We Will Rock Our Classmates (Ryan T Higgins)

 

More surprises from Penelope! Great story for contrasts and contradictions! There are plenty of surprises along the way:

• Feeling different than everyone else (everyone ALWAYS wants Penelope to be a dinosaur when they play....she never gets to pretend she's something else)
• When they're playing dentists they scold Penelope for not flossing AND they find someone's backpack stuck in her teeth
• Is nervous about performing (you would think a bring strong dinosaur would never feel nervous!)
• Daddy Rex teaches Penelope about great things people in her family have accomplished and this helps buoy her up

Goodreads says:

Readers will twist and shout for this headbanging companion to the #1 New York Times best-selling We Don't Eat Our Classmates.

Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it's not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends?

Trying (Kobi Yamada)

 At  first I thought this book was a little preachy. However, after reading it with my class, I felt totally different about it. 

Key: We don't have to wait until we can do something perfect to try it

Goodreads says:

How will you know what's possible if you don't try?

This is a story for anyone who has ever felt like a beginner, or had doubts, or worried they weren't good enough. It's a story for those who have experienced the pain of trying something new and not having it turn out as they had hoped.

Written by New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada, this captivating book celebrates the way failure is the just the beginning of the journey. With alluring black-and-white illustrations and a powerful message, this beautiful tale is about how failure has so much to offer--lessons that help us learn, grow, and discover all the amazing things we can do.

Mr. S (Monica Arnoldo)

 

When I read this book myself, I didn't get it. 

Then I read a bunch of reviews on Goodreads and saw that there's a story inside a story. 

Okay. I sort of got it then. 

Then I read it to my class. They got it!  They noticed the story inside the story and the different "faces" the sandwich had. 

The ending though....what does Mr S stand for if it doesn't stand for sandwich?

We enjoyed the story....but we're left wondering.

Goodreads says:

Prepare for plenty of giggles as a kindergarten class arrives for their first day of school, but can't find their teacher—only a delicious-looking sandwich and the words "Mr. S" scribbled on the chalkboard. Chaos ensues as the kids argue whether or not the sandwich must be their teacher. A comical, first day of school book of mayhem and chaos by Monica Arnaldo, perfect fans of Miss Nelson Is Missing. “This might be the funniest first-day-of-school book I’ve ever read." —Adam Rex, New York Times bestselling author of School’s First Day of School It was the first day of school. But even the kindergarteners of room 2B could tell something was seriously wrong . . . Where was the teacher? Who left this sandwich on the desk? The only clue, written on the chalkboard, were three simple Mr. S Praise for Mr. "Confusion, mystery, and laughs are on the menu in Arnaldo’s deliciously goofy back-to-school tale." — Publishers Weekly  (starred review) "The tale's genuinely absurd situation, the mystery of the teacher's identity, and the deadpan storytelling make this a memorable read-aloud choice."—  Booklist  (starred review) "Mysteries for young readers are few and far between and this one is fun and entertaining." —School Library Journal  (starred review)

The One and Only Ruby (Katherine Applegate)

 

I love the character, Ruby. Her story in this book is really beautiful. Katherine Applegate has an amazing ability to teach through story. Her themes seem to always connect to conservations and taking care of the earth. 

Lessons from the book: 

• An elephant is never an elephant without its heard. In other words, separating a member of a species from its own kind is inherently cruel.
  We learned this during covid!
• What gifts did the world give you today? What gifts did you give the world?

Goodreads says:

Ruby’s story picks up a few months after the events of The One and Only Bob. Now living in a wildlife sanctuary, Ruby’s caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa where she grew up is visiting. Seeing him again brings back a flood of memories - both happy and sad - of her life before the circus, and she recounts the time she spent in the African savannah to Ivan and Bob.

The Explosive Child (Ross W Greene)

 

I really liked this book. It approaches children respectfully and is collaborative. I think the title is unfortunate. I think all kids would benefit from these strategies - not just the explosive ones. It would work for the ones who don't like to talk or have cut themselves off from adults as well as many other kids.

Goodreads says:

An experienced therapist offers groundbreaking--and compassionate--techniques for helping "chronically inflexible" children, who suffer from excessively immoderate tempers, showing how brain-based deficits contribute to these problems and offering positive and constructive ways to calm things down. 

Citizen She! (Caroline Stevan)

 

I'm always amazed at how recently women were considered people and allowed to vote.  It's especially interesting to look at it on a global scale. There are still two places women can't vote: Brunei (it has an absolute monarchy and no one vote there) and the Vatican (the priests control everything there and women cannot be priests). The last country to finally allow women to vote was Saudi Arabia and that happened in 2011.

Goodreads says:

An inspiring journey of women's struggles and victories around the globe.

Citizen She! tracks the global fight for women’s suffrage from the first pioneers in the eighteenth century to the heroines of today, from American Lucretia Mott to Egypt’s Huda Sha’arawi to China’s Qui Jin. What does it mean to have a vote, and why did women have to fight so hard to get one? How did they fight for it? And why are they still fighting in many countries around the globe? In illuminating the global struggle for women’s rights, the book shows us how far we’ve come–and that there is a lot left to fight for.

Smart Cookie (Jory John)

 

Jory John is amazing! This story is brilliant.

My students don't really get many of the play on words....but they love the illustrations.

Goodreads says:

Be a smart cookie—and don’t miss the fifth picture book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Food Group series from creators Jory John and Pete Oswald!

This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for intelligence?

Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!