Brave as Can Be by JoWitek

Everyone is afraid at some time and that is ok.  As a big sister explains to her little sister that there is lots of things she was once afraid of, are not so scary anymore.  There are lots of ways to handle scary things and situations and knowing someone else feels the same sometimes helps.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

You're a Crab! A Moody Day Book by Jenny Whitehead

"Some days you can be a friendly dolphin with a squeeeaky laugh.  Some days you can be a funny clownfish that flips and does somersault."

Everyone, even ocean animals, have good days and bad days.  A fun and colorful introduction to moods that reminds readers that everyone has these moods some days but the next day is a new day and can be totally different.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Perfect Percival Priggs by Julie-Anne Graham

Percival Priggs was perfect.  Everyone around him, including his pets, were perfect.  Percy continued to work hard to be perfect because he did not want his parents to love him any less.  Everything was perfect, until one day when it was no longer perfect.  Suddenly Percy was no longer perfect and he learned that his parents were not either.  Percy learned that sometimes you have to try again and again, and that is ok.  A perfect, errrr, book for those kiddos that struggle with the idea of being perfect all the time.

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves
Text:  4 Buckeye leaves

Olive and the Embarrassing Gift by Tor Freeman

Olive's good friend Joe has given him a gift, a hat that says "best friends" on it.  Olive does not like the hat.  He thinks it looks silly.  Apparently many others think the hat looks ridiculous also as they laugh when they see him wearing it.  Olive is so tired of being laughed at that he takes the hat and throws it in the trash can.  Unfortunately Joe sees him do it.  Olive realizes he has not been a good friend but how can he make it better?  How can he get his friend Joe to forgive him?  Another great Olive book that teaches valuable life skills.  Great starting point for discussions.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

If you set out to make something MAGNIFICENT…..it may take time!  A little girl decides that today is the day she will make something magnificent with the help of her assistant, her dog.  But it is just not working out right.  So she tries again.  And still it is not working out.  Frustration sets in and her assistant steps in and convinces her to take time to take a walk and relax.  When the pair returns…..

Great message for kiddos as well as adults!!  Love a simple book with a great message!!  

View book trailer here!  

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves - LOVE!
Text:  5 Buckeye leaves

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Todd Parr's new book, The Thankful Book celebrates all those things we forget to be thankful for.  A great book for any age and a great starting point for classroom discussion and/or projects related to thankfulness.

Olive and the Big Secret by Tor Freeman

Olive has a BIG secret.  Her big secret is not HER secret though.  Her secret is Molly's secret.  Olive must not tell anyone Molly's secret.  And Olive does try to keep the secret - she really does but it is hard....After keeping quiet about the secret Olive finally cracks and tells her friend Joe.  Olive tells Joe not to tell anyone but Joe does tell Matt.  And of course as we have all experienced before, the chain of "secret keeping" goes from there.  A great book for teaching kids about being a good friend, a good "secret keeper" as well as the need sometimes to NOT keep a secret.  (And I love the illustration about of Olive telling Joe NOT tell the secret!)

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Silly Goose's BIG Story by Keiko Kasza

I am a big fan of Keiko Kasza's books!  This one is no exception.  Silly Goose is known among his animal friends as being a great storyteller.  From pirates to dinosaurs to kings, Goose's stories are always entertaining.  But the animal friends are not so happy when every story the hero is played by Goose.  One day a BIG SCARY wolf shows up and the animals all take off running.  All the animals are able to escape except Goose.  Goose uses his great storytelling skills to try to convince the wolf that a WEM, Wolf-Eating Monster, lurks in the forest.  As Goose tells the story, something.....perhaps WEM, appears behind a bush....or does it?  Great book for middle elementary kids that will appreciate how the wolf is tricked.  Great lesson on being a friend.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Hello Goodbye and A Very Little Lie by Christianne Jones

Larry is a liar.  He lies to everyone....his mom, kids at the park, strangers at the grocery store.  One day he announces, "....I can swim all the way across the lake."  But this time someone stops him.  "No, you can't," a little girl replies.  EEEK!  Larry has never had anyone actually challenge his lies like that before.  He is stuck. "Prove it.  My ball floated to the other side of the lake.  Go get it for me."  Larry knows he is backed in a corner and must admit that he has lied.....but so has the little girl!  Can these two "liars" learn a lesson and overcome their lying ways?  What a practical book....NOT that children ever lie.....noooooo.  A great way to open up the discussion about lying whether it is your own child OR a child in your classroom.

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Terrible, Awful, Horrible Manners! by Beth Bracken

Love this simple book.....about an important topic.  As a parent who pushed "please" and "thank you", almost to excess (at least in some people's eyes...not mine though) I love to see a book that is simple enough to read to young children that keeps it simple.  For older kids, a great review of what they SHOULD be doing.  Pete is a boy (though really a monkey) with horrible manners.  His parents are fed up with his terrible manners and decides to show HIM what he really looks like to others.  Pete quickly learns what he needs to do and seems to make a speedy change in his own manners....or has he?

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

Beatrice Bottomwell has always done everything perfectly.  She NEVER makes mistakes. From getting dressed to making sandwiches to her juggling act she has done the last 3 years in the talent show, she does everything without any mistakes.  But this year is different.  The day of the talent show arrives and during a cooking lesson at school, Beatrice almost makes a mistake.  What could this mean?  When it is her turn to perform at the talent show she is nervous but the crowd is not because she is "the girl that never makes mistakes!"  It is too late in her juggling act when Beatrice realizes her salt shaker actually has specks falling out that are not salt.....and the hamster suddenly.....A great book for teaching kids about making mistakes and that everyone makes mistakes, even perfect Beatrice Bottomwell.  

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

The Little Pea by Eric Battut

Peas generally look alike.  The tend to be the same size and color.  One little pea though does not like being the same as all the other peas.  When the little pea notices a peacock with a beautiful tail, it decides it will attach a feather with string and will be handsome as well.  Then the little pea notices the stripes on a tiger and the trunk on an elephant and wants to have these attributes as well.  The little pea is laughed at by the other peas but does not seem to care.  When the planting season arrives, little pea digs into the ground and waits.  When the new plant finally emerges, it is full of happy and different kinds of peas.  A good addition to any discussion about differences and celebrating being an individual.  Simple enough storyline that even the youngest child will understand but will extend itself to older students as well.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  3 Buckeye leaves

Rosie Sprout's Time To Shine by Allison Wortche

Rosie and Violet are very different.  Violet is the BEST at everything and she has no problem letting everyone know it!  Rosie on the other hand is not the best at anything.  When their teacher Ms. Willis announces that each student will be planting pea seeds, Violet is quick to announce HERS will be the best.  Rosie takes great pride in her little plant and one day notices a tiny bit of green poking through the dirt.  But no sooner has she noticed and Violet announces her plant is growing!  The next morning Rosie goes inside to take care of her tiny pea plant and decides to cover Violet's plant with dirt.  Once school starts, Ms. Willis announces that Violet will not be at school because she has chicken pox.  Rosie's guilt begins to grow.  Rosie begins taking care of both plants and when Violet finally returns to school, she is in for a big surprise.  This is a great book for teaching kids about "being the bigger person" and how to best deal with individuals that are not always nice.  Sometimes it is hard to be a "good person" when you are not treated nicely by others.  Great character building book!!

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Home For Christmas by Jan Brett

Rollo a little troll, who still has his tail since he has not performed good deeds required for it to fall off, decides he will run away rather than help his parents and sister. Rollo lives with an owl family, family of bears, some otters, a lynx and finally a family of moose before he decides he misses his family and needs to return home. On Christmas Eve, the family gathers to enjoy the holiday and realize Rollo has finally lost his tail. Another enjoyable story with incredible illustrations, that you really must look at more than once. Great story that falls in the categories of family and responsibility.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

School for Bandits by Hannah Shaw

Ralph is not like the other raccoons. Ralph says please and thank you, is clean and tidy, and brushes his teeth. His parents are so upset that they decide to send him to Bandit School in hopes he will become more like the other raccoons. Ralph hates it - he just can't be mean, messy, and sneaky like the others. As the first term ends, each raccoon is is given a bag to gather "loot" from others. Ralph still can't be unkind. How will he ever be able to fill his bag? A fun book about raccoons. Will be a perfect beginning of the year, how to treat each other, book.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School by David Mackintosh

Marshall Armstrong in new at school. His supplies are different, his hair is different, his shoelaces are different...everything about Marshall Armstrong in different. But Marshall invites the kids over to his house to play and soon the students are not so concerned about Marshall being different. And when Elizabeth Bell arrives at their school, the kids seem more concerned about helping her adjust to her new school. Good book for discussion about differences and acceptance.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves

Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems

FINALLY! This book has been out 2 weeks and only TODAY have I got my hands on it. For some reason our BIG chain bookstore did not have it....hmmmm.....

Piggie and Gerald are back! This time they are celebrating a special day....it is HAPPY PIG DAY! Everyone is prepared to celebrate the big day, except Gerald. Gerald is feeling a little left out since he is not a pig. Being a good friend, Piggie tries to talk to his friend sensing that his friend is upset. Gerald explains that he can not celebrate because he has a trunk, big ears, is gray, and has no snout. Piggie then explains that they can still celebrate Happy Pig Day together. As a big Mo Willems fan, I was very excited to get my hands on this newest Piggie and Elephant book. I was a little surprised to finally read it though. I enjoyed it - as expected, not my favorite though - but I was impressed that there was a "deeper" meaning to this book. Piggie and Gerald are friends even though one is a pig and one is an elephant. In this book Gerald even lists the differences between himself and Piggie. Piggie then points out, that it is ok to be different. Not sure if this was really Willems' point or if I am reading into it, but was nice just the same. Regardless fans of Willems will be pleased to see Piggie and Elephant back!

Naughty Toes by Ann Bonwill

Another gem from Tiger Tales (have I mentioned I love their books!!).

Chloe and Belinda are sisters in Madama Mina's ballet class. From their leotards (classic pink and white for Belinda and red, purple, and green for Chloe) to their feet ("good toes" for Belinda and "naughty toes" for Chloe) these two sisters definitely unique. No matter how hard Chloe tries, she just can't fit into the ballet class like her sister, the swan and madame Mina's "prima Ballerina". Very cute book, adorable illustrations, with a great message about finding your specialty and strength.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves - Love the illustrations! Great backgrounds.
Endpages: 5 Buckeye Leaves - So super cute!!!

Rock 'n' Roll Mole by Carolyn Crimi

"Mole had a rock-and-roll soul....He wore a leather jacket (even in summer) and shades (even at night). And he could strut just like his idol, Mick Badger."

Mole has a great talent but only his friend, Pig, has heard him play. But Pig has something up his sleeve, a talent show, to bring his friend Mole to the stage to rock. Despite his great talent, the thought of performing in front of others made Mole, "...shake in his shades." As the talent show day comes closer and closer, Mole decides he just can't go through with his performance but agrees to help his friend continue to prepare. The night of the show Pig is frantic when he discovers his ipod is broken and Mole must decide if he can overcome his own fear, and help his friend Pig. Super cute and simple enough for younger children to understand.

Text: 5 Buckeye leaves - Great message for youngsters! AND adults will love the subtle humor - Mick Badger! Ha! Goose Springsteen! Ha Ha!!
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves - so cute! I LOVE Lynn Munsinger's illustrations - super cute animals!

Note: Only thing I did not like about this book....ugh...."I'm not going to do Pig's stupid show." I know, I know, kids say "stupid" (dumb, etc...far worse) but I really do not want my 3 1/2 year old hearing it in books and from ME! So I do substitute "silly". Need to think about what I would/will do with classes at school. Depends on grade level. This being said, having read books such as Shiloh with older kids, with far worse in language, I always explain to my kids why the word choice was made...but never make THEM say it if they are not comfortable. I just want to protect my little boy a little longer....oh and I also won't let him say the word BORED so..... :)

D.W. Says Please and Thank You by Marc Brown

Arthur dares his little sister D.W. to be perfect for one whole day. Being perfect also means, using lots of good manner, after looking perfect first of course. D.W. cleans her room, says good-bye, hello, excuse me, and does NOT use mean words, closes her mouth when chewing, not whining and complaining, etc. At the end of the day D. W. realizes that manners "give you magical powers and people treat you like a big kid!" Although this book came out in 2006, we often forget about the power of series books. Even kids that may THINK they have outgrown an old favorite, like Arthur, can learn alot when exposed to them as BIG kids!