The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Newbery Honor (2016), Parents' Choice Book Award (2015), New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award Nominee (2016), New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing (2015), Schneider Family Book Award (Middle Grades, 2016), Bank Street CBC Best Children's Book of the Year (2016), ALA Notable Children's Book (2016), CCBC Choices (2016), Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2016), A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2015), IRA Teachers' Choices Reading List (2016), NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (2016), IBBY Outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities (2017)

Grade(s): 4-6

Summary: A War That Saved My Life is a story set in the 1900's of a girl named Ada Smith who has a younger brother named Jamie Smith. During the first part of the book, Ada was heavily and gruesomely abused by her mother, Mam, who hated Ada because she had a clubfoot. Ada's mother consistently put her down and ridiculed her because of her foot, often calling her "rubbish." Ada was kept inside in a one room apartment and was strictly forbidden to leave. Mam did not want anyone to see her or her "nasty foot." On the other hand, Jamie was not abused, but was also not very well taken care of. The family was quite poor. Ada often took care of Jamie because their mother worked and did not have time. The story starts off at the start of World War II where it was known that Hitler was going to invade. Many children were evacuated out of London into the outskirts of England because of the fear of Germany's bombing. Mam certainly planned to send Jamie away, but had every intention of keeping Ada at home, telling her that no one would want to take care of her. However, Ada planned an escape with her brother and the two of them evacuated together. When all of the children arrived at the train's destination, they were lined up to be "picked out" by the families taking in evacuees. Sadly, Ada and Jamie were left unpicked. The woman who was organizing all of the evacuations in this part took the children with her and told them she would find a place for them. She drove the children to Ms. Susan Smith's house, who heavily protested bringing in evacuees and stating, "I don't know how to take care of children." Needless to say, Ada and Jamie were left with Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith was well off and lived in her best friend, Becky's, house. She showed Ada and Jamie how to bathe and began keeping them well groomed with new clothes and plenty of food to eat. During their stay at Ms. Smith's house, Ada fell in love with riding and taking care of horses and Jamie fell in love with planes. Despite Ms. Smith's original protests, she ended up falling in love with the children, and they her. She protected them and took care of them throughout the war. One day, Mam came to collect her children as she was being asked to pay 19 shillings a week to have them taken care of. Ada insisted that she did not take them away from Ms. Smith, but she did anyway. Upon returning home, Ada quickly used her strength and all that she had learned from living with Susan and stood up to Mam for the first time. Mam finally admitted that she never wanted children, but that their father did. She admitted that she didn't love them. Through a broken heart, Ada promised her mother that she would not have to pay for them to live with Susan and that Mam would never have to hear from them again. When Mam was happy with this, the children escaped. They found Susan in London where she had come to look for them. They all returned home happily together to find that their home had been bombed. Although they were horrified, they were happy to be together with not only each other, but also all of their "family" from their town.

My Thoughts: This book is beautifully written and absolutely riveting. It shows the impact that abuse has on a child and the kind of strength it takes them to overcome it. Ada's perseverance through not only her abusive mother, but also her disability, has the potential to inspire a lot of children and teach them to never give up. These children go through so much during a world war, but they come out even stronger. This book shows the importance of family and love in a child's life and how important it is for them to learn. I would absolutely recommend this book to my students, my colleagues, my friends, my family, ANYONE!! I LOVE this book and like many others, it will remain in my library for many years to come.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Author: Shel Silverstein

Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Genre: Poetry

Awards: William Allen White Children's Book Award (1984), ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 (51), ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 (51), ALA Notable Children's Book, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Library of Congress Children's Literature Center Children's Books (1982), Garden State Children's Book Award (Nonfiction, Grades 2-5, 1984), George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award, Buckeye Children's Book Award (Grades 6-8, 1985), New York Times Bestseller (General, 1981), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (1988), Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Nominee

Grade(s): 2-8

Summary: A Light in The Attic was published in 1981 and contains 169 pages of similarly witty poems like the ones in Where the Sidewalk Ends. Although he had written The Giving Tree and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, this book is the second book in the Where the Sidewalk Ends collection. It contains a poem called Superstitious which accurately describes someone who performs acts out of superstition, but claims they are not. Some of these acts include crossing your fingers, never stepping on cracks, never opening umbrellas indoors, and knocking on wood. Another poem in this collection is Channels. This poem is simple and describes that each channel on TV is just not good enough to watch. We all get this feeling every once in a while where we flip on the TV and nothing seems interesting. Channels is just one of many poems that Silverstein writes that are completely relatable. 

My Thoughts: Like Where the Sidewalk Ends, I will include this book in my classroom library for years to come. I feel that this second book just enhances my poetry collection. I would definitely use some of these poems in my classroom to help students relate their own lives to some of Silverstein's works. As time goes on, however, some of Silverstein's poems may become inappropriate for younger readers. However, this does not prevent me from using some of these poems as a read aloud with my younger students. 

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Author: Shel Silverstein

Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Genre: Poetry

Awards: 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009, Ages 5+), VDL Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Nominee, Wisconsin Golden Archer Award (Intermediate, 1996), William Allen White Children's Book Award Nominee (1976-1977), Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Nominee

Grade(s): K-5

Summary: Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of the first collections of poems that Shel Silverstein put out. This book was published in 1974 and it contains 166 pages of hilarious, serious, short, long, weird, and imaginative poems that leave you craving more. This book starts off with a poem called Invitation. It is a simple poem that Shel Silverstein uses to invite his readers to explore the "flax-golden tales" within his pages. To showcase the profound weirdness of Silverstein is a poem called Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too. This poem is a fun rhyming poem that talks about three brothers taking a ride in a flying shoe. It seems that it is only a synopsis of their adventure in the flying shoe and ends by saying, "And nobody knows what's happened to dear Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too." Also included in this collection is a poem called For Sale. This poem perfectly describes how an older sibling may feel about their younger sibling. It is about an older brother who is trying to sell his "crying and spying young sister." Although younger grades may not be able to relate to this poem as much as 4th, 5th or any older grades, it is a hilarious explanation that many older siblings feel sometime in their life. 

My Thoughts: I have been a long time lover of Shel Silverstein's poetry and books. At the age of 5, I was given this book by my father and I remember taking it with me everywhere. I love how obscure and wild Shel Silverstein writes. His collection will most definitely be in my classroom library. They are a wonderful collection of poems that showcases that poems can be about literally anything and can be any length. I hope that Shel Silverstein's works inspire my students as much as they inspired me.

I Invited a Dragon to Dinner

Authors: Mary Ciotkowski, Dorian Cirrone, Dave Crawley, Elizabeth DeSchryver, Kathy Duval, Judith Dyl, Jill Esbaum, B. H. Fields, Claudia Harrington, Jason Hunt, Susan Maree Jeavons, Roxanne M. Kinne, Lisa Hagan Kliefoth, Denise Long, Fonda Bell Miller, Andrea Perry, Ted Scheu, Eleen Sheridan, Wendi Silvano, Pat Lorraine Simons, Robert Ora Thomas, Penny Trzynka, and Suzanne Wunder

Illustrator: Chris L. Demarest

Genre: Poetry

Awards: IRA Children's Choices Reading List (2003)

Grade(s): K-4

Summary: This collection of poems is not only beautifully illustrated, but has many different silly poems written by many different authors. One obvious poem included in this book, I Invited a Dragon to Dinner, is a poem about a boy who invited a dragon to dinner. This dragon did not act the way the boy had anticipated, but instead ended up eating a burger and fries. The little boy in the poem describes that the dragon had no manners and would smoke every time he talked. Overall, the boy explains that he learned to never invite a dragon to dinner "and don't get too close when they talk!" Another great poem in this collection is a poem called The Man in the Green Hat That No One Can See. This poem accurately describes what you think is the mentally of a child with an imaginary friend. This poem states that the man in the green hat could actually have many different colored hats "'cause no one imagines exactly like you." 

My Thoughts: Like Snack Smasher, I absolutely love this collection of poems. Their silliness makes them fun and something to truly laugh out loud to. The illustrations wonderfully tie into the story portrayed in each poem, which only makes this book more enjoyable. I'm so excited to add this book to my classroom library!! I will be able to use it to show my students that their poetry can be a result of any part of their imagination. I love that I will be able to use this book as a contrast to more deeply and serious poems.

The Snack Smasher by Andrea Perry

Author: Andrea Perry

Illustrator: Alan Snow

Genre: Poetry

Awards: None

Grade(s): 1-4

Summary: The Snack Smasher and Other Reasons Why it's Not my Fault is a collection of silly and, at times, realistic poems. The poems in this book all concentrate around realistic daily frustrations we all encounter, but proves that these frustrations only happen because of some sort of villain coming in to wreck havoc. One of the poems in this collection is called The Scary-Hair Fairy and it describes why people's hair never seems to cooperate when it's picture day. Andrea Perry writes that it must be some sort of "scary-hair fairy" that comes in the middle of the night to "straighten your curls," "give you six cowlicks," and, in general, "make hair misbehave." Another of Perry's poems in this collection is Snorist. This poem tries to make sense of why fathers seem to snore so loudly. She describes that the only explanation for this is the Snorist, who is a man that sneaks into a father's nose to play loud instruments. 

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this collection of poems!! They are silly, yet engaging and are sure to give children a sense of imagination. This book will be a great addition to my classroom library. I plan to use it to inspire my students' imagination in hopes of them writing their own poem describing an explanation of an everyday frustration, such as why you only end up with one sock missing. 

Animal Friends: A Collection of Poems for Children

Authors: Aileen Fisher, Laura Godwin, Christina Rossetti, Mother Goose, Annette Wynne, Jane Taylor, Cecil Frances Alexander, Robert Louis Stevenson, Eileen Spinelli, and Adriane Frye

Illustrator: Michael Hague

Genre: Poetry

Awards: None

Grade(s): 1-4

Summary: This book is a collection of poetry based around different animals. One of the poems in this collection is called The Caterpillar. This poem simply describes a caterpillar, but then includes an insight into the lifecycle of a caterpillar by ending saying, "To live again a butterfly." Another poem in this book is called My Puppy. This poem accurately describes how a dog seems to know its owner in ways many wouldn't think was possible. For example, the author writes in this poem, "When I'm happy, he's yappy, and squirms like an eel."

My Thoughts: I think this sweet collection of poems is especially good for young children because they tend to enjoy animals so much. It has many poems that also help children to learn many different small facts about many different animals. This book includes short, small poems that could easily be used during a lesson involving a certain animal. Additionally, this book has a few different types of poems such as ones that rhyme, ones that don't, and even ones that teach a lesson. I will definitely be able to use this collection of poems in my classroom.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Author: Robert Frost

Illustrator: Susan Jeffers

Genre: Poetry

Awards: None

Grade(s): 2-4

Summary: As many of you know, writing a summary for Robert Frost's poems can be quite difficult. This book is one of Frost's well-known treasures. It features a man who has "a promise to keep," but ends up stopping to enjoy the woods around him. The man's horse seems uneasy about stopping in the woods, but the man insists that it is peaceful in the woods. Towards the end of the book, the man makes realization that he cannot stay in the woods because of the promises that he has made. The book ends with the single line, "And miles to go before I sleep."

My Thoughts: As described on one of the flap covers of this book, "... this book is perfect for introducing children to great American literature," and I couldn't agree more. Robert Frost's poetry is a great tool to teach children, not only about great American literature, but also that poems can be written using profound thoughts that only make sense to the author. It is clear that Frost does that because when asked what the meaning was behind some of his poetry, he said, "If I wanted you to know I'd had told you in the poem." I would definitely use Robert Frost's poetry in my class to teach students a different view of poetry and that poetry doesn't always have to make sense to the world, as long as it makes sense to the author.