The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
by Candace Fleming

Nobody wanted to be the teacher of the soon-to-be fourth graders at Aesop Elementary School.   They were notorious for their bad behavior.   Just when school principal Mrs. Struggles was giving up hope of finding them a teacher,  Mr. Jupiter arrives on the last day of school.   Full of unusual teaching credentials, including a job as a translator for Bigfoot, he is awarded the job after admitting he attended Aesop as a fifth grader.  Can he handle the infamous class that no one else wanted? 

Similar to Louis Sachar's Wayside School series, The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School humorously tells the stories of the different students and teachers at Aesop, including librarian Paige Turner who transforms herself soon after meeting Mr. Jupiter.   Keeping with the fable theme, most chapters end with a moral.   This funny book is a great choice for readers looking for a humorous story and will also work well as a read aloud.  

Author's website:   http://www.candacefleming.com/

Sleep Like A Tiger

Sleep Like a Tiger
by Mary Logue
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Does everything go to sleep?  When a little girl does not want to go to sleep, she asks her parents in everything in the world goes to sleep.   What follows is a description of how many animals sleep, from the nocturnal bats hanging upside down, to the tiger in the jungle sleeping to stay strong.  Eventually the little girl settles herself into her bed in ways very similar to the animals her parents described.

This lovely bedtime story is accompanied by beautiful, bold illustrations that recently earned this book a Caldecott Honor.    As I read the parts where the parents described how different animals slept, I imagined the possibilities for pairing this picture book with nonfiction text about animal sleep habits.   

Wildwood

Wildwood
by Colin Meloy
illustrated by Carson Ellis

A quiet afternoon in the park turns into a nightmare for Prue McKeel when a group of crows swoop down and snatches her baby brother!   Soon they disappear into a part of her city known as the Impassable Wilderness, an overgrown wooded area that no one ever goes into.   Despite many disturbing rumors surrounding the Impassable Wilderness, Prue knows she must try to rescue her brother and enters the mysterious area with her friend Curt.  There they discover a secret, dangerous world filled with bandits, talking animals, and a powerful magical woman with a plot to destroy everything.

This first book in the Wildwood Chronicles series is full of magic and exciting twists.   I loved reading about the mysterious hidden world of Wildwood with its variety of animal and human characters.   Meloy describe Wildwood and its inhabitants in a way that they can be easily pictured by the reader.    This is a good choice for readers looking for a book that combines adventure and fantasy.  

Book website:  http://www.wildwoodchronicles.com/books

Book trailer:

Kite Day

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story
by Will Hillenbrand

It's the perfect day to fly a kite!  Best friends Bear and Mole work hard to make their own kite.   Things go well at first, until dark clouds roll in, bringing with them a strong wind that snaps the kite string and causes the kite to blow away.   Can the two friends hurry to save the kite before it is lost forever?

A cute book that will pair well as a read aloud with author Will Hillenbrand's other Bear and Mole story, Spring is Here.    I can also see following this read aloud with a discussion about kites and possibly a kite-themed craft!

Author's website: http://www.willhillenbrand.com/

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit
by Chris Van Dusen

Randy Riley loves baseball and science.   He's a terrible baseball player who can never hit the ball, the is a genius when it comes to science.  When he spies a fireball heading straight towards his town, he cleverly devises a plan that combines his love of robots and baseball to save everyone!    Will his plan work?

As with most of Van Dusen's books, the fun, rhyming text is paired with bright, engaging illustrations.   Don't be surprised to catch familiar objects from other books in his illustrations - I recently read this aloud to a first grade class and one student spied a model version of the car from If I Built a Car on Randy's shelf.    

Author's Website:  http://www.chrisvandusen.com/

 

Don't Copy Me!

Don't Copy Me!
by Jonathan Allen

Little Puffin just wants to go for a quiet walk, but soon finds his every word and move being copied by three very mischievous gull chicks!   Every attempt he makes to stop them fails, and the more he tries the more annoyed he gets!  Will he find a way to escape the gull chicks?

Anyone who has been on either end of the "don't copy me" game will easily relate to and enjoy the humorous interactions between Little Puffin and the gull chicks!  The illustrations are simple yet entertaining.   A fun real aloud for younger grades that will leave many laughing and likely to engage in their own "don't copy me" game!   For a Puffin theme, pair this book with Nothing Like a Puffin by Sue Soltis. 

Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots
by Jerry Pinkney

A clever cat outsmarts many to bring riches to his master in this retelling of a classic tale.   When Benjamin inherits a cat from his father, he wonders how he will survive on such as small inheritance.  However, the tricky cat quickly proves his value to Benjamin by bringing him more wealth and prestige than he could ever imagine.

 Jerry Pinkney, who won the 2010 Caldecott for The Lion & The Mouse, has created beautiful illustrations to accompany his retelling of the classic Puss in Boots story.    A great choice for a read aloud!  


Author's website:  http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com

The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds 
by Lisa McMann

Imagine living in a dreary world where any act of creativity or imagination is considered a crime.  In the strict, grey society of Quill, an annual purging sorts the thirteen-year-olds into three categories: Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted.  To be declared Wanted is the highest of honors, but to be declared Unwanted means elimination.

Although his twin brother receives the honor of being declared a Wanted, creative Alex is unsurprised when he is sorted out as an Unwanted.   He, and the many others that day who are declared Unwanted, believe they are being brought to their deaths.   To their surprise, however, they find that behind the walls of the Death Camp, there is a secret hidden world named Artime where all the Unwanteds live, protected by a magical spell cast by a man determined to save all of the Unwanteds from the rulers of Quill.   Despite the magic keeping them hidden, the residents of Artime are at risk of being discovered by Quill and must prepare for battle against those who want them eliminated.
 
As a big fan of dystopian fiction, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the second book in this series, Island Of Silence.     It has many of the characteristics that we see in other dystopian fiction books, including the restrictive society, but also adds a magical twist that will appeal to fans of fantasy.   This book is a good choice for readers who like books such as Among the Hidden (and other books in the Shadow Children series) or The Giver.

Author's website:  http://lisamcmann.com/

Book trailer: 

The Cloud Spinner

The Cloud Spinner
by Michael Catchpool
illustrated by Allison Jay



There was once a boy who could spin thread from the clouds, weaving it into beautiful cloth on his loom.   From the the gold clouds of the morning to the white in the afternoon and, finally, the crimson clouds of the evening, he spun only what he needed from the clouds, and never any more than what was enough for him.  

When the greedy king demanded a scarf as well, the boy obliged but was reluctant to make the king something he did not need.  Unfortunately, the king continued to be greedy and soon the boy had spun all of the clouds out of the sky,  leaving the village rainless and dry.   Luckily, the princess was not as greedy as her father and helped the boy save their village!

The Cloud Spinner is a wonderful story that teaches the value of our planet's resources and the importance of using only what you need.   The illustrations are very colorful, with crackle effect that gives them an antique-like look.