At the end of every school year, we ask our volunteer readers to tell us about their experience and share some books that worked well in their classrooms. Here are some favorites!
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles
“I have found children enjoy learning about other cultures.”
— Derniere Marshall, Jefferson County
A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
“I highly recommend A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements! I read this to a 5th grade class after asking the classroom teacher if she had any recommendations of stories she thought her students would enjoy. She was spot-on with this recommendation! The students were mesmerized by the story! Their recall of what they had heard the prior week was amazing…recalling many details and responding without prompts! This story held their interest, had many twists in the storyline, and included humor and compassion.”
— Kathleen (Kathy) Bennett, Berkeley County
I Am a Bee: A Book about Bees for Kids by Rebecca and James McDonald
“I used a hand puppet (Bee) and the children (PreK) loved interacting with the puppet. Had I been able to read again I would have used my possum puppet.”
— Paulette J. Buzbee, Raleigh County
Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman
A madcap story with pirates, piranhas, adventure, aliens, time travel and breakfast cereal.
— Margaret (Meg) Squier, Greenbrier County
Painter and Ugly by Robert J. Blake
“I always try to make the kids laugh. I hope my choice of books is interesting so it keeps their attention.”
— Cathy Shaffer,
Preston County
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
“Every year I pick up second-hand books and arrange a couple of situations where I distribute a book to each member of the class… It’s especially nice when some of the books I have are ones I’ve read to the class and the kids are eager to get those titles. This year I read Flat Stanley and then during their Trunk or Treat event at Halloween, I set up a Flat Stanley display. It turned out really cool and I was able to find numerous Flat Stanley books for the kids to choose from and keep.”
— Judy Hurst, Marion County
The Star People: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson
Two children stray from their village and are helped by their deceased grandmother, one of the Star People.
— Sandra Summers, Jackson County
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds
“I look forward to reading exciting and interesting stories to the children this fall, hopefully, in the traditional classroom setting. It’s such an enjoyable experience.”
— Crystal Morgan, Mason County
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
“I always do an activity with the students after reading the book. For example, after The Cay, I brought in coconuts and we cracked them and tasted the milk and flesh. Very few of the students had ever seen a real coconut before. After a book on Helen Keller, I teach them braille and sign language.”
— Sheila Amato, Preston County
Tanka Tanka Skunk! by Steve Webb
“A hit with both my first grade readers as well as my fourth grade readers. I brought egg shakers for every student and we made the Tanka Tanka beats together. I had to start bringing it every week!”
— Amy Dinaldo, Nicholas County