Big Bear Hug (Nicholas Oldland)

When you are good natured and loving, it is shocking to see people be destructive! This bear finds a good way to solve the problem. Love always wins!

Goodreads says:

A huge bear is wandering through the forest - but wait a minute! Who's that he's hugging? A beaver? And a moose? And a bird? And a tree?

Welcome to the world of Big Bear Hug, a contemporary fable about a bear who has an appetite for hugging everything in sight - even creatures that bears have been known to eat. One day, the benevolent bear meets up with a human. This human proceeds to do something the bear cannot understand: he raises his axe and begins to cut down a tree. Suddenly the bear doesn't feel like hugging anymore and must make a difficult decision on how to stop this destruction in his forest.

The environmental message of Big Bear Hug is both funny and powerful, while simple enough to engage very young children and show them the awesome power of a hug.

Making the Moose Out Of Life (Nicholas Oldland)

Sometimes you need a reminder to go for it and try some new things, like this moose!

Goodreads says:

From the creator of Big Bear Hug comes the comic-adventure story of a mild-mannered moose who learns how to take life by the antlers. This moose may live in the wild, but he doesn't act it --- he watches from the sidelines as his friends have fun. Every now and then, he wonders if he's missing out on anything.

When the moose finally takes a chance and goes on a solo sailing trip, a raging storm carries him far from everything he knows. Will he curl up in a ball and cry, or make the most of it?

The moose's unlikely hero-journey is a lighthearted, contemporary fable that celebrates living life to the fullest.

Bob (Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead)

I think the cover of this book is enchanting. I listened to some of it on an audio book and it was great because of the Australian accents.

The story is lovely. I think it will be fun to discuss it with grade fours and talk about things they remember from when they were younger, now that they're more grown up.

For a while I was confused about whether Bob was imaginary or not. Turns out he isn't imaginary. He is a well-dweller! Lots of memory moments in this book to notice and note.

Goodreads says:

A classic middle-grade tale of magic and friendship, about a girl who helps an old friend find home, by two New York Times–bestselling authors Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead.

It’s been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy’s grandmother in Australia. Now that she’s back, Livy has the feeling she’s forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house.

It turns out she’s right.

Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn’t forget Livy, or her promise. He’s been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can’t remember who—or what—he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it’s time to keep that promise.

Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.

Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.

This Book Just Stole My Cat (Richard Byrne)

Fun...but maybe a little too young for my crowd. Apparently, I should have read the dog one first. Oops.

Goodreads says:

In this next picture book from Richard Byrne--the author-illustrator of This book just ate my dog!--Bella, Ben, and that adorable dog have to rescue Ben's cat from the clutches of the naughty book.

When Ben's cat disappears into the gutter of the book, Bella joins in the search-and-rescue mission. But when the helpers disappear one after another, Ben realizes it's up to him to set things right. Cleverly using the physicality of the book, This book just stole my cat! is kid-friendly fun! 

The Clever Boy and the Terrible, Dangerous Animal (Idries Shah)

Don't be afraid of new things! Great lesson. Also, we noticed after, that the outside is the colors of a melon, up close. In the words, it looks like there are watermelon seeds. The inside cover of the book is the inside of the watermelon. So clever!


Goodreads says:

A Sufi teaching tale of a boy who visits another village and helps the townspeople deal with their fear of something that they have mistaken for a terrible, dangerous animal.

Stop Reading This Book! (Caroline Fernandez)

My class was a little unsure of how to take this book. They enjoyed it but it wasn't as big a hit as The Book With My Pictures, but maybe that's because they read TBWNP when they were younger. Maybe this is better for a younger audience? I thought it was pretty fun though.

Goodreads says:

Here's an idea...turn the left page. That way, you can go back to the beginning, close the book, and pretend you didn't start reading this book. It would be like going back in time... give it a try... This heart-warming picture book urges children to read using comedy and contradiction. Who is the villain--the reader or the book? In this story, the book itself perceives the reader as a mischief-maker and tries to protect its pages. It is a story of a book judging a reader by their "cover." In turning pages, the reader becomes the hero of their own story overcoming the challenges the book puts up to roadblock reading. Stop Reading This Book introduces young readers to book elements like protagonists, antagonists, conflict, and resolution and showcases themes of child empowerment, judgment and misjudgment, marginalization and inclusivity, and persistence.

Tuesdays With Morrie (Mitch Albom)

I read this about 8 years ago. I re-read it when my book club was reading it. We had a wonderful discussion from it. Still, I could only rate it a 3. I feel a little guilty about that because Mitch Albom has done some wonderful things and Morrie was a great man and it is about life and death and really living. However, I still found it a little cheesy. I tend to think it is a little bit of memory bias. People tend to

Maybe it just isn't the right time in my life. Maybe I'll have to read it again.

Goodreads says:

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.

The Busy Beaver (Nicholas Oldland)

When I showed this book, right away some kids said that it looked familiar. They had read other books with the same looking characters. We looked in the back of the book and sure enough, there were some of the titles they had listed. They'll bring those to school tomorrow!

This is a great story for talking about self-control and taking a breath before you dive into a situation.

Goodreads says:

The busy but careless beaver spends his days following random impulses, rarely thinking things through and leaving in his wake a devastated forest filled with stumps, half-nibbled trees and injured, homeless animals. But then one day the beaver finds himself on the wrong side of a falling tree, which as it turns out, is just the thing to knock some sense into him. After reflecting on his behavior, he decides to make some changes. Soon, the now wiser and gentler beaver is getting down to the business of making things right, much to the delighted surprise of his forest friends. This charming story from the creator of Big Bear Hug and Making the Moose Out of Life gently teaches youngsters how to take care with others, as well as the world around us.

The River (Gary Paulsen)

This is the second book in the Hatchet series. For this one, a psychologist wants to study Brian and his survival instincts. Of course, things go wrong. It's the same riveting crazy style journey. I enjoyed the different focus that brought out Brian's thinking through difficulties. It ends abruptly and wraps up quickly in the last chapter, just like the first book did.

I hope this kid doesn't go off into the wilderness again...but there are two more books.

Goodreads says:
These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived. Now the government wants him to do it again to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive.

This time he won't be alone: Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist, will accompany him to observe and take notes. But during a freak storm, Derek is hit by lightning and falls into a coma. Their radio transmitter is dead. Brian is afraid that Derek will die of dehydration unless he can get him to a doctor. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport Derek a hundred miles down the river to a trading post if the map he has is accurate.

Words on Fire (Jennifer Nielsen)

Jennifer Nielsen never disappoints. Lots of good cliff hangers and surprising twists at the end. Well worth a read!

Goodreads says:

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen transports readers to a corner of history with this inspiring story of a girl who discovers the strength of her people united in resisting oppression.

Danger is never far from Audra's family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian -- they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous.

When Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra's parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate.

As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement. Can joining the underground network of book smugglers give Audra a chance to rescue her parents? 

Zero (Kathryn Otoshi)

You know when you've found something really clever. My class sat and listened to this without a single wiggle....all of them! They loved the play on words and commented on how there was more than one meaning for some of them. This book has a great character message too. Everyone matters! And everyone is just right, just the way they are.

Goodreads says:

Zero is a big round number. When she looks at herself, she just sees a hole right in her center. Every day she watches the other numbers line up to count: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . . . !" "Those numbers have value. That's why they count," she thinks. But how could a number worth nothing become something? Zero feels empty inside. She watches One having fun with the other numbers. One has bold strokes and squared corners. Zero is big and round with no corners at all. "If I were like One, then I can count too," she thinks. So she pushes and pulls, stretches and straightens, forces and flattens herself, but in the end she realizes that she can only be Zero. As budding young readers learn about numbers and counting, they are also introduced to accepting different body types, developing social skills and character, and learning what it means to find value in yourself and in others.

This Book of Mine (Sarah Stewart)

Sarah Stewart writes beautiful books and truly captures the romance of reading.

Goodreads says:

A depiction of the connection between diverse readers of all ages and their books, from author-illustrator team Sarah Stewart and David Small.
This Book of Mine is a celebration of the power of reading, of the ways in which books launch our adventures, give us comfort, challenge our imaginations, and offer us connection. From new mothers to fantasy lovers, butterfly hunters to musicians, the readers of This Book of Mine all share a common passion for favorite books—whether freshly discovered at the library or bookstore or saved from childhood and reread across a lifetime.

It Began With a Page (Kyo Maclear)

We learned about segregation when we read the story of Jackie Robinson. My students were stunned to learn about Japanese internment camps from this story.  She also wanted to write and illustrate books that had babies with all colors of skin. This was not popular in her time, but eventually, people started to see it her way.

It teaches a great lesson: even if everyone seems to accept something as just the way it is, one person can make a difference by standing up for what they know to be right.

We were stumped by the genre of this book. It is a true story but it was in the fiction section. I even asked the librarian at the public library and she was stumped too. We went an email to the author to ask her if she knows why. The information on the inside cover from the Library of Congress doesn't seem to say to me that it should be fiction or non-fiction.

Goodreads says:

Gyo Fujikawa's iconic children's books are beloved all over the world. Now it's time for Gyo's story to be told -- a story of artistic talent that refused to be constrained by rules or expectations.

Growing up quiet and lonely at the beginning of the twentieth century, Gyo learned from her relatives the ways in which both women and Japanese people lacked opportunity. Her teachers and family believed in her and sent her to art school and later Japan, where her talent flourished. But while Gyo's career grew and led her to work for Walt Disney Studios, World War II began, and with it, her family's internment. But Gyo never stopped fighting -- for herself, her vision, her family and her readers -- and later wrote and illustrated the first children's book to feature children of different races interacting together.

This luminous new book beautifully and openly touches on Gyo's difficult experiences and growth. Through Julie Morstad's exquisite illustrations, alternating between striking black-and-white linework and lush colour, and Kyo Maclear's artful and accessible writing, the story of this cherished figure is told at last. 

This Is Not That Kind of Book (Christopher Healy)

This story made us laugh and laugh and laugh. It ends fabulously. It has fairy tales, robots, pirates, animal characters, talking food, a detective and letters for an alphabet book. It is a great book to read and laugh about especially when children have a good understanding of genre. Brilliantly written!

Goodreads says:

This is a book that answers all the kids who have ever posed the question What kind of book is it?

This clever alphabet book... Wait, that's not right. This original fairy tale... Nope. Mystery? Joke book? Superhero story? Pirate adventure? This delightful mash-up features every kind of character found in the picture-book universe--all in one book. Just when the reader is convinced the story is going in one direction, it spins off in another.

Ever-changing illustrations keep pace with the rapid reversals, and the setting shifts with nearly every turn of the page. Truly inventive, here's a picture book that can be anything you want it to be!

Cool Bean (Jory John)

We had read The Bad Seed and The Good Egg. I was so excited when I saw this one. My students were too. And it did not disappoint. I'm so impressed that my public library had it so soon. It just came out in December!

This might be a great story to share at our integrity assembly next year.


Goodreads says:
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

AN AMAZON BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH (DECEMBER 2019) SELECTION!

The “too-cool-for-school” third picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of The Bad Seed and The Good Egg, Jory John and Pete Oswald

Everyone knows the cool beans. They’re sooooo cool.

And then there’s the uncool has-bean . . .

Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd—until one day the cool beans show him how it’s done.

With equal measures of humor, wit, and charm, the #1 New York Times bestselling duo Jory John and Pete Oswald craft another incredible picture book, reminding us that it’s cooler to be kind.

Check out John and Oswald’s other books for children:

The Bad Seed

The Good Egg

That’s What Dinosaurs Do