alessandra_johnson's reviews
33 reviews

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Chris Colderley, Kwame Alexander

hopeful inspiring lighthearted

4.0

Coretta Scott King Book Award winner, Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets (2017) by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth is a collection of poems where they celebrate the people writing them, and display poems of amazing authors over the past years. Assisted with the amazing illustrations that were awarded to Ekua Holmes. This book is good for older elementary school grades, but I would not use it in my classroom except for a free read, I may select a few poems from it to dive into, but I would not use the entire book.

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano

hopeful inspiring lighthearted

4.5

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons
by Julie Fogliano (2016) is a book full of poems for, as it says, all seasons, it follows a journal-type format as it has all different poems for different dates ranging from season to season. This book is full of cute and inspiring poems and I would use it in a classroom to teach poetry and even use it as inspiration for an assignment where students journal in the form of poems.

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted

4.25

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech is a collection of a lot of poems that have the same theme throughout them. In the first three poems alone, the theme is running, the entire poem is about running. zthey are really well written and full of literary devices that would be helpful when teaching about literary devices to any level of elementary school. I would use this book in my classroom for the clever poems and because of the literary devices used.

The Tan Man by Mia Vredenburg

hopeful inspiring lighthearted

4.0

The Tan Man by Mia Vredenburg is a book featuring a poem about how many people are just "tan" but it is our job to show our true colors and be vibrant and colorful even if people around us are not. It is an entertaining book that features many literary devices that could be taught in a classroom using this book. I would say it is for 3rd grade because of the vocabulary included.

Disney's - Sleeping Beauty (Disney Animated Classics) by Lily Murray, The Walt Disney Company

adventurous dark inspiring

4.25

Disney Classics Sleeping Beauty by Lily Murray (2018) is an adaptation of the original fairytale done by the Grimm Brothers that tells a more lighthearted version of the tale of Aurora who is cursed to sleep until her true loves kiss. It is meant for students in early ed to early elementary aged. I personally would not use this book in my classroom because I do not think it fits the age group I would be teaching nor does it give an important lesson to follow. 

Puss in Boots by Jerry Pinkney

adventurous funny lighthearted

4.0

Puss in Boots by Jerry Pinkney (2012) is an entertaining tale about a cat who is given boots to prove that he can be a helpful pet. Meant for early elementary school, it is entertaining for that age group and would be a good choice to use in a classroom due to its message of being helpful and being confident in your abilities.

Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman

3.75

Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman (1983) is a rewrite of the original fairytale by the Grimm Brothers which tells the story of a girl who visits her grandmother in the woods. It is meant for young children, early elementary. Personally I would not use this book in a classroom because it is gruesome and doesn't explicitly share a good message.

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

challenging dark emotional

4.75

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman (2019) is a story written from the view of an 11 year old girl, Viji who runs away from her abusive household with her sister Rukku who has an intellectual disability. The story is fast paced and highly emotional for a childrens book which is unusual. I would say it could be implemented as a challenging read for 4th and 5th graders. I believe I would implement it in my classroom because though it is dark, it has great lessons about courage and people with disabilities.

Twistwood Tales by A.C. Macdonald

adventurous funny mysterious

4.5

Twistwood Tales by A.C. Macdonald (2023) was a mysterious yet hilarious graphic novel that is perfect for 4th and 5th graders who are more reluctant to reading because of it's engaging illustrations done also by A.C. Macdonald, as well as the humor and wit involved throughout the story as Bucket Boy and his friends journey through magical woods and meet the mysterious and magical creatures inside. I would have this book in my classroom for free-read options. 

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious

5.0

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Slayer (2023) is about the discovery and meaning of cave art and what they mean. With underlying themes of immigration and the intake of people discovering the ancient cave art to better their understanding of what happened and where they are. This book is very creative and the illustrations done by Hannah Slayer as well are incredible and really add to the book. I would definitely use this book in a classroom setting, I think it could fit grades 3-5 really well, especially with all the different aspects of it. It is very informative and historical but fasinating.