The Lorax

THe Lorax by Dr. Seuss

A little boy comes upon a place where the Once-ler still lives, and where Lorax once was. He questions the Once-ler about where the Lorax went and why, and then he begins the story of what the Lorax was. Explaining that there was a place where the grass was still green, ponds where still wet, clouds clean and overall it was a glorious place with fantastical creatures. As the Once-ler goes on he explains about his Thneed business and how the Lorax came to tell him his factories where putting out to much smoke. This book has a environmentally feel to it, but some of the major controversy came when loggers said the book was unfair to loggers and put Lake Erie into a bad light. Eventually the comment about Lake Erie was take out many years latter after the lake was cleaned up, but this books still continues to create controversy for some. I like this book and the ideas you could teach behind it, being the environment is good and how to keep it clean.

The Story of Babar the Little Elephant

The Story of Babar the Little Elephant by Jean De Brynhoff

Another controversial book in the eyes of some, I see Babar as a childhood book that I often read and watched the movies.It wasn't until this past time of reading it that I even remembered that Babar's mother is killed by hunters who also then chase him to try and kill him. His cousins also run away and he is often found remember his dead mother. Aside from a few of these very strong feelings the books carries, its not unlike our world today. Their is deaf and murder and crazy people running around and for our children to understand these things, having a story such as this about an elephant, I see it is as just another children's book that might also help children to understand death or animal cruelty, or just enjoy a good story,

In the Night Kitchen

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

In the Night Kitchen is one of my all time favorite books that I ever read when I was little. I probably read it 2 or 3 times a night sometimes and know it is still somewhere at my parents house. Although I definitely understand why some parents would find this book offensive, my own mother who wouldn't let us have a Ken doll to go along with Barbie, allowed us to read this book. With this imaginative story of a boy who floats away in his sleep to a Night Kitchen where bakers are ready to bake a morning cake. He is mixed in and eventually the cake batter forms clothes for the little boy as he continues on his journey. By the time morning comes Mickey is taken back to his bead where just a memory of his Night Kitchen experience lingers. This has great illustrations and with a comic book set up on some pages, it keeps you turning the page to see what will happen next.

Daddy's Roommate

Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite

Daddy's Roommate is about a little boy whose parents just got a divorce and now his father has a new partner. This partner however, is another man and we learn about how his father has taken on a new homosexual relationship. THe book goes through everything the boy experiences with his dad and his friend, which turns out to be just about everything a heterosexual couple would run into or experience together. I can definitely see where this book is controversial and a lot of families may not want their children reading but my thoughts about it are the same as every other book I have read. I think it is a great tool to help children understand this type of relationship and how it is the different from their parents or how it can be the same in many ways. I do believe that it would be better to allow parents to share this book with their children rather than reading it aloud in a classroom, but that would only be to steer away from the controversy that it would cause with some parents. It would be a great book for children of all ages.

Smokey Night

Smokey Night by Eve Bunting

This book has been considered to be controversial because of the subject matter it takes on with the Las Angeles riots and cultural differences. While a young boy watches below his apartment window with his mother, they witness the looters roam the streets. Along with their cat going missing, they have discovered that their neighbor who they don't talk to because of cultural differences is missing as well. As soon as the community comes together in the end to escape the fires and the two cats eventually teach the humans a lesson about getting along with each other. The authors illustrations atop great collages help to illustrate the looting on the street.

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is written from the perspective of a little boy named Jonas. Jonas lives in a world where everything is predictable and safe and everyones lives are planned out for them. There are no luxuries and no one decides anything without the help of the community. Even children are decided upon and a married couple chosen by the community are allowed one female and one male child. With Jonas's upcoming Ceremony of Twelve coming up he will now be a new adult member of the community. At such a young age Jonas will be trained and given the memories that he must keep, which cause inflicting situations. Having never read the book before and I enjoyed it. The way The Giver ends can leave some hanging without knowing what just happened, but can create a lot of great discussions. One thing i really liked from the beginning of the story was when the family went around the table and told an emotion that they had experienced from the day. I think it would be a great activity in the classroom to get kids talking.

A Nice Walk in the Jungle

A Nice Walk in the Jungle by Nan Bodsworth

This book takes a look at a class who is going to go on a jungle walk. It begins just fine until one little boy named Tim, spots the Boa Constrictor following the class. Every time he tries to tell his teacher however she does not listen, and each time she finds something new there seems to be fewer and fewer classmates of Tim's around. It's not until she and Tim are the only ones left and he finally gets her attention that she realizes that the children have been swallowed up by the snake. WIth one swift knock of the nose the snake spits them all back out and the class goes on to enjoy lunch. This book is funny for the children to read and lets them use their imaginations. It has great illustrations of all the jungle animals as well.

Deep in the Jungle

Deep in the Jungle by Dan Yaccarino


Deep in the Jungle is a great book to read to young children to help them understand that everyone matters and it is not just about themselves. While in the beginning the lion is king of the jungle and makes everyone do everything for him. Finally the lion is given a chance to join the circus where he thinks he will be appreciated. After realizing that he is having no fun and being told what to do he leaves for the jungle but not before running into his old friends from the jungle. He makes a brave decision to release them all from their cages so they can ALL go back to the jungle and live together with no one animal better than the next.

Safari Journal

Safari Journal by Hudson Talbott

In this great journal about the Safari in Kenya, you get to follow along with a young girl named Carey and his friend Maasai who is 12 years old. They discover how to track wildlife, learn swahili, dodge a wildebeest migration and see how they take on an international ring of animal poachers. This book is full of great facts about Kenya and many other cultural topics. The way this book is set up, every page looks just like you are reading from someone's journal and learning all about their adventures. With some much information it is sure to keep a young readers attention while masking the fact that they are really learning all new things along with the main character Carey.

David Gets in Trouble

David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon

Another great story in the David series by David Shannon. This time it seems that David is always getting into trouble and always coming up with excuses. This book takes you through all of them and in the end he finally says, "Yes! It was me! I'm sorry. I love you , Mom." He understands that he can't always make excuses for himself and must admit to his wrong doings. This can be great for kids who need a little help understanding that everything might not be so bad if you just admit what you have done wrong and apologize. One of the HUGE reasons I enjoy these books is that the illustrations just pop of the page. They are so vibrant and really help to tell David's stories each and every time.

Game Day

Game Day by Tiki and Ronde Barber


This great football book was written by two NFL players that happen to be brothers and twins. They tell a story about them when they were young and playing on a little league team called the Vikings. The brothers run into some problems when one is being praised more than the other but both are working hard on the team. Through help from their mother the boys find out how important it is to have teamwork and in the end everyone wins. This story is great for helping children to understand teamwork and working with others because sometimes at a young age they can get so caught up in the "me, me, me" craziness that they need a little help. Although this book has a lot of references to football and may be a little confusing from that standpoint, it still carries a great message for all.