Brainstorm 171: International Reads Pt 2: Asia

We're continuing our look at books set in countries and cultures around the world. This week the focus is Asia. To see the parameters I've set for the selection of books in this International Reads series, please visit International Reads Pt 1: Africa. I'm not including summaries or reviews today in the interest of space. Clicking on the title of the books will take you to either my review of the book or a general summary and other reviews.

Enjoy your visit to Asia!

AFGHANISTAN

The Breadwinner (Breadwinner, #1) by Deborah Ellis
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade
Note: There is also a graphic novel adaptation of this book now.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, ill. by Mark Elliott
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord
Genre: Memoir, Religious Literature, Adult Nonfiction

CAMBODIA

Church Behind the Wire: a Story of Faith in the Killing Fields by Barnabas Mam with Kitti Murray
Genre: Autobiography, Religious Literature, Adult Nonfiction

The Last King of Angkor Wat by Graeme Base
Genre: Folklore, Animal Stories, Picture Book

The Secret of the Sacred Temple: Cambodia (Secret Agent Jack Stalwart, #5) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

CHINA

Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Helen Wang
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

Jade Dragon Mountain (Li Du, #1) by Elsa Hart
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult

Living in…China by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges, ill. by Sophie Blackall
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picture Book

Zheng He, the Great Chinese Explorer: a Bilingual Story of Adventure and Discovery by Li Jian, translated by Yijin Wert
Genre: Picture Book Biography

Specific Chinese Culture: Hong Kong

Hong Kong! (Recipe for Adventure, #3) by Giada de Laurentiis, ill. by Francesca Gambatesa
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Foodie, Lower Grade

INDIA

Gandhi: a Manga Biography by Kazuki Ebine
Genre: Biography, Manga, Young Adult Nonfiction

Living in…India by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Manjhi Moves a Mountain by Nancy Churnin, ill. by Danny Popovici
Genre: Picture Book Biography

A Tiger for Malgudi and The Man-Eater of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Indian Classic, Adult Fiction

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Dance Stories, Young Adult

The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal & Surishtha Sehgal, ill. by Jess Golden
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Songs, Picture Book

INDONESIA

Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field) by Elizabeth Rusch, photos by Tom Uhlman
Genre: Natural Disaster Stories, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Indonesian Children’s Favorite Stories by Joan Suyenaga, ill. by Salim Martowiredjo
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collections

Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation by Elizabeth Pisani
Genre: Travel Stories, Cultural Studies, Adult Nonfiction

JAPAN

Chi’s Sweet Home, Volume 1 by Kanata Konami
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Manga, All Ages

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Sea Stories, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction

My First Book of Japanese Words: an ABC Rhyming Book by Michelle Haney Brown, ill. by Aya Padron
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, ABC Book, Foreign Language, Picture Book

One Leaf Rides the Wind: Counting in a Japanese Garden by Celeste Davidson Mannis, ill. by Susan Kathleen Hartung
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Counting Books, Poetry, Picture Book

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, ill. by Ed Young
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Poetry, Picture Book

KAZAKHSTAN

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
Genre: Picture Book Memoir

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Middle Grade

MALAYSIA

Malaysian Children’s Favourite Stories by Kay Lyons, ill. by Martin Loh
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collections

Sherlock Sam and the Vanished Robot in Penang (Sherlock Sam, #5) by A.J. Low
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade/Middle Grade

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
Genre: Historical Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Young Adult

MONGOLIA

Gobi: a Little Dog with a Big Heart by Dion Leonard, ill. by Lisa Manuzak
Genre: Biographical Picture Book, Animal Stories, Sports Stories
Note: There are also Middle Grade and Adult versions of this story available.

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: an Expedition among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (Scientists in the Field) by Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop
Genre: Animal Stories, Science, Travel Stories, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear, ill. by Esmé Shapiro
Genre: Animal Stories, Leveled Reader, Picture Book

MYANMAR (aka Burma)

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Middle Grade

The Lady and the Peacock: the Life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma by Peter Popham
Genre: Biography, Adult Nonfiction

The River of Lost Footsteps: a Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U
Genre: History, Adult Nonfiction

NEPAL

A Dog Named Haku: a Holiday Story from Nepal by Margarita Engle with Amish Karanjit and Nicole Karanjit, ill. by Ruth Jeyaveeran
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Holiday Story, Picture Book

Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives by David Oliver Relin
Genre: Medical Stories, Inspirational Stories, Biographies, Adult Nonfiction

NORTH KOREA

Every Falling Star: the True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by SungJu Lee with Susan Elizabeth McClelland
Genre: Autobiography, Survival Stories, Suspense, Young Adult Nonfiction

In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

A Kim Jong-Il Production: Kidnap, Torture, Murder… Making Movies North Korean Style by Paul Fischer
Genre: Biography, History, Film Studies, Adult Nonfiction

Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Year of Impossible Goodbyes, #1) by Sook Nyul Choi
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade/Young Adult

PAKISTAN

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Middle Grade

Free as a Bird: the Story of Malala by Lina Maslo
Genre: Picture Book Biography
Note: There are many other biographies of Malala available, but of most interest is the original adult autobiography by Malala herself and a middle grade adaptation of that.

Let Her Fly: a Father’s Journey and the Fight for Equality by Ziaddin Yousafzai with Louise Carpenter
Genre: Autobiography, Adult Nonfiction

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
*Parts also in India

PHILIPPINES

Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Romulo, ill. by Joanne de Leon
Genre: Fairytales, Folklore, Short Story Collections

Project Seahorse (Scientists in the Field) by Pamela S. Turner, photos by Scott Tuason
Genre: Conservation Stories, Nature, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

SINGAPORE

A Boy Named Harry: the Childhood of Lee Kuan Yew by Patrick Yee
Genre: Picture Book Biography

The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #1) by Ovidia Yu
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong (Sherlock Sam, #1) by A.J. Low, ill. by Drewscape
Genre: Mystery Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade/Middle Grade

Singapore Children’s Favorite Stories by Di Taylor, ill. by L.K. Tay Audouard
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collection

SOUTH KOREA

The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World through Pop Culture by Euny Hong
Genre: Pop Culture Studies, Adult Nonfiction

Living in…South Korea by Chloe Perkins, Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

No Kimchi for Me by Aram Kim
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Foodie, Picture Book

Please Look after Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Chi-Young Kim
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim
Genre: Folklore, Mystery Fiction, Graphic Novel, Picture Book, Foreign Language

TAIWAN

Dumpling Days (Pacy, #3) by Grace Lin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

THAILAND

B is for Bangkok by Janet Brown, ill. by Likit Q. Kittisakdinan
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Tour Books, Picture Book

A Child of the Northeast by Kampoon Boontawee, translated by Susan Fulop Kepner
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj, translated by Tulachandra
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Hush!: a Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, ill. by Holly Meade
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Picture Book

Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk, ill. by Ziyue Chen
Genre: Animal Stories, Fables, Picture Book

Tua and the Elephant by R.P. Harris, ill. by Taeeun Yoo
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

TIBET

The 14th Dalai Lama: a Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai
Genre: Biography, Manga, Young Adult Nonfiction

The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: the Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet by Gyalo Thundup & Anne F. Thurston
Genre: Autobiography, History, Adult Nonfiction

Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Survival Stories, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

VIETNAM

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Genre: Memoir, History, Graphic Novel, Adult Nonfiction

The First Journey by Phùng Nguyên Quang & Huỳnh Kim Liên
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

In a Village by the Sea by Muon Van, ill. by April Chu
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Genre: Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse, Middle Grade

Ten Cents a Pound by Nhung N. Trans-Davies, ill. by Josée Bisaillon
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

Where the Wind Leads: a Refugee Family’s Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption by Vinh Chung with Tim Downs
Genre: Autobiography, History, Adult Nonfiction

The Brainstorm 170: International Reads Pt 1: Africa

We had International Day at our school a few weeks ago which is a celebration of the cultures and countries that are found in our very diverse student body. It got me thinking that I should share books found in various countries of the world and/or that celebrate and explore the various cultures of the world. I started writing down books for countries of the world, and the list quickly started to get massive. So I’m going to break this into several different Brainstorms. Each one will feature books that are primarily set in one region/country/culture (I’m not allowing myself to use books that like Around the World in 80 Days that hop around to multiple countries). I’ll also let region & culture have precedence over country (so Hawaiian culture books will be in the Australia & Oceania post instead of the North American post). When given many options, I’ve also tried to stick with historical or contemporary fiction, folklore, biographies, or nonfiction to provide books that are more authentic portrayals of the country and culture than a scifi or fantasy book set there would be. [Note: I've already gotten a few requests so after I finish this series I'll look at sharing fantasy/scifi books set in each continent in the future.] I’m also limiting myself to a max of 6 books per country (3 for lower grades, 3 for middle grades on up) because some of them have way, WAY too many books to list. And to save space, I’m not sharing reviews or summaries here, but you can click the titles and be taken to my summary/review, or in the cases that I haven’t read the book yet, to another description of the book. Today we’ll look at books set in Africa, then in the coming weeks I’ll devote a Brainstorm to each of the following: Asia, Australia & Oceania, Central America & the Caribbean, Europe & Eurasia, Middle East, North America, South America.

So, without further ado, here are a selection of fiction and nonfiction books for a variety of ages set in Africa

ANGOLA

Sub-Culture: Mbundu

Nzingha, Warrior Queen of Matamba (The Royal Diaries) by Pat McKissack
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

BENIN

It Takes a Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

BURKINA FASO

All Aboard for the Bobo Road by Stephen Davies, ill. by Christopher Corr
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

The Water Princess by Susan Verde, ill. by Peter H. Reynolds
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone by Larry Devlin
Genre: Memoir, History, Adult Nonfiction

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
Genre: History, Adult Nonfiction

The Last Rhinos: the Powerful Story of One Man’s Battle to Save a Species by Anthony Lawrence with Graham Spence
Genre: Memoir, Animal Stories, Nature, Adult Nonfiction

Monkey Sunday: a Story from a Congolese Village by Sanna Stanley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

Specific Congolese Culture: Nkundo

Traveling to Tondo: a Tale of the Nkundo of Zaire by Vera Aardema, ill. by Will Hillenbrand
Genre: Folklore, Picture Book

EGYPT

In a Perfect World by Trish Doller
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

The Jewel Fish of Karnak by Graeme Base
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Mythology, Fable, Picture Book

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Fiction, Spy Stories, Young Adult Fiction

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx (Brownstone’s Mythical Collection, #2) by Joe Todd-Stanton
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Mythology, Graphic Novel, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Fiction

Red Nile: a Biography of the World’s Greatest River by Robert Twigger
Genre: History, Adult Nonfiction

Who Was King Tut? (Who Was/Is…?) by Roberta Edwards, ill. by True Kelley
Genre: Biography, History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

ETHIOPIA

Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

The Storyteller’s Beads by Jane Kurtz
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

GHANA

Specific Ghanan Culture: Ashanti

Anansi the Spider: a Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott
Genre: Folklore, Picture Book

IVORY COAST

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

KENYA

Auma’s Long Run by Eucabeth A. Odhiambo
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Born Free: the Full Story by Joy Adamson
Genre: Animal Biography, Memoir, Nature, Young Adult Nonfiction

Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat’s Foster Mom by Suzi Eszterhas
Genre: Animal Biography, Memoir, Nature, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book

The Mystery of the Lion’s Tail (Greetings from Somewhere, #5) by Harper Paris, ill. by Marcos Calo
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction

Owen & Mzee: the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Paula Kahumbu, photos by Peter Greste
Genre: Lower Grade/Middle Grade Nonfiction, Animal Stories, Picture Book

Rare Earth (Marc Royce, #2) by Davis Bunn
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Religious Fiction, Adult Fiction

LIBERIA

Specific Liberian Culture: Kru

Quest for the Lost Prince: Samuel Morris (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson, ill. by Julian Jackson
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religious Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

MADAGASCAR

The Pirate’s Son by Geraldine McCaughrean
Genre: Adventure Stories, Historical Fiction, Sea Stories, Young Adult Fiction

Thea Stilton and the Madagascar Madness (Thea Stilton, #24) by Thea Stilton, translated by Emily Clement
Genre: Adventure Stories, Mystery, Lower/Middle Grade Fiction

MALI

The Hatseller and the Monkeys: a West African Folktale by Baba Wagué Diakité
Genre: Folklore, Picture Book

MAURITANIA

The Children of Mauritania: Days in the Desert and at the River Shore by Lauren Goodsmith
Genre: Biography, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book

MOROCCO

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry, ill. by Wesley Dennis
Genre: Animal Stories, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction
*Parts also in France and England

The Storyteller by Evan Turk
Genre: Folklore, Picture Book

NAMIBIA

Chasing Cheetahs: the Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cat (Scientists in the Field) by Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop
Genre: Animal Stories, Biography, Nature, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

The Elephant Scientist (Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell & Donna M. Jackson, photos by Caitlin O’Connell & Timothy Rodwell
Genre: Animal Stories, Autobiography, Nature, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

NIGERIA

The Distant Talking Drum: Poems from Nigeria by Isaac Olaleye, ill. by Frané Lessac
Genre: Poetry, Lower Grade Nonfiction

Genius: the Con (Genius, #2) by Leopold Gout
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
*Parts also in India

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Elphinstone Dayrell, ill. by Blair Lent
Genre: Folklore, Picture Book

Specific Nigerian Culture: Ibo

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

SOUTH AFRICA

The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spencer
Genre: Memoir, Animal Stories, Nature, Culture, Science, Adult Nonfiction
*Note: there is also a young reader’s adaptation of this book available

The Great Penguin Rescue: Saving the African Penguins by Sandra Markle
Genre: Disaster & Rescue Stories, Animal Stories, Nature, Middle Grade Nonfiction

Journey to Jo’burg: a South African Story by Beverly Naidoo
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

Living in…South Africa by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryne Erskine, ill. by Charly Palmer
Genre: Picture Book Biography

Nelson Mandela (National Geographic Kids Readers. Level 3) by Barbara Kramer
Genre: Biography, Lower Grade Nonfiction

SUDAN

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney, ill. by Shane W. Evans
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Novel in Verse, Middle Grade Fiction

TANZANIA

Untamed: the Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey,
Genre: Biography, Animal Stories, Nature, Science, Middle Grade Nonfiction

TUNISIA

Benny and Omar by Eoin Colfer
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

ZAMBIA

The Elephant Keeper: Caring for Orphaned Elephants in Zambia by Elizabeth Ruurs, ill. by Pedro Covo
Genre: Memoir, Animal Stories, Nature, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Nonfiction, Picture Books

ZIMBABWE

Do You Know Me by Nancy Farmer, ill. by Shelley Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda with Liz Welch
Genre: Biography, Young Adult Nonfiction
*Parts also in USA

Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Sports Stories, Young Adult Fiction
*Parts also in South Africa

The Brainstorm 169: Books for Reading, Writing, and Language Arts

This week we’re looking at books that can be used to help teach language arts (reading, writing, grammar, etc.). There are skills in here for the most beginner of readers and writers, and skills for advanced readers and writers. I’m changing the way I present the books a little bit for this so it won’t take up as much space. I am putting the books under the topic that the book can be used to help teach or does a splendid job of exemplifying. Each book will appear with a summary and an abbreviated list of target readers (who might want to snatch this book up in addition to language arts learners and teachers). If you want to see more of my review and why I list those specific target readers, click on the title of the book. If you’re looking for great language arts resources you may also want to check out Brainstorm 87: Language Arts Lively Lit which includes parts of speech books, punctuation books, and some great simile books, or Brainstorm 123: Excellent Vocabulary & Lyrical Writing which includes more books with excellent vocabulary and amazing writing. I’m not including any of the books that appeared in either of those Brainstorms in today’s blog.

Assonance & Consonance

 

Earthquack! by Margie Palatini, ill. by Barry Moser
Chucky Ducky feels the ground rumble and quake, and runs to warn the other barnyard animals. Meanwhile, a wily weasel plots ways to fill his tummy using the commotion. And eventually, the truth about the quakes and the weasely plots are uncovered.

• Target Readers: Art Lovers, Beginning Readers, Chicken Little Rewrite Fans, Humor Fans, Pun Lovers, Picture Book Fans

A Greyhound, a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins, ill. by Chris Appelhans
A celebration of sound with a greyhound and groundhog discovering friendship along the way.

• Target Readers: Tongue Twister Fans, Read Aloud Fans, Animal Lovers, Picture Book Fans

Nanette's Baguette by Mo Willems
With words that tend to feature the short e sound, Willems tells the story of a little frog, Nanette and the day she is first entrusted to get the daily baguette. If only baguettes were not so tasty, trouble might have been avoided.

• Target Readers: Beginning Readers, Frog Lovers, Silly Story Fans, Picture Book Fans

Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
Randy Riley is absolutely awful at baseball. It isn't that he doesn't try, it's that he gets distracted by the science and misses the ball. When this young genius realizes that there's a giant fireball from space headed to his hometown and no one believes him, he decides to do something about it himself in the day he has to plan.

• Target Readers: Read Aloud Fans, Retro Setting Fans, STEAM Fans, Scifi Fans, Rhyming Text Lovers, Picture Book Fans

Collaboration in Writing/Creating

Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, ill. by Adam Rex
This is supposed to be a story about Chloe, a little girl who runs into a lion in the woods, but the artist and author have some disagreements on how the story should go and the whole things turns into a big (and hilarious) mess.

• Target Readers: Anyone Who Has Had to Do a Group Project, Humor Fans, Metafiction Fans, Picture Book Fans

The Element of Surprise

Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein
The little red chicken comes home from school announcing to her father that her teacher has told her there's an elephant of surprise in every story and she's supposed to read three stories and find it. Her father thinks it is more likely the teacher said the element of surprise, but they settle in to read some stories and find out which it is.

• Target Readers: Father-Daughter Story Fans, Humor Fans, Chicken Lovers, Picture Book Fans

Farce/Irony/Hyperbole

The Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim, ill. by Kim Smith
The people of Strictville have an unprecedented emergency on their hands when puppies start showing up in town.

• Target Readers: Art Lovers, Dog Lovers, Humor Fans, Picture Book Fans

Footnotes

The Ministry of SUITs series by Paul Gamble
Jack is a pretty normal boy. He's not super smart or dumb. He's not super popular, but he is generally well-liked. There's just one area where Jack stands out. He's super curious. Curious to the extent he gets that thing about cats and curiosity and death quoted to him all the time. After rescuing a man from being mauled by a bear in morning traffic, Jack's curiosity leads him to find the organization the man works for, the Ministry of Strange Unusual and Impossible Things. Becoming an agent for the Ministry of S.U.I.T.s is easier than Jack ever would have imagined. Staying alive as an agent and figuring out how to complete missions... that's a bit more challenging. And it is up to Jack and his partner to figure out what is going on at their school and save several fellow students (and maybe all of Northern Ireland).

• Target Readers: Humor Fans, Fantasy Fans, Spy-ish/Superhero-ish Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers on up

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl novels by Shannon & Dean Hale
Doreen Green is a pretty typical 14 year old girl, eager to make friends in her brand new neighborhood in New Jersey. She just has one tiny, itsy difference from most 14 year old girls. She has a tail. Oh, and some other squirrel traits, including the ability to communicate with real squirrels. She never lets anyone outside her family see the tail though. The groups at her new school are proving as tough as walnuts to get into, but Doreen does make one friend. Ana Sofía honestly doesn't at first welcome Doreen's olive branches of friendship, but Doreen's knowledge of ASL does break down a little of the wall with a girl who can't hear and then there's Doreen's relentless positive attitude. Doreen also makes some friends among the local squirrels when she destroys some crazy evil traps someone set up around town. When Doreen uses her squirrel powers (and squirrel friends) to help thwart a troublesome gang in the neighborhood, Squirrel Girl gets her first appearance. Doreen always admires the Avengers and other superheroes, but she's never really thought she could be one. Squirrel Girl saves the day a few more times in the coming days, and she gets the attention of local would-be super villain Micro-Manager. He wants to make a name for himself, and what better way to do so than to take down a superhero. Besides, Squirrel Girl has already annoyed him by messing with his rodent traps around town. Can Squirrel Girl really save the day, or is she just a girl with a tail?

• Target Readers: Superhero Fans, Humor Fans, Squirrel Lovers, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series by Ryan North, ill. by Erica Henderson, et al
Squirrel Girl aka Doreen Green is off to college majoring in computer science. Can a mutant secretly superhero girl have a normal college life? That's still to be seen. Doreen can hardly make it through orientation without having to duck out to save the world from Galactus and (with the help of Tippy-Toe and other squirrel friends) stop a bank robbery. She, her roommate, and her squirrel friends help save the day over and over again in this series.

• Target Readers: Superhero Fans, Humor Fans, Squirrel Lovers, Computer Geeks, Graphic Novel Fans, Psychology Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

Foreshadowing/Prediction Practice

Ben Franklin’s in My Bathroom (History Pals, #1) by Candace Fleming, ill. by Mark Fearing
Nolan's summer is pretty humdrum. His dad has moved away to London and his parents are getting a divorce. His mom has serious writer's block, and it's up to him to keep his little sister Olive occupied. But when a mysterious package arrives for Nolan, their humdrum summer suddenly gets much more eventful. After they fiddle with it a little, the strange box with H.H. on it makes some flashes and suddenly Ben Franklin is standing in the living room. Yep, that Ben Franklin. Nolan is immediately trying to figure out how to send Ben back to the past. But Olive is thrilled to show Ben Franklin all the wonders the 21st century has to offer, and Mr Franklin's curiosity is quickly getting the better of him. Before he knows it, Nolan is chasing Ben Franklin and Olive all over town trying to prevent a major catastrophe and figure out how to get Mr Franklin back to his proper time. While most of the book is normal text, it contains flashbacks of Ben’s past in graphic novel format and the book ends with hints of what historical figure is coming to visit them next.

• Target Readers: Ben Franklin Studiers/Inventor Fans, Time Travel Fans, Humor Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Reluctant Readers, Middle Grade Readers

If You Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! by Elise Parsley
Magnolia is headed to the beach with her mom and two siblings. Her siblings are bringing things like boats and balls, she wants to bring the piano. Her mom warns her not to lose it, and they head off to the beach. Of course, things do not go as planned, and Magnolia realizes what a horrible idea it was to bring her piano to the beach.

• Target Readers: Humor Fans, Beach Goers, Picture Book Fans

Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs

All Paws on Deck (Haggis and Tank Unleashed, #1) by Jessica Young, ill. by James Burks
Haggis and Tank are two dogs with grand imaginations. To beat boredom they climb aboard their pirate ship and let loose their imaginations on a grand pirate adventure.

• Target Readers: Pun Lovers, Dog Lovers, Imaginative Readers, Pirate Story Fans, Lower Grade Readers

Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas, ill. by Jennifer Plecas
A knight on watch responds to various roars he hears, and finds some rather surprising requests from three little dragons on the other end of those roars.

• Target Readers: Bedtime Story Fans, Sweet Story Fans, Dragon & Knight Lovers, Beginning Readers, Prediction Challenge Seekers, Adjective Admirers, Leveled Reader Fans

When I Was Small by Sara O’Leary, ill. by Julie Morstad
A little boy asks his mother to tell him a story about when she was small. Mother has a little fun, purposefully misunderstanding him and instead of telling him tales of her childhood tells him of extraordinary imaginary adventures she had when she was a tiny person.

• Target Readers: Art Lovers, Imaginative Story Fans, Picture Book Readers

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park, ill. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
Say hello to some humorous homographs. Each page features an animal (or small human) that is the noun version of a word acting out the verb form of their name. Yaks yak, parrots parrot, etc. The back of the book includes some linguistic history.

• Target Readers: Humor Fans, Animal Lovers, Word Play Fans, Word History Fans, Picture Book Readers

Idioms/Figures of Speech

More Parts by Tedd Arnold
A boy becomes increasingly worried as he hears his parents, neighbors, teachers, and friends say things about his body coming to pieces. Broken hearts, cracking skin, giving up limbs...it's worrying stuff! Eventually, his parents explain that these phrases are just figures of speech and he doesn't need to worry.

• Target Readers: English Language Learners, Humor Fans, Picture Book Readers

You’re Pulling My Leg: 400 Human Body Sayings from Head to Toe by Pat Street & Eric Brace, ill. by Eric Brace
Idioms, figures of speech, and other weird sayings of the English language that are body-related are presented with funny literal illustrations and actual meanings. The book is organized by body part.

• Target Readers: English Language Learners, Humor Fans, Word History Fans, Middle Grade Readers on up

Metaphor

Migrant by Maxine Trottier, ill. by Isabelle Arsenault
A little girl who is part of a family of migrant workers tries to explain how she feels about her life through a series of metaphors comparing herself to animals that migrate. There’s more information in the back of the book about a real group of Canadian Mennonites who migrate from Mexico to the US and Canada for work and speak Low German.

• Target Readers: Art Lovers, Empathy Builders, Unique Culture Studiers, Picture Book Readers

Onomatopoeia 

Can an Aardvark Bark? by Melissa Stewart, ill. by Steve Jenkins
A survey of different animals that make grunts, barks, squeals, whines, growls, bellows, and laughing sounds. Each animal is labeled and gets a short paragraph about the noises it makes and under what conditions.

• Target Readers: Animal Lovers, Curious Readers, Nonfiction Picture Book Readers

The Noisy Garage by Dennis R. Shealy, ill. by Mike Yamada
This garage is a busy place, fixing up cars and trucks with all sorts of problems.

• Target Readers: Motor Vehicle Fans, Animal Lovers, Picture Book Readers

Overall Writing Skills

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble by Nick Bruel
Bad Kitty, author Nick Bruel, and Uncle Murray help readers get to know the parts of a story and how to write a great book.

• Target Readers: Humor Fans, Cat Lovers, Future Writers, Graphic Novel Fans, Lower Grade & Middle Grade Readers

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub, ill. by Melissa Sweet
Little Red is a pencil learning about writing stories. She sets out to write an adventure and does just that, meeting some helpful parts of speech as she struggles to create a good plot and make her story flow. Oh, and she better watch out because there is something trying to get her.

• Target Readers: Fairytale Rewrite Fans, Adventure Story Fans, Future Writers, Picture Book Readers

One Day, the End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, ill. by Fred Koehler
A collection of 2 to 4 page stories that use minimal text and illustrations that must be carefully examined to understand the full story.

• Target Readers: Future Writers, Art Lovers, Picture Book Readers

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon
It's time to write stories at school, and Ralph has major writer's block. He can't seem to think of anything to write. With the help of his friend Daisy and encouragement of his teacher and other classmates though, Ralph finally finds his writing voice.

• Target Readers: Future Writers (& Struggling Writers), School Story Fans, Picture Book Readers

Parts of Speech

Wordplay by Adam Lehrhaupt, ill. by Jared Chapman
Introduces Noun, Verb, Interjection, Adjective, and Adverb as characters in the story. Verb does things. Noun just is. But Verb gets jealous of Noun, until she realizes they are better working together. Interjection, Adjective, and Adverb provide commentary throughout the adventure.

• Target Readers: Teamwork Story Fans, Language Arts Learners, Picture Book Readers

Plot Diagramming 

Max the Brave by Ed Vere
Max is a kitten. A kitten who prefers the title of brave rather than cute. To prove his bravery he will chase a mouse...if he can find out what a mouse is. Max goes around asking the various animals if they've seen Mouse, they point him along the way and eventually he thinks he's found a Mouse. But is the Mouse really a mouse? Recommended for plot diagramming examples because the plot is simple and the crisis moment is obvious.

• Target Readers: Animal Lovers (especially Cat Lovers), Humor Fans, Cute Story Fans, Picture Book Readers

Research Process

Ain’t Nothin’ But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson
Nelson shares how he was researching the men who worked on the railroad, and that led him to start looking for the real John Henry. There were enough details consistent throughout the various version of the song that suggested people were singing about a real man. He shares about his research process and what he eventually uncovered about a man who worked the railroad named John Henry.

• Target Readers: History Buffs, Real Mystery Fans, Music Lovers, Researchers, Middle Grade & Young Adult Readers on up

Noodleheads series by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, & Mitch Weiss, ill. by Tedd Arnold
Mac and Mac are noodles. They also aren't very bright and take things a bit literally. In their graphic novel misadventures they do things like try to figure out a way to avoid making their beds, they try to gather firewood and then wonder if their friend can see the future, or try to go fishing. In the front or back of each book is extensive information about folklore featuring fools (aka noodleheads) from around the world similar to the stories featured in each book.

• Target Readers: Folklore Fans, Silly Story Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Lower Grade Readers

Suffixes

Builders & Breakers by Steve Light
Two children follow their father to a construction site to give him his lunch. They observe all sorts of things going on at the site, things being built, things being broken, diggers going down, and cranes going up.

• Target Readers: Readers Learning to Compare/Contrast, Construction/Demolition Fans, Beginning Readers, Picture Book Readers

Superlatives

The Perfect Dog by Kevin O’Malley
A little girl tries to decide which kind of dog would be perfect as her new pet.

• Target Readers: Dog Lovers, Families about to Adopt a Dog, Picture Book Readers

We are Growing! (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading, #2) by Laurie Keller with Mo Willems
Gerald & Piggie are reading a book about several blades of grass. Each blade is growing, but each one grows differently. One is the tallest, one is the crunchiest, and one is the silliest...but something is coming that will put them all back on the same level.

• Target Readers: Readers Celebrating Unique Gifts & Talents, Humor Fans, Beginning Readers, Picture Book Readers

Vocabulary

Pocket Full of Colors: the Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo & Jacqueline Tourville, ill. by Brigette Barrager
A picture book biography of Mary Blair, artist and Disney animator who is known for her vibrant, color-filled illustrations.

• Target Readers: Classic Disney Fans, Art Lovers, Strong Women Story Fans, Picture Book Biography Fans, Nonfiction Picture Book Fans

The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds
Some people collect rocks or stamps or art. Jerome collects words. He loves basking in their sound and look. But then Jerome finds something even better than collecting words...stringing them together and giving them away.

• Target Readers: Beginning Readers, Fans of Kindness Stories, Realistic Fiction Fans, Picture Book Readers