Books I use and adore

I am really passionate about exposing students to quality literature and using literature as a base for units of work and lessons. I am always on the look out for fantastic books and thought I would start a list of fantastic with tips on how I use these books in the classroom. Please feel free to comment so I can add them to the list!

1. The Lorax - Dr. Suess

Everyone loves Dr. Suess and I am no exception! Being particularly passionate about the environment I love the message this book sends about the importance of looking after our environment. So many great craft ideas can come from this book including creating truffalo trees and Loraxes. And Dr. Suess is a no brainer for using with language study.

2. The Day The Crayons Quit - Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffres

I have posted about this book previously and used this book to create a classroom book titled 'The day the pencils quit.' This book is fantastic for creative writing and also use in recognising colours.

3. The mysteries of Harris Burdick - Chris Van Allsburg

This book is FANTASTIC for inspiring creative writing in older students. I have blogged about this book which you can find here and cannot recommend this book enough.The book consists of 14 drawings that each have a title and the students write the story behind the drawings. It also has a sense of mystery about the man who drew the pictures which I won't wreck by revealing here.

4. Mr. Shy's Shoes - Jennifer Walsh

I read this book as a child and have recently tracked it down again after losing my old copy. It is the story of a boy who discovers a shoe library. Each pair of shoes takes him on a grand adventure. I adore this chapter book and can't wait to use it as a base for creative writing and character study. It is fantastic for narrative studies. I had to buy my copy from eBay however.

5. Mozzie and Midgie - Doug MacLeod

Gorgeous picture book about two Spoonbills who are searching for ways to make them more 'beautiful' before discovering they are already beautiful in their own special way. Love this for teaching students that everyone has their own talents and things that make them 'beautiful.'

6. The Pros and Cons of being a Frog - Sue DeGennaro

Beautiful book about two friends who are different. This is fantastic for teaching students to celebrate their differences and promoting tolerance in the classroom. Love it. I also found a fantastic resource from Book Week to use with this book. You can find it here

7. The real story of the Three Little Pigs - A. Wolf

Funny story about the wolfs version of the Three Little Pigs. Great for comparing stories and looking at different perspectives.

8. The Magic Hat - Mem Fox

Love this book. I love any book about magic to be honest and this one is so endearing.

I will be adding lots more to this list as the days go by. Enjoy
Jaide xx