Ever since I knew of its existence, I’ve wanted to read Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. Unfortunately, my library doesn't own a copy so I had to order it through Interlibrary Loan. Of course, after all of that effort it was a bit of a letdown to discover that it was only 115 pages long. But this short little book did deliver on the quirky, dark humor that we’ve all come to expect from Tim Burton. Organized into small rhymes and stories, these are creepy but hilarious (if morbid humor is your thing) vignettes. A/N: Parents beware if you take issue with your kids reading about death, patricide, suicide, etc.

What I'm Currently Reading: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Oh, the Places You'll Go! is filled with so much positivity and is great for the classroom. As with many Dr. Suess books, this one is also filled with rhymes. Students will have a blast trying to figure them all out. An activity that would be great for younger students coming up with ways to travel by land, sea, and air. A fun activity for older students would be to think about a place they have always wanted to go. They would research it, finding everything they possibly can about it and create a poster or Google Slide. Finally, students would present their findings to the class.

Lexile AD600L

This Dr. Suess book is one of my favorites! It is colorful and has some of the wildest words I have seen. This book is great for younger students because the rhyming and made-up words allow them to imagine what it might actually be. A great activity is to ask students to create the monsters in the book such as a Zamp and Wocket. Using art supplies students would create what they believe these creatures look like. This activity will incorporate art into the lesson and students will have a blast coming up with scary or crazy monsters! Students could also create monsters that live in their house and make up names for them. During shared reading when students hear a rhyme they could do a signal to let the teacher know they recognized the rhyme.

Lexile 460L

This would be a great book to read to your elementary school class during Halloween! You can find several read along online that sing along to the book. It is a rhyming story that builds with each line, getting funnier and funnier each time. As you read the book, you are meet with rhymes that describe a chain reaction. Someone knocks on a haunted door and eventually it scares the haunting ghosts! I can't wait to read this book during a prediction lesson!

How would I use this book in my classroom:

I would love to use this book during a lesson taught on or around Halloween since it is a kid friendly book that I believe wouldn't be scary to any students since it is so silly.

Scholastic Reading Level: 2

Goodnight Moon is a classic story about a little rabbit saying goodnight to all of his belongings. The book has wonderful illustrations as well as rhyming. This story is a great book to include when teaching about rhyming words. It is ideal for young readers. As an extension activity, students could have visual cards and match each one to the card that rhymes with it. 

Lexile level: 360L