Modern Fantasy: Refers to the body of literature in which the events, the settings, or the characters are outside the realm of possibility.
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend Written by Dan Santat
Award: Caldecott Award Reading Level: 2nd and 3rd Grade Summary: This story is about a little imaginary friend who waits a very long time for his friend to imagine him and give him a name. When it doesn’t happen, he decides to go find his friend himself. After a series of adventures and learning about the world, he finally finds his friend and she names him, Beekle, and together they go on all kinds of imaginary adventures. Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be used in an early elementary classroom as a way to help students to learn to express their feelings and to understand the meaning of friends and how to make friends. It could also be used in an English language arts lesson where students write a narrative story about their own make-believe adventures.
The Book with No Pictures Written by B.J. Novak
Award: Goodreads Choice Award Reading Level: 2nd and 3rd Grade Summary: Although this book does not have any pictures, it is fun and engaging for children. Instead of pictures, children are entertained as the adult reading it to them has to pronounce all kinds of silly words. This books is clever in that it portrays a conversation between the reader and the book itself. This book is bound to bring out all kinds of smiles and giggles. Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be used in an English Language Arts lesson as a way to have students learn about proper pitch, expression, and rate. Students could take turns reading the book aloud and practicing these skills. It could also be used to help students learn their colors.
Children Make Terrible Pets Written and Illustrated by: Peter Brown
Award: E.B. White Read-Aloud Picture Book Award (2011) Reading Level: 1st and 2nd grade Summary: This humorous picture book portrays bears living as humans. In the story, a young bear named Lucy finds a little boy in the woods and begs her mother to let her keep him. Her mother warns that “Children make terrible pets,” but allows Lucy to keep the “pet.” She names the boy “Squeaker,” and together they have fun and adventures; however, complications arise, and Lucy learns that it is true that children do, in fact, make terrible pets. Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be great in teaching students about personal responsibility in a social studies. Students can come to understand the importance of responsibility and then practice responsibility in the classroom. This book could also be used in a science lesson on bears and how they live in reality in contrast to how they live in the book.
Interrupting Chicken Written and Illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Award: Caldecott Award Reading Level: 1st and 2nd Grade Summary: This story is about a little chicken whose father tries to put her to sleep by reading a bedtime story, but chicken will not stop interrupting the story! What is papa chicken to do? Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be used in a science lesson on animals and their environments and if these things are accurately portrayed in the book. It could also be used in an English language arts lesson where students rewrite the ending of famous traditional stories.
The Tale of Despereaux Written by Kate DiCamillo Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
Award: Newbery Award Reading Level: 3rd through 8th Grade Summary: This is a tale about a tiny mouse with huge ears who loves music and reading, and he longs for adventure. Being an unusual mouse, Despereaux gets himself into all kinds of trouble, but he is determined in his quest to save the princess from a deluded rat. Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be used in a lesson on medieval history and the customs of the time. It could also be used in an English language arts lesson where students write a paper from a different perspective than their own.
Tuesday Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner Award: Caldecott Award Reading Level: Age 4 and up Summary: This wordless picture book is fantastical in that it depicts the adventures of flying frogs on a not-so-ordinary Tuesday night. In the story, the frogs fly on their lily pads through woods, towns, and houses until they eventually end up back at their pond when the night has finished. The illustrations are engaging and entertaining to decipher. Interdisciplinary Uses: This is a great book to use in a creative writing lesson. Students can create a story to go along with the pictures of this book and provide their personal interpretation of what they think the book is about. This book could also be used in a lesson that explores the difference between night and day, AM and PM and how they relate.
Two Bad Ants Written by Chris Van Allsburg
Award: Georgia Children’s Book Award Reading Level: 3rd and 4th Grade Summary: When two ants from an ant colony decide to stay behind after a mission, they experience life-threatening adventures together. After some near death experiences, the two ants rejoin the colony and are thankful for its safety and security. Interdisciplinary Uses: This is a great book to use for Social Studies to teach students about the importance of community. Students can do community service projects as a way to extend the lesson. It could also be used in an English language arts lesson where students write a paper from a different perspective than their own.
Mr. Wuffles Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner
Award: Caldecott Award Reading Level: Ages 4 and Up Summary: Mr. Wuffles is an engaging, imaginative story about tiny aliens who are trying to escape the clutches of the house cat. Interdisciplinary Uses: This book could be used in a creative writing lesson where students write the story to go along with this wordless picture book. It could also be used in a math lesson where students count, add, and subtract.