Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

I love giving books to teachers. It's pretty much all I give to teachers (except for homemade cookies—which takes too much effort so it only happens once every three years), and since it's teacher appreciation week around here, I thought I'd share some great books that demonstrate the power of a great teacher.

Here's my new favorite: Mrs. Spitzer's Garden by Edith Pattou. This book is so subtle, I didn't even recognize Pattou's metaphor about the classroom and the garden until the second-to-last page. When I did, my eyes welled up with tears. A good teacher truly is planting a garden each year, and this book will demonstrate to your child's teacher how much she means to you and your child.



Other picture book possibilities with similar themes include Patricia Polacco's, Thank you, Mr. Falker, Judy Finchler's Miss Malarkey books, Harry Allard's brilliant Miss Nelson books, and Michael Garland's rather crazy Miss Smith books.
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And if you are looking for some novels with great teachers in them:

Frindle by Andrew Clements
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The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by Candace Fleming
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The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
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All classics, perfect to tell your child's teacher how amazing you think they are. 

Or how amazing you wish they were: "See! Read this book. Look what you could teach my child if you only tried!" 

I'm just kidding. You should not say that. They are all trying. And they all deserve presents. Not coffee mugs or boxes of fake chocolate, but books!  

2 comments:

  1. Hey Linds! Cami just informed me about your great blog (after I asked for book recommendations to read out loud to McKenzie) and I'm so excited to browse your site.

    And, I can't believe I've never heard of getting teachers books for end-of-year gifts. Brilliant. You have just made my life a million times easier AND more meaningful!

    Thanks! I hope everything is going well for you... it's so good to see your picture up in the corner.

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  2. MY GREAT AUNT ARIZONA is another one of my favorite teacher picture books.

    This was a great list!

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