Jane Yolen

Yolen was my favorite author to focus on this semester. Her stories all have their own unique pieces. I love how she has selections that have “sequels” and some that are just single hits. Her dinosaur series does a wonderful job teaching students different manners and actions that will help them succeed and become well-mannered. Her collection is so large that you could read books by this author for weeks.

Mo Willems

Some of my favorite books from this semester are pieces of Mo Willems. I fell in love with the Knuffle Bunny “series”. I enjoyed how many of his works focused on events that took place in his life. His writing provides for a different style of reading for children. I love how he brings the reader into the story (literally) while writing using dialog and comic bubbles.

 

Laura Numeroff

Numeroff shares many helpful hints when sharing events in your life with a variety of animals. These books keep readers intrigued as they tell the silly tales of the animals continuously wanting more. Other than that, her works have little rhyme or reason. “Two for Stew” was one of my favorite reads and helped to bring this author into my list.

 

Lois Ehlert

Ehlert does a phenomenal job providing learning lessons for her readers. All her books are full of differentially in the illustrations as the words perfectly describe the subject. I love how she combines both reality and the imagination.

 

Ann Dewdney

I love reading about Llama Llama. The author does a wonderful job informing students of how they should behave and deal with different situations. I love how this author uses rhyming words in addition to a little llama to describe the lesson at hand.

 

Eric Carle

Eric Carle does a fantastic job making animals of all sorts the main attraction of all his books. I love how his stories are interactive while allowing the students to learn different learning skills that require the use of their different senses. I think it is important to include a lesson into some reading. Carle accomplishes this through the addition of colors, numbers, days of the week, and many other techniques.

 

Chris Van Allsburg

While these books are lengthier, they are perfect for the middle elementary levels. The use of his stories to create films proves that the subjects presented in his work are worthy of your time. I love how he puts borders around his images to separate the text from the illustrations. This is a creative approach. I think it helps to separate the two while keeping them connected. Most of his stories incorporate mystical elements. The suspense leads the reader to want more. I find this to be a very intelligent strategy.

 

Margaret Wise Brown

Brown’s collection is very scattered. As I read her stories I did not find two that were alike. The quality of the work, however was out of this world. I enjoyed reading her whole collection for I was always on my toes on what I would read next. I love how multiple of her stories tie back to the family. By providing connections for students on an emotional standpoint, I feel we can help them see the meaning behind the reading of a story.

 

Bill Martin Jr.

Bill Martin Jr. also has a strange variety of writing. I love his interaction with many of my other favorite authors such as Eric Carle and Lois Ehlert. His pieces are very like theirs in the sense that they provide learning tools to the reader. I recommend these stories to the younger elementary students for they are short and concentrated. Lastly, I love his rhyming and repetition.

 

Kate DiCamillo

My favorite part about her books is how it is as if you are watching a movie. The high concentration on descriptive and well placed details provides for perfect image of the dynamic characters. I also enjoy how the reader is left feeling the emotions of the main characters. Most of her books look lengthy, however you will be pleasantly surprised when you see her large margins and mental breaks by incorporating illustrations. Her stories are perfect for those beginning chapter books.