The Pumpkin Elf Mystery

The unpredictable pumpkin elf has visited Freddy and his classmates. The visitor has been known to cause a stir every October in Mrs. Wushy's first grade classroom. He may leave tricks or treats, but he always leaves clues for the kids to solve.

A Bad Case of Stripes

Camilla Cream worries about what others think. Despite loving lima beans, she refuses to eat them since the other kids don't. She comes down with a bout of stripes, which gets worse by changing into polka dots, checkerboards, and more. The doctor, the specialists and the experts cannot fix but. Luckily, a kind old woman shows up and knows just what Camilla needs.

The Library

I was able to meet Sarah Stewart and David Small last spring when they were in Allen. I became an instant fan. The Library is a story about a woman who loved books more than anything in the world. She couldn't help but read them, buy then, and surround herself with them until the day there wasn't any room left for just one more story!

100 Hungry Ants

100 hungry ants head off to a picnic. Getting there in one single line isn't fast enough. so their leader decides to make two lines of fifty. It's definitely better than one line, but is there another solution. And so the division options go. A great introduction to "equal groups taken apart." Working with students with this Thinking Pattern the visual can be extended by an ant row manipulative found online.

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream

Amanda loves to count. She counts everything! Her teacher tries to show her how multiplying will allow her to count things faster, but Amanda isn't sold on the subject! That is, until she has an amazing dream that convinces her otherwise. Perfect for connecting addition to multiplication as well as introducing arrays.

The Absent Author

This was my first A-Z Mysteries book and I thought it was really good. The reading levels are right around the low threes and is a fun way to step into mysteries along with the Cam Jansen series. In this story, Dink and his friends plan to attend a book signing at the Book Nook. They are disappointed, but then concerned, when the guest of honor doesn't show up. He refers to a letter the author had sent him earlier stating only a kidnapping would stop her from visiting their town. The gang is determined to find out what happened.

For the Love of Autumn

An aspiring teacher earns a job in a school up in Washington state. She and her kitty relocate and love their life by the sea. Her students often ask her about being married and who her perfect mate would be. One stormy night, Autumn returns hurt but runs away leaving her owner a mess. She tries everything to find her. The rest of the story has several fun surprises that leave the reader quite happy. Great for making predictions.

Miss Daisy is Crazy

Miss Daisy is a crazy teacher. She doesn't know math, she can't spell or read, and seems to keep the kids wondering how on Earth she could really be a teacher. What AJ and his second grade friends don't realize, is that by teaching her, they are learning themselves. Great series for beginning chapter book readers or kids who hate reading.

The Borrowers

I tried it. I really did. I thought I'd love it. I hoped the kids would, but it was torture to read. The character's names, the English terms, and the flow of the words made it an unreadable read aloud for me. I'm glad the class voted to dump the book.

Pecos Bill

Some tall tales start off with a bang and fizzle out on the tall taleness of the story. I like Kellogg's version as it offers kids the challenge of sectioning off the kernels of truth within the story, but focusing on elements that quality it as a tall tale. Events like being pulled off his stagecoach by a giant trout, being raised by coyotes, wrestling out every drop of poison from a rattler then using it a s a lasso, lassoing a tornado, and more keep the kids more engaged than many tall tales out there.

Things that Comes in 2s, 3s, and 4s

A great introduction to multiples that should be read prior to rolling out multiplication. Goes with a great Marilyn Burns lesson in one of her multiplication teacher books. Students could create lists of their own depicting real life items that come in certain groups and begin to build questions based off of that information.

My Rows and Piles of Coins

I love this book. There are so many great lessons packed into it: math, character, selflessness, and budgeting. A young Tasmanian boy works for his mom at the market. She pays him for his hard work and tells him to go spend his money. He decides to save it so he can buy a bike to help his family. The coins are always stacked in 5s so students can practice skip counting. Those in 3rd grade on up can work on problem solving strategies as the calculate the arrays and piles of coins.

Money Madness

A great book that covers the origins of money, beginning with bartering and moving towards other forms of "cash" such as rocks and salt!! Great economics lesson. You could also incorporate cause and effect lessons as to the limitations that ultimately led to coins and bills.

The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster

As an official picky eater and lover of oatmeal, I found this book flat. This Bluebonnet nominee for the 2010 calendar year is fine, but not one to search for. The story's main character, Katherina-Elizabeth disliked the oatmeal her family ordered for her while on a transoceanic trip. The tiny worm who ate that oatmeal managed to grow and grow from the oatmeal and other meals purged by children all over. He finally settles into Loch Ness as the rumored "Nessie."

The author does close with a note to the reader explaining this was a story she had heard as a child and other nuggets concerning its creation.

Aunt Chip and the Triple Creek Dam Affair

Aunt Chip seems to be the town kook. The whole town has gone nuts for television and they closed the library. She warns the town there will be consequences, and in protest, she decides she will never get out of bed again. Inspired by her nephew Eli who does not know how to read, she teaches him this skills and in turn learns how books are used now - as tables, furniture, and as a dam!

7x9=Trouble

The perfect chapter book for children getting frustrated learning their multiplication facts! Wilson has to pass his speed quizzes for each number, from 1-12 for math class. He works hard, has the support of his family, but can't help getting frustrated when his kindergartner brother, Kipper, can do it better than him!

Dear Peter Rabbit

This book cleverly mixes up characters from fairy tales and has them communicate through letter writing. The three pigs, Goldilocks, Peter Rabbit, and Little Red Riding Hood all try to get together for a housewarming, but that darn wolf keeps wrecking the houses. The sequel is Your truly, Goldilocks. The intermingling of fairy tales isn't as fun, but it does cover the after events from the party.

Emma's Turtle

Emma enjoys reading stories about exotic lands to her turtle. The turtle daydreams about visiting exciting lands, like India. Inspired, the turtle digs a hole under its gate and escapes into the real world. Just how far will it get?

Boo!

Preston Pig has a blast terrorizing his neighborhood by sneaking up and screaming BOO! It is all fun, until his dad shows up. Then it gets better!!

Pee Wee Scouts: Cookies and Crutches

This is the first of The Pee Wee Scouts series. We are introduced to the boy and girl scout troop as they are working for the cookie baking badges. It sounds kind of simple, but without the help of adults, some kids are having quite a time of it. The crutches part comes from the skating party they have to celebrate their cooking acheivements!

The Meanest Doll in the World

Annabelle and Tiffany are doll that come to life and are on a new adventure in the sequel to The Doll People. While returning from an adventure in the attic, they hide in Nora's backpack and end up going to school. Their curiosity leads them to exploring the building and on a new adventure they never planned on - resulting in returning to the wrong home. What's worse, is it is the home on Mean Mimi, the meanest doll in the world.

How Many Pumpkin Seeds in All?

Any book that sneaks in a math lesson and character lesson into a regular story wins points with me! Charlie is the smallest in his class it bothers him. During a pumpkin lesson in school, he and his classmates make predictions on how many seeds are inside various sized pumpkins. The students detail their counting strategies, and soon find the smallest pumpkin has the most seeds. Charlie realizes it is what's on the inside of a person that matters, not their size. Filled with good pumpkin facts, too!

The Web Files

In the spirit of the old TV show Dragnet, this book follows a ductective and his partner Bill as they solve a farmyard crime spree. Filled with alliteration and nursury rhyme references, the story interconnects many familiar tales from early childhood. Good for playful language lessons.

The Keeping Quilt

Patricia Polacco is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors! The Keeping Quilt tracks the life of a piece of cloth that moves from Russia to America. It originally was Anna's babushka, but over time, becomes a dress, a quilt, and ultimately so much more. I enjoy how Polacco takes one simple story from her childhood and catapults it into a book. She shows how knowing your subject is all it takes to be a successful writer.

Chicken Sunday

This story is great for character lessons. The children love Gramma Eula Mae. When they notice her longing for a beautiful Easter hat, they get together and hatch a plan to buy her the hat. Their plan is interupted when some naughty boys egg Mr. Kodinsky's hat store and the owner thinks the kids did it. Can they prove it wasn't them? Will they earn the money they need?