If You Had To Choose, What Would You Do?

Title: If You Had To Choose, What Would You Do?
Author: Sandra McLeod Humphrey
Illustrator: Brain Strassburg
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Year Published: 1995
Format: Paperback/ ebook
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary- Early Middle School
Topics: Choices
Summary: Throughout this book, there are 25 stories about moral dilemmas and the reader is asked what he or she would do in that situation. Each story is also followed by thought questions, which stimulate great discussions both in the home and in the classroom. The stories are fun for the kids to read and they get them thinking and talking about important moral issues. The book has received excellent reviews and is a wonderful resource for both the home and the classroom.
Extension Activity: Since this book comes with thought questions already included in the reading, I would just further those questions on one of the stories and then have group discussions about their answers. By having the kids work together on their answers and discussing their “why’s”, it allows the children to really understand their own decisions and further analyze them.

Every Minute On Earth

Title: Every Minute On Earth
Author: Steve Murrie, Mathew Murrie
Illustrator: Mary Ann Lloyd
Publisher: Scholastic Reference
Year Published: 2007
Format: Paperback
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary- Early Middle School
Topics: Random facts, Earth
Summary: This is a fun book for middle elementary aged children that tells them interesting, random facts about what happens every 60 seconds on earth.
Extension Activity: Since this book is filled with such fun facts about our earth, I would continue this into an art project where the kids would make an earth out of a Styrofoam ball and from there they would each write one interesting fact that happens every 60 seconds and then as a class we would hang our globes up.

The Snowy Day

Title: The Snowy Day
Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Publisher: Puffin
Year Published: 1976
Format: Hardcover/ Paperback/ Audio book
Genre: Picture Storybooks
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Baby/ Pre- School
Topics: Snow
Summary: Throughout the story The Snowy Day, a little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day.
Extension Activity: Since this book is aimed at such young children, the extension activity would to make snowflakes to cut out and hang around the classroom to remind kids of snow and a winter wonder land.

Amos and Boris

Title: Amos and Boris
Author: William Steig
Illustrator: William Steig
Publisher: Ferrar, Strans and Giroux
Year Published: 1992
Format: Hardcover/ Paperback
Genre: Picture Storybooks
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School/ Elementary
Topics: Friendship
Summary: Amos the mouse and Boris the whale: a devoted pair of friends with nothing at all in common, except good hearts and a willingness to help their fellow mammal. They meet after Amos sets out to sea in his homemade boat, the Rodent, and soon finds himself in extreme need of rescue. Enter Boris. But there will come a day, long after Boris has gone back to a life of whaling about and Amos has gone back to his life of mousing around, when the tiny mouse must find a way to rescue the great whale.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with friendship, I would have the children get into small groups and come up with a list of nice things they could do for their friends, and then share their lists with the entire class. Since this activity requires group work, this would allow the kids to work together when brainstorming.

The Magiv Porridge Pot

Title: The Magic Porridge Pot
Author: Harriett Ziefer
Illustrator: Tania Hurt- Newton
Publisher: Puffin
Year Published: 1997
Format: Paperback
Genre: Easy- To- Read
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School- Early Elementary
Topics: Right vs. Wrong
Summary: Poor Hannah never has enough to eat, and can't believe her luck when she is given a magic porridge pot that supplies her with endless amounts of porridge. But when a greedy boy steals it, is he in for more than he bargained for?
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with sharing and right from wrong; I would have the kids get into small groups and work together to re-enact the book but alter the ending as to what the nice thing would have been. This extension activity will allow the kids to recognize what the right thing to do would have been in this situation.

The Snow Child

Title: The Snow Child
Author: Harriet Ziefert
Illustrator: Julia Zanes
Publisher: Puffin
Year Published: 2000
Format: Hardcover/ Paperback
Genre: Easy- To- Read
Reading Level: Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Upper Elementary- Middle School
Topics: Snowman, Family, and Children
Summary: An older couple wanted to have a little boy or girl very badly; so they decide to make one out of snow. When the old lady kisses the snowman, the child springs to life only to bring utter joy to the elderly women. Only when the weather starts to warm up, the child must leave for somewhere colder; the elderly couple think they will never be happy again. However, when winter returns the child does as well and the couple is forever grateful for their winters.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with snow and snowmen, I would have the children make snowmen out of cotton balls and decorate them with various supplies.

How Big Is It? A Book All About Bigness

Title: How Big Is It? A Book All About Bigness
Author: Ben Hillman
Illustrator: Ben Hillman
Publisher: Scholastic
Year Published: 2010
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Concept Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School/ Elementary
Topics: Size of objects, differences in size.
Summary: This book gives children an understanding of what the term “size” means and how different objects vary in size. This is a great learning tool to use with the younger children to give them a basis to the understanding of big and little.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals mainly with understanding size, I would just continue with this and have different objects of various sized in the room, and have the class work together to line them up from the smallest thing to the largest object.

My Friend Rabbit

Title: My Friend Rabbit

Author: Eric Rohmann
Illustrator: Eric Rohmann
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Year Published: 2002

Format: Hardcover
Genre: Caldecott

Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School – Kindergarten
Topics: Rabbits, Airplanes, Rhinoceros, Squirrel, Mouse.

Summary: Rabbit and Mouse are the best of friends.  Rabbit was playing with Mouse's to airplane and got stuck in a tree.  He gathers tons of animals, anything form a rhinoceros to a squirrel to get his best friends airplane down.  The finally stack over 15 animals on top of each other to get the airplane down and right as Rabbit and Mouse get to the top the animals start to lose their balance and fall over.  Mouse finally gets the airplane. They fly around until they get it stuck again.  But knowing Rabbit, he decides he has another great plane.

Extension Activity: The class will make paper airplanes and reenact the story.

Opposites

Title: Opposites
Author: Robert Crowther
Illustrator: Robert Crowther
Publisher: Candlewick
Year Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Concept Books
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School – Kindergarten
Topics: Opposites
Summary: This book incorporates flaps and pulling on the book to teach kids 15 basic pairs of opposites. This interactive book is great to get the children involved in and interactive learning style.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with very young kids; I would just further the learning of opposites and have the flash cards with opposites on them and go through the cards with the class and have them help me identify which pairs are opposites and which ones are the same.

Maniac Magee

Author: -Jerry Spinelli

Title: -Maniac Magee

Publisher: -Little, Brown and Company

Year: -1990









Format: -Hardcover Book

Genre: -Realistic Fiction

Reading Level: -Independent Reader

Interest Level: -Late Elementary/ Early Middle School


Topics: -Newbery Award, Racism, Home, Acceptance, Approval.

Summary: - The story is all about a boy named Jeffery Lionel Magee. His parents had been killed by a drunk driving accident and he was left to his Aunt and Uncle of whom he ran away from because of the racially controversial setting they lived in. A year later, he finds himself across the river from where his Aunt and Uncle live, on the "wrong" side (racially). He earns his nickname after a scuffle with a bully (Mars Bars) and is saved by his new and one of his only friends, Amanda. Amanda Beale takes Maniac Magee in and he becomes a part of their family until a few of the East siders make it clear they do not want him there. Maniac does everything in his power to make the family like him, and is happy that he has a home. But his happiness only lasts for so long because he does not want to hurt the Beale's anymore so he runs away to the buffalo pen. After a couple more instances of becoming homeless, and finding a home, and becoming homeless again, Magee ends up happy in the home of the Beale's.

Extension Activities:

-This book is very racially controversial. It is interesting that this kind of unequality can be compared back to nearly seventy years ago. Many of our grandparents or great-grandparents have gone through this kind of racism in the United States. Split up into groups of four or five, have each group present a skit on racism, discrimination, segregation, or judgmental behaviors using the the book.
-Improve writing skills: In the novel, Maniac Magee has amazing baseball, football, rescuing people from bullies, and long distance running skills. What is another super-human skill that he posesses? What will he be able to do with this skill? How will this affect the town? Write three paragraphs.
-It's really interesting to see what each person thinks a character looks like when there are no illustrations to a book. Have each child draw a picture of what they think the main character looked like: Maniac Magee, Amanda Beale, Mars Bars, John McNab, and Earl Grayson.

I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers In Art

Title: I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers In Art
Author: Lucy Micklethwait
Illustrator: Pam Caroll
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Year Published: 1998
Format: Paperback
Genre: Counting Books
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary/ Middle School
Topics: Counting, finding objects
Summary: This books enables kids to count their way through modern art. By identifying objects found in a variety of famous paintings; this also allows kids to further their knowledge with numbers. By having kids find a certain number of objects within a page, they see it as a challenge and really enjoy trying to complete the tasks.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with counting and modern paintings; I would have the kids make their own drawing with a certain number of hidden objects. As a class, we would then line up all of the drawings and go around the room and try to find the hidden objects within the students drawings.

One Nation: America By The Numbers

Title: One Nation: America By The Numbers
Author: Devin Scillian
Illustrator: Pam Caroll
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Year Published: 2002
Format: Hardcover/ Paperback
Genre: Counting Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School/ Elementary
Topics: America, Numbers
Summary: This book uses numbers to describe features uniquely related to America. This book is aimed at a wide variety of ages and teaches kids not only about numbers, but also about the important things in American life that are valued.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with both numbers and the country we reside in, the extension activity would be for the kids to pick out one interesting place they have been in the U.S. and then to incorporate a number into it. For example; I would draw the number two in bubble letters and then within the number I would draw Disneyland.

Miss Spiders Abc Book

Title: Miss Spiders Abc Book
Author: David Kirk
Illustrator: David Kirk
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year Published: 1998
Format: Hardcover, Paperback and Board Book
Genre: ABC Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School/ Elementary
Topics: ABC’s
Summary: This book includes teaching ABC’s to children as well as an actual story line. While Miss Spiders friends are preparing for a surprise birthday party, the readers get to learn a variety of animals that cover the entire alphabet to incorporate the learning as well as enjoying a fun story.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with ABC’s and different animals and is aimed at such young children, the extension activity would be for the students to each pick one letter and then draw an animal whose name starts with the letter they chose. The animal must be different from the example given in the book. The drawings would then be hung around the classroom.

Dr. Suess’s ABC: Amazing Alphabet Book

Title: Dr. Suess’s ABC: Amazing Alphabet Book
Author: Theodore Giesel (Dr. Suess)
Illustrator: Siegel
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 1996
Format: Board Book/ Hardcover
Genre: ABC Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School- Early Elementary, Early Childhood
Topics: ABC’s
Summary: This book helps children learn their ABC’s by using rhyming words and sentences to help them remember and relate the letter to an object.
Extension Activity: Since this book is aimed at early childhood and very young kids, I would just continue to expand on the idea of learning their ABC’s by having them write the alphabet and drawing a picture of something that starts with the same letter in order to help them remember their letters.

Hungry Monsters: A Pop- Up Book Of Colors

Title: Hungry Monsters: A Pop- Up Book Of Colors
Author: Matt Mitter
Illustrator: Jo Brown
Publisher: Reader's Digest Year Published: 2008
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Toy Books (Pop- Up Book)
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School/ Elementary
Topics: Teaching Colors
Summary: What do hungry monsters eat? It all depends on where they are. In this laugh-out-loud, colorful pop-up board book, monsters under the bed eat things like red underwear, those in the bathroom enjoy bath soap and yellow duckies, and attic monsters just love old books and umbrellas. Kids will have a ball reading the silly rhymes and opening the monsters’ mouth to find a surprise pop-up of what’s inside. What’s more, Hungry Monsters also focuses on teaching children the early learning skill of recognizing colors.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals mainly with teaching colors and is obviously aimed at the younger children, I would have the kids continue working with colors with exercises that have the kids identify colors and classifying them in the primary color category or not.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

Title: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Illustrator: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
Year Published: 2007
Format: Hardcover/ Paperback/ Audio CD
Genre: Toy Books
Reading Level: Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Middle School
Topics: Puberty, Teenage Years, Middle School
Summary: When Greg’s mother gives him a journal, NOT a diary, to keep his daily happenings at this new stage in his life, Gregg isn’t sure that boy’s should be doing that. Throughout his middle school experience, Gregg records the daily teenage happenings, losing a best friend to popularity and the various hardships teens face today. Through his hilarious journal entries, readers are brought into the life of Gregg as he sees it. Since the book is written though a series of cartoons, it really draws the young readers into the book and allows them to enjoy a new type of book.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with journal entries; the extension activity would be for the kids to keep a daily journal for one week; entries would include the little, funny things that happened to them daily along with anything else they feel like recording throughout the day.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Title: Sarah, Plain And Tall

Author: Patricia MacLachlan

Illustrator: Patricia MacLachlan

Publisher: Harper Collins Books

Year Published: 1985










Format: Paperback

Genre: Children's novel

Reading Level: Independent Reader

Reading Interest Level: Upper Elementary, Middle School

Topics: Newbery Award, Family, Relationships, happiness.

Summary: Sarah, Plain and Tall consists of family living in a small Midwestern farm. The family is very happy until one day Anna and Caleb's father explains to them his longing for a wife. Although he was very nervous about the discussion, Caleb and Anna enthusiastically agree because they too had been wishing for a mother figure in their life. The family puts up an advertisement and they get a response. Sarah is from Maine and after a couple of letters back and fourth she is ready to come to the farm. Everyone is excited but is also nervous because Sarah loves her house in Maine and the sea, but when they meet her they instantly fall in love with her. Although they remain scared in the end that they will get left because Sarah is homesick, in the end, they find out what a true family is.

Extension Activity:
-Make a character analysis chart. Have the kids write down character descriptions, qualities, and make decisive inferences of every main character.
-Ask children what they thought the differences were from back then to now-a-days. How was the farm life in the Midwest different then yours? And explain if you think the families priorities were different than yours, or not?
-Draw a picture of what you think the family looked like based on the descriptions in the book.

The Giver

Author: -Lois Lowry

Title: -The Giver

Illustrator: -Lois Lowry

Publisher: -Houghton Mifflin Books

Year: -1993









Format: -Hardcover Book

Genre: -Science Fiction

Reading Level: -Independent Reader

Interest Level: -Middle School

Topics: - Newbery Award, Communism, Ideas


Summary: -The story starts off with the main character named Jonas and his world is perfect. Everyone plays together everyone is equal and there is no pain, poverty, or hunger in the world. Until one day when Jonas is 12 he is singled out and is trained to become "the Giver." The giver alone holds the memory of true pain and pleasure that no one in his community has ever felt. For the first time, Jonas is surrounded by colors and snow and things that he never knew existed. However, now that he knows the truth he learns that there is no going back.

Extension Activities:
-Have the kids discuss as a class what they thought of the book and what they liked or didn't like about the community Jonas lived in. Write a one page paper about their own thoughts.
-In the novel, Jonas goes through lots of experiences and it is his memories that keeps him going. Write down ten memories and put them in a treasure box to keep and open at the end of the year.
-How do we keep our memories now-a-days? Why is it important to know our own and our families special memories?

The Cat Who Went to Heaven

Author: -Elizabeth Coatsworth

Title: -The Cat Who Went to Heaven

Illustrator: -Lynd Ward Jael

Publisher: -Aladdin Paperbacks

Year: -1981











Format: -Hardcover Book

Genre: -Realistic Fiction

Reading Level: -Independent Reader

Interest Level: -Middle School

Topics: -Newberry Award, Cat, Spiritual, Sorrow, Painting, Change.


Summary: - The story starts out with a Japanese Painter who struggles with sorrow every day of his life and does not know how to handle it. He is very sad and full of sorrow until one day his housekeeper brings him home a tiny cat. The painter agrees to keep the cat and calls it Good Fortune. As time goes on, Good Fortune consistently shows remarkable qualities that the painter recognizes. Later the Painter gets a huge job when the temple's priest asks him to paint their Lord Buddha and hang it on the temple. He first gets denied with his painting because he did not acknowledge the vision that Good Fortune gave, but there is a happy ending when the final painting is finished.

Extension Activities:
-This book can be easily associated with Japanese Culture, or the History of Japan. It can go along with a Social Studies lesson plan. Ask the children how well they think this book relates to the culture of history, and what they learned is very important in the Japanese culture?
-Write a page on the differences of the Japanese culture back then and now-a-days.
-Have children make a chart or graph that has to do with each character. Have the chart include different characteristics, qualities, and have them draw conclusions. Activities like this successfully help kids make inferences.

The Classic Mother Goose (Children’s Storybook Classics)

Title: The Classic Mother Goose (Children’s Storybook Classics)
Author: Armand Eisen
Illustrator: John Garney, Gail Hauetter, Arlene Klemushin, Kay Life, Robyn Officer, Richard Waltz, Nance Wiley, William Wiley
Publisher: Courage Books
Year Published: 1997
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Mother Goose
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Preschool- Early Elementary
Topics: Rhyming, Rhythm
Summary: This book contains the classic children’s nursery’s almost all children learn as they grow up. Great for younger kids as well as older children, the rhyming words keep them involved in the book and allow them to follow along with the rhythm.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with classic children’s nursery’s and rhyming words, I would have the children write their own nursery rhyme or story and have them use correct rhyming words to help them learn and further understand rhythm.

R.E.M

Title: R.E.M
Author: Istvan Banyai
Illustrator: Istvan Banyi
Publisher: Penguin Group
Year Published: 1998
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-school-Elementary
Topics: Dreaming, Imagination
Summary: As a little boy drifts into sleep, the toys in and surrounding his room slowly come to life. This sense of reality creates a magic, fanciful dream filled with images of his toys in a variety of reality's.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with dreaming, for the extension activity I would have the kids make a dream catcher using a variety of supplies. This would excite the kids about the reading and allow them to create something that they could take home and potentially use in their house.

Flotsam

Title: Flotsam
Author: David Wiesner
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year Published: 2006
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary
Topics: Underwater creatures, Underwater world.
Summary: This book is about a little boy who goes to the beach with his family for the day and finds a crab. While playing with the crab a wave comes and knocks the little boy over, but when the wave returns to the sea it leaves behind an underwater camera. The boy decides to develop the film only to find pictures of the beautiful sea and those of children, like him, who have found the camera and taken pictures. So the little boy decides to take a picture of himself and then throw the camera back into the sea for the next little boy or girl to find.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with pictures, I would take a picture of each of the children via Polaroid camera, and then have them decorate the outside of their picture to make it appear that they are underwater. This would allow the kids to be creative and also little kids seem to really enjoy having their pictures taken; then I would display the picture on the wall in the classroom.

Feathers

Title: Feathers
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Hudson Talbott
Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
Year Published: 2008
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Newberry Award Winner
Reading Level: Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Upper Elementary- Middle School
Topics: Racial Segregation, Faith
Summary: A little girl named Frannie, becomes intrigued by the words of Emily Dickenson and begins to classify her classmates based on the writing of Dickenson. A new boy comes to town; he is an African American boy with long hair whom Frannie nicknames “Jesus”. Frannies best friend, Samantha, truly desires for “Jesus” to be the actual savior. Throughout this book the struggles faced during the 70’s are present and the kids learn to cope with all these happening s in their own individual ways.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with segregation and African American equality, I would plan to teach this book around black history month and then have the kids do a small autobiography on an influential person during that time period that helped African American’s during their strife for equality. This activity would also incorporate social studies and allow the kids to learn more about the past of their country.

Sarah Plain and Tall

Title: Sarah Plain And Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrator: Patricia MacLachlan
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Year Published: 1985
Format: Paper Back
Genre: Newberry Award Winner
Reading Level: Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Upper Elementary- Middle School
Topics: Family Relationships
Summary: A family in a small farming town had lost their mother and wife a few years back, so papa decides to send a letter to “Sarah” in hopes that she would eventually come and live with the family forever and resume the role as mother and wife. When Sarah replies that she will come and stay with the family for a short while before making her final decision, the children are overwhelmed with excitement. After Sarah has stayed with the family for some time, she decides that she would in fact very much so like to become their mother and wife and decides to live with them for the remainder of her life.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with children and adult relationships within a family unit; I would have the kids write letters to their parents/ guardians, thanking them for something or reminding them how much they appreciate everything they do for them. This would allow the kids to not only work on penmanship but it would remind them the quality of good manners and appreciation.

When You Reach Me

Title: When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Illustrator: Rebecca Stead
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Year Published: 2009
Format: Hard Cover or Paper Back
Genre: Newberry Award Winner
Reading Level: Self-Reader
Reading Interest Level: Upper Elementary- Middle School
Topics: Loyalty, Friendship
Summary: Miranda and her best friend Sal have most things figured out in their city, who to avoid and safe places to go, but when Sal is punched by the new kid for what seems to be for no reason and shuts Miranda out of his life, things begin on a downward spiral. Miranda is soon receiving anonymous letters about future events about to happen in her life, and she slowly figures out there is a tragic event that she can prevent.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with “unknown” letters, I would have the kids each write one nice thing about a student in the room and keep it anonymous, then have them drop them into a bucket and then I would read them aloud to the class. By keeping the statements anonymous, the kids would get more into the activity and be able to have more fun with their statements.

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon

Title: Where The Mountain Meets The Moon
Author: Grace Lin
Illustrator: Grace Lin
Publisher: Little, Brown Company for Young Readers
Year Published: 2009
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Newberry Award Winner
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary School- Middle School
Topics: Adventure, family relationships
Summary: Minli is a young girl who is an only child in a very poor family in China. She helps her parents work hard in the fields all day long every day. At night her father loves to tell her stories, but her mother is full of sighs and complaints about their hard life. One day, to help find fortune for her beloved parents, Minli sets off to seek out a character from one of her father's tales known as the Old Man in the Moon. To find him, she must travel far away to the Never Ending Mountain. Along the way she meets a dragon who longs to fly, an orphaned shepherd boy, and a prince, and befriends them all. In return, they help her solve some riddles and help her find her way. In the meantime, Minli's parents are desperate for her return, but her father's stories and a talking goldfish help them cope, and Minli finds a different kind of fortune than she expected.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with mainly with family relations I would have the children do a family portrait and then explain to the class one characteristic about each of their family members. This would allow the children to learn more about different races and also help them widen their vocabulary through the use of multiple describing words.

Olivia

Title: Olivia (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Ian Falconer
Illustrator: Ian Falconer
Publisher: Atheneum Publishing
Year Published: 2006
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary School- Middle School
Topics: Imagination, fantasy, and obedience
Summary: Olivia is at once a fashion designer, dancer, architect, artist, and big sister. And she's quite precocious. Olivia is charming, cultured, and yet she acts just like a child. She is a busy pig with a big imagination and yet a kind heart and a good child.
Extension Activity: This extension activity would be for the kids to make pigs out of colored rice. They could choose whatever colors they wanted and have their pigs doing any activity they wanted not just sitting; so like Olivia, they were very busy pigs!

Jumanji

Title: Jumanji(Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Chris Van Allsberg
Illustrator: Chris Van Allsberg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year Published: 1981
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self Reader
Reading Interest Level: Elementary School- Middle School
Topics: Adventure, frienship
Summary: This book begins with a little boy finding the game of Jumanji and playing it with his friend Jenny.; the game quickly turns to disaster when the little boy rolls a certain number that sucks him into the game. Numerous years later, after Jenny is fully grown, two new little kids find the game and begin to play, only to release the once little boy who is now a full grown man. They quickly go to find Jenny and complete the game by completing numerous tasks and going on extreme adventures that terrorize the town.
Extension Activity: Since this book is so well known, the extension activity would be for the kids to get into smaller groups and play the actual game of Jumanji,; this would get the kids more excited about reading the book and allow them to become interactive with the book.

Molly Bannaky

Author- Alice McGill

Title- Molly Bannaky;

Illustrator- Chris K. Soentpiet

Year-2001

Genre- Assistend

Format- Hardcover

Publisher- Orchard Books

Reading Level- Late Elementary-assisted

Interest Level- Late Elementary

Topics- History, Black History Month, immigration

Summary- This book is a girl named Molly. She was a young girl working on a warm. Every morning she got up and pulled the udders of a cow for milk. When she spilt it she was brought before the court but because she could read the bible she got out of punishment. She was sent to England for 7 years and after she was set free. Molly started her own land and eventually got a slave worker to help her. They ended up falling in love and getting married and had children!

Extension Activity-You could have the children act out plays like follow the drinking gourd. You could also have them do research on one black male or female who has impacted society. There are many ways you could use this book, just depends on the age group.

Hondo and Fabian

Author- Peter McCarty

Title- Hondo & Fabian

Illustrator- Peter McCarty

Year-2002

Genre- Easy to Read

Format- Hardcover

Publisher- Henry Holt and Company

Reading Level- Early Elementary

Interest Level- Elementary

Topics- Picture storybook, cats, dogs, pets, adventures

Summary- This book is about a dog named Hondo and a cat named Fabian. The dog goes out for some fun with his friend and the cat is left at home to play with the baby. She finds fun things to do around the house. The both are hungry and wish the could eat other food besides their dog and cat food. They end up being full and tired and eventually sleep very well.

Extension Activity- You could have the students make animals out of paper bags. You could also have them make cat ears and tails. This book is for very young students so you could also just have the draw pictures.

South

Author- Patrick McDonnel

Title- South
Illustrator- Patrick McDonnel
Year-2008
Genre- Picture Book-no words

Format- Hardcover

Publisher- Little Brown and Company

Reading Level- Late Elementary

Interest Level- Elementary

Topics- Fall

Summary- This book is one with no words. There are pictures and you have to make up the story that goes along with the pictures. These books are great because you can change the ending so many different times. On the first couple pages you can tell by the illustrations that it is fall. The leaves are falling off the trees. A little birdy is lost and a cat find him and helps him find his way home.

Extension Activity- Have the students make up a different ending to the story. You could also have them build bird feeders or even go on a nature hike looking for certain birds and other animals.

The Three Pigs

Title: The Three Pigs (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: David Wieser
Illustrator: David Wiesner
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year Published: 2001
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader/ Self Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Friendship, Bullying
Summary: This book begins similarly to the three little pigs and the big bad wolf tale, with the pigs gathering sticks and stones to build their houses when all of a sudden the wolf appears and blows the pig; only to blow him into a different world of pure imagination. The story continues to heighten with new twists and turns on the original tale with humorous adventure.
Extension Activity: For this extension activity I would have the kids think of a common tale they have heard before and then re-write their favorite part but with a new twist. This would incorporate their imaginations as well as writing skills. The kids would then present their “new” old tales to the class.

All The World

Title: All The World (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrator: Marla Frazee
Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Year Published: 2010
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Multicultural Ethnicity found in families
Summary: This book uses rhyme and rhythm to tell the story of a multicultural families day at the beach and the various activities that they enjoyed together.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with multiracial families and family time, I would have the kids write a short story explaining how each person in their family is different but have the students end their stories with the one thing their family enjoys doing together. By doing this the children can understand the concept of being different while still having things in common that they enjoy doing.

The Curious Garden

Title: The Curious Garden (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Peter Brown
Illustrator: Peter Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Year Published: 2009
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Growth and Development
Summary: The book begins with a little boy named Liam, who discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.
This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes with illustrations that become more vibrant as the garden blooms. Redheaded Liam can also be spotted on every page, adding a clever seek-and-find element to this captivating picture book.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with the growth and development of a garden, the extension activity would consist of the children actually planting seeds into an empty egg- carton and keeping them in the classroom to watch them grow over time. The children would then be able to incorporate this lesson into science by discussing how and what makes their little flowers grow.

Goodnight Moon

Title: Goodnight Moon (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Clement Hurd
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year Published: 1947
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics/ Key Words: Goodnight, night-time
Summary: Throughout this book, the narrator is saying a series of goodnight to household objects. The narrator starts out with the broad things in a “lighted” page and the book -ends with the narrator in the dark, ready for bed.
Extension Activity: Since this book is aimed at such a young reading level, the extension activity would be for the kids to simply help spell out each of the objects as the reader says goodnight to them. This incorporates spelling into reading and allows the children to be interactive with the book.

Where The Wild Things Are

Title: Where The Wild Things Are (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Maurice Sendak
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper and Row
Year Published: 1963
Format: Hard Cover or Paperback
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Obedience, Imagination, and Friendship
Summary: The book begins with the little boy disobeying his mother which then results in him being sent to his room; the little boy’s imagination then begins to run wild bringing him to an unknown place filled with scary monsters that he soon finds to be his friends. They go on various adventures together and travel through this mysterious place until the voice the boy’s brother bringing him dinner slowly brings him back to reality.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with imagination, I would have the kids work together in small groups and write a short skit; the skit can be done using puppets or just themselves as the actors. The skit would include the kids in their magical lands and what adventures they would go on. They can pretend to be monsters or simply themselves in a new land.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Norton Juste, Chris Raschka
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Publisher: Michael di Capua/Hyperion
Year Published: 2005
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book (Wordless)
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Imagination, Grandparent/ Grandchild relationships
Summary: Throughout this book, an energetic little girl describes her journeys through her “nana” and “poppy’s” kitchen window. This window is the little girl’s magical gateway. The story is told in her voice; her story is both a voyage of discovery and a celebration of the commonplace wonders that define childhood.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with a magical gateway through a common household window, I would have the kids write a short story explaining how they would escape into their magical world. Whether it be transporting by going under the bed or a variety of other common household places, I would encourage the kids to think outside the box when finding their place of escape.

The House In The Night

Title: The House In The Night (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Susan Marie Swanson
Illustrator: Beth Krommes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Year Published: 2008
Format: Hard Cover
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Assisted Reader
Reading Interest Level: Pre-School-Elementary School
Topics: Light, and what “things” make up a home.
Summary: This bedtime book is mainly using the depiction of white and black illustrations with bright yellow coloring to certain objects to depict what a home is made of and what young children find “comforting” in a home.
Extension Activity: Since this book deals with simply black, white, and yellow, I would have the students draw their bedroom at night only making one object yellow that they find helps them sleep better, or one thing that they “comforts” them during the night time.