A big guy took my ball!

Willems, M. (2013). A big guy took my ball! NY: Hyperion.

A little pig had a problem because a big guy came and took the call he had found. As the little pig told his elephant friend about it, they decided to get the ball back. The whale who had the call came to play with them and they all had a lot of fun together.

Willems' characters allow the story to be humorous. The little guys are upset at first but them they compromise with the big guy and end up with a new friend. This book can teach young children the beauty of sharing and working together to solve a problem.

The three pigs

Weisner, D. (2001). The three pigs. NY: Clarion.

The three pigs had to fight off the big bad wolf by traveling through story land where they meet several characters like the dish and the spoon, even a golden dragon. After traveling through several stories, all the characters return home and live happily ever after.

Weisner's style is unique because the setting of the story changes as the plot unfolds. Characters from other stories travel with their new friends to new stories to resolve their conflict. This style would help young readers establish ideas to help them resolve conflicts in their own life. This story can help to focus on problem and solution skill. This book received the Caldecott Medal.

Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. NY: Houghton

Tony Sarg was a very talented man who created marionettes. R.H. Macy's department store decided to display Sarg's work in a window of their store. People loved his work so much he began making the puppets used in the parade. The first parade was in Thanksgiving Day in 1928 and still takes place annually.

Sweet's design is very appealing especially to a young audience. The images jump off the pages allowing the reader to appreciate the illustrations. This book can help to introduce the history behind having a Thanksgiving parade in New York. This book received the Golden Kite Award for picture book and here is the link to the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlTmh1cNuVs

It's a book

Smith, L. (2011). It's a book. NY: Roaring Brook.

The monkey showed his friend the jackass a book. The jackass questioned the monkey numerous times about whether or not the book had computer capabilities. The monkey re-confirmed to the jackass that it was simply a book.

Smith presents the characters in a way that young children can relate to when it comes to how dependent society has become on technology. It has gotten to the point that we are overrun with technology and children are consumed with computers, tablets, and cellphones instead  of spending their time reading a book. This story can be presented to young children to help them understand the importance of reading books. Here is the link to the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU

Mirror, mirror

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror, mirror.  NY: Dutton.

This book is a book of reversible verses that presents both the good and bad side of a story. Using familiar tales like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Beauty and the Beast the reader is able to see both the positive and negative aspects of the story.

Singer's style is unique because she incorporates the good with the bad and present it to the reader on one page side by side. This helps young readers understand that there can be two sides to a story should challenging their mind in a fun way. This book can be introduced to younger aged children to demonstrate good and bad character traits.

Where the wild things are

Sendak, M. (1963). Where the wild things are. NY: HaperCollins.

Max's adventure begins after he is sent to bed with no supper. He ventures to the land of the wild things, where he is made the King. This made Max sad and lonely so he returned home where he found his warm supper waiting for him.

Sendak's illustrations allow the reader to travel with Max on his journey to where the wild things are. The illustrations give the reader an opportunity to become familiar with Max and the wild things even though no text is present on the page. This can help young or struggling readers with the elements of the story by allowing them to predict what is best based on the illustrations. This book received the Caldecott Medal and here is the link to the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIK9cRWCEvY

The invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The invention of Hugo Cabret. NY: Scholastic.

Hugo Cabret was forced to live with his uncle a timekeeper after his father suddenly dies. Hugo's father leaves behind an automaton which connects him to a famous long forgotten filmmaker. Together they repair the automaton and the famous filmmaker Georges Mêlées adopts Hugo.

 Selznick's style of presenting text and illustrations to convey the story allows the reader to understand the life of Hugo Cabret. The illustrations help to explain the things Hugo must go through to survive on his own in the train station. This novel is great for young readers who are beginning to read chapter books because the pages are not filled with text. The combination of text and illustrations will help captivate young readers attention. This book received the Caldecott Medal and here is the link to the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYiumrSxAg8