“Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough“

I think that this story is a little dark for children, but I do think it has a good message. This shows that you need to be patient and good things will come. Things get messy when you seek instant gratification. I would place a kid friendly version of this fairy tale in my classroom for sure.

A man and his wife have a goose that amazingly lays golden eggs, once
per day. The couple amazed with the goose, but quite greedy, plot how
to immediately get all the gold. Upon deciding that there must be a
large deposit of gold inside the goose, they kill and cut open the goose,
to get the imagined fortune. After investigation a nasty shock is in
store for the man and his wife.

“But the Little Red Hen said,
“No you wont, I will.“
And she did.“

I think that this would be a great pick for the classroom! It shows that you have to work hard in order to enjoy the benefits. I think that this is a great story for children of all ages.

In this traditional story, a little red hen discovers wheat growing in a garden,
and requests help from her lazy friends to help her tend it. They
refuse, and she does all the work herself. When ready to harvest and
process into flour again, the lazy trio want no part of the work.
With the flour in hand the hen decides to bake bread, and all three
want a piece, but are informed that putting in no work means no bread.

“Well, come along! I've got two spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I've got besides two curling-stones,
And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.“

I think this is a fun story, but it's a little dark to be in the classroom. Overall I think that this is a great story because it demonstrates that quick clever
thinking can sometimes solve your problems, but sometimes things need
to be met head on. However, I don't love that the last brother pokes out the troll's eyeballs and crushes him.

This traditional story tells the tale of three brother goats who are traveling up a
hill to make themselves fat. On the way they run into a troll who
intends to eat one. Each goat tells him that the next goat is bigger and
why they should pass. Finally, the largest brother shows up, and is
stopped by the troll. The largest brother shows up and threatens the troll in order to pass, when not heeded follows through with his threats.

“Magic isn‘t something that can be explained: it simply is. It takes while it gives. So” – the spinner steps closer, his outstretched hand demanding – “I have given you magic, and now it must be paid.”

I think this original fairy tale is a little dark for children. However, a remake of this story would be great for a classroom. This a great story for children because it shows that lying has consequences, and also shows that clever thinking can resolve a tricky
situation

This classic story tells the tale of a man who brags to the king that
his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king amazed, locks her in a
room until she completes the amazing feat. A strange man show up
offering help for a price, and demanding her first born. Using clever
thinking she outsmarts this odd man and lives happily ever after.

“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?“

“Animals that are closely related may look similar and behave in similar ways but still vary enormously in size.“

“Babies and children grow up in all sorts of families.“

I think that this book is a great classroom pick. Some people are more sensitive to topics like these, so I think that it would vary for different teachers. I feel comfortable with these topics, and so as long as the parents are okay with it, I don't see any issue having it in an early childhood classroom. It's important that kids are learning the correct anatomical language, and what consent means early on!

This nonfiction book tells all about changing bodies! I think that this book is great to introduce younger children to their bodies. I think that it would require the parents to know that the book is in the classroom, but children are never too young to learn about anatomically correct ways of handling their bodies. I think that this is a great book for children who are going through puberty as well.

I think that this is a definite classroom pick! However, I think that this book is better suited for older children. The language and topics are a little too hard for youngsters to comprehend. However, I think that this book is an absolute necessity for an older classroom. The history is so accurate and crucial for children to learn.

This nonfiction story tells the tale of John Lewis and Jim Zwerg. These men were at the front lines of the Civil Rights movement. I really liked how the story started by showing how different these two men were, and what different privileges they had. Even though these men were completely different, they were fighting for the same things. I think that this book is a definite pick for an older classroom.

“We cleared the way for them and changed the course of history”

I was drawn to this story because of baseball! The dodgers are my favorite team, so I knew that they were the first team to break the barriers and sign a black man. However, I didn't know that much about the all African american league. I thought this story was moving and inspiring, and I think it would be a great addition to any classroom. This would appeal to the kids who love sports, but the message is important for all children to hear.

This nonfiction tells the story of the African american league that was in place until Jackie Robinson broke the barriers of baseball. My favorite part about this book, was the set up. I liked how they used innings instead of naming different chapters. The story helps highlight the inequalities that black men were facing, and how those glass ceilings were shattered. I think this is a definite classroom pick.

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

I was drawn to this story because I am always wanting to make myself the best ally to the black community as possible. I wanted to learn about the inequalities of the past, so that I can do my part to make sure they never happen again. I think that this is a great book for an older classroom, and it's a message that children of all races should be hearing.

This nonfiction book tells the tale of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and his fight against “Bull“ Connor who was an ally of the KKK. Shuttlesworth was a warrior for equal/civil rights. I loved the layout of this story and the message that Shuttlesworth was fighting for.

“Down, down in the depths of the sunless sea, deep, deep in the cold, cold dark, creatures, strange and fearsome, lurk.”

Although I think this story is a little too information heavy for young children, I have seen firsthand how much they love to see the fold out page that shows the giant squid. I think that this story is cool, and it will definitely be on my bookshelf in my classroom.

This nonfiction book talks all about a giant squid. Fleming actually paired up with a scientist to make this story! I think that the information is a little comprehensive for young children, but I can see children loving the illustrations. The book uses the mystery of the squid to set up how the book is presented.

“And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville- mighty Casey has struck out”

I was instantly drawn to this story because of my love for baseball. I think that this is a great story whether you are a sports fan or not. Of course, the children who like and play baseball might be more drawn to the book. but the lesson is the same for all kids. Casey was supposed to do great things for his team, and he wasn't able to. It's important for kids to see that just because you failed in the moment, doesn't mean you lost completely.

This nonfiction book tells the tale of a baseball star. This player is up to bat and expected to win the game for his team! However, he strikes out and the team loses. I think that this is a great nonfiction story for kids, because it's still laid out like a typical fiction story and has great flow. This story helps show that there aren't always happy endings, and it's okay to strike out sometimes.

“Each species with which we share the earth is a success story. Each of our cohabitants has evolved an ingenious set of life strategies, and made them work. To live on an earth without fascinating, often beautiful creatures would be to live on a lesser earth. The trick is not to let them slip away, but to understand and help them on their terms.”

I didn't get to read this entire book because it was a chapter book and I wanted to explore some of the other nonfiction books. However, the parts I read were really informative and interesting. I don't think that kids would enjoy this story because of the composition and length, but I thought it was pretty cool.

This nonfiction chapter book tells the story of a bird called, Moonbird. His name that was given by scientists was B95. This story is extremely relevant today because it talks about extinction and endangerment of animals. Scientists in this story are working to help depleting bird populations through B95.

This nonfiction books shows all kinds of interesting facts about all kinds of different animals. This book had a lot of information in it, and so it was a pretty long book. I think that this is a book that could be placed in the library for students to skim through at their own pace, but it's far too long for a typical story time.

“Dinosaur fossils were first collected in Alaska in 1962 by Robert Lipscomb, an oil company geologist who was surveying land along the Coolville river on Alaska 's North Slope, the treeless plain north of the brooks range.“

I was interested in this story because I love the Jurassic Park movies. I think that this book was really interesting, and I got to see a lot of cool things about dinosaurs! I think this would be great for a classroom because it's relevant to science and most children are interested in dinosaurs.

This nonfiction book looks at fossils and talks about how dinosaurs would have lived and what their environments would be like. I think that this book is awesome because it's packed full of interesting science stuff, and kids love dinosaurs!

“If you're a skunk, you lift your tail to warn that a stinky spray is on the way.“

I thought this was a really cute and informative story! I think that younger and older kids would love this story just the same. I think that the story was structured well and the language was concise and easy for children.

This nonfiction and Caldecott winner, was a great interactive story! This book talks about how different animals use their body parts. This story has a different layout for almost every page, and helps keeps the reader intrigued. The information is interesting and it helps that it was paired with awesome artwork.

“The potter stands at his wheel, all about overhead, on the walls, under foot, are samples of his work. The colors of the clay are delicate and lovely, many of the pieces are exquisitely graceful.“

I really liked this biography. I think that it was detailed enough to be educational, but not so detailed that it became boring. I think that this would be a great addition to any classroom because of the pictures. I think that younger children can admire his art, and older children can read/learn about who Ohr was.

This biography tells the story of George E. Ohr, who was a potter. He created eccentric art pieces that were truly ahead of his time. These pieces helped set him apart from his fellow artists. This story tells all about Ohr's life and how he got into pottery, and has plenty of pictures along the way. I really enjoyed this biography, because prior to this.. I didn't know who Ohr was!

“But he was given another gift-the ability to see deeply into nature, to put on canvas his own ardent soul.”

Before this book, the only thing I knew about Van Gogh was that he has cut his ear off and painted starry night. This book helped teach me so much more about who he truly was and his passion for art. I think that this would be a great story for any age group because they have pictures of his art within the story. Younger children would love to look at the art, and older children could read the story more.

This biography tells the story of Vincent Van Gogh. I never knew much about Van Gogh, and so this biography was really interesting for me. this biography puts a spotlight on his life, and just how passionate he was about art. I think that this would be a great classroom pick!

“Books taught me how to think.”

I thought this story was interesting, but it was also really long. I don't think that this would be a good classroom pick, because of the length. I think that you have to have an interest in history or true crime to really be interested in a story like this.

This biography tells the story of the Romanov family, and what led to their downfall. I was drawn to this story, because I love true crime things. I liked that she used narratives alongside actual primary sources. I felt like I learned a lot about a case that I had never heard of. However, I don't think that children would be interested in this book because of the length and it's style of writing.