Hailstones and Halibut Bones

by Mary O'Neil and John Walner

This book has twelve poems describing color-white is hailstones and halibut bones.  It lists how colors look, feel, smell, and sound.  It even gives a time of day for each one.

Audience
I used this to teach personification to third graders.  I think all children (people) will be hipnotized by the rhythm of the poems.

What I Love:
1) Each poem appeals to every sense, including a sense of emotion.
2) There are a lot of philosophical points about anger, despair, hope, joy, and the journey of life in here.

Cautions:
If you read this to children, you will have to explain some of the words to them-they aren't big, just very specific

I'm in Charge of the Celebrations

by Byrd Baylor

The youngest member of a family has an important job-he decides which days are worth celebrating.  There are always birthdays of course, but don't forget to celebrate the first day of spring, or the first monsoon storm.

Audience
Again, I read this to a kindergarten class.  Afterward, we had a touching discussion about our "special days."  It has the all ages tag because I enjoy it more from an adult perspective than the children did from their side.

What I Love:
1) Again, I live not far from Byrd Baylor.  When she talks about the first monsoon storm I know exactly what she means
2) The message-life is worth celebrating
3) The simplicity in both artwork and writing

Cautions:
1) Some of the descriptions are kind of specific to the Sonoran Desert

All Ages

If you look at my library, you will see the titles are geared toward the students I've taught.  There's a practical reason for that (I bought the books for them to enjoy) but there's another reason my shelves are filled with children's literature- that's my story.  It's who I really am inside.

I firmly believe we never stop being children.  Hopefully we become adults in addition to being children, but our need to be loved and feel safe will never go away.  Children's books appeal to me because they share the same story "adult literature" does most of the time, but in a simpler way.  Many children's books become more enjoyable from an adult perspective.  It's my personal opinion that Peter Pan can't be truly enjoyed until you are an adult.

If the book has an "all ages" stamp on it I encourage parents and children to enjoy it together.  Adults will find that children's literature has a way of striking directly at the heart of its' readers.  Happy reading!

Where the Sidewalk Ends

by Shel Silverstien

This isn't a story, it's a collection of poems.  I grew up reading his books and I love them to this day.  The longest poems cover two pages, but that's including the illustrations, but many are only 10 lines long.

Audience
As soon as children know what poetry is.

What I Love:
1) The pencil illustrations are so funny and charming
2) Most of the poems are funny and relateable to children (ie Sister for Sale)
3) There are quite a few serious poems, like the one posted at the bottom.

Cautions:
1) All the poems are stand-alone, they don't relate to anything else in the book
2) There is implied nudity in one or two of the drawings (always from the back, not showing anything)
3) Silverstien has an irreverent sense of humor about teachers and parents.  Sometimes (not often) the joke is at their expense.

Series
Where the Sidewalk Ends
A Light in the Attic
Falling Up
Everything On It
Don't be a Bump in the Glump

The Table Where Rich People Sit

by Byrd Baylor

A young girl notices that her family doesn't have as many things as some other families.  She calls a meeting to get her parents to get better (higher paying) jobs, explaining that this is not a table where rich people would sit.  Her family begins listing off the riches they have that money can't buy.

Audience
I read it to a kindergarten class and they got it.  I think I would have enjoyed this story even through high school.

Why I Love This Book:
1) The message is needed in this ever more commercial world
2) Byrd Baylor lives pretty close to me, so all the feels like my backyard
3) The voice and illustrations are so simple, yet powerful in only a few lines

Cautions:
1) This is a Native American family, and the story is told through the lens of their connection with the land

Matilda

by Roald Dahl

Matilda is an extraordinary girl in a less than ordinary family.  They don't understand Matilda, so she learns to shut up while they ignore her.  Matilda turns to books for solace and finds support there.  This works for everyone until Matilda starts school.  In Miss Honey's class all children learn and grow and blossom.  Unfortunately the school headmistress is Miss Trunchbull, who delights in torturing children.  Matilda finds the courage and strength to master her growing powers and stand against injustice.

Audience
This story is on the dark side.  Newly fluent readers-4th grade or so, will be able to read this one.

What I Love
1) Roald Dahl has a sarcastic sense of humor that leaves me chuckling.
2) This book is all about the power of the oppressed-what you can do when you stand up for yourself.
3) The ending makes me happy.

Cautions
1) This is a dark story, it could creep some kids out.
2) The adults are the bad guys.
3) There is some British speak. 

American Girl

Various Authors

This is another set that reads differently to children than adults.  They are all about pre-teen (9-11 year old) girls at different points in American history.  When I grew up there was just Felicity, Kristen, Molly, Addy, and Samantha.  I'll do my best to outline all the current ones here.

Addy-She and her mother escape slavery, leaving the other half of the family behind

Felicity-Lives with her grandmother in the American Colonies.  She must decide where she stands in regards to the war for independence

Molly-Molly is an irrepressible girl struggling on the homefront of World War II

Kristen-A Sweedish immigrant in the midwest during the 1800's

Samantha-A young Victorian lady who struggles between societal expectations and her own vivacious nature.

Josephina- A Mexican American girl during the Spanish American War who struggles to find her own culture

Kit- The trials of the Great Depression are the perfect place for Kit to stretch her imagination and see what she can do with the world around her

Caroline is afraid of being separated from her father during the War of 1812, but determines not to let it happen

Julie-in the face of her parent's divorce, Julie struggles to follow her dreams amid the sexism of the 1970s

Ivy Ling- an American Girl of the 1970s must decide how to incorporate the traditions from her rich past with her dreams of the future

Rebecca moved from Russia to the land of opportunity in 1914, but finds that being Jewish in America leads to other problems and unexpected joys for her and her family

Kaya, a Native American from the Naz Perez tribe loves her fast horse, but quickly learns that bragging will get in the way of everything she wants to do in life and in racing

Marie-Grace lives in 1853 New Orleans.  Amid the flurry of color and spectacle she dreams of being a singer, but how can she overcome her shyness and pursue a life on stage?

Audience
These are great first chapter books.  As soon as the child has mastered something like Frog and Toad are Friends or Magic Tree House is a great time to introduce your daughter/student to the American Girls

What I Love:
1) The stories feel genuine to me, very natural as opposed to feeling contrived or made up
2) The struggles of these girls pull at my heartstrings.  Things like trying to keep a family together and fear of an uncertain future
3) There's always a 'Looking Back' section at the end of each book to give a true picture of historical fact
4) The setting is pretty accurate to history without the Looking Back section

Cautions:
1) There are lots of pictures (appropriate for a first chapter book)
2) Each girl deals with real issues (i.e. slavery, child labor)
3) I've never known a little boy to get enthused about these.  Almost all the characters are girls.
4) There is a booming franchise of expensive dolls and doll accessories to go with every character, and your girl will almost definitely want them after reading the books.

All the girl's stories follow this same format:
Meet Addy: An American Girl
Addy Learns a Lesson: A School Story
Addy's Surprise: A School Story
Happy Birthday Addy: A Springtime Story
Addy Saves the Day: A Summer Story
Changes for Addy: A Winter Story

*Note: I've done one American Girl from each time period.  Now the series includes two girls from each period, one from a privileged class and one from the underclass of the day

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

by Joe Steptoe

This is a Cinderella story with an African twist.  There are two sisters (Mufaro's beautiful daughters) who are the fairest of all the women of the village.  The elder is selfish and spoiled, while the younger is kind and good.  When the prince comes to choose a bride, the elder sets out to make sure she is chosen.  It backfires and the story leads to poetic justice for all involved.

Audience:
Preschool through 3rd.  It's a little too cliche above that.

What I Love:
1) The illustrations are great.
2) The message about kindness never gets old

Cautions:
1) It is cliche, your average Cinderella story.
2) The dad falls into the "stupid adult" category
3) I don't know if this really is an African folk tale or a European one dressed up in different colors

Knots on a Counting Rope

by Bill Martin Jr. and Ted Rand

I'm just going to copy and paste the ALA review here-It's more eloquent than I would be.  

Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses begs his grandfather to tell him again the story of the night he was born. In a question-and-answer litany, the boy and his grandfather share the telling of the events on that special nightthe wild storm; the frantic ride for the grandmother/midwife; the birth of the frail, sickly boy; and the blessings of the blue horses.- Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library

Audience 

The website says Kindergarten thru 4th grade.  I'd stick with late kindergarten.  I think 5th graders would still be into this book.

What I Love:

1) The illustrations are gorgeous and gripping.  They tell the story as much as the words.

2) I love the portrayal of a successful disabled character.

3) The voices of the grandfather and boy are distinct and interesting

4) This story is heartwarming and can lead to so many interesting conversations

Cautions:

1) This story is told from a Native American voice and perspective

2) It tackles the tough issue of children with disabilities.  But I recommend it above any other disabled child book I've ever read.

The Witches

by Roald Dahl

Witches are a threat to global security.  They are out to destroy all the world's children, and they could soon succeed.  So why doesn't anyone know about them?  The grandma in this story does.  She tells her grandson they are easy to find if you know the signs-they're bald, so they all wear wigs.  Their feet are huge so it's painful for them to wear their high heels.  Grandma wants to teach him the signs so he can fight the witches with her.  Unfortunately, when Grandma gets pneumonia the boy gets in over his head.

Audience:
Any fluent reader.  My 4th graders love it, my 3rd graders would have too, if they'd read it.  Any child who is able to read this should be fine with it.

What I Love:
1) It's so funny.  Dahl is seriously sarcastic
2) I was genuinely surprised by how things turned out-I didn't see it coming

Cautions:
1) Adults are usually portrayed as the bad guys by this author, The Witches is no exception.
2) It's come under criticism for sexism-all witches are women.

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

This is one of those classics that never gets old.  A young boy (10) decides he needs a dog.  Or, more specifically, two coon hounds.  He earns the money by doing odd jobs.  It takes him a year, but he keeps at it.  At last he gets the long awaited dogs.  Learning to love and care for his dogs helps Billy Coleman learn who he is and who he wants to be.

Audience

Age 12 or so should be fine.  This is for people who love animals and or tear jerkers in a modernish (1960's) context.

What I Love:

I love that the story is all about love.  Billy comes from a loving family, and he is excited to take care of his dogs. The crux of the story is about how the two dogs take care of each other.  And once again, we have smart adults.

Cautions:

It's a slow story, not action packed at all.  SPOILER!!!  It's a very sad story.  One of the dogs is attacked and the other dies trying to save his companion.  It's a sob story that will probably leave you wrung out.

Beast

by Donna Jo Napoli

Beauty and the Beast told from the Beast's side.  He was a Persian prince who was trying to convert to Islam.  He knowingly broke a sacred commandment, and this caused him to get turned into a beast, specifically a lion.  He tries to reach out to his family, but they don't know who he is.  With no where specific to go, he just starts heading west (Europe.)

Audience
I wouldn't go lower than 7th grade on this one, for content reasons

What I Love:
1) The story of the Beast is so touching.  I can see his flaws, and I can see how the punishment could be just.  In spite of everything, I still love him and wanted him to find joy.
2) The meshing of different cultures (Hindu, Islam, and European) was just plain fascinating.
3) This is a classic story of someone fighting their own worst self and winning

Cautions:
1) There is sexual content.  In his beast form, he cannot overcome the urge to mate.  This is one scene, but it's more graphic than I expected
2) The end left me unsatisfied.  I want to know more of the story, and I felt like it stopped at a bad place.
3) There are a lot of religious and cultural references.  Sometimes it was hard for me to keep up.

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type

Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

When Farmer Brown leaves a typewriter in the barn the cows learn how to use it.  Once they do that, they have demands for Farmer Brown.

Audience
Kindergarten through, maybe 5th grade.  Written so young children can read it.

What I Love:
It was written for the kinders, but this book is often used to teach labor unions to 5th graders.

Cautions:
It is very repetitive, like I said, it's written for young children to read

Magic School Bus

by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degan

This series is both fiction and nonfiction.  With the help of a remarkable teacher and a shape/size shifting bus, the students find themselves inside science concepts.  Their adventures take them anywhere science is to be had.

Audience
I started in first.  I think up through third grade would be excited about them.  After that, the students would pretend they were too cool for them, but still secretly love every minute of it.

Why I Love This Book
1)The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System is the book that got me hooked on reading.  I was in 1st grade and I spent the entire book holding my breath, because I knew there was no air in space.  Seriously, I was so lost in the book, I forgot to breathe
2) The illustrations are so fun.  Sometimes looking at them will give you parts of the story that aren't in the writing.
3) I like the thought bubles.  The kids are really smart aleck-y.  

Cautions
1) The words are sometimes hard to read against the backdrop of the illustrations.
2) In the original series there's lots of information on every page, with lots of sidebars.  Some kids find that a distracting challenge to read

The Original Series

1. The Magic School Bus At the Waterworks
2. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth
3. The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body
4. The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System
5. The Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor
6. The Magic School Bus In the Time of the Dinosaurs
7. The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane
8. The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive
9. The Magic School Bus And the Electric Field Trip
10. The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses
11. The Magic School Bus And the Science Fair Expedition
12. The Magic School Bus And the Climate Challenge

[edit]Chapter Books

1. The Truth About Bats
2. The Search for the Missing Bones
3. The Wild Whale Watch
4. Space Explorers
5. Twister Trouble
6. The Giant Germ
7. The Great Shark Escape
8. Penguin Puzzle
9. Dinosaur Detectives
10. Expedition Down Under
11. Insect Invaders
12. Amazing Magnetism
13. Polar Bear Patrol
14. Electric Storm
15. Voyage to the Volcano
16. Butterfly Battle
17. Food Chain Frenzy
18. The Fishy Field Trip
19. Color Day Relay
20. Rocky Road Trip

[edit]Scholastic Reader Level 2

1. The Magic School Bus Has A Heart
2. The Magic School Bus Gets Caught In a Web
3. The Magic School Bus Gets Recycled
4. The Magic School Bus And the Missing Tooth
5. The Magic School Bus Fights Germs
6. The Magic School Bus Gets Crabby
7. The Magic School Bus Explores the World of Bugs
8. The Magic School Bus Weathers the Storm
9. The Magic School Bus At the First Thanksgiving
10. The Magic School Bus Arctic Adventure
11. The Magic School Bus Lost in Snow
12. The Magic School Bus and the Shark Adventure
13. The Magic School Bus Builds the Statue of Liberty
14. The Magic School Bus in a Bat Cave
15. The Magic School Bus Comes to Its Senses
16. The Magic School Bus and the Wild Leaf Ride
17. The Magic School Bus and the Butterfly Bunch
18. The Magic School Bus Rides Into Space
19. The Magic School Bus Rides the Wind
20. The Magic School Bus in the Rain Forest
21. The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter
22. The Magic School Bus Explores the World of Animals
23. The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Blizzard
24. The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Forest Fire
25. The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Earthquake
26. The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Flash Flood
27. The Magic School Bus Inside Your Mouth
28. The Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean
29. The Magic School Bus Flies with Dinosaurs
30. The Magic School Bus Takes a Moonwalk
31. The Magic School Bus Flies From the Nest
32. The Magic School Bus Blasts Into Space
33. The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up

[edit]Science Readers

1. The Magic School Bus Gets Ants in its Pants
2. The Magic School Bus Going Batty
3. The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum
4. The Magic School Bus Gets all Dried Up
5. The Magic School Bus In the Arctic
6. The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad
7. The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top
8. The Magic School Bus Answers Questions
9. The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie
10. The Magic School Bus Gets Programmed
11. The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm
12. The Magic School Bus Plays Ball
13. The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds
14. The Magic School Bus Ups and Downs
15. The Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea
16. The Magic School Bus Butterfly and the Bog Beast
17. The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow
18. The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake
19. The Magic School Bus Out of this World
20. The Magic School Bus Taking Flight
21. The Magic School Bus Takes a Dive
22. The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet
23. The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells
24. The Magic School Bus Spins a Web
25. The Magic School Bus Gets Planted
26. The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten
27. The Magic School Bus Wet All Over
28. The Magic School Bus Goes Upstream
29. The Magic School Bus In A Pickle
30. The Magic School Bus Hops Home
31. The Magic School Bus Sees Stars
32. The Magic School Bus Looking for Liz (sticker book)

Encounter

Jane Yolen

This is the story of a Native American (Taino) boy whose tribe encounters the White Man-specifically Columbus and his crew.  His people are excited about the new people and new things, but the boy has a horrible feeling about them.

Audience
I read this to 3rd graders and they understood.  I think anyone up through adults could enjoy it.

Why I Love This Book
1) The pictures.  They are beautiful and captivating.  They are also important to story telling.
2) The narrator's voice is amazing.  I can believe it's a child, but he is a reliable narrator
3) Every detail is completely believable, and the story is as historically accurate as possible

Caution
1) This is about the harm of the Columbian exchange
2) Though discrete, it does mention war crimes

Strega Nona

Tommy DePaola

These are the stories of an Italian Witch Grandma and her grandson Anthony.  Strega Nona is wise and kind (and a bit snarky) but Anthony is not always good at listening to her.  Anthony has adventures that end peacefully with his grandmother's guidance

Audience
I'd start reading it aloud to children in 1st or 2nd grade.  They will still be interesting to 4th/5th graders

What I Love About It
1) The pictures.  They are intracate and gorgeous.  Tommy DePaola is a genius.
2) Dialogue.  It's a little stitlted in places, but I always have reading it aloud.
3) The story is cute.  It makes me smile

Cautions
1) Anthony is pretty dumb
2) Strega Nona is portrayed as all knowing, a little flat

Series
Stega Nona
Strega Nona's Magic Lessons
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona
Strega Nona's Harvest
Strega Nona Meets Her Match
Strega Nona Takes a Vacation
Strega Nona: Her Story

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Promise

by Michael DiMartino and Brian Koneitzko

Okay, okay, I confess, I'm cheating!!!! But I can't help it!  Avatar: The Last Airbender is a television show that ran from 2005-2008.  The title of the blog says Jana's Books but this is good enough I'd be remiss not to recommend it here.

The world of Avatar draws heavily on Asian/Eastern culture.  It has 4 different societies or cultures, each growing up around one of the four elements-air, water, earth, and fire.  Those with a particular talent may be able to 'bend' their native element.  There should always be one Avatar living at a time who is an exception to this rule he (or she) has the ability to master all four elements.

At the opening of the story, the Fire Nation started their conquest for world domination 100 years ago.  No one has seen or heard of the Avatar in all this time.  Katara, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe is fishing with her brother Sokka when she comes across an iceberg with someone trapped inside.  She frees him and the pair learn quickly that this kid is the Avatar.  Aang is a flighty, goofy 12 year old boy who wants to have fun and prefers to flee responsibility when he can.

Unfortunately Aang's reappearance is noted by Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.  Prince Zuko's single minded purpose in life is to capture the Avatar for his nation in order to regain his honor.  He is angry and overly dramatic, but somehow vulnerable and endearing even from the first episode.  Aang and his new friends travel the world helping Aang learn to become the Avatar, while Zuko stalks a step behind.

After the series ends the graphic novels pick up.  I love the post-war stories where the Gaang (Aang's group, it's funny dangit, laugh!) finds waging peace is so much harder than ending a war.  They return with all their vivacity and stumbling wisdom. I strongly recommend The Promise to everyone who loves Avatar-I got choked up in that one too.

What I Love:  This list will be very long
1) None of the characters are flat.  Katara seems at the beginning to be your stereotypical heroine, but you start to see that she is so much more complex than that.  Iroh is Zuko's goofy, lazy uncle.  But when things get tough he shows his true colors.  I want to be Iroh when I grow up.  Sokka may provide comic relief but we see him grow from cocky teenage boy into a true leader.  There are 5 main protagonists  and we see each of them go through a coming of age journey
2) Again, the adults are not stupid.  There's a legitimate reason the children and not the adults are responsible for saving the world.  Come to think of it, not all the adults are that intelligent in this show.  Not all the kids are either.  All the characters are individual with their own strengths and weaknesses.
3) Cultural Diversity.  There are four main cultures and they are all very different.  Sometimes they're at conflict and sometimes they work together.  Either way they have to work at understanding each other.  I love that each culture has different values.  The Water Tribe values community above all else, whereas the Earth Kingdom values individuality.  Not necessarily opposites, but incorporating both is hard.
4) The love stories made me happy.  Not sayin' more than that.
5) My friend said the ending was more perfect than it possibly could have been.  I agree.  I'm not telling you a single thing that happens, but the ending was a perfectly happy moment in my life.
6) Relationships.  This includes more than romance.  I love the brother/sister relationships in this show.  I love the way families are portrayed.  Not all families are strong/stable in this story.  Even the ones that are have their struggles.  I like that it doesn't resolve family problems for the characters.  It merely presents what families are like.  One of the themes is that you are never indifferent about your family.  Love them or hate them, they will always be part of you.
7) The Issues.  I think this show stays child safe, but it tackles a lot in a child safe way.  We see repressive government, child abuse, treachery, hatred, grief, war crimes, war, and myriad other dilemmas.  This waters nothing down.  It also doesn't explore the darker side of these themes and is never graphic in what they show.  But do we really protect children by showing them only the good side of life?  I love this for the truth that goodness can be at it's strongest in these trying circumstances.  In reality the portrayal of social issues is optimistic because no matter how bad the bad is, good still has a chance to win.
8) The good guys don't win every single fight.  Sometimes they do everything right, but it still doesn't work out.  We love the characters more when we can relate, and there is genuine suspense.  They don't even win all the important fights.  The characters suffer devastating losses and then they put themselves back together and keep up the good fight.  I cried some big tears in this show.

9) Disability.  This is the one and only time I have fully loved the portrayal of a disabled character.  She is independent and able to manage for herself.  Managing her disability is something she doesn't think about day to day.  She just lives her life.  But she also has limitations.  I hate the Professor X from X-Men doesn't have any problems from not being able to walk.  Toph may have some special abilities because she's blind, but she also can't read and needs help from sighted people from time to time.  She is also comfortable with who she is.  I see a lot of myself in her and I love having a strong, but real, disabled character.

10) There is an array of diverse, strong female characters

Cautions
1) In season three the 15/16 year old characters are sexually active.  I'm almost positive kids couldn't pick up on that, but it's there.
2) Goofiness.  Yes, my cautions are still things I love.  I love that our 12-16 year old ensemble acts their ages.  Do you remember how suave you were in middle school?  Yeah, it's like that.  The romance especially is awkward, as it should be.  Also, the kids mess around a lot.  My favorite episode-"Ember Island Players" is almost nothing but awkwardness.  It makes me laugh and it makes me happy I'm not still there.
3) As mentioned above, the hard issues are here.  Abusive families, war crimes, bereavement, genocide, oppression, we've got it.  That said, I'm excited to show it to my 6 year old nephew because it's handled with such a light touch I don't think he'll notice those issues without knowing what to look for.

I'm excited to have these on dvd because when I have children, I want them to grow up with this story.
   

Arthur Series

by Marc Brown

What would my childhood be without the lovable 3rd grade aardvark? Arthur starts as a brand new 3rd grader, newly assigned to the meanest teacher in school.  This teacher is a slave driver, so the kids think.  From the first adventure on through, Arthur learns his teacher pushes him because of the potential of each student.  Is there more to Arthur and his friends than even they know?

Audience

About 2nd grade.  Kinder is too young to understand some of the conflicts, and 1st graders may or may not be interested.

What I Love About These Books

1) Diversity.  I'm not talking about skin color, this goes deeper.  We have all sorts of family structures, different financial structures, people from different places in the world.  Basically, it's your average classroom-every child is coming from a completely different place.

2) Adults.  I love that the adults aren't stupid.  Sometimes they let the kids make their own mistakes, but they know what's going on.
3) I felt most of the problems were real, down to earth issues.  We have a shy student, someone moving away, friendships changing, sibling conflict.  These are all things I see nearly every day in a classroom full of children Arthur's age.

Cautions
1) The books do get formulaic after a while.  I still like them, but they all read pretty much the same
2) I haven't read all of them.  There are soooo many!

Series

• 1976 - Arthur's Nose
• 1979 - Arthur's Eyes
• 1980 - Arthur's Valentine
• 1981 - ''Arthur and the True Francine''
• 1982 - Arthur Goes to Camp
• 1982 - Arthur's Halloween
• 1983 - Arthur's April Fool
• 1983 - Arthur's Thanksgiving
• 1984 - Arthur's Christmas
• 1985 - Arthur's Tooth
• 1986 - Arthur's Teacher Trouble
• 1987 - Arthur's Baby
• 1989 - Arthur's Birthday
• 1990 - Arthur's Pet Business
• 1991 - Arthur Meets the President
• 1992 - Arthur Babysits
• 1993 - Arthur's Family Vacation
• 1993 - Arthur's New Puppy
• 1994 - Arthur's First Sleepover
• 1994 - Arthur's Chicken Pox
• 1995 - Arthur's TV Trouble
• 1996 - Arthur Writes a Story
• 1996 - Arthur's Reading Race
• 1997 - Arthur's Computer Disaster
• 1998 - Arthur Lost and Found
• 1999 - Arthur's Underwear
• 2000 - Arthur's Teacher Moves In
• 2000 - Arthur's Perfect Christmas
• 2002 - Arthur, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
• 2006 - Arthur Jumps into Fall
• 2011 - Arthur Turns Green

• Chapter Books

  • Arthur and the Mystery Envelope
  • Arthur and the Double Dare
  • Arthur and the Crunch Cereal Contest
  • Arthur and the Cootie-Catcher
  • King Arthur
  • Arthur and the Big Blow-up
  • Arthur and the Scare-your-pants-off Club
  • Arthur and the Lost Diary
  • Arthur and the 1001 Dads
  • Arthur and the Perfect Brother
  • Arthur rocks with Binky'
  • Arthur and the Nerves of Steal
  • Arthur and the Poetry Contest
  • Arthur and the Popularity Test
  • Arthur Accused!
  • Arthur Loses His Marbles
  • Arthur Makes the Team
  • Arthur and the Comet Crisis
  • Buster Baxter, Cat Saver
  • Buster Makes the Grade
  • Buster's Dino Dilemma
  • Muffy's Secret Admirer
  • Francine, Believe It or Not
  • Francine the Superstar
  • "The Poetry Contest"
  • The Mystery of the Stolen Bike
  • Locked in the Library
  • Who's in Love with Arthur?
  • BINKY RULES

  [edit]Good Sports Chapter Books

  • Arthur Race to Read
  • Arthur and the Best Coach Ever
  • Arthur and the Goalie Ghost
  • Arthur and the Pen-Pal Playoff
  • Arthur and the Recess Rookie
  • Arthur and the Seventh Inning Stretcher
  • Arthur and the Poetry Contest

The Little White Horse

by Elizabeth Goudge

Maria Merryweather becomes an orphan at age 13, upon her father's death in 1842. She is sent to the Moonacre Manor somewhere in the west of England, accompanied by her governess Miss Heliotrope and dog Wiggins. There she finds herself in a world out of time. Her cousin and guardian Sir Benjamin Merryweather is one of the "sun" Merryweathers, and she loves him right away, as sun and moon Merryweathers do. Maria discovers that there is an ancient mystery about the founding of the estate.  An ancient wrong needs to be righted, and to do that, the Merryweathers will have to sacrifice their pride.
Audience
Children will love this more than adults.  It's for 3-5th graders.  There is some British speak in there that younger Americans might need help with.

Why I Love This Book

1) The story is intriguing.  It took me almost as long as Maria to put together the mystery
2) It has a strong moral center-right and wrong are very clear
3) I found the characters to be endearing

Cautions

1) This book is unashamedly Christian

2) The characters are a little flat.  Nice and funny, but flat

3) This book is very cheesy.  It made me happy though.

4) 'The Secret of Moonacre' based on this book, is different.  Some of the story is the same, but most of the characters are very different.