April 2026

The Humble Pie

Author: Jory John

Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Summary: Part of the Food Group series by Jory John, a quiet, humble pie lis content to let others shine until he and Jake the Cake work on a school project together. Humble Pie has to learn to speak up for himself!

Recommended Ages: 4-8 yeears

Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Humble Pie, who is quiet and lets others shine. When he works with his friend Jake the Cake on a school project, Humble Pie does all the work while Jake is busy with other things. How will the project ever get finished?

Extension Activities: Realizing he is being taken for granted, Humble Pie learns that being humble doesn't mean staying silent or invisible. He finds the courage to have a "tough conversation" with Jake, teaching young readers about setting healthy boundaries and finding their own voice. Have kids practice this kind of conflict resolution...learning that it is important to speak up for themselves in a calm, respectful voice.

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March 2026

Tops & Bottoms

Author: Janet Stevens

Illustrator: Janet Stevens

Summary: Hare and Bear are job sharing at the farm. Bear is not paying too much attention (he is sleeping) and Hare is crafty! How will Bear and Hare equally share in the farm's produce?

Recommended Ages: 3-7 years

Themes, Skills, & Concepts: It is almost time to start planting gardens! This funny story will help teach the parts of plants to our young friends and emphasize the importance of paying attention to other's plans, and hard work!

Extension Activities: Plant a classroom garden in plastic cups. Include plants such as radishes (bottoms) and lettuce (tops) to watch the growth of the plant. Identify the plants that Hare grew and identify which part he gave to Bear. Have kids compare this trickster tale to The Tortoise and the Hare. Click here!

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February 2026

You Loves Ewe!

Author: Cece Bell

Illustrator: Cece Bell

Summary: This is a funny tale about a very confused donkey. When Donkey meets a sheep named Ewe, hilarious misunderstandings with homonyms will have kids laughing out loud!

Recommended Ages: 5-7 years

Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Cece Bell’s You Loves Ewe! is a fantastic tool for teaching homonyms, phonics, and grammar with humor.

Extension Activities: Play homonym bingo! Give students pairs of hononyms and have them illustrate and write a sentence about each one and create a class book. Share the story "I Yam a Donkey" with the link below for more homonym fun by the same author! Click here!

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January 2026

The Emperor’s Egg

Author: Martin Jenkins

Illustrator: Jane Chapman

Summary: The Emperor's Egg tells the amazing true story of male emperor penguins' dedication, focusing on how the father incubates the single egg on his feet for two months in the brutal Antarctic winter without eating, while the mother goes to sea to feed.

Recommended Ages: 4-8 years

Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This beautiful non-fiction book dives into the male Emperor Penguin's two month devotion to the incubation and hatching of his egg, while mom is feeding.

Extension Activities: Copy and paste the link for free, engaging activities for your kiddos to use after reading The Emperor's Egg. https://mrswillskindergarten.com/penguin-activities/ . The link below will take you to a Kid's National Geographic webpage full of Emperor Penguin facts! Click here!

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December 2025

Hey, You’re Not Santa!

Author: Ethan T. Berlin

Illustrator: Ethan T. Berlin

Summary: Santa recruits a very helpful cow to take his place while he has to make a quick trip back to the North Pole for some forgotten gifts. Will Cow be able to fool a very savvy young man waiting for Santa?

Recommended Ages: 4-8 years

Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Santa forgets a gift and recruits Cow to fill in for him. This story plays on the theme of helpfulness, how Cow, totally unqualified, goes to great lengths to be as helpful as he can to preserve the magic of Christmas for this kid!

Extension Activities: Let students write a persuasive letter or short story arguing what an unlikely character (e.g., a cow, a dog, a principal) should dress up as if they had to fill in for Santa. Have them illustrate their character and create a class book! If kids need help with drawing Santa, choose the link below! Click here!

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