30 new classics: top titles for back-to-school—all perfect stories to set the stage for a reading-filled year

Instructor, August, 2004 by Judy Freeman

My Kindergarten

By Rosemary Wells. Hyperion, 2004; 96 pages; $16.99; PreK-1. Take a glorious tour through the kindergarten year with Miss Cribbage and her eight animal students. Don't miss the accompanying downloadable songs and stories on www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com!

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I Am Too Absolutely Small for School

By Lauren Child. Candlewick, 2004; 32 pages; $16.99; PreK-1. Lola insists she is too busy doing important things to go to school, but her big brother talks her into it, thank goodness. After reading, invite children to think back to their first days of school and draw or write about it.

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Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

By Mo Willems. Hyperion, 2004; 36 pages; $15.99; PreK-1. Toddler Trixie has lost her Knuffle Bunny, but daddy can't understand her when she tries to tell him. Older children will still identify with Trixie's plight: What do you do when no one can understand you?

Wild About Books

By Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown. Knopf, 2004; 32 pages; $16.95; PreK-2. By mistake librarian Molly McGrew drives her bookmobile to the zoo, where the animals go simply wild for all the wonderful books. The fun paintings of animals reading will get your kids fired up to do the same!

My Teacher for President

By Kay Winters, illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Dutton, 2004; 32 pages; $14.99; PreK-3. Oliver decides to nominate his teacher for President and writes a letter to a TV station describing her many leadership qualities--a great spark for a discussion of the President's responsibilities.

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Superdog: The Heart of a Hero

By Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner. HarperCollins, 2004; 32 pages; $15.99; PreK-3. Everything about Dexter the dachshund is little, except for his grand dreams of being a superhero. He puts himself through a tough exercise regimen, ignores the taunts of Cleevis the tomcat, and sets about doing good deeds.

Duck for President

By Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Simon & Schuster, 2004; 40 pages; $15.95; PreK-6. Sick of doing chores for Farmer Brown, Duck calls an election and runs for farmer. Although Farmer Brown demands a recount, the voters have spoken and Duck wins. This is a fun literature connection to a unit on the election.

Actual Size

By Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin, 2004; 32 pages; $16; PreK-6. The animals in this picture book are shown at their actual size, so children can compare a tiny dwarf goby fish with the 12" eye of a giant squid, examine the world's biggest spider, and even size up the snout of a saltwater croc.

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Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth

By Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss. Harcourt, 2004; 36 pages; $16; K-2. A brand new first grader has heard from a friend that her teacher Mrs. Watson has a necklace made of children's teeth! A few weeks in school reveal that one can't always believe everything one hears on the school bus.

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My Favorite Thing: According to Alberta

By Emily Jenkins, illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone. Atheneum, 2004; 40 pages; $15.95; K-2. Alberta is a girl of particular tastes: She likes pepermint ice cream, the word no, and animal TV shows, but not cartoons or fish. What likes and dislikes make up your students' individual personalities?

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The Incredible Water Show

By Debra Frasier. Harcourt, 2004; 40 pages; $16; K-2. The gang from Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster (Harcourt, 2000) is back, and they're putting on a fact-filled play about that miraculous, magical, most amazing substance on earth: water.

The Trial of Cardigan Jones

By Tim Egen. Houghton Mifflin, 2004; 32 pages; $16; K-3. A dramatic reenactment will surely follow a read aloud of this tale of a moose accused of pie theft. To prepare, survey your listeners while reading. Is Cardigan guilty or innocent? What is the evidence for either position?

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You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together

By Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley. Little, Brown, 2004; 32 pages; $15.95; K-3. Eight well-known fairy tales have been adapted into witty, easy-to-read poems for two voices, perfect for Reader's Theater. A comic watercolor-and-pastel illustration accompanies each stanza.

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Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation

By Mark Teague. Scholastic, 2004; 32 pages; $15.95; K-4. The police are holding Ike LaRue as a suspect in some feline foul play. As in Ike's first adventure, two sets of illustrations--one in color, the other in black and white--tell the story from two very different viewpoints.

Perfectly Martha

By Susan Meddaugh. Houghton Mifflin, 2004; 32 pages; $15; K-4. Martha the talking dog sniffs out the truth about a training program that guarantees pet owners perfectly trained dogs in just one day. Your dog-lovers will enjoy thinking and writing about their own "perfect pet."