What do you do when you have a friend you like a whole lot who just can't keep his big mouth shut-and sometimes even tells other people's secrets?

Blabber Mouse's friends have that dilemma. They don't want to be mean, but when at last he can't keep from telling their teacher that she forgot to give the class homework, they know they have to do something. They think they've found the perfect answer when they throw Blabber a party and give him a diary for writing down his secrets.

Why do I like this book?

Blabber Mouse always tells all the things that someone tells him to others. He's just like me because when someone tells me something I tell everyone.
- Leonor, Grade 3

Blabber Mouse learns his lesson that you can't always tell other people's secrets.
-Nate and Nathan, Grade 3

I like Blabber Mouse because he got on everyone's nerves
-Kiko, Grade 3

Just like the title says, Blabber Mouse is a mouse that blabbers alot.-Shela, Grade 3

What a funny book! I wonder do teachers have tattoos under their armpits or was Blabber Mouse just blabbing.
-Ritchie P and Richard L, Grade 3

HVC's pick 144 votes

Mei Mei has the six happiest hens in China. She gives them fresh hay and baths, and when she calls to them, Gu-gu-gu-gu! they all run to her as fast as they can. But one of the hens, Daisy, was not always so happy. She was the smallest and the other hens used to pick on her, flapping their wings, squawking and pecking.

Then one night Daisy was asleep in a basket when it drifted out onto the river. She woke up facing a barking dog, and suddenly Daisy was doing some pecking, squawking and wing-flapping of her own!

Why do I like this book?

It has great pictures and Daisy earns the other hens respect at the end. -Sydney, Grade 3

One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike!" he thought. A duck on a bike!From Sheep to Horse to Chicken to Goat, everyone in the barnyard has something to say about Duck's zany idea. But what are they really thinking? And what will happen next?

Why I like this book?

It is funny to see a little duck riding a big bike with no hands.
-Jesus C, Grade 3

Duck is such a goofball.-Yasmine, Grade 3,

It is so funny, because in real life Ducks don't ride bikes.
-Jennifer C, Grade 3

Duck does crazy and dangerous stunts like standing on the seat and riding with no hands. -Abel, Grade 3.

How can Kate and her family take just one dog home from the animal shelter when there are so many wonderful animals who need a home?

Why I like this book?

I like this book because it is about dogs.
-Blanca and Rick, Grade 3

I like how the family got new pets. -Carina, Grade 3.

It is so touching because Rosy is old and weak, but she gets adopted anyway. Dave is always so happy.
-Paula, Grade 3

I like how Kate and her parents adopt an older dog that nobody wants.-Ariana M, Grade 3

Resourceful and hungry rabbits “muncha muncha muncha” on Mr.Greeley’s new vegetable garden with hilarious and surprising results.

The rabbits still get in the garden no matter what Mr. Greeley tries to do.
- Douglas and Manuel M, Grade 3

It is a funny book because the hungry rabbits always gobble up the vegetables and make silly onomonipia sounds. -Lorena, Grade 3

A picture book that portrays a friendship between two boys, one black and one white, in Mississippi during the summer of 1964.

The message of this book is to treat other people equally and that you should not use racism against other people.- Orsi, Grade 4

I like it because the friends get to go swimming a lot.
-Alex, Grade 4

It was about two boys who were different race who became friends. -Clarence and Donte, Grade 4

It talks about racism and how people don't like to change. -Rachel, Grade 4

Freedom Summer teaches you that no matter what color your skin is you can always be friends.
- Daniel B, Grade 4

I like Freedom Summer because it has friends of different races. -Angel, Grade 4

It teaches others about racism in the 1960's. -Paolo, Grade 4

It teaches us never to judge a person's color and to respect everyone. -Denise, Grade 4

I liked how the friends were brave to walk in a whites only store together. -Ravneet and Daniel N, Grade 4

"He led Eugene to the window of the atrium. It was alive with the songs of the birds. ‘I see sparrows, jays, cardinals, nuthatches… and the mallards. Don’t all of those beautiful types and colors make this a beautiful place to be – for all of them?’"

In Patricia Polacco’s new book, Mr. Lincoln’s Way, a bully overcomes his prejudice when an African American principal invites him to help attract birds to the school atrium.

It's about treating people kind and it has to do with Black history. Brandon, Grade 4

Eugene learns not to judge people by their color.
-Gabriel and Haniyah, Grade 4

I like books by Patricia Polacco, because they seem so real. -Aysia, Grade 4

There is a bully and Mr. Lincoln helps him to change.
-Reynalda and Angelo, Grade 4

I like how Eugene and Mr. Lincoln attract birds to the school. -Isaiah, Grade 4

Mr. Lincoln's way is all about respect. -Sergio G, Grade 4

This book teaches you not to judge people by the color of their skin. I also liked when the eggs hatched. -Marcelino, Grade 4

This book taught me that different birds and different people can be friends. -Alondra, Grade 4

I like the picture of Cardinals in the book.They are my favorite kind of bird. -Alma and Diego G, Grade 4

I like this book, because it shows how a mean kid becomes a caring kid. -Desiderio, Grade 4

It's not good when someone bully's you. Nature is nice to watch because of the soft pleaseant noise. This book has both elements so it's my favorite. -Rachel Si, Grade 4

This book was based on a true story about a bully who became a fourth-grade teacher-Marcus, Grade 4

It's great to see a principal help a bully solve his problems and become a better person. -Elena, Grade 4

Ruby is unlike most little girls in old China. Instead of aspiring to get married, Ruby is determined to attend university when she grows up, just like the boys in her family. Based upon the inspirational story of the author's grandmother and accompanied by richly detailed illustrations, Ruby's Wish is an engaging portrait of a young girl. You and your child will enjoy the astonishingly beautiful illustrations of traditional Chinese life.

In this book, the girls were equal with the boys and Ruby's wish -to go to the university came true-Stacy, Grade 4

Ruby wanted to be the best that she could be. -Katy, Grade 4

Ruby wanted to be treated the same as the boys were in China in the late 1800's.- Amy, Grade 4

Ruby stands out because while the other girls dream of getting married, she dreams of going to the university. -Mary, Grade 4

Ruby's Wish shows us that everyone should be treated equally. It relates to me because my older brother always seems to get whatever he wants and I don't.-Reyna, Grade 4

Ruby Holler is a beautiful and mysterious place, deep in the country, a "basin in the hills. . .where cool breezes drifted through the trees, and where the creek was so clear that every stone on its bottom was visible."

An older couple, Tiller and Sairy, live in the holler and are looking for new adventures, each of them hoping to set off on a trip. When they invite the "trouble twins," Dallas and Florida, to join them, all of their lives take new turns.

More than anything, Ida Bidson wants to become a teacher. To do that, she needs to finish eighth grade so she can go on to high school. But when the one-room school in Ida’s remote Colorado town closes unexpectedly, that dream seems unattainable. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Ida can’t be it. . . . Or can she?

An Asian cook and a Chinese New Year celebration help a ten-year-old girl at a Montana stagecoach station to regain her confidence after smallpox scars her face.