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The Dangerous Snake and Reptile Club

The Dangerous Snake and Reptile Club

By Daniel San Souci 40 pages Children

Danny Says

Another fantastic Clubhouse book, this endearing tale follows young Danny and his two brothers, Bobby and Mike, as they return from a summer vacation with a jar full of tadpoles, a King snake and dinosaur bone to show off to their friends and create havoc in their parents’ home. This entire series of books reminds me of the books I use to enjoy when I was in the Cub Scouts as a boy. Great fun!
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Please Is a Good Word to Say

Please Is a Good Word to Say

By Barbara Joosse 40 pages Children

Danny Says

With terrific illustrations from Jennifer Plecas, this delightful book is a “must” for any parent to read aloud at night to a child in need of learning about manners (e.g. my own two children). 
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Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving!

Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving!

By Patricia Hubbell 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Hubbell writes books that are meant to be read aloud to young children. Following the horrific events in South Carolina this past month, I found this book to be an important reminder to us about how important firefighters are. Hubbell offers a free-flowing rhyme about a day in the life of a firefighter with pretty illustrations by Viviana Garofoli.
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Alistair's Time Machine

Alistair's Time Machine

By Marilyn Sadler Children

Danny Says

Alistair constructs a time machine for the science fair, and he travels throughout history. The machine does not work at the science fair, and a dejected Alistair wonders how he can prove to adults that it works. Meanwhile, a bunch of woolly mammoths linger outside his school. This is a very amusing and enjoyable story that any kid will love.
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Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

By Eileen Spinelli 32 pages Children

Danny Says

The lovely story of a loner curmudgeon who ignores his neighbors until the day a mailman delivers him an anonymous valentine. The unexpected gift changes the way Mr. Hatch lives his life, and he becomes an outwardly generous and caring person…until the day the mailman returns to announce he mistakenly delivered the valentine to the wrong address. Read the book to find out what happens next (hint: do you think I would steer you toward a depressing book?).
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Red-eyed Tree Frog

Red-eyed Tree Frog

By Joy Cowley 32 pages Children

Danny Says

I have seen greater demand among kindergarten and first-grade teachers and parents regarding great nonfiction titles for students. Joy Cowley is a delightful author, and this book is really precious because of Nic Bishop’s wonderful photography. I used this book this past year with students alter Simon Cowell compared an “American Idol” poor contestant to a tree frog. Check out Cowley’s book on chameleons while you are at it.
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Crackback

Crackback

By John Coy 208 pages Children

Danny Says

The kind of book I would have read in middle school, this story chronicles a teen’s football woes as he tries to please his father and coach and fit in with his peers. Deals with a variety of issues that make it a page-turner.
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Solar System SOS

Solar System SOS

By Arlen Cohn 32 pages Children

Danny Says

When the sun strays from its normal position, representatives from each planet in the solar system team up to solve the problem. Part of the Eyeball Animation series (the books all have cool big plastic eyeballs popping out), this is a fun way to introduce students to the planets.
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Actual Size

Actual Size

By Steve Jenkins 28 pages Children

Danny Says

I have featured a number of books by Steve Jenkins (and his frequent collaborator, Robin Page) in my book talks around the country, and I did not realize that I had never featured him in a single lazy readers’ pick. He is one of my favorite children’s authors, as his books always include wonderful illustrations that educate students on a wide array of subjects, from animals to geography. This book is great because it features illustrations of the actual size of different animals’ claws, wings, etc. Kids love comparing the size of their hands and fingers to the pictures. Lots of fun!
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First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters

By Julie Danneberg 32 pages Children

Danny Says

Every teacher needs to buy this book. A wonderful read-aloud for students to enjoy about Sarah Jane Hartwell’s reluctance to get out of bed and go to school for the first day. The illustrations by Judith Dufour Love brilliantly hide Sarah until the very end, when we learn that she is not a new student but a new teacher. Kids really get a kick out of this book. 
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Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

By Margery Cuyler 48 pages Children

Danny Says

Margery Cuyler has written a number of wonderful children’s books, and I love this one for a variety of reasons. First, her characters have names like Raquelita and Tawana to go along with David (too many children’s books lack the diversity I see in our schools). Second, Sachiko Yoshikawa’s colorful illustrations are vibrant. Most importantly, the book shows kids the importance of kindness and even offers child readers 100 suggestions for random acts of kindness that they can perform.
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I Went to the Party in Kalamazoo

I Went to the Party in Kalamazoo

By Ed Shankman 40 pages Children

Danny Says

I am on an illustration kick this month, as I love Dave Frank’s illustrations (they sort of reminded me of the illustrations for The Beatles's Yellow Submarine) in this fun rhyme that reads like a Dr. Seuss book. Animals, balloons and geographical references spun in a humorous rhyme – all of the elements I like in my read alouds with kids.
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My Big Rig

My Big Rig

By Jonathan London 50 pages Children

Danny Says

Frustrated parents, please take heart: my 2-year-old son rarely pays attention to my read alouds. He does, however, love this cute little picture book about a boy imagining he drives a truck cross country (maybe it is because I add my own truck sound effects). Viviana Garofoli’s pictures captivate while London’s simple story about a boy imagining at play is sure to entice young boys who find it difficult to sit still and pay attention to most books.
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The Grapes Of Math

The Grapes Of Math

By Greg Tang 40 pages Children

Danny Says

I have been recommending Tang’s wonderful books of math riddles for years, and I could not believe it when somebody pointed out that I had never placed any of his books on my Lazy Reader lists. I greatly apologize for the oversight, as Greg Tang is one of those wonderful authors who gets students who are good at math more interested in reading, and students who are good at reading become more interested in math. I use Greg Tang’s books all the time (you should also check out his wonderful book Math-terpieces).
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Yum! Yuck!

Yum! Yuck!

By Linda Sue Park & Julia Durango 36 pages Children

Danny Says

I love books that teach kids a variety of languages, and this one demonstrates how people make different expressions in languages from Danish to Farsi. Little kids love listening to this book read aloud. 
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