Mr. S' Favourite Children's Storybooks

Browne, Anthony. Willy’s Pictures. London: Walker Books, 2008. Print.

This is such a great book. The artwork is amazing, and the story that goes along with it is witty and entertaining. What I like most is the incorporation of real pieces of art as the basis of the picture and how it is embedded in the background. There are lots of subtle images to notice in Browne’s pictures; this imagery and background information of the original art is shown and explained in the back of the book. This would be a great book to introduce students to different artists and art.

Browne, Anthony. Piggybook. New York: Dragonfly Books, 1986. Print.

I really like this book. In this story, the husband and boys take the mom for granted and act like “pigs”, and then they turn into pigs. This story would be perfect to discuss gender roles and stereotypes; it empowers the female (it shows how the mother carries the family). It would help students see the importance of working together in a community. As always with Browne, the artwork is wonderful.

Caflin, Willy. The Uglified Ducky. Atlanta: August House, 2011. Print.

The artwork and silly use of moose language engage the reader, both young and old. Students could write their own stories of overcoming hardships, and perseverance. It is also on Tumblebooks with Willy Caflin, himself, reading it the way it is meant to be read.

Cowan, Catherine. My Life with the Wave. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Print.

A boy goes to the beach, and comes home with a wave. The wave is personified and has feelings and is emotional. Throughout the book, the natural instinct of the wave takes over and eventually takes over the house. This book has amazing artwork and awesome imagination. This story would be great to read before a brainstorming session for writing creative works in my class.

Hurst, Carol Otis. Terrible Storm. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2007. Print.

I picked this book because of the storm we are having right now. It is about 2 older men reminiscing about a blizzard they got caught in when they were much younger. The artwork and simple conversation between the men tell their stories side-by-side, allowing the reader to compare perspectives of the storm.It’s a quick read, but lots of discussions with my students always come up.

Muth, Jon, J. Stone Soup. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2003. Print.

Muth’s representation of this old tale takes place in a small village in China where 3 hungry and tired monks come upon. The people of the village have had many hardships and are suspicious of the strangers, and they want nothing to do with them. The monks coax the villagers to work together through making stone soup. A great read, and a great lesson for all.

Muth, Jon, J. Zen Shorts. New York: Scholastic Press, 2005. Print.

Muth’s artwork and text make this a wonderful storybook to engage children. Stillwater is an enlightened panda bear that befriends three siblings. Throughout the book, he teaches them lessons by telling them stories that get them to see things in a new way. A must read!

Rocco, John. Wolf! Wolf! New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2001. Print.

This is a great rendition of Aesop’s Fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Rocco’s depiction has the characters living in a farming village in China where an unexpected relationship develops between a wolf and sheep. A great text for discussing personal perspectives, and the artwork brings you right into the story.

Say, Allen. Grandfather’s Journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. Print.

This is a story about Say’s grandfather’s journey to California as a young man. It depicts his travels around America and back to Japan. The artwork is wonderful and shows the two very different ways of life. Say discusses his grandfather’s internal conflict of where home is, and in the end you see that Allen Say, himself, kind of follows in his grandfather’s footsteps.

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: Harper Collins, 1964. Print

This is one of my favourite Silverstein book. The layout of the words and pictures tells a wonderful story of giving and love between a tree and a boy growing up. Students always love this story, and it is great to get children writing about giving, sharing and gratitude. The picture of the book I used is a reprint showing the 50th anniversary of the book. To this day, it is loved by all.

Wardlaw, Lee. Wonton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2011. Print

It is a story of a cat in a shelter, and the entire story is told in haiku. It is written in the cat’s perspective, and it is very entertaining. This book would be great for introducing Haiku / poetry writing to the students. Usually, a haiku is a single verse, but the whole book is written in haiku, and the artwork is fun, too.

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001. Print.

It’s a postmodern version of The Three Little Pigs, and it is extremely creative and fun. In this story, the wolf blows the pigs out of the story, and they find themselves in other nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

Woodson, Jacqueline. The Other Side. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2001. Print.

This story is from the perspective of Clover, an African-American. There is a fence separating the blacks and whites in a small town. On the other side lives Anna, a young white girl who plays by and on the fence. Clover starts a relationship with this girl and they end up hanging out together. This book is good for talking about segregation and social harmony.