10 for 10 Picture Books

This event is being sponsored by Cathy (@JustwonderinY) of Reflect & Refine: Building a Learning Community and Mandy of Enjoy and Embrace Learning.

First, I would like to thank @JustwonderinY for encouraging me to get involved in this event. I have been thinking about the importance of writing lately. This was just the nudge I needed to get back to blogging.

It is a difficult task to imagine only being able to have 10 picture books. As I went through my book bins today, I narrowed it down to about 30 favorites. How could I only pick 10? I only allowed myself to pick books that I own. Here is my list:

My first is The Best of Friends by Pirkko Vaino; translated
by J. Alison James. I love this book because it is about how two very different animals become friends. The illustrations are wonderful. It is published by North South Books which translates books from around the world into different languages. I enjoy explaining how it was written in another language and had to be translated for us to enjoy
it.

My second is Rain by Manya Stojic. It is about rain coming to the African savanna. The illustrations are amazing. It is a great book to use when talking about including the five senses in writing. It is also a simple text that can be used when teaching cause and effect. I also love it because the characters are African animals. The author also wrote Snow, which is about the coming of winter.

My third is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. I enjoy reading this story and talking about choices. There are times our day just does not go well and there is nothing we could do to change it. Yet, there are days that don't go so well because of the choices we make. How can we make choices so that our days will go well? What can we do for others around us that seem to be having a bad day?

My fourth is Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H. A. Rey. I would need to have one alphabet book with me. I like this one because all letters are displayed in upper and lowercase. It also incorporates the sounds letters make. I do not usually read it in one sitting because it is kind of long. Students enjoy being challenged to make their own pictures out of letters. I also like The Turn-Around Upside Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst.

My fifth is Because a Little Bug went Ka-CHOO! by Rosetta Stone. I really enjoy the sequence of events in this book. It starts with something so small and grows enormously. This book could be used to teach sequence of events, cause and effect, and prediction. I would also use any of Laura Numeroff's If You Give... books for this.

My sixth is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. We all need a little encouragement to try things sometimes. In life, there are so many things we want our children to experience but how will they if they don't try?



My seventh is It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler. We are all amazing individuals with unique gifts and talents. I like this book because it encourages us to be ourselves. There are so many times I find children comparing themselves to others or trying to be like others. It would be a great book for a main idea discussion. Just The Way You Are by Marcus Pfister is another book that has a very similar main idea.

My eighth is A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein. I love this book because it is fun. Kids laugh and read along with me. It is a great springboard to a discussion on rhyming. I also love Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss but I decided that each of my books had to be a different author.

My ninth choice is The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf. This is a great story about how each of us is important and has something valuable to contribute. Each member of a classroom community is vital and necessary for the community to be complete. We are all so different but that is where the beauty is. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is similar but my choice has more to do with the whole individual.


My tenth is Ish by Peter Reynolds. I love the message of this book. I like the idea that each of us has something to contribute. What will you contribute today?




Well, there you have it my #pb10for10. If you ask me tomorrow or later today, they may be different. I enjoyed being stretched by this exercise and look forward to reading all the other blogs. I am sure I will be adding a lot of books to my must have list.