SEASONAL BOOK REVIEWS  YOUR STUDENTS WILL LOVE Way back when I was teaching first grade, I always included one or two "book commercials" in our opening and closing class circle times.  These were short previews of new stories that I had added to our classroom library book bins that included a peek at one of my favorite illustrations, a summary of the plot, and a description of my favorite character.  My purpose in conducting these "book commercials" was to build excitement and interest in my young readers, and encourage them to try new genres or types of books. Once I had modeled the practice, I would ask for volunteers to come up to our "share chair" to talk about the books they were reading and tell the rest of the group if they should read them too. ...