“Spiders were hunting long before lions and tigers. They were hunting even before Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

A great aspect of this book is how on each page, there is a picture of a different type of spider and a caption that describes what exactly it is / does. The pictures are very realistic, large and detailed.

Genre: Biography
This book is about the many different types of spiders, characteristics of each, and how they survive in day to day life. This book includes lots of useful information and insight on multiple aspects of spiders and is a great way to learn more about these little critters.

“And Father, even after he left the presidency, he remained one of the country‘s most popular politicians, leading Americans in times of hardships and prosperity. But there was one problem that Theodore Roosevelt never quite solved... What to do about Alice?”

My favorite part of this book is Theodore explaining the “hardships” that came along with raising Alice throughout his time as president. I think children will be able to relate to this book because Alice is more of a happy-go-lucky and ornery child who always seems to be causing trouble.

Genre: Biography
This book describes the life of Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, and her crazy adventures throughout her childhood, and how she grew up during her father‘s presidency. This book really gives you the “inside scoop” on Alice‘s life and makes you feel as if you actually know her.

“Then other ships sail safely, because the lightship marks the way through fog and night, past rocks and shoals, past reefs and wrecks, past danger. Other ships sail home safe...because the lightship holds her place.”

At the beginning of the book, the author includes a picture of a lightship and labels all the different parts of it. I think this is a really good attribute to the book in order to help children visualize and see how all of the different parts of a lightship work together to keep the ocean safe.

Genre: Biography
This book shows the importance and roles of lightships, and how although they never move, they help to keep the ocean safe.

“Mr. Connor, I say, never respected me but I respected him.”

This is a great book to show students the importance of standing up and fighting for what you believe in and for what is right.

Genre: Biography
This story is about a courageous man named Reverent Fred L. Shuttlesworth and his relentless fight against Eugene “Bull” Connor (a meaner if the ally Klux Klan) for equal rights. I love the variety of illustrations, text styles, and sources that the author uses in this book. It makes it come to life.

“If you look up from the forest, and you are very lucky, you might catch the bright blue flashes of flight feathers. These are Puerto Rican parrots.”

I really enjoyed reading this book because it opened my eyes to just how cruel humans can be to animals, without even noticing. Many things that we do every day to the environment have a direct effect on the population and well-being of animals all over, and it is important to become more self-aware in order to protect these animals.

Genre: Biography
This is an eye-opening story about how human interference overtook the population of Puerto Rican parrots, and how it almost cause them to become extinct until the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program was put in place by the government. This program helped to rebuild the population of the parrots, little by little.

“Jackson sits, silent, staring at the blank canvas spread on the floor of the barn. Waiting. Soon he will dip his brush in a can of paint, lifting it high in the air to begin again.”

I thought it was interesting how the author said that if a penny fell out of his pocket into his painting, he would leave it. Or if an insect landed in the wet paint, he would leave it. This portrays just how original and real Jackson was with his art.

Genre: Biography
This is a great book about the artistic career of Jackson Pollock, and how he was very original in all the that work he did. He was like no other artist and had a very different, yet creative approach to art compared to many other artists.

“‘I have a dream,‘ he said in his speech. ‘I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.‘”

I love how this book gives real-life situations that happened in Martin‘s life as a young boy, and uses them to show how he developed his great and unwavering passion for equality.

Genre: Biography
This picture book takes you on an emotional journey throughout Martin Luther King‘s life and his hard fight for equality. The story depicts how he fought segregation with love, yet assertiveness for what he believed in. This book really shows Martin Luther King‘s bravery throughout his fight for equality.

Genre: Biography
This is a story that depicts the life of Jackie Robinson and his love for sports, and how he coped with racism and segregation throughout his childhood.

I like how parts of this story is told with “conversation bubbles” and told in the perspective of Jackie Robinson‘s life. This makes it more real and believable.

“‘I‘ll give you a quarter to go sleep in your room.‘ ‘Not a chance, it‘s better in here!‘”

Abraham Lincoln was a great role model that children all over the world can now learn many lessons from. Lincoln was a wise, kind and compassionate person that cared for the well-being of others.

“In life, strength can take many forms. But there‘s nothing quite as strong as standing up for someone who needs it.”

Genre: Biography
This book tells the story of Abraham Lincoln, starting out when he was a young boy. It depicts many inside details of him: how smart he was as a child, how he loved to read, and just how wise he was at such a young age. The book goes on to tell other milestones in his life as an adult, such as when he helped pass the law to end slavery and ended the civil war.

“The King of the keys, piano prince. Edward Kennedy Ellington, the Duke.”

My favorite aspect of this book is how the author began the story with a set of rhyming sentences and then ended the story with a set of rhyming sentences. This sort of “begins” and “ends” the book in a fun and more meaningful way.

Genre: Biography
This is a moving story that takes you on the journey of Duke Ellington‘s musical career, and how it all began. I love the meaning behind this book about African American heritage and appreciation.

“What goes through people‘s heads when they come up with names for their kids?”

This is a very realistic story that seems to include some twists with it along the way.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
this story is about a girl named Moxie Roosevelt Kipper, who sees herself as an “ordinary girl” with and “unordinary name.” However, when she entered a new boarding school, she thinks it‘s time to reinvent herself into a more unusual, sassy and unexpected girl. However, boarding school for Moxie isn‘t what it had originally seemed.

“U guys want 2 come over for ice cream sundaes in my backyard?!”

I think children would enjoy this book, especially in this day and age, because it is a story told in text messages between a group of friends. At the end of the book, the author has included a glossary with text message “lingo” and what each word stands for.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
This is a story that is told in “text message bubbles” which I thought was a different, but fun idea to portray the story.

“A is for assignment. I‘m excited. Miss Bamford is my English teacher, and she is the best English teacher in the world. Wait. Wrong way. Go back. I haven‘t personally experienced every teacher in the world (obviously).”

I like how each chapter in this book has a title that stands for each letter of the alphabet. This is also a great book for children to read that shows them the importance of kindness.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
This book is about a little girl named Candice who goes to any and all measures to keep the others around her happy.

“I knew it was going to be a slug day as soon as I climbed on the school bus. Mike wasn‘t there. The new driver didn‘t know our secret hand-shake. He didn‘t pretend to close the door before I was inside. He didn‘t know the front seat was reserved for me.”

This is a really important book to have in a classroom as it teaches about a common disorder that many children in school may have. This book can show children how other children with this disorder live life and how they cope.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
This story is about a girl named Lauren who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has good days, which she describes as “butterfly days”, and she has bad days, which she describes as “slug days”. But through it all, she learns to cope with her disability in order to thrive at home, school and life in general.

“Henry waited at the bottom for his friend.”

this book shows children that you don‘t have to be like everyone else and to find their own “circle”.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
This is a very cute story about a boy named Henry who just can‘t seem to find a friend that suits him. However, he finally finds a friend just like him named Katie and they begin to do everything together.

“Well I‘m not one hundred percent certain how your magical mind works and all, but I was wondering: Can you write me up some free waffle fries?”

I think children would love the idea of “books coming to life”. Children love to use their imagination; this story would reinforce that.

Genre: Modern Fantasy
This is a story about a boy named Billy who is spending his summer in Dr. Libra‘s‘ lakeside cabin. Things starting getting weird when the stories that Billy is reading in a mysterious bookcase start coming to life.

“Tamisin Warner, the strangest girl in school, has wings!”

This book is more of a “fairy tale”. The concept of “wings growing out of your back” is intriguing to children and a story I think they would find interesting.