If Dogs Were Dinosaurs

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: David M. Schwartz/James Warhola
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Inc. PUBLICATION DATE: 2005
GENRE: Fiction PB READING LEVEL: 3rd Grade
BRIEF OVERVIEW: This book gives real examples of relative size. It makes learning about relative size fun and entertaining for children.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: My dog is a dinosaur: Give students a sheet of paper that has an ordinary dog on it. Then let the students paint on their dog and let them turn their dog into a dinosaur.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Hayley Morris, Valdosta State University ECSE
LABELS: Informational, Math, Animals

The Butterfly

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Anna Milbourne/ Cathy Shimmen
PUBLISHER: Usborne Publishing Ltd. PUBLICATION DATE: 2005
GENRE:Nonfiction/Informational picture book READING LEVEL:2nd Grade
BRIEF OVERVIEW: This book follows a little caterpillar through his life span. The little caterpillar munches through leaves until you see him turn into a beautiful butterfly.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Life cycle of a butterfly: Students will receive a sheet of paper that has four sections on it. The sections will include the egg, caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly. The students will be given four different types of pasta to put in the sections. The students will glue each pasta piece into the correct section and then they will have the life cycle of the butterfly made out of pasta.
REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Hayley Morris, Valdosta State University ECSE
LABELS: Informational, Insects, Life

Night-Time Numbers: A Scary Counting Book

 AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Susan L. Roth

PUBLISHER:  Barefoot Books                PUBLICATION DATE: 1999

GENRE: Nonfiction/Informational     READING LEVEL:  Kindergarten

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  This book is a counting book to ten. The story follows a spooky theme. The story uses scary numbers and objects. At the story’s end, the angels keep you safe and sound.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will count the number of objects seen upon the pages of the book, while reading. Students will be given a sheet with names of objects found within the book and will be asked to draw/color pictures of the objects.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Brittany Welch, Valdosta State University ECSE)

LABELS: Halloween, NonFiction, Informational, Children’s Book, Math

I'm a Big Brother

ILLUSTRATION JPEG: 

TITLE:  I’m a Big Brother

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Joanna Cole/Maxie Chambliss

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins PublishersPUBLICATION DATE: 2004

GENRE: Informational  READING LEVEL: 1^st  Grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW: The little boy is now a big brother. He informs the readers of what he does to help out with the new baby.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: The children use their number skills find out how many children in the class has siblings.After coming up with the number they find out the number of sisters or brothers the class has as a whole. The data is used to make a bar graph. REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: (Kia Hill, Valdosta State University ECSE)

LABELS: (only use 3-5 from the list that apply to your book).

Exclamation Mark

TITLE: Exclamation Mark

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Amy Krouse Rosenthal /Tom Litchenheld

PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press              PUBLICATION DATE: March 2013

GENRE: Nonfiction Informational PB                      

READING LEVEL:  2nd grade

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Punctuation marks help the exclamation point understand where he goes in sentences.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Have students get into groups and work on sentence structures by acting out the punctuation marks that belong at the ends of each sentence. The group that finishes last does 5 jumping jacks all together. 

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: (Jasmine Rozier, Valdosta State University ECSE)

I am a living thing

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Bobbie Kalman & Crystal Sikkens
PUBLICATION DATE: 2008
GENRE: Nonfiction
BRIEF OVERVIEW: We are living things and we are made up of many things. Because we are living things, we need things to keep us living and to make sure that we stay that way.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students could make themselves a paper bag and fill it with pictures and words that we as living things need to keep living.
REVIEWER'S NAME & AFFILIATION: Sarah Bessenger, Valdosta State University

Fire Engines

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Marcia S. Freeman & Gail Saunders-Smith
PUBLICATION DATE: 1999
GENRE: Nonfiction
BRIEF OVERVIEW: Fire engines are big trucks that fire fighters drive around when there is a fire that they have to handle, The engines have a lot of equipment on them which is explained in the book.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students could take a blank copy of a fire engine and label all the parts that were described in the book.
REVIEWER'S NAME & AFFILIATION: Sarah Bessenger, Valdosta State University

Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff
PUBLICATION DATE: 2009
GENRE: Nonfiction
BRIEF OVERVIEW: This book tells the true story about a dolphin that looses it's tail and the process of learning to swim again.
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Student's could read the book first then watch the movie that was made about Winter the dolphin.
REVIEWER'S NAME & AFFILIATION: Sarah Bessenger, Valdosta State University

The Underground Railroad

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:Ann Heinrichs

GENRE:Non Fiction/Informational     READING LEVEL: 4th-5th

BRIEF OVERVIEW:This is an informational book about the underground railroad and how Harriet Tubman helped in the process.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:Students will learn about the process of the underground railroad and the ability for slaves to escape as well as the hardships that slaves endured.

Reviewers Name and Affiliation: Kaele Johnson VSU Section C

A Young Dancer: Life of an Ailey Student

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Valerie Gladston and Jose Ivey

PUBLISHER:Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition   
PUBLICATION DATE     2009 

GENRE: Non-fiction informational picture book                            

READING LEVEL: Ages 9-13

BRIEF OVERVIEW: A Young Dancer: Life of an Ailey Student is a book about a young 13 year girl with multiple artistic talents and her journey as she prepares for a big performance.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will write a paper about what they plan on being when they get older.

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Briana Henderson Valdosta State University, Section A

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes.

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury

PUBLISHER: HMH Books for Young Readers; Brdbk edition  PUBLICATION DATE: August 23, 2010  

GENRE: Nonfictional Informational READING LEVEL:  3 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes is a story about babies who are born and they all have ten little fingers and ten little toes.  

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will learn to identify their body parts (i.e.: Hands, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, head, nose, etc…)

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Briana Henderson Valdosta State University, Section A

14 Cows in America

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Carmen Agra Deedy and Thomas Gonzalez

 PUBLISHER:  Peachtree Publishers           PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2009

GENRE: Nonfiction Informational       READING LEVEL: 7-8 years

BRIEF OVERVIEW: 14 Cows in America is a story about the people in Kenya and how they receive a gift from an American Diplomat.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:Students will point out the important events that takes place in the book as they read the story

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Briana Henderson Valdosta State University, Section A

Balarama: A Royal elephant

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Ted and Besty Lewin

PUBLISHER: Lee & Low Books; 1 edition  PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2009

GENRE: Nonfiction informational picture book

READING LEVEL: Ages 8 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:A Young Dancer: Life of an Ailey Student is a book about a young 13 year girl with multiple artistic talents and her journey as she prepares for a big performance.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY: Students will write a paper about what they plan on being when they get older

REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION: Briana Henderson Valdosta State University, Section A

Trains

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Seymour Simon

PUBLISHER:  Harper collins                       PUBLICATION DATE: 2004

GENRE:  NonFiction Informational Picture Book     READING LEVEL: 3rd-5th

BRIEF OVERVIEW:This book is about the life of Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics. The story depicts how he won four gold medals, then he returned back to racial prejudice when he came back to the United States.

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY:Have the kids do a diagram about trains. For example what they do, what they can carry and what sounds they make.

 REVIEWER’S NAME & AFFILIATION:Megan Fender, Valdosta State University,