Education World ® - Lesson Planning Skills Page: Great Books Get School Off to a Great Start

Great Books Get School Off to a Great Start

Following are brief descriptions about the teacher favorites mentioned in the Education World story -- and a few other possibilities for reading aloud on the first day of school!

TITLES FROM TODAY'S ARTICLE

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,
written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz
"From the moment Alexander wakes up and finds gum in his hair, everything goes wrong! His brothers both get prizes in their cereal boxes, his best friend demotes him to third-best friend, there are lima beans for dinner, and there is kissing on TV. All kids experience this type of day, and will be glad to find they are not alone!" (Barnes & Noble)
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
"Young mouse Chrysanthemum loves her name -- until she starts school and finds the teasing of her peers unbearable. Then the beloved music teacher, Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle, announces that she plans to name her baby Chrysanthemum, and suddenly everyone wants to be named after a flower. Another very engaging female protagonist from Henkes." (The Horn Book)
Miss Malarkey Doesn't Live in Room 10,
written by Judy Finchler and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley
"The narrator of this funny story is convinced that his teacher lives at school, plays in the gym, and sleeps in bunk beds in the teachers' room with all the other teachers. Imagine his surprise when Miss Malarkey moves into his apartment building, goes barefoot, has parties, and even takes out her own garbage." (School Library Journal)
Never Spit on Your Shoes,
written and illustrated by Denys Cazet.
"Arnie, a puppy, tells his mother about the first day of school. The two appear, with the text, in a cozy inset showing them snacking at home, while the rest of each double-page spread is wide open to the chaos that occurred in first grade.... Kids should love exploring the illustrations for more beginning school mayhem... made even more comic by the delicious expressions on the characters' faces." (Kirkus Reviews)
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
"The master of enjoyable didacticism offers a flight of fancy into the future of a generic 'you'' who is venturing out into the world, where he will have ups and downs but will succeed and finally move mountains.... Although this does not rank among the best of Seuss's books, its stress on self-esteem and imaginative artwork make it a good addition to picture-book collections." (School Library Journal)
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon,
written by Mike Thaler and illustrated by Jared D. Lee
On the first day of school, a boy falls asleep and dreams that he is assigned to Mrs. Green's class. In his nightmare, Mrs. Green is a monster with a tail and smoke coming out of her nostrils. He is so happy when he awakes to see the real Mrs. Green that he gives her a hug.

ADDITIONAL TITLES WORTH CONSIDERATION

Arthur's Back to School Day,
by Lillian Hoban
"In the rush to board the bus on the first day of school, Arthur the chimpanzee loses his chocolate chip cookies because of a lunch box mix-up, but his sister comes to the rescue. Readers may wonder why the chimps do not notice an obvious clue to the mix-up. However, in this tenth Arthur book, which focuses on bus safety, Arthur and company retain their appeal." (The Horn Book)
Back to School for Rotten Ralph,
written by Jack Gantos and illustrated by Nicole Rubel
"When Sarah starts school in the fall, her famously rotten feline, Ralph, is left at home, all alone by the telephone. But not for long! The rotten -- and wily -- one has a plan: With the aid of a disguise, he will become Sarah's new school friend.... But even Ralph can come a cropper, and despite his jealous efforts to keep her to himself, Sarah at last manages to make lots of new friends.... Gantos and Rubel have collaborated to create another wickedly funny adventure about a cat so rambunctiously rotten that you've just gotta love him." (Booklist)
The Best School Year Ever,
written by Barbara Robinson and illustrated by Michael Deas
This book is a sequel to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1972). "The school year provides the framework for the story, narrated by Beth, who has Imogene Herdman in her class. As soon as the teacher announces that the yearlong class project will be 'Compliments for Classmates,' which involves writing down the other children's good qualities, it's inevitable that Beth will draw Imogene's name.... Beth's identification of Imogene's strengths gives the book a level of humanity that makes the novel more than a series of humorous anecdotes." (Booklist)
Minerva Louise at School,
by Janet Morgan Stoeke
"Out for a walk one morning, that wacky chicken, Minerva Louise, comes across an elementary school and thinks it's 'a big, fancy barn.' While the brief text provides her amusingly skewed view, as she endearingly sees everything in terms of her own world, simple but vigorous color illustrations tell the true story of her visit." (The Horn Book)
My Teacher Is an Alien,
written by Bruce Coville
"Sixth grade is just out of this world.... Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face -- and she realizes that 'Mr. Smith' is really an alien! At first no one will believe her -- except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith's horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extra-terrestrial visitor -- and save the rest of the sixth grade class from a fate worse than math tests!" (Simon & Schuster)
Never Ride Your Elephant to School,
written by Doug Johnson and illustrated by Abby Carter
"In this cautionary tale, Johnson's tongue is planted firmly in his cheek as readers are warned that an elephant's natural exuberance can cause a few problems. Even though your elephant can help the spelling team win, he breaks chairs, blows over the teacher with applause, and won't fit under his desk during hurricane drill.... Young readers with a taste for slapstick will appreciate Johnson's droll text and Carter's ability to extract maximum humor out of each situation." (Booklist)
Nobody's Mother Is in Second Grade,
written by Robin Pulver and illustrated by G. Brian Karas
"Waxing nostalgic about school, Cassandra's mother disguises herself as a plant and goes to her daughter's class. As the day progresses, the teacher talks about ways that plants help people, and Cassandra decides that mothers and plants share some common qualities." (The Horn Book)
The 6th Grade Nickname Game,
written by Gordon Korman and illustrated by Mark Buehner
"Wiley and Jeff take pride in their ability to come up with apt, funny nicknames, nicknames that stick. But even they don't believe in the power of their monikers until they give 'the blandest student' in school a cool nickname, spread it around, and watch his popularity soar.... Told mainly in quick-paced dialogue, the story captures the ambience of sixth grade with humor and empathy. With its appealing title and accessible style, this entertaining book reinforces its own message about the power and fun of reading." (Booklist)