If you need a good cry, go pick up this jewel. This Newbery Award winning F story is such a great story of friendship between a beloved gorilla and elephant living in a strip mall. There are so many other great characters in this story who develop the amazing and heartfelt story of life in the strip mall! Your 4th and 5th graders will love hearing a story told from a gorilla, which is why this would definitely be a great LC choice! #LAE3414sp19

What a cute story! A great RA about Charlie who had a favorite book about a pirate who also had a favorite book about a knight who also had a favorite book and so on! This F is such an easy read and the students will love this story! We are always encouraging them to love reading so books about favorite books seem like a great one for the library! #LAE3414sp19

This P book is SUCH a great way to get kids excited about poetry. The poems incorporate animals, people, time, opposites and childhood fun! I absolutely plan on doing a RA with my students in the future because of the humor and school subjects involved! This book is a Gold Award Winner for National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA). #LAE3414sp19

Such a cute P read! Each poem is written where the words form the illustration about the topic of the poem! Children would love to look through the pages and see the neat imagery, but this is definitely a RA! The reading level is higher than the actual book itself, which is why it would be a good RA. #LAE3414sp19

Could we even talk about TL without boosting this great book!? The Caldecott Honor & New York Times Best Illustrated Book winner tells the most hilarious spin offs of our familiar stories like Red Riding Hood, Ugly Duckling and Gingerbread Man. This could be a fun S activity after a RA, because the students would get a good laugh while retelling these stories! #LAE3414sp19

I always love a good story told through the eyes of the villain! Did the Big Bad Wolf really huff and puff his way through the 3 Pigs Homes or did he suffer from seasonal allergies and a cold like the rest of us Floridians? This TL book is such a great RA option for children because it‘s really quite hilarious! This was always one of my favorite stories to read as a kid! #LAE3414sp19

What a treat this NF/B was to read. This Newbery Honor Book is definitely not for younger children, though and may need approval because of the content. “Little Man” is an 11 year old boy, based on the author, with a terrible stutter who takes over his best friend‘s paper route. We get to see real life adult issues through the eyes of a child. I would probably only use this for IR options in my room, but it‘s definitely a good one! #LAE3414sp19

Even though this Newbery winner has been around since the 70s, it‘s still a great SF addition to your library. A story about Mrs. Frisby and her family of field mice who meet another group of mice who are highly intelligent and can do many things humans can, thanks to the NIHM lab. You‘ll love reading this story told through a mouse and so will your class! I would use this as a LC option during SF studies, or an IR. #LAE3414sp19

If you don‘t feel anger & frustration alongside Sylvia‘s struggle of being sent to “Mexican School” and being told she is inferior, then you‘ve got a problem! 10 years after Brown v. Board, Sylvia‘s family helps end segregation in California! This NF Pura Belpré, Jane Addams & Robert Sibert award winning picture book is a MUST HAVE in your classroom and would be a great RA to students during a study on desegregation & Civil rights. #LAE3414sp19

This wonderful HF told in verse won National Book Award and was a Newbery Honor. The story follows Kim Hà‘s life as she is forced to move to America because of the Vietnam war. She struggles fitting in since her English isn‘t great and deals with bullying & learning the importance of her own family. This would be a great upper elementary LC or RA to support Social Studies learning & Poetry, and very relatable to some ELLs. #LAE3414sp19

This extraterrestrial SF book is a part of a series of exciting space adventures for kids! A great beginning chapter book series written by Evonne Blanchard with an exciting adventure throughout space! This would be a great IR or younger aged LC to bring some excitement through their imagination. #LAE3414sp19

A great HF about Ron McNair‘s struggle with segregation in his younger years while trying to discover more about his love for flying, written by Rose Blue & Corinne J. Naden and illustrated by Don Tate. Definitely a good RA or IR for lower elementary grades that introduces segregation and could be a great idea for Black History Month activities. #LAE3414sp19

Get ready to have your heart swoon over the sweet adventure of this young boy as he travels all over the world, finding wonder everywhere. This RF written by Matthew Swanson & beautifully illustrated by Robbi Behr would be a great RA to share in the first week of school. Open their minds to the possibilities of a great beginning as they begin the year! #LAE3414sp19

This adorable and very kid-friendly B, written by Kay Winters and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, describes the life of Abraham Lincoln and is a great choice to pull out around President‘s Day in lower elementary grades. This story focuses on the early years and his determination to learn, and the way he overcame adversity to become to man he was later in life. This book would be a great addition to any library! #LAE3414sp19

For all of you Potterheads looking for more insight into the beloved J.K. Rowling, this B written by Pam Pollack & Megan Belviso, is such an easy read and really allows the reader to understand where she came from and all the inspirations along the way! This would be best used for AS, as are most of the “Who Is” collections. There are many side notes along the pages about real world connections from the HP series! #LAE3414sp19

David Shannon has written and illustrated a wonderful F book that goes deeper than the average elementary school story. Camilla Cream develops the worst case of stripes that was ever seen, and all because she worried that others would laugh at her love for lima beans! The desire to be accepted is an ongoing issue in schools today! Use this as a RA during the first week of school to help with all of the nerves! #LAE3414sp19

Diary of a Worm is another comical F book for the bestselling, acclaimed author-illustrator duo Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss. This cute collection of diary entries from a funny worm, who enjoys all the simple things in life, is definitely a fun read for any young reader. The Bug Diaries are a packed full of activities for your classroom! #LAE3414sp19

Have you ever wondered how much a tree must see, hear and know over the hundreds of years rooted in one place? Wishtree is a F book full of believable nonhuman characters that help reveal an Anti-Muslim bigotry in the city they live in. After many years of silence, the wise old tree Red has decided to take a stand for what‘s right...even if that means breaking the one and only rule: never speak to humans. #LAE3414sp19

Frog and Toad Are Friends (a Caldecott Honor) is one of the many classic “I Can Read” F books that Arnold Lobel wrote and illustrated during his lifetime. The tale of these two best friends, described throughout the multiple stories within, bring so much joy to beginner readers. I can guarantee no matter your age, you will find humor within these two fascinating characters. #LAE3414sp19

Last Stop On Market Street (2016 Newbery Winner) is a RF story, written by Matt De La Peña, about kindness and diversity in everyday life. All too often we forget to stop and smell the roses, but CJ‘s nana is one that will remind you just how beautiful life is, regardless of your situation. Christian Robinson‘s simple shapes and colors truly bring this story to life. This is a perfect RA story for any classroom. #LAE3414sp19