Each year, we ask our volunteer readers for books that worked well in their classrooms. Here are some of their favorite titles:
You know you have found a good book when you finish it, and they yell, “Again!” That is what they always do with I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont. (PreK-K)
— Jackie Thompson, Kanawha County
There’s a Mouse About the House
by Richard Fowler
I found that asking each child on the first day of Read Aloud what their favorite stories are about helps tremendously with my book selections for the year (as well as their attention span). (PreK-K)
— Margaret Tennant, Marion County
When I was Young in the Mountains
by West Virginia’s own Cynthia Rylant
Each week I asked who had read or who had been read to outside of school. It seemed the show of hands and enthusiasm continued to improve during the school term. (Grades PreK-2)
— Jane Cooper, Fayette County
The Day the Crayons Quit
by Olivia Jeffers
Another colorful choice. This time, each crayon in the box writes a letter to Duncan letting him know what is going on. (Grades 1-3)
— Catherine Slonaker, Berkeley County
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig is about a rock gathering donkey. Our wonderful teacher tells me what they are studying, and I bring in books and things on the topic. (Grades K-1)
— Lee File, Raleigh County
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
by Lucille Collandro
Holds listeners with folksy illustrations, rhyming and repetition. (Grades K-1)
— Bob Sylvester, Kanawha County
Lon Po Po
by Ed Young
A Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood. (Grades 3-5)
— Sandra Summers, Jackson County
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
This book follows Opal at a particularly difficult time in her life as she finds a dog that she needs as much as the dog needs her. (Grades 3-5)
— Synthia Kolsun, Tucker County
The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales by Ruth Ann Musick is all in the title. A spooky, local classic. (Grades 6-9)
— Linda D. Mitchem, Raleigh County
Awkward
by Svetlana Chmakova
It was my first experience with reading a graphic novel with the use of the overhead camera and “smart board.” It went well enough that I would do it again with the right book, but it takes some getting used to. (Grades 6 to adult)
— Gary Grosso, Preston County
— Compiled by Raney Exline