Nelson, J. (2014) I'll give you the sun. Dial Books: New York.

2015 Michael L. Printz Award Winner

This story is told in two voices.  The voices are Jude and Noah twins and sister and a brother. In the beginning they are 13 and very close.  Then the story goes foward three years and they are dealing with losing their Mother and an absent Dad.  They are no longer close and both have changed in so many ways.  Noah no longer does art and Jude got accepted into CSA.  Jude starts working with an artist as her mentor Guillermo and meets Oscar.  They always used to argue over who had the trees, sky and the sun.  In the end the truth comes out and everyone finds a happiness of sorts.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd8H5Syg-yI&feature=player_embedded

Kang, A. (2014). You are (not) small. Two Lions: New York.

2015 Theodore Suess Geisel Award Winner

Two creatures meet, one says you are small.  The other replies you are big and so they begin to argue.  Then two more creatures show up one smaller and one bigger.  They then walk off together to get something to eat.  This book is great to teach kids about perspective.  Cute simple pictures that help to guide the reader through the story.

Could also use it to teach opposites (antonyms) and size.  After reading have students brainstorm a list of words from the book.  Then have them come up with opposite (antonyms) for the words.

1st Grade TEKS

6)  Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(D)  identify and sort words into conceptual categories (e.g., opposites, living things); and

2nd Grade TEKS

(5)  Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(C)  identify and use common words that are opposite (antonyms) or similar (synonyms) in meaning; and

Willems, M. (2014) Waiting is not easy!. Hyperion Books for Children: New York.

2015 Theodore Suess Geisel Honor Book

Piggie has a surprise for Gerald but he has to wait and wait and wait.  It's not easy to wait.  Then finally the wait is over and it was worth it.  I laughed out loud with Gerald's antics while waiting and poor Piggie.  Funny read with simple engaging pictures.

If you liked this book then you would want to check out other Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems.  They all teach a lesson and are fun and enjoyable read alouds.

Foley, J. (2014) The carnival at Bray. Elephant Rock Books: New York.

2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

This book is about a 16 year old girl named Maggie whose Mother gets married and she and her sister Ronnie have to move from Chicago to Ireland.  The story begins at a old carnival near the water and the weather is dreary.  It takes you through first times, first love, suicide, finding yourself and being true to who you are.  I really enjoyed that book since it was based in the 1990's during the height of the grunge rock with Nirvana playing an important role in her life and the connection it made with her Uncle Kevin.  It took me back to my youth and I could really relate to Maggie and it could be good to show teens that social media has really changed how we connect and interact with each other.  

This is a great link to explain the book and how she came up with the inspiration to write it.

Jessie Ann Foley talks about her book, The Carnival at Bray

Morales, Y. (2014) Viva Frida. Roaring Books Press: New York.

2015 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award

This books has beautiful eye catching vibrant colors that show Frida exploring the world around her, looking at things, helping animals, and dreaming.  In the end she paints a picture of herself with the animals that she comes across while exploring .  The book has English and Spanish words on the pages.

Video book review


Video to show the art used to create the book. Fascinating!

Rylant, C. (2014) Mr. Putter & Tabby turn the page. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company: New York.

2015 Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book

This is another fun read with Mr. Putter and Tabby.  They love to read, quiet reading that is.  He goes to the library and signs up for a read aloud with your pet.  He shares the information with his neighbor and then has second thoughts about it.   In the end the read aloud turns out great and Mr. Putter and Tabby have a great time and the kids love it.  This is a great easy to read book with illustrations that help to tell the story.

If you liked this book then you would enjoy reading other books in the this series by Cynthia Rylant.

Bryant, J. (2014) The right word: Roget and his thesaurus. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers: New York.

2015 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner

This is a very interesting look at the life of Peter Mark Roget.  It gives details about his life and how he came to write his thesaurus.  His children actually were the ones that convinced him to share his book.  The illustrations are collages of words with pictures.  

Lesson plan ideas:

Have students create their own personalized thesaurus. Ask students to scan some of their previous writing and keep track of the words they see themselves using repeatedly. Have them write these words in the back of their writer’s notebooks, in a Notes file on their tablets or smartphones, or on a sheet of paper to keep in their writing folders. Then, have students use either a print thesaurus or one of the online versions listed below to compile a list of synonyms they can use in place of their own commonly used words. Have them write these synonyms down alongside those commonly used words, so they have a personalized thesaurus on hand whenever they’re writing.

5th Grade TEKS (b)  Knowledge and skills.

(C)  produce analogies with known antonyms and synonyms;

(E)  use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine the meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate word choices, and parts of speech of words.

Idea taken from http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-right-word-roget-and-his-thesaurus.html

Some more great ideas by the author's website are below.

Lesson Plan ideas for The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus