A Stone for Sasha (Aaron Becker)

It's very good for me...and my students to read wordless books. It makes me slow down and really think about what is happening in the story. I really love reading books like this with my class and allowing them to discuss and figure out the story as we go. The illustrations in this story are beautiful and thought provoking. Goodreads says: A girl grieves the loss of her dog in an achingly beautiful wordless epic from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of Journey. This year’s summer vacation will be very different for a young girl and her family without Sascha, the beloved family dog, along for the ride. But a wistful walk along the beach to gather cool, polished stones becomes a brilliant turning point in the girl’s grief. There, at the edge of a vast ocean beneath an infinite sky, she uncovers, alongside the reader, a profound and joyous truth. In his first picture book following the conclusion of his best-selling Journey trilogy, Aaron Becker achieves a tremendous feat, connecting the private, personal loss of one child to a cycle spanning millennia — and delivering a stunningly layered tale that demands to be pored over again and again.

Snow Day! (Lester Laminack)

Funny to be reading this in July! As I read, though, I could totally sense that awesome feeling that comes with a snow day. This story has a good twist at the end when you realize it is the dad telling the story (he is a teacher) rather than the boy.

Goodreads summary: 

When the television weatherman predicts a big snowfall, the narrator gleefully imagines the fun-filled possibilities of an unscheduled holiday from school.

Piling under warm blankets. Sipping hot chocolate in snowman mugs. Building a snow fort. Piling up a zillion snowballs inside. Sledding in the neighbor s field. In scene after snowy scene, from sunrise to sundown, a pair of siblings, with their father in tow, show how they would make the most of their day off.

But when the family wakes up the next morning, they are in for a disappointment. As the family members pile into the car so they won t be late for school, an unexpected twist reveals who wanted the snow day most of all.

Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 9/1/2007 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 5 and Up

See You Next Year (Andrew Larsen and Todd Stewart)

We are looking for a great book to give our Assistant Principal who is not going to be here next year. This one seemed like a good idea, but didn't totally grab us when I read it to my class. Still searching!

The story is lovely though. It would be a great end of year story. We could talk about traditions our family has in the summer. The girl in the story goes to the same place every year for a vacation. The illustrations are beautiful.

Goodreads summary:

Every summer, a girl’s family drives down the same roads, passes through the same towns, and spends a week at the same beachside motel. Year after year, everything is comfortingly predictable: the families they see, the rhythm of the days, the stars, the bonfires, and even the pattern the tractor makes as it rakes the sand on their beach. But this year, something is different: the girl, our narrator, meets a new friend who shows her how to dive under the waves and spot satellites in the night sky. When it’s time to go, she’s sad to part ways. But she knows she can look forward to seeing him next year. Illustrated in a restrained, retro palette, this story perfectly captures the timelessness of a summer holiday. The effect is nostalgic and almost hazy, as if seen in a dream, a memory, or through the shimmering air of a hot summer day.