Weeks, Sarah. (2005). So B. It. New York: HarperCollins.

This books won the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award in 2007 and the Parents Choice Award. This story is about a young, thirteen-year-old girl named Heidi who lives with her mother that is mentally-disabled and her neighbor, Bernadette. Because of her mother's disability and her neighbor's fear of going outside, Heidi has to do many duties beyond her age. One day, Heidi finds a camera hidden in a drawer that contains clues to her family's history. She goes on an adventure to New York to uncover more about her family's unknown history and to discover the meaning of the word her mother repeats, "soof." Throughout her journey to New York she meets kind and helpful characters as her "lucky streak" seems to continue. Once in New York she meets a man who also has a mental-disability, and he says her mother's word, "soof," to her also. While the man's caretaker is not helpful to Heidi, a friendly woman, Ruby, and her husband help Heidi investigate further. In the end, Heidi finds out that the man who repeated the word "soof" to her is actually her father! The story ends bitter sweet because her mother dies, but Heidi gains a father, grandfather, and many friends. In addition she learns the meaning of her mother's word, love.
This heart-warming story would be a great book to use for a literature focus unit. It has rich vocabulary, deep themes of friendship, family, love, and disability acceptance, and is a suspenseful page-turner for young readers. I think this book would be perfect for a literature focus unit.

Falconer, Ian. (2012). Olivia and the Fairy Princesses. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

This Goodreads Choice Award-Winning book is another story about the fun-loving and familiar pig, Olivia. Students will love this book if they have already previously read Olivia books and fallen in love with her. It is the 7th Olivia book in which the independent and high-spirited pig questions her identity especially when her father calls her "his little princess." Olivia questions why the princesses that girls often envision are pink; she challenges this idea with thinking about Indian princesses or African princesses.
While this book may seem to be a typical girly book like the familiar Fancy Nancy books, it, in fact, challenges such girly stereotypical notions of princesses. I think this book could be used for both boys and girls in a lesson. One idea I thought of would be to read this book, discuss alternative types of princesses and princes, and then research or study different types. This could be used as a Social Studies lesson for even the upper elementary grades to learn about other cultures and their royalty.
The following is a picture of another activity in which students would compare and contrast two princess books and how the princesses are portrayed:

Ormerod, Jan. (2010). Maudie and Bear. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.

This book won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Early Childhood Book of the Year in 2011. This lovable story is about a young girl and her beloved friend, Bear. The story goes through their typical daily life together. An interesting aspect to this picture book is its use of chapters within a short picture book. The illustrations throughout this book depict Maudie and Bear's fun, daily activities through cartoon illustrations. The book simply goes through daily routines and actions that Maudie and Bear encounter, but it also has important themes of friendship and love.
The following is a link with teacher resources to go along with this book, in which contains author information, comprehension questions, and activities related to the book for young students: http://www.earlywords.info/maudie_and_bear.%20teacher%20notes.pdf

Henkes, Kevin. (2013). The Year of Billy Miller. New York: HarperCollins Publisher.

This John Newbery Medal winning book is about a second-grade boy, Billy Miller. The story begins at the end of his summer vacation when he falls and bumps his head while visiting the Jolly Green Giant Statue. While Billy's mom is worried that the new bump on his head will affect his upcoming school year, Billy overhears his father thinking that this year will be "the year of Billy Miller." From then on the story portrays Billy's twist and turns throughout his second-grade school year. He battles with a girl, Emma, and tries to prove himself to be a good, smart second-grader. Through his big art project and babysitting, Billy learns how to solve problems as well as loving his sister. The story ends with Billy having to memorize a poem about a person of his choice, and it truly ends up to be the year of Billy Miller because he proves to be a smart, kind boy. I thought students in second-grade would love this book because it is about a second-grader, and it is silly while at the same time teaches lessons.
The following is a link to other books by Kevin Henkes, information about the author, discussion questions for The Year of Billy Miller, and activity ideas for The Year of Billy Miller: http://www.kevinhenkes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Year%20of%20Billy%20Miller%20TG%20FINAL.pdf

Wiesner, David. (1991). Tuesday. New York: Clarion Books.

This Caldecott award-winning book is a twist compared to other popular children's picture books. This is a story with little text. There are a total of only 6 words in the entire story starting on the first page, "Tuesday evening, around eight," later in the story, "at 4:38a.m," and on the last page, "next Tuesday." The uniqueness of this book intrigued me. As I went through the story, even without text, I felt more involved in the story than I typically would for a picture book. From the beginning, the frogs in the story go on a journey from their pond homeland to the city and neighborhoods, in which they observe new scenes. At one point they almost get caught by a dog, but the dogs ends up joining them on their journey. The frogs go back home, but they left traces of themselves throughout the town. At the end of the story, it seems to be suggesting that the next adventure will belong to the pigs.
I thought this book would be great to use for young, emergent readers because invented storytelling could take place. Imaginations could run wild while reading this book because of the freedom of no text. Young students could perform a read aloud in which they read the story using their own words based off of the pictures.
I thought a good activity for older students would be to write text for the illustrations of the story.
Another option would be to have students writ a continuation of the story using their predictions of what they think the pigs' journey would be.

Zemach, Harve and Margot. (1986). "Duffy and the Devil" New York: Square Fish.

This multicultural fairytale is a Celtic version of "Rumpelstiltskin."   This tale starts with a squire hearing a woman beating her stepdaughter, Duffy, for “romping with the boys instead of knitting stockings or spinning yarn.” The squire takes Duffy to his home in which she is instructed to spin wool, which she hates. One night, a “manikin” comes to her offering her a deal, and in the end, Duffy guesses the manikin’s name correctly, Tom Tit Tot (A.W.T. and Clodd 1889). 
This could be used in the classroom when talking about a different culture's history, such as Irish (it may be good to do this around St. Patrick's Day). Students could learn about Celtic history before reading this.

 

Grimm. (2012). "Goose-Girl." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about a bride who is set off with the blood of her mom. The maid played the princess and did not get her drink when the princess requested. The princess calmly accepted that, but the maid continued to defy the princess by riding Falada (the princess's horse) and trading clothes with the princess. The maid tricked the man into thinking that she was the princess and marrying her. Meanwhile, the real princess tended to the geese with Conrad and spoke to the dead horse's beloved head. Eventually the king found out that he was tricked and that the goose girl was in fact the real princess, so he married her.
This fairytale could be used to talk about lying.
This fairytale could also be used to compare to the other deceitful fairy tales, and students could discuss more moral ways the characters could have solved their problems.

Grimm. (2012). "The 3 Apprentices." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This was a fun, yet sad fairytale. The fairytale begins with 3 apprentices that are forced to respond, "all 3 of us," "for money," and "quite right," respectively to every question asked in order to have their pockets always be full. Their forced responses are used throughout the story, but they are never really an issue. However, one day, the merchant was murdered, and since people thought the 3 apprentices were odd, they were questioned for the murder. As one could guess, their responses set them up for confessing to the murder. In the end though, the Devil came in the coach to save them and tell the people that the innkeeper actually killed the merchant.
I thought this lesson would be great to use for shared reading. I thought this story could be read aloud with young students, and the students could chime in during the repetitive language (the apprentices' responses). Students could also work on predictions.

Grimm. (2012). "Sleeping Beauty." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is also similar to the Disney version. In fact, it is one of the most similar to the Disney version than all other fairy tales. One difference is that 13 wise women were invited to the feast in celebration of the king and queen's new baby girl. However, the king and queen only had 12 golden plates, so one of the wise women was left out of the celebration. This one wise woman left out of the celebration is the woman who curses the baby girl. Another difference is that as the 100 years set in for the kingdom to be asleep, the castle is covered by thorns, which is why the girl is also known as Briar Rose. On the 100th year the king's son comes just as the spell is broken and falls in love with the princess. In other words, the true love's kiss is not in the original story.
This fairytale could be used to talk about aspects of a fairytale. Most people assume that fairy tales have love stories in which the hero saves the maiden. However, one lesson could be to discuss how this fairytale challenges that notion because the princess would have woken up regardless of the prince coming.
This fairytale could also, once again, be used with a few of the other fairy tales to compare and contrast this original version with the Disney version.
The following is a link to a modernized version of Sleeping Beauty that could be used to aid students who are struggling with the vocabulary and word choices within Grimm's version: http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/sleeping-beauty/story.htm

The following is a link to an Android app that will be applicable to many of the Grimm's fairy tales: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.storytoys.GrimmsSleepingBeauty.GooglePlay&hl=en

Grimm. (2012). "The 12 Huntsmen." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about a son and maiden and king who is sick. The son leaves the maiden a ring promising to marry her before he goes to visit his dying father (the king). His father's dying request to his son is to marry another king's daughter, which the son agrees to without thinking. The wishes for 11 huntsmen that look just like her because she also dresses up like a huntsman. A lion tells the king to lie peas on the ground to see if the huntsmen really are women are not. The lion says that women will slip, but men will be able to walk on the peas. The huntsmen all were able to walk. Then, the lion tells the king to put 12 new spinning wheels in a room because he says that women will be excited to see them. However, the huntsmen passed as huntsmen again. Later, the true bride faints when the other bride comes, and when the king sees her ring (the original bride's ring), he knows who she is. They end up marrying each other.
I thought that this fairytale was also hard to follow. However, I thought it might be a good sequencing fairytale because of the different tests the lion provides. I also think this fairytale could be used to have children come up with other tests that the lion could have done to discover whether or not the huntsmen were women.

Grimm. (2012). "The 12 Idle Servants." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale goes through 12 different servants who explain how they are lazy. Most servants describe sleeping a lot, not working, letting others do their work, and having no worries. This fairytale was not my favorite. It was a pretty boring fairytale because it was simply a small paragraph for each servant explaining why they are considered idle.
Because I did not like this fairytale very much, I do not know how I could use it in a fun way in the classroom. My initial thought is to talk about vocabulary within the fairytale since there are many uncommon words used today.

Grimm. (2012). "The Crystal Ball." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about an enchantress who has three boys who have no trust. Therefore, she gives the oldest son to an eagle, the middle son to a whale, and the youngest son to a beast. Later, the king's daughter needs to be saved at the Castle of Golden Sun. Two giants fight over the wishing cap, but the youngest son solves it, takes it, and wishes. He finds the king's daughter, but she turns out to be very ugly. To break the spell that she is under, he goes on a journey to find the crystal ball. The journey leads the youngest brother to have help from his brother and eagle in the sky and his other brother and the whale in the sea. In the end, the crystal ball is found, and the spell is broken.
This fairytale could be used to teach family loyalty.
It could also be taught to teach sequencing.

Grimm. (2012). "Hansel and Gretel." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about a woodcutter, his wife, their son (Hansel), and their daughter (Gretel). Because they are so poor, the woodcutter's wife talks the woodcutter into abandoning the children in the forest. The children overhear the plan, so Hansel thinks of a plan. As they walk through the forest, Hansel leaves a trail of pebbles, which Hansel and Gretel use to find their way back home. The disappointed parents try to abandon their children again in the forest, but this time Hansel again leaves a trail of bread crumbs. This time, however, birds ate the bread crumbs. After being lost in the forest for a while, the children find a house made of breads, cakes, and sugar. They go to the house, but they are caught by a witch living there. The witch locks Hansel up to fatten him to eat him later. Gretel saves her brother by tricking the witch into leaning in to check the boiling water and pushing her into it. A duck helps the children find their way back to their home where they find out their evil-plotting mother is dead, and their father is delighted to embrace them and welcome them back.
This fairytale could be used as a safety lesson for young children about "stranger danger."
If appropriate, this fairytale could also be used for nature survival lessons.

Grimm. (2012). "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is mostly the same as the Disney version. However, there are some significant differences. The first difference is when the queen disguises herself to go trick and kill Snow White she laces Snow White. Snow White then loses her breath and dies. Unlike the Disney version though, the dwarfs return to the cottage in time to unlace Snow White and save her. The evil queen tries once again to kill Snow White by poisoning a comb and tricking her into combing her hair with it. Once again, however, the dwarfs return in time to save her. Like the Disney version though, Snow White is finally killed from a poisoned apple. When the king's son finds Snow White in the glass coffin, he wants to take it home with him. As he carries it away, he trips, and the apple is coughed up from Snow White's throat. Snow White is alive because he tripped, not because true love's kiss.
This fairytale could also be used for a compare and contrast with the Disney version.
This fairytale would also be good to teach sequencing of events.

Grimm. (2012). "The Three Black Princesses." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about an enemy in East India that would not retire until he was given $600. There also once was a poor fisherman and his son. The fisherman gave his son away for $600, and his son became the burgomaster. However, his son escaped. Three princesses in black were sent to the fisherman. He didn't even recognize his sons, but he wanted to thank the three princesses. He turned the princesses half white, but this angered the princesses because they were looking for their three brothers of seven chains who were buried under the castle.
This fairytale was confusing for me to read even, so I am not sure how I would use this in the classroom yet. I still need to think this fairytale over.

Grimm. (2012). "The White Bride and the Black." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about a mother and two daughters (one called the Black Bride and the other called the White Bride). The White Bride helped a poor man after all others refused. God then granted her 3 wishes, so she wished for beauty (white), endless money in a purse, and the Kingdom of Heaven. The White Bride's brother, Reginer, was the coachman for the King. One day, after the king's beautiful wife died, he saw Reginer's picture of his sister (the White Bride) and thought she looked as beautiful as his late wife. He fell in love with her, so he requested to meet her. The evil mother of the two girls made Reginer half blind and the White Bride half deaf. On the coach ride back to the king, the mother tricked the half deaf White Bride to switch her dress with the the Black Bride's ugly dress, and then she tricked the half deaf White Bride to fall out of the coach. Because the brother was half blind, he could not tell the difference now that the Black Bride was wearing the White Bride's dress. The Black Bride ended up marrying the king, but a white duck who repeatedly visits the king later turns out to be the White Bride. When the king discovers the trick played on him, he ends up marrying the White Bride.
This fairytale could also be used to teach about lying and consequences.
I also think this would be a good fairytale to compare and contrast to Cinderella.

Grimm. (2012). "Snow-White and Rose-Red." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is about a widow who had two rose trees (a red and a white) and two girls (Snow White and Rose-Red). Both daughters loved each other very much. They also loved nature so much that they befriended a bear and felt safe with nature. Once there was a dwarf who got into a few deadly situations (his beard got stuck and a bird caught him), and both times the two sisters saved him. However, the dwarf continued to yell at the two girls and be mean. One day, the bear came after the two girls and the dwarf, but the dwarf stepped out of the way and sacrificed the two girls even after they saved him twice. However, the bear was actually the bear that was the girls' friend, and he turned out to be the king's son. In the end, the bear transforms into the king's son, and he marries one of the daughters.
This fairytale could be used to teach gratitude. It could be read during Thanksgiving, and then a lesson on thankfulness could be taught.

Grimm. (2012). "Rumpelstiltskin." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is one of my favorites. It begins with a poor miller telling the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. When the king forced the miller's daughter to do so, she is distraught because her father lied about her abilities. However, a mannikin comes to tell her that he will do the work for her if she gives him her necklace. When the king sees the gold she supposedly "spun," he makes her do it again. The mannikin promises her again in exchange for her ring. This pattern continues, but this time, the mannikin makes a deal with the daughter that if he spins for her, she must in return give him her first born child. Ultimately, when she has the child, she does not want to give it to the mannikin. The mannikin thinks he is tricky by making a new deal with the girl that if she can guess his name within 3 days, then she can keep her child. She is very upset and feels hopeless as she guesses wrong again and again. One day, she overhears the cocky mannikin singing his name. The next day, the girl guesses his named correctly to be Rumpelstiltskin, and she is able to keep her baby.
I would use this fairytale for predictions. As I read the fairytale aloud to the students, I would have them predict what was going to happen next either orally or written.
The following is a link to a website with many primary grade activities: http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/early-years-traditional-tales/early-years-rumpelstiltskin

 

Grimm. (2012). "The Gnome." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale begins with a king that has three girls. The king loved to walk in his garden, and he loved one particular apple tree so much that if anyone picked from it they would be "wished underground." Once day, the three girls picked from the tree because they did not think their father would ever wish that upon his own daughters. However, the girls were sunk underground. The king had men searching for his beloved princesses for a reward. Three huntsmen in particular were searching for the girls. The youngest, "Stupid Hans", was the only one able to stand up to the mannikin (earth mannikin). Therefore, the earth mannikin told Hans where the girls were. As he was saving the girls from the bottom of the well, Hans's two older brothers cut the rope before he could get up. Distraught, Hans found a flute at the bottom of the well, which he began to play. The gnomes responded to the music and saved Hans from the bottom of the well. The king ended up killing Hans's brothers, and he gave Hans the youngest daughter and glass shoes.
This fairytale could be used to teach faithfulness and loyalty (morality development).
This fairytale would also be great to use for cause and effect.

Grimm. (2012). "The Wedding of Mrs. Fox." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This odd fairytale is about a fox with 9 tails who suspects that his wife is being unfaithful to him. To try and catch his wife in cheating, the fox disguises himself as a bench. After a long time of no Mr. Fox, everyone thinks that he is dead. "Wooers" come to Mrs. Fox, but she turned all of them down because all of them had one quality lacking that Mr. Fox did have. She finally marries a fix with 9 tails, red stockings, and a pointed mouth.
This fairytale would also be hard to teach with because it involved the heavy topic of adultery.
I might just use this fairytale to teach sequencing of a story.

Grimm. (2012). "Little Red Riding Hood." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale is just like many of us know. As the young girl picks flowers in the woods for her grandmother, she gets deeper and deeper into the woods. She meets a wolf in the woods, but is unafraid. She ends up telling him what she is doing and where she was going, and the wolf peacefully leaves her. However, he beats her to her grandmother's house, eats the grandmother, and eats the girl when she comes. When a huntsman comes and finds the wolf, but no one else, he cuts the stomach of the wolf to release the girl and her grandmother. In replacement, the huntsman fills the wolf's stomach with stones. The second part of this fairytale is similar, but the wolf waits outside of the grandmother's house for her to leave instead of going in and eating her right away. In the end, the grandmother ends up cooking sausages to lure him in and trick him.
This fairytale could be taught with safety and being aware of one's surroundings for older children.
For younger children, this story could be used for comprehension. Students could participate in a reader's theatre as they act out the scenes while the fairytale is being read to them.

Grimm. (2012). "The Owl." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This short fairytale is about an owl that came into a barn in an area that is not very familiar with owls. Both the servant and the master fear the "monster." Their fear carries over to the townsfolk who come to fight the "monster" in the barn. However, one by one the townspeople fail to defeat the "monster." Even the strongest man failed. In the end, the townspeople burn down the barn and the owl inside.
I am not sure how I would teach this lesson because some students may be sensitive to the animal dying in the end of the fairytale.
I could use this fairytale as another comparison to Disney's Beauty and the Beast from the scene when Gaston gets the townspeople to go fight and kill the beast. I would use this comparison lesson for older students though

Grimm. (2012). "Rapunzel." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale begins with a woman who lives next to a garden with an enchantress in it. The woman wanted rapunzel (rampion) from the beautiful garden so badly that she had her husband sneak in the enchantress's garden to steal some. Eventually the man is caught by the enchantress who tells him that she must have his first daughter. When the girl was 12 years old the enchantress shut her in a tower, and only when she heard, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" could the enchantress be allowed to climb up Rapunzel's hair to her. Once day, the king's son heard the magic words, so the next time he was there he chanted the words and climbed up to meet Rapunzel. She made a skein of silk for them both to climb down. When the Dame Gothel found out, she cut Rapunzel's long hair, blinded him, and made him wander the desert. However, one day, he heard Rapunzel, and her tears were able to heal his blindness.
I thought this fairytale could also be used to compare and contrast the Disney version from this original version.
Another lesson could be to rewrite their own version of this fairytale using a different magical or powerful trait that a girl or boy may have and how someone evil might use this person's powers for the selfish benefit of himself or herself.

Grimm. (2012). "Cinderella." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale has a few things different from the Disney version of Cinderella. Everything remains the same as the Disney version except the following: The father goes to a fair, in which the stepsisters ask him to bring them back jewelry, but Cinderella asks him to bring back the first branch to hit his hat on his way home. She then uses this hazel branch to plant by her mother's grave. Every time she visits her mother's grave her tears water the branch until it turns into a tree. There, a white bird lives that grants every wish she makes while sitting by her mother's grave. In order to go to the festival, Cinderella must pick out every lentil that her stepmother dumped in the ashes within 2 hours. Even though the birds helped her do this, her stepmother says that if she can pick the lentils out of two dishes within 1 hour, then she can have a dress to wear to the festival. When the stepmother fails to carry out the deal, Cinderella goes to the bird by her mother's grave and wishes for a gold and silver dress and silk and silver slippers. The story is the same with her going to the festival except it lasts for three days. On the third night, the prince used "stratagen" to have Cinderella's slipper get stuck as she ran away so that he could use it to find her. In the end, the prince finds Cinderella, and the stepsister's eyes are pecked out by the bird.
I thought this fairytale would be good to use to compare and contrast the Disney version to this original version.

Grimm. (2012). "The Elves." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale had three parts to it, but they all went together. First, there was a poor shoemaker who only had enough leather for one more shoe. After leaving out the leather overnight, he woke to find a pair of shoes perfectly made. Since a customer paid extra for them, the shoemaker was able to buy enough leather for 2 more shoes. The mysterious pattern continued with the shoes being made perfectly at night. Eventually the shoemaker became wealthy enough to pay back the mysterious nighttime shoemakers back by making clothes and shoes for them. After his wife and him stay up all night to find the two small, naked men get the clothes, they never saw them again. The second part of the story holds similar mysterious elves, but this story is about a servant girl who receives a letter from elves asking her to hold a child for a Christening. The elves made her so happy at the Christening that they tricked her into staying "3 days" with them. When she finally is able to return hime, she finds out that her master is dead because it actually had been 7 years! The third part of this fairytale is about a child that is taken by elves and exchanged for a changeling. To get the child back, the people have to boil an egg shell over water to make the changeling laugh.
This fairytale would be tricky to teach, but I thought that it could be taught during St. Patrick's Day celebrations after or before the "leprechaun" came to the classroom to mess up the room.
I also thought a fun activity would be during Christmas to compare these elves to the "Elf on Shelf," and students could make and leave out clothes for the elves.

Grimm. (2012). "The Frog-King." Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Fall River Press.

This fairytale by the Grimms Brothers is about the youngest princess that plays with a golden ball. One day, the golden ball falls down a well when the young princess is playing with it. A talking frog makes a deal with the girl that if he gets the golden ball from the bottom of the well, then she must be his companion. However, once he retrieves the ball, the princess leaves him. When the frog enters the castle and tells the king what happened, the king says that the young princess must do as she promised the frog. The princess gets so mad at the frog that she throws him across the room, and a king's son transforms from the frog. He was previously bewithced. The king's son's coachman, Henry, was so sad when he was turned into a frog that he bound his heart. In the end, when the boy was freed, Henry's heart broke with joy.
I think this fairytale could be used to teach children about carryout promises. I also thought a lesson could be taught on "what's on the inside is what counts."
A fun comprehension activity for this fairytale could be reader's theatre in which the students act out the scenes as the story is read aloud.

Zolotow, Charlotte. (1992). The Seashore Book. New York: HarperCollins.

This book begins with a boy who lives int he mountains. He has never seen the seashore, so he asks his mother to describe it to him. The mother takes the young boy and the reader on an imaginative journey to the seashore. She describes every visual and sense that the boy would experience while at the seashore. In the end, the boys opens his eyes feeling as if he really went to the seashore. The images and words used throughout this book is beautiful because it works to successfully describe the beauty one would experience at the seashore all without physically being there.
I loved this book for a visualizing lesson, which is attached:
I also thought that this book would be great to teach the senses since the mother describes different things the boy would see, hear, and feel.
The attached document also contains many activities/ vocabulary/ lessons one could implement. There are so many different things a teacher could do with this book, so I think it would be helpful to choose just one thing to focus on within this copious resource: http://www.doverpublications.com/images/pdf/048649408x_TM.pdf

Book cover

Melling, David. (2002). The Kiss That Missed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series Inc.

This award-winning goofy book is something that children will enjoy reading and laughing along with. The story starts with a busy king who blows his son a kiss, but it misses. The king sends a knight in search for the "missed kiss." On his journey, he comes across many scary creatures. However, the kiss hits every creature and puts them quietly to sleep. When the knight comes across a dragon who chases him, he thinks the dragon is going to eat him. Instead, the dragon just wants to give him a good night kiss. In the end, the knight brings back the good night kiss, and he promises to never be in a hurry. I loved the humor and fun within this story. It is a play on a typical fairytale and knight in shining armor. I also liked how the text on many pages were shaped or curved along the pictures to fit the page's tone. I also thought the cartooned illustrations accurately portrayed the fun humor involved.
I thought that this book would be a fun story to read to young children before a nap time (so preschoolers).
The story could also be read to them by a familiar character from the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid through this link: http://www.storylineonline.net/kiss-missed/
The following is a link to related activities (art, sequencing, feelings, writing) for young children as well: http://www.playingbythebook.net/2014/02/17/40-activities-to-go-with-several-books-by-david-melling/

Book cover

Hill, Laban Carrick. (2010). Dave the Potter, Artist, Poet, Slave. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

This Caldecott award winning book has exquisite, realistic, yet cartooned illustrations by Bryan Collier. The story is about a slave who holds stronger meaning to a simple pile of dirt and pot. It goes through the process of Dave making a single elaborate pot, and it ends with his poem etched into every pot that he makes. At the back of this picture book there are some examples of Dave's poems left on pots. This story is great because it is based off of a true story. I think it would be great to use when talking about slavery because it provides a different perspective of African American's lives during this time. Dave the potter is a slave to celebrate, and some of his pottery remains today. I think this story would be great to use in a young grade's Social Studies lesson. I also think this book would be great to use for a Language Arts/ poetry lesson. It would be neat to have students work with clay and create pots and poems together just like Dave did. I took a ceramics class, so I know how difficult using a wheel is. Therefore, it would be neat to show my students the work I did (and worked really hard on) compared to the beautiful work Dave the potter did. Students could make clay pots with their hands and either write their own poems to go into the pots, or etch their own poems into the pots (depending on the students' age).
The following is a link from The New York Times on more information about the real-life Dave: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/books/review/Horwitz-t.html?_r=0 This could be used for the teacher to have background information to tell the students about Dave, or if students are older it could be used for students to read on their own.

Book Cover

Madrigal, Antonio Hernandez. (1999). Erandi's Braids. New York: Putnam's Books.

This book is based off a specific time period in a small village in Mexico. Erandi's birthday is highly anticipated, and when her mother and her go into town she looks forward to picking out her very own birthday present in a few days. On their way home, Erandi and her mother hear about a service that collects hair for payment. When Erandi's birthday approaches she fears that her mother has forgotten about her present. She previously had heard her mother mention that they needed a new fishing net, but they do not have enough money for it. Then, Erandi fears her mother is going to cut and sell Erandi's beautiful braids (which she takes pride in). However, as Erandi and her mother approach the man cutting hair, Erandi's mother plans on having her own hair cut for money. In the end, Erandi steps up to have her hair cut for enough money to buy a new fishing net as well as her birthday present.
This book is a great multicultural picture book. The author of this book was born in Michoacan, México, and he tells a beautiful historically accurate story of a specific time period in a small Mexican village, in which many women were forced to sell their hair for money. In addition, Tomie Depaola beautifully depicts Mexican embroidery and elaborate colors through his illustrations.

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The following is a lesson plan using Erandi's Braids as a mentor text to teach a multicultural lesson on story structure: