Electronic Reading File by Marissa J. Melton

2 Predictable Books

	Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Picture Book	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day	Author Judith Viorist/ Illustrator Ray Cruz	K-2 3-4	Character Education- dealing with frustration/ Humor	Absolutely nothing goes right for a boy named Alexander--on this particular day.
	Predictable Book/ Picture Book	Love You Forever	Robert Munsch/Sheila McGraw	Preschool- Grade 3	Unit on Family	A young mother cares for her son. She sings a very sweet bedtime song to him every night...until she gets too old. The tables turn as the son holds his mother in her hour of need.

2 Newbery Award Winners

	Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Picture Book	Dear Mr. Henshaw	Beverly Cleary/Paul O. Zelinsky	5-6	Helpful on units dealing with diaries and letters. Also can be used to help children express themselves in the areas of divorce, single parent families, and low socioeconomic status.	Writing to an author helps a boy overcome family issues such as divorce, loneliness, and sadness.
	Contemporary Realistic Fiction	The Family Under the Bridge	Natalie Savage Carlson/ Garth Williams	3-4	Book can be used to increase student sensitivity to homelessness.	Armand is a stubborn old homeless man that finds out that his spot under the bridge has become invaded by three helpless children. He tries his hardest not to become a part of their lives, but eventually is taken by their warmth and innocence.

5 Realistic Fiction Books

Contemporary Realistic Fiction	Superfudge	Judy Blume	K-2 3-4	Sibling Relations/ Family Life	A boy named Peter talks about the good and bad times associated with his younger brother "Fudge."
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	The Black Pearl	Scott O'Dell/ Milton Johnson	Grade 7+	Unit on Oceanography, Sea Diving and Exploration	A sixteen year old boy seeks to claim a black pearl but faces opposition from a giant sea monster that legend claims is the true owner of the pearl.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tale	Steven Kellogg	K-2 3-4	Book can be used as a classroom example of Tall Tales/Frontier and Pioneer Life	This book presents the life of John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	Blubber	Judy Blume	5-6	This book can be used as a tool to introduce the taboo subject of obesity in adolescence in and out of the classroom.	A young Jill attempts to fit in with the rest of the fifth grade class in making fun of a classmate until the tables are turned and she becomes the victim of childhood cruelty.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	Flip Flop Girl	Katherine Paterson	5-6	Addressing issues of death in the lives of young children and the value of friendship	With the help of the "Flip Flop Girl" a nine year old Vinne and Mason, her five year old brother learn to cope with the death of their father... only in different ways.

6 Books by the Same Author

Contemporary Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book	Tough Boris	Mem Fox/ Kathryn Brown	K-2	Can be used to address the following subjects: Parrots, Pirates, Pets, and Death	Tough Boris is the story of the roughest "toughest" pirate that is seemingly untouchable and fearless. But when his parrot dies, he is utterly inconsolable.
Modern Fantasy/ Picture Book	Hattie and the fox	Mem Fox/ Patricia Mullins	K-2	Character Education- Listening to Warnings of Danger/ Animals	A little hen does her best to warn her farm friends of impending danger...
Biography	Dear Mem Fox, I Have Read All of Your Books Even the Pathetic Ones	Mem Fox	5-6	Can be used as an example of a autobiography of an author/ in a lesson on teaching children to be reflective students/ critical thinking	Dear Mem Fox... is a humorous autobiography of a famous children's author. This book recounts many letters received and happenings in the life of this author.
Informational/ Picture Book	Guess What?	Mem Fox/ Vivienne Goodman	K-2	Lessons in the area of Identifying/ Question & Answer/ Critical Thinking	It is through a series of questions and answers that must be completed by the reader, the personality and other interesting facts of a lady named Daisy O'Grady is revealed.
Informational/ Picture Book	Time for Bed	Mem Fox/ Jane Dyer	Pre-S	This book can be used to address a common issue among all families-- getting children into bed/good example of a rhyming story	Time for Bed is a light, carefree book that addresses a very common issue among parents of all background-- getting children into bed.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction	Night Noises	Mem Fox/ Terry Denton	K-2	Lessons in the processes of aging/ Birthdays/ Sounds and sound origins	An old woman by the name of Lady Laceby goes to sleep by a fire. A surprise sound gives her a "rude awakening."

5 Multicultural Books

Contemporary Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book	Allison	Allen Say	K-2 3-4	Can use during a teachable moment on the subject of adoption	A little girl named Allison realizes that she looks more like her baby doll than her adopted parents. Allison learns to overcome this unwelcomed realization through the help of a stray cat.
Contemporary Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book	Tree of Cranes	Allen Say	K-2	Book can prompt children to research the Christmas holiday among the Japanese culture.	A Japanese boy learns of Christmas when his mother decorates her tree with paper cranes.
Modern Fantasy/ Picture Book	Stranger in the Mirror	Allen Say	K-2	Book can help children understand and become aware of the aging process.	A young Asian boy spends all of his time skateboarding. One morning when he awakes, he finds himself looking like an old man in the mirror. He had a difficult time convincing others that he is the same person.
Biography/ Picture Book	El Chino	Allen Say	K-2	This book can be used to introduce the category of Biographies in children's literature.	El Chino is the biography of a Chinese American that becomes a famous bullfighter in Spain.
Historical Fiction	The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice	Allen Say	5-6, 7+	Book can be used to spark the interest of students to become cartoonists or artists.	A 14 year old boy lives on his own in Tokyo and finds a job as a youth apprentice to a famous Japanese cartoonist.

5 Informational Books/Biography

Informational Book	Our Solar System	Seymour Simon	3-4 5-6	Good informational book for science unit on teaching the solar system and other related terms.	Describes the characteristics, origins, and future of the sun, moon, planets, comets, meteoroids, and asteroids.
Biography	A Girl From Yamhill: A Memoir	Beverly Cleary	5-6, 7+	Book can be used for literature circle... for the category of biographies.	Beverly Cleary tells of childhood in Oregon through high school years and young adulthood. She speaks of her every growing love for writing and talks much of her family life.
Biography	Boy: Tales of Childhood	Roald Dahl	5-6	The childhood tales in this book could be used as a writing prompt to spark ideas in students to write about their childhood.	This book Presents humorous anecdotes from the author's childhood which includes summer vacations in Norway and an English boarding school.
Biography	Homesick: My Own Story	Jean Fritz	5-6, 7+	Author study on the life of Jean Fritz; multicultural extension on China.	The author's fictionalized version, though all the events are true, of her childhood in China in the 1920's.
Biography	Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years	Carl Sandburg	7+	Unit on history-- Lincoln the 16th President of the United States	This book is a rather small portion of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.

2 Historical Fiction Books

	Historical Fiction	Caddie Woodlawn	Carol Ryrie Brink/Trina Schart Hyman	5-6	This piece of literature can give students a somewhat realistic perception of frontier life and pioneer life. This book can also speak to children with large families (many siblings.)	Chronicles the adventures of eleven-year-old Caddie growing up with her six brothers and sisters on the Wisconsin frontier in the mid-nineteenth century.
	Historical Fiction	Calico Captive	Elizabeth George Speare/ W. T. Mars	5-6	This book can be a supplement to a history lesson...many topics such as the French and Indian War and the Indians of North American are covered.	This is the account of Miriam Willard, who, in 1754, was kidnapped by a tribe of Indians, forced to walk to Montreal where she was sold to the French for ransom, and eventually returned home. Based on an actual narrative diary.

3 Poetry Anthologies

Poetry	In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers	Javaka Steptoe	K-2 3-4	For black history month this book can be one of the read alouds for the class-- an extension would be for students to write a poem about their fathers, grandfathers, or significant male figures in their lives.	This book contains a collection of poems celebrating African-American Fathers.
Poetry	You Come Too: Favorite Poems for Young Readers	Robert Frost/ Thomas Nason	5-6	Poems contained in this anthology can be used as writing prompts in creative writing sessions.	A collection of poems chosen by Frost to be read and enjoyed by children (and their elders), including "Acquainted with the Night," "A Patch of Old Snow," "Not of School Age," and "Mending Wall."
Poetry	Waiting To Waltz: A Childhood	Cynthia Rylant/ Stephen Gammell	5-6	This book, along with other various poetry anthologies can be placed in a reading center in the classroom for students to read in their spare time.	A cycle of thirty poems chronicles a young girl's growing up in a small Appalachian town.

2 ABC/Counting/Concept Books

	Informational/ Picture Book	1, 2, 3 To The Zoo: A Counting Book	Eric Carle	Pre-S	Pictures of the animals from this counting book can be used as for an art lesson. Students can use several art mediums to create their own zoo animal.	Each car on the train has one more zoo animal than the one before, from the first car with an elephant to the last with ten birds.
	Informational/ Picture Book	ABC Disney	Robert Sabuda	Pre-S K-2	Useful ABC book in a low level grade (preschool up to grade 2) to reinforce the alphabet.	A pop-up book of ABC's depicting a character from the Disney family for each letter of the alphabet.

5 Traditional Literature Books (fairy tales, folktales, fables, myths)

Traditional Literature	Lewis Corrol/ John Tenniel	Alice in Wonderland	3-6	Students can draw a picture of the many different characters t at Alice come in contact with.	This book is about a little girl named Alice who encounters many different characters on her journey
Traditional Literature	Paul O Zelinsky	Rapunzel	3-5	Students can make the story into a play.	A young girl named Rapunzel was locked in a tower and there was a young prince that fell in love with Rapunzel. He would climb up the tower with Rapunzel's hair. They got married in Rapunzel's room and she became pregnant. When the old lady found out that Rapunzel was pregnant, Rapunzel was band from the tower and put into the wilderness. The prince found Rapunzel and the live happily ever after.
Traditional Literature	Margaret Hillert/Janet LaSalle	Cinderella At The Ball	K-2	Students can draw a picture of there favorite part of the book.	This is a story a bout a young girl named Cinderella, who is not allowed to go to the ball. Her fairy godmother come and changes cinderella into a beautiful girl and she goes to the ball.
Traditional Literature	Margaret Hillert/Gwen Connelly	Little Red Riding Hood	K-2	Students can make wolf mask.	This is a story about a little girl who meets a wolf in the woods on her way to her grandmothers house
Traditional Literature	David Wiesne	The Three Pigs	3-5	Students can create there own version of the three pigs.	David Wiesner puts a twist on the original version of the three little pigs.

4 Fantasy/Science Fiction Books

Modern
Fantasy

Audrey Penn

The
Kissing
Hand

4-10

This is a great
book to use when
kindergartners or
preschoolers start school.
They could make a kissing
hand out of construction
paper to give to their mothers.

When Chester did
not want to go to
school the first day,
his mother gave
him something to keep
with him to remind
him she loves him

Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction

Katherine
Paterson/
Donna
Diamond

Bridge
to
Terabithia

5-6

Book can be used
for character education
in teaching a lesson
in friendship.

This book is
about a special
kingdom about a
boy who wishes
to be an artist
and wants to
be different from
the rest of her
classmates.

Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction

Sharon
Creech

Walk
Two
Moons

5-6

Teach a lesson
about life,
mothers and
daughter,
friendship,
family life.

This story
is about a
13 year old girl
who has not
yet accepted
the fact that
her mother
is not coming
back. She struggles
overcome this
dreadful realization.

Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction

Jerry
Spinelli

Maniac
Magee

5-6

This book can help
break down some cultural
stigmas that exist in
the classroom and
can aid in easing racial tension
by addressing real
life issues that face
society.

After his parents die,
Jeffery Lionel Magee's
life becomes legendary;
as he accomplishes
athletic and other feats
which awe his contemporaries.

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Modern Fantasy/ Picture Book	Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	K-2	Teaching children the importance of using the imagination as a tool of creativity and fun	Max's vivid imagination takes him from his bedroom to a world inhabited by wild things.
	Modern Fantasy/ Picture Book	Officer Buckle and Gloria	Peggy Rathmann	K-2 3-4	Ideal book for a unit on safety	The students at Napville School always ignore Officer Buckle's safety tips, until a police dog named Gloria accompanies him when he gives his safety speeches.
	Traditional Fantasy	Chanticleer and the Fox	Barbara Cooney	K-2 3-4	Teachers may use this book as an example of how authors adapt stories that were written long ago. May also be used in a unit on animals.	This is an old story on how Chanticleer the Rooster and a sly Fox try their best to outwit each other.
	Contemporary Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book	Grandfather's Journey	Allen Say	3-4	Topics addressed: homesickness, traveling, the Asian culture	A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America, which he also later undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love between two countries.
	Contemporary Realistic Fiction/ Picture Book	Time of Wonder	Robert McCloskey	K-2	Use in discussion or unit on nature	A Time of Wonder is a delightful book about the summer experiences of a family that lives on an island in Maine during the summer.
	Biography/ Picture Book	The Glorious Flight Across the Channel with Louis Ble'riot	Alice and Martin Provensen	3-4	Can be used to spark interest of students in inventions of the past and present	This book is classified as a partial biography. It tells the story of a man who is enthralled with "air crafts" inventing new contraptions. He eventually creates the Bleriot XI, a flying machine that makes history.
	Traditional Fantasy/ Picture Book	Duffy and the Devil	Harve and Margot Zemach	K-2	Book can be used to introduce unit on folklore	This tale resembles the story of Rumplestiltskin only the maid makes a deal with the devil.
	Traditional Fantasy/ Picture Book	Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale	Verna Aardema/ Leo and Diane Dillon	K-2	Can be used as a supplement or introduction in a lesson to West African Tales and Culture	A cumulative African folktale tells the humorous reason for mosquitoes' buzzing.
	Modern Fantasy/ Picture Book	Make Way for Ducklings	Robert McCloskey	K-2	Animal book/ Nature	A city park in Boston provides a safe home for the ducklings.
	Traditional Fantasy/ Picture Book	Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China	Ed Young (translator)	K-2 3-4	A prime example of a variant	This story is a Chinese variant of the western culture's "Little Red Riding Hood."