Curriculum Center: Books That Celebrate Teachers

Dear Teacher, Whenever I had something to tell you, I tugged on your shirt and whispered in your ear. This time I'm writing a letter. So begins this heartfelt picture book about a girl who prefers running and jumping to listening and learning--and the teacher who gently inspires her. By listening carefully and knowing just the right thing to say, she quickly learns that the girl's unruly behavior is due to her struggles with reading. And at the very end, we learn what this former student is now: a teacher herself.

There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.

Trisha could paint and draw beautifully, but when she looked at words on a page, all she could see was jumble. It took a very special teacher to recognize little Trisha's dyslexia: Mr. Falker, who encouraged her to overcome her reading disability.

After spending the summer with her artist grandmother, Trisha knows she wants to be an artist, too. She's thrilled when her sketches get her into Miss Chew's special art class at the high school. A substitute teacher tells her she's wasting time on art when she should be studying - but fortunately, this is one battle that Miss Chew and Trisha are up for!

Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own! With a story that makes reading fun--and will even help listeners learn to read--this book is ideal for kindergarten classrooms and story hour or that beginning reader.

Miss Bindergarten and her class have had a great year in kindergarten! They have gone on a field trip, marked the 100th day, created a circus, and even survived a wild day. But now the school year is over, and it's time to remember, to celebrate, and for Miss Bindergarten to say, 'Good-bye, kindergarten. It's been a special year.'

Things are always a little rowdy in a class of twenty-six kindergartners, but there are some days when chaos reigns. Watch what happens in Miss Bindergarten's rambunctious class when water overflows, ants are on the loose, and oozy paint smudges. How will Miss Bindergarten and the kindergartners get everything back in order? This is one kindergarten adventure not to be missed!

Miss Bindergarten and her kindergarteners are stepping out of the classroom and going to all sorts of places. Franny gets to decorate a cake at the bakery, Jessie learns to Stop, Drop, and Roll at the fire station, Patricia gets to push the mail at the post office, and all of the kindergarteners read colorful picture books at the library! They even have time to play at the park and have a picnic. Miss Bindergarten's kindergarten is having so much fun!

It's the first day of kindergarten and Miss Bindergarten is hard at work getting the classroom ready for her twenty-six new students. Meanwhile, Adam Krupp wakes up, Brenda Heath brushes her teeth, and Christopher Beaker finds his sneaker. Miss Bindergarten puts the finishing touches on the room just in time, and the students arrive. Now the fun can begin!

Miss Bindergarten, the world's best kindergarten teacher, is getting ready for another milestone. Tomorrow she and her class will have been together for 100 days. To celebrate, each student must bring "100 of some wonderful, one-hundred-full thing!" At night, while the students go to work assembling their projects, Miss Bindergarten is working, too, making special surprises for the class.

Started by Dr. Seuss, finished by Jack Prelutsky, and illustrated by Lane Smith, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! is a joyous ode to individuality starring unsinkable teacher Miss Bonkers and the quirky Diffendoofer School (which must prove it has taught its students how to think--or have them sent to dreary Flobbertown).

Teachers are amazing! They teach you new things, make you laugh, and help you meet new friends. They always encourage you to do your best. They make the classroom a great place to be!

What do teachers actually do every day in the teachers' lounge? When an imaginative child peeks inside, he embarks on a wild, funny adventure you'll never forget. Who knew that teachers surf, hike, eat frog-eyeball soup, and walk through the rain forest - all while in the teacher's lounge?

When their class tadpoles are big enough, Mr. Stricter tells his students they can keep just one. The class chooses Bruno, the smallest of the bunch. But Bruno doesn't stay that way for long. Soon, he's grown into a giant, classroom-wrecking creature: he eats desks, he farts for show-and-tell, and he sneezes slime all over everything! With Mr. Stricter blinded by love for the pet, the students must step up and take matters into their own heroic hands.

It's the last day of school! Gilbert is excited about summer vacation. First there's a class party, and Mrs. Byrd will give out the end-of-the-year awards. But will Gilbert even get one? Patty's the best speller. Philip's the best reader. What is Gilbert best at?

T is for Teachers: A School Alphabet is a charming education on education. Crisp, clever text from the minds of Steven and Deborah Layne keep children engaged as they are taken on an educational tour of the one room school houses, the roles of custodians and principals, quizzes and more that lay between the covers.

There are lots of things that regular people can do, but teachers can't. Teachers can't ride a bike or scooter to school. And they can never be tardy. Teachers can't buy their own apples. And they can't teach their best without flowers on their desk. But first they really need some help cleaning the blackboard. And the erasers! It's a wonder they come back to school at all!

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect--until her first day of school. "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria. "Let's smell her," says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

Mrs. Spitzer is a wise teacher who knows many things. She knows about gardens. She knows about children. She knows how similar they are, and how both will flourish if tended lovingly.

Lilly loves everything about school, especially her cool teacher, Mr. Slinger. But when Lilly brings her purple plastic purse and its treasures to school and can't wait until sharing time, Mr. Slinger confiscates her prized possessions. Lilly's fury leads to revenge and then to remorse and she sets out to make amends.

Everything's changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin's tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren't the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there's talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly--Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She's the first African American teacher. It's 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can't she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn't for anybody who wants to learn--or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.

Gabby's world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents' arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer, and words that carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl's indomitable spirit, and of a teacher's ability to reach out and change a life.

Minnie McClary is the new girl and knows that she doesn't quite fit in, especially not after she lost it one day in language arts. In art, Minnie has to paint a self portrait--but how can she do this when she doesn't even know who she is anymore? Things aren't great at home, either. Her uncle Bill is building a huge replica of the Apache helicopter he flew in Iraq, and her father has blown some sort of whistle and has to start over in a new job. Then Miss Marks takes over Minnie's language class and encourages students to think critically about everything. They write their thoughts and questions in journals, marking the most private entries For Your Eyes Only. Minnie and her classmate Amira are inspired, but some people in town wonder why Miss Marks is encouraging students to ask these questions and just what, exactly, she's teaching. When a group of angry parents demands Miss Marks's suspension, Minnie finds herself asking a lot ofquestions--and figuring out what she has the power to change.

Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job -- teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire.

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there's a lot more to her--and to everyone--than a label, and that great minds don't always think alike.

Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they're not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it's about her dark, black skin. When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But the new teacher's attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she's in. Can Maleeka learn to do the same?

The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a substitute.

With the help of Miss Brooks, Missy's classmates all find books they love in the library--books about fairies and dogs and trains and cowboys. But Missy dismisses them all--"Too flowery, too furry, too clickety, too yippity." Still, Miss Brooks remains undaunted. Book Week is here and Missy will find a book to love if they have to empty the entire library.

Oliver has been learning about the president's job, and his teacher would be the perfect candidate. She loves white houses, she's used to being followed everywhere, she attends lots of meetings, she finds jobs for people, and she believes in peace.

Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a menacing, kid-hating headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!

It's the start of a new year at Snow Hill School, and seven students find themselves thrown together in Mr. Terupt's fifth grade class. There's . . . Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who's having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school. They don't have much in common, and they've never gotten along. Not until a certain new teacher arrives and helps them to find strength inside themselves--and in each other.

Teachers have the power to change the life of a child with every new school day. Whether they're discovering math or reading, practicing a new instrument or a new sport, or learning about our wonderful, diverse world, students can count on the kindness, innovation, and patience of a teacher. This is a wonderful celebration of all the ways teachers help their student's bloom.

A heartfelt thank-you letter written to educators, coaches, leaders, role models, mentors, and heroes everywhere! A perfect gift for back to school, National Teachers' Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the last day of school. Filled with gratitude, Dear Teacher, thanks all the people that empower and inspire little ones to be themselves and overcome all of life's obstacles.