The Blue Hill Meadows

The Blue Hill Meadows was written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Ellen Beier. The genre of the book is realistic fiction, chapter book. The book was published by Sandpiper in 2001. The book has not received any awards. The main characters of the book are the members of the Meadow family and the secondary characters are their dogs and the teacher. The theme of the book is family bonds.

This book contains four chapters. It walks through different seasons with the members of the Meadow family. The book really illustrates how the different members of the family relate to one another and enjoy spending their time. In the book, the Meadows welcome a new dog and then puppies to their family. They really enjoy adding new members, they even keep one puppy. The book also describes a yearly trip the father takes the boys on to go fishing. This chapter shows the bond between father and son. Before they return home they bring the other members a gift, which shows the appreciation they have for all members. Another chapter talks about the blizzard that came to Blue Hill. Willie was left at school and was taken home by his teacher. Then he family came and they sat together and rode out the blizzard.
I would include this book as part of my middle-upper elementary classroom. Both boys and girls could relate to the characters and the lives they lived. The book is a quick, enjoyable read. Many students could really get into this book and enjoy it.

The Lemonade Club

The Lemonade Club was written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. The genre of the book is realistic fiction. The theme of the book is to make the best of every situation. The primary and secondary characters of the book are Traci, Marilyn, and Ms. Wichelman. The book was published in 2007 by Penguin Group.

This book is about two girls, Traci and Marilyn, who are best friends in Ms. Wichelman's class. Ms. Wichelman always kept a bowl of lemons on her desk to remind students that when life gives you lemons, add water and sugar to make lemonade. Marilyn is an overweight girl. Once she begins to lose weight, she collapses in the garden with Traci. Traci is worried that this happened because Marilyn is teased so much by other kids at school. Once Marilyn goes to the doctor, she finds she has leukemia. Ms. Wichelman tells the other classmates that Marilyn is very sick and she will miss school for a few weeks. While Marilyn is fighting her cancer, Traci and their teacher often come to visit her at her home. Marilyn feels like no one else understands what she is going through. Ms. Wichelman says that she does understand and asks the two girls to be in her wedding and wear yellow dresses. When Marilyn is finally able to return to school, she has no hair because of her treatments. When she goes in she finds that her whole class is wearing hats because they too have shaved their heads, even the teacher. Traci, Marilyn, and Ms. Wichelman create the Lemonade Club. When everyone's hair begins to grow back, Ms. Wichelman remains bald. At a meeting with the Lemonade Club, the two friends discover that their teacher has has breast cancer and her hair will still not grow.  Ms. Wichelman is able to beat breast cancer and when she marries, Marilyn and Traci are there in the yellow dresses.


I would have this book in my class in case a student in our room becomes sick with cancer, or some other serious medical problem. When young children are able to relate, through books, with other children their age going through bad problems they are much more understanding. This book could also be used if a student came to me because they had a friend to family member dealing with a situation like this. Patricia Polacco's books are wonderful to have in case you need to help students relate with a serious problem

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly was written and illustrated by Simms Taback. It is a fictional picture book. The book was published by Viking Juvenile in 1997. The primary character was an Old Lady and the secondary characters were the animals she swallowed. The theme of the story is there are consequences to events. This book is a Caldecott award winner.

This book is a sequence book. The old lady in the book swallows various things, for no apparent purpose. The old lady finally swallows a horse which kills the old lady. This books offers a lot of rhymes for children.
I would use this as part of story time or at the end of the class day. Children would really love this book and think that it was halirious. The children could also get involved with the book because of the rhyming. This book could also be used while studying nouns because many nouns are mentioned throughout the book.

All You Need for a Snowman

All You Need for a Snowman was written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. The book is children's fictional picture book. The theme of the story is creativity and teamwork. The primary character is the snowman and the secondary characters are the children. The book has not received any awards. It was published by Harcourt Children's Books in 2002.

All You Need for a Snowman is about a group of children who begin to see snowflakes falling down, and more, and more. The decide to make a snowman. The story walks through the different steps the children take to prepare the snowballs and then add the eyes, nose, buttons, and so on to the snowman. Once the snowman is complete, the children see more snow falling. They decide to create another snowman to be a friend to the first snowman.
This is a really cute book. I would use this as part of the end of the fall semester. I would allow my students to do a fun craft with this book. As I read the book I would have children create their own snowman out of marshmellows and mm's. I would choose this book for this activity because it fits the season without celebrating a specific holiday.

Raindrop, Plop!

Raindrop, Plop was written by Wedny Cheyette Lewison and illustrated by Pam Paparone. It is children's fictional story book. The book was published in 2004 by Penguin Group. The primary character is a young girl. The theme of the book is to enjoy everything, even when it seems like you can't. The book has not received any awards.

The book is about a young girl who wants to play outside in the rain. She begins to count the raindrops. When it starts raining too much the girl goes back inside and counts objects around her house. The girl is able to have fun outside in the rain and inside her house.
I would use this book in an early elementary classrooms. Kindergarten students would enjoy this book because of the large illustrations and they could easily relate to the things the little girl does. Raindrop, plop would be a good way to teacher students about counting and numbers. They could see how the book counts different objects and then work together to count different items around the classroom. 

Pet Your Pet

Pet Your Pet was written by Dana Meachen Rau and illustrated by Jeffrey Scherer. This book is a children's picture book. It was published by Compass Point Books in 2002. The main character of the book is the pet. The theme of the book is loving and taking care of your pet. The book has not received any awards.

The book is about teaching children to pet their pets and show them love. The book is for young readers and tells them ways to love their pets. The book discusses different ways to love different pets.
I would use this book as part of an early elementary classroom library. Children would enjoy reading about how to love their pets and they could relate to the story very easily.  The book also offers rhyming and word similarities so this book would be a way for children to learn words they may not be very familiar with.

Martin's Big Words

Martin's Big Words was written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier. It was published by Hyperion Books for Children in 2009. It is a biography. The theme of the book is to stand up for what you believe in the most just way. The primary character is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The book is a Caldecott and Coretta Scott King award winner.

This book describes the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. This book talks about how segregation effected him when he was younger and what made him decide to make a change. The book walks through his childhood and the many important times that he really became aware that he was treated unfairly. The book describes how his mother and father encouraged him, through their love and the Christian love, to make a change without creating violence. The book also discusses the important events through the Civil Rights Movement and leads to Dr. King's death in 1968.
I would use this book as a part of our history lesson. This book is a good way for students to learn about the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. Because this book is written for their audience, the students would really learn more and have a better understanding of what really happened. The book discusses Dr. King's childhood which would allow the students to relate more to how Dr. King felt as a child going through this terrible time. This book would also offer students with ways to solve problems without creating anger and violence.