Lucky Duckling

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Eva Moore/ Nancy Carpenter

PUBLISHER: Orchard Books         PUBLICATION DATE:2013
GENRE: Biography      READING LEVEL:  2^nd  
BRIEF OVERVIEW: A true story of a mother duck that lost here baby’s and then got them back with the help of the fireman.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Write storys about what could have happed to change the story.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Jacob Bishoff Valdosta State University

Pecan Pie Baby

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Jacqueline Woodson/ Sophie Blackall

PUBLISHER: G. P. Putnam’s Sons 
PUBLICATION DATE:2010

GENRE: contemporary          READING LEVEL:  5^th

BRIEF OVERVIEW: A little girl’s view of having a new born in the house. She is not very happy about it but her mother helps her through it with by making connections of things they both will like.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Write storys about what makes them diffrint from everyone else in their family.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Jacob Bishoff Valdosta State University
AWARDS: Newberry Honor

I Like Myself!

TITLE:  I Like Myself!

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Karen Beaumont/ David Catrow

PUBLISHER: Harcourt          PUBLICATION DATE:2005 

GENRE: fiction           READING LEVEL:  5^th

BRIEF OVERVIEW: The main character goes through her life in a day and does not really care what every thinks about her because she loves herself just the way she is.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Write stories about what makes them different from everyone else.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Jacob Bishoff Valdosta State University

Brown Paper Teddy Bear

TITLE:  Brown Paper Teddy Bear

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Catherine Allison/ Neil Reed

PUBLISHER: Fernleigh Books        PUBLICATION DATE: 2004 GENRE: speculative fiction   READING LEVEL:  3^rd

BRIEF OVERVIEW: A magical box comes into a little girls’ room in the middle of the night with a talking teddy bear. The teddy bear takes her to a place where toys talk then brings her back to her grandfather.  

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Write stories about their stuffed animals if they could talk what would they say.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Jacob Bishoff Valdosta State University

The Giving Tree

TITLE: The Giving Tree
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Shel Silverstein
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 1964
GENRE: Fiction Picture Book READING LEVEL: 1-8 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: As the giving tree, she gives and gives. The tree gives the young boy apples, she gives the young adult boy all her wood for a house, she then gives the old man, as he comes back to commiserate, a seat to sit on, and they talk and reminisce.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: List as many items as possible that are made of wood.
Another activity would be to circle the items on the activity page that are made from wood.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

The Raft

TITLE: The Raft
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Jim LaMarche
PUBLISHER: Harper Collins
PUBLICATION DATE: May 28, 2002
GENRE: Narrative Verse READING LEVEL: 4-8 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: A boy must spend the summer with his grandma in the woods. After a while he finds a raft near the water. His experience opens wide. He discovers new animals, birds and fish.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: After reading The Raft and using popsicle sticks, create a raft for Nicky to travel down the river. Also paint birds and other animals on the raft that you have seen in the book and in the wild.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes

TITLE: Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes
AUTHOR: Eleanor Coerr ILLUSTRATOR: Ronald Himler
PUBLISHER: Puffin Books     
PUBLICATION DATE: 1999
GENRE: Historical Fiction READING LEVEL: 8 years and older
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Sadako lived during the WWII nuclear bombing of Japan. She eventually developed leukemia. If she can make 1,000 origami cranes her wish can come true and she can get well. Family and friends enlist to help her on her journey.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have students create origami animals and cranes. After reading the book write about the significance of the crane in Asian culture.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

TITLE: Mercy Watson to the Rescue
AUTHOR: Kate DiCamillo
ILLUSTRATOR: Chris Van Dusen
PUBLISHER: Candlewick
PUBLICATION DATE: August 23, 2005
GENRE: Children Picture Book READING LEVEL: 6-9 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Mercy, the pet pig, is afraid of the dark and snuggles in the couples’ bed and it crashes through the floor. Mercy runs away to seek help.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Read the book to the class and list: who were the best options to help Mercy’s parents out of their predicament, .e.g. firefighters, ambulance, police, etc.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Snowmen at Night

AUTHOR: Caralyn Buehner
ILLUSTRATOR: Mark Buehner
PUBLISHER: Dial
PUBLICATION DATE: September 23, 2002
GENRE: Realistic Fiction READING LEVEL: 3 years and older
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Why do snowmen look so melted overnight? They come to life after dark. They play games with other snowmen all night. They get exhausted, hot and melt a little, hence the dumpy look in the morning.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Water exists as a gas, a solid and also a liquid. Explain how water vapor can turn into snow, hail, rain, or sleet.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Wonder

AUTHOR: R.J. Palacio        
AWARDS: Carnegie Medal in Literature Nominee (2013), The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Medalist (2013), NAIBA Book of the Year for Middle Readers (2012), Waterstone’s Children's Book Prize (2013)
PUBLICATION DATE: February 14, 2012
GENRE: Realistic Fiction READING LEVEL: 8-12 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: An intelligent, clever young boy, Auggy, is about to enter an actual school (5th grade) for the first time. He has two very rare facial deformities, making him a scientific “wonder”. He must adjust to life in school.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have 4 kids act out a scene where the children show August around the school for the first time. How each child overcame their fear of a peculiar student, who looks very different from themselves, in their own way.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Cinderlily: A Floral Fairytale

TITLE: Cinderlily: A Floral Fairytale
AUTHOR: Christine Tagg
ILLUSTRATOR: David Ellwand
PUBLISHER: Candlewick
PUBLICATION DATE: October 13, 2003
GENRE: Fiction Picture Book READING LEVEL: 4-8 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: The story of Cinderella told through a variety of beautiful lilies
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have a variety of large flowers e.g. lilies, iris, etc. Dissect them and show the different parts, e.g. stamen, stigma, etc.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

Snowy Day

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Ezra Jack Keats
PUBLISHER: Puffin
AWARDS: Caldecott Medal (1963)
PUBLICATION DATE: October 28th 1976
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
READING LEVEL: 4 years and older
BRIEF OVERVIEW: A story as told through the eyes of an innocent child. He wakes up to a blanket of snow. The only marks in the snow are his footprints and his snow angels.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have the students fold a square piece of paper in half twice. Then cut out snowflakes. Hang the flakes from the ceiling or in the hall.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

A World of Food

TITLE: A World of Food: Discover Magical Lands Made of Things You Can Eat!
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Carl Warner
PUBLISHER: Harry N. Abrams
AWARDS: Honors winner: 2012 National Parenting Publications Book Awards
PUBLICATION DATE: May 1, 2012
GENRE: Fiction Picture Book READING LEVEL: 4-8 years old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Carl Warner creates wonderful worlds by arranging edible food into magical lands. Each page is a single color featuring vast arrays of different food sharing the same color. Ingredients for each page are explained in the back of the book.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Introduce individual food items (e.g. couscous, beans, etc.) and where in the world they are harvested. Different cultures value different food items, usually based on continental climate.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

The Hunter: A Chinese Folktale

TITLE: The Hunter: A Chinese Folktale
AUTHOR: Mary Casanova
ILLUSTRATOR: Ed Young
PUBLISHER: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2000
GENRE: Cultural/Chinese READING LEVEL: 5-8 yrs old
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Hai Li Bu, a hunter, saves a snake from a crane with a shot of an arrow. The snake’s father, a king, rewards Hai with the ability to hear animals talk. The king heeded a warning: If Hai Li Bu tells anybody about his ability Hai will turn to stone. The Hunter heard from the animals that a storm was coming and would flood the village. Nobody would believe Hai and refused to shelter on higher ground. Hai had to explain his circumstance and hence turned to stone. The villagers were astonished that Hai Li Bu would sacrifice himself to save the village and the villagers escaped certain death.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Make a Chinese snake using 1” wide by 3” long colored papers. Make circles, interlink and staple to make interlinked chain. Paint a snake face on the front link.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Robert Emond, Valdosta State University

A Ball for Daisy

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Chris Raschka

PUBLISHER:  Schwartz & Wade             

 PUBLICATION DATE: May 10, 2011 

AWARDS: Caldecott Medal

GENRE:  Juvenile Fiction             

READING LEVEL: Ages 3-7

BRIEF OVERVIEW: In this wordless picture book, Daisy the dog has a new ball. While she is playing with it the ball goes flat. She is sad and has to go home. When she comes back to the park the next day another dog has a ball and shares with her.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:Show students the pictures to this wordless picture book. Have the students tell what they think happened in the story.  Have the students individually write their own story from the pictures in the book, A Ball for Daisy. For the students who want, have them share their story to the class while flipping the pages of A Ball for Daisy along with their words. 

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Shayla Samaras Valdosta State University

Memoirs of a Goldfish

AUTHOR: Devin Scillian

ILLUSTRATOR: Tim Bowers

PUBLISHER:Sleeping Bear Press

PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2010

GENRE: Fiction  

READING LEVEL: Ages 5-8

BRIEF OVERVIEW:A goldfish tells the audience about his life in his small bowl. Each day something new is added until it is overcrowded. When the goldfish becomes angry he is finally put in his own bowl again. However, he realizes he misses the chaos. In the end he is reunited with his tank and a new friend who is just like him.  

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:   Read the book to the class. Discuss the addition of new fish each day to the bowl. Have the students get in front of the class and show the addition of fish to the bowl by having each student move to a spot in the classroom that is “the bowl”. As you are doing this discuss the adding of the fish, “We have two fish in the bowl and then we add one more. How many do we have?”Then have students try it on their own at their desks.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Shayla Samaras Valdosta State University

A Friendship for Today

TITLE: A Friendship for Today

AUTHOR: Patricia C. McKissack

PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 2007

GENRE: Historical fiction

READING LEVEL: 3rd grade - 5th grade 

BRIEF OVERVIEW: First African American student at an all-white school

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Student will watch the Disney movie, Color of Friendship, and compare the scenarios of the book to the movie

REVIEWER'S NAME AND AFFILIATION: Kandyce Mahone - Valdosta State University