The Underground Gators by Tina Casey

This is very fun and exciting for kids that make them think about specific parts of New York City and their home life. They really wonder why these specific places or things (hot-dog carts, smoke from streets, wires on the Brooklyn Bridge) are there in the first place.

I really enjoy how Tina Casey didn't just use New York City for a place with alligators because most children who read this book don't live in New York City. She puts these alligator stories into specific time periods and things that happen throughout children's life (what the babysitter does after they go to bed, where all the teachers go in the summer, if they are missing a sock, and why pizza is round).

A great part to the end of the book is when Tina Casey describes the urban legend of the alligators living in the 6,000 miles of sewers under New York City. It's very interesting information for the students.

Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum

I believe the best part of the book is the illustrations and the placement of words to the pictures. It's understandable that the author really wanted the reader to see the story visually instead of just reading the words. On some pages there is a huge picture with words on the side and also noises on the picture: the plap, plap, plap of the boys feet hitting the pond or the rumble-brum-brum of the thunder. The reader understands what is happening in the picture. On other pages there are pictures that are split up into almost cartoon like sections where words are placed under the pictures describing what is happening.

The only problem I had with this book was that there were too many words. It was very hard to keep interest in the story with that many pages for words. All I really wanted to do was look at the pictures and I could understand the story from just the pictures. By the end of the book that is what I was doing: skipping over words and looking at the pictures.

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

I chose to read this book because I was familiar with the four other books by Laura Numeroff: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies. I also chose to read this book because it involved a school and the every day events of elementary school children. I think it's great for children to read books by the same author and that are similar to one another. If children like certain types of books they are more likely to want to read more books like them; it's a great way to get children excited about reading.

I really enjoy the illustrations in the book; the illustrator Felicia Bond puts great detail into her work. One thing I think is really funny is that they are in an elementary school and the picture with all the students working on the chalkboard they are working on calculus and algebra. Then about five pages later there are 2 + 2 = 4 flashcards and toys on the shelf.

As a teacher I don't know if I would want to read this book out of the four other books to my class first. I believe If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin stood out more than this book in my mind. They were more exciting and I also think it gives the teacher a way to talk to students about their life outside of school instead of reading about school while in school.

You? by Vladimir Radunsky

When I first opened this book what really stuck out to me was the pictures. To me it seems like they are sketched and it puts more emphasis on the descriptive words from the dog and the little girl. On each page there is a little girl and little dog separated by a fence at the park. The girl sees every dog and the dog sees every owner. They state their reasons why or why they shouldn't be with that particular dog or owner.

My favorite part of the book is when the dog is talking the author uses barking noises: yip, woof, arf, and bow wow then translates what the dog is saying. It's a very unique way to describe language. It's extremely exciting for children because that is what they actually hear instead of the words humans use.

Throughout the book I noticed that many words were used to describe why or why the owner or dog didn't belong to the little girl or the little dog wanting someone to love. But at the end of the story they both knew that the other one was the right one for them. Many words didn't need to be said to display their love for one another.

The Hot & Cold Summer (Novel) by Johanna Hurwitz

This book was about friendships and how bad situations can turn around with a little belief. Rory and Derek are best friends and are looking forward to summer vacation so they can spend every day together. These two friends live two houses down from each other and in between their houses lives an elderly couple with no children left in their house. This summer the couples great-niece is coming to visit and tell the boys they will love her! The boys were not excited and disguised a plan of how to ignore and stay away from this girl, Bolivia. Derek starts to play with Bolivia which leads to a big fight between the two best friends. Right after the fight Derek ends up going to camp leaving Rory alone with Bolivia.

While Derek is at camp Rory discovers that Bolivia isn't as bad as he thought she would be. His fight with his best friend was a mistake because Rory was wrong about Bolivia. At the end of the summer Derek and Rory realized that they both loved being with Bolivia. In the beginning they didn't want her to come but in the end they didn't want her to leave.

This might not be a new book, it was published in 1984, but I saw that it was an IEMA winner in 1988-1989 and thought it would be a great book to read; and it was. It brings back childhood memories of selling lemonade, going to the pool, camping out on summer nights, and barbeque's with friends. It's a book that all children should read because it teaches the children that things don't always go the way they originally planned.

Meet Addy An American Girl (Series Chapter Book) by Connie Porter

American Girl books are great for young children. Connie Porter brings to life a little girl the same age of the reader at critical time periods in United States History. The reader follows along with the struggles of Addy and her family throughout the Civil War, Slavery and learning to fight for their own freedom.

Meet Addy is a great way to get young children and students in their early education years to learn about major time periods throughout history. The story is more understandable because it's put in a child's perspective. The emotional part of the book is when Addy's brother and papa are taken from the rest of her family and she leaves her baby sister behind when she escapes. This is an important part of the book because it makes readers wonder what it would be like for their own father, brother or were removed from their family. The readers want Addy and her family to come back together again and have their freedom in the United States.

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia (Novel) by Barbara O'Connor

I have not read a child's novel in a very long time and this is by far one of the best books I have read. It was easy to read and also kept me engaged throughout the book. By looking at the title I thought this girl on the front cover, whos name is Bird, had fame and glory in this town in Georiga. Once I opened the book I realized this girl had nothing to fame and glory, but that is exactly what she wanted in life. She was a girl who had no friends and was always picked on. When the new student Harlem Tate walked into her class she wanted to be his friend and she overcame obsticales and did just that.

Harlem became her friend by competiting in a spelling bee together. They spelled every word in the dictionary in three weeks. I thought they were going to win the spelling bee and everything would end happy. But surprisingly they lost first round and her dream of fame and glory went down the drain.

This is a story about a girl who had to overcome many struggles throughout her life and it took her strength to achieve happiness. She realized that it's not about what you win, how many friends you have, or how much money your family has it's about finding happiness in the little things in life.