Maurice Sendak's, Where the Wild Things Are is truly a timeless classic. I enjoyed it over and over as a child and my kids enjoy it just the same. The story follows a mischievous little boy named Max who gets sent to his room without any supper. Upon being sent to his room a forest begins to grow...and grow...and grow. Max's imagination takes him on a journey to a faraway place to where the wild things are. And although the wild things gnash their terrible teeth and roar their terrible roars, Max is unafraid and tames them with his magic, becoming king of the wild things. After his adventurous travels Max begins to feel hungry and tired and decides to return home, where his dinner is waiting for him, still warm. 

The beautifully detailed illustrations are just as intriguing as the story. Where the Wild Things Are is an enchanting read, and one that many children will be able to make connections with (whether it be imagining faraway lands and monsters, getting sent to your room, or acting like a wild thing). There are some wonderful activities to accompany this book and some of my favorites include:

• STEM Challenge: Design your own wild thing, foil boat, or paper bag tree
• Writing prompt: "I feel wild when..."
• Act out the action words found in the book (roar, march, jump, gnash, etc.)

Lexile Level: AD740L

Recommended for Ages: 4-8

Oh, yes. If you did not think it was possible for children to enjoy a book with no pictures than this book will prove differently! If I were to sum up this book in one word it would be: HILARIOUS. The Book With No Pictures, by B.J. Novak, is a fun and entertaining book for children of all ages. The reader is at the whim of the author. The author gets the reader to read the absolute silliest things because, as the reader, "you MUST read whatever the book says....no matter what!" This book will force you to admit that you are a robot monkey, your best friend is a hippo named Boo Boo Butt, and the child you are reading to is the best kid ever. It's a great book to model reading with expression, and to show children how wonderful books can be even if they don't have pictures.

There are so many teaching ideas to go along with this book. Students could:

• Write their own "Book With No Pictures"
• Record an audiobook version of the story
• Create artwork to accompany the pages in the book
• View the hilarious video of the author reading the book: http://thebookwithnopictures.com/

Recommended Age Range: 5-8

Lexile Level: 490L