Children

It amazes me that this is one of my favorite books of all time, I recommend it all around the country and until now I have failed to include it as one of my monthly book picks. An outrage! BUY THIS BOOK. This is one of the simplest, most powerful stories I have ever had the pleasure of sharing with children. The message is simple: we are all artists. I think every teacher should read this book to see the potential in every child. Simply magical.

After being a Caldecott Medal bridesmaid five times, Pinkney finally earned a long overdue Caldecott Medal for this beautifully illustrated retelling of an Aesop Fable. Congratulations, Jerry – you are a role model to so many aspiring illustrators. My students love it when I read Pinkney’s books and share stories about how he became an artist. Truly inspiring.

I've read this book just about every day so far in my daughter's young life, and I think this is simply a brilliant book. Dr. Seuss deserves to be canonized; he is that important.

This book shows dads how to be silly with their kids. Also, February is Black History Month, and I greatly appreciate illustrator Kate Salley Palmer’s refreshing depiction of a playful African-American father (I am sick of books that insist on making ethnicity the central point to every story with minority characters). This is a book all families can enjoy.

This is what I call a “golden” book because it is written in English and Spanish (so kids and parents can follow along in both, making it especially great for ESL parents). Lovely story of little Anita, who arrives home on her 7^th birthday to discover her mother floating as she sings. Includes gorgeous illustrations by Yuyi Morales.

I always enjoyed this tale of the bull who did not want to fight. Ferdinand just wanted to smell the roses. When I lived in Spain I was excited to see the real-life bridge in Ronda that illustrator Robert Lawson drew in the book. This is just a nice story for everybody to read, especially world leaders.

Looking to boost creativity? You and your students will love this wonderful book about how a square can quickly and easily become many different things. Endless possibilities!

The perfect book to read to young children who are in foul moods. Laughter cures all.

I am thrilled that the start of baseball season is here. A devoted Dodger fan (torn by the recent sale of my beloved Dodgers, as I wish their corrupt owner Frank McCourt would walk away with nothing), I am always excited about a good Jackie Robinson picture book. Another great addition to illustrate to students how Jackie Robinson changed sports – and America – forever.

We lost a giant in literature this past month. Angelou’s beautiful voice is captured on each page of this terrific entry into children’s literature, with illustrations by Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Trust me, Joose’s touching tale of a mother telling her two sons how important each one is to her complimented by Mary Whyte’s soothing watercolor illustrations is the perfect read aloud. Think Love You Forever by Robert Munsch meets When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant.

One of my favorite books of the year, as it follows the one-track mind of a dog determined to play ball one day. Your kids will love it (and you can secretly love it, too).

One of the most popular read alouds in any classroom or bedroom, Barrett’s delightful tale of the town of ChewandSwallow is sure to interest young children in a place where food literally falls from the sky. This should be in every home library.

This is the first in a series of wonderful, popular episodes in the life of a maid who takes her directions quite literally. It is kind of like Seinfeld for kids.

This is my four-year-old daughter’s current favorite book to read before bedtime (my wife and I always read at least five picture books before she and her brother go to sleep). A lovely story of a girl who finds different items in her school that remind her of her mother, and she constructs the items into a doll that she keeps in a pocket by her heart. A trick I use to keep my daughter interested in the story is by substituting her name (Kate) for the main character’s name (Eliza). Children tend to enjoy stories more when they read about characters with their names.