PICTURE BOOKS: Blackout by John Rocco AND Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet by Kelly DiPucchio

A busy contemporary family experiences a blackout and in the experience they rediscover what matters to them. Very simple text and beautiful pictures. Great book for new readers to test their skills.

3 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 1.0

Such a cute story about a goldfish who desperately wants a pet. But the one he gets may be more dangerous than he realizes.

I don't want to ruin the surprise on this one, but I will say this is great for a read-aloud, especially with kindergarten as they start to read the pictures and guess what is going to happen next before you reveal the surprise at the end. Great fun!

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 2.3

PICTURE BOOK: Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

When Grace realizes our country has never had a woman president, she announces that some day she will be president. Her teacher thinks that is a great idea and a school election commences between Grace and a boy named Thomas. Grace realizes that winning the election (with electoral votes, campaign speeches and rallies) will be more difficult than she thought.

I had never heard of Grace before election week when one of the teachers at school asked if we had her story in the library. Even though election fever is likely "over" until 2016, I ordered a copy for the library anyway. I really enjoyed the story. The way the teachers in the book structured the election helps explain the electoral votes process. Grace is a great role model for political candidates (she fulfills some of her promises BEFORE the election). In some cases, the story could lead to some polarizing between boys and girls, but that can be addressed in a classroom discussion of the ending of the story.

4.5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.6

Recommended for: teachers looking for material to talk about elections, politics, and government.