The Missing Tooth

Author: Joanna Cole

Illustrator: Marylin Hafner

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade level: K-3

Arlo and Robby were the best of friends! They both had the same things like bikes, peanut butter ice cream and much more. They even have a tooth missing in the same spot. They wore the same thing to school one day even. They match all over even their teeth match. Robby said he had a wiggly tooth and Arlo wanted to be the same so he pretended that his was loose too even though it wasn't. They made a deal that whoever's tooth comes out first owes the other one 10 cents. Robby's tooth finally came out and Arlo was sad because they are not the same. Arlo was jealous of Robby and was mean to Robby. Robby went home and Arlo was lonely. One of Robby's card fell out of his deck and Arlo saw it and wanted to keep it. He figured it would make Robby sad if he took it. He gave back the card to Robby and they said sorry and Robby gave back his 10 cents but Arlo let him keep it and they went to go play. Arlo's mouth bumped on the bar and he lost a tooth in a different place than Robby's. They were still best friends anyway. 

This is a good story to teach children about differences. It is okay to be different than others. We can still befriend them. It also teaches that if there is an argument, there is always forgiveness and communication skills that can get them through it. It also has a beautiful message of doing the right thing. 

The illustrations in this book are colorful realistic looking drawings. They fill the entire page up with warm and cool colors with the writing in the white space of the illustrations. 

Enemy Pie

Author: Derek Munson

Illustrator: Tara Calahan King 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade level: K-3

It should have been a perfect summer for this little boy until a boy named Jeremy Ross moved into the neighborhood. He was a bully and would laugh at him. His dad said he knew a way to get rid of enemies. He pulled out a recipe book off the kitchen shelf and said "Enemy Pie." Enemy pie was a secret recipe and I thought of all the gross things you'd put in enemy pie. They were all gross things and his dad said that he didn't need any of those ingredients. He was confused when he smelt something really good and said that enemy pie shouldn't smell this good. Dad said that if it smelt bad the enemy wouldn't eat it and it looked good enough to eat. The little boy thought all these horrible things would happen when you eat enemy pie. Dad told him that he needed to be nice to him all day. They rode bikes for a while and threw water balloons. He was kind of having fun with his enemy. He couldn't tell his dad because he worked so hard on the enemy pie. He let him win a game just to be nice. Enemies aren't allowed in the treehouse but Jeremy was being a bad enemy and being nice. He tore the enemy list off the wall. He was thinking that he should just not give the enemy pie to Jeremy.  He told Jeremy not to eat the pie and he felt relieved that he had saved his life. His dad was eating half of the pie. They became friends. 

This book is good to talk about how to not judge someone. We can teach children how sometimes first impressions are not what that person is all about. We must always give someone a chance to prove and be themselves before we judge their character. 

The illustrations in this book are very fun. They are warm colors and showcase all the different emotions of the characters. They take up the whole page and are very cartoonish. 

When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry...
Author/Illustrator: Molly Bang 
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: PreK-2
Awards: Caldecott Honor

Sophie was playing when her sister grabbed gorilla and yelled "my turn!" Sophie was mad because she didn't want her to have gorilla. She was mad as her sister pulled the gorilla and she trips over the truck. She starts to kick and scream and through a tantrum. When she gets really angry she runs and then for a little bit she cries. She notices the beautiful outdoors and comes to an old beach tree where she climbs up. The world and its beauty and simplicity comforts her and she feels much better. She climbs down and heads for home. Everyone is happy that Sophie is back home and everything gets back together again and Sophie isn't angry anymore.

This is a good book to teach children about how to calm themselves down whenever they are angry. Lots of children throw tantrums when they don't get their way. This is a good book to talk about how everything isn't as bad as it seems and sometimes we need to just walk it off and let ourselves cool down.

The illustrations in the book are very nice. They are colorful paintings that are simple and cover the entire page. The expressions clearly portray what the characters are feeling. The lettering looks like it was handwritten and that adds a nice homemade story look to the book. 

The Snowy Day

Author/illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade level: K-3

Awards: Caldecott Medal

One day a little boy named Peter woke up and looked out the window to see snow covering everything that he could see. After breakfast he put on his snowsuit and went outside to play in the snow. He walked along the snow making different types of tracks. He found a stick to make a new track. He thought it would be fun to join the big kids in their snowball fight but he knew he wasn't old enough yet. He made snow angels and snowmen and used his imagination to pretend he was a mountain lion instead. He saved a snowball in his pocket to save for tomorrow. Before bed he checked his pocket for the snowball but it wasn't there. He was very sad and he dreamed that the sun had melted all the sun away. When he woke up the snow was still there and he went outside with his friend to play. 

This book can be used in the classroom to discuss weather. It can be used to illustrate what happens in the winter time and as well as what happens when cold things become hot or when things melt. 

The illustrations are very intriguing. They are so colorful for a book about white snow. It is different things cut and pasted together. It showcases emotion and ties in well with the storyline. It is a Caldecott Medal award winning book. 

This is Me

Author: Jamie Lee Curtis

Illustrator: Laura Cornell

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade level: K-3

This book starts out with a teacher's great-grandmother who left er family and friends to cross the sea. She had no say and sadly she would have to pack only the things that she loves and unfortunately she will have to leave all of the rest at home. She then asks the class what would they take. It then goes through different students in the class talking about what they would take with them if they were to travel. What they would take in order to best represent them on the trip. Some would take their punk rocker barbie, nintendo DS, USA passport, signed harry potter book, and much more. Who you all are isn't just what you've got but its what you learn and what you're taught is who you become. In the end it asks what the reader would take to say "hey this is me!"

This book can be used to talk about the importance of history. It can also be used to highlight the importance of who we are based on what we have done. 

The illustrations in this are very bright and colorful. The expressions on the characters faces are clear to the emotions that they are feeling in relationship to the text. There is a popup case on the last page that adds a fun little surprise for the readers when they are thinking about what they are going to bring in their case to represent themselves. 

Welcome to the Family

Author: Mary Hoffman

Illustrator: Ros Asquith

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-3

This book explores different ways a baby or child can come into a family. It talks about adoption as well as divorce and adding step siblings to the family. It talks about parents of the same gender and artificial insemination. It also talks about blending two families together who already have kids in each family. In the end it states how there will always be new children and asks the question "How did you come into YOUR family?"

This book can be used in the classroom to talk about where families come from and how important that they are. It can be used as a prompt for a writing to ponder on the differences in each family and why it is important to accept each others differences and be aware that it is normal to be different. 

The illustrations are very fun. They are colorful. They are set up in kind of a comic strip way with other comments happening within the pictures other than the text about the book above it. There is also a little bear that has small comments throughout the book about what they had just been talking about. 

My Great Grandpa 

Author: Martin Waddel 

Illustrator: Dom Mansell

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

This little girl's great grandpa is her best friend. He is weak and slow but he tells her a lot of things that she doesn't know. When they go out they have fun and don't care what anyone else says about them. They like to adventure around and grandpa tries to remember who lives in what house but often can't remember. He reminisces about his wife and her grandma and lets her know what she was like. They share a special bond. 

This book can be used as a tool for learning how to rhyme. It can be used in a guided reading where it is specifically guided towards learning how to rhyme words. It can also be used as an example of what the kids can write about in their own poem. 

The illustrations are colorful and fun they cover the whole pages of the book and where the words are it is a lighter scheme of colors. The pictures look a little bit more cartoonish but they are mostly realistic depictions. The faces of the characters really portray exactly the mood that they're in. 

Alexander, and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst

Illustrator: Ray Cruz 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

Alexander went to bed with gum in his mouth and woke up with it stuck in his hair. He got up and tripped on a skateboard and he could already tell that his day was going to be terrible. He didn't find anything in his breakfast cereal box while his siblings found really cool things in theirs. He thinks about moving to Australia. Everything that he did throughout the day was bad and he could tell that it was going to end up being a very bad day. There was lima beans for dinner and he hates lima beans!It turned out to be a very bad day just like he was expecting. His mom told him that some days are just going to be like that sometime... even in Australia. 

The illustrations are not colored they are black and white realistic drawings. The cover is colored but none of the pictures inside the book are. It shows the expressions of Alexander very well and help set the mood of the book. 

I can use this in the classroom to discuss feelings and how we each can go through bad days. It can also be used to expand vocabulary and can be used to compare and contrast to another book where children actually face hardships that are truly terrible. 

Parts

Author and Illustrator: Tedd Arnold

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

A boy is worried because there are some unusual things happening to him. First his hair is falling out when he combs through his hair and then skin started to peel from his toes. Then something grey and wet is falling from his nose. Perhaps it is his brain he thinks! Something came out of his belly button and he thinks that it is his stuffing coming out. A tooth is coming loose as well. He finds his dads masking tape and tapes himself together in hopes to keep everything together. His parents come home and see him all wrapped up in masking tape and begin to explain to him that all these things happening to him are normal. In the end it leaves the readers with a question as the little boy asks what this yellow stuff is from his ear. 

The illustrations are very funny looking characters with no necks and big heads. They give the book a very creepy vibe that its supposed to bring with all these things that are happening to the young boy. The color scheme is very vibrant and fun and give the illustrations life. 

I could use this in the classroom to entertain the readers as well as talk about a time where something like this happened to them and what they thought. It can be used in a health lesson. 

No, David! 

Author and Illustrator: David Shannon 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

Awards: Caldecott Medal

David's mom always said No, David! This book is a collection of illustrations that show David doing a lot of different mischievous things and his mother saying No, David! As he goes through all of the mischievous things such as playing baseball in the house, reaching for cookies, and other things, the ending eventually has his mom comforting David and saying Yes! I love you.

The illustrations take up the whole page. They are very colorful and vibrant and really portray the mischievous acts that David commits. Without these types of illustrations the story would not make sense at all. 

I could use this in the classroom to talk about classroom rules and what is appropriate to do vs what is not. We can talk about how David feels when his mother says no all the time and how important it is to include that his mother loves him at the end.