Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis

Kontis, A. (2006). Alpha oops! The day z went first. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First is an nontraditional take on an alphabet book. It tells an adorable tale of the letters at the end of the alphabet being fed up with always being last so they decide to go first! But they aren’t the only letters that want a chance to shine...the letters in the middle decide to go out of turn as well creating an enormous jumble of alphabet goodness! Each letter of the alphabet has its own unique personality and charm, although A and Z take the center stage with their witty competitive banter. The illustrations are bright, bold, and engaging as each letter gets a chance to display their own unique words. This book would be a great way to teach letter identification in younger readers because the alphabet is NOT in order requiring students to truly know the letter rather than simply repeating the alphabet song in their heads. In higher grades, you could use this book to build vocabulary which could be used in a Writer’s Workshop or to create a word wall. A teacher could even use this book as an alphabet book model for students to create their own individual alphabet book. For instance, students could create an alphabet book about topics in science as a way to review previously taught topics. I really enjoyed this book. It is very cleverly written and beautifully illustrated! I cannot wait to read it with my own son and students!

(Photo from aletheakontis.com)

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Walsh, E.S. (1991). Mouse count. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.


Mouse Count is a counting book the tells the tale of a hungry snake that is eagerly collecting mice to eat. The sneaky mice trick the snake and find a way to escape their imminent demise! The mice are the main characters and I think they appeal to younger readers because they are cute and clever. The illustrations are uncomplicated and the vocabulary is straightforward which is well suited for young readers. The different colored mice allow for easy differentiation as the snake counts them. In the classroom, this book could be used to practice counting skills independently or in a small group. Students could point to each mouse as they count to promote the word to number (one to one) relationship. Further, as the mice escape the author counts backwards which would be a great skill for younger students to practice or even read chorally. This book was short and simple but relatively enjoyable overall.

(Photo from www.scholastic.com)

Ball by Mary Sullivan

Sullivan, M. (2013). Ball. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


Ball is the story of a ball-obsessed dog that very energetically tries to get others to play with him while his owner is away at school. The personality of the dog really shines through even though there are no words other than ball. He seems like a fun, good-natured, and excitable pet! The only word used in the book is the word ball which would make this book very easy for beginning readers to read. A teacher could use this book to focus on the story by “reading” the pictures which would be ideal for new readers or English Language Learners. Even though this book won the Geisel Award for beginning readers, the book could easily be used in grades 2-4 for inferencing. Students could use the pictures to infer character traits and feelings and future events. Even though this book is rather simplistic given the one word repetition throughout I think it would be enjoyable for young students. The illustrations are expressive and engaging. Overall, I liked Ball although it probably would not be on the list of my favorite picture books.

(Photo from www.amazon.com)

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

Pizzoli, G. (2013). The watermelon seed. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books.


The Watermelon Seed is a fun, easy to read picture book about a crocodile that accidentally swallowed a watermelon seed. He fears the seed will grow into a whole watermelon inside his stomach until he’s able to get the seed back out. The main character, the crocodile, is simplistically drawn and his emotions are exaggerated by his facial expressions which children would love. He is child-like which would attract young readers. The main colors of the book are pink, green, and black to reflect the look of a watermelon. I especially enjoyed the cover of the book and the inside end papers as they mimicked the outside and inside of an actual watermelon. This book would be a great read aloud for younger readers because the author uses bold, exciting words. This book also lends itself to shared reading because students could read the words along with the teacher to practice sight words and expression. I can see why this book won the Geisel Award for beginning readers because the story is straight forward and vocabulary is perfect for emergent readers. I enjoyed reading The Watermelon Seed for it’s cute story and simple, but interesting illustrations. On a side note, my 4 year old son absolutely LOVED this book! He laughed along as I read and even worried about swallowing a seed the very next day as we were eating watermelon! 

(Photo from www.gregpizzoli.com)

Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman

Sidman, J. (2009). Red sings from the treetops: A year in colors. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin       
          Harcourt Publishing Company. 

Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors is a poem that vividly describes the wonderful colors of every season of the year. The author begins with Spring detailing the all the ways red, green, yellow, and white are seen in nature during that season. She then follows with the colors of Summer, Fall, and Winter in equally beautiful and imaginative detail. The imagery created through the text is exhilarating and almost tangible. The paintings are masterfully aligned with the text throughout the book. Since this is a poem about nature, there are no real characters although perhaps the seasons could be interpreted as "characters". Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors would be a great way to introduce poetry to upper level elementary students because it does not rhyme which many students associate with poetry allowing students to see poetry in a different light. In the classroom, a teacher could use this book as a hook for a lesson on writing poetry and using imagery and descriptive words. Additionally, students could use this poem for a descriptive word scavenger hunt. Though I am not generally a fan of poetry, I appreciated this colorful poem for its imagery and unique illustrations.

(Photo from www.joycesidman.com)

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

Lehman, B. (2004). The red book. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.


The Red Book is a wordless picture book about two children from very different parts of the world reading a magical red book about one another. Soon one of the children is whisked away by a bushel of balloons only to discover that she is being carried off to meet her new friend that she read about in her read book! As she floats higher and higher her red book tumbles back to the Earth. Not to worry, though, soon the book finds a new home in the hands of another young adventurer. The young girl's adventurous and curious nature will attract young readers. The Red Book is a Caldecott Honor Award Winner for its simply drawn illustrations. This book would be a great tool to use for writing in the classroom as it provides a storyboard for students. They could write the story using the storyboard pictures adding in their own imagination and descriptive words. Also, this story would lend itself well to inferring as students could infer story elements such as setting, problem, and conclusion. I did not particularly love this book, even though I did like the message of whimsy and adventure.

(Photo from http://www.barbaralehmanbooks.com/)