Our+Top+5+Most+Important+Books

These lists represent books from different points in our lives that have "stayed with us" and had an impact on our lives. Please add 1 book from your Top 5 list (include your name, title, author, and a brief explanation of why you liked it).

__One Child__: Tory Hayden This is the most heart wrenching, inspiring, beautifully written autobiography I have ever read. I first read this book when I was in 8th grade, and even though in our library it was on the 12th grade and up shelf, it sparked my interest. Tory Hayden writes about her journey teaching the children who were so troubled or disabled, no other school wanted them. In this particular book, Tory tells the story about a severely abused 5 year old girl and she was the only one person Shelia let in, and let Tory discover her inner genius. I remember being 12 years old reading this late into the night, sobbing for all the children who are never helped and are treated this way. Tory’s story is what inspired me to become an Early Childhood Special Education teacher.
 * Caitlin Schwatka**

__Oh, the places you’ll go!__ By: Dr. Seuss I received this book for a graduation gift from one of my high school teachers who really believed in me. I had never seen or read this book before I had gotten it. It is very important to me because it was given to me by a very important person and it conveys such a wonderful message. It tells the readers to strive for the best and sometimes there may be obstacles but you have to push through and find a way to get through it. I really love this book because anyone can relate to it and have high hopes for themselves upon opening a new chapter in their life. __The Rainbow Fish__ by Marcus Pfister This was one of my favorite books to read when I was a child. I loved looking at the pictures because they were colorful and the fish's scales were sparkly. It also shows a good lesson about sharing because Rainbow fish decides to share his scales with other fish because they want to look just like him.
 * Marissa Masterson**
 * Danielle Rilo**

//__Bear and Mrs. Duck__// by Elizabeth Winthrop This was my favorite book as a child. my grandmother had a copy of it at her house and everytime I would go there she would read it to me a number of times. It was something special we shared. She gave me the the book and I still have it at home on my shelf. I know that I will read this book to my children one day because it was one of my absolute favorites.
 * Jessica Scranton**

__//Green Eggs and Ham//__ By: Dr. Seuss This book was one of the first books that I have ever read. It was the book that I remember the most from my childhood. The catchy rhyme of the words just sticks in your head. The pictures from this book really corresponded with the text. The fantastical factor of this book just seems to draw the attention of kids. I can remember as I read this book thinking how cool it would be to have green eggs and ham. To this date there are people who make green eggs and ham for their kids by just adding green food coloring. Dr. Seuss was one of the best writers of kids books.
 * Ryan Rainey**

//A Taste of Blackberries// by Doris Buchanan Smith I read //A Taste of Blackberries// in third grade. It was incredibly sad, and it was the first time that I felt emotionally invested in a novel. I have read this book many more times over the years, and for some reason it has remained important to me. As an adult, I look at the content differently. This book portrays death in an honest way, but it’s written in a way that children can handle. I still become emotional when I read it, but now I often become emotionally involved with the books I read, and that’s part of the reason I love literature.
 * Katie Swiatek**

//__The Witches__// By: Roald Dahl This was one of my favorite chapter books as a kid because it was one of the first mystery stories I read. I loved that the boy discovers that these old women are actually witches who hate children. I use to believe that some of my teachers I didn’t like when I was younger were witches who hated children. It was fun to make believe and imagine what I read in real life.
 * __Maeve Wilson__**

__//The Giving Tree//__ by Shel Silverstein I remember reading this book multiple times when I was younger because of the memories and the moral that stuck with it. Every time I read the book with my mother she would always cry. Also, the book taught me that if you take and take the person will be left with nothing to give. It’s best to be grateful and give to others.
 * Shana Martin**

__Sky Tree__ by Thomas Locker I never really understood how necessary art work is in children’s books until I read __Sky Tree__. The illustrations are gorgeous to say the least. They really do take you to the scene on the hillside by the lake. In addition, they show accurate portrayals of season changes which emphasizes one of the goals of the book; to show children science through art.
 * __Samantha Meyer__**

//The Last Lecture// by Randy Pausch I believe this book can have an impact on anyone's life. It is filled with emotions. I laughed, cried and learned how meaningful life can be all at once in this book. I've always been one to believe in living life to the fullest, but in this book Randy Pausch made me question myself. Was I really living life to the fullest and being thankful for each day? He has months to live and he doesn't talk about death, he talks about living. This is a very inspirational book. It really made me realize how important it is to live each day as if it was your last.
 * Lacey Hohl**

//__Are You My Mother?__// by P.D. Eastman //Are You My Mother? //was the very first book that I read by myself. When I was four years old, I desperately wanted to learn how to read, but my parents were too busy to spend as much time teaching me as I wanted. I had two older brothers, eight and ten, and a younger sister who was three years old. I sat down with //Are You My Mother // and practiced sounding out the letters on my own until they made sense to me as actual words. I’m not sure if I have ever been prouder of myself since reading the book from cover to cover for the first time in front of my surprised parents.
 * Kacie Roberts**

__ Corduroy __ by Don Freeman Corduroy was a book that I read as a young reader. I remember my parents reading it to me before I could read it myself. I wore overalls as a child and always worried that I would lose a button just like Corduroy. I love the ending of this story and it will definitely be a story that I will read to my children.
 * Jenn Jackson **

//__The Lovely Bones__// by Alice Sebold
====This book showed me how tragedy can happen to any family and how much it can affect a family. I thought that the book was very well written and the story was something different that we don't read about very often. Even though the story ends without much closure for the family, I like how the author shows the family finally accepting what has happenedand moving forward with their lives.====

**Erin Dixon**
//The Perks of Being a Wallflower// by Stephen Chbosky

This is my favorite book of all time. The first time I read it was my sophomore year of high school. My best friend told me to read it and let me borrow her copy. Since that day, I have bought my own copy and have read it too many times to count. I have also introduced a lot of other people to this book, including my mother. My copy is now written in, highlighted, bookmarked, and worn to the point where the binding is started to look pretty ragged. I love this book because it is written in letter form, and you feel the emotions of the narrator and the other characters in the story. There are so many great lines and quotes from this book that leave an impact on everyone that reads it, and by the end of the book you feel like you know the main character as well as you know yourself.

__//The Cajun Night Before Christmas//__. By: Trosclair, edited by Howard Jacobs. //The Cajun Night Before Christmas// was one of the first books that my mother read to me when I was little. The book eventually became a tradition in our home to read every Christmas, but I enjoyed reading it all year long. This book was given to me to remind me of my heritage and where I came from. I was born in Louisiana, near the Bayous. I was indeed, and still am, a cajun at heart. I enjoyed the twang in one's voice when pronunciating the words, the closeness you feel to the land and the Bayou, and of course knowing Santa even goes to the Bayou. It is a very interesting twist on //The Night Before Christmas//, Santa is riding 8 alligator, not reindeer. It shows children the different cultural aspects between their "land" and the bayou. I read many different cultural books to my children and this will be one that they are introduced to, for many Christmas' ahead. I have included a link to the book from Google, please enjoy! http://www.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=JOzNRLDbalcC#v=onepage&q&f=false
 * Cheri Ragland**

Amanda Delegram

//Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak//

This is my favorite children’s book. I remember sitting in school and hearing this story for the first time like it was just yesterday. I thought it was the most wonderful story that was ever written. I liked that Max was always causing mischief of some kind because I too was famous for doing the same when I was at home. I would always get sent to my room for one thing or another. I loved the idea of going to another world where there were creatures that no one else knew about, and that Max becomes the king of the Wild Things.

**Maria Nesmith** //The Very Hungry Caterpillar// by Eric Carle. This book is important to be because it reminds me of my childhood. I loved this book and I remember that I wanted to take it to show and tell every week. I loved reading this book and I will definitely read it to my students and children one day. **Jane Woodside**//To Kill a Mockingbird// by Harper Lee

When I first read this book it was for an English class in high school. This book impacted me a lot because of the message it sends. It is very powerful and speaks a lot of the truth about what goes on in our world. The underlying message and theme that is portrayed in this book is prejudice. Even today people are dealing with racism, and this book really shows the kindness in people. This book really changed my outlook on the world and people, and has been my all time favorite since. **Tiffany Murphey**__A Tree Grows in Brooklyn__ by Betty SmithThis was a summer assignment for my Honors English class in ninth grade and it's important to me because it was for the Honors class. It gave me responsibility to read over the summer and made me feel good that I was reading and analyzing a text. It's also a really amazing and inspiring book about a girl in poverty that I thought was relatable to my age group. //What Makes a Rainbow// by Betty Ann Schwartz. I first read this book during my junior year of high school during child care class. I read it to a group of 3,4, and 5 year olds. They loved the book and it was very enjoyable to see them getting into the book and answering questions about it. It is also a very good and enjoyable book to read to children.
 * Jessica Lynch**

__Tuesdays with Morrie__ by: Mitch Albom I admired this book so much because of the relationship between Mitch and Morrie. It really does go to show the lasting impact people can have on you. As a current college student, I look to my professors as lasting influences and role models because they are guiding me to where I want to be for the rest of my life; teaching in an Elementary School classroom. Many of my professors have already been there and I have so much to gain from their experience. Tuesdays With Morrie truly touched my heart. I learned so much about the importance of life from Morrie. Mitch allowed me to feel as though I was sitting in on their Tuesday conversations. I have always heard “live each day as though it is your last” but for one of the first times I have really figured out why. Even when Morrie didn’t have the physical strength, he still had the power to be influential. I was blown away by his courage. To know you are dying and still live life with the meaning that Morrie portrayed left me speechless. From reading this book I will take with me the courage to live my life to the fullest. I only hope that I can make the most of life and become a lasting influence in a student’s life.
 * Megan Bernhard**

__Where the Red Fern Grows__ by Wilson Rawls I read this book during grade school, and I have loved it ever since. It displays the world of adventure, and the love a little boy can have for a pair of dogs. It taught me about being brave, caring and adventurous. I think this book would be a great one to read in the classroom to help students connect and relate to the characters. I also think it will help them learn the concept of a loss, and about how to deal with that loss. __Guess How Much I Love You__ by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram My Mother read this book to me and my sisters all the time just to remind us that she loved us very much. I enjoyed listening to her read read it especially before bed. Even as I have grown older it is still one of the books that I remember very vividly from my childhood. It is more than just a great book for parents or any loved one to share with their child or adult, it has a very sentimental meaning for me as well. Still to this day my mother reminds me that she loves me all the way up to the moon and back.
 * Erin O'Donnell**
 * Casey Lindstrom**

__A Child Called It__ by Dave Pelzer I remember in middle school everyone talking about this book and how sad it was and so of course I wanted to read it because everyone was reading it. It was one of the saddest books I have ever read but a book I could not put down no matter how bad it got. It just made me realize how good of a life I have compared to some people like the main character in this book. I just think the book was very inspirational to always be nice to others and help when you can because you never know what that person may be going through.
 * Tara Esposito**

1. __Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone__ By J.K. Rowling  This book came out when I was about 6 or 7 and I remember my Dad bought me the book as a present. I was quite young and he would read it to me. I remember how the story line grasped my attention immediately. I could not wait for my dad to read me the next chapter of the book every night. I would make sure that I read the story before I would watch the movies because the effect would be much better. While watching the movies I would pick the moments that were left out and not included. However, this did make my parents rather annoyed because I would keep telling them during the movie.
 * Adam Rosensteel**