Electronic Reading File
By Ashley May

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Recommended Age/Grade  Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Fantasy/ Caldecott	Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak 1963	K - 2	Make a puppet show presentation.	Max's imagination runs wild in this exciting boyhood adventure.
	Fantasy/ Caldecott	There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly	Simms Taback 1997	Pre-K - 1	Make a graphic organizer of a large stomach with all the animals inside.	A tall tale of a woman who swallows a fly.  She then swallows a series of other animals to her  demise.
	Reaistic Fiction/ Caldecott	Amazing Grace	Mary Hoffman	K-2	This is a good introduction for character education to talk about acceptance of all races.	The story of a very imaginative girl who is faced with racism, but handles it with an I can do anything attitude.
	Fantasy/ Caldecott	The Polar Express	Chris Van Allsburg	K-2	Have students think about what gift they would have asked Santa for and why.	The story of a boy who travels to the North Pole and gets the first gift of Christmas.
	Fantasy/ Caldecott	Click,Clack, Moo, Cows That Type	Doreen Cronin	K-2	This book would be a good introduction to farm animals.  The students could even do a word play and make the animal sounds as you read the story	Cows on the farm find an old typewriter and use it to ask Farmer Brown for things they want.  They go on strike until he gives them their requests.
	Fable/ Caldecott	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters	John Steptoe 1987	K-2	This would be great to do a Venn-Diagram to compare the sisters.	The story of two sisters, one who is kind and the other who is not.  The message in the story is you never know who is watching you.
	Realistic Fiction/ Caldecott	No, David!	David Shannon	Pre K - 1	Have students write about a time when they got into alot of trouble.	The story of a mischevious little boy who misbehaves constantly.  His mother is constantly telling him no, even though she loves him.
	Fiction/ Caldecott	Blueberries for Sal	Robert McCloskey	K-2	This book would provide a good time to talk about safety and staying with your parents.	Sal and Mom get separated while baby and mama bear get separated.  They are all out searching for blueberries.
	Fiction/ Caldecott	Joseph Had A Little Overcoat	Simms Taback	K-2	Have students choose an item that they could reuse in different ways.  For example, you can use old socks as dusting rags.	The story of a man who is resourceful with his clothing.
	Realistic Fiction/ Newberry	Walk Two Moons	Sharon Creech	5-7	Have students write a different explanation for what happened to Sal's mother.	The story of a girl who travels with her Grandparents to find her mother.
	Historical Fiction/ Newberry	Island of the Blue Dolphins	Scott O'Dell	5-7	Have students make cooking utensils or clothing out of similar resources as found on the island.  They could use shells, rocks, and feathers as resources.  They must write how they made their item.	This is the story of a young girl who at 12, is stranded alone on a remote island.  It describes her courage and determination to survive.
	Multicultural	Marsupial Sue	John Lithgow	K-2	This could be used in Social Studies to discuss the globe or the animals that are unique to Australia.	This story is about a Kangaroo named Sue who does not like being herself.  The lesson here is self-acceptance.
	Multicultural	Merry Christmas Strega Nona	Tomie de Paola	K-2	This story could be used to give students about ideas they could use to make Christmas special for a hard working person they know.  Have them explain how they would help.	This story is about Strega Nona, the medicine woman in town, who is given a surprise party for Christmas.
	Multicultural	The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush	Tomie de Paola	K-2	This is a great introduction for discussing individuality.  We are all special people with special talents to be discovered.	The story of a young indian boy who longs to be a hunter, but discovers he is a talented artist.
	Multicultural	Boundless Grace	Mary Hoffman	K-2	Have students create a family tree that is unique to their family.  Have them choose their favorite family member and write a short story about why that is their favorite.	Grace goes to visit her father in Africa.  She discovers what it is like to be in a non-traditional family with step-parents and other siblings.
	Multicultural	The Legend of the Poinsettia	Tomie de Paola	K-2	Use this book to create a lesson on multiculturalism.  Present it around Christmastime when the flower is popular.	A legend of a flower's origin and customs associated with it's culture.
	Poetry Anthology	Where the Sidewalk Ends	Shel Silverstein	K-Up	The students can create their own poetry modeled after one that the teacher reads to them.	A collection of very fun poetry to be enjoyed by all ages.  I especially like The Boa Constrictor.
	Poetry Anthology	Celebrations	Myra Cohen Livingston	K-Up	Have the students create a poem about their favorite celebration or holiday.	This is a collection of poetry about celebrations like President's Day and the Fourth of July, and so on.
	Poetry Anthology	Home to Me Poems Across America	Lee Bennett Hopkins	2-5	Have students write a poem describing where they live.	This is a collection of poetry about life in different areas.  The book has poems about farm life, city life, prairie life and so on.
	Fantasy	Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs	Judi Barrett	K-2	Have students draw their favorite food from the story on paper plates.  Ask them to explain why they chose the food they did.	The story of the town of Chewandswallow, where the weather pours down the towns food supply.  The people have to run for their lives when the food storms get too rough.
	Fantasy	Oh, The Places You'll Go	Dr. Seuss	K-2	Have students write a story about what they might want to be when they grow up.  This would be a good activity to do when presenting community helpers.	A great graduation message about the new challenges people  face when they end one thing and begin another.
	Fantasy	Mouse Paint	Ellen Stollwalsh	K-2	Have students paint a mouse a color of their choice.  Only give them red, blue and yellow paint and let them custom make the color.	This is the story of mice who end up in paint.  When they mix their colors together, they realize that they can make new colors.
	Fantasy	The Kissing Hand	Audrey Penn	K-2	Students can create a short reader's theater about how they felt on their first day of school.	This is the story of a young racoon going to his first day of school.  His mother kisses his little hand so that he will have a small reminder of her.
	Fantasy	The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza	Philemon Sturges	K-2	Let students make their own personal pizza using english muffins and their favorite toppings.  The day before you can make a graph of favorite ingredients so you know what to purchase.	This is the story of a hen who makes a pizza all by herself.  Her friends did not help cook, but they sure wanted to help eat it.  They did help her clean up afterwards.
	Historical Fiction	In 1492	Jean Marzollo	K-2	You can use this story when doing the "ip" chunk.  Draw a ship and put all the rhyming words with the "ip" chunk.	A story about the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492
	Historical  Fiction	Pink and Say	Patricia Pollaco	3-5	Divide students into small groups to act out a scene from the story.  Some students may choose to do sound effects while others have speaking parts.	This is the story of two soldiers who cross each other's paths during the Civil War.  They become friends and their brief history is discovered.
	Historical Fiction	Sarah Plain and Tall	Patricia MacLachlan	3-5	Discuss how life would be different if a parent passes away.  Have students create a web of words describing their feelings about death.	The story of a widowed man and his two children.  The man searches for someone to help with his home and children.
	Historical Fiction	Suanto and the First Thanksgiving	Teresa Celsi/ Pam Ford Johnson	Pre K - K	Have students describe how they would help the pilgrims.	The story of an indian who taught the Pilgrims how to provide for themselves.
	Historical Fiction	The Whipping Boy	Sid Fleishman/ Peter Sis	3-5	Have students discuss how they would survive today if they just ran away and had no financial resources.	The story of two boys who run away.
	Realistic Fiction	Missing May	Cynthia Rylant	5-7	Have students create a collage of their interpretation of the supernatural.	This is the story of a girl dealing with the death of her mother figure.  The characters believe in the supernatural.
	Realistic Fiction	Ira Sleeps Over	Bernard Waber	K-2	Have students secretly write down what might scare them about a sleepover.  Take up the slips and discuss their concerns.	This story deals with going to a sleepover and being scared.
	Realistic Fiction	The Napping House	Audrey and Don Wood	K-2	Have students do a word play with the repeated portion of the story.  The students can then draw what they wear and take to bed.	This is a predictable story about a long list of people and animals who sleep in a napping house.
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE	Realistic Fiction	The Falling Leaves	Steve Metzger	K-2	Have the children write where they would go to if they could travel like a falling leaf.	The story of all things that change during fall.
	Realistic Fiction	Is Your Mama a Llama?	Steven Kellogg	K-2	Have students do a word play and make the animal sounds as you read each part.	This is a great story to introduce adult and baby animals to children.
	Informational	Stellaluna	Jannell Cannon	K-2	Have students create a Venn-diagram comparing bats and birds.	This is the story of a fruit bat who finds herself living with birds until her mother finds her.
	Informational	The Very Hungary Caterpillar	Eric Carle	K-2	Discuss the metamorphosis of a caterpillar and have students use tissue paper and glue to depict their favorite stage.	The story of a caterpillar who eats, grows, and turns into a beautiful butterfly.
	Biographical	A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy	David A. Adler/ Robert Casilla	3-5	Have students give brief presentations of what their grandparents remember about JFK.	A look at the life of one of the most famous Presidents.
	Informational	So, You Want to Be President	Judith St. George/ David Small	3-5	Have students choose a president to research.  The focus is to give unusual facts about that president.	An informational book about the Presidents of the United States.
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE EVEN FROM THE PUBLISHER SCHOLASTIC	Informational	Pick Me an Apple From Seed to Tree	Shelly Rotner	K-2	Have students play a sequencing game with the pictures from the book.  Older students can draw their own sequencing.	A great photobook with information about the life-cycle of an apple, from seed to tree.
	Folktale	Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka	Tomie de Paola	K-2	A great introduction into the genres of fantasy, folktales, and fables. The Pooka is a spirit that comes in the form of an animal who used to be a human.	The story of a lazy Irishman who is visited by a spirit that cleans his house.  The spirit stays briefly and Jamie is left with a big mess to clean up.  Well his wife is left with the mess.
	Fairytale	The Gingerbread Man	Jim Aylesworth/ Barbara McClintock	K-2	Have students watch you make gingerbread dough.  Then let them create their own cookie from the dough.	The classic tale of the gingerbread man who runs away from the people who cooked him.  He is eventually caught and eaten by a sly fox.
	Fairytale	Little Red Riding Hood	Trina Schart Hyman/ Brothers Grim	K-2	Have students create a mural of all the animals they might encounter in the woods.	This is the clasic tale of a little girl who encounters a wolf as she is going to visit her grandmother.
	Fairytale	The Velveteen Rabbit	Margery Williams/ David Jorgensen	K-2	Use this book to start a discussion about the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of germs.	The story of a boy who believes his toy rabbit is real.  When he gets sick the rabbit has to go.
	Fairytale	Jack and the Beanstalk	Steven Kellogg	K-2	Have students plant seeds on Earth Day and see how large they get before school is through, usually about a month period.	The age old tale of Jack climbing the Beanstalk to retrieve things from the grumpy giant.
	Same Author	The Days of the Blackbird	Tomie de Paola	2-5	This could be used to introduce an art activity.  Have students use charcoal to draw their interpretation of what the doves looked like.	This is a story about the coldest days of the year in Northern Italy.  In late January the doves swoop into chimney tops and become black.
	Same Author	Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs	Tomie de Paola	K-Up	Have students create a picture of what their grandmothers mean to them.	This is a book about the death of a 4 year old's great grandmother.
	Same Author	Four Stories for Four Seasons	Tomie de Paola	K-2	Have students paint what a tree looks like in each of the four seasons.	A story of four friends who share the four seasons together.
	Same Author	Strega Nona Takes a Vacation	Tomie de Paola	K-2	Have students write about a vacation they would like to go on.  Have them describe the gifts they would buy for their parents.	Strega Nona takes a vacation and leaves Big Anthony and Bambolona in charge.  She sends them gifts from her travels, and somehow Big Anthony makes a huge mess with the gift.
	Same Author	Pancakes for Breakfast	Tomie de Paola	Pre-K to K	Use the pictures from this story to create a sequencing game for the students.	This is a picture book about making homemade pancakes.
	Caldecott	Strega Nona	Tomie de Paola	K-2	Discuss where sick people went before their was a doctor's office.	The original tale of Strega Nona, the towns medicine woman.