book review 1st grade

Favorite books for 1st graders

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team

Print book list

Frog and Toad Are Friends

by: Arnold Lobel - (Harper Collins, 1970) 64 pages.

This classic features the escapades of Frog and Toad, an adorable amphibious duo who are the best of friends. Your child will love these five stories about friendship that include adventures such as feeling embarrassed when wearing a bathing suit, waiting for mail, finding a lost button and waking up from hibernation in the spring. Caldecott Honor Book, 1971.

Perfect for: Helping kids understand the benefits of a great friend.

Find Frog and Toad Are Friends at your local library.

Margaret and Margarita: Margarita y Margaret

by: Lynn Reiser - (Greenwillow Books, 1993) 32 pages.

Your child will love this bilingual (Spanish and English) book about a budding friendship between an English-speaking girl and a Spanish-speaking girl who meet in a park.

For our Spanish readers: A su nino le encantaraeste libro bilingue sobre una amistad que crece entre una nina que habla ingles y una nina que habla espanol que se conocen en el parque.

Perfect for: Celebrating differences and finding similarities.

Find Margaret and Margarita: Margarita y Margaret at your local library.

The Boy Who Loved Words

by: Roni Schotter , illustrated by: Giselle Potter - (Random House, 2006) 35 pages.

In this book, a word-loving boy spreads the wealth. Parents need to know that there’s nothing to be concerned about and much to be learned in this introduction to the joy of words. Families who read this book could discuss words. What makes some words so much fun? How does knowing a lot of words help? What are some of your favorite words? Together you can also learn the words in the book’s glossary and try using them in everyday life whenever you can. Also, how about starting your own collections of wonderful words?

Perfect for: Budding Scrabble players and kids who laugh at a good pun.

Find The Boy Who Loved Words at your local library.

Henry and Mudge

by: Cynthia Rylant - (Aladdin, 1996) 40 pages.

Henry and Mudge is a delightful early chapter book that features a young boy named Henry. Henry has no siblings and no friends in his neighborhood. Poor Henry is lonely and is yearning for a pet, so his parents allow him to get a huge, loveable dog named Mudge. Henry and Mudge become fast friends and Mudge follows Henry everywhere. One day, Mudge gets lost. Will Henry and Mudge find each other again?

Perfect for: Kids who like realism.

Find Henry and Mudge at your local library.

There Is a Bird on Your Head!

by: Mo Willems - (Hyperion Books for Children, 2007) 64 pages.

Bespeckled and a little stressed out, pessimistic Gerald the elephant has the look of a worried old man while his upbeat friend Piggie is much more kid-like and exuberant. Together they make a great pair, in much the same way as Frog and Toad. The language is simple and repetitive enough for beginning readers to enjoy. And the humor will hold their interest while they struggle with the harder parts. This book is so much fun that even struggling readers will want to read it over and over again, especially if they are able to share parts with another reader. And, happily, this is only one of several in the Elephant and Piggie series.

Perfect for: Helping kids see the fun and value in being a little different.

Find There Is a Bird on Your Head! at your local library.

Max’s Words

by: Kate Banks , illustrated by: Boris Kulikov - (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006) 32 pages.

This homage to the writing life gives new meaning to the educational precept known as “language acquisition.” Max’s brother Benjamin collects stamps; his other brother, Karl, collects coins; and Max wants a collection of his own. In a sly dig at reviewers and reviewing, he cuts up a publication that looks — suspiciously — like the New York Times Book Review and collects piles of words in a potpourri of fonts. Words, of course, lead to story … and pretty soon all three brothers are happily engaged in creating a tale about a brown worm, a green snake and a mean crocodile.

Find Max’s Words at your local library.

Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian

by: Jessica Spanyol - (Candlewick, 2004) 32 pages.

Little giraffe Carlo is very excited to go to the library with his dad, but feels very shy of the librarian, Mrs. Chinca, who happens to be a crocodilian! Once Carlo learns how knowledgeable about books she is, the two become fast friends.

Perfect for: Kids who like adventure.

Find Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian at your local library.

by: Lyn Rossiter McFarland , illustrated by: Jim McFarland - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001) 32 pages.

Widget, a homeless dog, wanders into a delightful house filled with food and warm beds. The only problem is that the food and beds belong to six hostile cats. Widget, a clever dog, convinces the cats that he fits in by learning to meow and purr. If your child loves animals, he is sure to enjoy this delightful tale.

Perfect for: Animal lovers.

Find Widget at your local library.

Big Bug Surprise

by: Julia Gran - (Scholastic, 2007) 32 pages.

Prunella’s unending knowledge of insects saves her class from disaster. As her classmates celebrate, Prunella presents a show-and-tell surprise, much to the delight of the students.

Perfect for: Kids who like nature.

Find Big Bug Surprise at your local library.

Is a Worry Worrying You?

by: Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz , illustrated by: Marie LeTourneau - (Tanglewood Press, 2005) 32 pages.

This is a cleverly written and delightfully illustrated book that enables children to investigate their fears and anxieties. An easy introduction to discussion about creative problem solving.

Find Is a Worry Worrying You at your local library.

Ivy & Bean

by: Annie Barrows , illustrated by: Sophie Blackall - (Chronicle Books, 2006) 120 pages.

A sure hit with kids starting chapter books. Parents need to know the award-winning book is about making a new friend, learning about differences and sharing an adventure. On the surface these girls appear very different. One wears dresses and reads books, the other has a sassy mouth and likes to get dirty. Some sibling issues occur, including fighting with an older sister, stealing her money, playing tricks on her and calling her names like “tightwad.” With its over-sized print, frequent black-and-white illustrations and easy-to-follow plot, this first book in the series is a great beginning chapter book for kids who are just emerging from early readers.

Perfect for: Appreciating a friend’s differences.

Find Ivy & Bean at your local library.

The New Girl … and Me

by: Jacqui Robbins , illustrated by: Matt Phelan - (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006) 32 pages.

Shakeeta is the new girl and like all new kids since schools were first invented she feels out of place. Told in the first person by Mia, wise in the ways of school politics, this gentle story of adjustment and budding friendships carefully sticks to a child-eyed perspective to make its point: it’s not so much what you say that makes a difference, it’s that you say it at all.

Perfect for: Kids who like school.

Find The New Girl … and Me at your local library.

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together

by: Mary Ann Hoberman , illustrated by: Michael Emberley - (Little Brown, 2004) 32 pages.

Hoberman has written a charming sequel to her first book of the same title. Set for two voices, these hilarious versions of the three bears, pigs and goats, plus a couple of princesses and one beanstalk, can be read by even beginning readers. The cozy appeal of partnered reading and slightly quirky stories are too snuggly for just one reading. Simple text with abundant humor and comic illustrations follow the invitation: “We’ll read each page to one another. You’ll read one side, I, the other.”

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together at your local library.

The Empty Pot

by: Demi - (Henry Holt, 1990) 32 pages.

The emperor of China is looking for a successor, and he gives all the children in the land one seed. He tells them that the one who grows the most beautiful flowers in one year will be emperor. Ping is a little boy with a green thumb who can’t seem to get his seed to grow! Will the emperor be able to see his earnest spirit?

Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.

Find The Empty Pot at your local library.

Aunt Chip & the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair

by: Patricia Polacco - (Philomel, 1996) 40 pages.

Television is so beloved in Triple Creek that no one even remembers how to read. Books are still around, but are mostly used to shore-up the local dam. When Aunt Chip teaches Eli to read, his new love of books leads him to pluck a book from the dam, producing a flood that changes the town forever.

Perfect for : Inspiring a love (and appreciation) for reading.

Find Aunt Chip & the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair at your local library.

Edward and the Pirates

by: David McPhail - (Little, Brown, 1997) 32 pages.

When Edward discovers a mysterious, dusty book on pirates hidden away on a shelf in the library, he can’t wait to get it home. When pirates come to his room looking for the secret to hidden treasure, he realizes how precious the gift of reading can be.

Perfect for: Kids who like mystery.

Find Edward and the Pirates at your local library.

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked

by: Lauren Thompson , illustrated by: Jonathan Bean - (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007) 32 pages.

The Apple Pie that Papa Baked is as homey as Grandma’s kitchen, yet it’s modern, rich and even scientific. In simple language that is also poetic and true, Thompson tells the heartwarming story of how the apple pie comes to be, including a quick introduction to the whole ecological web of life. And, as a final loving touch, she adds that the true enjoyment comes in sharing the pie with all the creatures on the farm. With that, the circle is made complete.

Find The Apple Pie That Papa Baked at your local library.

Bear Snores On

by: Karma Wilson , illustrated by: Jane Chapman - (Simon & Schuster, 2003) 32 pages.

One by one, cold and hungry forest animals take refuge in brown bear’s cave. He snores on as they light a fire, pop popcorn, and brew tea. This delightful rhyming book with beautiful full-page illustrations and an unforgettable ending will capture your child’s interest.

Find Bear Snores On at your local library.

The Big Snow

by: Berta and Elmer Hader - (Macmillan Co., 1948) 48 pages.

This classic Caldecott winner from 1949 illustrates how winter comes to the woods and how the animals make their preparations. While geese fly south, squirrels look for food and shelter and discover that a friendly neighbor in a nearby stone house has left some provisions to add to their winter feast. As quiet and beautiful as a snowflake.

Dad, Jackie, and Me

by: Myron Uhlberg , illustrated by: Colin Bootman - (Peachtree Publishers, 2005) 32 pages.

An amazing semi-autobiographical picture book about a young boy and his deaf father set in Brooklyn. The year is 1947 and Jackie Robinson has just been signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although Dad was never a sports fan (since he can’t hear them on the radio), he becomes determined to meet Jackie in person. He wants to shake the hand of a man he views as a kindred spirit, “who works to overcome thoughtless prejudice.” This book is a beautiful social justice story and also a love letter from a son to his father.

Find Dad, Jackie, and Me at your local library.

The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum

by: Kate Bernheimer , illustrated by: Nicoletta Ceccoli - (Schwartz & Wade, 2008) 40 pages.

This is a layered story that weaves in and out, up and down, to form a fascinating fantasy. The haunting scene of a wispy, wistful girl peering into the glass case on the cover starts the journey. Inside the case, the girl in the castle, lonely in her turret, appears to be lost in a dreamlike trance. Yet as the story unfolds, the reader learns that the girl in the castle misses the children when they leave the museum and dreams of their return. She even dreams of the reader, who is, in the end, invited to leave his/her picture above the girl’s bed inside the castle, inside the glass case, inside the museum, inside the book that the reader is holding. Much like the Escher-like stairways of the illustrations, the three worlds intersect and blend into an unexpected story. And, with characters that look like dolls, dolls that look like porcelain figures from a Dali painting, strange toys, and hazy dream-like colors sparked here and there with a magical light, Bernheimer and Ceccoli have created a mesmerizing fantasy world that is both uniquely surreal, yet comfortingly real and loving.

Perfect for: Kids who like fantasy stories.

Find The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum at your local library.

Diary of a Wombat

by: Jackie French , illustrated by: Bruce Whatley - (Clarion Books, 2003) 32 pages.

This humorous diary takes the wombat’s point of view as he describes his daily life. In particular, he explains how he trains his neighboring humans to give him the food he likes.

Find Diary of a Wombat at your local library.

The Snow Leopard

by: Jackie Morris - (Frances Lincoln, 2007) 32 pages.

Very rarely do absolutely gorgeous picture books like this come along. This original, mystical, mountain story tells of a boy who dreams and hears a leopard, once human, that “sang the stars to life.” When intruders invade their hidden valley, the leopard passes on both his protective song and his animal form to the boy. Fantastic prose and magical illustrations make this picture book an instant classic.

Find The Snow Leopard at your local library.

Winter Eyes

by: Douglas Florian - (Greenwillow, 1999) 48 pages.

Winter Eyes is a beautifully illustrated collection of poems about winter. Each poem celebrates some aspect of winter such as sledding, icicles, woolen socks and the mood of a blustery day. Your child is bound to find at least one poem that introduces her to the joys of a snowy winter or reminds her of a favorite winter activity.

Find Winter Eyes at your local library.

Emily’s First 100 Days of School

by: Rosemary Wells - (Hyperion Books for Children, 2000) 64 pages.

Count the first one hundred days of school with Emily in this fun, fact-filled book. Children will love learning about Emily’s days at school as she learns the alphabet, sings, reads and dances. The oversized format of this book makes the bright illustrations pop off the pages.

Want to see the movie? The Scholastic video collection Emily’s First 100 Days of School … and More Great School Time Stories features more Rosemary Wells stories and If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz.

Find Emily’s First 100 Days of School at your local library.

My Best Friend

by: Pat Hutchins - (Greenwillow, 1993) 32 pages.

This playful story shows that two little girls can be friends and appreciate each other even though they are good at doing different things. You child will enjoy this book over and over again.

Perfect for: Appreciating friends and celebrating differences.

Find My Best Friend at your local library.

Little Cliff’s First Day of School

by: Clifton L. Taulbert , illustrated by: E.B. Lewis - (PuffinDial Books for Young Readers, 2001) 32 pages.

Little Cliff does not want to go to first grade. He does not want to leave his toys or his family. However, once he sees his friends and hears everyone having a good time, he quickly changes his mind. Any child who has felt ambivalent about starting school will appreciate this story.

Find Little Cliff’s First Day of School at your local library.

Miss Smith’s Incredible Story Book

by: Michael Garland - (Dutton, 2003) 32 pages.

Miss Smith is the cool new teacher in Zach’s school, and she has a magic storybook. When Miss Smith reads from her storybook, characters pop out and her class experiences the adventures from her magic book in real life! Does the magic work for all readers of the storybook? See what happens when the principal tries to read from Miss Smith’s storybook.

Find Miss Smith’s Incredible Story Book at your local library.

Oh Brother!

by: Nikki Grimes , illustrated by: Mike Benny - (Greenwillow Books, 2008) 32 pages.

This is a special book. Each page-spread is a poem, and together the poems tell the story of a bi-racial, blended family overcoming the trials and tribulations of learning to live and love together. Xavier’s mom has just married Chris’ dad. To Xavier, the house feels too small, the love not enough for two, and just about everything Chris does, Xavier sees as ill-intentioned or competitive. But that makes the book sound heavy when indeed these are witty, moving poems that skip, sink, soar and take unexpected twists, along with the little boy’s emotions. When the brothers work things out and find joy in each other, my 5-year-old daughter in my lap was full of happiness and bounce. The pictures are energetic, expressive and colorful, and more than match the text — they give it life and whimsy.

Perfect for: Kids who like poetry.

Find Oh Brother! at your local library.

by: David Wiesner - (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) 40 pages.

Dead center in the fish-eye lens on the cover of this fantastic visual voyage floats another lens centered in the face of an old-fashioned brownie-style box camera. Nary a word is needed to tell the story of a young boy’s trip to the beach, the discovery of a camera washed up by a rogue wave, a trip to the one-hour film developers, a set of mysterious underwater images, and a final photograph showing a child who is holding a picture of a child who is holding a picture of a child who is holding a picture of a child and so on… It’s an intriguing metaphor for looking at history through a progressive series of lenses. A treat from beginning to end.

Find Flotsam at your local library.

Elena’s Serenade

by: Campbell Geeslin , illustrated by: Ana Juan - (Atheneum, 2004) 40 pages.

More than anything, Elena wants to be a glass-blower, but in her region in Mexico, and in her father’s eyes, this is an art for boys alone. When she heads to Monterrey, where all the great glass-blowers live and work, disguised as a boy, she learns the depth of her own talent.

Find Elena’s Serenade at your local library.

How to Be a Good Dog

by: Gail Page - (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2006) 32 pages.

Bobo was usually a good dog and got lots of treats, but when he was a bad dog, he was sent to his doghouse. When even the cat began to miss him, the cat teaches Bobo how to be a good dog.

Perfect for: Kids who like adventure stories.

Find How to Be a Good Dog at your local library.

I Knew You Could!

by: Craig Dorfman , illustrated by: Christina Ong - (Grosset & Dunlap, 2003) 32 pages.

A sweetly written nostalgic book. Singsong rhyming verse combined with the familiar blue engine helps us remember that anything is possible if you persevere. Younger children may need help understanding the greater meanings behind each rhyming verse. This book encourages children to believe in themselves.

Find I Knew You Could at your local library.

Raggedy Ann’s Wishing Pebble

by: Johnny Gruelle , illustrated by: Jan Palmer - (Simon & Schuster, 1925) 98 pages.

A beautifully illustrated book with everyone’s favorite rag dolls, Ann and Andy. In this Raggedy Ann and Andy adventure, all their animal friends try to help retrieve the magic wishing pebble that has been stolen by a trickster named Minky. Opens discussions about what wishes are important.

Find Raggedy Ann’s Wishing Pebble at your local library.

What’s So Bad About Being An Only Child?

by: Cari Best , illustrated by: Sophie Blackall - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007) 32 pages.

This sly reversal of the typical older-sibling-jealous-of-the-new-baby picture book tells the story of Rosemary Emma Angela Lynette Isabel Iris Malone, so-saddled because every relative in the extended family took a hand in the naming. Everyone, in fact, from Uncle Jeff to Aunt Barbara to the unnamed grandparents hangs on Rosemary’s every need until her life gives new meaning to the term “cosseted.” Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that being the target of everyone’s affection is hard work and she takes her complaints all the way to the top. “You need to have another kid right away,” she tells her mother, hands firmly planted on her hips. “And that’s that.” In the end, all is resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, though not in the way Rosemary demands or even imagines, and the clever title changes from a statement of fact to an open-ended question.

Find What’s So Bad About Being an Only Child? at your local library.

The Hundred Dresses

by: Eleanor Estes , illustrated by: Louis Slobodkin - (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1944) 96 pages.

Is it ever too early to teach compassion? That’s what this astounding and beautiful picture book aspires to do. When schoolchildren make fun of Wanda Petronski, both for her name and for the fact that she wears the same dress to school every day, Wanda begins to tell the tall tale that she has “one hundred dresses” at home. When the children learn the truth, they are given the chance for self-reflection. The lessons learned here will last your child a lifetime.

Perfect for: Kids who like classics.

Find The Hundred Dresses at your local library.

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet

by: Theo. LeSieg (Dr. Seuss) , illustrated by: B. Tobey - (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1965) 72 pages.

From the moment my mom ripped out the mail-in coupon from Highlights magazine, I loved receiving my monthly mailing from the “Dr. Seuss Beginning Readers” book club. Of all the books I received, I Wish That I Had Duck Feet was my favorite. Written by Theo. LeSieg (Geisel backwards — a charming pen name Dr. Seuss used when he did not illustrate a title), this funny book is a charmer. Now I grin from ear to ear when my first-grader reads it to me.

Find I Wish That I Had Duck Feet at your local library.

The Little House

by: Virginia Lee Burton - (Houghton Mifflin, 1942) 40 pages.

“The Little House was curious about the city and wondered what it would be like to live there.” She just might find out… This classic book, by the author of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel , asks the reader: What happens when the world around you changes? Seen by some as a commentary on urbanization, this beautifully and simply illustrated book won the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1943.

Find The Little House at your local library.

Fairytale News

by: Colin and Jacqui Hawkins - (Candlewick Press, 2004) 40 pages.

This Irish folktale of Fin M’Coul, his lovely wife Oonagh and his nemesis, the pugilistic giant Cucullin, is a perfect read-aloud. Fin is busy building a causeway to Scotland (still called the Giant’s Causeway today) when he hears that the bully Cucullin is beating up all the other giants and is on his way to add Fin to his list of victims. Oonagh comes to the rescue and with the help of a fairy charm she tricks Cucullin into deciding that Fin is one giant better left alone. The book’s wonderful artwork, sprinkled with pictures of Irish metalwork, gives plenty of personality to the main characters and both charm and Celtic blarney to the tale.

Find Fairytale News at your local library.

Fin M’Coul, The Giant of Knockmany Hill

by: Tomie De Paola - (Holiday House, 1981) 32 pages.

This Irish folktale of Fin M’Coul, his lovely wife Oonagh and his nemesis, the pugilistic giant Cucullin, is a perfect read-aloud. Fin is busy building a causeway to Scotland (still called the Giant’s Causeway today) when he hears that the bully Cucullin is beating up all the other giants and is on his way to add Fin to his list of victims. Oonagh comes to the rescue and with the help of a fairy charm she tricks Cucullin into deciding that Fin is one giant better left alone. De Paola’s wonderful artwork, sprinkled with pictures of Irish metalwork, gives plenty of personality to the main characters and both charm and Celtic blarney to the tale.

Find Fin M’Coul, The Giant of Knockmany Hill at your local library.

by: John Light , illustrated by: Lisa Evans - (Child's Play International, 2002) 32 pages.

Brigg lives in a city of the future where the landscape is all cement, kept clean by giant vacuum systems so that even a mug-full of dust is hard to collect. One day he discovers an image in a book that speaks to his heart: “It showed pictures of the most beautiful shapes and colors, and called them flowers.” He searches the city for traces of this beauty and discovers a pack of seeds at a junk shop. The Flower has a subtlety that intrigues both older and younger children who totally get it. I’ve had wonderful responses — joyful and vigorous affirmations of how they love, love, love flowers. And they draw lots of them after reading this book, so have some paper and crayons handy!

Find The Flower at your local library.

Goldilocks and the Three Martians

by: Stu Smith , illustrated by: Michael Garland - (Dutton Children's Books/Penguin Young Readers Group, 2004) 32 pages.

This fractured tale is about a girl who does not like the rules at home and decides to move to another planet. Children relate to the story line of things not always being pleasant and the occasional desire to escape.

Find Goldilocks and the Three Martians at your local library.

Hot Hot Hot

by: Neal Layton - (Candlewick Press, 2004) 32 pages.

Two woolly mammoths are having trouble adjusting to the warmth, until they come upon the perfect solution, starting a new fashion trend — short hair. Youngsters will enjoy the whimsical illustrations and learning about the one whose hair doesn’t grow back — the caveman.

Find Hot Hot Hot at your local library.

How the Elephant Got Its Trunk

by: Jean Richards , illustrated by: Norman Gorbaty - (Henry Holt, 2003) 32 pages.

Little Elephant is so curious she just has to know what the crocodile eats for dinner. None of her relatives will tell her, so she takes the Kolokolo bird’s advice to go directly to the great, grey-green Limpopo River to ask the reptile in person. A tug of war stretches her snub-nose into a useful trunk that all elephants have to this day, or so the story goes. Richards’ lively tale is a wonderful introduction to classic literature.

Find How the Elephant Got Its Trunk at your local library.

How I Became a Pirate

by: Melinda Long , illustrated by: David Shannon - (Harcourt Children's Books, 2003) 32 pages.

Are you looking for a sea adventure? If your child dreams of treasure and wonders what a pirate’s life might be like then sail away with Jeremy Jacobs and you’ll find out. At first life seems great for Jeremy when he joins Braid Beard and his rambunctious crew. No manners, no bedtime and no nagging to brush your teeth make life on board ship very appealing. But soon Jeremy begins to miss the comforts of home and realizes that a pirate’s life may not be exactly what he wants.

Find How I Became a Pirate at your local library.

Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around

by: Claudia Rueda - (Scholastic, 2006) 32 pages.

This picture book is created from the author’s fond childhood memory of a Spanish play song, and makes a fun game out of getting dressed. The animals in the forest gather and chant “Let’s play in the forest while the wolf is not around” on the left side of the page-spreads, while the wolf is getting himself ready for the morning on the right side. The wolf gets bigger with each piece of clothing he puts on. The animals do play in the forest all the way through the book. When the wolf is finally dressed, his face fills the page and he proclaims, “I am very hungry!” Instead of eating the animals, he eats pancakes his mother made and then goes on his way to school. Rueda includes notes explaining the origins of the song (traditional French and Spanish), as well as the musical notation.

Find Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around at your local library.

Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf

by: Judy Sierra , illustrated by: J. Otto Seibold - (Knopf, 2007) 40 pages.

For years, the Big Bad Wolf (B.B. Wolf) has been living at Villain Villa Senior Center in comfort, receiving nothing in the mail but bills. One day, he gets an invitation to the Annual Storybook Tea at the library. B.B. Wolf, who until this point has never thought out his actions, is at a loss about what to do. Should he go to the tea, or not? After consulting with his good friend Crocodile, he decides to go, but not without taking the necessary precautions. Combining Judy Sierra’s clever storytelling abilities and Seibold’s hilarious and stylized illustrations, Mind Your Manners B.B. Wolf is a sure hit with children and parents alike. The lesson in manners is so subtle, kids won’t realize they are getting one. Make sure to pay attention to the pictures, as they are chock full of silliness!

Find Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf at your local library.

My Lucky Day

by: Keiko Kasza - (G. P. Putnam, 2003) 32 pages.

When you’re a chubby, delicious-looking, but lazy piggy, it takes wiles to get baths, massages, dinner and dessert from predators that had planned to eat you. As Fox waits on the porker paw and foot, and the pig plans his next stop at Bear’s house, the reader discovers whose lucky day it really is.

Find My Lucky Day  at your local library.

Prancing, Dancing Lily

by: Marsha Diane Arnold , illustrated by: John Manders - (Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group, 2004) 32 pages.

Lily’s passion for dance jeopardizes her future as the bell cow. She leaves Mamoo (and the herd, too) to hoof it as a square dancer, Rockette, and ballerina, always sending messages home. A drum and a conga line solve Lily’s leadership quandary.

Find Prancing, Dancing Lily at your local library.

by: David Wiesner - (Clarion Books, 1991) 32 pages.

Frogs. Lots of them. It all starts around 8 p.m. on a Tuesday. Almost totally wordless, Tuesday takes us into a magical, funny and flighty experience. The frogs start their flights of fancy in a three-panel page that shows them sleeping. Then one is surprised by his floating-into-the-air-lily pad, while the rest watch him in delight. A turtle on a log notices something above him. Turn the page, and the frogs are calmly flying by on their magic lily pad carpets! Look for startled fish and harassed birds! The expressions on the frogs’ faces are priceless, and the artwork is bounding with energy. Tuesday won the 1992 Caldecott Medal and was named as an ALA Notable Children’s Book.

Find Tuesday at your local library.

When the Library Lights Go Out

by: Megan McDonald , illustrated by: Katherine Tillotson - (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, 2005) 40 pages.

Have you ever wondered what happens when everyone goes home and the library lights go out? Come join the adventure of Lion and Rabbit when they realize their friend, Hermit Crab, is missing. Could he have been taken by a mighty giant? Will a map of the library help the friends find Hermit Crab? Come along with Lion and Rabbit to find out for yourself!

Find When the Library Lights Go Out at your local library.

Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery

by: Doug Cushman - (Harper Trophy, 1987) 64 pages.

This is a great introduction to the world of mysteries for a proficient beginning reader. In each of these four chapters, Aunt Eater delights in solving mysteries for her friends. Fun illustrations throughout help provide the clues.

Perfect for: Kids who like mysteries.

Find Aunt Eater Loves a Mystery at your local library.

George Washington’s Cows

by: David Small - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994) 40 pages.

Coddled cows upstairs, pigs running the household and lecturing sheep — is it any wonder that George Washington fled home to brave frosty Delaware? Told in rollicking verse and virtuoso watercolors, Small’s book is a model of economy of line and narrative moving so fast you don’t have time to wonder or stop chuckling.

Find George Washington’s Cows at your local library.

Minnie and Moo and the Case of the Missing Jelly Donut

by: Denys Cazet - (Harper Trophy, 2005) 48 pages.

In this installment of the popular Minnie and Moo cow series, a jelly donut is missing and all that’s left behind is a blue feather. Well, the only things around on the farm with feathers are chickens! And so it goes that Minnie and Moo disguise themselves as chickens to get that jelly donut back.

Find Minnie and Moo and the Case of the Missing Jelly Donut at your local library.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy

by: Tedd Arnold - (Cartwheel Books, 2007) 32 pages.

Here’s a creative spin on the classic tale of the old woman who swallowed a fly. It’s highly recommended by first-graders; the pictures help students decode words they otherwise may not know, thereby building their reading confidence.

Find There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy at your local library.

Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing Chameleon

by: Nina Laden - (Chronicle Books, 1995) 32 pages.

Leon the chameleon didn’t come home for dinner last night and his wife is worried! Private I. Guana is on the case. After searching high and low, talking to lizards and salamanders, there’s only one place left to look — the wild and crazy Lizard Lounge. Could that chameleon in the dress on stage be Leon?

Find Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing Chameleon at your local library.

Young Cam Jansen and the Lost Tooth

by: David Adler - (Viking, 1997) 32 pages.

The Young Cam Jansen Series is another excellent beginning book series. This series features Cam, a young detective whose real name is Jennifer. She gets her nickname, Cam, because she has a photographic memory, like a camera. In this story, Cam’s friend has lost a tooth in art class and to her dismay the tooth disappears. Will Cam be able to use her photographic memory to help solve this mystery?

Find Young Cam Jansen & The Lost Tooth at your local library.

Almost to Freedom

by: Vaunda Nelson , illustrated by: Colin Bootman - (Carolrhoda Books, 2003) 40 pages.

This is a moving story set on a plantation in antebellum Virginia. The book deals directly with many of the hardships endured by enslaved African American people in the pre-Civil War South, from verbal and physical abuse by the owners and overseers of the plantation to the terrors of time spent on the dangerous Underground Railway. For children old enough to comprehend some aspects of the historical setting and political situation in the story, this is an emotionally rewarding and ultimately optimistic story.

Find Almost to Freedom at your local library.

365 Penguins

by: Jean Luc Fromental - (Abrams, 2006) 48 pages.

On January 1st, a family is surprised by a delivery: a single penguin from a mysterious sender. What’s more, the delivery continues with one penguin for each day until, by the end of the year, their house is so stuffed with penguins that the family has to celebrate a cold New Year’s Eve out on their front lawn. This picture book is fantastic in more ways than one — the story is imaginative and even includes counting concepts for some educational appeal — and the illustrations really put it over the top; they’re bold and simple with a retro appeal. You could read this book a dozen times and still find a penguin hiding where you’d least expect it.

Find 365 Penguins at your local library.

The Extremely Wintery Winter Activity Kit (Charlie and Lola)

by: Lauren Child - (Dial, 2006) 32 pages.

This Charlie and Lola combo pack includes a puzzle game, snowflake stencils, and a copy of Snow Is My Favorite and My Best . Lola loves snow so much (it is her favorite and her best, after all) that she wants it to never melt. But her big brother Charlie (possibly the most patient big brother in the world) helps her see why snow — just like a birthday — is made even more special by the fact that you can’t have it everyday.

Find The Extremely Wintery Winter Activity Kit (Charlie and Lola) at your local library.

Stella, Queen of the Snow

by: Marie Louise Gay - (Groundwood, 2000) 32 pages.

It’s young Sam’s first snowfall, and he has plenty of questions. Do snow angels sing? Where do snowmen sleep? Luckily for him, his big sister Stella has a seemingly endless supply of imaginative answers. For instance, Sam asks why does breath turn into fog when it’s cold out? Well, according to Stella, that’s because your words freeze and “every word has a different fog shape.” With her quirky outlook and boundless imagination, Stella offers young readers a fun and unconventional take on winter.

Perfect for: Kids with an imagination.

Find Stella, Queen of the Snow at your local library.

Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?

by: Jean Fritz , illustrated by: Trina Hyman - (Penguin Putnam, 1974) 48 pages.

This is a fun story about quirky Sam Adams’s quest for an independent America (his dog’s antics almost steal the spotlight); both writing and artwork have humorous moments.

Find Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? at your local library.

Frankie Stein

by: Lola M. Schaefer , illustrated by: Kevan Atteberry - (Marshall Cavendish Children's Books, 2007) 32 pages.

Frankie Stein is a cute baby, but his parents fear he will never be as scary as they are — until they learn to see him for the unique Stein that he is in this humorous story.

Find Frankie Stein at your local library.

The Giant Hug

by: Sandra Horning , illustrated by: Valeri Gorbachev - (Random House Children's Books, 2005) 32 pages.

Owen sends Granny a hug. He hugs Mr. Nevin at the Post Office, who hugs Mrs. Porter, who hugs someone else … all the way to Granny. The humor associated with each hug passing appeals immensely to children.

Find The Giant Hug at your local library.

Hi! Fly Guy

by: Tedd Arnold - (Scholastic, 2005) 32 pages.

Buzz meets a fly that can say his name and decides it should be his pet. Trying to convince his parents and the judges at a pet contest is another story.

Find Hi! Fly Guy at your local library.

I Lost My Bear

by: Jules Feiffer - (HarperCollins, 1998) 37 pages.

Comic-style pictures and uproarious text keep kids interested. Is it possible for a few words and squiggles to convey both humor and emotion? Presto, chango! Jules Feiffer does the impossible!

Find I Lost My Bear at your local library.

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

by: Kevin Henkes - (Greenwillow, 1996) 32 pages.

Lilly’s pride in her new purse overrides her patience and brings her into conflict with her teacher, whom she loves. Ambivalent emotions, perfectly depicted.

Find Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse at your local library.

by: Alan Katz , illustrated by: Edward Koren - (Margaret K. McElderry, 2008) 176 pages.

If you have a fan of humorous verse in the vein of Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein, crack open Oops! by Alan Katz. He writes poetry based on the wild antics of his four children. Topics such as leaving fingerprints, fighting with siblings, waiting for the school bus and more fill the pages. Oops! features 100 of his hilarious poems with rhymes that will tickle your kid’s funny bone all summer long.

Find Oops! at your local library.

Sally and the Some-Thing

by: George O'Connor - (Roaring Brook Press, 2006) 32 pages.

One boring morning, Sally decides to go fishing and meets a slimy, slithery “some-thing.” Sally is thrilled, and together they do things like make mud pies and have burping contests. Unexpected and beautifully illustrated, this book is a sure delight.

Find Sally and the Some-Thing at your local library.

Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash!

by: Barbara Odanaka , illustrated by: Will Hillenbrand - (Simon & Schuster, 2006) 32 pages.

This book opens simply enough, with two piglets waking up to the pre-dawn sounds of the garbage men making their rounds. The emphasis in these early pages is on the noises made by the trucks, rumbling and roaring like “dragons snoring.” But then the focus turn to the actual garbage — rotten eggs, apple cores, diapers, and so on. Odanaka isn’t afraid to be realistic; her smiley garbage men wear “Greasy gloves . . .sticky boots . . .stains a-plenty on their suits,” and there are flies “a-buzzin’ by the dozen.” Will Hillenbrand’s vivid ink and egg tempera illustrations bring all these stinky details to life — including the truck itself, which gobbles up everything with gusto. There’s a definite gross-out element to the book, but Odanaka’s rhyming text and enthusiastic look at an important job make this entirely suitable for small children.

Find Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! at your local library.

So, What’s It Like to Be a Cat?

by: Karla Kuskin , illustrated by: Betsy Lewin - (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005) 32 pages.

The private lives of cats are explored in this question-and-answer exchange between a precocious young boy and an extremely smart cat. Young readers will be attracted to the rhythmic language and realistic illustrations from the cat’s viewpoint.

Find So, What’s It Like to Be a Cat? at your local library.

Tacky and the Winter Games

by: Helen Lester , illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger - (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) 32 pages.

Everyone is penguin-crazy these days. Who can resist these lovable winter birds? Tacky and his friends have been around since 1990 and, in this newest volume, form Team Nice Icy Land to compete in the Winter Games. Tacky learns that being on a team takes hard work and dedication. The challenge here is to keep from laughing out loud with your child at the silly antics of Tacky and his friends. Hilarious and raucous fun.

Find Tacky and the Winter Games at your local library.

Washday on Noah’s Ark

by: Glen Rounds - (Holiday House, 1985) 32 pages.

Glen Rounds takes the flood story, bends it completely out of shape, and stretches it into a ridiculous, very funny tall tale. Mrs. Noah goes into a snit when a bunch of wild animals lumber aboard and overcrowd the newly finished ark. Nor is her mood improved by the fact that she is unable to wash while it rains. By the 41st day, she is thoroughly disgruntled, and her family is thoroughly dirty. On that first sunshiny morning, she is determined to let nothing stand in her way — most certainly not a minor detail like the lack of a clothesline.

Find Washday on Noah’s Ark at your local library.

by: Peter Golenbock , illustrated by: Paul Bacon - (Voyager Books, 1992) 32 pages.

When Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play baseball in the major league, racial discrimination and segregation were rampant. Despite the protests and prejudice, one teammate named Pee Wee Reese stood up for Jackie. This story about a legendary time in history is important to share with children.

Perfect for: Kids who like to read about real people.

Find Teammates at your local library.

Worm Gets a Job

by: Kathy Caple - (Candlewick Press, 2004) 40 pages.

The cartoon-strip organization of the book guides young readers through the text. They enjoyed following the word bubbles to find out what job the young worm would take on. Children giggled at the results of the worm’s search for employment.

Find Worm Gets a Job at your local library.

Ballerina Girl (My First Reader Series)

by: Kirsten Hall , illustrated by: Anne Kennedy - (Children's Press, 2003) 32 pages.

This book will appeal to the child who dreams of becoming a ballet star. The illustrated verses, repeated sentence structures, and controlled vocabulary make this lively story accessible to beginning readers.

Find Ballerina Girl (My First Reader Series) at your local library.

Out of the Ballpark

by: Alex Rodriguez , illustrated by: Frank Morrison - (HarperCollins, 2007) 32 pages.

The first page of this book reads: “Baseball. Alex lived for it.” This is the perfect read for those kids who are crazy about the sport of baseball and “live for it.” New York Yankees’ superstar Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) tells a fictionalized story about a boy named Alex, who plays in the playoffs and a championship game at the age of 6. The emphasis is on hard work, the spirit of determination and joy in the game. The incidents described in the book are based on experiences from A-Rod’s childhood, and actual photos from his early life are featured at the end of the book.

Perfect for: Kids who like sports.

Find Out of the Ballpark at your local library.

M is for Music

by: Kathleen Krull , illustrated by: Stacey Innerst - (Harcourt Brace, 2003) 56 pages.

Don’t be fooled by the alphabet book format. For older children who love music this book will be a treat.

Perfect for: Kids who like arts.

Find M is for Music at your local library.

by: Metropolitan Museum of Art - (Little, Brown, 2002) 60 pages.

For each letter of the alphabet, four paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have been selected to illustrate a word starting with the letter. The paintings come from ancient to modern times, demonstrating the universality of some subjects, such as apples, cats, games, and light.

Find Museum ABC at your local library.

The Shape Game

by: Anthony Browne - (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003) 32 pages.

With an undercurrent of family humor, the author describes how a family trip to an art museum inspired him to pursue art. The book will challenge children to look for the story and details in paintings they see. Maybe they, too, can play the shape game in an art museum.

Find The Shape Game at your local library.

Mae Jemison

by: Nancy Polette - (Children's Press, 2003) 32 pages.

This is part of the Rookie Biographies Series and includes books about Benjamin Franklin, Neil Armstrong and Amelia Earhart. Rookie Biographies is an excellent series for stronger first-grade readers. The books utilize lyrical language and challenging vocabulary words, but also offer guidance with pronunciation keys and word definitions at the end of each book. The Dr. Mae Jemison biography is one of my favorites because not only was she the first African-American woman to travel into space, but she is an accomplished chemical engineer and jet pilot, making her a truly exciting role model for girls and boys alike.

Find Mae Jemison at your local library.

Picasso and Minou

by: P.I. Maltbie , illustrated by: Pau Estrada - (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2005) 28 pages.

Using beautiful pen and watercolor illustrations that bring the story to life, this book provides information about Pablo Picasso’s life in a way that children will understand. The special friendship and loyalty of Minou, the cat, is heartwarming.

Find Picasso and Minou at your local library.

A Cool Drink of Water

by: Barbara Kerley - (National Geographic Children's Books, 2002) 32 pages.

Lyrical text and thought-provoking photographs of children and their families around the world reveal their relationships to our most basic need: water. The book also includes some simple conservation tips.

Perfect for: Kids who like to learn about other cultures.

Find A Cool Drink of Water at your local library.

Looking After Myself

by: Sarah Levete - (Copper Beech Books, 1998) 24 pages.

This book discusses issues children may face around safety, nutrition and emotions. Read this book with your child as a way to talk about bullying, saying “No” to when something doesn’t feel right, and staying healthy through good nutrition and exercise.

Perfect for: Kids who like staying healthy.

Find Looking After Myself at your local library.

Diary of a Worm

by: Doreen Cronin - (Joanna Cotler Books, 2003) 40 pages.

Doreen Cronin has done it again with this first person narrative told from the point of view of a boy worm. This book introduces the concept of a diary in a fun way. Young readers will identify with all the escapades of a worm, as he interacts with family members, goes to school and vacations at Compost Island. Children will laugh and learn facts in a fun way while learning to appreciate living creatures.

Want to see the movie? Check out the Scholastic video collection Diary of a Worm… And Four More Great Animal Tales , which also includes favorites like Anatole and Frog Goes to Dinner .

Find Diary of a Worm at your local library.

Aliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

by: Meghan McCarthy - (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) 34 pages.

On one level this picture book seems to be a science fiction story of aliens from Mars landing on Earth. It is actually the story of Orson Welles’ famous 1938 live radio broadcast of H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds, which caused panic and hysteria across the country despite broadcast disclaimers that it was only a play. The book begins with a radio announcer explaining the important role that radio played in the lives of Americans during the ’30s, which will probably be surprising to many young readers. McCarthy uses the illustrations to distinguish fact from fiction by presenting real-life scenes in black and white and the fictional radio play in color. The amusing illustrations add to the book’s appeal, with the humans’ buggy eyes looking strangely similar to the buggy eyes of the Martian aliens.

Perfect for: Kids who like history.

Find Aliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast at your local library.

Castle: Medieval Days and Knights

by: Kyle Olmon , illustrated by: Tracy Sabin - (Scholastic, 2006) 6 pages.

There’s lots of info packed into this appealing pop-up. Parents need to know that this pop-up book is so chock-full of historical information that kids won’t be able to take it all in on the first round. A bloodless joust is illustrated, and readers learn about armor and battles. Families can talk about what it must have been like to live during medieval times. They can compare our romantic ideal of castle life with the more stark reality presented in this pop-up.

Find Castle: Medieval Days and Knights at your local library.

Rumble in the Jungle

by: Giles Andreae , illustrated by: David Wojtowycz - (Tiger Tales, 2001) 32 pages.

Preschoolers and kindergartners are sure to fall in love with this rhythmic read aloud. If your little one is mesmerized by animals of the jungle, then this book is a must have. Travel on a jungle adventure with a small group of ants and see what wild animals you may encounter. Could it be a lion, a zebra or an elephant, too? Look inside and a surprise is waiting for you.

Find Rumble in the Jungle at your local library.

The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving

by: Ann McGovern , illustrated by: Elroy Freem - (Scholastic, 1973) 32 pages.

Ann McGovern’s simple text is an excellent way to introduce children to the struggles that the Pilgrims faced during their first year at Plymouth. This book works best as a read-aloud for first-graders because of its third-grade reading level. Curious readers will be mesmerized by the vivid details of life aboard the Mayflower and the building of the colony. The idea of making friends with an Indian named Squanto proves to be even more intriguing. McGovern paints a realistic picture of the hardships the colonists faced and the relationships that were forged with the Indians. Perhaps what is most stunning for young readers is learning about the strict rules and discipline children had to endure in 1623.

Find The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving at your local library.

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

by: Betsy Maestro , illustrated by: Loretta Krupinski - (HarperTrophy, 1994) 32 pages.

Autumn brings colder temperatures, and with it magnificent fall foliage. But why do leaves change colors? This question is explored in Betsy Maestro’s enjoyable picture book. If you’re looking for activities with leaves for your child or places to explore beautiful foliage, this is the book for you.

Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.

Find Why Do Leaves Change Color? at your local library.

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks

by: Margaret Sutherland , illustrated by: Sonja Lamut - (Grosset & Dunlap, 2000) 32 pages.

Thanksgiving is the time of year when we think about what we are truly thankful for. This adorable picture book lends itself well to conversations with your child about the things we should be thankful for. This book is a heartwarming reminder of the true meaning of Thanksgiving: a time to give thanks for friends and family.

Find Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks at your local library.

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling

by: Alison Inches , illustrated by: Pete Whitehead - (Little Simon, 2009) 24 pages.

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle is narrated by the bottle in question as it goes on a journey from a refinery plant to a manufacturing line to a store shelf to a garbage can and finally to a recycling plant, before reemerging, through the wonders of plastic recycling, as a fleece jacket. Readers share the daily experiences and inner thoughts contained in the bottle’s diary entries. The book is entertaining and at the same time eye-opening, pointing out the ecological significance behind consumer products and the resources used to make them.

Find The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling at your local library.

The Beetle Alphabet Book

by: Jerry Pallotta , illustrated by: David Biedrzycki - (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2004) 32 pages.

An informative and fun way for the reader to learn what a beetle is and isn’t. Illustrations help the reader see the unique aspects of the featured beetles. Upper and lowercase letters are included on each page, and there’s subtle humor throughout.

Find The Beetle Alphabet Book at your local library.

Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!

by: Donna Rathmell , illustrated by: Barbara J. Bergwerf (Photographer) - (Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2005) 32 pages.

This photo essay chronicles the rescue, treatment and ultimate release back to the ocean of a critically ill loggerhead sea turtle at the South Carolina Aquarium. Although the author goes beyond describing the turtle’s observable behavior by attributing human emotions to the creature, this book might be comforting to kids going through difficult medical treatment and would certainly be of interest to any young animal lovers. The large print and simple vocabulary format should be accessible for beginning readers.

Perfect for: Kids like science and nature.

Find Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! at your local library.

The Icky Bug Counting Book

by: Jerry Palotta , illustrated by: Ralph Masiello - (Charlesbridge, 1992) 32 pages.

OK, not to be overly technical, but not all of these creepy-crawlies are insects — some are arachnids, diplopods, or crustaceans. But they’re all pretty icky. Author Jerry Palotta chose 26 subjects, including stinkbugs, pill bugs, and periodical cicadas. Not only will kids learn that blister beetles are used for medicine and that honey pot ants make delicious snacks, but discerning readers will also notice that this is an ABC book in reverse, beginning with one zebra swallowtail butterfly and ending with 26 army ants.

Find The Icky Bug Counting Book at your local library.

The Polar Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming

by: Lara Bergen , illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen - (Little Simon, 2008) 24 pages.

Made with recycled paper, this book shows how global warming affects two polar bear cubs and their family. Part of the new, eco-friendly Little Green Books line from Little Simon, The Polar Bears’ Home includes tips for kids on what they can do to help slow down global warming — without scaring them. An upbeat, topical picture book.

Find The Polar Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming at your local library.

by: Simon Holland - (DK Publishing, 2002) 48 pages.

Reptiles are endlessly fascinating to kids, so this book should be appealing to young non-fiction lovers. The book is also packed with fun, interesting facts that kids will love, for example, “A chameleon’s tongue is as long as the rest of its body.” The colorful, eye-catching photos on each page feature these scaly creatures up-close and personal in their natural habitats. Published by Dorling Kindersley, publisher of the wildly popular Eyewitness Series, this series is aimed at a younger group of readers with simpler vocabulary and less text on each page. The meanings of new words are clearly explained in context. If this book is a hit with your child, there are seven more in the Eye Wonder series: Big Cats, Birds, Bugs, Explorer, Mammals, Ocean, Rain Forest, Rivers and Lakes, Space.

Find Reptiles at your local library.

The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

by: Nuria Roca , illustrated by: Rosa M. Curto - (Barron's Educational Series, 2007) 36 pages.

The Three R’s teaches kids the many ways they can reduce pollution and waste and be environmentally conscious. Full of fun illustrations, this book includes four pages of activities followed by a two-page section for parents, explaining the subject in more detail.

Find The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle at your local library.

G is for Golden: A California Alphabet

by: David Domeniconi - (Sleeping Bear Press, 2002) 40 pages.

This rhyming alphabet book provides young readers with facts about every facet of the state of California – its natural history, famous people and interesting landmarks. From Alcatraz to Yosemite to the 21 California missions, children are introduced to many unique features of the Golden State. This book is part of the Discover America State by State series, including E is for Evergreen (Washington), M is for Mayflower (Massachusetts), S is for Sunshine (Florida), and so on, one for each of the 50 states. These books would be a wonderful read before a vacation, a visit to relatives or a move to a new home.

Find G is for Golden: A California Alphabet at your local library.

Uneversaurus

by: Aidan Potts - (David Fickling Books, 2007) 48 pages.

Of all the dinosaur books that have crossed my desk, Uneversaurus (a fun play on a dinosaur’s name: “you never saw us”) never fails to capture attention. The best way to encourage your child to read is to cater to their interests with the books you choose. And what first-grader is not fascinated by dinosaurs? Impressively illustrated and comically written, this book inspires children to draw some of their own scientific conclusions by showing how paleontologists have pieced together facts about dinosaurs over the years. Perfect for a long car or plane ride, Uneversaurus will be a summer favorite.

Find Uneversaurus at your local library.

Why? The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science and the World Around You

by: Catherine Ripley , illustrated by: Scot Ritchie - (Maple Tree Press, 2004) 192 pages.

This book is an excellent resource for any classroom, school or home library! Colorful illustrations accompany the fun and informative text. It’s broken into bite size categories, such as “Bath-time Questions” (e.g., Why is soap so slippery?) and “Kitchen Questions” (e.g., Why do onions make you cry?).

Find Why? at your local library.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by: Judith Viorst , illustrated by: Ray Cruz - (Little Simon, 2014) 34 pages.

Have you ever had a day that you’d rather forget? Then you will certainly be able to relate to poor Alexander when his day starts bad and gets progressively worse as the day goes on. From the moment Alexander wakes up, with gum in his hair, to the disappointment of not getting a surprise in his cereal box, Alexander keeps you laughing as he complains about his horrible day. This is a great book for parents and teachers to read to children when they are having “one of those days!”

Find Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at your local library.

Chameleon, Chameleon

by: Joy Cowley , illustrated by: Nic Bishop - (Scholastic, 2005) 32 pages.

Chameleon, Chameleon lets readers explore the tropical world of Madagascar’s panther chameleon. Nic Bishop’s full-color photography captures the lizard’s unusual appearance and behavior in amazing detail — check out the stop-action shot of the chameleon snaring a caterpillar with its long tongue. The brief text of the book is supplemented by notes on the creature and how the photos were taken.

Find Chameleon, Chameleon at your local library.

by: David McPhail - (Harry N. Abrams, 2007) 32 pages.

The words “You are mostly made of water” start a young boy on a mysterious exploration of that very substance. He moves from fear (“If his cat scratched him, would all the water leak out?”) to kinship (“When he stood on the cliffs, the waves sang to him”) and finally to control (“He was able to toss water from a glass and have it come snapping back, like a yo-yo”). The lack of a name (he is always called “the boy”) and the deliberate cadence of the sentences give this book a sense of universality and solemnity while the luminous images — lit by a strange interior light — lend a dreamlike quality to every scene. This is a book that will appeal to the quiet, inquiring, and introspective child who sees — or seeks — mystery and magic in the everyday world.

Find Water Boy at your local library.

by: Peter H. Reynolds - (Candlewick Press, 2003) 32 pages.

Vashti thinks she can’t draw, so she just stabs a dot in her art paper. Her teacher frames it and puts it by her desk. Encouraged and inspired, Vashti draws increasingly creative dot drawings. Vashti’s story will help kids and parents talk about perfectionism, insecurity, and getting started —”Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”

Perfect for:  Kids who are cautious, particularly about self-expression.

Find The Dot at your local library.

by: Mary Lyn Ray , illustrated by: Maria Frazee - (Beach Lane Books, 2011) 40 pages.

This sweet ode to stars begins and ends with the night sky. In between,  Stars explores all sorts of other places where stars can be found, both literally and figuratively: on pajamas or school papers; in snowflakes or the flowers in a pumpkin patch. A star can transform a stick into a magic wand or a kid into a sheriff. Ray’s simple prose and Frazee’s playful illustrations combine to create a lovely stream-of-consciousness feel that encourages a child’s mind to wander and wonder.

Bottom line : Reading with your child is sure to spark conversation and inspire star-related crafts and a star hunt of your own.

Find Stars at your local library.

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Books For First Grade Readers

Find out how to choose the best books for your first-grade readers and discover loads of great book suggestions..

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Best Books for First-Graders

Whether you're looking for books your early readers can devour on their own or fun read-aloud stories, you'll find a great mix of classics and recent titles in a variety of genres on our list, including fantasy, adventure, humor, mystery, poetry, science, and sci-fi, as well as family and animal tales. And they're all kid-proven to be engaging and entertaining for 6- and 7-year-olds. Happy reading! For more great picks, check out our Best Book Series for Early Readers and Funny Books for Kids .

Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code

Inspiring bio of woman who published first computer code.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Kids will love this account of a boy's bad day.

A Bear Called Paddington

Delightful classic about a bear adopted by a London family.

Bink & Gollie

Friendship flourishes in fun graphic novel for younger set.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Classic morality tale is wildly entertaining.

Dory Fantasmagory: Book 1

Funny, relatable tale of 6-year-old with wild imagination.

Dragons and Marshmallows: Zoey and Sassafras, Book 1

Girl solves fun mystery with science, magic, and her cat.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Book 1

Inspiring, kid-friendly tales of extraordinary women.

I Am Sonia Sotomayor: Ordinary People Change the World

Positive messages in engaging bio of Supreme Court justice.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

Inspiring bio of Supreme Court justice empowers girls.

Ivy + Bean, Book 1

Friendship tale a sure hit with kids starting chapter books.

Judy Moody Was in a Mood

Funny take on third grade life and friendships.

Kitty Book Series

Girl with cat-like superpowers has fun, daring adventures.

Little Robot

Sweet, surprising story of friendship and courage.

Magic Tree House Series

Fun, educational chapter books have something for everyone.

Mindy Kim Series

Warm series about Korean American girl's life in new town.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

1939 Newbery Honor book is both tender and funny.

Nate the Great Series

Nate solves neighborhood mysteries in fun new-reader series.

P Is for Pterodactyl: The WORST Alphabet Book Ever

Wacky alphabet book pokes fun at silent letters and more.

Polly Diamond and the Magic Book

Girl learns words, family matter in fun, imaginative story.

Other great lists from our editors

• Funny Books for Kids
• Graphic Novels and Memoirs
• Books with Characters of Color
• Books with Strong Female Characters
• Books for Boys
• How to Raise a Reader
• How Comics Helped My Kid Love Reading
• Practical Tips for Parents of Exceptional Readers

Book Review Writing

Introduction.

If you love to read, at some point you will want to share a book you love with others. You may already do this by talking about books with friends. If you want to share your ideas with more people than your circle of friends, the way you do that is by writing a review. By publishing the reviews you write, you can share your ideas about books with other readers around the world.

It's natural for young readers to confuse book reviews with book reports, yet writing a book review is a very different process from writing a book report. Book reports focus on the plot of the book. Frequently, the purpose of book reports is to demonstrate that the books were read, and they are often done for an assignment.

A book review is a totally different task. A book review's purpose is to help people decide whether or not the book would interest them enough to read it. Reviews are a sneak peek at a book, not a summary. Like wonderful smells wafting from a kitchen, book reviews lure readers to want to taste the book themselves.

This guide is designed to help you become a strong book reviewer, a reader who can read a book and then cook up a review designed to whet the reading appetites of other book lovers.

Form: What should the review look like?

How long should it be.

The first question we usually ask when writing something is "How long should it be?" The best answer is "As long as it takes," but that's a frustrating answer. A general guideline is that the longer the book, the longer the review, and a review shouldn't be fewer than 100 words or so. For a long book, the review may be 500 words or even more.

If a review is too short, the review may not be able to fulfill its purpose. Too long, and the review may stray into too much plot summary or lose the reader's interest.

The best guide is to focus less on how long to write and more on fulfilling the purpose of the review.

How Do You Create A Title?

The title of the review should convey your overall impression and not be overly general. Strong titles include these examples:

• "Full of action and complex characters"
• "A nail-biter that will keep you up all night"
• "Beautiful illustrations with a story to match"
• "Perfect for animal lovers"

Weak titles may look like this:

• "Really good book"
• "Three stars"
• "Pretty good"
• "Quick read"

How Should It Begin?

Although many reviews begin with a short summary of the book (This book is about…), there are other options as well, so feel free to vary the way you begin your reviews.

In an introductory summary, be careful not to tell too much. If you retell the entire story, the reader won't feel the need to read it him/herself, and no one appreciates a spoiler (telling the end). Here are some examples of summaries reviewers from The New York Times have written:

"A new picture book tells a magically simple tale of a lonely boy, a stranded whale and a dad who rises to the occasion."

"In this middle-grade novel, a girl finds a way forward after the loss of her mother."

"Reared by ghosts, werewolves and other residents of the hillside cemetery he calls home, an orphan named Nobody Owens wonders how he will manage to survive among the living having learned all his lessons from the dead. And the man Jack — who killed the rest of Nobody's family — is itching to finish the job."

"In vivid poems that reflect the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, an award-winning author shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South." Other ways to begin a review include:

• Quote: A striking quote from the book ("It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.") can make for a powerful beginning. This quote begins George Orwell's novel 1984 .
• Background: What makes this book important or interesting? Is the author famous? Is it a series? This is This is how Amazon introduces Divergent : "This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy is the novel the inspired the major motion picture."
• Interesting Fact: For nonfiction books in particular, an interesting fact from the book may create a powerful opening for a review. In this review of The Middle East by Philip Steele, Zander H. of Mid-America Mensa asks, "Did you know that the Saudi Arabia's Rub' al-Khali desert reaches temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the day and plummets to the freezing point at night?"
• Explanation of a term: If a word or phrase in the book or title is confusing or vitally important to understand, you may wish to begin the review explaining that term.

Process: What should I write about?

Deciding what to say about the book can be challenging. Use the following ideas as a guide, but remember that you should not put all of this into a single review — that would make for a very long review! Choose the things that fit this particular book best.

General Information What the reader ought to know

• What kind of book is it? (Picture book? Historical fiction? Nonfiction? Fantasy? Adventure?)
• Does the book belong to a series?
• How long is the book? Is it an easy or a challenging read?
• Is there anything that would be helpful for the reader to know about the author? For instance, is the author an expert in the field, the author of other popular books, or a first-time author?
• How does the book compare to other books on the same topic or in the same genre?
• Is the book written in a formal or informal style? Is the language remarkable in any way?
• What ages is the book geared to?
• Is the book written in normal prose? If it is written in poetic form, does it rhyme?

Plot What happens?

Writing about the plot is the trickiest part of a review because you want to give the reader a feel for what the book is about without spoiling the book for future readers. The most important thing to remember is that you must never give away the ending. No one likes a spoiler.

One possibility for doing this is to set up the premise (A brother and a sister find themselves lost in the woods at the mercy of an evil witch. Will they be able to outsmart her and escape?). Another possibility is to set up the major conflict in the book and leave it unresolved (Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part or He didn't know what he stood to lose or Finding your purpose in life can be as easy as finding a true friend.)

Try to avoid using the tired phrase "This book is about…" Instead, just jump right in (The stuffed rabbit wanted more than anything to live in the big old house with the wild oak trees.)

Characters Who lives in the book?

Reviews should answer questions about the characters in fiction books or non-fiction books about people. Some possible questions to answer include:

• Who are the main characters? Include the protagonist and antagonist.
• What makes them interesting?
• Do they act like real people act or are they too good or too evil to be believable?
• Are they human?
• What conflicts do they face?
• Are they likeable or understandable?
• How do they connect with each other?
• Do they appear in other books?
• Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
• What problems did the main characters face?
• Who was your favorite character, and why?
• We learn about characters from things they do and say, as well as things other characters say about them. You may wish to include examples of these things.

Theme What is the book about at its heart?

What is the book really about? This isn't the plot, but rather the ideas behind the story. Is it about the triumph of good over evil or friendship or love or hope? Some common themes include: change, desire to escape, facing a challenge, heroism, the quest for power, and human weaknesses.

Sometimes a book will have a moral — a lesson to learn. If so, the theme is usually connected to that moral. As you write about the theme, try to identify what makes the book worth reading. What will the reader think about long after the book is finished? Ask yourself if there any particular lines in the book that strike you as meaningful.

Setting Where are we?

The setting is the time and place the story occurs. When you write about the setting in a review, include more than just the location. Some things to consider:

• Is the book set in the past, present or future?
• Is it set in the world we know or is it a fantastical world?
• Is it mostly realistic with elements of fantasy (animals that can talk, for example)?
• Is the setting unclear and fuzzy, or can you easily make the movie in your mind?
• How much does the author draw you into the setting and how does s/he accomplish that?

Opinion & Analysis What do you really think?

This is where the reviewer shares his/her reactions to the book that go beyond the essential points described above. You may spend half of the review on this section. Some possible questions to address include:

• Why do you think other readers would enjoy it? Why did you enjoy it (if you did) or why didn't you (if you didn't).
• What ages or types of readers do you think would like the book?
• How does it compare with other books that are in the same genre or by the same author?
• Does the book engage your emotions? If a book made you laugh or cry or think about it for days, be sure to include that.
• What do you like or dislike about the author's writing style? Is it funny? Is it hard to follow? Is it engaging and conversational in tone?
• How well do you think the author achieved what s/he was going for in the writing of the book? Do you think you felt what the author was hoping you would feel?
• Did the book feel complete, or did it feel as though key elements were left out?
• How does the book compare to other books like it you've read?

Are there parts that are simply not believable, even allowing for the reader's understanding that it is fiction or even fantasy?

• Are there mistakes?
• Would you describe the book as for entertainment, self-improvement, or information?
• What was your favorite part of the book?
• Would you have done anything differently had you been the author?
• Would any reader enjoy this book? If not, to what ages or type of reader would it appeal?

Special situations: Nonfiction and young reviewers

Some of the tips and ideas above work best for fiction, and some of it is a little too complicated for very young reviewers.

Nonfiction What to do if it's real

When reviewing a book of nonfiction, you will want to consider these questions:

• What was the author's purpose in writing the book? Did the author accomplish that purpose?
• Who is the target audience for the book?
• What do you think is the book's greatest value? What makes it special or worthwhile?
• Are the facts shared accurate?
• Is the book interesting and hold your attention?
• Would it be a useful addition to a school or public library?
• If the book is a biography or autobiography, how sympathetic is the subject?
• Is it easy to understand the ideas?
• Are there extra features that add to the enjoyment of the book, such as maps, indexes, glossaries, or other materials?
• Are the illustrations helpful?

Young Reviewers Keeping it simple

Reviewing a book can be fun, and it's not hard at all. Just ask yourself these questions:

• What is the book about? You don't need to tell the whole story over — just give an idea of what it's about.
• Do you think other people would like it?
• Did you think it was funny or sad?
• Did you learn something from the book?
• l Did you think it was interesting?
• Would you want to read it again?
• Would you want to read other books by the same author or about the same subject?
• What was your favorite part?
• Did you like the pictures?

Remember! Don't give away the ending. Let's keep that a surprise.

General Tips & Ideas

Use a few quotes or phrases (keep them short) from the book to illustrate the points you make about the book. If there are illustrations, be sure to comment on those. Are they well done? Has the illustrator done other well-known books?

Make sure you include a conclusion to the review — don't leave it hanging. The conclusion can be just one sentence (Overall, this book is a terrific choice for those who…).

You can use the transition word handout at the end of the Writer's Toolbox to find ideas for words to connect the ideas in your review. If you would like to read some well-written reviews, look for reviews of books for young people at The New York Times or National Public Radio .

Rating Books How to award stars?

Most places you post reviews ask you to rate the book using a star system, typically in a range of from one to five stars. In your rating, you should consider how the book compares to other books like it. Don't compare a long novel to a short poetry book — that's not a valid comparison.

It's important to remember that it's not asking you to only give five stars to the very best books ever written.

• 5 Stars: I'm glad I read it or I loved it (this doesn't mean it was your favorite book ever).
• 4 Stars: I like it. It's worth reading.
• 3 Stars: It wasn't very good.
• 2 Stars: I don't like it at all.
• 1 Star: I hate it.

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1st Grade Books for Summer Reading

This post may contain affiliate links.

Keep your soon-to-be or leaving 1st (first) graders, ages 6 and 7, practicing their growing reading skills with the best  1st grade books  for summer reading. I’ve curated a list of 1st grade books for your students and kids that they’ll love — and that will keep them reading all summer long. I’m a former teacher and literacy trainer, mom of two, writer, and book blogger who reads over 1,000 books a year. I know the best new releases and the not-to-be-missed timeless classics, too. Based on my teaching background, I can tell you what books for kids are appropriate for growing readers.

These are favorite  early reader books  for beginning readers, from the easiest books with a few words per page to beginning  chapter books  with a sentence per page. (For my kids, this was first grade, but for some kids, it’s earlier and for other children, it’s later. All stages of growth are fine!)

You can find harder books on my  summer reading list for 2nd graders  and more books and reviews for  5- and 6- year olds here .

Keep your first grade kids reading lots and lots of books this summer vacation!

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1st Grade Books for Summer Reading List (Ages 6 – 7)

If your 1st grade child loves a book, get more books by the same author or in the same series . Keep them reading as much as you can!

Early Reader Books for 1st Grade Summer Reading

This list of easy readers is 1st grade books with only  a few words per page , perfect for kids who are entering first grade and just beginning to read.

Sight words and high frequency words are important at this stage. Read  8 strategies for how to teach sight words beyond memorization.

If your 1st grader is looking for funny early reader books , try these good book recommendations:

• My Toothbrush is Missing  by Jan Thomas
• What is Chasing Duck? by Jan Thomas
• Figgy and Boone: Best Brother Ever  by Janee Trasler
• Pig Makes Art  by Laura Gehl
• Friends Do Not Eat Friends (Thunder and Cluck)  by Jill Esbaum
• We Are in a Book   by Mo Willems (all Elephant and Piggie books are fantastic!)
• I’m On It (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading)  by Andrea Tsurumi
• Ed and Ted and Ted’s Dog Fred  by Andy Griffiths
• Hi, Jack! by Mac Barnett & Greg Pizzoli
• That Egg is Mine  by Liz Goulet Dubois
• Let’s Make Cake (Bobo and Pup Pup)  by Vikram Madan

If your 1st grade child likes stories about daily life and friendship , try:

• I Did It!   by Michael Emberley
• Ruby and the Magic Garden (Fairy Hill)  by Cari Meister
• We Are Growing by Laurie Keller
• Don’t Worry, BEE Happy by Ross Burach
• Frog Meets Dog  by Janee Trasler
• Big Cat   by Ethan Long
• The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat
• Trucktown   by Jon Scieszka
• Peach and Plum Here We Come!  by Tim McCanna (graphic novel)
• Emerson Is Mighty Girl!  by Meredith Rusu
• Kit and Kaboodle Take the Train  by Michelle Portice
• Unlimited Squirrels in I Lost My Tooth!  by Mo Willems
• Nick and Nack Fly a Kite  by Brandon Budzi
• Pass the Ball, Mo!  by David A. Adler
• Do You Like My Bike? (Hello, Hedgehog!)  by Norm Feuti
• The Great Bunk Bed Battle  by Tina Kugler

If your 1st grade reader likes  animal stories , try these 1st grade books:

• Slow, Slow Sloths by Bonnie Bader
• Am I a Frog?  by Lizzy Rockwell
• Little Big Horse   by Dave Horowitz
• We Dig Worms by Kevin McCloskey
• The Lost Kitten (Katie Fry, Private Eye)  by Katherine Cox
• Lazy Bear, Crazy Bear by Kevin Bolger
• Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick & David Serlin
• Goat Wants to Eat  by Laura Gehl
• Guinness World Records Daring Dogs  by Cari Meister
• Snails Are Just My Speed!  by Kevin McCloskey

Go here for want MORE easy readers with reviews for first grade age children .

Picture Books for 1st Grade Readers

Picture books are always great book choices for 1st graders because they can be read independently or read as read alouds. Hopefully, you are still reading aloud to your 6 year olds 10 – 20 minutes a day. If you’re not, summer is a great time to start this important literacy practice.

• Izmelda The Fairest Dragon of Them All!  by Joan Marr
• Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A (Not So) Serious Guide  by Abi Cushman
• How to Get Your Octopus to School   by Becky Scharnhorst
• Stinkbird Has a Superpower  by Jill Esbaum
• 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli   by  David LaRochelle
• A Bucket of Questions  by Tim Fita
• Octopuses Have Zero Bones  by Anne Richardson
• Knight Owl   by Christopher Denise
• Pineapple Princess  by Saina Hahn
• Poo-Dunit? A Forest Floor Mystery  by Katelyn Aronson
• Ways to Make Friends  by Jairo Buitrago
• Gibberish   by Young Vo
• Dodos Are Not Extinct! They’re Just in Disguise  by Paddy Donnelly
• Don’t Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog)  by Mike Boldt
• Pizza with Everything on It  by Kyle Scheele
• Looking for a Jumbie  by Tracey Baptiste
• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners  by Joanna Ho
• El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!   by Donna Barba Higuera
• Except Antarctica!  by Todd Sturgell
• The Little Butterfly That Could   by Ross Burach
• Connor Kissed Me  written by Zehava

Easiest Chapter Books for 1st Grade

Easy chapter books have pictures with words. The easiest chapter books for 1st grade readers have just a few sentences per page. Try these fantastic 1st grade books with chapters…

(If you want to read my reviews of each 1st grade book, go here .)

• Fly Guy   by Tedd Arnold 
• See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle 
• An Elephant & Piggie Biggie! by Mo Willems
• See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat  by David LaRochelle

First Grade Easy Chapter Books for Summer Reading

Easy chapter books have bigger text with pictures every few pages. These books listed range from middle of 1st grade to beginning of second-grade reading levels.

( Go here for 2nd-grade chapter book list. )

If your first grader likes animal main characters , read:

• Kitty and Dragon by Meika Hashimoto
• Pug Blasts Off (Diary of a Pug) by Kyla May
• Owly: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton
• Fenway and the Bone Thieves  by Victoria J. Coe
• Doggo & Pupper  by Katherine Applegate
• Narwhal Unicorn of the Sea  by Ben Clanton
• The Cozy Home  written by Ame Dyckman
• Orris and Timble The Beginning  written by Kate DiCamillo
• Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Looking for 1st grade books about  superheroes and magic ? Try one of these choices…

• Princess in Black  by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
• Bo’s Magical New Friend (Unicorn Diaries)  by Rebecca Elliott
• Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West
• Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue by Paula Harrison
• Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero by Kara West
• Kung Pow Chicken by Cindi Marko

If your 1st grade children like  funny books , try:

• Smell My Foot (Chick and Brain)  by Cece Bell
• Monkey Me by Timothy Roland
• Moldylocks and the Three Beards by Noah Z. Jones
• The Infamous Ratsos by Kara Lareau
• Geeger the Robot Goes to School by Jarret Lerner
• Nugget and Hot Dog  by Jason Tharp

If your 1st grade kids like realistic books , read:

• Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqui
• Cornbrea d & Poppy by Matthew Cordell
• Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliott
• Happy Paws: Layla and the Bots by Vicky Fang
• The Party and Other Stories (Fox and Chick)  by Sergio Ruzzier

If your 1st graders like adventure and mystery books , try:

• Press Start! Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy!  by Thomas Flintham
• Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot #1 by Dav Pilkey
• Notebook of Doom #1 by Troy Cummings
• King and Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth  by Dori Hillestad Butler

If your 1st graders like nonfiction books , try:

• Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh 
• Jungle Animals  by Camilla Gersh
• Amazing D o gs  by Laura Buller
• Fly Guy Presents Snakes  by Tedd Arnold

DON’T MISS THESE:

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Activity Books for Kids

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Book Series for 1st Graders

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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Hi. Do you have a printable list that you can link?

Hmmm — my forms must not be working properly today. Here you go: https://imaginationsoup.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1st-Grade-Summer-Reading-List-.pdf

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Best-Selling Books for Kids in First Grade

Support your child’s reading comprehension skills with these widely-acclaimed books..

First grade is a key year for literacy development as kids strengthen their early reading skills and begin to make the leap from picture books to beginner chapter books . Age-appropriate resources like this list of best-selling books for first graders will set your child up for academic success in first grade and beyond — and instill in them a lifelong love of reading.

By first grade, your child may be able to read simple books aloud, retell familiar stories, recognize an increasing number of sight words , decode major sounds in words, and write some words. However, at this time, children are still developing their visualization and reading comprehension skills . These widely-loved titles will help them strengthen those abilities! That’s because they include engaging images that provide plenty of context clues to help children connect the dots while reading, even as they explore more text-heavy titles. 

For instance, Pig the Pug: Pig the Slob  will have your child giggling and learning valuable lessons about how to stay active rather than being a couch potato. Meanwhile, book packs like  Owl Diaries #1-10 Collection (Pack of 10)  are specifically curated to bridge the gap between picture books and chapter books. Your child will enjoy the relatable characters and engaging stories.

Shop best-selling books for first graders below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store .

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Reading Middle Grade

Books for Kids and Grown Ups

The Best Chapter Books for 1st Graders

If you enjoyed my list of books for 1st graders (and were wishing for more chapter book options), you’ll love this list of chapter books for 1st graders! Once first graders start reading, I find that they can grasp pretty much the same kinds of books as second graders. But for this list, I chose mostly fully illustrated books with simpler text and easier-to-follow stories that appeal to younger, newer readers. These are all funny, tried-and-true books with different options to match your reader’s interests.

Get the printable! Pop your email in the box below to get a copy of this list sent to your email.

20 Charming Chapter Books for 1st Graders

Here are 20 lovely chapter books for the 1st graders in your life:

The Bad Guys

Published: December 27, 2016

Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark look scary, and they have a reputation for being bad guys, but Mr. Wolf has a plan to rebrand their reputation by doing some good deeds such as rescuing a cat stuck in a tree and breaking two hundred dogs out of a Dog Pound. He just needs to make sure Mr. Snake doesn’t swallow Mr. Piranha. This hilarious chapter book breaks the fourth wall often and will crack up young readers ages 5-8.

Cornbread & Poppy

Published:  January 4, 2022

Meet Cornbread and Poppy! These two mice besties are as different as night and day. Cornbread loves to plan, while Poppy would rather live on the edge. But now, winter is here, and while Cornbread is fully stocked with supplies to last the entire season, Poppy has… nothing. So the two decide to go up the intimidating Mount Holler (or Mont Brouhaha if you read the French version like I did). There, they meet a new friend and reunite with an old one. This book is cozy, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny.

Orris and Timble: The Beginning

Published: April 30, 2024

In this forthcoming early chapter book by Kate DiCamillo, Orris is a mouse who lives alone in an abandoned barn with his three favorite collectibles: a pair of red velvet slippers, one sardine can, and a bright yellow marble ball. Enter Timble. One night, Orris hears an owl’s cry for help and rescues him. The two become hesitant friends in this first installment of the series (after all, owls eat mice). This book feels like a classic waiting to happen, and the illustrations are gorgeous, as is DiCamillo’s spare prose and rich characterization.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

Published: August 23, 2005

Mercy Watson is a darling pig who loves her owners, but when she saves them during a nighttime emergency, they become convinced that she’s a porcine wonder! Don’t tell anyone, but this is not my favorite chapter book series. Still, kids just adore it, so I always recommend it. The audio is quite delightful and under 20 minutes long.

The Gumazing Gum Girl! Chews Your Destiny

Published: August 20, 2013

Meet Gabby Gomez, gum lover! Gabby loves chewing gum, even if her Mami has warned her many times to stop. Well, one day, Gabby gets gum stuck in her hair, and Mami’s had it: No more gum for Gabby! When Gabby tries to sneak a piece of gum one day, an accident involving a gum bubble and electricity leads to her developing stretch-tastic superpowers. Now, Gabby has to hide both her love for gum and her powers. This chapter book is funny and will make for an exciting readaloud for 1st graders. It includes monochrome (red and white) illustrations on nearly every page.

Ty Travels: All Aboard

Published:  September 1, 2020

Ty wants to play but everyone’s busy. Mom’s folding laundry, Dad’s in the kitchen, and big brother Corey is doing homework. So Ty takes matters into his own hands with imaginative play that lures the family to join in. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and the text is full of simple sentences that many 1st graders can read on their own.

Princess in Black

Published:  October 14, 2014

Who doesn’t love a secret superhero, especially when she’s a princess too? Princess Magnolia has two identities. She’s a pink-wearing princess who drinks tea with the Duchess, but she’s also the Princess in Black, a monster-fighting superhero who saves the day at the ring of her monster alarm. Will the Duchess learn her secret? This is a fun romp of a series, and the pictures are charming.

Gnome and Rat

Published: June 13, 2023

Gnome and Rat are besties in this new chapter book series, a la Bear and Bird and Cornbread and Poppy. This one is a graphic novel-style charmer, containing several stories following the duo through their day-to-day adventures. Super cute and good for new readers.

Owl Diaries: Eva’s Treetop Festival

Published: January 6, 2015

In this adorable chapter book series, kids meet a cute owl named Eva! One day when she’s bored, she comes up with a grand idea to organize a spring festival. But she quickly realizes that she’s in over her head and has to learn for help. I liked the diary format, bright illustrations, and handwriting font and I think it’s a great way to introduce younger readers to the format.

Moldylocks and the Three Beards (Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe #1)

Published: April 29, 2014

Princess Pink isn’t a princess — that’s just her first name, and yes, her surname is “Pink” even though she detests the color. When she falls into a fantastical land through her fridge, Princess meets Moldylocks, an off-center version of Goldilocks and they end up trapped in the home of the three Beards. This graphic-prose hybrid is a reimagining of the popular fairytale that will make readers giggle.

Bink & Gollie

Published: September 14, 2010

Bink and Gollie are unlikely friends, one short, one tall. Both girls are strong-willed and disagree often. Yet, what they share is a love for speeding by on rollerskates and, of course, each other. Readers join them on three adventures in this first book: a pair of blindingly bright socks, a perilous Andes hike, and a goldfish who might take Gollie’s place. This is so quirky and though has some complex words, kids will love having it read to them.

Judy Moody & Friends: Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble

Published: February 11, 2014

Jessica Finch is eagerly anticipating her next birthday, hoping that perhaps her parents will get her a pig. She wants her friend Judy Moody to join her in anticipating, but Judy’s acting off. Angrily, Jessica univites her from her party. But she soon finds out that things were not as she’d thought. This is an easy-to-read book that will engage animal-loving 1st graders.

Camila the Record-Breaking Star

Published: January 1, 2021

Camila who has always wanted to be  una estrella  discovers that one way she can do this is by breaking a world record, but which one? After much thought and many failed tries, she finally finds the perfect thing for her. She’s not going to break any previously set records; she’ll set hers instead! With highlighted Spanish words and phrases interspersed throughout the story and a useful glossary at the end of the book, this is a great way to help kids learn and remember simple Spanish words.

Press Start series

This is a fun series set in a video game world. Singing Dog is a happy character who brings joy and fun to the land, unlike the King Viking who is vehemently against fun and goes as far as dognapping Singing Dog. It’s now up to Super Rabbit Boy to save the day. This is a funny, but adventure-filled series for kids who love video games and superheroes.

Cranky Chicken

Published: September 7, 2021

Cranky Chicken is, well, cranky. With one cranky eyebrow, cranky eyes, and even cranky, scratchy feet. But then, one day, Cranky meets a very friendly worm named Speedy, who wants nothing more than to be friends. Young readers will love seeing the mismatched friendship grow over the course of three charming and laugh-out-loud short adventures as Chicken and Speedy become BFFs (Best Feathered Friends) and Speedy shows Chicken how to look on the bright side.

Henry, Like Always: Book 1

Published:  March 21, 2023

Henry likes things to be as they’ve always been, so when a parade leads to a schedule change for his classroom, he has a hard time adjusting. With the help of flexible classmates and a gentle teacher, Henry figures out how to make changes work better for him. This is a gentle story perfect for kids with sensory issues or those on the autism spectrum.

Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash

Published: October 17, 2023

The duck in this story wants to be a detective so badly that all her friends know her penchant for solving mysteries. Detective Duck is not your average duck. Her dad is a beaver, and her friends at the Dogwood Pond where she lives include a dragonfly, frogs, and a book-loving salamander. When a huge object lands in the pool, disrupting the residents’ daily lives, it’s up to Duck to solve the case and save their home. This one is fantastic on audio and has inspiring environmental connections without being TOO on the nose.

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive

Published: August 26, 2014

Leroy Ninker has a hat, a lasso, and boots. What he doesn’t have is a horse — until he meets Maybelline, that is, and then it’s love at first sight. Maybelline loves spaghetti and sweet nothings, and she loves Leroy, too. But when Leroy forgets the third and final rule of caring for Maybelline, disaster ensues. Can Leroy wrestle fate to the ground, rescue the horse of his heart, and lasso loneliness for good? Join Leroy, Maybelline, and a cast of familiar characters — Stella, Frank, Mrs. Watson, and everyone’s favorite porcine wonder, Mercy — for some hilarious and heartfelt horsing around on Deckawoo Drive.

Sophie Mouse

Published: January 20, 2015

Join Sophie Mouse and her forest friends in Silverlake Forest as they make a new friend, look for special emerald berries, learn to swim at Forget-Me-Not Lake, build a fort at Butterfly Brook, and more! This is a beloved series with easy to read text and beautiful illustrations.

Charlie & Mouse: Book 1

Published: April 11, 2017

Brothers Charlie and Mouse have three adventures in this illustrated chapter book series. First they go to a special playground party, then they sell rocks to make money, and finally request bedtime bananas. The stories are silly and cute and will feel relatable to 1st graders. I also love the sweet sibling relationship these two have.

There they are: 20 of the best chapter books for 1st graders! Which of these books have you read and loved? What did I miss?

More Books for 1st Graders

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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Teaching Resources

Writing Reviews in 1st or 2nd Grade: Opinion Writing Fun!

susanjones June 20, 2014 5 Comments

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A few samples:

A few anchor charts and to help students reference throughout the unit.

Just one of 3 different activities to help students practice reviewing things! There are 3 more sheets of review cards, along with blank ones for you to fill in reviewable items. My kids loved doing these as warm up activities and they can be used for quick writing prompts as well. The other 2 activities are a toy review and a food tasting. I can tell you the students loved all three!

Some of the “parts of a review” mini reference posters to use throughout the units. I also typed up two different student examples from this year and put them into this unit for reference. They are exemplar pieces, but the students love seeing what they are striving for by the end of this unit.

Plenty of graphic organizers, paper choices, as well as class book covers to use as you please throughout  this unit.

Like in all of my writing packs, this one also has editing and revision checklists (individual and partner choices) as well as a rubric at the end to use for assessment purposes!

My kids and I truly loved this little unit and if you like the set up of my other writing packs, I think you will enjoy this as well. Click on the picture above and download the preview to see more of what is offered in the unit.

As always, Happy Writing!

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Reader Interactions

June 20, 2014 at 7:46 pm

Very cute pack about writing reviews. Makes writing reviews a ton of fun! 🙂 -Lovely Nina Lovely Nina Designs

June 20, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Can I just say that I LOVE THIS?!?! I saw your Facebook post about it & was so excited you made another writing unit! I have your Common Core packet & Through the Seasons packet and love them!

We have the full Lucy Calkins curriculum at my school as well. While I'm happy to have it, I agree that I want more to use with it. This fits in perfectly with the review section of opinion writing! I would love to know more about how you integrate your units within Lucy's units of study.

Shelby First Time Firstie

June 20, 2014 at 11:11 pm

I love this! You have the BEST BEST BEST writing units out there for primary! I have them all and am excited to add this to the mix! I'm sure the kids will love it, too! 🙂 Thank you for all your hard work!!

Katie Smiles from Second Grade

June 21, 2014 at 9:18 pm

Thanks Susan! I am always looking for strong writing products and I love your others. I didn't know you are in Massachusetts. I was born and raised in Rhode Island and have been in Florida for 20 years! (OK, that makes me REALLY old:) I can't wait to visit family up there in a few weeks. Enjoy your summer.

Tammy The Resourceful Apple

July 2, 2014 at 9:31 pm

So fun to stumble upon a blog that uses Lucy and TCRWP's Units of Study! I just completed my master's program and studied under Lucy. She and all the Staff Developers are so dang good! I entered the program not knowing much about TCRWP's workshop model, but I left with a mind that's too full. 🙂 I hope you get to attend the summer institutes some time. Even though, I'm an upper grades teacher, I look forward to reading more about the UOS in your classroom.

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Opinion Writing Unit

Hello friends.

Welcome to Susan Jones Teaching. When it comes to the primary grades, learning *All Things* in the K-2 world has been my passion for many years! I just finished my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and love sharing all the latest and greatest strategies I learn with you through this blog and my YouTube channel! I hope you'll enjoy learning along with me :)

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How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

⭐ Make  MOVIES A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM  with this engaging collection of tasks and tools your students will love. ⭐ All the hard work is done for you with  NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

This collection of  21 INDEPENDENT TASKS  and  GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS  takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a  SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even  VIDEO GAMES.

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

Introduce your students to 21st-century learning with this GROWING BUNDLE OF 101 EDITABLE & PRINTABLE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS. ✌ NO PREP REQUIRED!!! ✌ Go paperless, and let your students express their knowledge and creativity through the power of technology and collaboration inside and outside the classroom with ease.

Whilst you don’t have to have a 1:1 or BYOD classroom to benefit from this bundle, it has been purpose-built to deliver through platforms such as ✔ GOOGLE CLASSROOM, ✔ OFFICE 365, ✔ or any CLOUD-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM.

Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

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25 Teacher-Approved First Grade Workbooks

Additional practice for science, math, reading, and more!

What’s the secret to finding the right first grade workbook? Kids really love things that are colorful, engaging, and include helpful illustrations. We’ve put together our list of best first grade workbooks that include all of these elements PLUS good teacher reviews!

Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!

Best Math First Grade Workbooks

Spectrum math workbook 1st grade.

This 160-page, six-chapter workbook covers fact fmilies, adding, and subtracting through 100. Students will also work on composing 2-D and 3-D shapes, place value, comparing numbers, and taking measurements.

Real review: “This is a good book for first graders starting out to supplement their school curriculum. The illustrations are cute, fun, and well done and support the lessons’ critical thinking components.”

Star Wars Workbook: 1st Grade Math

This workbook aligns with Common Core standards and reinforces key math concepts, including addition and subtraction, counting by ones and skip counting, two-dimensional shapes, and more.

Real review: “The content is good and grade-appropriate, and it even encourages some stretch work that I wouldn’t expect from a first-grader.”

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1st Grade Jumbo Math Success Workbook

You’ll have three books in one with this great workbook that’s jam-packed with 320 pages of kid-friendly, teacher-reviewed exercises.

Real review: “The real skill of this book is its ability to engage the child and allow them to feel empowered and on their own journey of discovery of math.”

Big Book of Math Practice Problems Addition and Subtraction

This workbook contains lots of math worksheets with over 4000 problems that include addition facts, subtraction facts, double-digit and triple-digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, adding three double-digit numbers in stacks, and more!

Real review: “Much needed math practice book for teaching adding and subtracting. Double digit and triple digit problems. Solutions in back. Practice makes perfect…..and this book is a good example.”

Math, First Grade: Learn and Explore

This workbook covers topics including adding and subtracting up to 20, symmetry, giving change, patterns, bar graphs, and other areas of math taught in a first grade classroom.

Real review: “The book covers major first grade math topics well, in my opinion. I am happy with this product and would highly recommend it.”

Best Reading First Grade Workbooks

Star wars workbook: 1st grade reading.

Designed to align with national Common Core State Standards, this workbook uses the Force to bring Star Wars to the classroom. Kids will love the “A is for Anakin” approach to phonics!

Real review: “Great product! I ordered this as an additional learning resource for e-learning for my son and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

180 Days of Reading: Grade 1

These quick diagnostic-based activities come with data-driven assessment tips, a Digital Resource CD with assessment analysis, and electronic versions of the daily practice activities.

Real review: “The resources is well thought out. I love the CD which includes PDF files off the activities.”

Scholastic Success with Reading Comprehension, Grades 1

This standards-based first grade workbook contains targeted, skill-building practice that kids need. Also more than 40 ready-to-reproduce practice pages.

Real review: “This book is filled with really helpful reading practice worksheets. The pages are perforated, making it easy to tear them out and work outside the book.”

Spelling and Writing for Beginners, Grade 1

Each workbook is filled with 64 pages of age-appropriate activities, puzzles, and games. Skills covered include secret codes, word searches, word scrambles, crossword puzzles, and more!

Real review: “This book is wonderful to teach your child how to spell and write sentences, along with other fun things. It was easy at first then it became more challenging.”

My Sight Words Workbook

The activities in this workbook make it fun and accessible for first-grade students to learn the top 101 sight words and increase their reading speed and comprehension.

Real review: “It supplements school learning and introduces reading without pressure.”

Best Handwriting & Writing First Grade Workbooks

Handwriting: word practice.

This workbook contains word-writing practice and activities and puzzles, combined with digital video tutorials to help kids build vocabulary and handwriting skills.

Real review: “ This book is super sturdy…and the lessons are short enough that they don’t get discouraged with too much work. This was a great purchase.”

Handwriting Without Tears: My Printing Book

These lessons emphasize the correct use of lowercase letters in words and sentences while practicing writing on varying styles of lines. The accompanying activity pages combine handwriting instruction with other language arts lessons.

Real review: Great book for struggling writers and readers.

The Print Handwriting Workbook for Kids

This first grade workbook is filled with great exercises to help kids in grades K-2 learn to print with detailed letter guides and illustrated pages.

Real review: “Excellent book for beginners or to simply reinforce handwriting.”

Handwriting Workbook for Kids

Kids will learn how to trace and then copy the letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase), basic words and full sentences with this workbook.

Real review: “This is a must-have for beginner writers to help them strengthen their penmanship.”

Star Wars Workbook: 1st Grade Writing Skills

Take learning about nouns, verbs, and more to a whole new level with curriculum-based exercises and activities from a galaxy far, far away.

Real review: “Good handwriting practice, well-spaced. Some grammar thrown in too: verbs, nouns, adjectives. Not repetitive work, they mix it up nicely.”

Kumon: Grade 1 Writing

This workbook introduces kids to first grade vocabulary and writing skills in an easy-to-follow and engaging way!

Real review: “It’s great for fine motor practice, writing concepts, and review of reading concepts such as consonant blends like “ch, sh, th”, long and short vowels.”

Best Science & Social Studies First Grade Workbooks

Science, first grade: learn and explore.

Perfect for first grade students, this science workbook contains curriculum-aligned exercises on topics including day and night, animal homes, types of soil, and more.

Real review: “My son homeschools (1st grade). He absolutely loves the assignments and hands on experiments in this book!”

180 Days of Science: Grade 1

Encourage students to build their higher-order thinking skills with activities designed to help them analyze and evaluate scientific data, understand scientific methods and practices, and more!

Real review: “The book is very easy to use and well sectioned.”

Human Body Activity Book for Kids

From eyes and ears to skin and bones, there’s a lot to discover about the human body for kids!

Real review: “The illustration style is age appropriate: detailed enough to show concepts like cell structure but simplified in an appealing way. The art is color throughout, which makes it more enjoyable than black and white.”

Geography, First Grade: Learn and Explore

This first grade workbook contains curriculum-aligned exercises on topics including the seven continents, the 50 states, capitals and large cities, mapping a neighborhood, and more.

Real review: “I used this with my home-schooled first-grader who really enjoyed it.”

Best Overall for Summer Workbooks for First Grade

My first grade workbook.

From word searches and crosswords to color-by-sum and secret code puzzles, this first grade workbook is filled with loads of enjoyable games and activities that help kids learn as they play.

Real review: “This book was easy to read, nicely organized and kept my son very entertained. It was very bright and colorful and very educational.”

First Grade Big Fun Workbook

Each page provides another fun opportunity to build confidence and master skills. Students will develop alphabet memorization, writing, reading, counting, addition, subtraction, science, and more!

Real review: “The activities in these workbooks are super fun and engaging.”

First Grade Big Workbook

From phonics and spelling activities to space, measurement and time, students will have a blast developing skills in English and math. Activities include phonics, reading, writing, length, mass, capacity, and more.

Real review: “Lots of fun activity for first grades!!”

Summer Brain Quest: Between Grades 1 & 2

Kids can learn all summer long with this workbook! It’s filled with activities based on reading, writing, addition, subtraction, telling time, earth science, geography, communities, and more.

Real review: “They actually like to practice their skills from last year with these!”

The Big Book of Reading Comprehension Activities, Grade 1

This great first grade workbook contains 120 activities including fun stories, coloring pages, crosswords, and more. Great for building comprehension skills progressing from easy to harder levels.

Real review: “This book exceeded my expectations.”

What are your favorite first grade workbooks? Share on our WeAreTeachers DEALS page !

Plus, check out our top picks for first grade books .

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

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