Pop-Up Peekaboo! Under the Sea

Title: Pop-Up Peekaboo! Under the Sea
Author/Illustrator: Clare Lloyd/Elle Ward
Genre: Paper Engineered Book
Age Group: 3 - 5 years old
                                                        
Summary:
This book takes you through the different species that live under the sea. It is an adventure with Striped Fish looking for her friends through the game hide and seek. Each page has a pop up to show the animals that live under different rocks, shells, and so on.

Most of the names of the species and their names have the same letter sound, so it is informational on alliteration whether or not the child reading realizes. I think the age group of 3 to 5 years old is appropriate. It is a board book so it is steady for a small child to hold.

Nine Days to Christmas

Title: Nine Days to Christmas
Author/Illustrator: Marie Hall Ets and Aurora Labastida
Genre: Caldecott
Age Group: 1st - 3rd
                                                    
Summary:

This story takes Ceci through the nine days before Christmas. Throughout the story, it integrates Spanish and English showing that the main character's family is Hispanic. Ceci is excited because her family is going to have a "posadas" which is a special Christmas party and they will have 9. The first one will be at her house. She is so excited! Her mother lets her plan it. The story then changes to her and her mom shopping with their aunt. She wants a pinata but the mom says to wait and see. It is later revealed that her mom takes her back to get a pinata for the party. She gets to pick it out and is so excited. The book then transitions to the next morning, the morning of posada! She is helping her mother prep for it, adding the candy to the pinata helping decorate the house and backyard. It ends with her and a friend in the backyard wondering why no one could break the pinata. They believe it is magical.

I could use this book to talk about the different illustrations, and how illustrators use different mediums and patterns. In this book specifically, the illustrator uses a pop of color on certain things, like people, to have them stand out. I would use this in a first through third-grade classroom because they are more observant and aware of details around this age.

Wolf in the Snow

Title: Wolf in the Snow
Author/Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Genre: Caldecott
Age Group: K - 3rd
                                                               

Summary:

Wolf in the Snow is a wordless picture book that takes the reader on a journey with a young girl who finds a wolf in the snow and takes him back to find his mom. On her way back she runs into a few problems such as running into an angry raccoon, and the mom of the wolf. The mom of the wolf is angry, so the young girl drops the baby off and runs away. Eventually, she falls from exhaustion and being cold. The other wolves surround her, the baby one licks her, the rest begin to howl. The howling catches the attention of the young girl's parents who end up finding her in the snow. The book ends with the young girl back home with her parents by the fire.

I would use this book to go over sound words, onomatopoeias since those are the only words that are found in the book. I would use this book with lower elementary since it is mostly wordless and a lot of inferencing takes place but they are able to use their imagination with it.

The Hello, Goodbye Window

Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window
Author/Illustrator: Norton Juster/Chris Raschka
Genre: Caldecott
Age Group: K - 2nd
                                                           
Summary:

This story is about a young girl who stays at her Nanna and Poppy's house. She talks about how the kitchen is where they stay most of the time, which is near the hello, goodbye window. This window is where you can see everything happening. Whether it is outside or just the reflection. It is also the window that she says bye to her grandparents, blowing them kisses and waving as she walks bye.

I would use this book for kindergarten through 2nd grade. I think it is a cute story that many young children would be able to relate to. As well as this, if I were to read this to them I would have them make their own hello goodbye window.

I Am Freedom's Child

Title: I am Freedom's Child
Author/Illustrator: Bill Martin Jr./Symeon Shimin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Group: 2nd - 3rd
                                                   
Summary:

In this book, it is illustrating and talking about freedom for all children. No matter the race, gender, and so on. This book has different races shouting about how they are all different, however, they are all free and they rejoice and come together because of it.

I would use this book in my class to talk about the history of slavery and the separation between different races their was to show how everyone can come together like they do in the book. I would use this in any level elementary because of how uplifting it is and empowering of other races, even though it is said through little words.

Game Changers: The story of Venus and Serena Williams

Title: Game Changers: The story of Venus and Serena Williams
Author/Illustrator: Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome
Genre: Multiculture
Age Group: 3rd - 5th
                                              
Summary:

This story is a picture book form of the Williams sister's childhood and the different problems they overcame. It talks about how when they were growing up people laughed at their dad's dreams of them becoming popular and famous tennis players. However, this did not stop them from trying and succeeding in this field. Their parents would practice with them daily on the courts just for them to accomplish this.

I would use this book in an upper elementary due to the length of the book, however it has a great message of not giving up nor becoming what people think of you.

The Boo-Boos that Changed the World

Title: The Boo-Boos that Changed the World
Author/Illustrator: Barry Wittenstein and Chris Hsu
Genre: Bluebonnet
Age Group: 4th - 6th
                                                         
Summary:

This story is about how the bandaid was invented. The main character, Earle, marries a girl named Josephine. Josephine is accident-prone and is always cutting herself on a day to day basis. Her husband one day has an idea. He took the adhesive tape, sterile gauze and put material on it called crinoline to keep it sterile. After doing this, Earle told the idea to his boss Mr. Johnson and he loved it! They combined the name "bandage" and "first aid" to create the word "Band-Aid."
Band-Aids were a hit after they came up with a plan on how to create a lot of them at one time.

Overall, this book was really good and I could use this in an invention lesson in my class. If I were doing a history over different objects that have been made throughout the years and have the students pick one and research it and present it. I think the age group would be 4th through 6th grade because they would be able to understand the history of different things.