"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

"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

"Moonday" by Adam Rex

"Moonday" 

by Adam Rex

40 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: A little boy and his family take a drive one night up a hill. They watch the moon from atop the hill, but the moon then follows the family back to their home. The moon stays in their backyard that night and into the morning. The next day is very dark outside, and all the townspeople are tired because it is still night. The boy returns home from school and has a plan. The family gets in their car to drive back to the hill. The moon follows them to the top of the hill. The boy tells the moon to "stay", and it does. The moon stays at the top of the hill and the sun rises the next morning.


Evaluation: I have always had a fascination with the moon, so this story makes me think of how I would stare at the moon as a child and hope to touch it. The dark shades and shadows throughout this book give the reader a sleepy feeling, like the townspeople felt. I think students will enjoy the illustrations of the sleepy and yawning people on each page, who cannot go to sleep until the moon returns up in the sky. This book is full of imagination and warm moments.

Appeal Terms: science fiction, easy, magical, heartwarming, gentle, plot centered

"Ten Hungry Pigs" by Derek Anderson

"Ten Hungry Pigs" 

by Derek Anderson

40 pages /  Print / Humorous

Summary: One hungry pig decides to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for itself. Ten other pigs smell the sandwich and decide to bring along food of their own. Before you know it, the pigs have made a sandwich so tall that it almost falls over! The pigs friend, a duck, disguises itself as a wolf and scares the ten pigs away, knocking over the sandwich. The original pig and duck get to enjoy their original sandwich of peanut butter and jelly.

Evaluation: The illustrations and repetitive storyline really make this book great. Each time a pig brings more food for the sandwich, the more ridiculous the sandwich looks ( pickles, ice cream, mac and cheese, fruit, fish, pancakes, peas). Children will think that the sandwich is hilarious and get excited for another pig to add the next food. Every pig is dressed in different clothes, and has a different personality. This book can lead to a great follow up activity where the children can draw and share their own tall sandwich and why they picked each food. This book works great in a unit about nutrition or food science.

Appeal Terms: animal, lively, humorous, plot centered, quirky

"The Arrival" by Shuan Tan

"The Arrival" 

by Shuan Tan

128 pages /  Print / Fantasy

Summary: In an imaginary world, a man must leave his wife and daughter behind to create a better life for them. Through illustrations only, Shuan Tan tells us an inspiring story of immigration and a man's love for his family. We follow the man's struggle of not knowing his new country's language, and finding a place to live and sleep. After some time, the wife and daughter and reunited with the man in the new country and build a new life together instead of isolation.

Evaluation: A beautiful story of immigration that captures the emotions of arriving in a new place with no knowledge of the language, culture or people. Shuan Tan uses an imaginary world, with imaginary text for the man to read, which makes the reader feel alien just as much as the protagonist in the story. The illustrations allow us to look into the mind and backstories of the characters in the story to help the reader realize that everyone in the imaginary land is an immigrant too. This book is a great way to introduce a unit on immigration. The artwork is captivating, Tan uses different dark shades to signal to the reader different passages of time and perspectives. We are to believe that every immigrant has left their country to escape some dark force, or make their life better. The book reads like a filmstrip, which makes for a very interactive reading experience.

Appeal Terms: adventure, graphic novel, historical, science fiction, engrossing, dark, hopeful, mystical, melodramatic, episodic, plot centered, resolved ending, family centered, life like, vivid, multiple point of view, imaginary, introspective