The Polar Express Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg

 The Polar Express

Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg

Grades: K-2nd

Awards: 

• Caldecott Medal (1986)

• Kentucky Bluegrass Award (1987)

• Buckeye Children's Book Award for K-2 (1991)

• Nevada Young Readers' Award for Primary Category/Picture Book Category (1988)

• Little Archer Award (1986)

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Picture Book - Honor Book (1986)

Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that appears out of nowhere in the middle of the night. The train is The Polar Express and is bound for the North Pole. Ignoring the demands of stranger-danger, the boy climbs aboard, finding the car filled with other youngsters. They are treated to goodies while en route to the north pole.  At the North Pole they are to witness the ritual of Santa giving the first gift of Christmas. Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The bell is lost on the train ride home. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The boy's mother admires the bell, but laments that it is broken. The boy can hear the bell, for you see, only believers can hear the sound of Santa's bell.

This is Not My Hat Written and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is Not My Hat

Writing and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Grades: PreK-3

Awards:

• Caldecott Medal (2013)

• Kate Greenaway Medal (2014)

• Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Children’s Picture Book (2013)

• Irma Black Award Nominee (2013)

• OLA Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award Nominee (2014)

• Premi Llibreter for Àlbum il·lustrat (2014)

 I Want My Hat Back, this story involves a hat theft. A small gray fish has stolen a tiny bowler hat from a much larger fish. He wastes no time or words in confessing his crime as he swims announcing, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." He continues his narrative with no regrets, but with a bit of rationalizing ("It was too small for him anyway.") as he swims to his hiding place, unaware that the big fish is in quiet pursuit. Readers, of course, are in on this little secret. When the two disappear into a spread filled with seaweed, the narration goes silent, and youngsters can easily surmise what happens as the big fish reemerges with the tiny blue bowler atop his head. 

Where the Wild Things Are, Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are
Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendack
Grades: Pre-K to 3rd
Awards:

• Winner, 1964 Caldecott Medal
• Notable Children's Books of 1940-1970 (ALA)
• 1981 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Illustration
• 1963, 1982 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
• Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1963, 1982 (NYT)
• A Reading Rainbow Selection
• 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
• Children's Books of 1981 (Library of Congress)
• 1981 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
• 100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1988 (NY Public Library)

Max is in his wolf suit and runnning around his house. His mother calls him a wild thing and sends Max to his room. Max is very mad about having to go to his room. He imagines his room turning into a fantasy world full of other wild things like himself. Max is the greatest wild thing so the monsters make him thier king. Max eventually feels lonely and wants to go back home. When he is home again he finds that everything is the same and his mom still loves him. 

In the classroom this would be a good book to read to show students that your imagination can take you anywhere. It will also show them that no matter how you act your mom still loves you. 

The illustrations in the book are great. The pictures grow as Max's imagination grows big. The pictures also go down as Max realizes he misses home.