Do good little dinosaurs clean up their rooms with a shovel or broom? Or spit out their broccoli partially chewed? No, of course not! Kids love seeing dinosaurs behaving badly in this funny series with silly (but scientifically correct) illustrations of dinosaurs.

Always sporting his signature Hawaiian shirt, Tacky the Penguin does things his own way. Although he may be an odd bird, Tacky proves to his penguin pals that he’s “a nice bird to have around.” How? By saving the day, Tacky style. Kids laugh along with the message that it’s okay to be different.

Her dreams are big! Her whiskers are ALWAYS a mess! In her mind, she's Queen of the World! In real life…she's not even Queen of the lunch table.

Three-time Newbery Honor winning author has created a fully illustrated graphic novel series packed with humor and appeal—BABYMOUSE! This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Junie B. Jones and Dork Diaries.

In this classic series, Arietty Clock and her parents are tiny people called borrowers. They live under the floorboards in a house inhabited by giant “human beans,” surviving by sneaking up into the house for scraps of food and other tiny leavings. When Arietty is spotted by a human boy and the two strike up a forbidden friendship, Arietty’s father is horrified. This imaginative tale and its four sequels have sparked a love of fantasy in children since it was published in 1952.

In the first novel by Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games), young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance.

A witty narrator follows Penelope, a recent graduate, to British country manor Ashton Place, where conniving Lord Fredrick has discovered three wild children apparently raised by wolves. Penelope is charged with taming them in time for a Christmas party, Humorous antics and a climactic cliff-hanger ending will keep readers turning pages and clamoring for the next volume.

The 4th graders read Jack Prelutsky poems, including this one about a maze. Poetry is fun, because words can go upside down, sideways, and in circles!

Sensory language is an important part of writing, because it helps students learn how to be specific. We tasted "Pop Rocks," and students described them using adjectives related to each of the 5 senses. The word "good" and its cousins (fantastic/wonderful/amazing,etc...) are banned from our descriptions.

Reading non-fiction at a young age provides many benefits for students. In Kindergarten, we read about bats and echolocation. Each student had the chance to be a bat and had to find the mosquitoes using just their hearing.

In 6th grade, we are working on choosing precise words, whether you are writing a poem, essay, or a thank you note.

In 3rd grade, we wrote haikus. I love listening to the sounds of students clapping out syllables and giggling over haiku themes.

In 3rd grade, we worked in collaborative groups on the importance of word choice.