Thursday, December 28, 2006

Top 5-o-rama, Day 2

For today's Top 5 we feature:

5 Favorite Children's Books for 2006

(look for other favorites when the Cybils short lists are announced on January 1, 2007, and when we nail down our picks for the Newbery)

Franki (mine are 5 must-have books for classroom teachers):

The Last Day of School by Louise Borden
Nothing captures the feelings of the classroom and school like Louise Borden's do. This book is one that came out in the spring that captures that feeling of closing out the school year and starting summer. Just as the other books in this series (A+ Custodian, Good Luck, Mrs. K, and The Day Eddie Met the Author), the relationships are key to the story.

Babymouse (all of them!) by Jennifer Holm
I have never been a comic book reader, so graphic novels are hard for me. But, this series is a great "in" to the world of graphic novels! My students love it too. It has been a great series to invite readers into this new and popular genre that I used to avoid. The humor is quite clever!

A Coach's Letter to His Son by Mel Allen
It isn't often that you find an essay in picture book form--one that would be meaningful to children and adults. Mel Allen takes on the topic of organized sports and the way it has changed the way he plays with his son over the years. A great one for booktalk or as a great example of essay writing.

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: Why Commas Really Do Make a Difference
by Lynne Truss
How could punctuation be so interesting? This book shows us all the difference a comma can make in a sentence. A fun way to look at this part of writing!

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall
I am always on the lookout for great new series books for transitional readers. I read the first Ivy and Bean book this summer and am so glad I added it to my classroom library. My kids are LOVING both books in this series. Someone is ALWAYS reading the copies we have in the room. It seems to be a book that lots of kids can relate to. Very fun and a good size. Best new series since Judy Moody in my opinion! You can read praise for Ivy and Bean here.


Mary Lee:

The Book of Story Beginnings
by Kristin Kladstrup

Corydon and the Island of Monsters by Tobias Druitt

Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop

The End by Lemony Snicket

Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:05 PM

    I haven't read most of these books, but I must say that I too love Babymouse (has anyone else noticed that the odd numbers are better than the evens?) and Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:15 PM

    I just reviewed the newest Ivy and Bean book, and was glad to see from your list that the books are as kid-friendly as I suspected.

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