Picture Book 10 for 10 Event - #pb10for10

It's time for the annual Picture Book 10 for 10 Event hosted by Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek.  Each August 10th picture book lovers get together and share their top 10 picture books.  This year you can connect with everyone through The Picture Book 10 For 10 Google Community! This is my 4th year participating.  In fact, the first time I didn't even have a blog yet!

The Bee Tree
I love most all of Patricia Polacco's books!  She writes from her own family experiences and they always pack an emotional punch.  I start with this book and nearly every year I cry or get choked up.  A great story to share the love of reading.

Each Kindness
I won't be surprised if this book is on a lot of lists this year.  A great story to read any time of year, but I like to read it during the first month of school.  A very realistic story with a very realistic ending.

Short Cut
I use this book every single year as a mentor text in writing workshop.  I've used in grades 1-3.  Enough said.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Fun, silly and imaginative book.  I read it on the first day of school.  Then later in the week I use it as a discussion starter about the books we love.  We turn it into an art activity.  Yes, I still think it's important to do some arts and crafts in the classroom sometimes! You can learn a lot about students while they cut and paste and talk.

Oliver Button is a Sissy
Oliver likes to draw and pretend.  He doesn't enjoy sports, but wants to tap dance.  Another book relating to bullying, acceptance and being yourself.

Amazing Grace
I'm always surprised that my second or third graders have not read this book before! It's a classic as far as I'm concerned.  Grace wants to play Peter Pan in the school play, but children think she can't because she is a girl.

Jacob's Dress
I found this book sometime last summer and knew I would be adding it to my read alouds.  The story of how Jacob convinces his parents to let him wear a dress.  It's so hard to find books that deal with LGBT issues for our younger readers.  We all have students that don't fit the norm in our schools and classrooms.  It's so important that we find books that represent students that are a bit different.

Me...Jane
A terrific picture book biography about a young Jane Goodall.  My students always enjoy this book.  It is generally the first biography I read to my class.  Not only does it describe Jane as a young child it connects to the ideas of following your dreams and persevering.

The Most Magnificent Thing
Another great book to read early in the school year!  Read and watch as this little girl struggles to create the most magnificent thing.  She has to stop and start over many times to get it just right.  I use this book to introduce the concept of persevering to my students and we will use it over and over throughout the year.

Wolfie the Bunny

Just because it's funny and I know my students will giggle.  It's very important to read lots of humorous books, especially in the beginning of the year.  Great for building a community of readers. Just because it's funny doesn't mean it won't have a message and create some conversation. 

Happy Reading! And don't spend too much on all those new books.

August Picture Book 10 for 10 - 2013

It's August 10th and time for the 4th annual Picture Book 10 for 10, or #pb10for10.  Cathy Mere from Reflect and Refine and Mandy Robek from Enjoy and Embrace Learning invite us to share our top 10 picture books.  Please be sure to check out their blogs for the links to the event.

As I began planning for my 3rd year participating in this event I knew it would be a challenge.  First, I did a quick write - listing the books that popped into my head.  Then I reviewed my goodreads list and looked through my past lesson plans to see if I had missed anything.  I couldn't decide if I should choose 10 completely new books that weren't on my past lists or if I should make a top ten that has something old and something new.  Such problems!

After some thinking I decided to create a Top Ten "New" Picture Books list.  "New" meaning they were new to me in the last year, not necessarily newly published.  These are some of my favorite picture books that I have read in the past year and think they will continue to be favorites in the future.


Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown

This past school year will always be very memorable for me because along with a group of dedicated teachers and parents I was able to organize our first author visit.  And guess who it was?  Newly awarded Caldecott Honor recipient, Peter Brown!  I have been a huge fan of Peter Brown and look forward to his new book coming out this fall, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.  Click on the book to watch the book trailer for Creepy Carrots!







Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

I featured this wordless book a while back for #IMWAYR and still think it's one of my favorites of 2013 so far!  I actually have not read it to my class yet, so I am looking forward to doing that this fall.  (I kept lending the book to colleagues and friends.) Click on the book to watch the book trailer.







This is Not My Hat  by Jon Klassen

This little gem won the 2013 Caldecott Medal.  No matter what age you are you will enjoy this book!  Last fall, while visiting a bookstore with my daughter and her girlfriend, I pulled the book off a shelf and insisted they sit down and read the book.  (I do this kind of thing often - I'm sure it is annoying.)  Anyway, I loved watching them read it, especially when they came to the end!  Sometimes adult reactions are the best!  I quickly found a copy of I Want My Hat Back and insisted they read that one too!  Click the book to watch the book trailer.

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman


I featured this book on #IMWAYR also.  Totally can't wait to read it to my class this fall!  I'm definitely thinking it will be part of our Mock Caldecott.  Visit Mr. Schu's blog Watch Connect Read to read an interview with Deborah Freedman and watch some videos.








On a Beam of Light by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky


I featured this book on my Non-Fiction Wednesday post and still need to purchase another copy since I gave away the first copy I bought!  Beautiful non-fiction.  Shows the value of just sitting, thinking and daydreaming.








Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska

Many of my young students have actually heard of the term infinity.  Maybe it's Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear and his phrase, "To infinity and beyond" but students are always curious about this word!  In this story, the little girl, Uma, looks up to the sky and stars and begins wondering about the concept of infinity.  She asks different people, from friends to adults,  to explain infinity to her.  Along the way she starts figuring out how infinity relates to her, personally.  This is definitely not a book that explains infinity in a mathematical, facts only way.  Kate Hosford handles it more as a thinking exercise.  The illustrations are unique and beautiful.  Kate Hosford also has a curriculum guide to go along with the book.


The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

I featured this book on a #IMWAYR post recently.  Again, I can't wait to read the book to my students!  Oliver Jeffers' illustrations are brilliant.  I use his book, The Book Eating Boy, each fall to help build our reading identities.  We even create a collage in the same style as the book.  Also check out the book, Stuck.







Ocean Sunlight: How tiny plants feed the sea by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm

I featured this book on a Non-Fiction Wednesday post.  It is the 3rd book in a series she and her scientist friend have written on how sunlight effects the earth.  This is the only one I have read and I can't wait to get the other 2 from my library.  My class absolutely loved the book!

One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Jane Chapman

This is the story of the life of a sea turtle - from the moment it hatches on a beach, to living in the Sargasso Sea, the coral reefs and then returning to the beach that it was born on to lay eggs.  The text reads like poetry!  My class loved this book!  Make sure you check out more of Nicola's books.  Her picture books are perfect for my second grade.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Face your fears!  Isn't everyone a little afraid of the dark?  I know my second graders will enjoy this book.  another book I can't wait to share with my class!  Click on the  book to watch the book trailer.

Picture Book 10 for 10 Event

It's time for my TOP TEN PICTURE BOOKS post!  Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning along with Cathy at Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community are sponsoring August 10 for 10 Picture Books Event (#pb10for10).  This is the second year that I am participating and I am very excited because this year I have my own blog to post my picks on - last year I used google docs.

Some of these books are newer and others have been around awhile.  I am sure that given this task next week or next month my list would definitely change!  Either way, these ten books will definitely be read and reread in my second grade classroom during the upcoming school year.

Pete the Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean.

I just LOVE books that I can sing!  In this book Pete the Cat visits different areas of his school - all while "rocking in his school shoes".  I read sang this book to my students at the beginning of the school year.  It never stayed on the shelf for the first 2 months of school.  You could always find a group of students sitting or laying on the carpet reading singing the story.  I can't wait to get a copy of Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons!

Enemy Pie written by Derek Munson and illustrated by Tara Calahan King

Want to know the perfect ingredient for getting rid of your number one enemy?  Then read Enemy Pie.  A great story about making friends, told with humor and even some suspense.  My students love guessing all the possible gross and horrible ingredients that might be in the pie.  My students love this book.  There is even a Reading Rainbow episode that features the book narrated by Ed Harris.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse

So what is a reversible poem?  First, you read it forward.  Then you read it backwards and it's a new poem!  Awesome and clever!  These reverso poems are all related to familiar fairy tales which my second graders love.  When I first introduced the book, I chose 2 or 3 poems to read because I thought the rest of the poems might be too advanced.  Was I wrong!  This books was constantly off the shelf during partner or free choice reading and students often asked to read some of the poems aloud to the class.

Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes is an author that I use constantly in my classroom.  His books are well written and I use them as mentor texts in both reading and writing workshop.  But most of all my students love his characters and can relate to their problems.  I chose Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse because of the theme of forgiveness.  Lilly loves her teacher and when she gets in trouble for playing with her purse at school she gets so angry at her teacher she writes a mean note.  I think it is a great book to help talk about doing something that you regret and the act of forgiveness.

The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco

Another author I just love!!  It was so hard to choose one of her books, but The Keeping Quilt has a special place in my heart because I was fortunate enough to hear Ms. Polacco tell the story herself (without the book) while holding the quilt.  By the end of the story I was crying.  She is a great storyteller - in person or through her books.  And her illustrations are so full of emotions.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Mr. Bear is looking for his hat.  Who took his hat?  How does he get it back?  What a fabulously funny, and delightful book.  The illustrations are very clever and definitely help tell the story.

Never Smile At A Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember by Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins illustrations are stunning - he uses cut and torn paper collage.  He has a collection of wonderful non-fiction books that I highly recommend.  This book describes a variety of animals and their unique way of protecting themselves or catching prey- which may be dangerous to humans.  Great way to introduce adaptation.

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

What happens when a fuzzy tennis ball bounces down a prairie dog hole?  A great big fuzz frenzy!  This story is so hilarious and the little prairie dogs are so endearing. There is lots of clever dialogue and I love doing different voices as I read the story.  The best part is when my students start laughing so much they make me start laughing too.  A perfect read aloud full of descriptive language.  A great little story with a big message of sharing, teamwork and community.

Extra Yarn written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Annabelle finds a box of yarn that appears to be magical.  She knits herself a sweater and then goes on to knit for her little town - the people, animals, buildings, etc.  But then an evil and greedy archduke steals the yarn for himself, only to find out the magic yarn doesn't work for him!  I haven't read this book to my students yet - I look forward to sharing it with them.

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival written by Kirby Larson & Mary Nethery and illustrated by Jean Cassels

This is the true story of Bobbi the dog and Bob Cat - 2 pets that were abandoned during the Hurricane Katrina evacuation.  When the animals are finally rescued after roaming the streets of New Orleans rescuers soon realize that the dog is blind and has been relying on Bob Cat to survive.  Very touching story.  Great non-fiction read aloud - reads like a story.

So that's my top ten for this year.  I look forward to reading all the other blog post and their top tens!

Have you read these books?  How do you use them in your classroom?

What are your favorite picture books?