Ideas Are All Around

This book, throughout its first few pages, seems like a series of ramblings. The narrator begins by stating, "I have to write a story today." However, he lacks the inspiration. He has no ideas and, instead of writing, decides to take his dog on a walk around the neighborhood. Throughout the walk, the narrator encounters nature, converses with a friend, and is reminded of fond memories from his childhood. As he travels through his neighborhood, the narrator seems to "collect" ideas along the way, and eventually they follow him home in a parade-like fashion. It is almost as if the bits and pieces of his observations throughout the day have been collected and he is taking them home, as they could be potential stories for him. 

To be quite honest, it took me several times of reading this book and admiring the combination of illustrations, collages, and Polaroid photographs to fully understand what the author was saying. Modeling the movement through the creative process, the author shows us how creativity and inspiration bloom and that inspiration is everywhere. Although it doesn't explicitly state it, we realize that the narrator has realized he has much more to write about than he originally thought. 

In my opinion, this is a book for older elementary students. I think that it would be best used to help to students who are "stuck" in the writing process or need additional help understanding how to find inspiration. This would be a great resource for students who often lack inspiration or have a difficult time writing because they are unsure how to begin. 

Ideas Are All Around 
By: Phillip C. Stead 
Published in 2016

The Bad Birthday Idea

This is a sweet siblings story that brought back memories of my brother and me when we were young. All Alice wants in the world is to play with her big brother, Ben. They, however, are interested in different things and Ben refuses to include her in his adventures with his robot. When Alice asks her parents for a brand new robot for her birthday, Ben is not only surprised but he also wants the robot for himself. His jealousy grows and before Alice can open her gift, Ben unwraps it and accidentally breaks the robot. His guilt is clear and he takes steps to apologize to his little sister. 

This particular book was an interesting read simply because I was unsure of how I'd use it. In my opinion, it is most definitely suited to lower elementary students and would work to teach a moral or lesson about jealousy, greed, or apologizing. 

Additionally, students with siblings would be able to relate to this book and its characters, so it could work as a writing tool by asking students to imagine that someone took their toy or that someone refused to play with them. They could explore these ideas through writing workshops and consider how Alice might have felt throughout the story. Conversely, they could attempt to understand Ben's point of view through writing, too. 

Though the book lacked accountability for Ben, I could relate to the fact that siblings do silly things to one another an they forgive each other anyways. I think that this is a positive message to send to students, whether they are speaking about siblings, family, or friends. 

The Bad Birthday Idea
By: Madeline Valentine 
Published in 2013

Never Insult a Killer Zucchini!

This book follows Mr. Farnsworth, a science fair judge, as he makes his way through students' exhibits alphabetically. Students show off exhibits such as Antimatter, Bionic Limb, and Cloning, which prove to be rather dangerous but very funny! Mr. Farnsworth, however, makes the mistake of stating that he enjoys eating zucchini with ranch dressing and The Killer Zucchini attempts to seek revenge using other students' projects. 

Although this is both an alphabet and picture book, I can imagine using this in upper elementary classrooms in my own teaching. The book itself doubles as an informational text, including real-life explanations and examples of scientific terms used in the book. This would be a great resource to ignite inspiration before a science fair my own class may be participating, or it could act as a writing tool and encourage students to dream up their own exhibit using vivid descriptions. 

Another aspect of this book that I truly appreciate is that it follows a story. The Killer Zucchini likes Mr. Farnsworth at first because he does not realize that when he declares he loves zucchinis, he means he wants to eat them! The illustrations throughout the book convey Killer Zucchini's feelings and follow a storyline. Therefore, I could also see myself talking to some students about the beginning, middle, and end of a story. 

Overall, I believe that this is a great book to introduce in order to integrate science and literacy. Writing is another subject that could easily be incorporated, so this book can help a teacher accomplish a lot! 














Never Insult a Killer Zucchini! 
By: Elana Azose & Brandon Amancio 
Illustrated by: David Clark 
Published in 2016

Saxby Smart Private Detective

This gripping tale of a child private detective is hilarious, surprising, and a great deal of fun to read! Saxby Smart, a clever young boy, has a reputation for solving his classmates' mysteries from his very own Crime Headquarters—a shed in his backyard. He, along with his best friends, work to uncover mysterious acts of crime through research, logic, and determination.

I absolutely loved this book and, after only a few chapters, recommended it to my youngest brother in 5th grade. It made me laugh out loud and even stumped me with every mystery. I could not put it down!

In my opinion, this would be an incredible book to use with students and in my future classroom. For one, the series is divided by Saxby's several cases. Because each case is relatively short, I could see myself finding one that pertains to a topic in class and using it to engage students in a unique way.

Additionally, there are several stopping points throughout each case. These stopping points are highly interactive, as Saxby mentions he doesn't have a sidekick and leaves this job up to the reader. As clues accumulate throughout the case, Saxby finally poses a question such as "Have you worked it out?" to challenge the reader to solve the mystery independently. I can see myself conducting a read aloud from this book and challenging students to write about what they think might happen. They could even discuss the clues that have been discovered thus far with their peers and attempt to understand what they indicate will happen next.

This book can also double as an incredible vocabulary tool. Saxby is a witty and intelligent character that uses words that may be unfamiliar to students that are reading this novel. I think that it would be a great opportunity to incorporate the vocabulary the main character uses throughout the book into lessons in order for students to familiarize themselves with words in context.

Overall, I highly recommend this book—especially to students who enjoy books with cliffhangers, twists, turns, and surprises! It is an enjoyable read and the kind of series that a student would get "hooked" on.



Saxby Smart Private Detective in the Curse of the Ancient Mask and Other Case Files 
By: Simon Cheshire
Pictures by: R.W. Alley
Published in 2007