My Favorite Children's Author/Authors

     For me, choosing just one favorite author is similar to choosing my favorite place to eat or a favorite shirt!  It is just too difficult!  I have to say that as I first began teaching my favorite author was definitely Eric Carle.   I loved his artwork and the stories.  I still use his stories as often as I can.  Each year our first grade team uses Brown Bear, Brown Bear as an introductory unit before we begin Reading Street.  We use his book to reinforce rhyming and review Kindergarten skills before moving on.  
    Don't get me wrong, I still love Eric Carle's work, but I have really learned to love another author, Kevin Henkes.  I have really developed a love for his book over the past couple of years.  Our school often studies specific authors for our Author Study units in Writer's Workshop, however, I started looking into Kevin Henkes' books.  He writes about topics that are relatable to the students, while demonstrating a variety of writing techniques and styles. He is a wonderful model author for young students.  
A few of my favorites by him are:

I LOVE this book for the beginning of the year.  I typically read it the first week and then have students  compare themselves to Wemberly.  It is great coming back to this book later during our author study.  

Chrysanthemum is PERFECT for the beginning of the year when the students are getting to know each other.  We do a Names Unit prior to beginning our Reading Street and this book is a vital part of that unit!

 

Remember to check out The Clutter-Free Classroom for their linky party about favorite authors!