Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices by Theoni Pappas April 30, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Podcasts, Poetry , add a comment
Do you like math? Do you like poetry? Math Talk presents mathematical ideas through poems. The poems are supposed to be read by two people. To hear one of the poems from this book, listen to the podcast by Mrs. Carlson and Mr. Hughes.
Pish Posh by Ellen Potter April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Mystery , 14comments
Do you like mysteries? Then Pish Posh is the right book for you! Pish Posh is a fun and entertaining mystery book! It’s about a girl named Clara Frankofile who is 11 years old. Clara lives in her own penthouse apartment with roller coasters and bumper cars! Clara’s very rich! Clara takes help from a 12 year old jewel thief and solves a 200 year old secret in New York! It’s an extremely fantastic book!!!
~Nikki, Fourth Grader~
The Panda Puzzle by Ron Roy April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Mystery , 6comments
I think The Panda Puzzle is a great book. If you like mysteries, this is a good book for you. In this book a baby panda, named Winnie, gets lost. The ransom is a million dollars by midnight, or they’ll never see Winnie again. It’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to find him. So take out the book now or take out one of the books from the A to Z Mysteries series.
~Emma, Fourth Grader~
Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony by Shel Silverstein April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Poetry , 12comments
This poem is found in the book A Light in the Attic. It is about a girl named Abigail who wants a pony. But her parents won’t get it for her. She says if she doesn’t get the gray and white pony, she’ll die. Well, if you want to know if Abigail dies, you’ll just need to read the poem. 
This poem is good to read to your parents if they won’t get you something you want. I like this poem because it’s funny.
Click on this link to read the poem little-abigail-and-the-beautiful-pony
Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Picture Books , 3comments
Farmer Gray has a dull, gray farm. While he’s away, Blue Goose, Red Hen, White Duck, and Yellow Chick paint the farm. At first, they use primary colors, but eventually they mix their paint to make the secondary colors. What a surprise when Farmer Gray returns to a wonderfully colorful farm.
This book is great for young children who are learning their colors. The pictures are big, bold, and bright!
~Mrs. Carlson~
Zoom! Boom! Bully by Jon Scieszka April 28, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : First Readers , 1 comment so far
You may know this author. Some of his popular books are The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Math Curse, and the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. These books are very funny.
Zoom! Boom! Bully is part of his new Trucktown series. It’s an action-packed series designed for preschoolers and kindergartners. Some of the characters are Jack Truck, Payloader Pete, Gabriella Garbage Truck, and Dump Truck Dan. In this book, every time the trucks try to build something, Big Rig comes along, and - ZOOM! BOOM! - knocks it down! What can they do to stop such a big bully?
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill April 25, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Friendship Fiction , 5commentsThis story takes place in Cleveland and has some math in it. It’s about a boy named Rufus who 
thinks 73 cents for toothpaste is ridiculous. So he and his friend Kate make millions selling 15 cent toothpaste. If you’re a math and adventure person, you’ll love this book. I liked the book because it had math in it.
~Kristen, Fourth Grader~
Strider by Beverly Cleary April 25, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Realistic Fiction , 1 comment so far
If you liked the book Dear Mr. Henshaw, you should read its sequel, Strider. Once again Leigh Botts is recording his thoughts in a diary. Leigh writes about his old troubles - his parents’ divorce, his father’s lack of interest in his life, and his desire to have friends and be popular at school. Leigh also writes about his new concerns which include going out for the track team, a girl named Geneva, and a dog.
Life seems to get better when Leigh and his friend Barry find an abandoned dog. They name him Strider and decide to try “joint custody.” Joint custody means the boys will share the dog. Strider lives part-time at each house. At first it seems to work out, but then Leigh becomes very attached to Strider while Barry is away and no longer wishes to share the dog. How will the boys resolve this problem? Read this book and find out!
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman April 10, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure , 4comments
A group of fourth graders wrote reviews for The Whipping Boy. Here are a few of them for you to enjoy.
Jemmy is a whipping boy and very kind-hearted, but Prince Brat is very mean and a trouble-maker. He plays lots of dirty tricks on people but never gets punished because it’s forbidden to lay a finger on the prince. So that’s when the whipping boy comes in. One night, Prince Brat runs away, along with the whipping boy. It was so foggy you couldn’t see anything. That’s when two rude outlaws popped out of nowhere and grabbed the boys. One man was named Cutwater and the other was named Billy. I’m not going tell you what happened next. If you want to find out more, read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman.
~Jimmy~
There was a prince named Prince Brat. He was mean and usually played tricks. He was happy because he was not allowed to be whipped. So they found a boy named Jemmy. He was the new whipping boy. His job was to get whipped when the prince did something wrong. One day the prince said, “Jemmy, I am running away, and you are coming too.” So they sneaked out, but they got kidnapped by two outlaws named Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutwater. If you want to know why Hold-Your-Nose-Billy is called that and what happens next, you will have to read to find out.
~Matthew T~
A prince named Prince Brat gets in trouble. When the prince gets in trouble, an orphan named Jemmy gets whipped because the prince can’t get whipped. One day, the prince decided to run away. Jemmy decides to go with him. One foggy night, two men snatched Jemmy and Prince Brat. Jemmy has to write a letter asking the king to get a wagon of gold in exchange for the prince and the whipping boy. Will the king have to give a wagon load of gold? Read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman to find out.
~Mario~
To read more reviews, go to whipping-boy-reviews1
Stuart Little by E.B. White April 9, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Animal Fiction, Friendship Fiction , 12comments
This book is about a mouse named Stuart Little. Stuart is in a family of 4 with a cat named Snowbell. This family contains a mom, dad, and a brother named George. Stuart likes to go on outrageous adventures. One day, a bird named Margalo shows up at Stuart’s house. Once when Stuart gets trapped in a garbage truck, Margalo came and saved Stuart. Margalo gets lost one day, so Stuart goes out to find her. A lot of things happen to Stuart while he is out to find Margalo. Will Stuart find Margalo? Just read this great book to find out!
Also this book is a great reader (1 pt.)
~Jack #1, Jack #2, and Jillian, Fourth Graders~