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  This book is about a famous sculpture in an art museum of a little ballerina girl.  The book is told from the museum guard's perspective. He tells the people that visit the museum that the statue is a girl named Maria.  Maria was a little girl who dreamed of being a ballerina at the Paris Opera House.  Her poor parents saved all their money to send her to ballet school.  At ballet school she encountered a famous artist named Degas. Maria got an opportunity to dance in the Paris Opera House but only if she took lessons everyday. Her father became very ill and since he could not work they couldn't afford it.  Then Degas offered to pay Maria to pose for him, but she only made enough to pay for her father's doctor and not dance lessons. The artist reveals that he is going blind and must sculpt her because he can no longer paint.  She never got to perform at the Paris Opera House but two years later the sculpture became very famous. This is a brilliant tale of an actual sculpture of a ballerina by sculpture/painter Edgar Degas. It displays all types of art; dance, performance, sculpture and painting.  This is an excellent book that incorporates fact and fiction of the arts all in one.

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.

Grandfather's Journey is a book about the life of Allen Say's grandfather. Say writes about his grandfather's life and experiences in Japan and the United States. The illustrations in Grandfather's Journey are absolutely remarkable. The colors Say uses are perfect. The pictures in this book really help to tell the story; they are the main feature on the pages. Allen Say not only wrote the book, he illustrated it as well. This would be a great book to use when teaching a multicultural lesson. This book definitely lives up to its name as a picture book.

"Small Beauties" is a story about a girl named Darcy Heart O'Hare who notices the small beauties of nature. Darcy and her family live in Ireland on a farm. When the family fails to be able to pay the rent, they are kicked out of their home and forced to cross the ocean to America. Only Darcy holds the key to their new happiness through the collecting of her small beauties. This book has many strengths. First, it is a historical non-fiction book that allows readers to see what may have really happened during that time period. At the back of the book is also a true recalling of the time of the famine, which includes historical facts and information that relate to real stories like Woodruff's portrayal. The book is also beautifully illustrated. The illustrations just bring the story to life and keep the reader wanting more. "Small Beauties" is a perfect book to be shared with children in one's classroom. It has potential for connection to a lesson that deals with immigration and it's historical aspects.It is an amazing book that carries the potential for great discussion following it's reading.

The narrator, a boy, lies awake listening for the sound of the bells on Santa's sleigh, a sound a friend who doesn't believe in Santa Claus says that he won't hear. Indeed, he does not, but what he does hear is even more wonderful and remarkable. He hears the hiss of steam and the squeak of metal, and when he looks out the window, he sees a train outside his house. It is the Polar Express, destination: North Pole. Once aboard, he finds that it is full of children, all in their nightclothes. They sing Christmas carols, drink rich cocoa and eat candies as the train races northward. Finally, they arrive at the North Pole, and the narrator is selected to receive the first gift of Christmas. He asks for, and receives from Santa Claus himself, a silver bell from the sleigh. Although the boy loses the bell on the way home, kindly Mr. C. returns it to him, and the boy discovers that the bell has a remarkable quality -- only those who still believe in the wonder that is Santa and the spirit of Christmas can hear the bell. His friends and his sister eventually cannot hear the bell, but even when he grows up "the bell still rings for [him] as it does for all who truly believe." This books illustrations grab you from the get go. They are so detailed and perfectly illustrated that you feel like you are right in the story yourself. From a teacher's perspective, this would be an great choice to read around the holidays and do a little Christmas lesson with it. I own this book, too. So if you want to take a look at it, let me know. Enjoy (;

Oh! The Places You'll Go is about a boy starting off on his journey to Great Places. He's "off and away!" He's got brains and feet, and can go in any direction he chooses. He's fresh and excited about his latest adventure, and he knows nothing will stop him. This stories strength is that it tells a story by using poetry, but makes it very fun and interesting for children. From a teacher's point of view, I think it would be an outstanding novel to incorporate with a poetry lesson to show children that poems can be stories, too. I do have this book, so if you would like to check it out, let me know. 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 (;

This story is about an elephant who is told by a hippo that she has a big nose. She becomes self conscious and ties her nose in a knot to make it smaller. She decides that looks silly. She finally gets the knot out, and she is happy with her nose. When she goes back to school and they tease her, she points out that she may have the biggest nose but the hippo has the biggest mouth, the alligator has the biggest tail, and the rabbit has the biggest feet. I think this is a great story of how life is tough. She isn't making fun of the others, she is just pointing out that no one is perfect. It is a good lesson for children to learn. It would make them see that they shouldn't make fun of others,

Thank you Mr. Falker is an autobiography by Patricia Polacco. For those who know and love the books of Patricia Polacco, you might be surprised to read this book and find out how difficult it was for her to learn to read as a child. Because of her wonderful teacher, Mr. Falker, who never gave up on her, she began to feel smart and capable as she learned to read.