K: Tortuga in Trouble, by Ann Whitford Paul, for Hispanic Heritage Month and the five senses
1st: Lu and the Swamp Ghost, by James Carville
2nd: The Story of Z, by Jeanne Modesitt; alphabetizing activity
3rd: First Day in Grapes, by L. King Perez
4th: Planting the Trees of Kenya, by Claire A. Nivola, for World Food Day, Tuesday, October 16; play the grain of rice game at freerice.com
5th: Ahrens and Warner: The Boy Who Loved Words, by Roni Schotter (dictionary, thesaurus); Curry, research for explorer reports