#ucflae3414f17 Giant Squid written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann is a poetic exploration of this mysterious sea creature‘s life. This NF book is full of beautifully crafted images as well as tons of interesting information about one of the worlds most elusive sea animals. It is both a Charlotte Zolotow and Sibert award winner, great for all elementary classroom libraries. This can be easily linked to a science lesson when

#ucflae3414f17 Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney is a vividly colorful Caldecott award winning biography about one of America‘s greatest composers, Edward (Duke) Kennedy Ellington. This book would be a great addition to classroom libraries grades 3-5. Students can learn all about this amazing composer as well as African American history and culture!

#ucflae3414f17 The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! Written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith is a clever take on this TL classic! The story is told from the wolf‘s perspective after spending 10 years in prison for his crimes against the pigs. In his account he explains his innocence and that he‘s actually not such a bad guy after all. The vivid, humorous illustrations throughout the book are sure to keep young readers engaged.

#ucflae3414f17 Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is a fun, Geisel award winning, F book that can be used in younger elementary classrooms to enhance both reading and math skills. Pete is a cool blue cat who delivers a positive message about being optimistic when dealing with loss—buttons come and buttons go! This book would be especially fun to use both Read Aloud and Guided Reading teaching strategies. Teachers can enhance the story by

#ucflae3414f17 I Survived the American Revolution by Lauren Tarshis is a thrilling tale of an 11 year old boy who gets caught up in the front lines of battle in search for his father. This HF story offers a detailed description of what it was like to experience the American revolution, firsthand. Great for classroom libraries grades 3-5, I would suggest Guided reading for 3rd grade and Independent reading/Lit circles for 4th and 5th grades.

#ucflae3414f17 The Man Who Walked Between the Towers written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein is an awesome Caldecott award winner great for any elementary classroom library. Filled with amazingly detailed images and two dramatic foldout spreads, this book captures the excitement of French aerialist Phillippe Petit‘s hour long high-wire performance between the Twin Towers in New York City. This is an historical event that took place in 1974.

#ucflae3414f17 This is a thrilling Science Fiction novel by Nancy Farmer. I will say that it contains themes targeted for more mature readers, so it may not be appropriate in lower level classes. That being said, I have read this in 6th grade so I believe this to be the appropriate age for readers of this book. Anyways, this is an awesome story about a boy living in a dystopian future taking place in “Aztlán” (Mexico). He‘s confined in a cottage

#ucflae3414f17 I love this book! This is a must have for any elementary classroom library. Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford is a NF book with elements of poetry. This beautifully illustrated story describes the nonstop work week of African American slaves living in New Orleans. Everyday the slaves worked tirelessly until Sunday when they were free to assemble in Congo Square to sing and dance.

#ucflae3414f17 This is an awesome book of poems written by Jack Prelutsky that is a great addition to any elementary grade classroom library. The poems as well as the illustrations by James Stevenson are sure to have students laughing and having fun while reading. This book is a great way to introduce younger students to poetry. I think this book would be fun to do shared readings with the class in addition to giving students the option read

#ucflae3414f17 this Caldecott award winner by Chris Raschka is wonderful story about a dog named Daisy who loves her red ball. One day, her ball is popped by another, bigger dog. This makes Daisy very sad until the owner of the bigger dog surprises daisy with a brand new blue ball to play with. This is a great way for children to relate their feelings of losing toys or other items. The coolest part about this book is that there is NO words!

#ucflae3414f17 this RF by R.J. Palacio is amazing and belongs in every 3-8 classroom library! I loved reading this book and I‘m sure that any and every student can relate to some of the experiences the main characters go through. Wonder is about a boy named August with a genetic disorder that caused his face to appear disfigured. He has never been to school before until now when he enters the 5th grade. The story follows Auggie and several others

#ucflae3414f17 this RF by Juana Medina is a great story about a young girl living in Bogatá, Colombia. She loves many things, but she is not a very big fan of school—especially learning English. However, she soon finds out that she is going on a trip where she will have to understand the language. This Pura Belpre award winner is a great addition to 2nd and 3rd grade classroom libraries. The teaching strategy I chose to use is Partner Reading.

#ucflae3414f17 Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey is an easy reader great for Pre K through 1st grade classroom libraries. This F book is about a greedy pug who never wants to share his toys with his housemate Trevor (a wiener dog). The illustrations are hilarious! Young readers will enjoy this funny story as they learn a valuable lesson about sharing. I think that this book would be perfect for storytelling, kids would love to see this performed!

#ucflae3414f17 Duck on a Bike by David Shannon is a fun book great for classroom libraries in grades K through 5. This F story is about a duck who decides he wants to try riding a bike. He starts to get pretty good and all the other animals notice. Soon enough, every animal on the farm is riding bikes, too. This book is great for teachers to read aloud, especially to younger emergent readers.

#ucflae3414f17 This New York Times best seller by Sharon Draper is an excellent addition to classroom libraries anywhere from 3rd to 8th grade. Stella by Starlight is an amazing HF tale of a young African American girl living in the segregated south during the 1930‘s. This story covers many important topics such as the Great Depression, prejudice, discrimination, segregation and integration.