"This book encourages imagination through play and drawing. The children are very engaged when exploring this book and enjoy thinking of what they could make out of a box. The hardcover copy actually looks and feels like a box. The children just love it!"

Mrs. DeLorenzo also recommends Maddi's Fridge, by Lois Brandt.

"The author writes about a friendship between Maddi and Sofia and includes themes of empathy, trust, hunger, honesty, sensitivity, and helping others.  The children really do understand empathy and love the illustrations and end pages. This is truly one of my favorites."

"This story teaches kindness and the illustrations are engaging for students!"

"Clark the Shark books promote social-emotional learning skills."

"I adore this story. It is a captivating tale that combines adventure and the wonders of nature with the meaning of family.  The author invites us to understand that every creature has a role to play in the world."  

• Duck for President, by Doreen Cronin

• Tops and Bottoms, by Janet Stevens 

• Flat Stanley Series, by Jeff Brown 

• The Magic Tree House Series, by Mary Pope Osborne 

"These books foster imagination and are fun to read!"

"Rose Howard is OBSESSED with homonyms. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose's rules of homonyms, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose's obsessions, her rules, and the other things that make her different—not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father.

When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, the roads are flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose's father shouldn't have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.

I love this story because we all find a way to relate to Rose’s story in our own way!"