Ms. Escamilla’s Annotated Bibliographies: Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

Adler, David A. (2015). DON’T THROW IT TO MO! Ill. by Sam Ricks. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers. ISBN 9780670016310

2016 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal Winner

Mo Jackson absolutely loves playing football. It is obvious that he is the smallest one on the team. Opposing teams often find this hilarious, leading them to believe that Mo is incapable of playing well in games. One day, the coach has a plan to use this as an advantage and prove that Mo is definitely a valuable member on the team, despite of his differences. This helps young readers understand that it is important to embrace who you are and that everybody is equal. This level two book also contains many bright and relatable-like illustrations, which allows readers to easily notice them and infer the messages that are written within the text. 

Arnold, Ted, Hamilton, Martha, & Weiss, Mitch. (2017). NOODLEHEADS SEE THE FUTURE. Ill. by Ted Arnold. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823436736

2018 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

Mac and Mac Noodlehead are two brothers who usually don’t logically think things through. One day, their mother shares with them that she sees a beautiful garden coming to their yard soon. This confuses the brothers, for they think she means she can see the future, which they think is impossible. As the day progresses, the brothers encounter situations that actually change their minds and lead them to believe that some people may actually see the future. During some gullible tasks, the Noodleheads actually end up helping their mom set up her garden, which allowed them to bring the “future” to life. Even though the brothers get the chance to accomplish something, the author’s intent is to demonstrate “tales of fools”, which dates back to many years ago. In order to do this, the dialogue within the speech bubbles include short texts that can easily be misunderstood as something else. This strategy and the comic illustrations bring out the humor side of the book, making it very engaging for young readers!

Bell, Cece. (2012). RABBIT & ROBOT: THE SLEEPOVER. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763654757

2013 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

Rabbit is having a sleepover, and his friend Robot is the guest. Rabbit is so prepared for the night that he has written out a list/agenda for them to complete. However, many obstacles begin to occur when Robot finally comes over, for there are many differences between them that hinder Rabbit to smoothly check off the events from his list. Even though things aren’t going exactly as Rabbit planned, their adjustments still allow them to have an excellent time with each other! This simple chapter book allows readers to see that it is important to recognize that everybody has differences and may not agree on everything; therefore, we should be willing to change up some things within our plans in order to still include everyone involved. It also teaches young readers to not be too controlling of situations, and it’s okay to let loose every once in a while. The illustrations perfectly depict the friendship between the two different characters, making it not only funny to read, but also engaging.

Fenske, Jonathan. (2015). A PIG, A FOX, AND A BOX. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers. ISBN 9780448485102

2016 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

Pig and Fox are two friends who understand each other’s differences. Fox, who is mischievous, is anxious to play pranks on Pig. However, when he goes about the tricks, they always seem to turn around and backfire on him. Because of this, A Pig, A Fox, and a Boxis a great text to use when teaching that actions have consequences! In three different short parts, Jonathan Fenske’s level two book includes rhyme, simple speech bubbles, and comic illustrations to help convey the humor that is meant to be shared. The sentences appear to be longer, which is perfect for the progressing reader. 

Henkes, Kevin. (2013). PENNY AND HER MARBLE. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780062082053

2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

One day, Penny took her doll out for a walk. As she was walking, she found a shiny and appealing marble in front of the house of Mrs. Goodwin, her neighbor. Penny is amazed with the marble and took it; however, she begins to wonder if the marble was even meant to be found, so she begins to experience guilt. Eventually the guilt overcomes her, causing her to think about what she needs to do in order to fix this dilemma. In this “I Can Read” Level 1 book, the protagonist is a young mouse that encounters an experience that humans can easily come across, making the text relatable. Because of this, the light-colored illustrations help represent her emotions, especially the ones she experiences during her guilt trip!

Long, Ethan. (2012). UP, TALL AND HIGH! New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 9780399256110

2013 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal Winner

In this easy read book, Ethan Long highlights the three ideas of being “up”, “tall”, and “high”. A group of birds are used for this matter. For example, when a peacock tries to fit in with other “tall” birds, they immediately try to shut him down and make his claim to appear incorrect. However, the peacock does a comeback and lets out his feathers, now claiming he is not just small but so much more than that. Humor is incorporated within the simple and short sentences, which are actually written in speech bubbles. The colorful illustrations and the engaging flaps allow the reader to see the comedic side of all of the situations even though deeper messages are being displayed. 

Meisel, Paul. (2017). I SEE A CAT. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823436804

2018 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

I See a Catis an excellent early reader book that exhibits the day in the life of a dog left alone at home. Beginning all of its sentences with “I see a…”, a dog gets super excited when he observes various animals outside from his window. However, as the day progresses, he remains stuck inside and cannot join them to play/chase. It wasn’t until his owner finally came home when he was able to be freed to the outside world and have permission to go explore after waiting on a long day. With the simple sentences and colorful cartoon-like illustrations, young children get to infer how a house pet’s excitement increases as time passes.

Milgram, David. (2016). GO, OTTO, GO! New York, NY: Simon Spotlight. ISBN 9781481467230

2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

Otto, a robot, goes on many adventures. He loves his life on Earth, but he becomes curious about his family and his home in space. Otto quickly gets to work and builds himself a spaceship, which unfortunately doesn’t really work out in the end. Although he is a little disappointed, Otto realizes the amount of love his Earth friends has for him, making him appreciate his new home a little more. This pre-level one book includes a limited amount of text, which not only is intended to help with basic sight words and recognition, but also can represent Otto’s robot-like thoughts. Robots talk in short sentences, which helps the young readers understand his character even more. In addition to this, the lively illustrations help the readers join Otto on this thrilling adventure!

Rylant, Cynthia. (2014). MR. PUTTER & TABBY TURN THE PAGE. Ill. by Arthur Howard. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 9780152060633

2015 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award

Mr. Putter and Tabby, his cat, love participating in quiet moments together, especially during their reading time! They have an understanding of what each other likes, but when Mr. Putter sees a sign-up sheet for people to participate in story time with their pets, he decides to take a chance and experience a new adventure! In this book, readers are able to learn that it is okay to go out of your comfort zone and try new things every once in a while. Mr. Putter is an elderly man, so he is a great example of how anyone is capable of doing this. The book is filled with welcoming and humorous illustrations and longer structured sentences for progressing readers.

Schneider, Josh. (2011). TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 978054714956

2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal Winner

In this short chapter book, James is an extremely picky eater and does not want to try certain foods and drinks. His father comes up with a plan though. Every time James refuses to eat/drink something, his father shares a made-up tale of the negative effects of his pickiness. An example is when his father told him that if he doesn’t eat his oatmeal, it will simply grow out of a bowl and start eating everything in its path. This scares James and convinces him to try the food items, in which he eventually learns aren’t all too bad. This book is written with humor and detailed illustrations allows the reader to see James’s father’s made-up scenarios come to life. The theme is to give things a chance before judging them, for you may never know what to expect!