Ramona Quimby, Age 8, By Beverly Clearly

            This book follows the life of Ramona Quimby as she begins third grade with high expectations. However, stress quickly builds at school and at home. She accidentally embarrasses herself a few times at school with squeaky shoes and an egg incident. Afterward, she overhears a conversation in which her teacher seems to express how annoying Ramona is. This makes Ramona incredibly self-conscious and hurt as she tries to navigate third grade and resolve this conflict. At home, Ramona’s family goes through a transition as her dad begins school to become an art teacher. Because of this, her dad must work a job while going to school, and her mom must keep working to have sufficient income. Ramona grows worried when she notices her parents feel worried about money for car repairs and other items. However, she grows closer to her sister Beezus when they band together after their parents discipline them. At the end of the book, Ramona and her teacher reconcile and resolve their conflict and the Quimby family grows even closer in the face of adversity when they remember they are a loving family. This book won the Newberry Honor in 1982.

            This book would be ideal in a third-grade classroom. This book can help students continue their transition from picture storybooks to chapter books. This book includes a few illustrations and there are a limited amount of words on each page, so the students do not feel overwhelmed. Ramona deals with a variety of issues like worrying about finances, trying to please the teacher, trying to fit in with the rest of the class, and discovering more of who she is. Because of the wide array of relatable themes, this book could appeal to most students. I would love to use this book to read aloud to the students each day. Then, I would have a discussion question or questions about what they heard. As we read more of the book, a few students could think of a question or observation for the class to discuss. The issues in this book would also inspire creative prompts for students’ daily journals. They could write answers to questions such as, “Have you ever felt like Ramona when she splattered egg on her head? If not, how do you think she felt?” This helps the students make connections to the text and learn to put themselves in the character’s point of view. Because this book is realistic fiction, it is incredibly relatable and versatile in the classroom.

Where’s Whitney? By Debbie and Michael W. Smith, Illustrated by Bridget Starr Taylor

            This book begins by introducing Whitney, a little girl who easily gets lost in daydreams without paying attention to her surroundings. Whitney’s family and extended family, the Smiths, go vacationing at a beach house where they all enjoy the ocean and the sun. Towards the end of their vacation, Whitney’s dad invites the whole family to go to a theme park. After spending the day at the theme park, the kids get the last of their energy out by playing on giant plastic dragons. Whitney, deep in her world of pretend, gets left behind since she was quietly hiding in the dragon. She locates a mom with children as her parents have instructed her to do when they are lost. After the rest of the Smiths realize that Whitney is missing, the leave the beach house and return to the amusement park, praying for her safety on the way. They find Whitney at the Ticket Booth at the closing time of the park. After the family reunites at the beach house, they exchange stories and eagerly greet Whitney while the great grandfather prays a prayer of thanks.

            This book would be most appropriate for first and second graders. Because of the theme of prayer to God in this book, I would only use this particular when teaching in a Christian school. However, I could use another book that also teaches students what to do when they are lost that is secular. This book and similar books teach the importance of staying alert to what a child’s parents and siblings are doing and where they are going. It also demonstrates to students that they should stay calm and find a woman with children when they are lost. I would use this book to teach students these life skills. The illustrations are vibrant to capture their attention and help them remember what they should do when they are lost. In a Christian school, this book also demonstrates relying on God by praying for safety and giving thanks. Overall, this book is incredibly useful and fun to show children in a visual, narrative way to teach kids how to deal with being lost in a public place.

Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch, Illustrated by Sheila McGraw

            This book spans from babyhood to adulthood of a little boy whose mother loved him greatly. The book shows that at every stage of life, the boy does mischievous antics that greatly irritate his mother. But each night, the mother would sneak into his room while he was sound asleep and sing a song about how much she loves him. Eventually, the little boy grew to a man with his own house and child. The mother would still sing to him, but when she was too frail to sing the song to him, he sang the song to her. At the end of the book, he picks up his baby girl and sings his mother’s song to him. This book has won the Parents Choice Gold Award.

            This story picture book is most appropriate for kindergarten and first graders. I would most likely use this book when teaching the students about family or about love. This book portrays a healthy family relationship. After reading this book aloud to students, the students could discuss other ways that they can show love to their family and how their family shows love to them. Additionally, this book incorporates repetition since the song repeated on nearly every other page. The students could join in singing the song. This teaches rhythm and prediction.

Maverick and Me, By Katherine Schwarzenegger, Illustrated by Phyllis Harris

            In this book, a little dog named Maverick is rescued by a kind stranger and taken to a pet store. On the store’s Adoption Day, Maverick is the only dog left that has not been adopted. Then, a young girl named Scarlett and her mother come into the pet store and asks about Maverick. The manager says that the dog really needs a home, so Scarlett and her mom adopt him. Scarlett and Maverick have a lot of fun together. They have so much fun that Scarlett tells her friends about how she adopted the rescue puppy, and all her friends meet Maverick. At the end of the book, Scarlett expresses her hope that Maverick’s story will inspire her friends to adopt puppies of their own that need a home.

            This book would be ideal for first and second graders. I would love to have this book in my classroom library for the students to read freely. If a student is disinterested in reading but really loves dogs, the book could motivate the student to read this story. This book would also be ideal for teacher read alouds in class because it introduces new vocabulary. The students could learn words and terms such as “manager,” “adoption,”  “forever-home,” and “kennel.” The story also demonstrates how to treat animals with kindness. Additionally, the illustrations are vivid and detailed enough to capture the students’ attention and allow them to ‘read’ the pictures even if they do not know how to read the words. Because this book has so many uses, it would be a great addition to my future classroom.