The Little House, Written and Illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton
     This Caldecott-winning story begins with a man building a small house in the country that he plans never to sell, but to pass down to generations after him. This little house loves to watch the family frolic outside year after year. The little house also enjoys looking at the city lights on the horizon and wonders what the city is like. Over the years, the city gets closer and closer until the little house is wedged between two skyscrapers and abandoned. The little house, in shambles, is recognized by a descendant of the original owners and they have the little house moved back to the country. They restore the house to its original luster and the little house never dreams of living in the city again.
     This book would be most appropriate for first, second, and third-grade students because of the vivid illustrations and simple language and content. The illustrations of the book are simple yet detailed enough to tell the story without words. Therefore, it would be helpful for students to read independently, even if they do not know all of the words. This book would also be an engaging read-aloud in a lower-elementary classroom. Furthermore, the book sparks the imagination of the reader. The little house, an inanimate object came alive through the personification throughout the story. Because of this, this story would be great to use to teach students about personification. After the lesson about personification and reading the story, students could then write their own story by personifying another object like a car, a school, or something in nature like a tree.