I decided to read this book called Dear Santa for one reason, I already miss the holiday season. This book is put together so cleverly by Bill Harley. He does a great job with the letters. It is about a boy James B Dobbins who really wants a bunch of things for Christmas. The illustrations really help tell the story too and each page of the book is a letter from James to santa. It is quite a good book. It is funny and almost reminds me of Denis the Menace because James is always getting into trouble... but not because he wants to but because he is a curious little kid. Surely a great read any time of the year. I would of course be careful reading this one in schools... just so you don't upset anybody.

This book is Terrific. I liked the simple drawings and the plain to mildly boring main character. This book about a shipwrecked man and his new parrot friend with have you saying TERRIFIC all day long (if that is a good thing). The constant use of the word TERRIFIC gets to be kind of funny in the story. The whole time I was reading this book I couldn't help but think of how cool this would be to let your kids in your class do this. It would be awesome to take you favorite word and make a book surrounding it right? Maybe... well it would be a fun idea to try. The book may not have been the best or most exciting but it did bring up some possible teaching ideas.

This book has just jumped into my top five favorites for sure. Written by Jon Scieszka, this book comes out of the same mold as classics like the Stinky Cheese Man and The Real Story Of The Three Little Pigs. I love the illustrations. They are simple but so intricate at the same time. The effort that goes into each page is just amazing. I love the story too. It teaches and asks so much about math it could be used in a classroom for days before you got through all of the material. I think this book would be great to incorporate reading in your math class, fun reading at least because we know FUN+READING=FUNREADING.

This book by Babette Cole is a step off of the beaten path. It is a mildly funny book all about HAIR! The illustrations are just fantastic and add to the books humor. The story is written in mostly rhyme so it is easy to read and follow. I like it because it is a simple book that you can read again and again without getting sick of it. I thought it was creative and fun and would love to give this book to a young/beginning reader.

The dot is a great story about a girl named Vashti. I really liked it because being a future educator it is important to know how influential you can be as a teacher. Sometimes all it takes is a little push to allow your student to achieve greatness. In this a little dot on a piece of paper and the confidence given to a student from a teacher makes all the difference. It also goes to show that once you make a difference in one persons life they are able to help another.

This book was different than any book I have ever read. For one it only took me about a half hour and it was so FUN! Sharon Creech really allowed me to see how a little boy can grow and develop as a writer and not only just develop but learn to love writing. I was a lot like this boy in the book. He didn't think that poetry was for boys and that it didn't make sense. The teacher never gave up on the boy and continued to encourage what he liked to talk about. The boy had his own voice and the teacher didn't take that away from him. It is so fun to see where the boy got his inspiration and how he thought. The words on the page feel like they came right out of the boys brain. It was a fun read and one that can be done in one afternoon and it is sure to put a smile on your face.

Old Yeller is one of my favorite books of all time. Being a kid who grew up on a farm and had a dog (black lab named Belle) I too can relate to this story. I had to read this again this week because my childhood best friend and companion died my freshman year of college and I miss Belle. She was a great dog, a great hunting companion and someone who never gave me any guff... ha ha. Fred Gipson has a way of really showing you a great picture of what a boy has to do to be a man when is father is gone. I know this is cliche but in the time this book was written this is what happened. Travis the main character has to grow up fast when his father takes the cattle on a drive. The illustrations are some of my favorite in any book I have ever read. I like them because they are not on every page but they do depict a lot of the scenes you hope there are pictures for. They are all in black and white and they look almost like they are drawn in pencil. It fits the timeline of the book and fits the book to a T.

This is another great book by Gary Paulsen. After reading Brian's Winter I just had to go back and read Hatchet. It is such a great tale of survival and courage from a young boy. All he has to survive is a survival pack from the plane he went down on and his hatchet. It is a struggle to survive until somebody finds him. the whole book you are just hoping he gets to come home. This is a must read for any outdoors lovers. If you like books about a struggle that is won or a boy who never gives up you should read this book.

This is a great book by Ralph Fletcher. He tells a fantastic story about how the Sandman came to be. The tale goes alone on a great journey with a tiny little man named Tor. He finds a dragon scale and figures out that it makes people sleepy. Kids will fall in love with the illustrations and the writing of this book. The pictures almost take you to the far away lands with dragons and fields of green. This book is a fun and enjoyable read.

The magic shcool bus books are all great. They do such a good job of explaining difficult subjects and making them understandable for students of all ages. With Ms. Frizzel who wouldn't have fun? This book has so much info and side stories that you could spend hours really diving into it. I reccomend all of the magic school bus books because they are all education and fun somthing kids don't get enough of today.

A Giraffe on the Moon

This is one of my favorite picture books I have seen in a while. I like the whole plot of the story. It is very simple so all ages of readers would enjoy it. I also like how ridiculous the images are. There is only one image per page but with images of giraffes on moons and clowns in cakes and cats in balloon's you can only image the fun you will have when you read this book. I like a book like this because it would be a great starter for a writers workshop or something along those lines.

This book is a ghost story. I liked it because it was not a traditional ghost story that was trying to be creepy. It had a funny side plot with a dog carrying one of old man Greebe's bones to all ends of the earth. The story itself is really about the bone that goes missing which causes the haunting of Nicholas Greebe. it is a light story with cute poems from a ghost. It is a fun read with some great pictures. Old man Greebe is a pretty funny looking character too.

Plantzilla is a great book with one of the most unique styles of writing I have seen. The whole book is about a student who takes the class plant home over summer vacation. I love the way the story is told. It is told in letters written from the teacher to the student, student to teacher and teacher to parents. I love the letters because not one is like the other. Some are in cursive and some are messy etc. The plant itself is pretty cool too. It eats meat, hot dogs and goes to the gym. This is a fun read that will be enjoyed in a classroom.

This book has a great adventure. The illustrations really set this book off. They give the book a clean crisp look and the dull cave paintings almost hide from your eyes as you read it. It is kind of a dull plot as well. It a plot like this is used so much in children's books. It has a dream like sequence at the end and you think it was all a dream until you see proof of what actually happened. I liked it but it was not anything special. I loved the boy in the story. He looks so innocent and the illustrator did a great job at making him look the part.

This book is fun for anyone. I liked the fact that reading can be a game too. This book is built for kids to try and find numbers and objects that start with certain letters. It is really good for kids who are just learning their ABC's and their numbers. I liked the pictures that are used too because there are cool twists on simple things, like and alligator wearing an apron. This book will be sure to get a few laughs and hours of fun.

I loved this book. It has so many different ways of telling the story. It has a comic book feel some of the time, it has a story feel some of the time and it really gets you smiling and laughing. The sister in this book is really the one that makes the story. The little boy who is Captain Pajamas is a superhero in his own world. The book does a good job of showing that what is happing in the book is all in this boys imagination. The story goes on a rollercoaster ride of a plot. Just when you think it is over.... its not. You will have to read it to find out what I am talking about.

This book was a one of a kind read. I loved how original this book felt and looked. The whole time this little guy that you can see on the front cover keeps yelling at you to not read the book because it is not finished. The book has such an interactive feel and is a really fun read. I really loved the fact that the main character in this book becomes the reader. Kids will feel a sense of joy when they read this because they will feel the book was written just for them. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted a fun and enjoyable read.

Where The Wild Things Are

This is a classic book for all ages. While I was reading this book I could not help but look at the pictures. I absolutely love the illustrations that are in this book. It gives you that dreamy almost surreal feel. The monsters are awesome too. They are not threatening but at the same time they still look mean. I like how the pictures themselves could tell this story without the words. Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated one of the best books of all time.

I found this to be a great read.... again. I read this book back in elementary school and loved it just as much as I do now. Gary Paulsen wrote this book in response to hundreds of fan mail daily from one of his most famous books "Hatchet". The fact that he wrote the book in response to his fans is amazing. While reading "Brian's Winter" you can just feel the Passion Gary has for his writing. It probably helps that he is a winter survival expert too. You get to fall in love with Brian and his struggles as if he wasn't rescued in the book "Hatchet". I loved the "Hatchet" also so this book felt like a natural transition. It is also a great book to read in the winter because you can snuggle up on a warm couch with a blanket as you read about poor Brain fending for himself. Any kid with a love for the outdoors is sure to love the book, I sure did... again!