A Jugsaw Jones Mystery- The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster

Author: James Preller

Title: A Jugsaw Jones Mystery- The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster

Illustrator: R.W. Alley

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: Mystery

Theme: Things are not always what they seem.

Primary and secondary characters: Primary- Jigsaw Secondary- Wingnut and Mila.

Award(s) date of publication: 1998

Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a second grade boy who goes by the name of Jigsaw. He is a detective who charges a dollar a day. His partners name is Mila and he pays her fifty cents a day. A boy they call Wingnut can not find his pet hamster. Jigsaw and Mila try to solve the case. Everytime they think they have solved it, their predictions are wrong. Once they finally solve the case of the missing hamster they realize that things are not always the way they seem. I could use this book to teach my students not to judge others based on assumptions because sometimes they could be misleading.

Magic Tree House- Twister on Tuesday

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Title: Magic Tree House- Twister on Tuesday

Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: Mystery and Adventure

Theme: If at first you don't succeed, try again.

Primary and secondary characters: Primary-Annie and Jack Secondary- Kate, Jeb, Will, and Mrs. Neely.

Award(s) date of publication: 2001

Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a boy named Jack and a girl named Annie who have a magical tree house that allows them to go back in time to experience different historical moments and solve mysteries. This particular mission takes them on the praire where they are students in a small classroom. They have to help the students and teacher to escape from the tornado into the underground cellar. The teacher teaches them a lesson while they are there that is shown throughout the entire book- If at first you don't succeed, try again. I could you this book to teach my children how practice makes perfect and that the more you try and study the better you will do and more successful you will be.

Magic Tree House- Tonight on the Titanic

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Title: Magic Tree House- Tonight on the Titanic

Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Genre: Chapter Book
Subgenre: Mystery and Adventure

Theme: Learning about the sinking of the Titanic

Primary and secondary characters: Primary- Jack and Annie Secondary- Teddy, Lucy, and William.

Award(s) date of publication: 1999

Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a boy named Jack and a girl named Annie who have a magical tree house that allows them to go back in time to experience different historical moments and solve mysteries. This particular mission takes place on the Titanic and they are helping a boy named William and a girl named Lucy to get on a lifeboat so that they will survive. I could use this story to teach my children about the Titanic. It would allow the students to understand what happened on a more personal level that they could relate to.

Duck at the Door

Author: Jackie Urbanovic

Title: Duck at the Door

Illustrator: Jackie Urbanovic
Genre: Childrem's Picture Book
Subgenre: Migration
Theme: Learning that birds migrate in the winter.
Primary and secondary characters: Max the Duck, Irene, and the other animals at the house.
Award(s) date of publication: 2009
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a duck named Max who decides not to migrate with the other ducks for winter but then realizes how cold it is. He knocks on a lady named Irene's door and asks to stay for the winter with her and her other pets. Once winter passes Max goes back with the other ducks but every year from then on out he returns back to Irene's house for the winter. I can use this book to teach my students about migration.

Shiver Me Letters- A Pirate ABC

Author: June Sobel

Title: Shiver Me Letters- A Pirate ABC

Illustrator: Henry Cole

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Subgenre: Rhyming letters
Theme: Learning your ABCs.
Primary and secondary characters: The pirates and the letters.
Award(s) date of publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a bunch of pirates who are trying to catch the ABCs. I can use this book in a lower level class such as kindergarten when I am introducing the ABCs.

The Big Snow

Author: Berta and Elmer Hader

Title: The Big Snow

Illustrator: Berta and Elmer Hader
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Subgenre: Animals and Nature, Season Changing.
Theme: What different animals do when the weather changes.
Primary and secondary characters: There was no primary character Secondary- All of the different types of animals.
Award(s) date of publication: Caldecott Honor Book, 1990
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about what different animals do before, during and after the season changes to winter. I could use this book to talk about the four different seasons and especially winter. Also, how the seasons affect the lives of different animals.

Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake

Author: Barbara Park

Title: Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake

Illustrator: Denise Brunkus

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: School
Theme: Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Primary and secondary characters: Primary- Junie B. Jones Secondary- Grandpa, Grandma, Mother, Father, classmates, and teacher.
Award(s) date of publication: 1999
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a little girl named Junie B. Jones who is in Kindergarten. She wants to win at everything and becomes upset when she starts to loose. Her school has a carnival and she decides that she is going to win all of the prizes. When she does not win she becomes very upset. The last game of the night is the cake walk and Junie B. Jones wins. She realizes that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I could use this book in my class to teach my students that they may not always win at the games we play in class or get the correct answer but that is alright as long as they learn and have a good time.

Mr. Gumpy's Outing

Author: John Burningham

Title: Mr. Gumpy's Outing

Illustrator: John Burningham

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: People, animals, and nature

Theme: We can all have fun as long as everyone follows the rules, but once someone decides to misbehave the fun will be ruined for everyone.
Primary and secondary characters: Primary character- Mr. Gumpy Secondary characters- the children, the rabbit, the cat, the bog, the pig, the sheep, the chicken, the calf, and the goat.
Award(s) date of publication: Parents' Choice Award, 1990
Publishing Company: Henry Holt and Company
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: Mr. Gumpy's Outing is about a man named Mr. Gumpy who decides to go out on his boat one day. The children, the rabbit, the cat, the bog, the pig, the sheep, the chicken, the calf, and the goat all ask to join Mr. Gumpy. Mr Gumpy says they all can join as long as they behave but when they all start to misbehave the boat tips over and the all fall in the water. I could use this book to teach my students about following the rules, such as the classroom rules.

Anansi the Spider

Author: Gerald McDermott

Title: Anansi the Spider
Illustrator: Gerald McDermott
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Subgenre: African Animal Folklore
Theme: If you fight with others no one gets rewarded.
Primary and secondary characters: Primary character- Anansi Secondary characters-See Trouble, Road Builder, River Drinker, Game Skinner, Stone Thrower, Cushion, and Nyame.
Award(s) date of publication: Caldecott Honor Book, 1993
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This story is about a father spider and his six sons. One day the father is eaten by a fish. The son spiders all go after their father to save him. Once they do, the father wants to reward one of them for saving him but he can not decide which one saved him since they all helped. The sons begin to fight over who should get the reward. The father spider asks the spider God to help him decide. The spider God decides to put the reward in the sky calling it the moon instead of giving it to any of the sons. I could use this book in my classroom to teach my students that fighting is never acceptable and should not be rewarded.

The Very Cranky Bear

Author: Nick Bland

Title: The Very Cranky Bear

Illustrator: Nick Bland

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

Subgenre: Animals

Theme: Sometimes the simple things are more important in life.
Primary and secondary characters: The sheep, the bear, the lion, the zebra, and the moose.
Award(s) date of publication: 2008
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a moose, lion, sheep, and zebra all playing inside a cave while it is raining. They do not realize that there is someone else there until they wake up a cranky bear. They decide to cheer him up so that he wil let them play. The lion, zebra, and the moose think that the bear is cranky because he looks plain. They decide to make him zebra stripes, a mane, and antlers. The bear is still cranky. The sheep decides to shave his hair and give it to the bear as a pillow. This makes the cranky bear happy and he goes to sleep. I could use this book to teach my students that sometimes doing something small for someone else can go a long way.

For Everyone to Share

Author: Gillian Lobel

Title: For Everyone to Share

Illustrator: Daniel Howarth

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Subgenre: Animals and Nature

Theme: The World is shared with everyone- mice, butterflies, flowers, bees, spriders, grass, etc.

Primary and secondary characters: Primary- The baby mouse. Secondary- The Mother mouse, the bee, and the butterfly.
Award(s) date of publication: 2007
Publishing Company: Scholastic Inc.
Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a baby mouse that wonders off while her mother and siblings are sleeping. She meets a bee and a butterfly who tell her about the world and everyone that lives there. I could use this book in my class to teach my students about animals in general and how this world was not made for just us humans but for the animals, flowers, and trees as well.

Chrysanthemum

Author: Kevin Henkes

Title: Chrysanthemum

Illustrator: Kevin Henkes

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Subgenre: Friendship
Theme: Be happy with who you are instead of wishing you were like someone else.
Primary and secondary characters: Primary- Chrysanthemum Secondary- Her parents, classmates, and teacher.

Award(s) date of publication: 1996

Publishing Company: Mulberry

Brief Summary and how I would use this book with students: This book is about a little mouse named Chrysanthemum who loves her name until she starts school. The other mice in the class make fun of her name and tease her because it is so long. Chrysanthemum is sad and hates her name until one day her teacher tells the class that her name is long too and that she is also named after a flower. Her name is Ms. Delphinium. The class realizes that Chrysanthemum has a special name and that it is a great name. This book could be used in my classroom to teach my children to accept other students in the class that are different. Being original is a good thing and once students learn that they become more creative as well.