An ABC of Flowers by Jutta Hilpuesch

Each letter of the alphabet is represented with a corresponding photograph of a flower.  Amelie, a drawing of a small girl, plays on the flowers in creative ways.  The way Ms. Hilpuesch positions Amelie and what activities she has her perform on the flower/with the flower are very creative and clever.
Only the capital letters are shown.
I like flowers and am familiar with many species,  but I learned some new names (Billy Ball/Button, Laceleaf, Ulex)!
-Borrowed from the library.
Strategy: building schema

Mosque by David Macaulay

My eleven year old read this book to himself as we studied the beginnings and spreading of Islam. 
He struggled a bit comprehending it well since there were a lot of building and Islamic terms he did not have in his schema. 
Readers witness the steps in building a mosque and how carefully planned the construction was.  As always, Mr. Macaulay writes a thorough, technical piece,  which will enlighten and educate its readers. 
-Borrowed from the library.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech*

I read this novel in verse to my boys in the morning for our poetry reading.
Initially Jack does not like poetry and expresses his disdain for the genre to his teacher Miss Stretchberry.  The reader witnesses how his attitude towards poetry is transformed over the course of the story.  Gradually, the reader also learns about his dog Sky.
Poetry by actual people (like Robert Frost, Walter Dean Myers, Arnold Adoff, William Blake, Valerie Worth, and William Carlos Williams) is incorporated into the story as Jack learns how to write it.  Parts of the poems are included in the back.
*Highly recommend.
-I own this book.
My eight year old especially liked this book.
Strategy: connections, building schema for poetry, predicting

Lexie the Word Wrangler by Rebecca Van Slyke illustrated by Jessie Hartland*

Lexie rounds up letters on her ranch to form words and grows letters into bigger words.  It appears someone is messing with her formations so she sets out to capture them red-handed.  Can she turn a foe into a friend?
A great book to read to beginning readers to enforce how words are formed.
This book will develop the reader's ranch words schema.
-Borrowed from the library.
*Highly recommend.

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins

A hungry lion is with an assortment of animals and slowly they disappear.
The reader will predict what he/she thinks is happening to the animals but, many surprises await him/her!
-Borrowed from the library.
Strategies: predicting, schema, expanding vocabulary ("dwindling", "assortment")

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Deer tells Squirrel about snow.  Squirrel, hedgehog and bear are usually sleeping when it snows so they have no way of identifying it.  All they know is that it is white, wet, cold and soft.  So they wait.  Readers will giggle when they see the animals'  misinterpretations!
The animal expressions are funny.
-Borrowed from the library.
Strategy: schema

By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman*

What a fun read!
This title was highly recommended on a blog I read and on Amazon it had great reviews.
If you have boys (and girls) who like adventure, this book will satisfy.
Jack and his sisters live with his Aunt Arabella and the butler, Praiseworthy,  in Boston.   Arabella falls on hard times and her inheritance is almost depleted. The family home may have to be sold.  Jack has heard about men striking it rich in California so he runs away, hoping to save the family home.  He, however, does not travel the tumultuous seas alone . . .faithful Praiseworthy joins the adventure.
Each chapter is full of excitement and predicaments.  I loved anticipating how Praiseworthy would rescue them from impending disaster.
*We absolutely loved this book and highly, highly recommend it!
-We own this book.
Guided Reading Level: V (5th grade)
Grade Level Equivalent: 6.2
Strategies: inferring, predicting, asking questions, character traits, vocab. expansion (Gold Rush and ship terminology), schema building
Warning/point to discuss: tobacco use-especially cigars and chewing tobacco.

Who is Driving? by Leo Timmers*

I would love to share this book with toddlers/preschoolers!
A line of animals wearing outfits, each holding a key, is walking towards a vehicle.  By using the illustrations, the reader can try to guess who will be driving the specific vehicle.
The following page shows which animal is correct and the animal is driving the vehicle away.
A great book to build schema and to encourage observation and logical thinking.
Strategies: building schema, predicting
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Glow: Animals with Their Own Night-Lights by W. H. Beck*

What a cool book!
The photographs reveal amazing glowing animals.  The black background makes the bioluminescence attribute stand out even more.
Two different sized text make this book a multi-age one.
Ms.  Beck also draws individual pictures of each creature  and displays the illustrations in the back to reveal where they actually glow.  Some photos do not exhibit the bioluminescence well.
Strategy: schema building, vocab. expansion (bio, lumin)
-Borrowed from the library
*Highly recommend.

Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box by David McPhail*

**Highly, highly recommend.
I love Beatrix Potter and was thrilled to find at the library a simple biography that would appeal to young children.
Mr. McPhail is amazing!  He includes facts about Ms. Potter that children will find interesting, amusing and ones to which they can relate.  The book size is on the smaller size . . . upholding Ms. Potter's philosophy, "Little books for little hands.".
The watercolor and ink illustrations capture the English countryside.
A must read for Beatrix Potter fans.  Please share this biography with your little ones while reading tales of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and the others!(building schema)
Borrowed from the library.

The Dead Sea Scrolls by Ilene Cooper illustrated by John Thompson

From chapters about the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the controversy about who has the right to read them, this book covers a lot of topics concerning this amazing discovery.
My schema for this topic is limited so a children's book about it was a good start!
Borrowed from the library.

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick illustrated by Sophie Blackall*

"The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear"
Lindsay Mattick is the great-granddaughter of Captain Harry Colebourn.  Captain Colebourn saw a baby bear with a gentleman at a train station and buys the cub for $20.00.  He names the bear "Winniepeg", "Winnie" for short after his hometown.
Ms. Mattick shares the story of Winnie with her readers via telling the story to her son.  The reader needs to check for understanding throughout the story as the scene flips back and forth between the early 1900's to modern time.
*Highly recommend.
A unique photo album is included in the back with actual photographs and artifacts.
I love Ms. Blackall's illustration style.
Great for building schema about Winnie the Pooh's beginnings.

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett*

In this wordless book a girl spies a bicycle in a store front window.  She, however, does not have enough money to purchase it.  The reader witnesses her diligent effort to save for it.  Mr. Pett builds  a convincing case for her perseverance so when the time arrives for her purchase it, the readers will feel her agony when the bike is no longer available.
This story will pull on heartstrings.  I almost cried at the end when the girl reveals her unselfishness.
***Highly, highly recommend.
Lots of strategies can be utilized with this book: predicting, inferring, using schema, connections, main idea

I did not care for the palette of the book (mostly browns and whites) and am not sure why he choose such a blah color scheme.  Was it so the reader focuses on the story line and the message, and not be distracted by vivid colors?  I am not sure.
 His illustration style is not one I would be drawn to but the fact it was a wordless book made me request it from the library.
*Borrowed from the library.

The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle

The Nonsense Show begins with a hare pulling out a boy from a hat.  From this point on,  each page contains absurd, silly illustrations.  My boys enjoyed finding what was odd on each page.
I especially liked the last page which has synonyms for the words "nonsense/odd" in a speech bubble.
Mr. Carle usually writes for a younger audience but this book should be read to/by elementary age children to fully appreciate the humor and subtleties.
Rhyming text.
Strategies: schema, expanding vocabulary

Crenshaw by Katerine Applegate*

Jackson loves science and facts.  Jackson is logical.  In his world everything has a logical explanation.
Two areas in his life, however, he cannot resolve with facts and logic.

• Why did their family run out of money and have to live in their mini van for fourteen weeks when he was seven years old?
• Why did a huge cat show up during that time?  After researching, Jackson realized that Creshaw, the cat, was his imaginary friend.

Jackson is now going into fifth grade.  He is used to their apartment and being hungry most days.  The family is preparing for a yard sale to sell most of their possessions in order to pay for rent.  Then Crenshaw shows up again and will not leave Jackon's side.   Jackson is fearful that history will repeat itself.

I loved this book.  It revealed another side of homelessness and poverty stricken families that I had not really considered.
Ms. Applegate writes beautifully and develops Jackson as a character well.
Creative layout-Crenshaw's silhouette appears on various page edges throughout the book.  The main color on the book cover is purple which the reader will understand once the book is read.
*Highly recommend.
Borrowed from library.
Points to discuss/warnings: homelessness, lying The dad has MS.  Jackson shoplifts two times.
Text set (use to build schema and/or make Text to Text connections):

1. The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
2. Yard Sale by Eve Bunting
3. Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Four siblings are spending the summer along England's Lake District.  Their father, who is away at sea, gives them permission to camp out on an island.  When they land their boat, Swallow, on the island, they see signs that someone else has made a camp there.  Soon adventures begin as they encounter a surly man living in a houseboat and two rambunctious sisters (The Amazons) who declared war on them.
Full of adventure yet it took me awhile to read the book (older English).  I am not sure how readers in modern times would like the book?
Youngsters nowadays are clueless about playing in this imaginative manner and playing unsupervised.  I am curious how readers today would respond to this book.  Would they be able to relate to these children's imaginations and their ability and willingness to problem solve?
I really liked the mother -she played along with their imaginations and gave them enough space to play and take risks.

Strategies: check for understanding, schema (boating terms, pirates, 1930's England, Robinson Crusoe)

Winnie-The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss*

Ms. Walker shares the story of Winnie in such an interesting manner that my five year old did not protest that it was "nonfiction" (he is not a nonfiction fan!)!
Harry, an veterinarian for the army, is traveling on a train with his group when he spies a cub with a gentleman at a train station.  Discovering that the man had become a reluctant caretaker because he had shot the mother bear without realizing she had a cub, Harry offers to take the cub and raise it.  The reader hears about Winnie's life as military bear and her eventual residency at the London Zoo where Christopher Robin first encounters her.
Readers will fall in love with Winnie as prior generations had.   Very effective writing.
Mr. Voss' playful, expressive illustrations also disguise the fact this book is nonfiction.
End pages contain photographs of Winnie, Harry, A.A Milne and Christopher Robin.
*Highly recommend!
Strategy: connections (T-T -Winnie the Pooh books), schema building

Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins

When Jed, the squirrel, is snatched by a hawk, his two friends TsTs and Chai travel the buzzpath (power lines) to where TsTs saw him drop from the hawk's clutches.  As they journey together, they discover something more menacing that is quickly approaching their community along the buzzpath.

Very humorous!  Great word choice and lots of figurative language. Cute funny illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
Was a bit preachy about cutting down trees (why I do not highly recommend it-otherwise it is a fun book with the opportunity to expand readers' vocabulary and thinking while reading.).
Told from the squirrel's point of view so reader must use his/her schema and infer what the squirrels mean.

Strategies: inferring, schema, check for understanding/monitor reading(one group of squirrels has an unique dialect, the point of view switches at different chapters)

Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier*

I loved this sweet story of misconceptions.
Bear wakes up from hibernation in search for honey.  But his fear of bees causes him to panic and then make a great discovery.
A perfect book to discuss schema (lack of it).
Great for beginning readers.
*Highly recommend.
I did not like Mr. Ruzzier's second book about these two characters as much as this one,

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach*

A long explanation is shared how a bear ate someone's sandwich.  A surprise narrator is revealed at the end, so no peeking ahead.
Perfect for when modeling schema-when the bear enters the city, he uses his schema from the forest to make sense of the city.
I loved the end pages in the front-all different types of sandwiches-made me very hungry!!
*Highly recommend.