did he belong?! Eventually he finds his place with the dwarf planets! The dwarf planets are to small to be planets but to big to be rocks. They weren‘t planets, comets, asteroids, or meteoroids. They were just like Pluto!

Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima is super cute and one of my favorites! Kelp is a little different. He was born in the ocean, he grows up with narwhals, thinking he is one! Until one day he encounters a creature that looks just like him. Kelp discovers who he is, and who he wants to be. Does he wanna be a land narwhal with the unicorns? Or a sea unicorn with the narwhals? Stay tuned. You‘ll find out during my storytelling in class!

The Magician‘s Elephant is a great MF book written by Kate DiCamillo. An orphan, Peter, comes across a fortuneteller‘s booth in the market square of the city of Baltese. He knows what needs to be asked: Is his sister alive? If so, how can he find her? The fortune teller reveals that an elephant will lead him there. Read to find out what happens! I love this book because it‘s different than what I expected but still held my interest.

The Three Pigs is a hilarious TL story, retold by David Wiesner. This story won the Caldecott medal, the pictures really tell the story! It starts out by the wolf huffing and puffing the pigs houses down, but this time the pigs escape together! They leave their tale and end up in different tales! I would use the first part of the book as CR, as it has the transitional take, and for the rest of the book I would do a RA because the students really

Once a Mouse is an Indian fable retold by Marcia Brown. This book one the Caldecott award! This TL story would be great for S or DR! In this story, an old hermit has the power to change a mouse into a cat, dog, and tiger! I think children would have fun acting out the different animals in this book. The downside is there aren‘t a lot of resources to go along with this book. However, I did find a story map that goes along with this book.

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, is a book that touches my heart. The Boston Marathon bombing took place an hour from my hometown. Jessica was injured during it and eventually became a double amputee. She was given Rescue (a service dog) to help her learn how to live her new life. This is a beautiful story about a beautiful friendship and how they rescued each other ❤️ Warning: you may tear up! This is a B book, written by Jessica

Whoever You Are written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Leslie Staub, is a sweet NF book. Children all over the world look different, speak different languages, and live completely different lives, but inside they are all the same❤️ This book should definitely be in classrooms as it promotes love and acceptance! Some parts of the book repeat so it would be great for CR. ESOL strategies 3, 11, & 16 go along with this book. UDL principles 7.2 & 1.2

Sophie Blackall brings Hello Lighthouse to life through her amazing illustrations. Hello Lighthouse won the 2019 Caldecott medal. This HF book tells what it‘s like to be a keeper in the lighthouse. He polished the lens, refills oil, winds the clockwork that keeps the lamp in motion, and of course, writes in the logbook daily. The keeper saves sailors and his family joins him in the lighthouse. This would be a great book to share during a social

“You can‘t blend in when you‘re born to stand out”❣️ Sophie WONDERS what this book is going to be about! Beautifully written by R.J. Palacio, Wonder is a New York Times Bestseller for 5 years in a row! Entering 5th grade is hard, put yourself in Auggie‘s shoes. He was born with a severe facial difference that prevented him from going to school, until now. As he enters 5th grade he wants to be treated like an ordinary kid.

Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis is a great HF story. This book won a Caldecott Honor award! This sweet story is about a little girl waiting for her mom to come home after getting a job since the men are out fighting the war. Perfect addition to any classroom library! I would use this book as a RA or PR. UDL principle 3.2 fits this book. Along with ESOL strategies 14 & 15.

“When Corduroy lost his button, he found our hearts”❤️ Meet Corduroy, a personal favorite of mine! This (MF) story is perfect for a RA. Corduroy is a bear, stuck in the toy department of a store, he wants to find a friend and a forever home. A girl came by the store begging to take him home, but her mom said no. The lost of Corduroy‘s button sends him on adventure. Does Corduroy find his forever home? Read the book to find out. The authors website

The Day the Crayons Quit is a funny (MF) story to add to your classroom library. It‘ll brighten up anyone‘s day! It is written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. When Duncan goes to open his box of crayons, he finds a stack of notes from each crayon, saying they quit! They‘re tired, overworked, and each crayon has a unique complaint. However, only one crayon is happy. Yellow crayon and orange crayon both think they‘re the color of

Finding Winnie is a touching, true, NF story. It‘s also a Caldecott award winner, it‘s written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. When I first read the title, Finding Winnie, the first thing that came to my mind was “Finding Sophie” my own journey to finding my dog, so I had to add her in the picture! Finding Winnie is based on the worlds most famous bear, Winnie the Pooh. A veterinarian, Harry Colebourn, lived in a town known

Big Words for Little People is an amazing (RF) book to use as a RA. It‘s written and illustrated by the number 1 national bestselling team, Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. Children are able to relate to everyday life throughout this book, but also learning a new vocabulary word to go along with it! Some amazing words in this book are: persevere, stupendous, irate, and patience. Read to find out more😊 UDL principles that fit this book are

Out of my Mind (RF) by New York Times Bestseller author Sharon M. Draper. Have things ever been piling up in your mind you feel like you‘re about to explode, or go out of your mind?! Well, meet Melody. Imagine being an 11 year old girl who has not spoken one word her entire life. Melody has a photographic memory, and is the smartest kid in her school but no one will know because she can‘t walk, talk, or write. Her physical capabilities are limited