Dewey Decimel-less

My oldest started kindergarten today. Kindergarten. He's there now. I stood by the window and watched him for a good ten minutes before leaving. As we arrived at the school, he jumped up and down and said, "I've been waiting for this day my whole life! Even since I was four!" So, he's good. But still, my first, in kindergarten...

 Anyway, it's a new school, and the library is empty. Completely empty. So surreal. And wrong. I'm on the library committee. We get to help build the library collection from scratch, oh happy project. I could use some brainstorming. If you had to pick five books that were MUST haves for a K-8 library, what would they be? (besides mine, of course, because that's what everybody would suggest first. Right? Right?)

Comments

[Je Reve]

Yes, of course yours, Shannon. They need children. Anyway...
The Midwife's Apprentice
Nate the Great
Gregor the Overlander
Hachet
Ella Enchanted

[Katie]

Little House on the Prairie series! (second only to you though)
And everything Beverly Clearly.

[Jen]

(After your entire collection of juvenile lit of course!)
The Black Stallion
Treasure Island
Harry Potter
Anne of Green Gables (all or most)
Little Women
Peter and the Starcatchers

[Tia Juana]

The Great Brain!!!! Good for the boys who once they hit 4th grade seem to struggle with wanting to read!

[Harmony]

Stargirl + Love, Stargirl
Maniac Magee
Harry Potter
Animal Ark series
Hershey Herself

[Jenna St. Hilaire]

Definitely yours! Princess Academy made my 50 Favorite Books list, after all. :) (http://alightinside.blogspot.com/search/label/Fifty%20Favorite%20Books)

If I get to pick five other books, after including yours:

The Chronicles of Narnia
The Harry Potter books
L'Engle's Time books, at least the first three
Elizabeth Goudge's "Little White Horse"
Johanna Spyri's "Heidi"

Right, I know I counted each series as a "book", but ... You'll make all the girls very happy with that list. :)

[Elise]

The Chronicles of Narnia
All things Roald Dahl
Where the Wild Things Are
Charlotte's Web
Little House on the Prarie

[Tricia (MissRumphius)]

ALL of the books on Fuse #8's poll on the Top 100 Picture Books.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/540044254.html

[Margaret]

I second Ella Enchanted!

Fairy tales (I don't have a particular collection in mind.)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy

Whales on Stilts!

Coraline, The Graveyard Book

Inkheart (trilogy), The Thief Lord

[Mrs. Mordecai]

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

I'm so jealous! I can't imagine anything more fun than building a children's library.

[Joanna]

All of yours, of course. :-)

Beauty (Robin McKinley)
Jane Eyre
The Castle in the Attic (Elizabeth Winthdrop)
Chronicles of Narnia
The Trixie Belden Series (they're old, but I think some of them were recently-ish reprinted)

And I second Beverly Clearly, Ella Enchanted, and The Black Stallion.

And choosing just five is IMPOSSIBLE. :-)

[Katie Rose]

Hmm...I'm trying to visualize the 2nd-4th grade section of my library. Much of what I am thinking of has a slightly educational tilt to it, although it was not intentional:
-Jon Sciezka's time warp trio books, Math Curse, Science Verse, Seen Art?
-Mary Osborne's Magic Tree House
-Encyclopedia Brown
-Boxcar Children
-Spiderwick Chronicles

And a few other things come to mind:
-Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events
-The Tale of Desperaux
-Chronicles of Narnia
-Secrets, Lies, and Algebra (and its sequel) by Wendy Lichtman
-The Hobbit

[Janelle Dudley]

After all of your books, of course, I don't think I can pick five books, but if I do five series, does that count? Spiderwick Chronicles (Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black), Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis), Inheritance Sequence (Christopher Paolini), Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (Rick Riordan), and Dragon Adventures (Jessica Day George).

[Carrie]

I like everyone's choices!
No one's done picture books for the younger kids so:
Ian Falconer (Olivia)
Robert McCloskey (all-they're classics!)
Janell Cannon (Stellaluna and her others)
Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo and others
Dr. Seuss--they never grow old!

Also, for non-reading boys I have to put in plugs for the Magic Tree House series, and the Goosebumps series. They worked like a charm on my son.

[Katie Rose]

Oh also! From an even younger reader (K-1 I think) section of my library:
-Amelia Bedelia
-Frog and Toad
And I know there are others I can't think of...This is what happens when I don't work the library job over the summer that involves shelving all this stuff!

[Cecily]

Thinking of the younger readers, some of those great, classic I-Can-Read books--Frog and Toad (all of them), Little Bear (all of them), Francis (all of them)--and some other great books (Jane Yolan and Robert McClosky come to mind). At least, those are the ones my little guys like.

[mary campbell]

The Boxcar Children
The Secret Garden
Frog and Toad series
Anne of Green Gables series all L.M. Montgomery books.
A Ring of Endless Light - l 'Engle all her books actually

I have a boy in kindergarten too, but he's not my first and it was easier to let him go. It's still hard to know their having experiences without us though.

[Megan]

A lot of people are doing chapter books, so I'll put some of my favorite picture book authors...

Doreen Cronin
David Wiesner
Chris Van Allsburg
Jon Scieszka
Dr. Seuss

And get some good poetry books too!!

I could give you a list of hundreds of books. As a teacher, I'm so grateful for my school librarian and all she does to keep our library up to date with a wide variety of books!

[Bridget]

Something Beautiful by Sharon Wyeth
Gregory the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan

And obviously all your books too : ) What a fun project!

[Chicklit]

Building a library sounds like a reader's dream come true. My five suggestions are:

The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
Bunnicula - James Howe
Howliday Inn - James Howe
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L. Konigsburg
Any Judy Blume Book

[Jenny]

Where the red fern grows
Piggie and Elephant books by Mo Willems
Tuck Everlasting
Where the sidewalk ends

[Jenny]

And all the Roald Dahl books.

[Cathy]

I usually don't post, but I thought I'd give my two cents worth. The lists above are awesome. They made me want to go clean the shelves of the childrens' section and bury myself in books for a day or two. But, next to no K-1 titles were really on the lists.
Dr. Seuss for sure.
The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein)
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series
Where the Wild Things Are

[Heather Muir]

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville

The Melencholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Dwaine

[Douglas]

Hello, Shannon. I’m Douglas. I met you briefly last Feb. at the UVU Children’s Forum. I joined you at the lunch table (but sat quietly and soaked in the conversation from the Gods around me). Nathan drew a sketch for each of my daughters? You may or may not recall. We discussed Castle Waiting and beards. It was a quick but fun conversation. Really nice to meet you.

Here are some of my favorite early reader books for boys:

•The Secret Three by Mildred Myrick (The Da Vinci Code for the I Can Read crowd ;)

•Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Please remind them that before the movie there was a beloved book)

•Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion (What boy doesn’t like dirt?)

•Go, Dog! Go! by P.D. Eastman (I remember loving the truthful dog)

Two new ones I wish I had a boy to read to (but have four girls so I make do):

•Leonardo the TERRIBLE MONSTER by Mo Willems (Fun monster story)

•Wow! City! by Robert Neubecker (Wow! School! should sit beside it prominently)

Hope those titles help. Good luck with your monumental task—thought a fun one for a book lover.

~Douglas

[Miriam R]

The Little Princess
King Arthur (I loved this as a child)
A wrinkle in Time
A wind at the Door
The Headless cupid
Fly Girl

And many more

[Melanie]

For a school library, you simply must have plenty of Kevin Henkes. He captures the school environment perfectly. Add some Shel Silverstein and some Don & Audrey Wood. Bamboozled (by Legge) is perfect for those children who want vibrant illustrations and clever plays on words.
Older readers still love Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. And Mrs. Piggle-wiggle is always entertaining. Oh, and The Wizard of Oz and The Secret Garden.

[Michelle]

Top 5 Books of Elementary School-
ALL of Tamora Pierce's books
Berliotz the Bear
Nate the Great
Snowshoe Thompson (can't remember if the h is there or not)
The Hobbit

[Maureen]

Hi

Two things you cannot live without as far as nonfiction/research materials--World Book Encyclopedia and DK (Doring-Kindersley) Eyewitness books. I know they're expensive, but World Book has everything you need to know, and the DK books are awesome because they have smart, clear text and fabulous photographs/illustrations--sooooo good for nonfiction pleasure readers or reluctant readers. When I was a children's librarian, those are the books I would run back into the burning library for. Oh, heck, I still would, and I work with teens now.

As for fiction--Mo Willems, especially Elephant and Piggie for beginning readers. Meg Cabot, Jon Agee, Lloyd Alexander, Tedd Arnold, Mary Amato, Lauren Child . . . I could go on for pages and pages, I'm sure. Hope these suggestions help.

Maureen

(By the way, you were number 6 on Tucson teens' favorite authors this summer. Just thought I'd share.)

[Jaime]

The Junie B. Jones Books By Barbara Park

The Beacon Street Girls Series By Annie Bryant

The Kingdom Keepers Series By Ridley Pearson

The BabySitter's Little Sister Series By Ann M. Martin

The Frog Princess Series By E.D. Baker

[Katie Rose]

All of Tamora Pierce's books? I had a tough time with reading about some of the character's moral choices when I was little. Has anyone mentioned Brian Jacques's Redwall books yet? I think they're worth mentioning, I loved the books when I was younger. Also, Ender's Game may be a little old but I think its a popular one for some reluctant readers.

[Susanne]

Where the Wild Things Are
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Frindle
Beauty: A retelling of the story Beauty and the Beast
We Dare You!: hundreds of science bets, challenges, and experiments you can do at home (I know--nonfiction? What's that?)

[Mae Lee McIntosh]

Jessica day George Books
Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wred
Dr Seuss books!
Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer

[Miss Erin]

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (preferably the whole series) by C.S. Lewis
The Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
The BFG by Roald Dahl. And Matilda. How about ALL of his children's books? heheh
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter
Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller

(I could go on forever, those are simply the five that popped into my head first.)

[Mae Lee McIntosh]

oops!
Wrede is spelt wrong...

[Amy W.]

One of my all time favorite books was Tink in a Tangle by Dorothy Haas. What a fun assignment!

[Jeanne]

All the newbery award and honor books are a must!

[Christy]

Yours are a must have...

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Boxcar Children
The Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

What a fun project, good luck!!

[Regina]

K-8, you say?
Well, besides your books, of course...
Tamora Pierce's books
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Graceling
Watership Down
Ella Enchanted
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
And, of course your customary Harry Potter, Eragon, etc.

What a fun thing to be able to do, build up a library!

[Dani]

The works of Elizabeth George Speare.

[Ashley]

These are young kids so don't forget:
Junie B. Jones books
Skippyjon Jones books (I like Joneses apparently)
Doctor Seuss books
The Seven Silly Eaters
Winnie the Pooh
and all others mentioned! Good Luck!

[Connie]

I would like to second
Anne of Green Gables (the series)
Jane Eyre
Little Women
The Secret Garden
The Chronicles of Narnia
Wildwood Dancing
A Wrinkle in Time

I would like to add
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Lord of The Rings
The Outsiders

Before I was in 8th grade I hated to read and would never finish books. Then I was put in a reading class by error and was to lazy to go fix my schedule. In that class we were listening to Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan. I had to know what happened so I went to the library and checked it out. I have never looked back.

[katrina]

amelia badilia
ramona quimby

[Amy]

Man, I would love to create a library! I mean, I do create one here at home, of course... but it would be nice to spend someone else's money to do it!

Ramona Quimby/Henry Huggins series by Beverley Cleary
Pickle-Chiffon Pie by Jolly Roger Bradfield
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Winnie-the-Pooh/The House on Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

[Jenna St. Hilaire]

Oops! I'm going over my five ... but I just have to add Bernard Wiseman's "Morris and Boris" books. They are some of the most hilarious early reader books I've ever read. :)

[Amy]

Oh, and when I was a kid, I loved any books with pictures of animals I could draw.

[Liana S]

Many, many of my choices are already listed here, so here are a couple that aren't!

The Giver by Lois Lowery
The Ordinary Princess M.M. Kaye
The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz
The Doll in the Garden and Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom & Sideways stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar and all of his other books of course!

Children's lit is my favorite genre! I totally envy your job!

[Ruen]

Robin McKinely's books
Tamora Pierce's books
Jigsaw Jones Mystery series
Cam Jansen mystery series
Nancy Drew
Magic Attic Club series

[Stella]

Only 5? Yikes! Aren't they going to hire a librarian to do this job? It really is a profession responsibility. I work as a school librarian and there's so much to consider when you're developing a collection and K-8 is a huge range. Follett Library Resources will recommend titles to order for a new library, as will probably most other jobbers, such as Bake & Taylor, B-T-S-B, etc. Try this link:

http://www.flr.follett.com/intro/newschools.html

At any rate, here are 5 of my faves (picture books):

1. Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco
2. Jumanjii, by Chris Van Allsburg
3. Do Not Open, by Brinton Turkle
4. Knuffle Bunny, by Mo Willems
5. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes

Good luck!

[Amanda Norr]

I love what every one else has suggested and I think the girls are covered. Someone said Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider Series. I agree it is a must. I love them, but first my son loved them. Also, the Eragon series by Christopher Panolini. These are the books that sparked my boy, now I can't get him to not read.