"Flotsam" by David Wiesner

"Flotsam" 

by David Wiesner

40 pages /  Print / Science Fiction

Summary: A boy finds a strange camera on the shore at the beach. Curious about its contents, he goes to get the film developed at a nearby store. He is in shock when it is revealed that the photographs show sea creatures doing to most remarkable and strange things. The last picture is very special. It shows a photo of a girl holding a picture, and in the picture is a picture of a boy holding a picture. The boy is very interested in understanding why people are holding a picture of a picture. He gets his magnifying glass and sees that there are many people who have taken this picture of a picture. The boy decides to keep the tradition and take his own special picture with new film. The boy then throws the camera back in the ocean for another person to find one day. The book ends with another child finding the camera on a different beach.

 Evaluation: This book is a Caldecott Winner for its imaginative and illustrations and creative plotline. With many of Wiesner's books, there is little or no text, so the reader is forced to look closely at the illustrations to tell a story. The story being told here is that anything is possible. The ocean is so vast and unknown that maybe there are strange things happening that we cannot imagine. The theme of "adventure" and "journey" is also present in this book.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, lively, engrossing, mystical, magical

"Let It Snow" by Holly Hobbie

"Let It Snow" 

by Holly Hobbie

32 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: Toot and Puddle are two pig friends that love to spend time outdoors and with eachother in their log cabin. Christmas is fast approaching but they cannot figure out what to get each other. One day, it snows so much that the two of them decide to go skiing through the woods. They both find this so beautiful and magical. Puddle wishes it could capture the beauty and keep it forever. Later that day it rains and all the snow melts away. Toot is very upset that it cannot use its snow sled to play. Christmas day comes and they both exchange their homemade gifts. Puddle made Toot a sled with wheels that can be ridden without snow. And Toot painted Puddle a winter landscape of the two of them skiing through the woods.

 Evaluation: This heartwarming story shows how beautiful friendships can be. This story can be used as a model for the holiday seasons to inspire students to make something for a loved one.

Appeal Terms: animal, fantasy, winter, friendship, gentle, slow, heartwarming, relaxed, plot centered

"Painting Pepette" by Linda Ravin Lodding

"Painting Pepette" 

by Linda Ravin Lodding

40 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: A little girl from Paris adopts a small rabbit, Pepette. The girl notices that the walls in her home are covered with painted portraits of each family member, but not Pepette. She decides to wander into town with Pepette to get its portrait painted. The girl and Pepette encounter four famous artists, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and Henri Matisse. They all paint Pepette in their own unique style, but none look realistically like Pepette. The girl and the rabbit return home where the girl decides to paint Pepette's portrait herself.

 Evaluation: This book is a work of art, illustrated in beautiful watercolor painting. The book can teach students about different famous artists and what makes their style unique. This would be a good introduction for an art history unit. The theme of "being yourself" is present when the girl decides to illustrate what Pepette looks like.

Appeal Terms: animal, realistic, easy, gentle, art, character centered, vivid, well developed

"The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales" by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

"The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" 

by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

56 pages /  Print / Fairy Tale

Summary: From the introduction of the book, the author tells us that these are not just fairy tales, but "fairly stupid" fairy tales. Your favorite fairly tales have been transformed into new, funny ones using familiar and new characters. Characters in each of the fairly tales find themselves in the middle of other ones, making this a very entertaining book to read. The fairy tales that are "stupidly" retold are: :Chicken Little"("Chicken Licken"), "The Princess and the Pea" ("The Princess and the Bowling Ball"), "The Ugly Duckling" ("The Really Ugly Duckling"), "The Frog Prince"(“The Other Frog Prince”), "Little Red Riding Hood" ("Little Red Running Shorts") , Jack and the Bean Stalk ("Jack's Bean Problem"), Cinderella/Rumpelstiltskin ("Cinderumpelstiltskin"), "The Tortoise and the Hare" ("The Tortoise and the Hair"), and "The Gingerbread Man" ("The Stinky Cheese Man").

 Evaluation: This book is a collection of fractured fairy tales retold in a unique and funny way。Students love fractured fairy tales because they give a different way of looking at a story, which creates different questions to answer about story elements. Fractured fairy tales also are very funny, which students will appreciate. "The Stinky Cheese Man an Other Fairly Stupid Tales" is also wonderfully illustrated. The creepy and gross way each character and setting is drawn adds to the effect of the book. Fractured Fairy tale books are also great for teaching students that traditional stories are fun to recreate. This could lead to an assignment that makes the student make a fractured fairy tale of their own.

Appeal Terms: fairytale, leisurely, dark, humorous, magical, multiple plotlines, eccentric, quirky

"Leaves" by David Ezra Stein

"Leaves" 

by David Ezra Stein

30 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A bear encounters falling leaves during an afternoon stroll. It tries to catch them all before they fall to the ground. The bear becomes overwhelmed and decides to put all the leaves in a hole in the side of the hill. The bear then enters the hole and stuffs it closed. The bear stays in there for the winter, warm and safe. Winter passes and Spring comes, when the bear awakes and greets the new season.

Evaluation: This book is a simple yet effective way to teach young learners about animals that hibernate. The images play along with the text, adding a clear explanation for bears and hibernation. This book could be used as an introduction to a unit on bears, hibernation, or Fall.

Appeal Terms: animal, easy, heartwarming, gentle, well developed

"Pumpkin Soup" by Helen Cooper

"Pumpkin Soup" 

by Helen Cooper

32 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A duck, a cat, and a squirrel all live together in a cabin in the woods. They make soup together and they all have a job to do. Squirrel stirs the soup, cat slices the pumpkin, and duck adds the salt to the pot. Everything is going fine until the duck decides that it wants to stir the soup. Duck carries the stirring spot to squirrel and asks, but squirrel does not want it to stir the soup. They both pull the spoon but it slips out of their hands and hits the cat. They all get in a fight about the soup and the duck decides to leave the house. Cat and squirrel feel bad so they go out and look for the duck. They search for hours but cannot find duck. Approaching the house after their search, they notice duck has come back. They let duck stir the soup but it makes a mess. Everyone is just happy to have each other.

Evaluation: An adorable telling of a group of animal friends that use teamwork to make pumpkin soup. This books explores themes of trying something new, and being accepting of others. Students and teachers can talk about the impact of actions and words and how they affect others. Trying something for the first time and failing is another theme, an important one to discuss with young learners.

Appeal Terms: animal, lively, heartwarming, plot centered, introspective

"The Mystery of the Haunted Farm" by Elys Dolan

"The Mystery of the Haunted Farm" 

by Elys Dolan

34 pages /  Print / Sci-Fi

Summary: Farmer Greg calls the pig ghost hunters to investigate paranormal activity at his farm. There are zombie ducks, mummy sheep, ghost cows, and a Dracula horse. The pigs aren't registering any paranormal activity on their ghost machines, which lead them to look more closely at the haunted animals. As it turns out, the animals are all pretending to be haunted by dressing up in scary costumes. They are trying to scare away a werewolf, which actually turns out to be farmer Greg! The pigs tame Werewolf Greg and enter him into a dog/werewolf competition. Werewolf Greg wins the competition and the farm is at peace once again.


Evaluation: This is an adorable book that fits nicely into a Halloween themed lesson. Readers can play detective along with the pigs. Little clues are left on each page that makes the reader realize that the animals are not really haunted. Teachers can talk to students about these clues and encourage them to share their opinions. Werewolf Greg turns out to be a nice monster, which is good for students that are afraid of monsters.

Appeal Terms: spooky, creepy, ghost story, breakneck, humorous, event oriented, plot twist, resolved ending