Dust Devil

Written by: Anne Isaacs   Illustrated by: Paul O. Zelinsky 

Dust Devil is actually the sequel to Anne Isaacs first Caldecott Honor book, Swamp Angel. Dust Devil continues the story of Angel who ventures on to find a place where she fits in. When she ends up in Montana she finds a new sidekick horse, Dust Devil. In this story these two new partners are on a mission to stop Backward Bart, the outlaw terrorizing their prairie. Are they enough to stop Bart? You must read to find out! As you do pay close attention to the detail in the images. Below there is an example of one of the pages in the story. The illustrations go much beyond the focus of the picture. This can be used in younger grades to have them use the images to tell the story!

Awarded: New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year 

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Winner 

The Dust Devil Teaching Activities website (link below), presents many ways teachers can utilize this story in grades 2-7. 

http://anneisaacs.com/content/dust-devil-teaching-activities

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

Written by: Tomie DePaola 

This is a tale of the way that the hills and meadows in the west acquired their beautiful colors. Years ago when the People were traveling throughout the land, an Indian boy had a vision. In this vision he was told that one day he would create a painting that was as pure as the colors of the evening sky at sunset. As the boy grew older he became the painter for his tribe and enjoyed using the brightest flowers and berries in order to capture the beauty of the sunset. Tomie DePoala tells the story of the way he finally is able to capture these colors in a rich and beautiful tale. 

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella

Written by: Robert D. San Souci    Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney 

If you are looking for a multi-cultural story and you love the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, you will love Cendrillon! Cendrillon is a Caribbean version of the classic tale told from the perspective of the fairy Godmother. It can be used in the classroom as a way to take the perspective of different characters between similar books. It also includes French Creole words and phrases along with a pronunciation guide at the back of the book.

Teachers can use stories like this in a lesson on compare and contrast. They can help students sort through what is similar and what is different between two alike books.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Written by: Jon Scieszka     Illustrated by: Lane Smith 

        This is perhaps the funniest children's book I have ever read. The humor begins on the first page with an upside-down dedication page and the caption "I know. I know. This page is upside-down. I meant to do that. Who ever looks at all that dedication stuff anyhow? If you really want to read it-you could stand on your head." Fortunately for all those who enjoy a funny book, the jokes do not end here. The story is a compilation of fairy tales that are rewritten with a twist! Below is an example of the ending to, The Really Ugly Duckling. One of the many rewritten stories in the book.

This exciting book is fun for not only children ages K-3, but is also fun for adults. It is a Caldecott Award Winner, and will not take any reader long to see why!

A Children's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Compiled and Illustrated by: Linda Bleck 

There is an innumerable amount of books that compile classic children's nursery rhymes. With this being known, how does one find the best for his or her child or for the classroom? There are a couple different factors one might be attentive to during this decision process such as the illustrations and the age appropriate rhymes chosen in the book. This story by Linda Bleck stood out to me for both of these reasons! The pictures are beautiful and unique. She also incorporates classic nursery rhymes including Hey Diddle Diddle, Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Beep, and Little Miss Muffet. Although this book has not won any awards, I do believe it should be recognized as a remarkable accumulation of nursery rhymes. 

These nursery rhymes are typically appropriate for children ages 0-2 years old. However, this story could be used in preschool, kindergarten, maybe even first grade to settle students down!