The Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

The Leaf Man, written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (published in 2005). Picture Book.  310L  RL2.3  When leaves are falling, it is possible to use your imagination to see many different creatures from the forest hidden in the leaves before the wind blows it all away.

Booklist starred (June 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 19))

PreS-Gr. 2. Ehlert's imaginative way with picture books in general and those of the natural world in particular continues with this eye-popping book that follows one bold maple leaf with acorn eyes as the wind blows it here and there. In a brief author's note, Ehlert describes how she picks up leaves wherever she goes. She uses them--gathered from oaks, hawthorns, elms, beeches, and more--to great affect here, cleverly shaping them into the many animals and objects the leaf flies over: chickens, fruits and vegetables and lakes, fish, and rivers. Hints of whimsy are cleverly incorporated in the figures (the tips of a maple leaf form a cow's udder), and scalloped edgings on the tops of the pages, cut at varying heights, artfully give the effect of setting the action against a three-dimensional landscape. There is no real story here, but the book can easily translate into a guessing game, as young eyes pick out the slightly camouflaged shapes. The bright colors and distinctive shapes will make it a pleasure for children to do just that.

When I read this book to first or second graders, they are very engaged with trying to seek out all the different hidden animals within the illustrations in this book.  It is a great opportunity for children to also make text connections while you read.  I always hear great stories about preserving leaves from children or searching for the most colorful leaves while playing outside.  One of the things I love to do is to supply the students with a fall colored piece of construction paper, an assortment of artificial leaves, and a glue stick. Then I have the students create their own version of either the Leaf Man or any other woodland creature they choose.  

Posted by Margo Irving

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (published in 2016). 276 pages. 550L. R.L 3.7. Grades 4-7. This book is perfect for readers to empathize with kids who feel different and left out at school whether it is from a disability, a bully, or just not fitting in.


                                                                   

Booklist starred (December 15, 2014 (Vol. 111, No. 8))

Grades 4-7. Ally doesn’t fit in. She draws beautifully and can create movies in her mind, but she is often bullied and hides the fact that she cannot read. Now in her seventh school, she plans to pull the wool over the eyes of her sixth-grade teacher, as she has done with many other teachers in the past. But Mr. Daniels is different. He believes in Ally, insisting she is smart, and it’s almost enough to make her want to try his different way of learning. Could she actually, possibly learn to read? Filled with a delightful range of quirky characters and told with tons of heart, the story also explores themes of family, friendship, and courage in its many forms. And while a girl with dyslexia may be the center of the book, it has something to offer for a wide-ranging audience, making this an excellent class read-aloud. A hopeful and meaningful choice for those who struggle academically, this is as unique as its heroine.

Every class has its kids who feel left out for one reason or another. Worse yet, every class has those kids who leave others out or just enjoy teasing kids to make themselves feel better. This beautifully written book gripped my fourth graders from the very first time Ally was ostracized by a group of girls in her class. My fourth graders railed against the mean kids' behavior. They cheered for Ally as she found friends who accepted her. It was an authentic opportunity for us to discuss how bullying affects others and how to overcome it when it happens. I will read this every year because of its powerful message on being bullied and rising above it. An extra bonus, teachers, is that it reminds US that not all teachers take the time and patience to find the "good" in kids. 

Posted by Liz Stafford  

The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino

The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino and illustrated by Benny Andrews (published in 2001). Picture Book.  700L. R.L. 3.9. A boy discovers his special gifts in this story that tickles all your senses, especially your heart.

Booklist (March 1, 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 13))

Ages 4-8. Louis was born blind but Gran tells him, "You're my favorite youngest grandchild"and comforts and reassures him, "You got blind sight."Sure enough, when the grandchildren play hide-and-seek, Louis can "almost always sniff everyone out."And when Gran dies, it is Louis who finds the notes that she has hidden that tell each family member what she has left for him or her. Everyone except Louis gets a note. It's a heartbreaking moment, but children will find a reassuring surprise waiting for them at the end of the story, which is eloquent in its simplicity and elegant in its use of images to convey the sounds, smells, and tactile sensations of Louis'sightless world. Paper crackles "like hickory limbs in the wind,"and Gran smells of lilacs "with a whiff of bleach."Perfectly complementing the rich texture of these words are artist Andrews'beautifully colored, warmly tactile oil and fabric collages.

This is a story filled with love.  You feel it as you read it aloud to your students and your students feel it too. It can lead to wonderful discussions on how people show their love.  It's the perfect story for generating ideas, and it can easily become a mentor text for students writing personal narratives.  The hickory chair in the story becomes a symbol of love which is the perfect opportunity to get students to identify symbols in their own lives.

Posted by Kellie Hale

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and illlustrated by Eric Fan (Published in 2016).  Picture Book.  390L.  R.L. 3.2.  Grimlock Lane is a street with no interest, color, or joy.  This is a story about how just one person can change the outlook of many people.

Booklist (January 1, 2016 (Vol. 112, No. 9))

Grades K-3. Life on Grimloch Lane is, well, pretty grim until the morning William awakens in his home at the Grimloch Orphanage to discover that something marvelous has happened overnight: through topiary art, the tree on the street has been transformed into a giant owl! And that’s just the beginning. Each morning thereafter, a new topiary work appears: first, a cat, then a rabbit, then a parakeet, and finally the most magnificent masterpiece yet appears: a majestic griffin. Who is responsible for these marvels? That night, as William is about to head home, he spots a stranger and follows him. Could it be? Yes, it is the Night Gardener, and he asks William to help him. The next morning, the gardener is gone, but he has left William a life-changing gift. Though not quite life-changing itself, the Fan brothers’ quiet story is nevertheless invested with an element of agreeable magic which is underscored by their use of muted colors to evoke the mysteries of the night. It is a pleasing collaboration with art bound to both haunt and delight.

As students listen and carefully watch the illustrations in this book, they become very much aware of the subtle changes happening on Grimloch Lane.   The opportunities this book brings for predicting, text to self, and text to text comparisons can be very enriching.  Children love to see just what changes will occur during the night and what they might be able to find the next morning.  Just as one child in the story is moved and affected by the actions of the "Night Gardener," students in my class were also intrigued by this picture book.

Posted by Margo Irving

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements

A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements. (published 2002). 190 pages. 820L. R.L. 5.3. Grades 4-6.  The power in this realistic, adventure story is that students can relate to the feeling of lack of control experienced by the main character, Mark, and learn from him as he seeks to change those things that are within this control to make his life better. 

Kirkus Reviews (August 1, 2002)

Playing on his customary theme that children have more on the ball than adults give them credit for, Clements (Big Al and Shrimpy, p. 951, etc.) pairs a smart, unhappy, rich kid and a small-town teacher too quick to judge on appearances. Knowing that he'll only be finishing up the term at the local public school near his new country home before hieing off to an exclusive academy, Mark makes no special effort to fit in, just sitting in class and staring moodily out the window. This rubs veteran science teacher Bill Maxwell the wrong way, big time, so that even after Mark realizes that he's being a snot and tries to make amends, all he gets from Mr. Maxwell is the cold shoulder. Matters come to a head during a long-anticipated class camping trip; after Maxwell catches Mark with a forbidden knife (a camp mate's, as it turns out) and lowers the boom, Mark storms off into the woods. Unaware that Mark is a well-prepared, enthusiastic (if inexperienced) hiker, Maxwell follows carelessly, sure that the "slacker" will be waiting for rescue around the next bend-and breaks his ankle running down a slope. Reconciliation ensues once he hobbles painfully into Mark's neatly organized camp, and the two make their way back together. This might have some appeal to fans of Gary Paulsen's or Will Hobbs's more catastrophic survival tales, but because Clements pauses to explain-at length-everyone's history, motives, feelings, and mindset, it reads more like a scenario (albeit an empowering one, at least for children) than a story. Worthy-but just as Maxwell underestimates his new student, so too does Clement underestimate his readers' ability to figure out for themselves what's going on in each character's life and head. (Fiction. 10-12)

With so many good read aloud options, it is sometimes hard to choose.  My fifth graders always enjoy A Week in the Woods.  For me, it fits one of the most important qualities for a good read aloud.  It is less than 200 pages which means it won't take me the whole semester to read it.  Perhaps most importantly the character is a fifth grader which I find helps my students connect to the characters. I also appreciate that like most Clements books, the main character is a boy. I don't often find this to be the case.  At our school, like many schools in Colorado, the fifth grade is the year where students go up into the mountains for outdoor education to spend a few nights.  

Timmy Failure - Mistakes Were made by Stephan Pastis

Timmy Failure  - Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis. (published 2013). 294 pages. RL 3.8. Grades 3-6. This lighthearted tale is of a boy who humorously attempts to solve cases as a detective without paying a great deal of attention to details all around him.

                                             

Booklist (December 15, 2013 (Online))

Grades 4-7. Eleven-year-old Timmy Failure would have you believe that he is the best detective in town, destined to head a multibillion-dollar agency. But he is no Encyclopedia Brown. The fact that his partner is an imaginary 1,200-pound polar bear named Total—hence the agency’s moniker “Total Failure”—is an indication of Timmy’s rich inner life. In reality, Timmy is bored at school by teachers who don’t get him and is in a whole heap of trouble for using his mother’s Segway, which was then stolen. Cartoonist Pastis’ book is in the same vein as Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), but his brand of humor is less slapstick and much darker. Timmy’s delusional self-confidence seems almost pathetic at times, as the reader realizes that he is very socially inept. Fortunately for Timmy, there are some adults in his life who really do care for him, and with the right balance of indulgence and firmness, they keep him on track. Younger readers attracted by the cartoons might not connect with Timmy’s offbeat humor, but older readers should be simultaneously amused and touched by this quirky antihero. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This may be Pastis’ first book for young people, but he is a New York Times best-selling adult author. Impressive promotional plans include an author tour, promotional items, and extensive consumer advertising.

This book has sparked lots of lively conversation in my class about how Timmy is missing the obvious again and again in the story. Consequently, my students are looking at their own behaviors and how sometimes if they stop and think, they can make better or deeper connections as they begin their 4th grade year. Coupled with this collective feeling of knowing more than the main character, and even feeling sorry for him that he can't make connections, this story has many cartoon illustrations that delight my new 4th graders. I decided to present the book on the document camera as I read aloud so kids can easily see the pictures as I read. So far, it has been a real hit to start off the year with this humorous book. Many students have been intrigued that it is part of a series, so they've chosen others to read on their own.

Posted by Liz Stafford

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis (published 2012). Picture book. 570L, RL 3.1.  This a story about the importance of not missing the opportunity to show kindness.

Booklist starred (August 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 22))

Grades K-3. Starting with the title, this quiet, intense picture book is about the small actions that can haunt. As in collaborations such as Coming on Home Soon (2004), Woodson’s spare, eloquent free verse and Lewis’ beautiful, spacious watercolor paintings tell a story for young kids that will touch all ages. In a first-person voice, Chloe speaks about how a new girl in class, Maya, gets the empty seat next to her and tries to be friends. But Chloe and her clique will have none of the poor white kid in her old ragged clothes, and their meanness intensifies after Maya asks to play with them. Then Maya’s family moves away, and she is “forever gone,” leaving Chloe without the chance to put things right. Chloe’s teacher spells out lessons of kindness, but the story is most powerful in the scenes of malicious bullying in the multiracial classroom and in the school yard. It is rare to tell a story of cruelty from the bully’s viewpoint, and both the words and pictures powerfully evoke Chloe’s shame and sorrow over the kindness she has not shown, as she looks at the empty seat next to her in the classroom, and then, alone and troubled, throws a stone in the water and watches the ripples move out and away. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The combined talents and star power of Woodson and Lewis will undoubtably create plenty of pre-pub. buzz.

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Along with many teachers at my elementary school, I like to start each new school year by sharing this book.  It is one of those books that touches students of all ages.  Students can relate to both Maya, whose attempts at friendship are not received by her peers, and Chloe, who struggles with her actions toward the new student who is a little different than she and her friends.  It is one of those books that helps create a classroom culture on how we will and will not treat each other through a shared experience discussing this book.  In addition to this powerful story, I also like to share The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig.

Posted by Kellie Hale