When deciding what kind of projects to do using Red Clover books, it makes sense to consider the most recent books awarded. This will narrow down your pool, and make the books particularly easy to find. Students are also more likely to know and like books awarded within the past five to 10 years. At the time of publication, the last five books awarded were Tony Fucile's "Let's Do Nothing!", Mona Kerby's "Owney, the Mail Pouch Pooch," Melanie Watts' "Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend," David Wiesner's "Flotsam," and Janet Steven and Susan Stevens Crummel's "The Great Fuzz Frenzy."
Students working on a Red Clover Book project will likely be in early elementary school, so book reports will be fairly simple. They may include more picture-based responses than actual writing, or students may speak to the class about a book instead of writing a report. Think about the themes of the particular books, and encourage students to respond to questions about those themes. For example, the most recent winning book "Let's Do Nothing!" shows how difficult it is for two young boys to sit and do nothing. Ask students to try and do nothing for 10 seconds, and report back what they thought about, whether it was difficult, and why it might be important to practice the skill of being still. They can respond to these questions in pictures or writing, or just orally. Theme-based reports like this one can work for all of the Red Clover books.
In addition to thinking about the themes of the books, students can complete more creative, art-based projects. All of the Red Clover books are selected in part for their exceptional illustrations, so they offer plenty of inspiration for creative projects. A project in relation to Mona Kerby's "Owney the Mail Pouch Pooch," about a dog who travels with the postal service in the 1800s, may include drawing maps of where the dog would have traveled via railroad during that time period. David Wiesner's "Flotsam" is about a boy searching for treasure on the beach, and finding enlightening and scientific items. Students could do their own search around a schoolyard and examine the science behind what they find, be it dirt or rocks or garbage. The important thing is to encourage students to creatively respond to the books they read.
Finally, students can learn about the process behind awarding books, and what it means to nominate and select a winning piece of art or literature. Simulate the Red Clover Award process in class, by appointing a panel of students to choose nominees and another panel to judge and award the winner. During this process, students can learn about what elements of books are important -- vibrant pictures, interesting characters, exciting plots and humor, for example. They can also decide as a class what elements are important to them, and how they would come up with the best book of the year.