75. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Bibliographic Citation:
Diesen, Deborah. The Pout-Pout Fish. Illustrated by Dan Hanna. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. ISBN 978-0374360962. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
Time Magazine's Top 10 Childrens’ Books of 2008

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
The Pout-Pout Fish moves around the ocean with a pout on his face, and thinks it's his job to be dreary, until he learns a new lesson about the pout on his face.

Personal Reaction:
This book reveals that sometimes the things that might not seem so great about ourselves can turn out to give a lot of joy to others. The fish in this story was born with a pout, and so he thinks that it is his job to "spread the dreary wearies" all around the ocean. He meets other animals in the ocean as he swims along and they each try to cheer him up. It's not until he meets a fish who kisses him at the end of the book that he realizes that his pout can actually spread love and joy if he uses it for sharing love. 

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Grumpiness, self-acceptance, change of attitude, ocean life, love

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to participate in the telling of the story through the rhyming text and the repeated refrain, "blub, blub, blub".


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is addressed through rhyming, rhythmic text and alliteration.


Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a small, simple font in the empty space in the illustrations.



Print Motivation: 
This is a fun story that children will enjoy hearing and participating in through the rhymes and sound effects that are a part of the text. The illustrations are cartoon-like, and invite children to enjoy the pictures as the story is read, or enjoy them on their own.


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book is centered around different types of creations found in the ocean, as well as the moods of the Pout-Pout Fish.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://deborahdiesen.com/
Illustrator website: http://www.bluebellylizard.com/index.html

74. Stars by Mary Lyn Ray

Bibliographic Citation:
Ray, Mary Lyn. Stars. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2011. 40 p. ISBN 978-1442422490.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
Starred Review, School Library Journal
Starred Review, Booklist

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This book encourages children to observe the stars in the night sky.

Personal Reaction:
Beautiful illustrations inspire children to notice the beauty of the stars in the night. The text also encourages children to create their own stars to keep in their pockets to help them remember that they are special. 

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Nighttime, stars, observation, self-esteem

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are modeled through simple lines of text. Children are encouraged to participate in answering questions posed throughout the text.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.


Print Awareness:
The text appears in a small, simple font against a white background, which draws attention to the words printed on the page.


Print Motivation: 
This book, with its beautiful illustrations of stars in the night's sky and simple text encourages children to observe the details of stars in the night sky, as well as to connect their observations to the story. 


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary of the story focuses on the descriptions of stars as they are observed in the sky, as well as physical attributes of real and created star shapes.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Illustrator website: http://www.marlafrazee.com/

60. I Am Small by Emma Dodd

Bibliographic Citation:
Dodd, Emma. I Am Small. New York, NY: Cartwheel Books, 2011. 24 p. ISBN 978-0545353700.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
A baby penguin feels small among the great, big world around him. His size doesn't matter anymore after he is snuggled up with his mom.

Personal Reaction:
This sweet, rhyming story is told from the perspective of a baby penguin who realizes what a small part of the world he is. The baby penguin tries to keep up with other bigger penguins who are sliding and swimming, and then he notices how vast the sky is, and how truly little he is. The baby penguin finds his mother at last, and is okay being small in comparison to the world, as long as he knows that he is the biggest thing to his mother.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 18 months-3 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Self-image, size, the world around us, love, feeling important, positional words

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Children are encourage to participate in the narration of this story through the repetition of the title phrase, "I am small". The illustrations also provide the opportunity for dialogic reading discussion between the reader and children listeners of the story.

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.


Print Awareness:
Print awareness is fostered through descriptive words that are printed in large text on each page. 


Print Motivation: 
Young children will identify with the baby penguin in the story. The use of a cute penguin and silver, metallic accents draw the attention of young children, who will enjoy reading this book with an adult, or looking at the pictures by themselves. 

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book represent descriptive words which portray the concepts of size, position, and emotions.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://emmadoddbooks.blogspot.com/

53. Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Bibliographic Citation:
Willems, Mo. Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. New York, NY: Hyperion Books, 2005. 48 p. ISBN 978-0786852949.

Awards/Selection Lists:
School Library Journal Starred Review
Time Magazine's 10 Best Children's Books, 2005
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book, 2006

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Leonardo is a monster who cannot scare anyone, so he seeks out Sam, a boy who he thinks he can scare.

Personal Reaction:
This story introduces Leonardo, a monster who is not able to scare anyone, so he seeks out a kid that he can scare, and finds Sam. When he scares Sam, the boy bursts into tears, but not because he scared him, but for a variety of "wrongs" that Sam has suffered that day. Leonardo decides to change from a scary monster to a good friend to help Sam.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to children 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Self-esteem, frustration, change in perspective, friendship

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills can be modeled through the reading of this book through dialogic reading. The large text also invites children to become familiar with the text of this book, and encourages involvement in the telling of the story.   

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.

Print Awareness:
Changing, colorful, and lively fonts bring the text of the story into the story in a way that the words almost become characters of the story themselves.

Print Motivation: 
This is a fun story that children will love revisiting and becoming a part of the telling of the story. The surprising turn of events in the story make this a book that children will enjoy.

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book deals with self-esteem, feelings of frustration, changing emotions, and friendship.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://www.mowillems.com/

51. Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

Bibliographic Citation:
Diggs, Taye. Chocolate Me! Illustrated by Shane Evans. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 36 p. ISBN 978-0-312-60326-7. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This book, through the story of a young, African American child, represents differences in race, accepting one's own identity, and accepting others' for who they are.

Personal Reaction:

The combination of the rhyming text with the description of the child's skin color as "chocolate" from his own perspective offers a little levity to a serious issue.  Children who might feel different from other children around them will identify with the main character in this book. The ending of the story demonstrates how our differences can be a positive thing.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Diversity, self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-identity

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to become part of the narration of the story through the repetition of the title throughout the book, as well as through the rhyming text.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is demonstrated in this book through rhyming phrases that are a part of the story.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed on each page in spaces that are open of illustrations. The color of the font is changed on pages where the print may be more difficult to see. The repeated phrase, which is also the title of the book, "Chocolate me" is printed in brown, larger text, drawing attention to the words each time.

Print Motivation: 
The rhythmic, rhyming text of this book make it a fun read. The method of telling the story from the perspective of a young African American child  who feels different from other children in his community provides a realistic view of the way that a young child might feel, and children who identify with this character will enjoy reading this book.  

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary in this book deals with skin color, physical attributes, and self-acceptance. 



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://chocolatemetoo.com/

25. My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Bibliographic Citation: 
Seuss. My Many Colored Days. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996. 40 p. ISBN 978-0679875970. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Different colors are used to describe different emotions that are felt by the narrator of this non-traditional Seuss book.

Personal Reaction:
The text of this Dr. Seuss book lay in wait for a color artist to illustrate it for more than 20 years. While the text of the book rhymes, as do most of Dr. Seuss' books, the subject matter has more of a serious tone, and the rhythm does not follow Seuss' typical style. The soft, chalk-like illustrations each work well to portray the emotions that are personified by each of ten different colors.  

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 3-5 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Colors, emotions, rhyming text

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are encouraged through rhyming text and familiar objects that are included in the illustrations to reinforce color identification. 

Phonological Awareness: 
Letter sounds are highlighted through rhyming words and words that are written to symbolize sounds, such as "Wheeeeeeeeeee" and "WHAM!".

Print Awareness:
Words are written in different font types, sizes, and changing boldness to show how the text should be read to match the different colors and the corresponding emotions.

Print Motivation: 
Attention is drawn to text that changes with each page of colorful illustrations through different fonts and sizes of text. This print method encourages a child's interest in print. 

Vocabulary:
Words portraying different emotions and colors are introduced through rhyming text.

Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.seussville.com/
Illustrators' website: http://www.johnsonandfancher.com/

23. Olivia by Ian Falconer

Bibliographic Citation:
Falconer, Ian. Olivia. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. 40 p. ISBN 978-0689829536.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Caldecott Honor, 2001
Children's Illustrated Winner, 2001
ALA Notable Children's Book, 2001

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Olivia is a precocious pig who knows what she likes, and what she doesn't. Olivia's abundance of energy often gets her into trouble, but her family continues to love her anyway. 

Personal Reaction:
Olivia is a four-year-old pig, who enjoys doing 4-year-old things. Her spunky attitude and love of life bring this story to life. The illustrations all appear in shades of black, white, and red, drawing attention to the most important parts of the page.While Olivia spends much of her story in trouble, the details of her day to day life, and her desire to enjoy life, make it so the reader cannot help but to pull for her, and so that children can't help but love her.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-6 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are modeled through the text of the story, and through dialogic reading (asking children to predict what will happen next, why things happen in the story, etc.)

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a small, simple, black font throughout the book, and is support through the illustrations. 

Print Motivation: 
Olivia is a likable character, which encourages children to want to read this book again and again.

Vocabulary:
New words such as: "prepared" and "bask" are paired with familiar words and phrases. A phrase that appears in this book repeatedly is that Olivia "wears" her mother out. This may be a n unfamiliar phrase for younger children before listening to this story.  



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://www.oliviathepiglet.com/

11. Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Bibliographic Citation:

Martin, Jr., Bill and John Archambault. Here are My Hands. Illustrated by Ted Rand. New York, NY: Henry Holt, 1998. 28p. ISBN 978-0805059113 

Awards/Selection Lists:
IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award

Format Examined:
Board book

Annotation:
Parts of the body and their functions are identified by children of different cultures.

Personal Reaction:
This book is perfect for small hands to hold as they learn to identify the names of parts of the body. The subtle way that diverse cultures are used through the illustrations to show that children are all the same but also different makes this a powerfully simple book.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 12 months-3 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Body parts, skin colors/diversity

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge:
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills:
Children become involved in the reading of this book through naming the body parts in the illustrations.

Phonological Awareness:
The rhyming text of the book almost reads like a poem, emphasizing how words can sound alike. 

Print Awareness:
The text on each page is in black and connects to the illustrations on the page. 

Print Motivation:
This book is a quick read and is fun for children who are learning their body parts. Small children are able to hold in their hands, making this an enjoyable book for very young children.

Vocabulary:
Body parts are named throughout the book, and functions are identified according to each part of the body, providing new words for the very young.

Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.billmartinjr.com/ 
Author website: http://www.johnarchambault.com/ 
No official illustrator site

10. I'm as Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood

Bibliographic Citation:

Wood, Audrey. Quick as a Cricket. Swindol, England: Child's Play (International), 1998. 24p. ISBN 0-85953-664-5

Awards/Selection Lists:

N/A

Format Examined:

Board book

Annotation:

A young boy compares all the things he can do best to different animals in the wild.

Personal Reaction:
The boy in this book shows young children that they have many different qualities that make up who they are. Through describing himself in ways such as "quick as a cricket" and "slow as a snail", as well as "loud as a lion" and "gentle as a lamb", the character in this story also teaches the concept of opposites. The illustrations are vivid and the rhyming text is fun, making children want to join in on the reading of the book.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for children 12 months-4 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Self-esteem, personality, opposites

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge:
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills:
The rhyming text, detailed illustrations, and use of opposite concepts on side by side pages encourages children to get involved in the telling of the story.

Phonological Awareness:
The text emphasizes the sounds of words through rhyming text.

Print Awareness:
Simple, one-line sentences are printed on the bottom of each page, under the illustrations, and blocked off by a white strip. This highlights the printed text, encouraging children to take note of the words that match the illustrations above.

Print Motivation:
This is a happy book that connects to children because it is about them. The text is simple and fun to read together.

Vocabulary:

The text uses rhyming text to teach opposite concept words throughout the book.

Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.audreywood.com/ 
Illustrator website: http://www.audreywood.com/audrey-wood,-don-wood,-and-bruce-wood/childrens-book-illustrator-don-woods-biography