Turkeys want candy too! At least the turkey in this story does, and he will dress as  just about anything to trick others into giving him sweet treats.I would use this story in my classroom to transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving and have my students create their own costume for their turkey sheet. After this, I would have them write what they are thankful for.

This is a story about an unlikely friendship between a spider and a pig. Wilbur and Charlotte become the best of friends after Charlotte begins to write letters in her web, drawing an incredible amount of attention to Wilbur. Using this story as a way to introduce diversity is a great idea. This will help students understand that although everyone is different, there is a way to celebrate those differences. Have students come up with three words of their own to describe someone else in the class, and this could be used as a self esteem exercise in the class as well.

The unique aspect of What Pet Should I Get? is that it does not have a definitive ending.  The first time that I encountered this book, it was read to me in a read aloud.  I felt frustration at the ending, so I'm sure the other students did!  However, frustration aside, it is a great opportunity to allow students to ponder what pet they would get if they could choose anything they wanted.  After they have made their decision, they can write their own ending to the book describing an adventure with their new pet!  This book is appropriate for grades 1-3.

This is the story of a young boy traveling to Market Street with his grandmother. He continues to question her about different things they see. This is a great story to teach children about being grateful and seeing beauty where they may be none. After reading this story have students analyze an abstract piece of art or a realistic picture and write about all that they see. Encourage them to think outside the ordinary. This would be a way to integrate art into literature.

After Max is sent to bed with no dinner, he escapes into his own mind and travels where the wild things are. After becoming their ruler, he soon learns that he misses home. He returns with his dinnerwaiting on him. This would be a great story to use as a writing prompt in the classroom. Students could write where they would travel and what they would do if they were to become ruler of their own land.