FIRST THE EGG by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - 2008 Notable Book for Children

2008 Notable Book for Children, 2008 Caldecott Honor book, 2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book - all of these awards tell you that this is a quality picture book. FIRST THE EGG by Laura Vaccaro Seeger teaches several lessons. It teaches transition words first and then. It shows the progression from a subject's beginning, middle, and end result. For example, an egg, to a chick, then a chicken OR a seed, to a seedling, then a flower. But Laura Vaccaro Seeger does not end there. She then shows the progression from a letter, to a word, to a sentence, then a story. This author/illustrator also makes this book fun because as each progression occurs, she has the first item be a cutout of the ending of the progression.

The students will love seeing the progression of the growth of each subject. The teachers will appreciate the ability to use this book to teach transition words. The art teacher will utilize the cut-outs to show the students the use of cut-outs artwork. This book's opportunities to touch students with learning moments will make it a problem to keep on the shelves! What a problem to have!!

JAZZ BABY by Lisa Wheeler - 2008 Notable Book for Children

Rhythm, repetition, and beat make this a fun read aloud picture book. In JAZZ BABY by Lisa Wheeler, the baby becomes absorbed in the rhythm and beat of jazz music playing. The baby reacts enthusiastically to all the different types of rhythm and beat that the reader can almost visualize in the wonderful illustrations. Father, mother, brother, sister, uncles, aunts, and neighbors all have a different way of responding to the beat with a repetitious response by baby of, "Go, man, go!"

This would be great to give different students cards with the different rhythms and beats to see how they respond when it comes to their turn in the book. Sadly children think math ends in math class, science ends in science (as evidenced by their performance on TAKS tests) and don't see the interrelation of these subjects. Music does always get the focus it should and carry over into other subjects, but this book allows the opportunity to bring music in another way to the library. This book is also a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book.

KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY by Mo Willems - 2008 Notable Book for Children

Mo Willems once again has produced an award winning book. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY carries on where the first book KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE ends. Trixie believes she has a one-of-a-kind knuffle bunny and can't wait to share it for show-and-tell at school. But upon arrival in the classroom, she discovers Sonja has an almost identical knuffle bunny. The children argue over how to say the bunnies' names and continue to fuss over them, so the teacher takes the bunnies away until the end of the school day. It is not until 2:30 in the morning that Trixie realizes that she has the WRONG knuffle bunny. Being loving dads, both fathers (Sonja realized about the same time that she had the wrong bunny too.) agree to meet and exchange bunnies. This event ends up making the girls become close friends.

I love the way Mo Willems uses real photographs and graphics to create this book. I especially love it because I saw several of the places in the photos or places similar to them when I was in New York last summer for the work/study class. The opportunity to hear Lisa Von Drasek read this book to us when we visited her (she had an advanced copy to review) even made this book all the more special. Students love the story plot and the way illustrations are done. This book is not just a Notable Book. It also is a Caldecott Honor book. It is a wonderful read aloud with opportunities to create discussion about accepting and sharing items in life without jealousy.

NIC BISHOP SPIDERS by Nic Bishop - 2008 Notable Book for Children

NIC BISHOP SPIDERS is not only a 2008 Notable Book for Children. It is also a Sibert Information Honor book. Nic Bishop takes the reader through a detailed explanation of: different types of spiders, explains each of the spider's two main parts in detail, how they hunt and kill their prey, how they live, how they mate, and care for their babies. The LARGE detailed photographs make the spiders "come alive" for the reader, particularly with the easy reading details about them. The is a large double overleaf in the book where Nic Bishop took laser beam photographs in succession to show the jumping spider's leap from one location to another. At the back of the book, the author explains how he became interested in spiders and how he studies and photographs them.

Since my younger students love reading nonfiction, I think this book will be great. Particularly this book will be good for students with a fear of spiders, as I must admit I had before reading this book. The details and photographs grab the readers attention, and the readability level of the book allows the students of different ages to read it. Nic Bishop puts a large font main idea sentence on each page and then smaller font (though still large) details to support that main idea. Teachers would love this book to support TAKS objective teaching.

KAMI AND THE YAKS by Andrea Stenn Stryer - 2008 Schneider Family Award book

KAMI AND THE YAKS by Andrea Stenn Stryer is a perfect award winner for the Schneider Family award. This award goes to a book that demonstrates artistically an understanding of the disability experience of a child or young adolescent. Kami demonstrates how deafness does not prevent a person from being wise and capable of doing anything that others could do with hearing.

Kami is the son and brother of Sherpa guides. When his father and brother, Norgay, go to find the yaks to lead an expedition up Everest, Kami feels they are looking in the wrong place for the yaks. Even though he can smell the lightning and feel the rumble of the thunder very close, Kami does not allow his deafness and fear of the storm to prevent him from finding the yaks. After searching all of their favorite spots in this storm environment, he finally finds the yaks. Sadly the smallest yak's leg is trapped between two large stones, and the other yaks will not leave him. Through pounding hail that almost prevents Kami from getting home safely in the perilous conditions the storm creates in this high mountain area, Kami reaches home to see his angry father. Through imitations and persistence, Kami gets his brother Norgay to realize he has found the yaks in trouble. Norgay and their father follow Kami to save the littlest yak and lead the yaks home. Kami proudly knows he has proven to his father that he is capable of doing great things beyond his deafness disability.

The author follows this story with an explanation of how Sherpas live and work in the Everest region of Nepal. The details Andrea Stenn Stryer shares about the Sherpas' lives will give the students an incite into a life they may never have the opportunity to experience.

This is a wonderful picture book read-aloud for my students. We have a student that is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. This book would help the students to see that this disability just makes him stronger in so many other ways. Just like the book FIREGIRL by Tony Abbott made an impact on all of the students in our school last year when a severely burned Kindergartner came to our school. Books have such a power to teach understanding and give opportunities to discuss feelings about different issues, particularly disabilities. Our school houses the Structured Learning and Community Base students for our side of the district, so the staff and I are always on the look out for good books to teach about disabilities.

THE CAT: OR HOW I LOST ETERNITY by Jutta Richter - the 2008 Batchelder Honor book

The Batchelder Award is for an outstanding children's book published in a foreign language and translated to English then published. THE CAT: OR, HOW I LOST ETERNITY by Jutta Richter won the award. I am assuming by the words used in the book, the language referred to, and the characters' names that this book was originally written in German.

Christine, a third grader, is always late to school. Christine obviously struggles in school, she can't count past thirty, and is always wondering about eternity. Christine stops to have in depth discussions with an old, white cat. The cat looks at the occurrences in the world in a bitter manner. The cat tells her eating mice will help her learn to count. Christine starts to feel pity for the lonely neighbor and a teased boy from class, but the cat hates the neighbor. When the cat "argues" with Christine about what she learned in religion class, Christine finally realizes the cat is not that wise and is cruel, and she starts to make her own decisions about what she believes is right and wrong.

Interesting book to read to the older students and build a discussion on why Christine abandons her friendship with the cat. It could also be a discussion starter for differences in people and accepting those differences, making a difference in the world. I believe the students would enjoy knowing that this book was originally written in German and compare the way it is written with writing of our authors.

THERE IS A BIRD ON YOUR HEAD! by Mo Willems - 2008 Geisel award

It is not surprising that Mo Willems would win the Geisel award for the most distinguished American book for beginning readers written in English. His books are a hit with young readers and THERE IS A BIRD ON YOUR HEAD! won the award this year. The repetition of language, large font, and simple story line makes it a fun and easy read for young readers.

Elephant finds a bird on his head and is not happy about it. His friend Piggie updates him on every change that is occurring on his head. It soon becomes two love birds building a nest with three eggs on his head. The chicks hatch, and Elephant does not want them on his head. He asks Piggie what he should do. Piggie recommends that he ask them to leave which they do. They move to Piggie's head!

What a cute book for young readers! The repetition, simple drawing, easy words, large font, and clear and simple story will make it easy for the readers and be fun at the same time.