My Favorite Books This Year

I facilitate for our student book clubs on campus. My favorite part is finding new stories to share with my students.

My favorite new picture book discoveries this year:

This is a great story for celebrating a growth mindset! Alan is known for scaring the creatures in the forest but he loses his effect when they find out he has false teeth. But he sticks with it and finds another use for his talents.

I have always been a fan of Basquiat's work. This is a poignant description of the events and people who inspired him to become an artist.

We all want to make a difference. This is the story of a woman who really did. She is responsible for planting more than thousands of trees in the San Diego area-trees that are still there growing today.

A boy makes a promise to study and help save big cats and he follows through with that goal. A truly beautiful story.

I made bean soup with the kids as outlined in this story. They loved learning about the different ingredients and of course, tasting the finished product. :) This is a great book for teaching literary devices as well.

A hilarious story about the famous Rock, Paper, Scissors and their need to be VICTORIOUS!

Chapter Books:

I thought this was a really cute story. The dragon gets a new owner and isn't sure about how to train her. :) Great for perspective.

I freely admit I had to read the last few chapters through tears. This story is touching and speaks to how we deal with grief. It's very well-written. 

I really enjoyed this story. Stef is embarrassed by their new family member-the taco truck her father drives to make a living. She comes to appreciate how her family followed through on their dreams however.

My favorite this year! Roz the robot wakes up on an island and doesn't know how she got there. She learns from the animals how to survive in the wilderness. This story is about community, about helping others. I can't wait to share it with my students.