The Tree That Grew to the Moon (Eugenie Fernandes)

We have been talking a lot about genre in my class. This story is full of 'what if' conversations. It is a great exercise for kids to talk about all the crazy, good, bad things that could happen if something continues. The illustrations in this story are great and the kids in my class were quite captured by the conversation between the girl and her mom.

The author was born in New York but now lives in Ontario, so we'll claim her as Canadian. She also wrote Little Toby and the Big Hair, which, as someone with lots of hair, has always had a special place in my heart!


Goodreads says:

If Lena plants a baby tree in her bedroom, and sprinkles it with a little imagination, anything could happen. It might even grow to the moon!

Crickwing (Janell Cannon)

I love these books by Janell Cannon! Verdi and Stellaluna are both beautiful books.

The vocabulary in the books is quite challenging - but it works.

Goodreads says:



Artistic flair and the spirit of cooperation save the day!
Crickwing never set out to be a bully. All he wants is to create his art in peace. But it's not easy being different--a cockroach with a cricked wing and a flair for sculpture is a ready target for the bigger creatures in the forest. Crickwing just wants to even the score, and leafcutter ants are so easy to pick on. ...
Big mistake. INobody/I angers the leafcutter queen and gets away with it.
In this epic adventure beneath the foliage, Crickwing and the leafcutter ants go head-to-head. Then a swarm of ferocious army ants threatens, and suddenly everyone is in danger. Crickwing has to do something, but what? He's an artist, not a fighter. What the leafcutters need is a hero. Or, maybe, a cockroach with a really clever idea...
About the Author: Janell Cannon's picture books have won many awards and are beloved around the world. Before she became a full-time creator of books for children, she designed and produced summer reading programs at her local public library. Born and raised in Minnesota, Ms. Cannon now lives in Southern California. 

The Book of Mistakes (Corinna Luyken)

Great book for talking about a growth mindset! My class was really curious about whether or not the author made the mistakes in the story on purpose. They asked me to tweet her to see if she made the mistakes on purpose.

Goodreads says:

Zoom meets Beautiful Oops! in this memorable picture book debut about the creative process, and the way in which "mistakes" can blossom into inspiration
One eye was bigger than the other. That was a mistake.
The weird frog-cat-cow thing? It made an excellent bush.
And the inky smudges... they look as if they were always meant to be leaves floating gently across the sky. 
As one artist incorporates accidental splotches, spots, and misshapen things into her art, she transforms her piece in quirky and unexpected ways, taking readers on a journey through her process. Told in minimal, playful text, this story shows readers that even the biggest "mistakes" can be the source of the brightest ideas--and that, at the end of the day, we are all works in progress, too.

Fans of Peter Reynolds's Ish and Patrick McDonnell's A Perfectly Messed-Up Story will love the funny, poignant, completely unique storytelling of The Book of Mistakes. And, like Oh, The Places You'll Go!, it makes the perfect graduation gift, encouraging readers to have a positive outlook as they learn to face life's obstacles.

Chopsticks (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)

The other day when we read The Straight Line Wonder I was doing a little research to figure out if Marc Rosenthal is related to Amy Rosenthal. I still don't know the answer. Along the way though, I found a fun new book of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's!

There are a ton of hilarious little puns and jokes in here. My students have enjoyed reading it together and finding more and more laughs each time.

Goodreads says:

Meet Chopsticks! They've been best friends forever. But one day, this inseparable pair comes to a fork in the road. And for the very first time, they have to figure out how to function apart. From New York Times best-selling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and rising artistic talent Scott Magoon, this witty and inventive tale celebrates both independence and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. 

A Weekend with Wendell (Kevin Henkes)

This would be a great book to read when we read Stevie in our Open Court unit on friendship. Kevin Henkes is so good at thoughtful books. Love him.

Goodreads summary:

Wendell was spending the weekend at Sophie's house. Playing house, Wendell was the mother, the father, and the children; Sophie was the dog. Playing bakery, Wendell was the baker; Sophie got to be the sweet roll. Wendell shone his flashlight in Sophie's eyes when she tried to sleep. But when he gave her a new hairdo with shaving cream, it was the last straw, and Sophie made up a game that left Wendell speechless for a time -- and won the day for friendship.

This Is Not My Hat (Jon Klassen)

This is the perfect book for these guys. It's hilarious. I seriously love Jon Klassen. As Donalyn Miller says: #teamfish!

Goodreads says:

When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it's a good thing that enormous fish won't wake up. And even if he does, it's not like he'll ever know what happened...
Visual humor swims to the fore as the best-selling Jon Klassenfollows his breakout debut with another deadpan-funny tale.

I Want My Hat Back (Jon Klassen)

This reminds me of a problem in our house. Our dad is always losing his back scratcher. Have you seen my back scratcher??

This is a great one to be read by a dad, for sure! It has to be read aloud and enjoyed together.

Then you have to read the next one: This Is Not My Hat

Goodreads says:

A picture-book delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous twist.

The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor-- and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke. 

Mind Boggling Numbers (Michael Rosen)

This one is pretty much just like How Many Guinea Pigs..., only picture book form. All the questions are answered by a character named Miss Mary Math.

Goodreads says:

How many glasses of lemonade would fit in an Olympic-sized swimming pool? Find the answers to all sorts of mind-boggling math questions in this fun, engaging book.

I Love You Already (Jory John and Benji Davies)

The friendship between Bear and Duck continues precariously. Goodnight Already was hilarious. So is this one. I think Jory John is secretly writing to help people understand introverts. Introverts are ok with being alone. Let it be!  This would be an interesting discussion during our friendship unit.

Goodreads says:

From the creators of Goodnight Already!, Jory John and Benji Davies, comes another standout hilarious picture book about Bear and Duck. Bear can't wait to spend a pleasant day by himself. His persistent next-door neighbor, Duck, wants to take a morning stroll . . . with Bear. He just wants Bear to like him already. . . .

The Library Gingerbread Man (Dotti Enderle)

This would be a great book to use at the beginning of the year when we teach kids how to use the library...or at least that is what I plan to do this next year! It would be a great way to introduce kids to the Dewy Decimal system.

Goodreads says: 

The Gingerbread Man ran into a crowd at 920, the biography section. Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and Amelia Earhart tried to stop him. "Stop! Stop, Gingerbread Man! You're a long way from home."

The Gingerbread Man sped around them. "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man! I ran away from the librarian, a Word Wizard, a giraffe, a robot, a paper bird, and a jokester, and I can run away from you, too."

Even Jesse Owens, a record-breaking Olympic runner, couldn't keep up.

Alice in Pastaland (Alexandra Wright)

We read/watched this on tumblebooks. The animation was not quite as robust as other tumble books, but there were interesting things that happened along the way: especially numbers and equations that kept scrolling on the bottom of the page or side of the pages here and there. The different voices in the story were great too.

I'm not usually a fan of books with math concepts embedded in them, but this one was quite enjoyable! Unfortunately they were imperial (inches and feet) instead of metric. There was a cat that had numbers on his nametag and it was actually a math family diagram. Funny word play on characters like a snake, an adder that sits adding numbers all the time. There was even an introduction to Soduko! The play on the story of Alice in Wonderland is super cute. There was even good science information.

Goodreads summary:

Suppose that Alice had fallen into a wonderland where pasta was the only common denominator. In this clever parody of Lewis Carroll's classic tale, Alexandra Wright presents a mathematically aware Alice whose adventures are an appetizing combination of numbers, humor, and fun. With the Math Hatter dishing it up, the Adder using his noodle, and the Quantum Cat adding spice, arithmetic is full of pastabilities.

Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair (Patricia Polacco)

Another great Patricia Polacco! And once again, there were gasps when they started to figure out the story. These are a joy to read to a class!

Reread April 2022: This is one of those books that kids give a round of applause for when it's finished. They love that the kids teach the adults and that the adults are such buffoons who don't know how to read.

Goodreads summary:

How much TV is too much TV? Welcome to Triple Creek, where the townspeople watch TV day and night. They watch it when they're eating, working, playing, and sleeping. They even use TVs to teach the kids at school. But when Eli's eccentric Aunt Chip (who refuses to own a TV) discovers that her nephew and her neighbors don't remember how to read, she pulls the plug on the whole town?using books that have been piled high to build a dam to spread the magic of reading all around.

Something About Hensleys (Patricia Polacco)

Patricia Polacco has a magic story telling gift. Every my toughest students who don't seem to enjoy story time get drawn into her stories. My students even gasped as the two girls were walking down the street and came across a kitten while having just what they needed to catch the kitten.

I started off telling my class how my husband's family lives in a very small town and everyone loves to go to The Merc. You find all sorts of cool things at The Merc....just like at Hensley's. This is a historical fiction book. The author says she is still loyal to Hensley's because of her great experiences there.

Goodreads summary:

There's something about Hensley's! No matter what you need, that general store is sure to have it. It's almost magical the way the manager, Old John, seems to know what the townsfolk need before they do! But then a new family moves to town. The youngest child, Molly, has asthma--but her mother doesn't have money to treat her, or for anything else. But leave it to Old John to find a way to use Hensley's to give the family exactly what it needs, even if it can't be boxed or bagged.

A true--and truly moving--story about an unforgettable general store and about the extraordinary power one person's acts of kindness can have on another.

About the Author: Patricia Polacco lives in Union City, Michigan.

Something From Nothing (Phoebe Gilman)

This story fits well with our Open Court unit on money.

We loved the little story under the story.

Goodreads summary:

The blanket Joseph's grandfather made him is transformed into many things as the years go by: a jacket, a vest, a tie, a handkerchief--and finally a button. Gilman's modern adaptation and lively illustrations turn this favorite Jewish tale into a contemporary classic.

Buy this book

What Moms Can't Do (Douglas Wood)

Warning: Don't read this book with a bunch of kids if you're not ready to hear some funny mom stories. Almost every page, someone said, "That's true! You know, my mom...." and they'd have something that related to each page. The story goes through a mom's day from a kid's perspective. Quite well done. Apparently, there's a What Dads Can't Do as well. We will have to find it.

Goodreads summary:

Shows a child pondering the many problems that mothers must deal with in the course of a normal day.

Buy this book

Chester (Melanie Watt)

...that moment when your class cheers about the book you're about to read.

Chester is a winner. Love it.

Goodreads summary:

Chester is more than a picture book. It is a story told, and retold, by dueling author-illustrators.
Melanie Watt starts out with the story of a mouse in a house. Then Melanie's cat, Chester, sends the mouse packing and proceeds to cover the pages with rewrites from his red marker, and the gloves are off. Melanie and her mouse won't take Chester's antics lying down. And Chester is obviously a creative powerhouse with confidence to spare. Where will this war of the picture-book makers lead? Is it a one-way ticket to Chesterville, or will Melanie get her mouse production off the ground? 

Snappsy The Alligator (Julie Falatko)

When I first read this book it reminded me of the Chester books. I mentioned this to my class and they had no idea what I was talking about so we had to stop and read some Chester books before we read this one.

Books where a character in the story takes charge or speaks to the author are hilarious to kids.

Goodreads summary:
Snapppsy the alligator is trying to go about his very ordinary day when a pesky narrator steps in to spice up the story with slanderous claims. Is Snappsy making crafty plans? Is he prowling for defenseless birds and soft, fuzzy bunnies? Is Snappsy a big, mean alligator who’s obsessed with snack foods that start with the letter P? It’s no wonder Snappsy won't invite the narrator to his party! 

Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) is an irreverent look at storytelling, friendship, and creative differences from a pair of rising stars in the picture book world.

Are We There Yet (Dan Santat)

My students have really loved this book. We talked a lot about how when we are bored it really is a personal decision and that your imagination can make all the difference in a boring situation.

My students really loved the illustrations. I have seen them take this book from our library corner again and again.

This author also wrote, Beekle, an award winning and very cute book from last year.

Goodreads summary:

Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat takes readers on the road trip of a lifetime!"Are we there yet?" Every parent has heard this classic kid question on a long car ride--and after reading this astonishingly inventive new book (that even turns upside down for several pages!), you'll never look at being bored the same way again.

Let's face it: everyone knows that car rides can be boring. And when things get boring, time slows down. In this book, a boy feels time slowing down so much that it starts going backward--into the time of pirates! Of princesses! Of dinosaurs! The boy was just trying to get to his grandmother's birthday party, but instead he's traveling through Ancient Egypt and rubbing shoulders with Ben Franklin. When time flies, who knows where--or when--he'll end up.

Chester's Masterpiece (Melanie Watt)

 I was going to read Snappsy the Alligator to my class today. It reminds me of the Chester series because they both have characters that are aware of the author and those listening to the story. They are breaking the fourth wall. I said that to my class as I started in on Snappsy and realized they didn't know about Chester! How can we go on without first being introduced to Chester! I try to introduce my students to Canadian authors as much as possible. This series is also a good discussion starter for the work authors put into writing.

We laughed and laughed at his attitude. When we had Reading Buddies later in the day, it was snapped up quickly and passed around to many different partners. It is so fun to watch them share enthusiasm with grade one students that matches what I said to them when I introduced the book.

Goodreads summary:

Chester's finally ready to write his own masterpiece --- he just needs to get pesky writer-illustrator Mélanie Watt out of the way.

Chester's solo attempts at storytelling are messy, to say the least, but he's determined to go it alone. But where's his story going? After several alternative (but always unhappy) endings, Chester is confronted by a problem he never bargained for. A wry comment on the creative process and how good stories are constructed, this is the most uproarious Chester book yet.

Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals (Lucy Ruth Cummins)

I wonder what kind of person writes a crazy book like this??

At first we thought the lion was eating all the animals. Then he wasn't. They were sneaking off to give him a surprise party. But wait. Then he did eat them! (We think) But wait!! Then something bigger and nastier came along!

We read this one really quick at the end of the day. Everyone chuckled and talked about it as they got ready for home. It's a twisted sense of humor that loves this kind of stuff.

We loved it!

April 24, 2023: Re-read this again. Had a great vocabulary discussion about what dwindling means. Again, we loved the twist at the end! 

Goodreads summary:

Once upon a time there was a very hungry lion and some adorable little animals...

What do you think happened next?