Little Mouse's Trail Tale

Written by JoAnn Vandine

Illustrated by John Burge & Laurie Sharpe

Little Mouse's Trail Tale, is a cute book about the journey a mouse makes each night to find his dinner. The mouse has a standard routine of taking the same path, leading him to the same place each night. This works wonderfully for him until one night the homeowner sets a mousetrap to catch him. The mouse returns back to his home hungry. After deciding on a different path, the mouse tries again and finds a note from the homeowner's son leading him to a cage with food and a blanket waiting for him.

This book is great for pre-k or kindergarten classroom. I would use this to help the class recognize patterns and repetition in the story (the path the mouse takes each night). It has won no awards. 

Chrysanthemum

Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum is about a mouse who is given a name that at first, she loves. Once she starts school, she is mocked for her name because it is difficult to spell and pronounce. After a hard day at school, she returns home, hating her name. Her parents are confused because she was given a beautiful name and they explain to her why her name is so special. She tries again the next day, going to school loving her name, only to be mocked again and return back home hating her name. This is a cycle that continues for a few days until her teacher, Ms. Delphinium Twinkle, explains to the class that her name is also long. Of course, the students love their teacher and start to appreciate long names. Chrysanthemum feels welcome by the end of the book. 

Chrysanthemum has won no awards but I believe it is fully deserving of one because of the beautiful message that it sends.  This book is appropriate for Kindergarteners and first graders. 

I would use this in my classroom during the first month of school to introduce the concept of being kind to one another. I would also use this book if I noticed any bullying or unkindness in my classroom. 

A House for Hickory

Written by Kelly Mazzone

Illustrated by Pat Reynolds

A House For Hickory is a paper engineered book that includes flaps on every page that fold up, revealing something about a possible house for hickory. This book is perfect for four to six-year-olds as they learn about the homes and communities of various animals. Throughout the story, Hickory the mouse is searching for his perfect house but each prospect he finds has one problem..read to find out!

This book has won no awards. 

I would use this to introduce communities to my students. Each animal has a particular home that fits each of their needs and this book does a good job of introducing that topic in a fun way!

Duck in the Truck

Written and Illustrated by Jez Alborough

Duck in the Truck is a quick and fun read that is a bit lyrical. It is a story about a duck on his way home when all of a sudden his truck becomes stuck. He calls on the help of some animal friends to help him get his truck unstuck. This book made me giggle the whole way through and would be perfect for teaching rhythm in a pre-k or kindergarten classroom.

The book has won no awards. 

Miss Spiders Tea Party

Written and Illustrated by David Kirk

Miss Spider's Tea Party, is a story about Miss Spider, who is throwing a tea party for her friends. However, she has to wait a while for anyone to show up and this causes her to feel many varying emotions. This book is good to read to a kindergarten classroom because it deals with counting from one to 12 and also talks about the different ways that Miss Spider feels throughout the book, which could help students understand that any things they might be feeling are normal too. 

This book has won no awards. 

I would read this to my class and have them count with me while we read, asking them as we go, what numbers they think will come next.