Magicblox.com

When I found this website I was very excited. It was inviting, kid friendly and had an amazing selection of picture books! I went to read a book and it only showed my the first eight pages, so I decided to create a free account like the site suggested. When I made a free account I was then offered options to upgrade my account so I could have access to more books. I eventually found out that with the free account I could have access to only one picture book a month. You choose a book that stays in your personal library until the completion of the month. It then resets and you can choose a new book. Since this is the case it really limits the number of books children can read from this site, however there are some positives. If a teacher creates an account on this site and they choose one book a month they could have it as another option for students to use during independent reading time or the teacher could use it as a whole class read aloud. I know it is frustrating that you are limited to only one book a month, but if it isn't the only website or app you're using for digital picture books, having
access to this amazing selection of books could provide useful for your students. This site is also helpful because it provides a rating for the books as well as comments from people who have read them. This can be useful when selecting a book each month.

Website Link: http://magicblox.com/books/most-read

Magickeys.com

 

I was not a big fan of this website that specialized in children's storybooks online. However, a positive of the website was that they provided a large selection of picture books for both young and older students. I wish that more than a couple of books for the young readers had the read aloud option. Many young readers prefer this when they read books online and it helps develop their fluency. Some of the books that are under the category for young readers are pretty challenging and without the read aloud option they become useless for readers in younger grades. I find that on this website the children would spend too much time trying to find an appropriate book for their reading level. Another part of this website that I didn't really like was the illustrations. Many of the books had sketches for illustrations that didn't really enhance the story in any way.

Overall, I would not recommend this website for teachers to use in their classroom. The site has many ad's on it that children can click on that will link them to other places and/or cause spam on the classroom iPad or computer.

Website link: http://www.magickeys.com/books/

Starfall.com

Starfall is a website supported by the Starfall Education Foundation which is a public charity. This website is geared towards students in K-2 since it is focused on learning to read. Most of the content is free on the website so it is very useful to teachers. Depending on the grade teachers can choose between ABC's, Learn to Read, It's Fun to Read, and I'm Reading. In the I'm Reading section students can choose between various genres such as comics and poetry. This website is helpful for young readers because they have the option to have the words read aloud to them. As the website reads the story the words are highlighted to help the children follow along. Another part of this site that I liked was the animation effects included in some of the stories.


I think this is a really great website for teachers to use in their K-2 classrooms. It is child friendly and easy to use. I would definitely bookmark this on the iPads or computers that students in my class use.

Link to website: http://www.starfall.com

Love That Dog

Author: Sharon Creech
Publication Date: 2008
Type of Book: Poetry Novel

This novel shares the story of a boy named Jack who is a student in Miss Stretchberry's class. The story is written in the form of mini poems. Each poem is written by Jack as an entry in his writers notebook. The only character you hear from in the story is Jack. All of the other characters are mentioned only through Jack's writing. Throughout the book Jack shares his thoughts on various poems his teacher has read in class, poems he has written himself and about his dog Sky.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had read it before when I was younger and I remembered loving it then as well. I think part of the reason is because I am a big dog person and this story shares the story of Jack's dog Sky. The poem about his dog getting hit by a car is so heartbreaking, but it also shows how writing can be an outlet for people. This book is beneficial for teachers because they can realize the importance of a writers notebook and just how much they can learn about their students from using one continually in the classroom.

I would recommend this story for students in third grade and up. This would be a fantastic book to read during a poetry unit so students can see that writing poetry isn't as scary as some people think. It can also be used to help teach students about using a writers notebooks in the classroom. The teacher can talk about how Jack used his notebook to responded to various poems from class and  to write to his teacher. The author also wrote another book called Hate That Cat that can be used to do a literary comparison. One half of the class could read Love That Dog and the other half could read Hate That Cat and they could discuss the similarities and differences between the two.

Image References:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-That-Dog-Sharon-Creech/dp/0064409597

Shout! Little Poems That Roar

Author: Brod Bagert
Publication Date: 2007
Type of Book: Poetry Picture Book

This poetry book is a compilation of poems about various aspects of a child's life. Some of the topics for the poems are school, senses, weather, and play time. The poems range from one to two pages and most of them have rhymes.

I enjoyed reading this poetry picture book. Each poem was very cute and kid friendly. Children would find some of the poems silly and could relate to what was written in them. The pictures went along great with the poems and helped bring the writing to life. I would purchase this poetry book to have in my classroom for students to enjoy. I also like how the poems aren't written the same way. Some poems are written in the middle of the page, others are to the side. Throughout the poems some words are in bold, others are larger than the rest of the text. Each poem has it's own personality that engages readers.

I would recommend this book for students in all grades. Teachers in lower elementary school could read the poems aloud to their class daily as a way to teach about poems. Students in upper elementary school could use this book to learn about poetry and help gather ideas for their own poem they're going to write. They can share what they like and dislike about the poems and discuss what makes a poem inviting and exciting for readers.

Image References:
http://www.amazon.com/Shout-Little-Poems-Bagert-Hardcover/dp/B01071AOR0/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448165792&sr=1-3&keywords=Shout%21+brod+bagert

Dogku

Author: Andrew Clements
Publication Date: 2007
Type of Book: Poetry Picture Book

This picture book tells the story of a stray dog written as a Haiku poem. A dog is found outside of a house one night and the mother takes him in. He gets a bath and fed some food. In the morning he meets the family and the children are so happy to see him. When the kids go to school he goes on errands with the mom and then entertains himself while he waits for everyone to get home. When the dad leaves the house he is afraid that he will be sent to the pound. After he walks through the door with a dog bed, he is so happy and knows that he has found his new home.

I really enjoyed reading this heartwarming story. It was really interesting how the author told the story through the use of a haiku. I was so happy a the end of the story when the dad walked into the house carrying all of the dog stuff instead of taking him to the pound. Seeing what the dog did to entertain himself while the kids were at school was one of my favorite parts.

This story could be used in any grade level. During a poetry unit this story would be really great to use in the classroom to teach about haikus. Students can see that there are different ways to write poetry including picture book form.

Image References:
http://www.amazon.com/Dogku-Andrew-Clements/dp/068985823X

A Primer about the Flag

Author: Marvin Bell
Publication Date: 2011
Type of Book: Poetry Picture Book

This book shares a poem about flags. Each page is one part of the poem. At the end of the story is the completed poem titled, A Primer about the Flag. Readers learn about the different uses of flags through this poetry picture book.

I wasn't a huge fan of this picture book. Even though the full poem is written at the end of the story I didn't think this story provided readers with a lot of information. This book is only a primer to flags but it could have provided just a little bit more information. I also was very confused at the ending of the poem and had to read it a few times to try to understand it. I am still not 100% sure what the ending means.

This isn't the first book I would use in my classroom. If I were to recommend the story for a grade I would say 4th or 5th grade. The teacher could use this book as a read aloud as an intro to a unit about flags.

Image Resources:
https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Primer_about_the_Flag.html?id=fbZJ8ApXbVUC&source=kp_cover&hl=en