Charlotte‘s Web (TL) written by E.B White and illustrated by Garth Williams. This famous book tells the story of a pig name Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. One day, Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered. In an effort to save him, Charlotte writes notes in her web praising Wilbur in all sorts of ways! This cute story would make a great LC for older elementary school students.

How Does A Dinosaur Say Happy Birthday (MF) Written by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Mark Teague. This story would make a great S to read for your students‘ birthdays! It‘s short and sweet. This book explains how a dinosaur should act at a birthday party. It‘s a great lesson! While completing the S, UDL1.3 can be accomplished by using visual aids that represent important parts of the story as well as ELS14 by speaking slowly and ELS17 by using realia

The Man Who Walked Between The Towers (B) written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein - This Caldecott award winning book is crazy! Being that I‘ve never heard this story before, I was shaking in my seat when a Briston was reading it aloud for her storytelling. It is a story about a man, Philippe Petit, that literally walked on a rope between the two towers of the world trade center.

Wonder (RF) by RJ Palacio is an amazing read. It tells the story of a little boy named August who is very nervous to start his first year of school, in fifth grade. He is afraid people will be mean to him because of his face. This tear-jerker would make a perfect LC in the classroom meeting ELS37. Not only does it discuss acceptance but transition, which all students can relate to! The moral of this story causes natural discussion about being kind

What Do You Do with A Tail Like This? (NF) written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins & Robin Paige. This Caldecott honor book explores many different animals. Through the story students are exposed to the many traits animals have including their ears, eyes, mouth, noses, tails, etc. and explains what they do with each. This would make a great RA.

The Dot by Peter Reynolds is a cute RF picture book! I was introduced to this story today by a classmates story telling, and just couldn‘t get it out of my head. This book tells the story of a little girl named Vashti who at the start is convinced she cannot draw anything. However, her very smart teacher, decided to frame her artwork that consisted of a dot. This motivated Vashti to create more pieces of art that incorporate dots.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by John Schoenherr (RF) - This Caldecott Award winner tells a cute story of a little girl and her father going on an adventure in the winter night looking for owls. I loved that this book incorporated a father-daughter relationship because most stories include relationships with mothers and their children. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/owl-moon-exten...

Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg (SF) - I first learned about this Caldecott Award winner during the author study assignment! I was drawn to this story because it is the sequel to Jumanji, which is an awesome major motion picture! Zathura is about two boys who are travel on an intergalactic adventure when their house is brought through space. This book would be a perfect RA when teaching your class about space due to the amazing illustrations!

One Crazy Summer (HF) by Rita Williams-Garcia - This is an AMAZING multi-award winning novel (Scott O‘dell, Newberry Honor, CSK, and National Book Award Finalist). Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are sent across the country to visit their mother for the first time in years. Although they are nervous, they end up having ‘one crazy summer‘ and are surprisingly sad when they have to go back home to their Pa.

Bark in the Park: Poems for Dog Lovers by Avery Corman and Illustrated by Hyewon Yum (P). This book is a cute way to introduce poetry to your students in a RA. It covers poems about multiple dogs including a afghan hound, beagle, boxer, and pug! My personal favorite part is the short snippet about the bulldog, because those are my favorite kind of dogs. http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/mammals/dogs

Walt Disney‘s the Jungle Book (TL) is a classic picture book retold from Rudyard Kipling‘s “The Jungle Book”. One day, a panther finds a boy in the woods and takes him to a mother-wolf to be taken care of. The story tells the adventure of the boy growing up in the jungle! This would make a great S. Since there is a live action movie coming out about it soon, UDL7.1 can be used to relate the book to the movie!

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (P). I remember reading these poems as a child in school, and feeling really cool because I was checking out a “big” book at the library! The pages in this book are filled with fun poems from Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, and even the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. I would use this book in many ways including RT, RA, IR, and SR.

Light in the Darkness by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrated by James E. Ransome (HF) - This is a touching story about a young slave named Rosa. During the night, Rosa and her mother sneak out to go to school in hopes that they don‘t get caught by their master or groundskeeper! All the slaves learn from gathering sticks and scratching letters in the dirt. She hopes to learn all the words she can so one day, she‘ll be able to read!

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (B) Written by Patricia Hruby Powell and illustrated by Christina Robinson. (Corette Scott King and Caldecott Awards) I LOVED this book! It summarizes the life of Josephine Baker, a brave, strong, heroic dancer! I feel like this story would make a great ST because it just makes you feel like dancing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6cSTBfIGHk

Martin‘s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by Doreen Rappaport and Illustrated by Brian Collier (Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Jane Adams Awards). This B would be great for S, since it shares the life story of Martin Luther King Jr. This book is perfect for students because it explains this piece of history in way children can understand. Some vocabulary may be new, but this resource has a great vocabulary activity!

Duck for President by Doreen Cronin, Illustrations by Betsy Lewin (Caldecott Award) - This hilarious MF story is about an unhappy duck who decides he wants to become President! He runs a campaign, gives speeches, and even kisses babies on his journey to Presidency! At the end of the story, he returns to the farm because being a President is no fun.

Don‘t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (Caldecott Award)- This MF book would be a perfect RA or S. In the story, a bus drive takes a break from his route and a pigeon is dying to take the wheel while he is gone! The pigeon begs to drive it over and over again, even throwing a fit. While reading, students are able to yell at the pages, making them feel like they are in charge of the fate of story.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, Illustrations by Christian Robinson (2016 Newberry Medal, Caldecott Honor, #1NYTBS and Coretta Scott King Award) - This RF story is centered around CJ and his nana. On a bus drive through the city, nana teaches CJ to appreciate the things he has and see the true beauty of the world around him. At the end of the story, CJ and his nana volunteer at their soup kitchen.

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, Illustrations by Christian Robinson is a great RF picture book to use for a RA in your classroom. This is the story of a bulldog named Gaston a very proper pooch who fits right in with his poodle siblings! One day they meet a bulldog family and realize there has been a mix up between pups. Antoinette the poodle and Gaston switch places for the night, but realize although it looks right, it doesn‘t feel right!

High Tide in Hawaii by Mary Pope Osborne - This MF chapter book is full of adventure shared between a brother and sister! This time the magic treehouse takes them to a small village in Hawaii to build a special kind of ship. Through hula dancing, eating poi, and surfing Jack and Annie discovered the magic ship they were meant to find, friendship! This book would be great for either IR or LC, time permitting of course!