I Love That Book! Mrs. Gibbs' Awesome Book Blog for Children

 90. We are the Gardeners, by Joanna Gaines Gaines, J. (2019).  We are the gardeners.  Nashville, TN: Tommy Nelson.  This book is about the Gaines family from the hit TV show Fixer Upper and how their love for gardening got started.  It started with the first little fern Chip bought for Jo.  The children cared for it and it ended up dying.  Instead of giving up, they went to the library and did research.  With the second fern, thy used their newfound knowledge and it flushed.  They began to collect more plants.  In time the family decided to take their gardening outside.  They learned the basic steps and process of starting a garden and came up with a plan and created a garden with foods they loved and beautiful flowers.  There were some setbacks, but the children learned the importance of patience and how it is possible to learn from your mistakes. Trying something new isn't always easy, but the hardest work often yields the...

 89. The Snowy Nap, by Jan Brett Brett, J. (2018).  The snowy nap . NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.   The story is about Hedgie a curious hedgehog.  He is getting sleepier and sleepier as winter approaches. As he scampers off to bed the farm animals insist on sharing him with stories of snow and ice and all the things he’s going to miss as he sleeps. Hedgie decides to stay awake one more night. He curls up in front of the farmhouse. It's freezing outside and he's not in his snug burrow, so Lisa, the farmer’s daughter, brings him into her warm house. Hedgie is able to experience a few days of a glorious winter.  He sees skating on the frozen pond, a sleigh ride and Lisa building a snow man.  Satisfied about his winter experience he happily falls asleep.  Lisa decides that he should go back to the wild, so she takes him to his burrow to sleep for the winter. This is a fun winter story.  Being from the South, my students rarely experience snow.  Thi...

 88. Dad by My Side, by Soosh Soosh. (2018).  Dad by my side.   NY: Little Brown and Company.    This is a sweet story about the relationship between a father and daughter. Whether they're playing make-believe, comforts you when you are sad, making you smile, or warding off monsters under the bed, dads are always there when you need them.  Even when fathers have to go away for a while, they are still there for stories and good night wishes. The father in the book is portrayed as larger-than-life because that is how most children see their fathers, as their giant protectors. This is not a book to teach in a classroom.  I would recommend it to be shared at home because it is so personal.  I didn’t find any teaching resources, but I did include the link of it being read on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BKshEGsGB8

87. All Are Welcome, by Alexandra Penfold Penfold, A. (2018).  All are welcome.  NY: Alfred A. Knopf.  This story is about a school where children have a place, no matter their background or home life, and are loved and appreciated.   It follows a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. They play music, and do art.  They study together, eat together, and play together.  There is even a science fair!  They have a festive celebration for Chinese New Year.  All are accepted.  It is the kind of lessons we want our children to learn to help make the world a better place.  If you are open minded and want your children to learn about different home-life situations, then this is a great book to teach differences.  It is simple and has a fun rhyme.   If you are more on the conservative side, be warned, it has a Lesbian couple as the parents of one of the students and on...

86. The Bad Seed, by Jory John John, J. (2017).  The bad seed .  NY: Harper. This is the story of a bad seed. He has a bad temper, bad manners, and a bad attitude.  This seed cuts in line every time, stares at everybody and never listens. He didn’t start out as a bad seed.  He was born on a sunflower.  When the flower dropped its seeds, he was collected and packaged.  At a baseball game a giant almost ate him but spit him out in the nick of time.  Sense then he has been bad. But what happens when one mischievous little seed changes his mind about himself, and decides that he wants to be—happy?  He begins to change one step at a time.  Other seeds begin to notice.  This story is a funny yet touching tale that reminds us of the remarkably transformative power of will, acceptance, and just being you.   It proves that positive change is possible for each and every one of us no matter how bad we were before! I found an activity ...

 85. Princesses Wear Pants, by Savanna Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim Guthrie, S. and Oppenheim, A. (2017).  Princesses wear pants . NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. The story follows Princess Penelope Pineapple, who knows how to get the job done while staying true to herself. Princess Penelope lives in a beautiful palace with a closet full of beautiful dresses, but she prefers to wear pants.  What she wears each day depends on which job she has to do.  If she is exercising, she wears her yoga pants.  If she is gardening, she wears her overalls. If she is commanding the royal air force, she is wearing her sequined flight suit.  If you find her at the Pineapple Science Fair, she is wearing pants with her lab coat. Not everyone in the Pineapple Kingdom thinks pants are always appropriate princess attire. When the grand Lady Busyboots demands that Princess Penelope must wear a gown to the annual Pineapple Ball, the young royal finds a clever way to expre...

8 4. Llama Llama Loves to Read, by Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan. Dewdney, A. and Duncan, R. (2018).  Llama Llama loves to read . NY: Viking.  Llama Llama is going to school and learning to read.   Throughout the school day ,  the teacher helps Llama Llama and the other children practice their letters and do word flash cards.  The teacher reads stories and brings them to the library where they can all choose a favorite book.  Llama Llama is recognizing words and wants to show Mama Llama that he's becoming a reader.  This story has a nice rhythm and is fun to read out loud.   This and other Llama Llama books are good for beginner readers or struggling readers because of the simple vocabulary and the rhyming words.  I found a lesson plan using several of the Llama Llama books.   Students read different Llama Llama books in groups and compare/contrast them to other books.  Students will focus on the illustrations, prose, ...

 8 3. I Am Neil Armstrong, by Brad Meltzer Meltzer, B. (2018).  I am Neil Armstrong. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. Brad Meltzer has written an excellent biography series for younger readers called Ordinary People Change the World.  This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong from his childhood on a farm in Ohio to a career as an engineer and pilot in the Navy and through his trials at becoming one of America’s first astronauts and how he eventually became the first person on the moon.  This series not only tells about their successes, but also their failures and how they never give up on their dreams.  They always include the hero’s childhood influences.  The series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great—the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves.  At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.  As a former elementary social studies teacher, I have to say these books are excellent for y...

  82. How to Catch an Elf, by Adam Wallace Wallace, A. (2016).  How to catch an elf . Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.  The elf narrator is the sole helper traveling with Santa on his delivery rounds on Christmas Eve.   Every house seems to have a different type of elf trap. The elf avoids a mechanical “elf snatcher,” hidden in a plate of cookies.     There are also simple traps made of tinsel, double-sided tape, and a cardboard box concealing a mean-looking cat. Another trap looks like a bomb hidden in a box of candy, and a complicated trap in a maze has an evil cowboy clown with a branding iron.   The final trap is located in a family grocery store that’s booby-trapped with a “Dinner Cannon” shooting out food, including a final pizza that the elf and Santa share. The book has rhyming text that is fun to read.   It has some unconventional Christmas twists and turns.    Of course, this would be a book to read during the Holid...

  81.   A Piglet Named Mercy, by Kate DiCamillo DiCamillo, K. (2019).  A piglet named Mercy . Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.  This story is a picture book prequel to Kate DiCamillo's early chapter book series starring Mercy Watson. It tells the story of an ordinary couple named Mr. and Mrs. Watson who are bored by their suburban life and want something exciting to happen. One night a piglet falls off a truck and makes her way to their front door.   They fall head over heels for the little piglet and invites her into their home and family.   The book has positive messages about love, acceptance, and embracing unconventional standards.  I found a lesson plan that teaches character trait using the book.   It has compare/contrast charts, vocabulary, and other activities.   I also found an activity kit with all kinds of cute puzzles and coloring pages. https://candlewick.com/book_files/0763677531.kit.1.pdf storiesandsongsinsec...

 8 0. Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, by Evaline Ness Ness, E. (1966).  Sam, Bangs & moonshine.  NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.  Samantha (usually called Sam) is a motherless child of a fisherman. To keep herself busy, she pretends that her mother is a mermaid and that Bangs, her cat, can talk to her. Sam also claims to have a pet kangaroo. She prefers her fantasies to reality, but her father calls her tales "moonshine" and warns Sam that moonshine will one day lead her into great trouble.  Little neighbor Thomas eagerly believes every word Sam says. One day Sam tells the pleading boy of a not-too-distant cove where he can find her mermaid mother. Bangs follows Thomas on a journey to the cove; but, unfortunately, they are caught up in a sea storm and lost. At home, Sam becomes very frightened when Thomas and the cat don't return, and she tearfully asks her father for help. Luckily, Thomas is found alive (Bangs is later found safe as well), but the boy is now ...

  79. The Hello, Goodbye Window, by Norton Juster Juster, N. (2005),  The hello, goodbye window.   NY: Hyperion Books for Children.  A little girl visits her grandparents' house. The kitchen window is a special gateway, where everything important happens. Told from her point of view, the story explores her special relationship with her grandparents through the window, by the window and around the window. She tells us how the window is perfect for looking into the kitchen from the porch to play a game of peek-a-boo with Nanna, and even turns into a mirror at night. She describes her experience with her grandparents and all the fun things there are to do in the house, as well as the things she has been told to stay away from. She helps Nanna in the garden and listens to Poppy plays the harmonica.   When her parents come to pick her up to go home, she is happy and sad at the same time, but she understands "it just happens that way sometimes." I found two teac...

7 8. Locomotive, by Brian FLoca   Floca, B. (2013). Locomotive. NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.  This is a non-fiction book written primarily in free verse. It starts by giving historical background in its front cover pages about the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century. It explains that two companies, Central Pacific Railroad Company that started from Sacramento, California and the Union Pacific Railroad Company that built from Omaha, Nebraska, collaborated in its construction.  They selected Promontory Summit, Utah as the meeting place for the two rail roads. The purpose of it being built was for people to take less time to travel. Before this, traveling from coast to coast would take up to six months which was difficult and dangerous because travelers traveled by wagons over land or by ship. The story follows a family as they ride a transcontinental steam engine train...

 7 7. Hello Lighthouse, by Sophie Blackall   Blackall, S. (2018). Hello lighthouse. NY: Little, Brown and Company.  A man arrives at a lighthouse to take his new job as its keeper.  The illustrations show him busy, tending the light, painting the walls, and cooking food.  Despite his activity, he’s lonely, and often writes messages that he puts in bottles and tosses into the sea.  After a while, a tender arrives, bringing supplies and the man’s wife.  They are happy together in the lighthouse, and eventually they’re joined by a third person, their new daughter.  Several years later, electricity comes to the lighthouse, and the family moves away.  A fold-out final page shows a little house on the coast, lights from its windows shining to meet the light coming from their old lighthouse home.  The book Includes additional information about lighthouses and the people who kept them going.   I found a neat resource for this book. ...

  76. Mei Li, by Thomas Handforth   Handforth, T. (1938). Mei Li. NY: Doubleday & Company.  The story takes place in North China.   The main character, Mei Li is preparing their home for New Years Day when The Kitchen God will come at midnight to every family in China to tell them what they must do during the coming year. Her brother San Yu was preparing to go to the New Years Fair in the city.   Mei Li sneaks out of her home to go with him.   Mei Li has her three lucky pennies and her three lucky marbles.   On their way into the city they meet a beggar. Mei Li gives one of her lucky pennies to her. They arrive at the Great Square at lunchtime.   She takes her second lucky penny to buy firecrackers but is too afraid to pop them. She meets circus performers, a black bear.   Under the Bridge of Wealth was a tiny bell and under that was a priest who said, “ring the bell with a penny, ...

                    7 5. Jumanji, By Chris Van Allsburg Van Allsburg, C. (1981),  Jumanji . NY: Houghton Mifflin.    While their parents are out for the day, Judy, and Peter Shepherd, after playing with some toys, become bored and decide to go to the park. There they find a jungle adventure game called  Jumanji . Taking the game home, they find a warning message; "Do not begin unless you intend to finish". Ignoring the warning, they start to play.   The pair soon discovers that any dangers encountered in the game spring to life somewhere in the house. For example, when Peter rolls on a lion, a real lion appears, which Judy and Peter trap in their mother's bedroom. Judy rolls on a stampede, Peter rolls on a monsoon, and Judy rolls on an explorer—and each appears in real life to wreak havoc in the house. Still they continue to play, hoping that if they finish the game everything will go back to normal. The...

                                                        74 . The Funny Little Woman, by Arlene Mosel                                                                                                       Mosel, A. (1972).  The funny little woman . NY: E.P. Dutton and Company.  The story is a Japanese folktale, set in Japan.  It is about a little old woman who likes to laugh. ("Tee-he-he-he").  She makes dumplings out of rice.  One day, one of her dumplings rolls down a hole. The funny little woman ch...

  73.     Mirette On the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully McCully, E.A. (1992).  Mirette on the high wire . NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.    Mirette was a young girl whose mother owned a boarding house in Paris in the late 1800s.   Famous acrobats, jugglers, actors, and mimes stayed at their boarding house.   One evening a sad-faced stranger, Monsieur Bellini arrived at the boarding house wanting a room.   The next day, Mirette found Monsieur Bellini walking across a tight rope in the courtyard.   She wanted to learn, and finally Monsieur Bellini said he would teach her.   With practice, she became very good. One night, Mariette found out that Monsieur Bellini was famous for his high wire stunts.   She asked him why he didn’t tell her about his adventures, he said he had become afraid. He didn’t want to disappoint Mirette, so he faced his fears and performed a show at the boarding house.   He froze on the wire but Mirette ra...

  72.     Many Moons, by James Thurber Thurber, J. (1943).  Many moons . NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.    Princess Lenore suffers from "a surfeit of raspberry tarts" — eating too many sweets. She says she is gravely ill, but if her father brings her the moon she'll be well again. Her father, the king, asks the wisest men in his court how he can give his daughter the moon.  They claim that it is too large, too far away, and made of things that can’t be found.  The king gets very upset.  Despairing, the king confides in his court jester. The jester then asks the princess what  she  thinks the moon is made of, how big it is, and how far away. According to the princess, the moon is as big as her thumbnail and made of gold. She says it's so close that he could climb a tree and pluck it from the sky. He promises to do just that, that very night. Instead, the jester takes...

  71.     Madeline’s Rescue, by Ludwig Bemelmans   Bemelmans, L. (1951).  Madeline's rescue .  NY: Scholastic. This the second book in the series of a little girl named Madeline, who lives in a French boarding school. On a walk through Paris one day with her schoolmates, Madeline trips and falls off a bridge into the Seine River. Madeline is saved by a dog.   And she, the girls and their teacher, Miss Clavel, take the dog back to the school with them.   Once there, they feed her and name her Genevieve.   All is well for six months until the trustees of the school come for an inspection. Horrified at the idea of a dog in their school, the trustees kick Genevieve out onto the street. Madeline and the girls and Miss Clavel scour the streets of Paris in search of their beloved and missing pet. The girls return home dogless and broken-hearted, but in the middle of the night, Genevieve ...

  70. The Faithful Friend, by Robert D. San Souci San Souci, Robert. (1995).  The faithful friend .  NY: Simon & Schuster.  On the lush tropical island of Martinique live Clement and Hippolyte, two inseparable friends. When Clement falls in love with the beautiful Pauline, Hippolyte agrees to join his best friend on his journey to propose marriage. But when Pauline accepts Clement’s proposal, it enrages her uncle Monsieur Zabocat—re who is said to be a   quimboiseur,  a wizard. On their journey back to the plantation, Hippolyte hears drumming and finds three zombies in the woods.   They are sent by Zabocat.   They attempt three times to kill Clement and Pauline, but each time Hippolyte interferes and saves them.   They get home to the plantation and are welcomed.   The couple is married.   The Zombies are instructed to send a serpent on their wedding night to kill them both.   Hippolyte steps in and saves his friends. His...

  69. In the Time of the Drums, by Kim L. Siegelson Siegelson, K.L. (1999).  In the time of the drums . NY: Hyperion Books for Children.  Young Mentu was island born, but Grandmother Twi had come from Africa, and she longs for home. Thanks to Twi, Mentu learns to play the drums and to respect the strength of the music.   Huge ships often landed near Teakettle Creek bringing African people to work on the island's plantations. Some of the Africans who live on the island made goatskin drums and play music to remind themselves of home.   One day a new ship carrying Africans docked at Teakettle Creek.   They send out the beat of drums from the ship who are pounding for their homeland. The beat calls to Twi, urging her to seek freedom. But the only place for freedom is in the murky waters of Teakettle Creek.    Grandmother Twi transforms into a young woman and leads the Africans into the water back to the homeland. This story is the folklore/legend ...

6 8. Neeny Coming, Neeny Going, by Karen English   English, K. (1996).  Neeny coming, Neeny going .  BridgeWater Books.  The narrator, Essie, lives with her grandmother on Daufuskie Island, off the coast of South Carolina, and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of cousin Neeny. The two girls had been ""like sisters"" until Neeny moved to the mainland to be with her mother. At first Essie is so excited about Neeny coming, she runs around telling everyone.  As soon as her cousin steps ashore twirling a parasol, it is obvious that the visit will be a letdown.  Essie has a whole itinerary planned and Neeny doesn’t want any part of it.  Neeny has changed. She is constantly comparing island ways with the refinements of her city home.  Essie sends home with Neeny a present…a special quilt made from memorable things from their life on the island. This book acknowledges changes that have taken place over the years in the Sea Islands off South Carolina: ...

  67. Seeds of Change, by Jen Cullerton Johnson Johnson, J.C. (2010).  Seeds of change.   NY: Lee & Low Books. This is the story of Wangari Maathai. As a young girl in Kenya, Wangari was taught to respect nature. She grew up loving the land, plants, and animals that surrounded her.   Although most Kenyan girls were not allowed to go to school, Wangari’s parents saw something special in her and allowed her to go to school. There, her mind sprouted like a seed. She excelled at science and went on to study in the United States. After returning home, Wangari traveled across Kenya, using her knowledge and compassion to promote the rights of her countrywomen and to help save the land from big corporations.   Wangari Maathai was the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. The artwork in this book is impressive.   It is vibrant and colorful.   It really helps tell the story of this amazing woman. I found a lesson pla...

  66. Bad News for Outlaws, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Nelson, V.M. (2009). Bad news for outlaws. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. Bad News for Outlaws  chronicles the life of Bass Reeves, a black deputy marshal for the United States government who worked in the Arkansas and Oklahoma Territories. The story begins in his youth when he was a slave in Texas.   He always had a strong sense of right and wrong that other’s admired. When Judge Isaac Parker tried to bring law and order to the lawless Indian Territories, he chose Bass to be a Deputy US Marshal. Bass would quickly prove a smart choice. For three decades, Bass was the most feared and respected lawman in the territories...   He made more than 3,000 arrests, and though he was a crack shot and a quick draw, he only killed fourteen men in the line of duty. He achieved all this in spite of whites who didn't like the notion of a black lawman.   One of the hardest was the day he arrested his own son for ...

  65. Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, by Margaree King Mitchell Mitchell, M.K. (1993 ). Uncle Jed's barbershop . NY: Simon & Schuster. Sarah Jean lived in the segregated South of the 1920s, where most people were sharecroppers.   Her family had a few acres of land. Her daddy’s brother, Uncle Jed was a barber, but had to travel all over the county to cut his customers’ hair. He lived for the day when he could open his very own barbershop. He saved and saved but there were always setbacks.   When Sarah Jean was five years old, she got sick and needed an operation.   Uncle Jed’s shop money paid for it. There was another setback when the stock market crashed in 1929 and the bank lost all of Uncle Jed’s money. He never gave up.   He would just begin again. Finally, the joyful day came when Uncle Jed opened his shiny new shop on his 79 th birthday.   He twirled a now grown-up Sarah Jean around in the barber chair. I found a lesson plan that uses the story to tea...