Literary Journal

1) When Sophie Gets AngryReally, Really Angry written and illustrated by Molly Bang
Picture Book: Concept (Emotions)
K-2

I loved the use of colour and line in the illustrations to depict Sophies mood .This story contains a lot
of literary elements you can address with students including onomatopoeia, alliteration and
metaphors. This could be used with students in Health and Career (dealing with feelings) or Art
(colour and line). It is a good book to use with students to talk about what to do when you get angry
and what are some healthy ways to express anger. It would also be very easy for younger students to
understand and the illustrations paired very well with the words.
2) C is for Curious: an ABC of Feelings written and illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard
Picture Book: Concept (Alphabet/Emotions)
K-1

This book did not appeal to me at all. The artwork, done by the author who is foremost an artist and
then writer, was abstract and interesting but combined with the text it was confusing. I dont think
young children (the intended audience) would understand the small nuances found within the
illustrations or get the emotion they were intended to represent, which was the purpose of the book.
This was the authors first attempt at writing a childrens book and I dont really think she
accomplished her goal of reaching children. Nice artwork, bad childrens book. I might use this in
older grades but only for the artwork.
3) Very Hungry Caterpillar written and illustrated by Eric Carle
Picture Book: Storybooks
K-1

Ive always loved this book, when I was little my mom and dad used to read this to me. The
illustrations are fantastic and aligns with the description of the different stages of the butterflies..
Theyre colorful and vibrant, and the interactive versions of the book are very fun to read with kids.
The book can be used just as a fun story time book. It can also be used to teach a math lesson, based
on how many bites the caterpillar took It shows the life cycle of a butterfly as well as the importance
of a healthy diet. It's a good way to integrate reading and science.
4) Pink by Nan Gregory illustrated by Luc Melanion
Picture Book: Diversity
2-5

Wanting something beyond reach and finding something better close to home, what a great moral to
teach to students. This book wasn't what I expected---another cutsie story about a girl who loves the
color pink---but instead it was surprisingly thoughtful, lyrical, melancholy, and heart warming.
Lovely use of language and amazing character development for a picture book! The illustrations are
cute and the pink theme is fun. I would use this in the classroom to teacher social values and to
compare the differences between wants and needs. It might be fun to have students write their own
story in a colour theme as well.

5) Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting illustrations by Ronald Himler

Picture Book: Diversity
3-7

I thought that this book was amazingly written. It hits a hard topic not a lot of adults talk about to
their children, which is homelessness. This book tells a story about a father and his child living
secretly in an airport. The father has a janitorial job at an office, but they are not the only family
living at the airport. This book would be appropriate for the older kids because they would understand
the issue more than the little kids. The illustrations were done really well. This book would be a perfect
book for having class discussions about many different topics: hope, homelessness, poverty, bullying, etc.

6) Mommy Laid An Egg: Or, Where Do Babies Come From? written and illustrated by Babette Cole
Picture Books: Concept (Sex)
4-6

I really liked this book which takes a hard to teach subject, sex education, and cleverly teaches it,
although not how youd think. The books starts with the parents thinking up all sorts of witty ways
the babies are made but the children dont believe any of it and tell how its really done (with
drawings!). It might be a hard thing to show to the younger grades but I think older children would
find it a humourous way to teach an awkward subject. Students could make up their own
misconceptions of how babies are made and copy the drawings in the book of the sexual
reproduction system with proper labels.
7) Mom and Mum Are Getting Married by Ken Setterington illustrated by Alice Prestley
Picture Books: Diversity
1-6

This nonfiction narrative tells a story about a little girl, Rosie, who has two mothers, Mom and Mum,
and a step-brother named Jack. Mom tells Rosie that her and Mum want to get married and have a
small wedding. Although the prose of this book is a bit bland and the story is boring, it still is a book
about alternative family structures, a category with few entries. Im happy that this book is available
but I think someone could write something a little less wordy and more interesting. In the classroom I
would have this available for all students in my class library, to expose students to different types of
families. I could also read it aloud to students and have students brainstorm different types of
families.
8) Secret of the Dance by Andrea Spalding illustrated by Alfred Scow
Picture Books: Culture/History
3-7

This story is based on history, when the Canadian government instituted laws forbidding the
Aboriginal people to hold their ritual ceremonies. Offered a choice between prison and having their
ceremonial garb and regalia confiscated, many chose prison. The illustrations were kind of blah and
the picture to word ratio was off at times. I think teachers and students would have a hard time with
the pronunciation of names and a guide would have been helpful. Although this story might be too
complicated for younger children who don't understand true oppression or the Aboriginal customs, it's

still an interesting look at how the world has come full circle. In older grades, students could pair this
book with Social Studies and the study of the affect Europeans had on the First Nations peoples. They
could also study and make First Nations masks in Art.
9) The Name Jar written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi
Picture Books: Diversity
1-5

Unhei, a Korean girl, is the new student in school. Even though coming to America is hard, it gets
worse because when she goes to school nobody can pronounce her name. The pictures in the book are
very skilfully done and have enough detail to do a silent picture reading and have students guess what
the story will be about from just looking at the pictures. I plan to use this story in my practicum
because I have a lot of students who are Indo-Canadian and I think they would appreciate the
message that different is okay and we accept who you are. I would read this as a read aloud or in
small groups. After reading the class would discuss how they would feel moving to another culture.
Students could also research the meaning of their name and share their finding with their peers.
10) Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China written and illustrated by Ed Young
Traditional Literature: Folk and Fairytales
2-4

This story was a Chinese picture version of Little Red Riding Hood. I feel like the illustrations did a
good job at giving some sort of image to relate the text too, but they werent as necessary for the text
as a lot of other illustrations are.. This would be a good way to show student how to define the genre,
multicultural. It would help expand the children minds and see how story telling differs in other
countries. I would have the children discuss the similarities between the book and the American
version of the book. I would also have the students talk about the culture that they see in the book,
since they will be seeing the Chinese perspective.
11) Why Mosquitoes Buzz In Peoples Ears by Verna Aarderna illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon
Traditional Literature: Legends
2-4

This tale gives a well thought out, amusing explanation as to why mosquitoes buzz in peoples ears
that seems logical in the context of the story. I think younger children would enjoy this book for many
reasons. One of these reasons is because I think they could easily join in on the repeated order of what
happened to each animal. This would make them feel involved and help keep their attention. This
book would be a perfect example to use in order to teach children about traditional literature and help
them understand what that term means. It would encourage curiosity, and I think it would be fun to
have students write their own porquoi tales about something of which they are curious. It could also
be used to teach about community and how the actions of one member can adversely affect others.
12) Aesops Fables illustrated by Charles Santore
Traditional Literature: Fables
2-6

If I was going to talk about Fables in my classroom, this would be the book I would use. The
illustrations are beautifully painted watercolours that perfectly depict each fable it wishes to portray.
Each fable teaches a moral and could be discussed with students in LA, health and career or socials
studies. In the classroom, students could be read the story and they can try to guess the moral of the
story and they could check their understanding by then reading the moral at the end of the story. The
book could also be an introduction to fable and be used to be a model that students could use to write
their own fables.
13) The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Non Fiction: How To
4-7

Very entertaining book which deals with excessively common tropes in the fantasy genre. Jones does
a remarkably good job of covering the most over-used conventions in fantasy and executes it all with
a humorous touch. This book functions more as a dictionary to all the cliches and commonalities of
fantasy writers, from the significance of a character's eye colour to the role of various individuals in a
team. A great, easy to follow book for new writers of fantasy. I would introduce this resource to
students after starting a unit on fantasy novels. They could use it to aid with their own writing or to
analyze the books we are reading.
14) What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Non Fiction Picture Book
1-4

The illustrations in this book are what make it stand out compared to other books. The book uses cut
up paper to create the animals and it brings so much detail to the animals, it is amazing. Another very
interesting aspect to this book is the placement of words. In this books the words fill up the free white
space around the animal; they curve, theyre written diagonally, they are placed randomly throughout
the pages to give the book character and keep the readers eye searching the page. Another reason I
cant wait to share this book with my students is that it is very interactive. The students guess what
animal belongs to what body part and what they use it for. After they have finished the book the last
pages are dedicated to give more in depth information on the animals in the book.
15)
16) Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Poetry
3-5

I really loved Shels silly poems and his fascinating, messily detailed illustrations. I would read the
students a few poems from the book, all the while asking them what they think is going to happen in
the poem or why a certain wording worked. I would point out the tools Silverstein used such as
alliteration, metaphor, simile, and onomatopoeia and ask the students if they recognized them. Then I
would pass around different copies of the book as well as A Light in the Attic and the students would
write their own poems using at least two of the strategies Silverstein used.
17) The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Poetry
3-7

I love how Dr. Suess is able to tackle such an adult theme in a book meant for children. In this story
the Yooks and the Zooks, although very similar in many ways, have very strong differing opinions on
one particular issue. In the grand scheme of things it is a rather insignificant thing. Yet they let this
difference come between them, pull them apart and put them up against each other in an all out
war. With this book you can discuss such topics as violence, war, soldiers, peace and leadership.
Students could write the sections of the story the way they think it should be written.
18) Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry written by Joyce Sidman illustrated by Michelle Berg
Poetry
1-4

This book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a discarded cat and an excitable dog
through creative concrete poems. Readers are guided through various pieces of poetry by the books
use of unique shapes which convey the meaning the various topics of the poetry. This book
demonstrates non-traditional poetry types. Teachers could use this in part of a poetry unit that sparks
initial interest for this type of poem. Students could also have to use descriptive words in poetry and
then also add an artistic element with shape in a language arts based lesson. This could start off a unit
on concrete poetry as well.
19) How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? written by Jane Yolen illustrated by Mark Teague
Verse
K-1

I loved this book and think it is a fun way to teach young children proper night time behaviours. The
entire first half of this book is questions about how dinosaurs should or should not behave when
going to bed. The second half explains the good behaviors dinosaurs should use when going to bed.
This book is good to use when teaching Kindergarten and maybe First Grade about the rules. he
author uses illustrations to show different situations of bedtime in various homes where a dinosaur is
the child of human families. The families are shown in various ethnicities are represented and home
environments are all drawn similarly. I would keep this in my classroom library for children to read
by themselves.
20) The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis
Fiction
6-7

This book definitely fills a unique niche in children's literature, something written with an international
setting (Sub-Saharan Africa), about HIV, and on a lower reading level, in this case about grade 4.5.
However, I would not recommend it for that grade level, instead I would use it in a higher grade as the
subject matter is quite intense; It would also need to be paired with a unit directly talking about

HIV/AIDS. The subject is important I will still recommend this book since I can't think of any other
children's book dealing with AIDS and it's devastation on families and towns in that region of the world.
21) Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Fantasy/Magic
5-7

A lovely fantasy book, nicely quirky, with an interesting sibling duo at its center. The only thing that's
stopping me from giving this book a 5-star rating is the predictable plot twist towards the end. There is a
lot I do like about this book, though. The pet dragon is sweet, and the idea of a cat turned into a violin,
and Janet Chant is such a practical, nice character. In the class, I would use this as an alternative to the
Harry Potter series, in fantasy literature circles or for my more advanced readers.
22) Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Fantasy/Magic
5-7

I read this book as a middle school student and it made me fall in love with the fantasy genre, so I may
have a bit of a bias for giving this 5/5. I truly feel that it is a great YA novel that showcases Jones unique
humourous writing style paired fantastic well developed characters, descriptive settings let readers fully
immerse themselves in the magic and fantasy of the world of Ingari. The plot of this story is so charming
and keeps your glued to the pages until the end. In the class, I would use this as an alternative to the Harry
Potter series, in fantasy literature circles or for my more advanced readers.
23) The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones
Fantasy/Magic
4-6

I was a bit disappointed by the book. It's quite nice to watch the friendship develop between the
children as they're forced to rely on each other to get out of trouble I liked the story and characters
as I got into it however I struggled at first with sympathising with the protagonists. I did love the
dynamics between the step-siblings and their parents; goodness knows it's always a bit of a jumble at
first trying to put two families together under one roof. And some of the chemistry experiments
were too funny. It's still a cute book, but it lacks a lot of character development and is a tad disinteresting
at places. I would not use this in my classroom, I might use it in the classroom library.

24) The Nose from Jupiter by Richard Scrimger

Science Fiction
3-6

After being recommend this book by Claire, I decided to give it a read to see if I could use it at all
in practicum. Im glad I gave it a chance because it was a really well written middle school novel
about Norbert, an alien from Jupiter who has taken up residence in a Grade 7 boys nose. Norbert
helps Alan deal with his divorced parents and the bullies who torment him and his Grade Seven
classmates. Norberts extroverted attitude, his offbeat sense of humour, and his squeaky voice protect
Alan and gain him friends and girls. In practicum, I plan to read aloud this book to my Grade

(taking out some choice words) along with our science unit on Planets and Stars. We will touch on
topics like how to deal with bullies, what Jupiter is really like and hopefully incorporate some Art as
well by having students draw what the inside of Alans nose looks like.
25) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline LEngle
Science Fiction
6-7

A Wrinkle In Time about an alternative universe. It involves a family where the father is lost in this
universe and his wife and children. A decent book with a lot of potential, but the last couple chapters
try to wrap things up way to slowly, and utilizes extremely simple ideas to resolve plot lines that had
the chance to be interesting. I personally believe that children would love this book though, especially
the older set who may be able to understand the complexities of it a little better. In school, they could
read this book in literature circles and make up their own science fiction stories to better understand
the genre.
26) The One and Only Ivan written by Katherine Applegate illustrations by Patricia Castelao
Fiction
5-7

I really enjoyed it, though I did find the story-line to be very predictable. It was actually a pretty light
read. The way the book is set up is double spacing between each paragraph, which makes the book a lot
shorter than it appears. There are absolutely beautiful artwork drawings throughout the book, much like
what you see on the cover. It could be used to teach animal rights issues and compassion towards animals.
This book really makes the reader feel compassion toward the first person narrative written through the
eyes of Ivan. I think that a research project could also be done on any of these animals and what they are
really like. I looked up this book and found that it is based on a true story, so this could also be
researched.