Bones (2010) By: Steve Jenkins

This book is all about human and animal bones and how they fit together.  The author includes comparisons and actual size images.  He also highlights how certain animals share common body structure.  The images show comparisons like between a man's hand and a spider monkey.  As a reader, I enjoyed the bone weight comparisons and clean images.  As a teacher, this book could be used during an anatomy unit and complimented with actual animal and human skeleton models.  
 

Clarabelle (2007) By: Cris Peterson

This nonfiction book tells the story of a dairy cow named Clarabelle who lives on a farm in Wisconsin.  This book is full of exciting and informative photographs from a real family farm.  As a reader, I really enjoyed learning details about farm life and fun facts like Clarabelle's chewing produces nearly 30 gallons of saliva a day!  As a teacher, this book could be paired with lessons about farm animals, agriculture or renewable energy.  Students could also take a field trip to a real dairy farm.

The Boy in the Oak (2010) By: Jessica Albarn

This book tells the story of a boy who didn't appreciate or respect nature.  He trampled flowers, carved his initials into trees and tore their limbs offs.  To stop him, a group of fairies trapped the boy inside a large oak tree.  Years passed and a new family moves in and the fairies attempt to trap their little girl in the tree too.  In the end, the boy saves the little girl from being trapped in the tree as well.  This good deed in turn releases him from the spell he's trapped by.  This book features both pencil drawings and translucent pages with photographs of nature images like insects and flowers.  As a reader, I noticed lessons about kindness and respecting nature.  I really enjoyed the beautiful design and details throughout this poetic book.  As a teacher, this book would fit well with science lessons about nature, specifically different types of trees and flowers.  Students could also take pictures of outdoor scenes and put them together to make a class book.

A is for Abigail (2003) By: Lynne Cheney

This is an alphabet book and each letter references a remarkable woman from American history.  For example, R is for Rosie the Riveter and women who went to war.  In the book, hundreds of female trailblazers are mentioned including educators, inventors, journalists, athletes and so many more.  The illustrations are colorful, cartoon-like and fun to explore.  As a reader, I enjoyed the author's inspirational note at the beginning of the book and I learned so many interesting facts about these amazing women.  As a teacher, this book could be used during a lesson about famous and influential women and events in US history.  An extension activity could be an in-depth report or project about one of the ladies or causes highlighted.

Snakes (2007) By: Gail Gibbons

This nonfiction book is all about snakes and is both easy to understand and informative.  The author describes different types of snakes and how the creatures eat, hunt, move, give birth, mythology and more.  The illustrations are detailed and realistic, but still child-friendly.  As a reader, I enjoyed the message that most snakes are harmless and the surprising facts like snakes use their tongue to smell.  As a teacher, this book could be used during a lesson about endangered species, cold-blooded animals or reptiles.   Students could also discuss or write in journals about common snake misconceptions they learned from reading this book.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (2000) By: Doreen Cronin

This award-winning book tells the story of Farmer Brown's cows who find an old typewriter in the barn and write letters to him with various demands like electric blankets.  The illustrations are expressive and really compliment this humorous story.  As a reader, I enjoyed the imaginative plot and who hasn't wondered what animals or a pet would say to us if they could?  As a teacher, this book could be used to discuss personification and other stories students know that use this technique (i.e. The Three Little Pigs).  In addition, students could write about the different ways animals and humans communicate and what life would be like if animals could talk or type.

Dealing with Dragons (1990) By: Patricia Wrede

This novel is the first in a series and tells the story of a bold and daring princess named Cimorene who isn’t like her royal parents and sisters.  She’s too tall, too stubborn and finds being a princess boring.  She’s tired of etiquette lessons, but is forbidden to learn about subjects she wants like magic and fencing.  Her parents arrange a marriage to a prince, but Cimorene decides to run away and become the princess of a dragon named Kazul instead.  What comes next is an adventure filled with magical secrets, witches, wizards and more.  In the end, Cimorene decides that a life with the dragons would be her happily ever after.  As a reader, I enjoyed this book because it featured an adventurous princess and a lesson to follow your heart and define your own happiness.  As a teacher, this novel would be best for older students who could create their own chapter illustrations and discuss or journal about literary elements like plot, conflict, symbolism, mood, theme, etc.

Corn (2008) By: Gail Gibbons

This nonfiction book gives details about everything corn, including when it was first grown, different types, the harvest process and the ways corn is used in everyday products.  The illustrations are colorful, informative and I liked the use of corn kernels in the book title.  As a reader, I enjoyed the lesson about natural resources and the connection to foods we eat every day.  As a teacher, this book could be used during a lesson about nutrition to show children that corn is used in many of their favorite foods, like popcorn and cereals.  Students could also learn about the history of agriculture in America, including other grains and crops.  It would be fun to bring in popcorn to eat while reading this book as a class.

Castle and Knight (2005) By: Fleur Star

This non-fiction book is all about real castles and brave knights through the ages and around the world.  It includes a glossary of terms as well as exciting facts and photographs on each page.  This book is easy to follow and even features a section about castles today.  As a reader, I really enjoyed the glimpse inside the setting and culture of many popular and well-known fairy tales and stories we read today.  Plus, this book covers details about traditional dress, food, battle, entertainment, customs and more from this exciting world.  As a teacher, this book could be used during a history lesson about castles through the ages or medieval life.

Princess Smartypants (1986) By: Babette Cole

This book is a fairy tale with a modern twist.  Princess Smartypants longed to live in her castle with her pets and never marry, but her parents were pressuring her to find a husband.  When suitors arrive at the castle, she sets up challenges designed to make them fail.  Even though one prince completes all her challenges, she kisses him to turn him into a toad and with that news, no other princes wanted to marry her, which was exactly what she wanted.  The illustrations are humorous, fun and wacky watercolors.  As a reader, I thought this book was a refreshing take on a fairy tale complete with a resourceful and intelligent princess who is content with her fabulous life.  Plus, there is a lesson about staying true to yourself and doing what makes you happy, regardless of what others may think.  As a teacher, I would have students compare and contrast this book to a traditional fairy tale.  They could also write alternative endings to this story or create their own modern fairy tale to share with the class. 

Everest: Book One - The Contest (2002) By: Gordon Korman

This series novel tells the story of a diverse group of kids trying to be the youngest to climb Mount Everest.  Their first stop is mountaineering training camp where they compete for the chance to scale the world's highest peak.  The group is eventually narrowed to four climbers and this book is the set up for kids' extreme  and challenging climb that is featured in the remaining books in this series. Along the way, there are numerous twists, turns and surprises.  As a reader, I thought this book was very exciting and I definitely plan to read the remaining two stories in the series.  I really like how the author developed in-depth character storylines and relationships between the young climbers.  As a teacher, this adventure series would be great for older students to learn more about Mount Everest and the extreme conditions there.  Students could also read nonfiction selections about real life Mount Everest climbers and explorers from around the world.

Cosmo and the Robot (2000) By: Brian Pinkney

This book tells the story of a boy named Cosmo who lives with his family on Mars.  His best friend is a friendly robot named Rex who bumps his head and  starts acting like a monster.  Cosmo is forced to get rid of Rex, but in return his scientist parents give him a Solar System Utility Belt complete with 10  supersonic attachments, including a Mars Micro-Radar Homing Device.  In the end, Cosmo is able to fix Rex using his supersonic tools.  The swirl illustrations in this book create a beautiful Martian landscape with warm pinks and purples.  As a reader, I thought this book was fantastic and very imaginative, especially the different belt attachments.  As a teacher, this book would go well with a unit about the solar system or space exploration.  Students could create drawings of the planets and their own supersonic tools.  They could also discuss the pros and cons of living on another planet, like Mars.