So Few of Me

TITLE:  So Few of Me
AUTHOR:  Peter H. Reynolds
ILLUSTRATOR:  Peter H. Reynolds
PUBLISHER:  Candlewick Press
COPYRIGHT:  2006

Leo has a long list of things to do.  As he works on his list, he wonders if he could get the list done faster if there were two of him instead of just one.  All of a sudden there is another Leo, then another, and another.  Leo realizes that as there are more Leo's there is also more work.  Maybe he does not need more Leo's after all!

The cover of this book sitting on the library shelf caught my eye.  I found that the author/illustrator hand lettered the text.  I like books that have a lesson that can be easily applied to the reader's life/situation.  This is one of those books.  We don't need more and more; sometimes we just need to stop and be the best we can be.

I recommend this book for your classroom or personal library.

How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin?

TITLE:  How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin?
AUTHOR:  Margaret McNamara
ILLUSTRATOR:  G. Brian Karas
PUBLISHER:  Schwartz & Wade Books
COPYRIGHT:  2007

Mr. Tiffin brings three pumpkins to school.  The children guess how many seeds are in each one.  They clean out the pumpkins and come up with three ways to count the seeds (by 2s, 5s, and 10s).  Besides the pumpkin lesson, a boy named Charlie learns that it is okay to be the smallest.

This would be a wonderful book for an elementary school classroom or library.  I can see this being read in a unit on pumpkins in a Kindergarten or 1st grade class, and then the class could count the seeds in various pumpkins as the kids in the book do.  I liked this book and that it included a simple lesson for Charlie (besides the math/pumpkin lesson).  

In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin

TITLE:  In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin
AUTHOR:  Gloria Evangelista
ILLUSTRATOR:  Shawn Shea
PUBLISHER:  Fulcrum Resources
COPYRIGHT:  2001

Each year a boy and his family search for the perfect pumpkin.  Their search takes them to the local grocery story, a pumpkin patch, and an organic farm.  Then Mom has the idea that they should grow their own.  Will they be able to grow the "greatest, most unbelievably scrumptious pumpkins of all?"

Besides the story there are also random pumpkin facts in smaller print at the bottom of each page.  This book is a fun read to include in a fall unit on pumpkins.  Elementary aged children would enjoy this book, the book cover lists it for ages 4-10.


 

Pumpkins

TITLE:  Pumpkins
AUTHOR:  Ken Robbins
ILLUSTRATOR:  Ken Robbins
PUBLISHER:  Roaring Book Press
COPYRIGHT:  2006

Another book with the title Pumpkins!  The cover of this pumpkin book caught my eye.

The majority of this book focuses on how pumpkins grown.  There are a few pages on carving pumpkins as well.

The photographs in this book are well done and fit well with what the text says.  There is less text per page and less information presented in this book.

This book is appropriate to read to preschool/kindergarten.

Pumpkins

TITLE:  Pumpkins
AUTHOR:  Jacqueline Farmer
ILLUSTRATOR:  Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
PUBLISHER:  Charlesbridge
COPYRIGHT:  2004

This book has lots of information about pumpkins including how they grow, various types, and how to carve a jack-o'-lantern.  There are also a couple of recipes at the end of pumpkin pie and toasted pumpkin seeds.  This is a book that is larger in size, and the illustrations are great.  There is quite a bit of text on each page compared to some picture books.

This would be appropriate for a unit on fall or pumpkins in 1st or 2nd grade.

Library Lil

TITLE:  Library Lil
AUTHOR:  Suzanne Williams
ILLUSTRATOR:  Steven Kellogg
PUBLISHER:  Dial Books for Young Readers
COPYRIGHT:  1997

Lil has always loved books.  When she grows up, she becomes a librarian and is known as Library Lil.  The people of her town do not read much, and Lil works to change this.  One day she Bust-'em-up Bill and his gang comes to town and provide a challenge for Lil.  Will she be able to get Bill and the others interested in books and reading?

This is a book that has been around for a while, but it is a good one so I wanted to share it!  I read this to classes of students visiting the library when I was filling in for the librarian one week as it went with her theme of the week.  It is appropriate for early elementary aged children.

We're Going On A Book Hunt

TITLE:  We're Going On A Book Hunt
AUTHOR:  Pat Miller
ILLUSTRATOR:  Nadine Bernard Westcott
PUBLISHER:  Upstart Books
COPYRIGHT:  2008

A class of bears learns many things on their visit to the library to find a book.  They learn to be quiet, how to use shelf markers, and how to figure out if a book is right for them.

I enjoyed reading this book with its large pages and fun illustrations of a library set up in the woods for the bears.  This would be a good book to use with children going to the library for the first time.

L is for Library

TITLE:  "L" Is For Library

AUTHOR:  Sonya Terry
ILLUSTRATOR:  Nicole Wong
PUBLISHER:  Upstart Books
COPYRIGHT:  2006

There is a cat who you will find through the pages of this ABC book as you learn about the library.  Some of the words used about the library include historical fiction, keyword search, and shelf markers.

This would be a good book to read to introduce students to the library.  The illustrations are fitting and humorous.

Dance, Y'all, Dance

TITLE:  Dance, Y'all, Dance
AUTHOR:  Kelly Bennett
ILLUSTRATOR:  Terry Murphy
PUBLISHER:  Bright Sky Press
COPYRIGHT:  2009

This is a rhyming book about a dance hall, part of America's history.  There was a time when people would meet at dance halls to enjoy a fun time and fellowship with friends after a hard week of work.  In this book a family visits a dance hall on a Saturday night.  It is a fun, rhythmic book. At the back the author includes a description and brief history of dance halls.

I found this to be a fun book and I believe children would enjoy it.  It could be read for fun or as part of a unit of this part of American history.