This F picture book is about a boy who questions the existence of Santa Clause getting on a magical train called the Polar Express that takes him to the North Pole. This boy receives a very special gift from Santa himself. I would like to use this book for RA seasonally and possibly accompany it with the amazing movie that was made based on this book. UDL 7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity would work well in teaching this book and

In creating this post I discovered that Tomie DePaola has just passed away and the world of children's literature has taken a huge loss. This book is one I remember from my own elementary years and I plan to continue teaching Tomie DePaola's works in my future classrooms. Strega Nona is the first in the series of Strega Nona tales. This is a TL Caldecott winning picture book about an elderly woman named Strega Nona who uses her magic to help

This is such a fun book to have in your classroom and holds a valuable lesson within it's pages. I would love to use this Caldecott Medal winning TL picture book for SR or S in my classroom. I love that this book brings folklore from a distant country and would be quite new for a lot of students; this could open up some great discussions in class. In this story, a mosquito whispers a rumor into an iguana's ear and chaos follows in the jungle.

This sweet F Caldecott winning picture book is about a kitten who sees the moon and thinks that it is a bowl of milk. She spends her evening chasing the great bowl of milk in the sky but cannot reach it. After she gets back home, she finds her very own bowl of milk waiting for her on the porch. This is cute story with simple writing and would be great for younger emergent readers with GR.

This HF Coretta Scott King award winner is about a young girl who dreams of flying over her home in Harlem and looking upon her family and community below. Her favorite structure she flies over is the George Washington Bridge as it opened the day she was born. this book is based on an actual story quilt the author created. The theme of the book is cultural diversity and I would use this book for RA in my classroom.

This P picture book contains assorted poems by the author accompanied by some unique 'stitched' illustrations. I would like to use this book for CR where students can practice reading poems they select to their peers or the teacher. I found a resource that shows how to have a “Poet of the Day“ during national poetry month (April) http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/april-nati...

This TL picture book by Leo Lionni would be perfect for S (and I intend to do so!). This book tells the story of a chameleon that is bothered by the fact that he does not have his own color. The end of the story has moralistic value so I would consider it a fable. I would use ESOL strategy 17 Provide contextual support through audio visuals, models, demonstrations, etc while storytelling with props.

This SF Newbery Award winning novel would be perfect for LC with the 8-12 age group. This book is about a widowed mouse who has to move her family to their summer living quarters immediately or they will die. One of her son's fell ill with pneumonia and cannot be moved. Mrs. Frisby goes to the rats that live on her farm for help because she was told that they have the capabilities to move her home to a safe area. The rats she meets are unlike any

This F picture book is about acceptance and inclusivity. Gaston tells a story of a very prim and proper bulldog raised in a family of poodles and their meeting of tough poodle and her family of bulldogs. Something looked very wrong to the families but they learn the lesson that appearances are not what matters, love is. This would be a fun RA book because I see students being instantly drawn to the cute pup on the cover of the book.

Martin's Big Words is a B children's picture book about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This book has won many awards including the Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honor Award. We take a walk through Martin's life in beautiful illustrations and learn about how Martin used his 'big' words to bring about change to the U.S and the world. This is a great book for a lesson on a peace and tolerance. I would use this piece of literature for RA.

Mr Wuffles! is an SF picture book written and illustrated by David Wiesner. It is a Caldecott honors book with very few words. Mr Wuffles! is about a cat who is very picky about his toys and ignores most of the ones his owner gets for him. One day, he finds the perfect toy that turns out to not be a cat toy at all. I would like to do an AS on David Wiesner and compare his literature. He would be a great study on SF books and wordless books as well

This F Newbery award winning novel would be perfect for LC or IR. I cannot recommend this book enough and am so excited that there is going to be a movie of it coming out soon! The One and Only Ivan is a novel based on a real gorilla named Ivan who lived in a mall for almost 30 years of his life. This book is Ivan's story from his own point of view. Since the movie is coming out soon, UDL 1.3 offer alternatives for visual information is perfect.

SWADBOHH - is the shortest acronym for the longest titled HF picture book. This book has beautifully detailed painted illustrations and would be great for guided reading. I think the title could be very engaging to students and they'll end up learning about the Audubon Society (Conservation organization to protect birds) in the process. This book is a fictional story about the two very real women who founded the Audubon Society. #ucflae3414sp20

This TL Caldecott Honor picture book was my introduction to Leo Lionni. This book uses beautiful collage illustrations and teaches a meaningful lesson at the end. I would like to use this book for RA. Alexander is a mouse that becomes friends with Willy, a beloved wind-up toy mouse. Alexander wants his life to be like Willy's until he sees that Willy is about to be thrown away...UDL principle 9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection would be

Swimmy is a TL picture book about a little black fish named Swimmy who comes from a school of red fish. After a big tuna came and swallowed all of the red fish, Swimmy is alone in the big beautiful ocean, until he comes across another school of fish and teaches them a valuable lesson. Swimmy is a Caldecott Honor book and would be fun to use for S in the classroom. I chose UDL principle 8.3 about fostering collaboration and community sine that is..

Blended is about an eleven year old girl named Izzy (or Isabella if it is a 'Dad week') who loves to play piano and struggles with the displacement of having divorced parents. This is a fantastic book for LC and will allow racial social issues to be introduced into the classroom. Something special about Blended is that it provides a windows and mirrors to topics like being biracial, racial injustice, and divorce. #ucflae3414sp20

This MF-animal fantasy book follows a young child and the animals they meet on their adventure in the search for their own “tribe“. This book teaches collective nouns and could be used for GR with emergent readers. Readers can use the illustrations of animals to decode words. https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9781596436077TG.pdf provides pre-reading activities and comprehension questions to go along with the story.

Loved this very informative, Newbery winning NF book by Patricia Lauber about the eruption and after effects of the Mount St. Helens mountain in Washington state. This book is packed with great information. The use of diagrams and photos that go along with specific information in the text provides great visuals that connect you to the text. Very clear table of contents in chronological order as well as a detailed index to refer to.

Grandpa Green is a beautiful RF picture book that won a Caldecott Honor Award in 2012. A young boy tells us the story of his great grandfather's long life; we go through grandfather's garden in the story and see his memories displayed as hedges trimmed into various topiaries. This book would do well as IR for emergent readers as it is a lower complexity book. RA is also a good option for this book.

This F picture book is a fun addition to a classroom and is a Caldecott award winner! This book is great for teaching about predictions and differing points of view. Creepy Carrots is about a rabbit named Jasper who simply cannot stop eating carrots! Until they begin to follow him. Getting to the end of the book you might realize that the carrots are not as dangerous as Jasper thinks..