The Ugly Duckling

Author: Hans Christian Andersen

Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Genre: Traditional Literature

Grade Level: K-3

This book is a new adaption to the traditional story of the ugly duckling. It is a survival story of an awkward and ugly little bird who travels through life being made fun of, hunted, and cruel seasons. He was born and everyone in the farm had started to pick on him. Eventually he had enough and ran away. He roamed far and wide and was never accepted anywhere. He become more and more unhappy and lonely as time went on. He eventually blooms into a beautiful and graceful swan and everyone who had not believed in him or made fun of him were in shock. 

This book is a good book to teach children about patience. It is also a good anti-bullying book. It puts into perspective how being mean to someone over something they can't control can drive them away and make them be sad. 

The illustrations are beautiful watercolor pictures. They are colorful and elegant and give the book a traditional yet modern vibe. 

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall

Author: Folami Abiade 

Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe

Genre: Poetry

Grade level: 2-5

Award: Coretta Scott King

This is a collection of poems honoring fathers. Different writers write poems about how they felt about their own fathers. Some recalled memories of their father's rough hands from how hard he had worked and some recalled playful games they would play with their father. Each poem reflects found memories of different fathers.

This book is good to use to teach about the role of a father. It can be used as a journal prompt where students can recall memories with their families. 

The illustrations are very interesting. They are collage styled pictures and are different pieces of fabrics cut and pasted as well as other material things. They go well with the different meanings of the poems 

The Blacker the Berry

Author: Joyce Carol Thomas

Illustrator: Floyd Cooper

Genre: Poetry

Grade level: 2-5

Award: Coretta Scott King illustration award and author 

This book is a collection of poems that celebrate a wide variety of skin colors. Each poem shows a different berry and skin color. It helps children appreciate the beauty of different skin colors. It is all conveyed through the eyes of a child. 

This book can be used as a journal response prompt where students must appreciate themselves and their own skin. It can be used during the poetry unit as well.

The pictures capture the happiness of the child and are very light and beautiful. They go along with the poem well and really demonstrate exactly what the lesson the poem is trying to get across. 

A Full Moon is Rising

Author: Marilyn Singer

Illustrator: Julia Cairns

Genre: Poetry

Grade level: 2-5

These poems celebrate the magic of a full moon and how people experience it all over the world. There are poems set in many different settings such as the city and the country. There are poems from Africa all the way to Columbia. Different religions and traditions were included in the book with different festivals involving the moon. The end poems and pages include a map and has all the locations traveled throughout the different poems. In the back of the book there is an explanation of each countries culture

This book can be used to talk about different cultures. It also can be used to talk about different religious practices or different celebrations in different parts of the world. It also can be used to talk about traditions and what they are. 

The illustrations are very colorful and detailed to show different cultures very well. The color scheme is mostly warm colors that are darker to represent the night time and the moon. 

A Poke in the I

Author: Paul B. Janeczko

Illustrator: Chris Raschka

Genre: Poetry

Grade level: 2-6

This is a collection of concrete poems by an array of different authors. Some of the poems are just one word but the design and the arrangement of the words make it interesting and beautiful. The poems are arranged by subject. The poems that are about similar things are placed next to each other in the book. 

This book can be used in the classroom during the poetry unit. It can also be used in art class because of the very interesting illustrations in the book. I can use it to do a combined art and poetry lesson and project in the classroom.

The illustrations are a combination of ink, watercolors, and collage work. They are very interesting designs are are very abstract. They coincide with the poems. Without the illustrations the poems would not be complete. 

Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons

Author/ Illustrator: Jon J Muth 

Genre: Poetry

Grade level: K-3

This book is about a Panda and some children that live through a year with four seasons. Each page is a haiku. It is an alphabet book and ends with the last season. 

This book can be used to teach about seasons as well as types of poetry like a haiku. 

The illustrations are cute and colorful and fun. They portray how fun and silly the panda is and help illustrate the different seasons. 

Now We Are Six

Author: A. A Milne

Illustrator: E.H Shepard

Genre: Poetry

Grade Level: K-3

This is a book of 35 children verses. This book is original Winnie-the-pooh and quote a few of the poems in this book are of them. There is also a lot of nonsense poems about kings and emperors. There are poems about the Knight Whose Armer Didn't Squeak, Alexander the Beetle, and much more. 

This book can be introduced in the poetry unit. It is very imaginative and well written. It is not an ordinary book of poem and it included Pooh walking through the poems as if he is walking through the story making appearances in some of the poems. It can be a model for children to expand their imagination.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. They are sketches that really help bring the story to life and really make the book seem as if the book is not just a collection of poems, but an actual story.