Haley Jackson

Title: Nope.Never.Not For Me! Genre: Special Needs  Author: S amantha Cotterill Major Awards: None  Age group:  4 - 6 Years old  Summary:  This book is about a girl with autism who is forced with the obstacle of trying broccoli for the first time. When her mom places it in front of her the girl refuses to eat it because the look of it is not appealing. Her mom asks her to at least touch it but again the girl says no and turns it down again. Finally, her mom relates her obsession with dinosaurs to eating broccoli which finally gets the girl to try it but she is not a fan of it. Her mother praises her and tells her that she is extremely proud of her for trying something new. At the end of the book the young girl gains more courage to try more foods and go beyond her comfort zone.  I would love to use this book in my classroom! It has a great message that it is important to always try new things whether we end up liking them or not. It is also a story of a y

Title: Lola Levine Drama Queen Genre: Bluebonnet  Author: Monica Brown Major Awards: Texas Bluebonnet 2017-2018 Award Age group:  7 - 11 Years old    Summary:  Lola is a second grader who is full of spunk and has an extremely big personality. Her parents often call her dramatic and compare her to her grandma who is also known as Bubbe who also is very loud and bold . One day, Lola’s teacher tells the class that they will be getting a new drama teacher, Ms.Tinkle. Throughout Ms.Tinks class they learn an immense amount of techniques about improv and acting in front of crowds. Finally, the day for auditions comes up and Lola is so nervous that when it's her turn she actually freezes on stage in front of everyone! Due to this Lola gets the least active part in the play which makes her exceedingly sad. Lola decides to write her Bubbe about everything that has been going on and get everything off of her chest. To her surprise, her Bubble surprises her the next day

Title: Goodnight Moon Room Genre: Paper Engineered book  Author: Clement Hurd  Major Awards:  None Age group:  3 - 5 Years old  Summary:  This book is a fun pop-up book that allows kids to discover different parts of the story by pulling on different tabs and flipping up flaps. It is a story about a young child's room and different aspects within it. At the end of the book the child says goodnight to his room and then goodnight to the moon.  I would use this book in my classroom if I were to teach younger children. It has an immense amount of rhyming words which I feel would be great for young children to help them learn about them. It also would be fun for young children to explore and play with as they read the book which I feel they would really enjoy.  I feel as if this book would be great for students in pre-k through kindergarten. It is filled with rhyming words which is perfect for students in these grades because they are learning about them. A

Title: The Storyteller  Genre: Bluebonnet   Author: Evan Turk  Major Awards: 2017-2018 Texas Bluebonnet Award  Age group: 4 - 8 Years old  Summary:  Once upon a time there used to be a Sahara that was filled with waterfalls, rivers, and cool refreshing water all over align with an immense amount of storytellers to keep traditions alive. as the kingdom grew people started to forget the dangers of the desserts and the storytellers stories. A young boy happened to meet a storyteller looking for a place to quench his thirst and is drawn to return to him the next day to hear more of the man's stories and history. As the boy is filled with the stories he is also symbolically filled with water in which will eventually fill his city with the refreshing water they are in desperate need of. These tales did more than just fulfill his towns need of water but he also learned the importance of a tale well told.  I would love to use this book in my classroom! I love t

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Long Haul Genre: Graphic Novel  Author: Jeff Kinney  Major Awards: None  Age group: 10 - 14 Years old Summary:  Greg Heffley is a young boy who has just gotten on summer vacation. He is extremely excited to finally get a break and stay home but his mom decides to take the whole family on a road trip. The book takes readers through Greg and his families journeys along the way. Some good, some bad, some embarrassing, and some even eye opening. After enduring an immense amount of troubles Greg's mother decides that enough is enough and takes the family back home. On their way home they decide to make another pit stop in order to retrieve some of the items that they got stolen from them. Despite all of their battles with the car breaking down, encountering a language barrier, and the stress of escaping more trouble the family makes it home. At the end of the book Greg finds a very important piece of information in his jacket pocke

Title: Fredrick  Genre: Caldecott  Author: Leo Lionni  Major Awards: Caldecott Honor  Age group: 5 - 9 years old  Summary:  Fredrick, is a young mouse who seemed to be doing nothing while his family gathered supplies and prepared for the winter months. While they were busy collecting food, building shelter, and gathering supplies Fredrick sat in the sun, gazed at colors, and thought about words. As the winter came the mouses supplies seemed to diminish rather quickly but luckily Fredrick was there to soothe them with his extra supplies he gathered himself.  I would like to use this book in my classroom! It has a great hidden message that everyone has something unique to bring to the table despite what it seems. It also expresses the need for team work and the importance of it. In addition, it also has amazing pictures which i feel like my students would really enjoy.  I feel as if this book would be great for students in kindergarten through 4th grade. I

Title: Raven Genre: Caldecott  Author: Gerald McDermott  Major Awards: Caldecott Honor  Age group: 6 - 10 years old  Summary:  One day a raven, a bird flies around a cold and dark city and becomes sad due to the city being so dark. The bird finds a small ounce of light and a girl near a river. He turns himself into a pine needle that falls into the river in which the girl drinks. One day, the girl has a baby which turns out to be the raven. A r andom, light filled box appears in a room and when the boy opens it he discovers that it is the sun and turns back into a raven. Now the city is filled with light and the raven soars around happier than ever.  I would not like to use this book in my classroom. With that being said I would have it available in my classroom library for my students to read if they want to. I don't feel as if this book has any educational purposes or connections but it is a sweet story that I feel some students would love.  I fee

Title: Where The Wild Things Are  Genre: Caldecott  Author: Maurice Sendak  Major Awards: Caldecott Medal  Age group: 5 - 9 years old  Summary:  Max, a young boy who is extremely mischievous finds himself into trouble one night and sent to bed without dinner. As max spends his time in his room alone, he finds himself traveling into a faraway forest where he finds a plethora of monsters. These crazy monsters make Max their king and he reigns them for as long as he can. As his time being king goes on, Max finds out that leading the monsters is harder than he thought and he becomes very lonely. He decides to go home and leave the monsters despite them begging him to stay. As Max returns home he smells something delicious waiting for him at home and he arrives to see a warm dinner waiting on him.  I would love to use this book in my classroom! I love the way it explains a young boys imagination and his journey. Also, I love how it ends with him missing home an

Title: Because Of Winn- Dixie  Genre: Audi book  Author: Kate DiCamillo  Major Awards: Newbery Honor Award  Age group: 11 years old - adults Summary:  One summer Opal and her father, the preacher move to Naomi, Florida. Not too long after they get to Florida Opal goes to the grocery store, Winn-Dixie and comes out with a dog. Luckily, the preacher lets Opal keep the dog whom she's named Winn-Dixie and he actually brings her and her father closer than ever. The preacher tells opal 10 things about her mother who left them when she was just a baby. Winn-Dixie is great at making new friends they meet, the librarian, some kids in the neighborhood, and even Otis, the guitar player who works at the pet store. Opal spends the majority of her summer interacting with her new found friends collecting stories and thinking about her momma. At the end of the book Opal realizes that she has to let go of her fantasies of meeting her mother and moves on to enjoy her life wi

Title: Last Stop On Market Street  Genre: Coretta Scott  Author: Matt De La Pena  Major Awards: Coretta Scott King Award, Caldecott Honor, Newbery Medal  Age group: 4 - 11 Years old  Summary:  CJ, a young boy always rides the bus home on Sundays after church with his grandma. One day CJ asks why they don't have a car like his friends? Why he doesn't have an ipod like some of the other kids on the bus? And so many more questions. After each question his grandma replies with an answer that glorifies their way of life and why they do things the way they do. At the end of the book CJ sees familiar faces and beautiful sights which makes him happy.  I would love to use this book in my classroom! It has a great message that everyone comes from different backgrounds and has different lives that are all unique. It also expresses that even if you don't have the nicest things or what everyone else has everyone is special in their own way. I feel like my st