Moishe's Miracle

by Laura Krauss Melmed

On the night before Hanukkah, in the poor village of Wishniak, milkman Moishe's sharp-tongued wife, Baila, scolds him for being too generous with their hungry neighbors. Now they have no money to buy eggs and flour to make the traditional Hanukkah latkes. Moishe escapes to the cowshed to sleep in peace. When he awakens, he finds that his cows can speak to him: "MOO-oishe! MOO-oishe!" They inform him that he has been given a magical gift, a pan that, when set upon the fire totally empty, will produce as many latkes as he wishes. The gift comes with a warning, though. Only Moishe must use it. But what harm could it really do if Baila uses it just one time?

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Twas the Night Before Christmas

by Clement Clarke Moore

The classic Christmas narrative poem!

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Listen to the poem (animated video)

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole!

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Listen to Lou Diamond Phillips read this story online

Visit the official Polar Express website

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

by Bob Barner

This book provides an animated and informational look at some of our favorite little insect friends.

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The Adventures of Marco Polo

by Russell Freedman

He claimed to have seen rocks burn, bandits command sandstorms, lions tamed with a look, and sorcerers charm sharks while divers gathered pearls on the ocean floor. Marco Polo shook Europe with descriptions of the world he'd seen on his epic journey to the court of Kublai Khan.

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Olive, the Other Reindeer

by Vivian Walsh

Instead of the lyric, ``All of the other reindeer,'' Olive the pup hears something else on the radio: ``Olive, the other reindeer.'' She concludes that she is to be Santa's canine helper, so heads up to the North Pole, to join the Christmas Eve flight.

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Listen to Gene Autry's original "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

A Light in the Darkness

by Aaron Zevy

Josh and Willy are next door neighbors and best friends. When a rock is thrown through the window of Josh's house while his family is celebrating Hanukah, it is young Willy who is able to rally the street in support.

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Letters About Literature

Psssssst...want to win a $50, $100 or $500 gift card from Target?? If so, read on...

Have you ever felt the power and lift of literature? Has one book - or perhaps one author - inspired you to change your view of yourself or your world? If so, the Center for the Book encourages you to enter this year's Letters About Literature writing competition! All you have to do is write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work affected you. Consider one or more of these questions when writing your letter:

• Did the characters, conflict or setting mirror your life in some way?
• What strengths or flaws do you share with a character or characters in the book?
• What did the book show you about your world that you never noticed before?
• What surprised you about yourself while you were reading this book?
• Why was this work meaningful to you?
• As you were reading, what did you remember about yourself or something you experienced in the past?
• How did the book's characters or theme help you to understand that past experience?

Click on the title of this post to find out more about this exciting contest!

Ish

by Peter Reynolds

Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere. Drawing is what Ramon does. It¹s what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes.

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The Dot

by Peter Reynolds

One little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery.

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Take the quiz!

Helping Out is Cool

by Ellen Feinman Moss

Wondering how you can make a difference? Helping Out is Cool illustrates different ways that you and your family can volunteer and 'help out' in your community.

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I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!

by Karen Beaumont

When Mama catches her son "paintin' pictures on the floor/and the ceiling/and the walls/and the curtains/and the door," she sticks him in the tub and declares, "Ya ain't a-gonna paint no more!" Fresh from his bath, the child rescues his hidden supplies...

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The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

by Tomie de Paola

This vivid retelling of an old Texas legend reveals how the Indian paintbrush, the state flower of Wyoming, first bloomed, and how a young brave dreams of creating a painting that will capture the beauty of a sunset.

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The Art Lesson

by Tomie de Paola

A boy named Tommy loves to draw with his Binney & Smith Crayola crayons, and these pictures hang on his side of the room, in his mother's kitchen, at the barber shop where his father works, in the store of his Irish grandparents and in the home of his Italian grandmother Nana.

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Ralph S. Mouse

by Beverly Cleary



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Ida B.

by Katherine Hannigan



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Edward's Eyes

by Patricia MacLachlan



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Drumbeat In Our Feet

by Patricia A. Keeler and Julio T. Leitao

A journey into the deep-rooted traditions, artistry, and energetic spirit that make up the world of African dance, past and present.



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Requested Books

Hello students & parents,

Please comment on this post with the title and author of any books you would like to see included on the Book Blog. I will do my best to accommodate requests; however, I will include mostly classic or notable children's books. Please allow at least one week for a requested title for appear on the blog.

Thanks for your suggestions!
Ms. Whitney Gollman

4A Reading Reflections

Students, earn Responsibility hearts for your class by posting your reading reflections here! Follow the format Ms. Morton has given you in class:

1. Title
2. Author
3. Illustrator
4. Genre
5. Main Character(s)
6. Plot/What happens?
7. Did you like it? Why or why not?

Don't forget to include your name on your post! You can also reply to your classmates' posts as they appear; remember to address your reply to the appropriate classmate.

National Day on Writing

Gallery of Writing - Ross Global Academy/Ross School Gallery

Shared via AddThis

Magic School Bus series

by Joanna Cole (and others)

Click here to explore the Magic School Bus series of adventures on Scholastic!

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J.K. Rowling

This is the last book in the series, complete with an epilogue that gives the final word on how the characters' lives turned out.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

by J.K. Rowling

Harry participates in private tutoring session with his mentor, Dumbledore, and learns more about the early life of the evil wizard Voldemort.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

by J.K. Rowling

The Order of the Phoenix is formed to protect the world of magic from Voldemort's return.

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Harry Potter of the Goblet of Fire

by J.K. Rowling

While evil resurfaces in a secret hideaway, Harry participates in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous magical contest that could have deadly results.

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

by J.K. Rowling

In his third year of magical schooling, Harry meets Sirius Black. Harry must look beyond Black's sinister appearance and the rumors that surround him to learn the truth about the death of his parents.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling

Racial tensions, reincarnations and speaking (or listening) in forked tongues are all central issues in Harry's second year at Hogwarts.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

The first novel in the series begins around Harry's 11th birthday. Hagrid the giant whisks Harry away from his cupboard under the stairs and reveals to him the story of his magical roots.

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Is It Time?

by Jane Campbell

Buy it: Is It Time? (Reading Discovery)

Black Bear Cub

by Alan Lind



Black Bear Cub emerges from his winter den into a springtime wonderland of flowers and trees- and soon learns that the tall timbers are more than just a playground.

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Charlotte's Web

by E.B. White



Wilbur, a lovable pig, is rescued from a cruel fate by a beautiful and intelligent spider named Charlotte.

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The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

by Chris Van Allsburg



Alan accidentally allows Miss Hester's dog Fritz to enter a magician's garden and is horrified when he thinks Fritz has been turned into a duck.

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Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

by Nahoko Uehashi



The wandering warrior Balsa is hired to protect Prince Chagum from both a mysterious monster and the prince's father, the Mikado.

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The Blacker the Berry

by Joyce Carol Thomas



A collection of poems, including "Golden Goodness," "Cranberry Red," and "Biscuit Brown," celebrating individuality and African-American identity.

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Many Moons

by James Thurber

Though many try, only the court jester is able to fulfill Princess Lenore's wish for the moon.

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All-of-a-Kind Family

by Sydney Taylor



This book tells the heart-warming story of Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie, five sisters who live with their parents in New York City's Lower East Side at the turn of the century.

They share adventures that find them searching for hidden buttons while dusting Mama's front parlor and visiting with the peddlers in Papa's shop on rainy days. The five girls enjoy doing everything together, especially when it involves holidays and surprises.

But no one could have prepared them for the biggest surprise of all!

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Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

by Tanya Lee Stone



Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood up and fought for what she believed in. From an early age, she knew that women were not given rights equal to men. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and later gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote.Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

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A Child's Garden of Verses

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A collection of poems evoking the world and feelings of children.

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Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City

by Janet Schulman



The birdwatchers of Central Park were buzzing–a young red-tailed hawk had been spotted, would he stay? The bird they dubbed Pale Male not only stayed, he became one of New York City’s most famous residents. Pale Male and his mate built their nest near the top of one of Fifth Avenue’s swankiest apartment buildings. Nine years and 23 chicks later, Pale Male’s fame had grown so large that a CBS newsman named him Father of the Year! But Pale Male was less beloved by the residents of the building, and in 2004 the owners suddenly removed the nest–setting off an international outcry on behalf of the birds.

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How I Learned Geography

by Uri Shulevitz



Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could.

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Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad

by James Rumford



When bombs begin to fall, Ali drowns out the sound of war with a pen.

Like other children living in Baghdad, Ali loves soccer, music and dancing, but most of all, he loves the ancient art of calligraphy. When bombs begin to fall on his city, Ali turns to his pen, writing sweeping and gliding words to the silent music that drowns out the war all around him.

Gorgeously illustrated with collage, pencil and charcoal drawings and, of course, exquisite calligraphy, this timely and yet universal story celebrates art and history but also offers young children a way to understand all they see and hear on the news.

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Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka

by Jon Scieszka



Jon Scieszka grew up as one of six brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.

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The Cricket in Times Square

by George Selden

The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.

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Six Innings: A Game in the Life

by James Preller

A game in the life of a Little League team playing their championship game – and two best friends whose bond is put to the test. Earl Grubb's Pool Supplies plays Northeast Gas & Electric in the Little League championship game, while Sam, who has cancer and is in a wheelchair, has to call the play-by-play instead of participating in the game.

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Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw

by Deborah Kogan Ray

Following in the footsteps of her beloved artist father, Wanda led an idyllic childhood, drawing and listening to old-world fairy tales. But when her father died, it was teenage Wanda who worked hard to keep her seven younger siblings fed, clothed, and laughing. She never lost sight of her love of art, however, and her tremendous willpower won her a coveted scholarship to the Art Students League in New York City and then led to a gallery show of her artwork-where an editor of children's books got an idea for a book. The rest, as they say, is history!

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Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum

by Robert Andrew Parker



Parker uses simple, lyrical storytelling and colorful and energetic ink-and-wash illustrations to show the world as young Art Tatum might have seen it. Tatum came from modest beginnings and was nearly blind, but his passion for the piano and his acute memory for any sound that he heard drove him to become a virtuoso who was revered by both classical and jazz pianists alike.

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When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone

by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Yellowstone National Park’s majestic geologic wonders and remarkable wildlife draw millions of visitors each year. But there was a time when these natural treasures were in great danger, all because after years of unrestricted hunting, one key piece of the puzzle had been eliminated—the wolf.

Now, more than a decade after scientists realized the wolves’ essential role and returned them to Yellowstone, the park’s natural balance is gradually being restored.

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Ways to Live Forever

by Sally Nichols



Living through the final stages of leukemia, Sam collects stories, questions, lists, and pictures that create a profoundly moving portrait of how a boy lives when he knows his time is almost up.

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Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai

by Claire A. Nivola



Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their bountiful gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college in America, she found the village gardens dry, the people malnourished, and the trees gone. How could she alone bring back the trees and restore the gardens and the people?

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Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman

by Marc Tyler Nobleman



Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent—meek, mild, and myopic—than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote stories, and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format—the comic book.

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Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out

by the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance



This collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, and poetry melds with an equally stunning array of original art to offer a multifaceted look at America's history through the prism of the White House. Starting with a 1792 call for designers to plan a presidential mansion and continuing through the present day, OUR WHITE HOUSE takes in everything from the amusing antics of presidents' children and pets to the drama of the White House ablaze and the specter of war; from the role of immigrants, African Americans, and Native Americans to the thoughts and actions of many presidents themselves.

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Winnie-the-Pooh

by A.A. Milne



Pooh goes hunting with Piglet, celebrates Eeyore's birthday, and accompanies Christopher Robin and the others on an "Expotition" to the North Pole.

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Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia

by Ted and Betsy Lewin



The world-traveling Lewins take us to Mongolia for the summer festival of Naadam, where legendary child jockeys race half wild horses.

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Way Up and Over Everything

by Alice McGill



This is an account of the author’s great-great-grandmother Jane, and how she meets a slave new to the plantation, a slave who would prove to have magical powers . . . created by the wish for freedom.

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The Pushcart War

by Jean Merrill



The outbreak of a war between truck drivers and pushcart peddlers brings the mounting problems of traffic to the attention of both the city of New York and the world. The children of the city joyfully join in!

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Savvy

by Ingrid Law



Mibs Beaumont is about to turn thirteen, which in the Beaumont family means her "savvy"-her special power-is about to strike. Her brothers' savvies let them create hurricanes and spark electricity, but Mibs has yet to learn what her savvy is.

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The Story of Ferdinand

by Munro Leaf

Ferdinand likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers, but one day he gets stung by a bee and his snorting and stomping convince everyone that he is the fiercest of bulls.

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Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend)

by Deborah Hopkinson


It’s a tale of two boys who get themselves into more trouble than bear cubs in a candy store during the year 1816. Abe is only seven years old, and his pal, Austin, is ten.

Abe and Austin decide to journey down to Knob Creek. The water looks scary and deep, and Austin points out that they don’t know how to swim. Nevertheless, they decide to traverse it. I won’t tell you what happens, but let’s just say that our country wouldn’t be the same if Austin hadn’t been there to help his friend.

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What to Do About Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!

by Barbara Kerley



A brief biography in pictures and simple text of Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife.

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Rapunzel's Revenge

by Shannon and Dean Hale


Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.

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The Reluctant Dragon

by Kenneth Grahame


The boy who finds the dragon in the cave knows it is a kindly, harmless one, but how can he convince the frightened villagers and, especially, St. George the dragon killer that there is no cause for concern?

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond

by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan


In 1981 two artists -- Christo and Jeanne-Claude -- proposed an installation in New York’s Central Park that would span twenty-three miles. This biography is a story of the power of cooperation, and vision, and of the creation of the spectacular Gates.

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The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman


Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts!

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The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentos

by Lucia Gonzalez


It is the winter of 1929, and cousins Hildamar and Santiago have just moved to enormous, chilly New York from their native Puerto Rico. As Three Kings' Day approaches, Hildamar and Santiago mourn the loss of their sunny home and wonder about their future in their adopted city. But when a storyteller and librarian named Pura Belpré arrives in their classroom, the children begin to understand just what a library can mean to a community.

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The Porcupine Year

by Louise Erdrich


When Omakayas is twelve winters old, she and her family set off on a harrowing journey. They travel by canoe westward from the shores of Lake Superior along the rivers of northern Minnesota, in search of a new home. While the family has prepared well, unexpected danger, enemies, and hardships will push them to the brink of survival. Omakayas continues to learn from the land and the spirits around her, and she discovers that no matter where she is, or how she is living, she has the one thing she needs to carry her through.

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Buffalo Music

by Tracey E. Fern


When Molly first settled in Palo Duro Canyon in Texas in the late 1800s, millions of buffalo roamed the land. Molly lived and worked to their music. She stirred the fire to the huff-huff of buffalo breath clouding the chill dawn, swept the dugout to the thunder of hooves. Then different sounds filled the air—the boom and blast of rifles. Before long, the buffalo were gone. But Molly, as stubborn as the buffalo themselves, found a way to save them.

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The Cabin Faced West

by Jean Fritz


For Ann Hamilton, life out west was anything but adventurous. In fact, she had never been lonelier. She longed for the ease and comfort of the days with friends back in Gettysburg-until a stranger rode into Hamilton Hill and changed her life forever.

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The London Eye Mystery

by Siobhan Dowd


Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye, but after half an hour it landed and everyone trooped off—except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners, since the police are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery.

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Bird

by Zetta Elliott

Young Mekhai, better known as Bird, loves to draw. With drawing you can erase the things that don't turn out right. In real life, problems aren't so easily fixed.

As Bird struggles to understand the death of his beloved grandfather and his artistic brother's decline into drug addiction, he escapes into drawing as an outlet for his emotions and imagination. Along the way, with the help of his grandfather's friend, Bird finds his own special somethin' and wings to fly.

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Strega Nona

by Tomie dePaola

The abridged version of the award-winning story of an Italian Grandma Witch and her magic pasta-making pot.

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Masterpiece

by Elise Broach


After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house, the two new friends work together to help recover a Durer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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All Stations! Distress!: April 15, 1912, the Day the Titanic Sank

by Don Brown


It took 4,000 men to build it, 23 tons of animal grease to slide it into the ocean, 100,000 people to wave bon voyage, but only one wrong move to tear the Titanic apart, sinking it into the pages of history. On a cold moonless night in April of 1912, 2,000 passengers--both the uber-rich enjoying a luxury cruise and the dirt-poor hoping to find a new life in America--struggled to survive. Only 700 succeeded. Lifeboats were launched half-full; women were forced to leave their husbands and sons behind; and even those who made it out alive were forever haunted, constantly wondering "why me?"

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A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

by Jen Bryant


Willie loved to write — words gave him freedom and peace. But he also knew that he needed to earn a living, so when he grew up he went off to medical school and became a doctor — one of the busiest men in town! Yet he never stopped writing.

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Frogs

by Nic Bishop


Frogs are an endless source of fascination, especially when looked at through the lenses of Nic Bishops cameras. Amazing images show the beauty and diversity of frogs from around the world, and simple text conveys basic information about these amphibians.

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Mr. Popper's Penguins

by Richard and Florence Atwater


The Popper family could barely make ends meet until they devised a plan in which their twelve penguins would support them.

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Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

by Verna Aardema


A cumulative why tale from West Africa that tells of the disaster that befalls the jungle when a mosquito tells lies.

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Fables

by Aesop


Beautifully illustrated with 50 classic woodcuts by the French artist J.J. Grandville, this collection of 203 of Aesop's most enduring and popular fables features a new Introduction and Afterword.

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The Underneath

by Kathi Appelt


An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

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Crow Boy

by Taro Yashima


A shy mountain boy in Japan leaves his home at dawn and returns at sunset to go to the village school.

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Harry the Dirty Dog

by Gene Zion


In this charming classic story, Harry runs away before bath time and plays outside until he changes into a black dog with white spots. Back home again, he must use all his wits and tricks to convince his family who he really is.

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William's Doll

by Charlotte Zolotow


More than anything, William wants a doll. He enjoys the other toys his father gives him, like a basketball and a train set, but he still wants a doll. William's grandmother is the only one who really understands his wish.

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Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

by Carole Boston Weatherford


Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s: preachers praying, music on the radio, the bustling of the household. These vivid noises shaped John’s own sound as a musician.

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Are You Ready to Play Outside?

by Mo Willems


Gerald the elephant and his friend Piggie are outdoors and ready to play when a drop of rain falls “PLINK!” on Piggie’s head. Watching her high-spirited mood dive precipitously through annoyance toward despair, Gerald extends an ear to shelter her. Soon, though, two ecstatic worms cavorting in the rain inspire them to find happiness in wet-weather play.

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What Can You Do with a Rebozo?

by Carmen Tafolla


A cradle for baby, a superhero's cape, a warm blanket on a cool night--there are so many things you can do with a rebozo.

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A Tree is Nice

by Janice May Udry


This book explains some of the reasons why trees are nice to have around.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst


Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist's office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia.

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The Biggest Bear

by Lynd Ward


Johnny hunts for the biggest bear in the forest, but comes home with a little bear - that grows and grows and grows.

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Green Eggs & Ham

by Dr. Seuss


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Caps for Sale

by Esphyr Slobodkina


A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree. This easy-to-read story about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity. Children will delight in following the peddler's efforts to outwit the monkeys, and will ask to read it again and again.

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The House in the Night

by Susan Marie Swanson


This story describes sometimes fantastical pleasures as a bird from the book spirits the child through the starry sky to a wise-faced moon.

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Curious George series & related texts

by H.A. Rey




This series is all about the adventures of a curious monkey.

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