The other day, I headed to my local bookstore with a simple goal in mind: find a fun new book for my son. He’ll be sixteen months and loves to read. But, as any parent knows, a quick trip to the bookstore with a toddler rarely stays on track. While browsing the children’s section, I kept stumbling across titles that immediately piqued my interest for my own classroom. One book led to another, and soon I had a small stack of new stories I’d never seen before. That’s when it hit me: why not start sharing these finds on the blog? So I decided that every few weeks, I’ll highlight new and exciting books I discover on my family trips to the bookstore—books that are perfect for an elementary teacher’s classroom, your own kids, or just to add a little inspiration to your reading list. Even though I found eight really cool stories, here are five that caught my eye.
First up, is a cute little story called “A Little Ferry Tale” by Chad Otis. The Little Ferry feels like no one notices her. She isn’t strong like Tugboat or fast like Speedboat or graceful like Sailboat. Towards the end of the story Little Ferry realizes that she is special, too! She’s patient and careful and always on time. And when a disaster happens on Wildlife Island, Little Ferry finds that her quiet traits are exactly what is needed to save the day. This story presents a wonderful way to teach children that they all have special qualities even if they aren’t noticed all the time. This story speaks to those meek students that can point to Little Ferry as an example of their amazing qualities.
Next up is “The Book that Can Read Your Mind” by Marianna Coppo. This is not an ordinary book—it’s a magical one! In this story, Lady Rabbit is a magician who goes beyond pulling a rabbit out of a hat or making herself disappear. She will READ YOUR MIND! And yes, she does! This book will have your kids left in amazement at how the book continually reads their mind. The uniqueness of this book is in the flexibility and interactive nature that it gives the readers. I can’t wait to read this story to my students in class to see their reactions for the first time.
Let’s continue on with another great book called “Nobody Hugs a Cactus” by Carter Goodrich. Hank is the prickliest cactus in the entire world. By prickly, I mean very ornery! He sits in a pot in a window that faces the empty desert, which is just how he likes it. So, when all manner of creatures—from tumbleweed to lizard to owl—come to disturb his peace, Hank is annoyed. He doesn’t like noise, he doesn’t like rowdiness, and he definitely doesn’t like hugs. Even though Hank doesn’t want a hug, he starts realizing that no one is offering one. Who would want to hug a plant that’s so mean? Hank begins to discover that being alone can be, well, lonely. Eventually, Hank devises a plan to receive something (a hug) that he thought he never wanted. Nobody Hugs a Cactus brings a very complicated Social-emotional situation to the forefront in a well guided story. We’ve all probably had a student who is just like this prickly little cactus. I can already see this story being used in a morning meeting to help students make a plan just like cactus did.
This next book was my favorite find during my bookstore trip. It’s “The Apple that Fell Far from the Tree” by Trevor Crafts and Aaron Burakoff. An unconventional apple leaves his family tree on a quest to fit in. His adventures take him to the Big Apple, where he makes like-minded friends and discovers a passion for art. The story does a great job of reminding us to be true to who we are while also enduring bonds that connect us to our roots. Even though Apple leaves his family, he finds his way back home where he realizes that the things he didn’t like before, weren’t so bad when he was able to put his personal spin on them. I think that many students can be stuck in the middle of these two identities, your family roots and your true self.
Lastly, I found a story called “Dear Bookstore” by Emily Arrow. For one little girl, the local bookstore is not only the beginning of her reading journey, it’s a world that’s always there for her—one that allows her imagination to soar, provides any answers she needs, and sparks her curiosity. It’s a place of wishes and dreams, where everybody and every book fits in. There’s always someone there who is happy to see her and help find her next exciting chapter. The illustrations in this story are AMAZING! This is a well written book that shares the understanding that books can take you to beautiful places in your mind. Each day, a story can transport you to a different place of excitement.
