Books By Diane Alber

I’m Not Just a Scribble by Diane Alber
A simple story about a scribble who wants to have fun. The house doesn’t want to because he doesn’t look like him. His lines aren’t straight and he is colorful. When all the other drawings decide to have fun and play with him they learn a valuable lesson that including everyone no matter their differences, even in art makes everyone better for it.

A Little Scribble Spot by Diane Alber
The first thing we encounter is a multi-colored scribbled spot. The reason this spot is scribbled and multicolored is because it represents tangled and confused emotions. I love that the author gave a page where she showed different colored spots and what they represent. The second thing I loved is that not only did the scribble start to separate his spots by color but the author gave several words that were synonyms of the original emotion. For example the word peaceful can also mean, “relaxed, tranquil, calm, quiet, mellow and serene”. This is a great way to increase a child’s vocabulary. The author also used examples of where we can find these colors when we draw. For example we might color leaves, grass or vines green. All of these represent things that a lot of people find peaceful. This book teaches children that they have all of these emotions inside them, but sometimes they get mixed up.

A Little Respectful Spot by Diane Alber  
The respectful spot takes a young boy and girl on a tour of how to be respectful. The author has given examples of how to respect people, places and things. Through pictures and explanations this is a great book to have a discussion about respect with the youngest child.

Finding Your Spot in the World by Diane Alber
This is a book about diversity. In this day and age we need to teach our youngest children the importance of diversity. This spot teaches kids the benefits of everyone having unique features, ideas, talents and more. He explains through examples how boring it would be if everyone and everything was the same. He makes the point that no matter our differences we all want to be accepted and loved. The author expresses the importance and need for “diverse, idea, perspectives, and talents! I believe that everyone should read this book no matter their age, because this is a lesson everyone needs to learn.

A Little Safety Spot at School by Diane Alber
This is a great book to start with preschool children. It teaches them things like holding the hand of an adult when crossing a street. Children are taught how to get on and off a bus, how to listen to crossing guards. The Safety Spot then tells you how to stay safe in school. Don’t run, use handrails, look for hazard signs, tell a teacher if you have an accident. In the cafeteria don’t eat too fast, eat your own food. He also teaches the importance of washing your hands to get rid of germs. He tells kids how to stay safe at recess and when playing outside. How not to do something because you have been dared to do it. This is a book that the youngest child should have read to them over and over. This will hopefully keep kids safe from the youngest of ages.

A Little Spot of Responsibility by Diane Alber
Children need to be taught how to make good choices and this book can help with that. According to responsibility spot you first need to identify the problem, think about the positive and negative consequences, then make a choice and then reflect back on the outcome. We call this trial and error. The responsibility spot also makes the case that sometimes adults can help because they’ve had to make a lot of choices in their lifetime. The main message throughout is that the better choices you make the bigger your responsibility spot will grow. A simple message that all need to hear.

A Little Thankful Spot by Diane Alber
The thankful spot advocates keeping a Thankful list. Listing things you are thankful for keep you positive and happy. The Thankful spot gives a list of things they are thankful for. At the end of this wonderful book the reader is encouraged to make a thankful list. For that child who says they don’t know what they are thankful for there is a handout with wonderful starter questions.

A Little Spot of Patience by Diane Alber
The Patiences Spot is here to teach kids how to wait, even when it is hard. Once again they express the need to help your patience spot grow bigger. Problem solving helps grow the patience spot. Making good choices and listening all help grow your patience spot. The important message is that you can’t become patient immediately. Your patience spot is something that grows over time.

A Little Spot of Organization by Diane Alber
As I read this book I kept thinking that this would be a book I should read to my middle school students. It seems that if a child grow up through elementary unorganized then when they hit middle school it is even worse. In middle school they have to keep track of everything for seven different classes. The organization spot starts out helping them organize their messy room. Then he points out that organization starts in the brain. Some helpful suggestions were to create a routine chart, to do list, use notes, stickers on calendars. Then he touched on using graphic organizers for organizing your thinking in school.

Sticks by Diane Alber
When a popsicle goes outside and melts to fast he believes he is useless. He sees himself as just a stained stick. I twig tries to tell him that he is and can be so much more. This is a book about many things. First it is a book about believing in yourself. Then it is also a book about recycling. What could you do with a popsicle stick? What could you make out of it?

Never Let a Princess Paint with Her Unicorn by Diane Alber
A young princess has been told never to paint with her unicorn. She decided to find out why. She puts a bit of pain on a brush and the unicorn licks it. She gets out cans of paint and he uses his tail as a brush. Then she decides to see what would happen if she put a touch of paint on his horn. Paint spattered everywhere. This book started out in black and white and then as things happened with the unicorn and paint became very colorful. A very cute book.

Five Books by Asaf Rozanes

Part of the Rainbow 
This story is about a girl who is green. Mia’s face, hair and clothes are all green. She loves it. When she turns eight she goes to school and sees kids who are different from her. She is confused and scared until her teacher tells her she was the missing color to complete their rainbow parade. After talking with her dad about her day at school she learns that people come in different colors and it is all okay.

Short or Tall Doesn’t Matter at All 
Mia is the shortest kid in her class. The other kids exclude her and often tease her because of her size. She tells her dad about it and he gives her some good advise. The next day when her friends need someone her size they realize that everyone is special no matter how short or tall they are. Once again this is a book that teaches kids about differences and how they shouldn’t matter.

The Feelings Library  loved the concept of this story. Mia lives in a town where they have a feelings library. They check their feelings out. Through different characters, the reader gets to see what happens if we hold on to one feeling too long. We see how it affects the character’s life. I loved this book and think it would be wonderful to read to that child who can’t stop being silly, angry, sad, or afraid. This is a wonderful way to start that discussion with children.

The Monster Friend 
Mia is frightened by the monster she see one night. All the monster wants is to be her friend. When she gets scared enough she calls out for her dad. He explains to her that sometimes monsters just want someone to play with. Mia colors with the monsters and sees him change. She is no longer scared of him. He doesn’t return after that night. However Mia meets more monsters each night. This is a great book about facing those things you fear.

Tomorrow is Near But Today is Here 
In this story Mia learns how much she misses out on when she focuses on things she doesn’t know or understand. She learns that it makes her sad worrying all the time. Her dad tells her how to handle things when she is scared. Mia becomes happy when she tries what her dad has told her. Worry is normal for children when they don’t understand something. This book would be a great help to children.

Five Books by Ofra Peled

The Big Party (Bk 1)
Emma and Adam hated they only had parties on birthdays. Their teacher told them they could come up with a party. Adam wanted to plan his own party by himself. The teacher allowed them to go ahead with their party plans. Adam went home and sat and decided what he would need his parents to buy for the party. That was all he did. Emma told her parents about the party. Then she went to her room and started to plan it out. One of them had a very successful party and the other one did not. This book is to teach kids about the importance of planning anything, especially a party.

My Money Box ( Bk 2)
Adam and Emma go shopping with their fathers. They see things in the mall that they want their dad’s to buy for them. As they shop they notice that their father’s keep looking at each item and comparing it to others. They learn how their parents have a budget and why it is important for them to have that budget. The children learn the importance of saving money and waiting to buy things you want until later. This is great for teaching kids how to save money and why it is important.

The Creative School Class (Bk 3)
Creativity is one of the most important things in kids. We need creative thinking in our kids for them to learn how to problem solve. By not teaching or allowing our kids to be creative we are creating a group of kids who won’t be great problem solvers. In this book the principal has a challenge for the students. She wants them to create something to solve a problem. Great book for teaching kids to use their creativity.

The End-of-School-Year Show (Bk 4)
In this book Adam and Emma are in a dance group preparing for the End -of-the-Year Show. The problem is that everyone wants to be centerstage. This causes arguments and they progress no further. The coach tells them he is cancelling things until he can figure out a solution. Adam suggests to Emma that it could all be solved if the learned to cooperate the way the geese do. A wonderful story about valuing others and collaboration.

The Forex Clan (Bk 5)
Emma belonged to a group they called FOREX. Her club created the name from words that described what they love to do. One day on the news she heard the word FOREX and asked her dad what it was. He explained that it stood for Foreign Exchange. He then explained what foreign exchange meant. Emma brought this information and a special plan back to her club. This is a great book to teach about foreign money.

Seven Wonderful Books

Beluga Tales by Nanna Elliana 
This is a cute book about a mommy beluga whale and her baby beluga whale. The mommy tells her baby all the things that she will do for her baby because she loves him. This would be a wonderful bedtime story to read to your child each night. This is a way to affirm to your child how much you love them and the ways you love them.

Will You give Me Your Toy? By Abigail Faure
Max the fox wants to have friends. Unfortunately, he has taken all of his toys and all his friends toys and won’t share with them. When he is done playing with all of their toys by himself he goes to play with them. They don’t want to play with him. He tells his parents the other kids won’t play with him and his dad explains why by telling him a story of his own childhood. Great way to teach children about sharing and being a friend.

Sunny’s Heart by Na’ama Gal
Sunny is a young boy who can feel emotions because his heart is so big. In this book his mom and dad teach him the importance of understand your feelings and not bottling them in. This is a great book to read to children when they are trying to figure out what to do when they feel certain emotions.

I Won’t Cut My Hair by Daniel Georges
When Sally is complemented on her beautiful purple hair she decides to let it grow. She is never going to cut it. Unfortunately for Sally, having such long hair brings along some problems. It is always dirty from dragging in the dirt. She has trouble with her cat wanting to lay on it all the time. She has trouble keeping it washed and dried. This is a book about change and how sometimes change is exactly what we need.

The Poem that Will Not End by Joan Bransfield Graham
This is the story of a young boy who can’t stop writing poetry. He writes it on shirts, in the shower, at recess, on the playground. He writes until the day his teacher asks him to write a poem about Spring. Then his mind goes blank. This book ends by talking about the different types of poems and voice. This would be great to use in any classroom as a mentor text.

My Sister is a Monster by Agnes Green
I loved this story. This is a book that should be read to every child who is about to become a brother or sister for the first time. This is told from the perspective of a young boy who has just met is baby sister. All she does is fusses and makes messes so he calls her a monster. His wise grandmother tells him what to do to discover how to defeat this monster. Before long he has learned she is a kid just like him and loves her so very much.

The Refuge by Sandra le Guen
This is the story of a young girl named Jeanette who meets a new girl at school named Iliana. Jeanette tells her parents the things she has learned about Iliana as their friendship grows. Iliana had left a war torn country. Her mom told her the stars and sky have no border. There is so much to be learned by young children here. They learn how much they can have in common with those who don’t speak the same language. They learn that their lives may be different but still have a lot of commonalities. This is a delightful book.

Six Books by Darcy Pattison

I Can Make Wise Choices

This simple book teaches kids the difference between small, medium and big choices. It also shows them that sometimes they need to ask for help thinking about and making decisions about big choices. Slowing down to think things through is the key in this book.

 

My Dirty Dog: My Informative Essay
This picture book is a how-to book for elementary kids. However, I have used it with my middle school kids who just could not get the concept of writing an informative essay. The author uses two young kids and their dogs to create a scene from which they will write an informative essay. What I liked best about this book was at the very end she gives instructions for the steps in writing an informative essay.

 

My Crazy Dog: My Narrative Essay
With this picture book kids learn how to write a narrative essay. The main character needs to take his dog to the vet for shots. He tells about the events that happened up until he caught his dog to get him ready for the vet. Once again you get a wonderful story. Then you get to read the essay the character has written and this is followed up by a how-to page on how to write a narrative essay.

The Nantucket Sea Monster
This is among one of my favorites of this author’s books. Every year when my students start to write essays we have to have a chat about reliable information. I use this book to help them understand that just because they see it or hear it in the new or find it online doesn’t mean it isn’t fake news. This is the story of one of the biggest hoaxes ever. The man who was responsible for balloons in the Macy’s Day parade decided to create a sea monster balloon. He got several officials from the town, the newspapers both local and not local. They created this fabulous story. It brought people to Nantucket and put them in news around the world. They were able to do this because of the first amendment which gives the press freedom of speech. One thing Darcy points out is that sometimes freedom of speech can show you that you can’t believe everything you read in the paper. I use this with students to discuss how we know if something is reliable or not. I don’t want them to decided because it was said on the news that it was true. This author’s books are not only entertaining but informative and useful for teachers of all grades.

Pollen
This is the story of a prediction Charles Darwin made and how approximately 130 years later it was proven by another scientists. After receiving a star orchid from Madagascar, Darwin hypothesized how the flower was pollinated. Unfortunately he didn’t live long enough to find out if his hypothesis was true. Other scientist carried on his work and found a moth like Darwin had predicted to be about the right size and with a long probiscus to pollinate this flower. Unfortunately it took another scientist to set up night vision camera’s to actually prove Darwin’s hypothesis correct. The book gives information on each of the scientists and pictures of the actual moth pollinating the orchid. Great tool for the science classroom.

 Wonky: A Robotics Club Story 

This book is about a robotics club. Howie is a turtle, after everyone has chosen a partner Howie is left without a partner until Lincoln walks in. Lincoln is an Ostrich. His father works with robots. When Howie and Lincoln try to design their robot they keep coming up with wonky looking designs. They finally decide they need to know what they want their robot to do. Once they agree on that they decide a wonky robot is the only way to go. This is a subtle way of teaching kids that they can be different (wonky) and still find value and friendship in each other.

Eight Picture Books

Little Buggies by Cindy Bracken 
A cute little book with wonderful rhymes that teaches children to look for specific insects. This is done in a fun and lyrical way.

Little Monsters It’s Time to Go to Bed by Olivia Longray
This is a very cute way to teach children the importance of brushing their teeth. The illustrations were bright and cheerful. The message is one every parent will love to read to their children. Children will rush to brush their teeth after reading this book to put their own little monsters to bed.

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub
This is a cute story of a red pencil who is challenged to write a story. But, this is not just a cute story. There is so much to learn throughout this book. When Mrs. 2 tells her class they are going to write a story she has the writing "story path" on the board. Little red is given a basket of useful words as she goes off on her writing journey. The book demonstrates the importance of using vivid words to spice up your story We learn how too many adjectives ca bog your writing down. Run-on sentences, as well as, chasing something new can lead to a wonderful ending. This is a wonderful take on the "Little Red Riding Hood" story with a twist. This is a great way to introduce story writing ot only to the youngest writers, but also to the reluctant writer. This is a bok I will definitely use in my classroom.

Rocks and Minerals of the World by Baby Professor 
I know this is just an introductory book. I purchased it because I have always loved rocks and minerals. Some of the words used in the book, such as igneous could have been defined in a glossary/dictionary in the back. I felt like the book just suddenly ended. Those are my only complaints with this book.

The Case of the Missing Money at the Zoo by Betty Smith
When a class gets the opportunity to take a trip to the zoo, one young boy makes a bad decision to steal money from the teacher. This author’s books are written to teach children valuable lessons. In this case it is the lesson of not taking what is not yours. A simple lesson told in a simple fashion.

The Moody Monster by Sarah Read
When Monster wakes up after a bad dream he finds himself mad. He doesn’t understand why. To make matters worse his mom isn’t home. His aunt fixes him a breakfast he doesn’t want and he decides he’s not going to school. When his mom comes home he tells her about his dream and the way he feels. His mom helps him learn to calm himself to make himself feel better.

The Pillow Parade by Edward Dron
Olive is a rabbit who loves to bounce. She bounces very high. One day she meets a sheep who also loves to jump. The sheep belong to a special club where they jump so children can count them and go to sleep. What happens to those children who live in very high buildings? Can Olive the bunny help? 

The Worry Unicorn by Sarah Read
When Lily has to start at a new school she worries about all of the things that could go wrong. She worries about it so much that she can’t sleep. When she tells her parents about her feelings her mom talks to her about the positive side. She reassures her that her feelings are normal and that she will do just fine.

Seven More Picture Books

A Song of Four Seasons by Helen H. Wu
I love books about the changing seasons. Living in Florida that is the one thing I miss after we moved from Indiana. My two most favorite seasons were and still are Spring and Fall. In this wonderfully illustrated book we see the four bears and their activities as they take us through the four seasons and the activities associate with each season. A wonderful book to read with the littlest reader or great for that early reader. Wonderful, lyrical sing-song writing.

African Animal Facts For Kids by Deborah Bradley 
This book is about 26 African Animals. There is one for each letter of the alphabet with just enough facts about each sprinkled in to hold the youngest child’s attention. The facts are not your common facts. They are very unique like a lot of the animals she listed. Wonderful book for young and old alike.

Get the Poop! The Diary of a Dung Beetle by Damiano Bernardo
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own. This was a cute book about a dung beetle who is out to get a ball of elephant poop so his mom can lay her eggs. Things don't go quite as planned. This was a cute story. The gross factor is definitely there for younger kids. The talk of eating, drinking and bathing in poop will cause children to giggle and gag.

Giggly Bear’s Fun Trip in the Yellow Bus by Kelly Santana-Banks
Giggly Bear is going on a trip to the funfair. He is riding a big yellow bus. There are my rules he must learn and obey while riding the bus. A great book to teac children about riding a bus and bus safety.

How the Movies Were Invented by Gerald Ewing
An absolutely wonderful book. The book is written in wonderful rhyme. This is a book young and old will read over and over again. There is so much packed into one little book. There is so much to discuss. You have the time period, the the idea of how pictures were taken compared to today. Most importantly you learn how still pictures morphed into moving pictures. I learned something I'd always wondered about. Such a wonderful way to teach something without the child realizing they are learning. I would definitely read more by this author.

Let’s Explore Austria by Baby Professor
The pictures are stunning in this book. Once again I felt that it stopped abruptly. It is almost like someone is showing you their vacation pictures and when they get to the last one they just put them away without saying anything. With so much potential I hope that the author will add more to this such as maps, a glossary and fix the ending of the books. I would still purchase these and recommend them.

Let’s Explore Germany by Baby Professor
Another book full of beautiful pictures. Once again I felt it could have used a map or a little more info. Since I am one of those people who would look things up to learn more. Maybe that is what the author was hoping the child would want to do.

Seven Picture Books by Various Authors

Peaceful Night Poetry by Píaras Ó Cíonnaoíth

Peaceful, calming poems relax the mind and comfort the soul. These are all ingredients needed to help one sleep. In this book the author has taken familiar thing to a child; teddy bears, fairies, animals and more. The poetry is soothing. It carries themes of friendship, dreams, being happy. The poems were thoughtful, and like the author said, ‘for ages 3-103’.  The illustrations are simple yet beautiful. I definitely recommend this book.  

99 Bitcoins and an Elephant by Vincent Chen
A young girl with special glasses that allow her to interact with games and worlds she creates accidently breaks them. Her mom takes her to get her glasses repaired. When they are returned there is a bitcoin wallet that pops up. The repairman had used a hard drive from an old discarded pair of glasses to repair them. The little girl uses the bitcoins to show kindness to others.

Elphie Meets the End of the World by Hagit R. Oron & Or Oron Misgav
Elphie is playing hide and seek with his best friend. His best friend’s brother comes in and tells them he heard on the news that the world was ending. Elphie runs home to hide. His parents decide to throw and “End of the World Party”. Elphie learns it was fake news, but more importantly Elphie learns that there is nothing to fear when the family sticks together. It also teaches children to live each day to the fullest. With all that is going on in our world today this is a book to read to children to reassure them that they are safe.

I'm Just Like You by Sharon Cramer

Two orphaned cougar cubs go out one day and meet a stranger who claims to be just like them. He doesn't look like them. But the three of them have fun playing together all day. At the end of the day, they learn that you can have friends who look different from you.

Adventures of the Little Tiger and His Friends by Renate Logina

Little Tiger has always played by himself. As he grows older he wants friends to play with. Everything turns out disastrous. One day he sees an anteater. A boulder has fallen on his tail. Little tiger removes the boulder then plays with it. Unfortunately, it ruins the fun and gets broken. The anteater helps Little Tiger to find friends.

Babaroo the Alien Learns About Bullies by Kate Melton

Babaroo the alien leaves the gray planet and visits Earth. He meets a fox and skunk who make fun of him and his looks. Babaroo feels bad about himself until a snail tells him how to handle bullies. The first rule is to never believe what they say. The snail introduces him to some of his friends. They welcome him. He has fun playing. When Babaroo returns to his planet he knows how to handle bullies.

A Friendship Story: Heart & mind by Nishi Singhal

This is a story that teaches the role the heart and mind plays in our lives.  The lesson these two teach is that you need both to be balanced. You need heart to help you learn to focus on all kinds of things. You need mind to show you how to do it. It illustrates this through two friends, "heart" and "mind". When mind tries to do things apart from heart he finds he has accomplished little.