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Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day. New York: Scholastic, 1962. 29 pages. Caldecott Medal Book. ISBN 0-590-03031-0.

Peter wakes up one day to find everything covered in snow! He bundles up and heads outside to play - he makes footprints, builds a snowman, makes snow angels, climbs a snow mountain... He even tries to save some snowballs in his coat pocket for tomorrow. When he gets home, his mom helps him into a nice warm bath where Peter contemplates his many adventures. He is sad when he realizes his snowballs have disappeared (they melted), so he dreams of the sun melting away all the show. He is far from disappointed when he wakes up the next morning to a fresh coat of snow!

The illustrations are very simple, using bright colors. The watercolor effect on the snow is beautiful; it makes it seem alive and crystalline instead of just plain white. The print is large enough for children to read through the art (some of it overlaps). Some of the typography is done for effect, like how the word ³slowly² is dragged out in ³s - l - o - w - l - y². Some children may not identify with the activities Peter undertakes in the book if they havenıt grown up in a snowy region.

Kraus, Robert. Illustrated by José Aruego. Leo the Late Bloomer. New York: Windmill Books, 1971. 32 pages. ISBN 0-06-443348-X.

Leo is a little tiger who canıt do anything right. His mother says he is just a late bloomer but his father isnıt so sure. Leo struggles and struggles until suddenly one day he blooms! He can do everything, and does it all spectacularly. He made it.

This is an inspirational story. Everyone develops at their own pace; with love and support they will ³bloom² when they are ready. The illustrations will draw children into this tale. The text is easy to follow and has some repetition, a good tool for building reading skills.

Krensky, Stephen. Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi. My Teacher's Secret Life. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996. 29 pages. ISBN 0-689-80271-4.

A young student is absolutely certain that his teacher, Mrs. Quirk, lives at school with all the other teachers and the principal (whose names all happen to be related to the subject they teach). He knows their whole schedule after the student's leave at 3 p.m.: trash patrol in the halls, exercise in the gym, lunch-leftovers for dinner in the cafeteria, stories in the library, bed-time in the classroom on an inflatable mattress kept locked in the desk during the day.

That is, he is certain until Mrs. Quirk starts showing up in the real world - at the supermarket, the mall, even the park accompanied by a strange girl and man! He figures she must have a secret life and wonders when the other teachers will figure it out.

Kids will love this book! Most children do see their teachers as only teachers and donıt realize they have families and lives outside of school.

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LeSieg, Theo. Ten Apples Up On Top!

Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted.

Lewis, Zoe. Cinderella.

Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963. 32 pages. Caldecott Honor Book. ISBN 0-394-82620-5.

This story exemplifies cooperation. Swimmy, a little black fish, swims with a school of little red fish. He is a fast little fish which enables him to escape being eaten by the big fish; his slower red friends are not so lucky. Swimmy swims through the sea, passing many beautiful creatures and plants. He comes upon another school of red fish and asks them to go swimming with him, but they are afraid of the big fish. Together they form the shape of a big fish with Swimmy as the ³eye.² They manage to scare away the big tuna fish and swim all over the ocean as they please.

Leo Lionniıs illustrations are stunning. They are bright, colorful, and truly unique; children will love them. Sometimes it is hard to read the text through the colors but it is worth the struggle. The story uses ocean vocabulary with which children may need some help. Swimmy shows how much we can accomplish when we work together.

Littlechild, George. This Land is My Land.