My Electronic Reading File

Electronic Reading File
By Alicia Powell

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(Table Titles include: Caldecott Winners, Newberry Winners,Picture Books, ABC/Counting/Concept Books, Predictable Books, Traditional Literature, Fantasy/Science Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Poetry Anthologies, Multicultural Books, and Informational/Biography/Autobiography Books)

Caldecott Medal Winners

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Caldecott Medal	In the Small, Small Pond	Denise Fleming	Ages 2-6	Dissuss the different seasons through the year. Ask children what they see during the different season.	The animals and insects that live on and in a freshwater pond wiggle, waddle, hover, swoop, and swirl through the stunning spreads and through the seasons of the year. Fish, frogs, and fowl frolic first in the vibrant greens and yellows of spring and summer, then on through autumn reds and oranges and, finally, browns and icy whites as winter sets in.
	Caldecott Medal	Joseph Had a Little Overcoat	Simms Taback	Ages 3-5	As the book is being read, the children can use the die-cut holes to guess what Joseph will be making next from his amazing overcoat. The children will learn that you can always make something, even out of nothing.	When Joseph's overcoat becomes old and worn, he snips off the patches and turns it into a jacket. When his jacket is beyond repair, he makes a vest. Joseph recycles his garments until he has nothing left.
	Caldecott Medal	The Polar Express	Chris Van Allsburg	Ages 5-8	This book is great to read during Christmas. It gets you in the Christmas spirit. Turn out the lights, all but a lamp, give the children some cookies and milk to eat while reading the story. Pretend like it is a bedtime story during the winter season.	Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him (The Polar Express headed for the North Pole). When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On christmas morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but says that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.
	Caldecott Medal	King Bidgood's in the Bathtub	Audrey Wood/ Don Wood	Ages 4-8	This would be an excellent book to use for the letter K (King). The children could also chime in on "King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out! Oh, who knows what to do?"	The king refuses to leave his bathtub and rule the kingdom. Instead one by one members of the court are brought into the bathtub to battle with the toy ships and warriors, to eat a feast, to fish, and to dance. Then, the plug is pulled to slove the problem.
	Caldecott Medal	Swamp Angel	Anne Isaacs/ Paul O. Zelinsky/ 1994	Ages 4-8	How would you feel if you were taller than everyone? Draw a picture using oil pastels and write a sentence of what you would like to do.	Angelica Longrider is Tennessee's greatest woodswoman who built a cabin when she was two years old. Her legend grew when she scooped up a wagon train mired in a swamp when she was twelve years old, earning her the moniker Swamp Angel. Now she has set her sights on saving settlers from an enormous black bear named Thundering Tarnation.
	Caldecott Medal	Puss in Boots	Charles Perrault/ Fred Marcellino	Ages 4-8	Have the children create their own 3-D cat with magical powers. What would they have their cat do for them?	In Puss and Boots, a poor miller dies and leaves his youngest son nothing but a cat.The cat in tall boots creates a new identity for the youngest son with fine clothes, fields of wheat, a castle, and the hand of the king's daughter.
	Caldecott Medal	Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin	Lloyd Moss/ Marjorie Pricceman	Ages 4-8	Counting, instruments, and musical groups are apart of this book. This would be a good way to introduce instruments and what they look like. Also to rewiew numbers.	Ten instruments take their parts one by one in a musical performance. The book starts with a trombone, then a trumet is added an so on. The book is a great way to introduce instument but also musical groups
	Caldecott Medal	No, David!	David Shannon/1998	Ages 3-6	Use this book to create a graphic organizer of beginning, middle, and end. Have the children tell when an event takes place.	No matter what David does, his mother's reply is always the same, "No, David!" He reaches too far for the cookie jar, tracks in too much dirt, bangs too loudly, and creates a potato head with string-bean arms and chicken legs instead of eating his dinner. Finally, a broken vase leads to banishment to a chair in the corner and a tear on the cheek, which leads to a motherly hug and the best affirmation of all,"Yes, David...I love you!"

Newberry Award

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Newbery Award	A Long Way From Chicago	Richar Peck	Grades 4th-7th	The children spend summers with their grandmother. Read about Grandmothers. Write your own grandparent poem for grandparents day.	Joey and his sister, Mary Alice visit their Grandma Dowdel every year during their summer vacation. They live in the big city of Chicago, while Grandma lives in a small Illinois town. We learn about small-town life during the Depression. There are seven short stories for the years 1929 through 1942. Grandma's life is different to say the least! Her town has many interesting characters. The story is told by Joe as an adult as he reminisces about those summer trips. Grandma's life makes for fun adventures.
	Newbery Award	Sarah, Plain and Tall	Patricia MacLachlan/ 1985	Grades 4th-7th	Make a list of all the flowers mentioned in the book. Write a description of each flower.	Caleb and Anna's mother has died. Their father has found a mail-order bride who will travel from Maine and decide whether to live with the family on the prairie. Sarah tells the children all about living near the Ocean on the east coast. At the end of a month she will decide if she will stay and marry the children's father. Sarah has much to learn about pioneer life on the prairie.
	Newbery Award	A Year Down Yonder	Richard Peck/Steve Cieslawski/2000	Grades 3rd-7th	Compare and contrast life in the city and country. Where do you live? Would you rather live in Chicago or a small town in Illinois. Why?	Mary Alice takes the train from Chicago to spend a year with her Grandma Dowdel. Set in 1937, 15-year-old Mary Alice and her Grandmother experience funny and exciting adventures in a small town in central Illinois
	Newbery Award	Number the Stars	Lois Lowry/1989	Ages 9-12	Learn about the Holocaust. Read the testimonials of the people who lived through the holocaust. Tell the children why it is important to remember this sad period of history?	Set in Denmark during the Nazi occupation, this story explores a lesser known aspect of World War II. The Johansen family, including ten-year-old Anne Marie, take over the care of her Jewish friend, Ellen Rosen. The Rosens are in danger and hope Ellen can pass as a member of the Johansen family until passage can be arranged for all of the Rosens to leave Denmark and go safely to Sweden. Anne Marie shows courage and determination in helping her friend.
	Newbery Award	Holes	Louis Sachar/1998	Ages 9-12	Teasing and bullying in schools is a problem that can have devastating and lifelong effects for both the bully and their victims. Remember Stanley was a victim of bullying at school before he came to Camp Green Lake and talk to the children about these experiences.	Stanley is just a regular kid until he is found responsible for a crime he didn't commit. We learn about a curse that has been in his family for several generations. His bad luck lands Stanley in a very strange correctional camp in the Texas desert. The warden has all the inmates digging holes in a dry lake bed. The story weaves interesting tall tales from local history and Stanley's family. The relationships among the juveniles in the camp are interesting to follow. Stanley finds a good friend, treasure, and learns to like himself.

Picture Books

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Picture Book (American Institute of Graphic Awards)	The Very Hungry Caterpillar	Eric Carle	Ages 3-8	A lesson on caterpillars and how they turn into butterflies would be a great way to follow up this book. Also a great book for introducing the days of the week.	A caterpillar hatches out of his egg and is very hungry. On his first day, he eats through one piece of food; on his second, two, and so on. Finally full, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.
	Picture Book (A Blue Ribbon Book)	Thank You, Brother Bear	Hans Bauman/ Eric Carle/ 1995	Ages 4-6	Explain to the children how helping others is a good thing. Showing kindness towards others is the right thing to do.	The boy in the story is very kind to animals. This kindness is repaid to him by Brother Bear. Thank you Brother Bear for helping the boy find the medicine for his sick sister on their journey.
	Picture Book (Georgia's Children's Picture Story Book Award)	If You Give A Mouse A Cookie	Laura Joffe Numeroff/ Felicia Bond /1985	Ages 3-7	It teaches children in a unique way how to learn to not be greedy and to accept what you have. Have them write about what they are greatful for.	If you give a mouse a cookie, he will ask for something else and so on. The mouse is constantly reminded of things he can ask for from the boy.
	Picture Book (Coretta Scott King)	The Patchwork Quilt	Valerie Flournoy/ Jerry Pinkney/ 1985	Ages 5-9	Have the children make their own quilt. It can be out of paper or cloth. They can glue the pieces together.	Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life. When her grandmother becomes sick she decides to finish the quilt with the help of her family. When the quilt is finishe, her grandmother gets better.
	Picture Book (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award)	Grandfather's Journey	Allen Say/ 1993	Ages 4-8	Have the children fold a piece of paper in half drawing a place they would like to be and the place they are. They can show their pictures and have the others guess where they would like to go.	This book describes a grandfather, who is torn between love for his native Japan and for California. Missing one place while in the other, the grandfather is always longing to be where he isn't. The grandson inherits his grandfather's love of travel, and like him, longs to be in both places at the same time.

ABC/Counting/Concept

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	ABC Book	Naughty Little Monkey's	Jim Aylesworth/ Henry Cole/ 2003	Ages 4-7	This book is great for teaching the alphabet to children. Each monkey's name begins with a letter of the alphabet along with their misbehavior.	Mom and Dad tuck their 26 little monkeys in bed and head out for a night on the town. They little monkey's, each named with a letter in the alphabet misbehave. When the parents get back, the little monkey's are in the bed but the house is a mess.
	Counting Book	Ten Little Fish	Audrey Wood/ Bruce Wood/ 2004	Ages 3-6	Give each child a piece of playdough. Have the children make a number that you write on the board or call out.	Ten little fish swim through the ocean, each finding a different reason to leave until only one remains. That one fish soon becomes a father and she becomes a mother. Then they have ten little children of their own.
	Concept Book	Exactly the Opposite	Tana Hoban/ 1990	Ages 3-6	Play a game where someone calls out an object and everyone else must guess the opposite of that object.	Using a variety of people, animals, and objects found in outdoor settings of both the city and the country, the concept of opposites is introduced. This is a wordless photographic book.

Predictable Books

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Predictable Books	There Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow	Lucille Colandro/ Jared Lee/ 2003	Ages 4-8	Make a snow man. Have all of the items the cold lady swallows and use them the same. Use three different sized white balls and pretend it is snow. Then make a snow man.	A woman strides through a winter wonderland devouring a very peculiar lineup of objects, including a pipe, coal, tree branches, and a black hat. Finally the woman spits everything back out, and the items assemble themselves into a grinning snowman.
	Predictable Books	Chicka Chicka Boom Boom	Bill Martin, John Archambault/ Lois Ehlert/ 1989	Ages 2-6	Make a magnetic Chicka Chicka tree and use letter magnets to let the children practice thier letter recognition as well as retelling the story.	The letters of the alphabet race each other to the top of the coconut tree. All the lowercase letters come crashing to the ground, "Chicka chicka... BOOM! BOOM!" Uppercase letters rush in to comfort the little ones

Tranditional Literature

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Traditional	Rapunzel	Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky, Wilhelm K. Grimm, Jacob W. Grimm, Brothers Grimm	Ages 4-9	Play a game just like duck, duck goose except use the words Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your long hair and let hair replace goose.	Trapped in a tower with no door, Rapunzel is allowed to see no one but the sorceress who has imprisoned her. That is until the day a young prince hears her singing to the forest birds.
	Traditional	John Henry	Retold by Bill Balcziak/ Drew Rose	Ages 8-11	Talk to the children about folktale and fables. Tell them how they were passed down from generations. Ask them if there is anything their famliy passes down to generation.	This book describes the life of the legendary steel-driving man who was born and who died with a hammer in his hand.
	Traditional	The Country Mouse and the City Mouse	Adapted by Eric Blair/ DianneSilverman	Ages 5-8	Discuss the different features of the country and of the city. Then take a pole to see who prefer the country and who prefers the city.	When the town mouse and the city mouse visit each other, they discover they prefer very different ways of life.
	Traditional	This is the House that Jack Built	Simms Taback	Ages 4-8	Have a scavenger hunt with the children. Place objects that are in the story (cheese, mouse, etc.) and let the children look for them through out the day.	He takes the house element of the story literally by turning the endpapers and back cover into newspaper advertisements, offering real estate and tools to fix a house.
	Traditional	Rumpelstiltskin	Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky, Jacob W. Grimm, Brothers Grimm/1986	Ages 4-8	Before reading the story, show the children what real straw looks like. Give each child a piece and let them feel it. Then tell them that the girl in the story makes the straw into something ahd have them see what they can make the straw into.	Locked in a room and ordered to spin straw into gold for the king, the miller's daughter gets help from a strange little man. The only condition for the help is that she gives him her firstborn child.

Fantasy / Science Fiction

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Fantasy / Science Fiction	Duck for President	Doreen Cronin/ Betsy Lewin/ 2004	Ages 4-8	Let the children make a 3-D duck. They can assign each duck a pretend role (or chore) in the classroom.	Back on the farm, Duck is fed up with chores. When he wins the barn election, Duck quickly realizes that running a farm requires too much hard work, and sets out to run for governor. With the help of the hens, and speeches that only other ducks can understand, he eventually ends up running the country. Executive office gives him a headache so he goes back to write an autobiography.
	Fantasy / Science Fiction	Punk Farm	Jarrett J. Krosoczka	Ages 5-8	Have the children make puppets of the animals in the story. They can retell the story with their puppets.	At the end of the day, while Farmer Joe gets ready for bed, his animals tune their instruments to perform in a big concert as a rock band called Punk Farm.
	Fantasy / Science Fiction	Sideways Stories From Wayside School	Louis Sachar/ Julie Brinckloe/ 1978	Ages 9-12	Each chapter is filled with a different experience. Hold a vote on the favorite chapter and assign parts to act out the story.	There was a terrible mistake-Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high! Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.
	Fantasy / Science Fiction	Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook	Michael Garland/ 2003	Ages 4-8	Have two children leave the room. While they are gone they will decide on a charater from the story to be. The others must guess who they are.	When Miss Smith begins a tale from her "incredible storybook," the characters spring to life -- hopping back into the book once the story is finished. One day Miss Smith is absent and the principal comes in for a while. He begins reading the story and the characters again come to life. Except this time, they cannot get them back in. Until Miss Smith comes back.

Realistic Fiction

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Realistic Fiction	When Sophie Gets Angry-Really,Really Angry	Molly Bang/ Molly Garrett Bang	Ages 3-7	Everybody gets angry sometimes. Sophie's experiences — why she gets angry and what she does to express herself and find comfort — can open up a dialogue between parents and children, and teach kids how to manage their anger.	It all begins when Sophie is playing with her stuffed gorilla when her sister wrests it from her, knocking her to the floor. Things just keep getting worse for Sophie until she finds a comforting place.
	Realistic Fiction	The 100th Day of School	Angela Shelf Medearis/ Joan Holub/ 1996	Ages 5-7	This book is a great way to celebrate the 100th day of school. It's a story with interesting ideas and illustrations that the kids enjoyed.	The children learn 100 spelling words, plant 100 seeds, bake 100 cookies, and "do everything the 100 way" to celebrate this special day.
	Realistic Fiction	Andrew's Loose Tooth	Robert N. Munsch/ Michael Martchenko/ 1998	Ages 3-7	Talk to the children about teeth and why we must take care of them. Also discuss what happens when we loose a tooth.	Andrew's loose tooth is too much for his dad, his dentist, and even the Tooth Fairy. Finally, Andrew's friend Louis saves the day with a secret remedy.
	Realistic Fiction	Junie B. Jones	Barbara Park/ Denise Brunkus	Ages 6-8	Create a discussion about the first day of school. Ask the children if they were scared, excited, etc.	A young girl describes her feelings about starting kindergarten and what she does when she decides not to ride the bus home. That lovable, mischievous kindergartner tells all about how she gets locked in school on her very first day.

Historical Fiction

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Historical Fiction	Pink and Say	Partricia Polacco/ 1994	Ages 9-12	This would be a good book when teaching a lesson on the Civil War This book would also be a good way to help children get a more personal experience from the lesson.	Say, 15, had never seen a black person up close until Pink, also a young Union soldier, saves his life. During his brief stay in Pink's home, the wounded boy comes to understand his friend's unconquerable vision of freedom.
	Historical Fiction	Bull Run	Paul Fleischman /1993	Ages 9-12	Discuss the Civil War with the children. Assign them different character in the book and have them read that passage. Then have them prepare to act out that reading.	Through the alternating viewpoints of 16 characters from various walks of life, readers gain insight into the first battle of the Civil War and into the nature of war in general.
	Historical Fiction	Jip: His Story	Katherine Paterson/ 1996	Ages 12-up	Using a large sheet of paper, take predictions throughout the book to keep the listeners intertained. They will love to see if their predictions were correct.	They tell Jip he tumbled off the back of a wagon when he was small, and no one ever came back for him. He never had reason to question this tale but then a stranger shows up and begins asking about him around town.

Poetry Anthologies

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Poetry	A Light in the Attic	Shel Silverstein/ 1981	Ages 6-up	After reading poems, have the children make their owm using their creativity. Then let them illustrate their page. When everyone is finished, bind them together to make your own classroom poetry book.	A collection of many humorous poems and drawings.
	Poetry	Today I Feel Silly	Jamie Lee Curtis/ Laura Cornell/ 1998	Ages 3-8	Talk about feelings and have the children make facial expressions using the different feelings. Ask them have they ever felt that feeling.	A child's emotions range from silliness to anger to excitement, coloring and changing each day.

Multicultural

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Multicultural	Angelfish	Laurence Yep	Ages 10-12	Give each student a copy of the book to read as a class. During the reading, pick out words to use as spelling test words. Look at the words and tye to decide their meaning with out a dictionary first. On the last chapter, have the children pick their own words together.	Robin has just won the role of Beauty in the Beauty and the Beast at her San Francisco dance school As she and her friends are leaving the school, she tosses her book bag at one of them and it goes through the plate-glass window of a pet store. The manager comes storming out, and Robin offers to work for him until the window is paid off. At first, he is rude to her because she is a "bunhead," and then because she is only half-Chinese. The relationship between Robin and Mr. Tsow parallels the relationship between Beauty and the Beast, as the girl slowly comes to discover that he is not the monster he pretends to be.
	Multicultural	The Rough-Face Girl	Rafe Martin/ David Shannon/ 1992	Ages 5-8	A lesson on facial expressions would really get addressed in this story. There are so many different expressions displayed.	This is an Indian version of the Cinderella story. The Rough-Face Girl and her two beautiful but heartless sisters compete for the affections of the Invisible Being. Only the Rough-Face Girl can really see him.
	Multicultural	Tonight is Carnaval	Arthur Dorros/ Club de Madres Virgen del Carmen Staff	Ages 5-8	Have the children make their own musical instrument, the quena (a type of flute).	The book tells about the life of a Peruvian boy as he and his family prepare for a carnaval celebration in the nearby village. The boy describes the everyday work that must be finished as he anticipates the festivities and practices the music he will play with his band.
	Multicultural	Abuela	Arthur Dorris/ Elisa Kleven/ 1991	Ages 3-7	Ask the children to take a make believe trip where they could fly anywhere. Let them write and draw where they would go.	While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City. From the air, they see Manhattan streets, docks, an airport, tourist attractions, and Rosalba's father's office.
	Multicultural	Hush! A Thai Lullaby	Minfong Ho/ Holly Meade	Ages 4-8	Do a spong painting activity and have the children make the differnt animals that are found in the book.	A mother had just put her baby to sleep when she must "Hush" animal around her so they will not wake the baby. Soon she falls asleep and the baby is awake.
	Multicultural	*My Name is Celia/ Me Llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz*	*Monica Brown/ Rafael Lopez/ 2004*	Ages 7-9	Teach the children how to say some words in spanish. Me llama ...	A singer from an early age, Celia sang so continually that one of her teachers finally urged her to share her voice with the world. With this encouragment, she entered competitions, undeterred when her racial heritage prevented her from competing and undeterred, even, when the advent of Castro's communist regime forced her to leave Cuba as a refugee.
	Multicultural	Esperanza Rising	Pam Munoz Ryan /2000	Ages 9-12	Talk about ti distance to California from Mexico. Ask if anyone had ever visited either place.	Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

Informational /Biography/Autobiography Books

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Informational	Shh! We're writing the Constitution	Jean Fritz/ Tomie de Paola	Ages 7-11	Read this book when introducing the Constitution. Have the children tell what they would change or not change.	The representatives came together in Philadelphia and suffered the heat and misery of working in a closed up room listening to other delegates drone on for hours, and constantly cajoling colleagues and soothing the concerns and fears of those who were against a national or federal government. Finally thanks to the efforts of many, a Constitution was drafted and ratified by nine states forming the United States of America.
	Informational	Fantastic! Wow! and Unreal!	Ruth Heller/ 1998	Ages 7-10	Use the different types of speech and think of examples as a class. Make a list of each and leave it posted.	This book explains the parts of speech. It gives pictures and examples of each.
	Biography (Caldecott)	Snowflake Bentley	Jacqueline Briggs Martin/Mary Azarian/ 1998	Ages 4-8	This would be a wonderful book for a science activity to tie in water, snow, ice, and the winter season.	A biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations. From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley thought of the icy crystals as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystals.
	Informational	Math Curse	Jon Scieszka/ Lane Smith/ 1995	Ages 6-9	A good book to examine carfully. With the children, take each page a try to solve the different problems.	When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.

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