Planes

The sky is not the limit. Stickland pairs bright illustrations with short descriptions of various planes.  Emergent and early readers alike will appreciate this areo installment of the By Air, Sea and Land series.

Wonders of the Pond

This text would be coupled well with a picnic or mere outing to an actual pond. Leigh Grant's  beautiful brush strokes breath life into any general science unit.

Garage Sale 2.0 #5: All About Time

Neil Postman, in his 1980s classic, comments that educators rarely address the "philosophy of clocks" or the concept of "moment-to-moment." Time is a broad concept with diverse cultural manifestations. The current Western paradigm is a departure from centuries of human practice.  Is the job well done when little Chris can accurately read the face of a clock? This book suggests as much, though I'm inclined to think that "telling time" is just an intro to the lesson.

Garage Sale 2.0 #4: Practice Power Workbook

"A-B-C-D-E-F-G"...this time in lowercase!

The Hidden Alphabet

Who knew that ABCs could be such fun? Each page of Laura Vaccaro Seeger's text is a visual adventure. I may have enjoyed this delightful sensory experience more than my kindergarteners!

On each page, there is a top layer with a shape cut out to reveal an image associated with a word beginning with the specific letter (i.e. arrowhead for a). 

The reader lifts up the flap to reveal the entire letter, of which the first image is just one part. Seeger did the creative illustrations herself. Props. Here's a link to the flash version of the whole book. It's hard to explain, but  understand how tantalizing it is when you see it.  

Barney Bear's Pizza Shop

Making pizza is hard work. Not all of us are cut out to be great dough-masters, as Angelo discovers in this tantalizing picture book. Good helpers stick with it, and good bosses help their workers reach their full potential. Chef Barney realizes that Angelo would be a better fit outside the kitchen. 

 Instead of firing Angelo for failing to be just like him, Barney capitalizes on Angelo's strengths and places him in a front of the restaurant service position. The shop does mad business while both Angelo and Barney excel in their complementary roles.

The Brand New Kid

Lazlo speaks English with an accent. He's new to school, and no one wants to get to know him. As the other students tease and reject him, Lazlo struggles to adjust to second grade in a new country. Loneliness is his only friend until Ellie McSnelly decides to reaches out to the brand new kid. Katie Couric's simple friendship narrative poignantly captures the difficulties English language learners (ELLs) face in the public school system. The lively illustrations by Marjorie Priceman vivdly portray elementary school life. This book is a wonderful spring board for lessons on friendship, school routines, and the value of ethnic diversity.

• Age Range: 3 to 8 Reading Level from Lexile: AD570L