Ripley's Believe it or Not! Dare to Look, by Geoff Tibballs
    This book presents readers with weird, gross, and interesting facts, people, and feats. This book is highly engaging with plenty of photographs and short paragraphs or sentences of text to describe the picture. The book includes facts and tellings about animals, feats, people, food, nature, science, and more. Some of my favorite topics are the people that can manipulate their face in different ways, the people who have done amazing feats like "urban climbing." Some of the topics, however, are stomach-churning like the cakes made to look like zombie cakes with skin and stitches or the massive spider infestations whose webs almost looks like snowbanks. Other topics like people getting "buried alive" by blankets of snow covering their car serve as cautionary and scary tales. There are so many topics that at least one of them would be interesting for most students. This book won the 2013 Parent's Choice Award.
      This book would be most appropriate in fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms. Students need some level of maturity to read some of the information in the book since it can be extremely gross or scary. I would love to have this book in my classroom library for students to freely browse. Additionally, this book would be a great way to begin a lesson about a certain topic. For instance, if students are about to learn about amphibians and reptiles, I could show them the picture of the translucent frog or the albino turtle and they could read the informational paragraph about them. This could get students excited about studying these types of animals more than just explaining the different types of amphibians and reptiles. Teachers should also be aware that some content and pictures may not be suitable for some classrooms. For example, the tattooed woman's picture in the book is slightly revealing for a school context. Teachers should look through the book first and then use their best judgment.

Honest Abe, By Edith Kunhardt, Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis
      This story details the life of Abraham Lincoln. It begins with his childhood by describing his family life and his origins. He grew up mostly in log cabins and one-room houses. His mother died while Lincoln was still a child, but his father remarried to a woman named Sally. Eventually, Lincoln went to school while working and became a lawyer after three years of school. Next, Lincoln was voted into Congress and then ran for Senate. He lost the Senate election but he later won the presidential election against the same opponent. The Civil War soon followed his election, but Lincoln fought for the abolishment of slavery by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. The Thirteenth Amendment was later signed into the Constitution which banned slavery. Lincoln also famously delivered the Gettysburg Address honoring the lives lost in the battle at Gettysburg. The story ends with Lincoln's assassination. After he passed away, he was missed by many and had ten funerals in different cities until he came to his final resting place in Springfield, Ilinois. The last pages of the book contain the Gettysburg Address and a timeline of Abraham Lincoln's life.
      This book is most appropriate for first, second, and third graders. It has simple sentences and simplifies ideas about slavery and politics. The illustrations are also vibrant and engaging. Additionally, it is short enough to hold the attention of young students but is packed with useful information. The way the story is told with personal details about Lincoln in a narrative form truly makes Lincoln come to life for the reader. This would be a fantastic book to use for a project or paper about Abraham Lincoln. The timeline in the back would be helpful for this too. Additionally, students could dramatically interpret the events in the book and make it into a play. The teacher could also write a reader's theater script based on this book. The teacher would read the book first and then lead a class discussion about various aspects of Lincoln's life. Next, the students would look over the script and perform it with props and dramatic reading.

my brother Martin, by Christine King Farris, Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
        This picture storybook is told by Martin Luther King Jr.'s older sister, Christine King Farris. She remembers the day that he was born and that he slept in her old crib. She also remembers the day her youngest brother, A.D., was born. She recounts the antics of her and her siblings like scaring people on the street with a mink stole. However, Farris also recounts how their white childhood friends eventually refused to play with her brothers because of their skin color. After this, it brought the King siblings to a new understanding of the discrimination around them. Their mom explained the unfair laws and horrible treatment. She also explained her belief that one day this will be different to which her son, Martin Luther King, expressed that he will change the unfairness. Their father also expressed how he handled discrimination. He was never disrespectful to anyone, but he never let himself be disrespected either. Martin Luther King Jr.'s experiences and parents influenced his dream and the movement that he began. The book ends by mentioning that he did have a dream "that turned the world upside down." The end of the book also includes a poem by Mildred D. Johnson that inspires readers to imitate Martin Luther King's qualities. This book has won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for children.
      This book would be most appropriate in second, third, and fourth-grade classrooms. It is a great example of a reliable primary source when working on a research project or paper. Students could use this book when learning the research and writing process. It is written in language that is easy to understand and is engaging for the students. Additionally, this book would be great for a read-aloud in the classroom during Black History Month or when students are learning about the Civil Rights movement in social studies. It appropriately portrays the brutality of discrimination for the age of the students without overwhelming them with the gore and violence of the time. Additionally, students could also read this book when they are learning about character traits like respect or self-respect, courage, and grit. The poem in the back of the book also inspires readers to become like Martin Luther King Jr. in various ways like reading, praying, being peaceful, and being intelligent. This could inspire students to become like him in certain aspects and appreciate his character traits. Anyone has the potential to change the course of history. Additionally, students could write similar poems about other historical figures either from the Civil Rights Movement or other events. This allows students to express themselves through poetry and make the historical figure more real to them.

Ivy's Journal: A Trip to the Yucatán, by Judith Herbst, pictures by Molly O'Gorman
        This book shares factual information about the Yucatán in a narrative way. It begins when Ivy's parents tell her that they are going on a family vacation to the Yucatán, and Ivy is very resistant. She tells all of the facts about Mayans and pyramids that her parents told her to try to get her excited, but she is still not convinced. However, after Ivy does research of her own, she discovers a woman from the 1800s, Anne Cary Maudslay, who ventured into the Yucatán at a time when traveling to such places was not typical for women. The family arrives at their destination in the middle of the Yucatán where they explore historic cites that have pyramids, temples, and ancient ball courts. Ivy was shocked to learn that they used to sacrifice whoever won the ball game as an honor to the rain god. Learning facts like this and being immersed in the Yucatán changes Ivy's mind about this historic place. She delves into her imagination when she pretends that she lives in ancient times among an ancient people. Additionally, she meets a friend named Tránsita who lives in the Mayan village. Her friend shows Ivy her home and Ivy meets her mother as well. Ivy then becomes even more fascinated with the culture. On the family's way home, Ivy reflects positively on her experiences. Her parents tell Ivy that they want to go explore caves in France next summer, but Ivy does not expect to enjoy that trip.
         This book would be most appropriate for second and third graders. The book is filled with many colorful illustrations and photographs of the ancient sites. Additionally, the facts are told through Ivy's fictional narrative. This makes it engaging for the students and easier for them to follow. This would be a great book to read to students when they study the Yucatán. Furthermore, the book would serve as a solid example of a factual travel journal. No matter what country or area the students are studying, they could be inspired to create their own travel journal like Ivy's. Students could also create a time traveler's journal where they pick a place in a historic time period and write a journal as though they have traveled to that time. This also follows Ivy's example as she imagined herself in ancient times based upon the facts that she learned of the Mayan people. The students could find facts and pictures from books, the internet, and other resources to include in their journal. This helps develop their creativity, their understanding of the country or area of study, and their writing and storytelling skills.

In The Woods, by Annie-Jo
        This book is an informational book geared towards young children. There is only one sentence on each page that says what animal is in the woods. It also has a picture of the animal. There are seven animals in total: a snake, rabbit, skunk, fox, owl, deer, and bear. The inside of the back cover details the specific type of animal. For example, on page 7, it says that "a deer is in the woods." On the back cover, it elaborates that this is a Whitetail Deer. The last sentence of the book is a question. It asks the readers to think of other animals that live in the woods.
        This book would be most appropriate for a preschool classroom. There are not many words on each page, the pictures are large and realistic, and the sentence structure is repetitive so the students will be able to predict and memorize the text. I would use this book as a read-aloud when the class is studying animals or habitats. I would encourage the students to draw from their own experiences to make connections with the text. For example, when reading the book I could ask students if they have ever seen a rabbit, what do skunks smell like, and if they are afraid of snakes. This teaches students to connect with the text at a personal level when they read. The students could also use the book as an inspiration for art pieces. They could draw the animals in the book or draw a story that takes place in the woods with animals they may find there.