The main focus of this site is to provide summaries and activities of children's books. When navigating the site, you can choose the "Books" link at the top of the page and be taken to an alphabetical listing of the books, by author and title, included on the site. Books are also broken down by grade level, ranging from Pre-K to 9th grade. Within this section, you can also directly link to the featured books that include teaching ideas, related books, and additional resources to use in the classroom. All other books only have reviews.
The book lists are also divided by subject and curriculum area. Within these areas you can focus your search on a particular book subject such as bullies or families. Here, when you click on a subject you will receive a little background of that topic in children's literature, as well as suggested books that would cover the topic. Some even include a few activities to accompany your reading. The curriculum area is broken down into categories such as US History, Physical Science, and Math. This follows the same pattern as the subject area, giving some background of the topic along with suggested books and activities. The lists are very comprehensive and seem to be an invaluable resource.
In addition to the book lists for classroom use, there is a link to Professional Topics as well. Here you will find a list of topics that address topics that teachers can research to help improve their teaching. For example, some article titles in the Reading section include:
- Reading Aloud, Recommended Titles for PreK-9th grade
- Believing in Children as Readers, Learners, and Teachers
- Guided Reading Opportunities in Good Literature
- School Wide Parallel Reading
- First Books for Emergent Readers
- Book Characters Who Are Readers
These articles are available in their entirety to read, in addition to articles geared toward parents such as "Reading with Your Child at Home". Also included are links to professional books that teachers may find worth purchasing or checking out from the library.
