Children

You may be better acquaintedwith this author as the creator of "Bloom County." This is a great book to illustrate the fun children can have with words. It is funny, and it even has a moral, to boot.

A Caldecott Honor Book, and rightly so. The watercolor illustrations are extraordinary in this touching story of an immigrant boy who takes a job lighting the streetlamps in New York City to support his large family.

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 (that provides a good lesson to kids: no matter how important you think you are, you do not have the right to call people names). Check out Cowley’s book on chameleons while you are at it.

Only a little boy understands that this giant with a taste for metal is actually quite gentle. Fearful adults finally turn to the giant to save them from a space-bat-angel-dragon. What is amazing about this story is the strong theme of world peace, and I have to tell you that the movie version of this story is one of the most underrated films of the past 20 years (along with Groundhog Day).

My daughter Kate loves me reading aloud this book to her every night. A girl who loves pink is teased by all the other girls who insist black is the “it” color, but she finds a kindred spirit who mixes pink and blue to create a beautiful purple cake. “That’s the kind of girl I want you to be friends with,” I always tell Kate.

My son Sean enjoys this story about a pack rat who sells all of his “stuff” to buy trees for his hometown. Includes wonderful illustrations by Steve Cox.

This is absolutely just a fun picture read for little ones curious to see the different hairstyles of Lionel, the lion. The pictures make all kids laugh.

While I think Adam Mansbach’s Go the F**k to Sleep is pure genius, it is meant for an adult audience. Kaplan has written a book that makes adults laugh with their children while getting kids to pay attention to one of my biggest pet peeves: whining. This book is perfect for playful read alouds.

One of the best ways I know to engage students of all ages is to create parodies of well-known songs. Your kids will be tickled by Katz’s clever ditties and David Caltrow’s delightful illustrations, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming the tunes for the rest of the week.

You’re kids will enjoy this fun story about a dog choosing his family over a pack of unsavory canines.

If you are not reading children’s books, humbug to you! Some of the best stories lay on children’s bookshelves. I cannot get enough of stories like this one, chronicling the inspiration of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Sally Walker also has a great version of the story in her book Winnie.

A perfect rhyming bedtime read aloud that teaches the value of family and helping one another.

Very cleverly designed book featuring die-cut holes that make little things on one page appear much larger on the next. Great message for ALL readers, as the little things usually become the big things.

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.

Looking for sweet AND a fun way to teach the alphabet? This is your book. Beautifully illustrated by Joan Rankin.