Shel Silverstein captured the hearts of families from far and wide with his book The Giving Tree. Where the Sidewalk Ends is no different, despite being very different. This collection of poetry and simplistic illustrations ranges from funny to raw to very, very real. This would be a great introduction to a poetry unit for 3rd grade, which is around the grade I believe I first encountered it, and Scholastic has labeled it a “Q” on their guided reading scale.

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a work of art—quite literally, because his illustrations have a lasting effect on the story and its readers. This simplistic story is great for demonstrating the differences between genres such as fantasy and realistic fiction, and could be used for creative drawing or writing projects. Scholastic places this book in the J category of guided reading, and recommends its usage in grades as early as pre-kindergarten to as high as fifth grade, depending on which content area the teacher wishes to pull from.

This is the story of Alexander, and what feels like the worst day of his life. Bad things just keeping happening to Alexander, and the reader can't help but feel sorry for his bad luck. At the end of the story, Alexander's mom tells him that some days are just bad days, and that everyone has them.

This would be a great book to do a writing activity with students. Students could write about their "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" day or the teacher could make it a creative writing assignment, and the students could write about what they think the worst day ever would look like.

AR Level 3.7

Cat Ellington's new book, Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1, is a funny and entertaining read! Haha!!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed her insightful and sage reviews of a bunch of crazy characters who oftentimes find themselves in dangerous situations, sometimes by their own making.

And speaking of the unforgettable people depicted in many of the top rated books reviewed in her first volume, Cat Ellington's sharp humor also reveals itself as she nudges her reader towards the plot in which the characters are chasing after desires that prove to be elusive, if not worthless. Excellent read! So sit back and enjoy the ride with the one and only Cat Ellington.

Cat Ellington's new book, Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1, is a funny and entertaining read! Haha!!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed her insightful and sage reviews of a bunch of crazy characters who oftentimes find themselves in dangerous situations, sometimes by their own making.

And speaking of the unforgettable people depicted in many of the top rated books reviewed in her first volume, Cat Ellington's sharp humor also reveals itself as she nudges her reader towards the plot in which the characters are chasing after desires that prove to be elusive, if not worthless. Excellent read! So sit back and enjoy the ride with the one and only Cat Ellington.