"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

The last time I recall reading this novel was in 7th grade literature. I never enjoyed literature, but I do recollect this was one of the few novels I enjoyed reading. One of the main reasons I enjoyed reading this story in 7th grade is because it created a realistically painted world in which everyone lived in a Utopian society. Such concepts regarding utopiastic societies sparked much debate in my classroom. Questions would arise such as "Can a society be truly Utopian, or no matter how hard we try will society always be socially unequal?" These questions and many more give middle school children the opportunity to use higher level thinking skills in order to fantasize and predict the consequences of different themes represented in Lowry's novel.

I thought Lowry does a phenomenal job in raising important questions regarding society and human nature - as he does it in such a way that makes it easy for students to comprehend. Other issues Lowry expresses through his novel regard how this attempt for social perfection/equity has not come without its consequences. Family life and the emotions that go along with our perception of typical human nature are actually atypical in this fictional society. In order to suppress these emotions labeled "stirrings," people take pills that essentially desensitize themselves.

One of the more interesting aspects of the story that intrigued me was the power that the Council of Elders had. It raises the question that the graphic novel "Watchmen" raised, which is "Who watches the watchmen?" This meaning, who oversees the decisions made by the men in power in order to keep them in check? Overall, I believe there are limitless discussions an educator could have with his/her student regarding the broad spectrum of themes in "The Giver." Thus, I believe this story should be emphasized in almost all middle school literature curriculum, as it covers a variety of unique themes regarding human nature and society.

"A Pig Tale" by Olivia Newton-John

This is another story that has an underlying eco-friendly plot throughout the story (although it was actually very hard to pick up until the last page). The story concerns a piglet named Ziggy - who constantly gets scrutinized by peers because his grandpa collects garbage. Throughout the story, his grandfather accumulates more and more useless garbage, which consequently makes their house look unattractive. However, towards the end of the book Ziggy finds out that his father was using all of this garbage to create a balloon. On the very last page, the author makes a note to recycle and "protect our dear earth." It would have been beneficial to the story's main plot if there were a bit more references to environmentalism throughout the story.

The text throughout the book was usually arranged in short sentences in rhyming patterns. I never really found much educational value in this story, aside from the last page where the author advocates a cleaner more eco-friendly earth. The illustrations were colorful, but there was nothing that "popped" out in my face about them. Overall, I thought this was an o.k children's book, definitely would not be my first choice if I had to pick a story to read to my students.

"Hot Hot Hot" by Neal Layton

This story about two prehistoric mammoths depicted in the changing seasons combines comedy with some factual information for children. Obviously, this story wasn't intended to be literal, but it does teach some preliminary science concepts. Throughout the story, two mammoths are struggling to find a cold climate as summer approaches. They travel all around, and are irritated by their inability to live comfortably in the ever changing climate. Interestingly enough, the last page of the story is dedicated to non-fictional information regarding the ice-age, so students that were interested in the story can read those facts regarding the Earth's history.

The use of bold and repetitive text in this story is fantastic. For example, if a Bee is buzzing, the words "Buzzzzzzz" will make a curved line following the bees path. Also, if the author wants to emphasize a certain word or phrase, it may progressively become more bold or larger depending on the tone he is trying to set. Overall, this is a fun fictional and informative story for children from first to forth grade.

"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Suess

I haven't read Suess' popular "Cat in the Hat" recently until now, and it just reminds me at what a creative author Suess was. Interestingly enough, the version of the story I checked out had both Spanish and English text, which is excellent for bilingual students. Since Suess uses simplistic rhyming schemes and small words, this is an excellent children's book for young ELL students to learn English. In contrast, if English children want a challenge they may attempt to correspond which English words go with each Spanish word.

As always, Suess' illustrations are phenomenal at keeping any reader of any age engaged. Unlike other of Suess' books, he uses very minimal color in this story. However, he uses this to his advantage to keep the reader focused on the main aspects of the illustrations (i.e. the assortment of things The Cat in the Hat is juggling). I also love Suess' unique way to create expressions on each of his characters, whether it be a fish or a "thing." Overall, I see why this wild and crazy story has become a children's favorite - and the fact that it is in two languages adds an educational aspect to the story.

"Applebet Story" by Byron Barton

This is a creative alphabet story created to aid kindergartners in learning their letters. Each page has black and white images corresponding to a specific letter. The aspect of this story that makes it creative, is that a red apple is somehow transferred to the next page based on the word given to represent the letter. The apple is easy to follow, as it is a red color while all the images around it are black and white. The idea that children can easily follow the red apple from page to page helps them stay engaged in learning each and every letter, as they are anticipating where the apple will be on the next page. After studying alphabet/number genre books, I believe this book is an effective and engaging tool in teaching the alphabet.

"Kitten in Trouble" by Maria Polushkin

This story is a great easy read for children in kindergarten and first grade that are just learning how to form words with letters. The illustrations are fun, as they are comprised mainly of water colors outlined in a dark black marker to help the colors "pop out." As the story progresses the child constantly following the story of a little mischievous cat, who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Although many of the words are very short and easy for children to learn, some of the words may be a bit too complex for kindergartners - so teachers may need to aid them in reading. Children stay actively engaged in the story, as they are expected to anticipate the kitten's next mischievous move based on previous pages. The concept of repetition throughout the pages helps children stay active in the plot progression, and give them the opportunity to jump in at any time and read with the teacher.

"Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

"The Watchmen" started as a comic and has recently been reprinted into a graphic novel. It has recently inspired a movie to made based off of the original comic, but nevertheless has always been a superior piece of literature. In this novel, Moore has created an alternate universe where superhero's emerge in the United States, thus making the U.S. a fearless and seemingly indestructible force. However, over time the "watchmen" or superheroes receive scrutiny, and are eventually disbanded.

The imagery throughout the novel is very graphic (go figure) and entails quite a bit of fight scenes. The illustrations are typical of the DC universe comic book genre, thus imagery is similar to other graphic novels/comic books such as V for Vendetta, etc. Aside from some violent imagery, the storyline helps build the dark tone in this alternate universe. Many of the themes throughout the novel may not be appropriate or understood by young teens - as much of this book relies on some previous knowledge of American history in the 80s. Overall, I think this book is ideal for mature students in high-school and above.

"The Day the Babies Crawled Away" by Peggy Rathmann

I thought the illustrations in this story were uniquely done. Throughout the entire story, both pages when flipped open created one single large landscape, which is cast in a shadow throughout the entire story. As the reader turns the pages, the babies go up and down shadowy hills - in perfect synchronization with the landscapes from the previous pages. The fact that this stories illustrations are constantly ongoing and in sync with the previous pages, may help keep children constantly engaged. I also enjoyed the contrast of the black shadows on the babies, and the beautiful gradients of the sky (most likely created digitally).

Aside from the illustrations, the text throughout the story is less emphasized. It is kept simple with short sentences, in that young children should be able to understand what is going on. The author also uses rhyming to help emphasize certain words in the story. Similar to many of the other books I have previously read, this story relies heavily on their illustrations to maintain the readers' attention - which is essential for children's books.

"The Stupids Have A Ball" by Harry Allard & James Marshall

This story is a fantastic book to keep every single one of your kindergartner through second grader's attention. It relies primarily on the typical humor that children share amongst each other. The word "stupid" is constantly thrown around in a comical fashion, which adds to the intended "comical effect." Children will not only find the text funny, but they will also find the illustrations amusing - as they are perfectly paralleled with the text. One example of this humor is expressed when the family throws a costume ball, and the grandfather dresses up as a bunny and constantly exclaims "ho, ho, ho!" as if he is Santa Clause. The illustrations seem like they are sketch-like, and are filled in with some water colors. Overall, I thought this was a fun story to use if you want your students to laugh.

"Me Hungry" by Jeremy Tankard

This is the first new book that I read that I had a fun time reading. This book uses illustrations created from ink combined with digital media - and combining these makes unique artwork. Every page had bright vibrant colors, rather than stale slate colors that are typical in winter stories. Also, the shading on all of the characters' faces add a pseudo-realism feeling to the illustrations. Similar to Eric Carle, Tankard has his own creative perceptions of what some prehistoric animals looked like.

Although this book has very little text - this book focuses primarily around it's illustrations. Every two pages is coupled together to create one giant illustration scene, with a few simple words. Aside from being visually appealing, I believe that pre-k through kindergarten children would benefit from learning some short words and how to spell them, such as "me" or "eat." As I stated before, the illustrations make this book, and it has been by far my favorite illustrated story I have read thus far.

"Snow" by Uri Shulevitz

Everyone knows children love snow: so why not make a book about it? This story is a simple story about a young boy who goes around telling everyone that he sees snowflakes, so he has high hopes that it will snow. However, the townspeople he interacts with says it will not snow - based on weather predictions. At the end of the book, it begins snowing crazily and the little boy is ecstatic (as to be expected). I really enjoyed this author's illustrations - he had created a large town square with houses lined up on one side, and a giant street in the middle.

It is my belief that this author is expressing life in a different country, based on the large street - that coupled as a sidewalk. I think this book is great for children from pre-k to kindergarten, especially for the holiday season. Words like "snow" are very common all throughout the book, and there are little to no long sentences - just sentence fragments. Overall, I thought this was an o.k. book, but the illustrations really made it fun for me.

"ZigZag" by Robert D. San Souci

I thought this children's story was very creative in the illustrations. It seems like the illustrator had filled in each character each with different plaid designs, making each character in the book have unique traits. Aside from the visual aspects of this story, many children may be able to relate to the main character "ZigZag" in the way that he is teased by his peers for being different. Throughout this story, ZigZag is told that no one will ever love him because he is different, and constantly gets scrutinized by other dolls that are more aesthetically appealing. Eventually, ZigZag meets a young girl who loves him for who he is.

This book is a great book for children in first and second grade, as it teaches them the negative effects that teasing may have on peers. Also, one of the underlying messages of this book is that being different is not a bad thing. The story helps show that each character has different perceptions towards ZigZag - other dolls thought he was weird looking, while the little girl thought he was perfect. Stories that deal with tolerance and embracing difference are always great for young children - the earlier children learn to embrace difference the better they will treat peers throughout their lifetime.

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Although Steinbeck's 100 page novel "Of Mice and Men" may seem short, don't let this be deceiving. This book dives into a multitude of topics that parents may perceive as controversial, including graphic language, rape, death, etc. Other themes that were prevalent throughout this story was the aspiration towards a dream, and the many difficulties that may lay ahead. Aside from dreams, lonliness seemed to be another theme that was expressed through one of the main characters - and how he deals with it.

Even though this novel has won a variety of awards, teachers should use caution whenever they assign decide to assign this book in their classes. I believe that this book is most beneficial for students in high-school considering the controversial themes and Steinbeck's more advanced rhetorical style.

"Animals Animals" by Eric Carle

From the same author as "The Hungry Caterpillar," Carle again uses his unique artistic illustrations to create a compilation of stories regarding a wide variety of animals. In this story, every page (sometimes two) is dedicated to Carle's unique depiction of a specfiic animal, followed by a different author's short poem talking about the animal.

This book is phenimal for young children who are interested in animals, in that the illustrations help draw the children into reading each poem about every animal. Most of the rhetoric in each poem either comprises of alliterations or rhyming schemes. These different literary techniques help keep chidren interested, as well as makes it easier for them to familiarze themselves with certain words that appear similar. One of the only complaints about this book is that it seems very reptative. However, Carle's pleasureable and distinctive imagery from the animal kingdom keep this story interesting.

"Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Suess

I haven't read this book in a long time, and I must say reading again as an adult was even more enjoyable than reading it as a child. This book is one of my new favorite Suess books, hands down. This book can be applicable to children and adults of all ages, with the overarching life-lessons it teaches. There is not much to say about the imagery, except that there are the typical creative Suess-like images throughout the novel. He always does such an excellent job in his stories setting an immediate tone, page by page. If he wants the reader to feel vulnerable, he will use dark colors followed by somewhat eerie imagery. Similarly, on pages he wants the reader to feel upbeat and hopeful, he uses brighter colors and enlightening images.

This story helps express a multitude of lessons throughout the book. It helps explain how children may feel in their upcoming journey throughout life. Suess expresses that there were be many ups and downs, people who disagree with you, etc; but ultimately, you will find your way through the world. One of the main lessons he teaches is that we must follow a path that satisfies us, and to follow whatever dreams we may have - despite all the obstacles.

"The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister

Another popular children's book about a unique animal is "The Rainbow Fish." This story is fantastic, in that it not only has vibrant imagery, but it teaches children an important lessons. Throughout each of the pages, the Rainbow Fish's scales are reflective, so they appear to shimmer in light. Children seem to absolutely love images that are unique and metallic-looking. In every two pages adjacent to each other, one page was dedicated to text as the other two surrounded the text in oceanic scenery. This integration of the environment into both pages helps keep children visually and auditorily engaged in the story.

Aside from unique imagery, this story tells a great story with a fantastic lesson at the end. All throughout the story, the Rainbow Fish had many beautiful scales, which he refused to share with any other fish. Throughout the story, however, he tried to figure out why none of the fish wanted to play with him. Ultimately, he discovered that if he shared his scales, other fish would befriend him. Consequently, he is left with only one scale, but he seems happier since he now has friends. The moral of this story to young children highlights the importance of chairity and sharing and expresses the importance of selflessness.

"Clifford the Big Red Dog" by Norman Bridwell

Every young child knows or has heard about "Clifford" books. I took a look at the original "Clifford the Big Red Dog" story to dive into the origins of Clifford. From a child's perspective, this book is a fun, easy-to-read and engaging story. Each page is separated into a large illustration, typically followed by two easy-to-read sentences. All of the illustrations in this story were vibrant, and Clifford's red fur helped emphasize Clifford's unique character.

If one wants to look at a particular "message" throughout the book, it is that being unique/different can be a positive thing. Throughout the story the little girl explains how much fun she has with Clifford, considering the fact that he is different than all other dogs. This difference makes Clifford fun and unique, unlike the small generic-colored dogs. All in all, this is a short, fun book for young readers between first and second grade.

"World War II" by Simon Adams

"World War II" is one of the first non-fiction children's books I have read. There are many facets of this book that I enjoyed, including a wide array of realistic imagery and descriptions behind it. Throughout the book, the author gives the student a first hand look at many of the weapons, posters, and technology used throughout World War II, with descriptive definitions of each. The author keeps this book organized by chronologically going through each period in the war, and describing the various turning points through the use of direct of retrospective photography.

This book is excellent for students in 5th grade and above, in regards to studying World War II in social studies/history class. Aside from being very enlightening, one of the few negative aspects of this book is certain pictures may stray the student away from the big picture. Unfortunately, there are no sections that tie the entire war together for a wholistic perspective, rather just the bits and pieces explained. I believe this book would be most effective for at expressing the technologies of WWII, rather than a more unifying perspective towards the war.

"Found" by Margaret Peterson

"Found" is a popular series book that made me curious as to what 6th graders read nowadays. In my practicum class from last semester, the designated reading book for my students was "Found." Lucky enough for me, I was able to listen and participate by asking the students to describe what was happening throughout the story. It was clear in the students' summaries that they loved the book, which seems rare when it comes to assigned readings.

After reading the story, I now see why my practicum students enjoy this book. One aspect that is always appealing to stories is the ability for the main characters to relate to the children reading the story. Throughout the novel, the main characters Jonah and Chip are just regular kids that become immersed in a large mystery, after receiving mysterious letters. Peterson does an excellent job of giving the children just enough evidence to create their own theories, without the story becoming too complicated. As a science-specialization student, I believe mystery books like "Found" are phenomenal - as they promote critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills that many other books do not. There is no doubt in my mind that Peterson's ability to write creative mystery novels will keep students craving more.

"The Magic School Bus: Inside The Human Body" by Joanna Cole

"The Magic School Bus" is a popular children's series, that eventually became a TV show. These books by Cole are all educational non-fiction stories, in which they teach children different science vocabulary and concepts. This book is definitely meant for older children, in that many of the words throughout may be new and difficult to pronounce. Throughout the book, students go on the bus and journey through the human body - as Ms. Frizzle teaches the students all about the digestive system, blood cells, etc.

Cole uses cartoonized non-fictional illustrations to portray what inner-parts of the human body may look like. This is fantastic, because children become intrigued when they see the vibrant images of what their bodies may look like inside. One of the best aspects of this story that I like is the quiz at the end of the story. On the last page, there are True-False questions that the teacher can ask to ensure his/her students understand the concepts that were taught in the story. This is perfect for teachers that want to check for understanding, as well as keep every student constantly engaged and thinking about the knowledge they had just learned. Overall, I believe "The Magic School Bus" is a fantastic educational series, but one should use caution if they intend to use it for students below 4th grade - considering the more complex vocabulary and concepts.

"The Napping House" by Audrey Wood

One story that I have heard was excellent was "The Napping House." At first glance, nothing looked special about the cover of this book - except for the gold sticker signifying it won an award for best illustrations by the New York Times. Now I'm interested... This is an extremely creative book, in that on every new page - a new character is added in which they sleep on the next. This creates a tower of cats sleeping on dogs, which are sleeping on humans, etc. Ultimately, a small flea that is sleeping on a cat wakes everyone in the room.

I thought the images were extremely creative in this book. Each page on the right was the same, showing the same bed - except for the new animals/insects sleeping on top of each other. Children would love this - because they are constantly seeing the new animals that sleep on top of each other move around the bed. Eventually, when everyone wakes up, the dark schemed colors turn bright - considering it is now morning and all the room is illuminated. Although this story does not have any underlying lessons, it is still a fun/engaging story for young children from Pre-K through 1st grade.

"The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka

As a child, I recall loving this book. Every kid hears the original "Three Little Pigs" story, but this new book showed an alternate perspective of the wolf's encounter with the pigs. This story did not use very flat and plain colors, thus creating a somewhat retrospective tone. I think children get such a kick out of this book, because this interpretation of the story shows the wolf as being "the good guy" and how the pigs were the mean ones. Throughout the story, the wolf justifies reasonably why he ate the first two pigs, and what caused their houses to be blown down. He then exclaims that he was framed, and that the last pig was truly devilish and selfish, thus he had to retaliate.

Aside from the surface story, I believe the author does a creative job into integrating important lessons into this story. Children are exposed to two sides of a story, and they must evaluate and choose which side they believe, whether it be the pigs' or the wolf's. These lessons that teach children there are always two sides of an issue are critical to understand, especially as they grow up and interact with peers. If children can understand these concepts at a young age, then they may be more able to question their knowledge and be able to formulate their own perspectives towards an issue after hearing both sides of a story.

"The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper

Similar to Suess' "Green Eggs and Ham," Piper's classic "The Little Engine That Could" is a favorite among parents and children alike. Although this story has been published multiple times with different illustrations, the base story continues to stay the same throughout the decades. This story is fantastic for children because it teaches them a critical value that should be instilled in all children, which is no matter what difficulties or roadblocks may come in life - anything is possible with one's intrinsic determination. This book helps push children to believe they can be anything/do anything they want in this world - with enough hard work and motivation. After reading this story, teachers can ask their young students of a time where they faced difficulty, and how they were able to overcome it with their own inner strength - similar to the engine. As I stated before, this story is optimal for children from Pre-K through 1st grade.

"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Suess

As I stated before, Dr. Suess is one of my favorite Children's authors. Although he wrote many books concerning big issues, many of his books also help educate children by teaching them important values and concepts. "Green Eggs and Ham" is another excellent children's book, in that it has overwhelming illustrations, while his text stays concise and to-the-point, with perfect rhyming schemes. Aside from Suess' unique imagery, the story teaches children the importance of trying new things, even if they are skeptical.

Throughout the story the main character continuously refues to eat Sam-I-am's green eggs and ham, because they do not look tasteful. His friend constantly bugs him all throughout the novel, while the main character constantly turns his offerings down. Eventually, the main character tries them and realizes that he actually likes green eggs and ham. As I stated before, children may be encouraged to break down their stereotypes of whether they like/dislike certain things, and be more eager to try new things. Overall, this classic still seems to be popular amongst young children and their teachers.

"Strider" by Beverly Cleary

One book that I recall enjoying when I was younger was "Strider." This book tells the story of a young boy who finds a stray dog and decides to keep him and name him 'Strider.' As the story evolves, Leigh (the main character) faces many problems that young boys and girls alike can relate to - such as divorce, crushes, and finding their niche in school.

Throughout the novel, Leigh begins to evolve as a young boy into an adolescent as he learns the importance of responsibility of taking care of Strider. I believe this book is fantastic for young boys from grades 4-6 as it teaches the importance of responsibility. As I stated before, this book touches on the divorce of Leigh's parents, and the different emotions he feels, and how he copes with them. With children going through similar problems, this book may be a phenomenal piece of literature - giving them hope that everything will turn out o.k. This story also brings up the idea of "crushes" in school, in which almost every child can relate to. Also, this story encourages the participation in extracurricular activities, considering Leigh becomes interested in joining the track team. Leigh's enjoyment of running may inspire other children reading the novel to begin pursing different activities they enjoy, while becoming more involved with school. Cleary's ability to create a piece of literature young children can truly relate to makes "Strider" a fantastic starter novel for young children.

"The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg

Obviously "The Polar Express" is one of those seasonal novels that reminds us of the holidays. This children's book dives into the holiday fantasy of every child in which they actually get to physically meet Santa. The illustrations in this novel take up about 9/10 of every page horizontally, thus keeping children constantly visually stimulated with the story. I believe this is an effective literary technique since these broad images may help keep the children's imagination's flowing as the author narrates. The imagery the author chooses to paint in this novel is one of realism - while using soft wintery colors. Rather than using cartooney images, the author's use of realism aid children to couple realistic people with a world of fantasy.

Although this is a fantastic seasonal novel that empowers the imagination of children, I believe this may not be the best book to be read in schools. I, myself, see no problem with it, but many other children of other religions may feel alienated if this book was read around Christmastime - since all religions don't believe in Santa. The author clearly does not make any religious statements, however, I can see some parents complaining if this was read in school - and their children did not celebrate Christmas. Obviously, most children's books are not meant to promote certain beliefs, but an educator must understand and use caution if they want to use stories that contain religious aspects, no matter how subtle.

"The Lorax" by Dr. Suess

"The Lorax" has always been one of my favorite children's books when comparing it to other books I read in elementary/middle school. As usual, Dr. Suess is extremely creative in his choice of diction throughout the story. Although words may seen to be created at random, each word that seems like nonsense actually has an underlying meaning that many young children may not initially pick up.

Similar to many of Dr. Suess' other books, he expresses the possible ominous future our world may take if we continue to destroy our ecosystem. I believe children are very keen at picking up an author's tone, and I believe Suess sets the perfect tone for children to learn about the negative effects of industrialization. Even though this book seems to be eco-centric in nature, the book also raises the notion of capitalism and how many business' disregard the environment when fishing for a prophit. Obviouisly, it is unlikely for many 5-10 year olds to pick up these subtle messages.

I believe Dr. Suess is one of the greatest children's authors for a variety of reasons, but mainly because his stories can be read and appreciated by adults as well. Books like "Hooray For Diffendoofer Day" and "The Lorax" both highlight important societal issues, and raise awareness of such issues to children and adults. In "Hooray For Diffendoofer Day," Suess predicts the possible future of schools that become dependent on achievement tests (strikingly similar to NCLB). Similarly, in "The Lorax," Suess discusses the effects of uncontrolled industrialziation on the world's ecosystem. Dr. Suess' ability to creatively and effectively educate children on mature issues make him one of the most significant children's authors of the century.

"The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs

"The Snowman" is a picture book in which each page is divided into different frames which help tell a story. In my opinion, "The Snowman" is a great book for the holiday season for toddlers to 2nd grade. Why 2nd Grade might you ask? Considering this is purely a picture book, the educator can make his/her students actively engage and write down (in their own words) what is happening in the story. This gives children the opportunity to build literacy skills, while practicing writing mechanics and encouraging creativity. I absolutely love Briggs' use of wintry colors to help paint the pictures of a cool, soft winter. The use of the anthropomorphic snowman's constant curiosity with everything in the young boys house was quite amusing; although I don't think I agree with letting him drive a car... Anyways, this classic novel will always be one of my favorites - as it constantly reminds me of the beauty of winter and the warm, homely atmosphere of the holiday season.

"Seven Little Monsters" by Maurice Sendak

Although Sendak is also the author of the popular children's book "Where The Wild Things Are," I was definitely not impressed with this extremely short story. I understand this story was called the "seven" little monsters, did there really have to be only seven pages? Each page shows a different humble monster causing mischief in a town, eventually ending with them being banished. When comparing this to Sendak's classic, "Where The Wild Things Are," I was completely let down. Two of the only positive aspects I can extract from this 7-page children's book is: 1) It helps children learn to count (to seven?) and 2) The fun imagery. Also, if this short story is help children learn to count, why couldn't Sendak have at least made 9 monsters, so children could learn ALL single digit numbers, rather than just the first seven. I will never understand Sendek's intention creating this book, aside from teaching the numerical values of 1-7 in a short/fun way.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

I believe Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is a great novel for Kindergartners and younger. Being one of the most popular children's books, Carle expresses every spectrum of color in his cartoonized depiction of a caterpillars journey towards maturation. Aside from the great imagery, children are able to relate to the caterpillar's necessity to grow and mature throughout the book. Parents would be able to use this book to teach their children the importance of eating healthy food in order to grow, similar to the caterpillar. Another fantastic aspect of this book's design are the interactive pages. Children are able to interact with throughout the novel by helping the reader flip through pages. Many of these pages are designed so children are encouraged to count the fruit, as well as learn the spectrum of colors. Overall, I thought this children's classic is still fantastic based on Carle's ability to keep the reader engaged both physically and visually.