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The Great Poets: William Ernest Henley 23 August 1849 - July 11 1903 is a poet,literary critic and British publisher. In 1875,he wrote from his hospital bed in the famous poem Invictus whose Latin title means invincible.He himself said that he wrote this poem as a show of resistance to pain after his foot amputation. When writing this text,William Henley was twenty-five years.He survives his surgery and live with one foot until the age of fifty-three.This poem is published for the first time in 1888 in a collection of Henley,in a series of four articles about life and death. - See more at: http://classicalnovels.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-great-poets-invictus-william-ernest.html

The Great Poets: William Ernest Henley 23 August 1849 - July 11 1903 is a poet,literary critic and British publisher. In 1875,he wrote from his hospital bed in the famous poem Invictus whose Latin title means invincible.He himself said that he wrote this poem as a show of resistance to pain after his foot amputation. When writing this text,William Henley was twenty-five years.He survives his surgery and live with one foot until the age of fifty-three.This poem is published for the first time in 1888 in a collection of Henley,in a series of four articles about life and death. - See more at: http://classicalnovels.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-great-poets-invictus-william-ernest.html

This is a great book that vividly illustrates a child's adventure to the laundromat.  While at the laundromat, Trixie leaves her beloved Knuffle Bunny in the washer, but is unable to communicate this to her dad and so the story continues.  What is great about this book is that it turns a simple task into the greatest adventure for this little child and the humor is immense  through the dialoge.  The illustrations are also really great because the backgrounds are photographs with cartoons in the fore ground which add a unique idea to the book.  This a great book that could be used to help children with the concept of dialogue and creating their own stories with dialogue.

Poems to Dream Together by Francisco Alarcon is a great poetry book. This book is a collection of poems. The poems are in Spanish and English. The poems have subjects like: childhood, teacher experiences, and ones about the future. They are very short and have lots of meaning that will effect the children positively. This book has a wide range of topics and many can read it due to the number of languages in it. This is a great poetry book for children ages seven to nine. A great picture book to visualize the meaning of the poems. This book can be found in Penn State libraries.

This is a great book about a young girl who lives on a farm with her family, but is blind.  Each child has a chore that they attend to on a daily basis, but on her day off she goes off to be with her horse.  The author doesn't say that Mandy is blind, but gives hints that she has a disability.  I like this book because with her disability not mentioned, the reader can form a relationship with the character without any judgement.  It teaches children a really great lesson about not judging people and that all people are the same with or without a disability.  The pictures are great and the author's use of the different senses gives a real insight to what Mandy's life is like.  This book could be used for a lesson on the five senses or giving children insight to different disabilities.

This is a great story. The illustrations are great. This tells of Harriet Tubman as a child preparing to run away. She gets into trouble and is punished be being a field slave instead of a house slave. Then she gets whipped as another punishment. She decides to run away. Her father tells her things she needs to know before running away. She doesn't run away by the end but she is prepared to. It is a great story to tell of her struggle.

A beloved classic of children's literature, The Secret Garden, tells an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment. Mary Lennox, a sickly and contrary little girl, is orphaned to dim prospects in a gloomy English manor - her only friend is a bed-ridden boy named Colin whose prospects may be dimmer than hers. But when Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach. This stories strength is that it givs great confidence to chidren with dissabilities and is a great portrayal of what a child with a special need goes through. From a teachers point of view, I think it would be a great choice of a chapter book to read because it can teach children a good deal of information. This book is available at Barnes&Noble. Enjoy (;

A great portrayal of a mouse child learning to grow up and leave his childhood friend, his blankey. His mother helps him grow up and make his blankey into a big boy hankey! This book portrays a great picture of how and what it takes for children to grown up. This is one of the books strengths. From a teachers viewpoint I think this would be great to read with little children because they can relate to having to deal with something like growing apart from your childhood friend such as a blankey. I do have this book, it is my own, so if you would like to check it out, you can get it from me, Enjoy (;

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe is a great book for illustrations. Mufaro has two daughters that are really beautiful. One daughter, Nyasha, is kind, nice, and caring towards others. Manyard is a spoiled brat. The king has to choose one of the daughters to get married to her. Both daughters travel to a city in Africa. However, the king chooses Nyasha to marry him. The illustrations in the book are wonderful. Looks like a painter drew them by hand by the well drawn pictures. This is a great book for children illustrations. Also, this is a picture book with wonderful pictures. This book can be found in Penn State libraries.

Being Friends by Karen Beaumont is a great book about friends. Two girls talk about being friends. There are things that they both disagree on, yet there are many things that they do like. For example, one likes jeans and the other likes gowns. However, they are still friends. Moral is that friends are different individually, and that they can still be friends. The book is great for children having a hard time making friends. This book can be found in Penn State libraries.

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss is a great book. The book describes various colors. Then for each color in the book, it tells how the child feels on those days. Towards the end, it states that there days that are all mixed up. During these days, they do not know who they are. And they end, by turning back into themselves. Also, everyone has many emotions that they experience. This book is great for children ages 5-8. This book can be found in the Penn State libraries.

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann is a great book. It was a rainy day and there was nothing to do. The girl's mom suggested to make cupcakes. So they did. The girl ate lots of cupcakes. When she woke up the next morning, she was pink. She loved being pink. Then her mom took her to the doctors and said that she had pinkititis. She was not allowed to eat anything pink. She turned red by eating one more cupcake. She ate something green and turned back to normal. Then her brother ate a pink cupcake and he turned pink. This is a great book for laughter in the classroom. This book can be found in the Penn State libraries.

Is a Worry Worrying You? is about worrying. This book gives examples as to what worries are and how you can get rid of them. It tells the readers exactly what a worry is. The book talks about worries as being invisible and unable to find. This book deals with a very serious issue; however, the book is actually presented in a humorous way. Is a Worry Worrying You? would be a great book to read in a classroom because a lot of kids are constantly worried about something or another (especially the things mentioned in the book). Remember, as the book says, just don't worry! This book is available through the Penn State Libraries.

I am pleased to present the Jason Baker Award for children's books portraying children effectively dealing with emotions and feelings to Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz for Is A Worry Worrying You? My Name is Carli Van Scyoc and I am currently a student a Penn State University. As part of the language and literacy curriculum for the elementary education program, we had an assignment to create an award for a category that was important.  Then we were to choose a book from various student nominations that best fits our award description.  I am very happy to say that this book was perfect.  I am interested in  pursuing a career in counceling  so I used this oppurtunity to read many books that taught children how to deal with their unfamiliar emotions and understand that it is completely normal.  I absolutely love this book and would offer it to any child who finds themselves in a similar situation.  Thank you for writting just a great book.

Giraffes Can't Dance is a book about a giraffe named Gerald who has a hard time dancing. Gerald knows that he is bad at dancing, but he gives it a try anyways. When he does try dancing, everyone laughs at him and tells him that giraffes can't dance. Gerald is almost to the point of giving up, but then he hears some encouraging words from a cricket. After listening to the cricket and thinking about what he says, Gerald turns into a really great dancer! One thing I really like about this book is the very colorful and vibrant illustrations. Also, there are rhyming phrases throughout the entire book. Giraffes Can't Dance would be a great book to read in a classroom; it teaches you to always believe in yourself and what you want to do. This book is available through the Penn State libraries.

"My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks" is an extraordinary book full of color and smiles. It starts off with a child who draws a simple picture of her family. But she is not satisfied. She goes further into detail about her family and their characteristics, illustrating them with everything from lightbulbs, dirty socks, whistles and springs. This book has many strengths. It is extremely creative and definitely a book that would inspire children to think outside the box. It engages in the idea of using great detail utilizing the basic senses in a peice of writing. Finally, it is a book that will intrigue children, and keep their interest throughout all of the book's pages. "My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks" is a great book to inspired children to use their imagination and to turn away from the conventional writing and thinking. It encourages students to think independantly and to be their unique selves.

"Rolling Along" is a story about a young boy named Taylor who was born with cerebral palsy, causing him to have trouble walking. Taylor is a bright optimistic boy. In this story we follow him through his daily schedule and experience the excitement of his first wheelchair. This book promotes the importance for accomodations in public places for people who use wheelchairs, shows that being disabled is not a downfall in life, and that anything is possible with a little love, understanding, and compassion. "Rolling Along" is a great educational book for young readers. Most children have never had much experience with people who are "different" from the everyday child, and a book like this would help them understand and accept those who may have a disability.

"Rolling Along" is a story about a young boy named Taylor who was born with cerebral palsy, causing him to have trouble walking. Taylor is a bright optimistic boy. In this story we follow him through his daily schedule and experience the excitement of his first wheelchair. This book promotes the importance for accomodations in public places for people who use wheelchairs, shows that being disabled is not a downfall in life, and that anything is possible with a little love, understanding, and compassion. "Rolling Along" is a great educational book for young readers. Most children have never had much experience with people who are "different" from the everyday child, and a book like this would help them understand and accept those who may have a disability.

Top 10 Physically Challenged Athletes was written by Jeff Savage. The book is a wonderful piece of literature that would be great in any classroom. The book goes behind the scenes and looks into the lives of 10 athletes that are at the top of their game. The book is a great piece to show students that anything is possible and disabilities can be over come.

My Brother Matthew, by Mary Thompson, is a great book about a young boy, David, and his autistic brother, Matthew.  Matthew was born with autism and at first David is very upset by all the extra attention Matthew gets. Eventually, David loves playing with Matthew, he makes him laugh and they go on great adventures together.  David is even sometimes an interpreter for his parents because Matthew's speech is often hard to decifer. David and Matthew have a wonderfull relationship and is an inspiration to children with disabilities. This book is all around perfect, it explores the what its like to have an autistic sibling in an understanding and compassionate manner.  (the author is from State College)

I think you have read this one. It is such a great book. I love that it has the Spanish version and well and English. It gives a great insight into the boy's life.

Hi Carrie -- Could you expand on this comment? It should include a brief summary, three strengths or weaknesses, and a teacher response. Thank you -- Kirstin

This book is a picture book for children about dealing with the absence of a father whether it's due to a death, not knowing, or absent fathers. The story is about a boy who gets picked on about not having a father and the mother explains the many reasons why a dad might not be present. The book also includes a section for teenage parents that consists of quotes, ideas, and how other single-parents dealt with this situation. This book would be a good book to send home to a single-parent family to help the child understand their family situation.

Dear Ms. Lindsay,             My name is Tania Lewis, and I am an Elementary Education major at Penn State- Altoona in Pennsylvania, and I am writing to you today to inform you that you have won the Aiden Jacob Lewis Award for excellence in Children's Literature about children who grow up in a single parent home for your story, "Do I Have a Daddy?" The criteria for this award is that the book should display excellence in the fact that it helps children understand that growing up in a single parent home isn't always as been as it may sometimes seem, and that they are not alone and are not the only child who lives in homes just like they do.This award was created in my LLED 402 class. This class is solely based on analyzing, reading, and working with all types of children's literature. Every student in the class was asked to create an award about something that means a lot to them and also name it after someone special. This award that I created is named after my three month old son, Aiden, and the reason for the category is because I am a single mother and I worry sometimes about questions my son will ask me when he gets older, so I thought if I had books to help him understand, that it wouldn't be as hard. Each student, after creating an award, had to nominate books for their classmate's awards. Once done, we got to pick the winning book, and had an award ceremony for the nominators of the books. I chose your book for many different reasons. I chose it because when Erik's mother is faced with the question, "Do I have a Daddy?" she is very positive and honest with him, thinking about his feelings and saying that not all children liv

I could not find a good website for this book. This book is very interesting. The pictures are paintings and they are great. Some pages do not have words. Some pages have two sets of words, one set telling the story, and the other set rhyming, it is interesting. It details her work as a miner. I notice a father in the pictures but he is never mentioned. It is a great example of a strong female.