Electronic Reading File by Rachel Towns

Electronic Reading File
By Rachel Towns

Caldecott Medal Winners

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Traditional	Baboushka and the Three Kings	Ruth Robbins/Nicolas Sidjakov	Pre-k to 2nd	Students will decorate signs that will show Baboushka the way to the Christ child.	The three kings visit Baboushka and ask her to guide them through Russia on their quest to find the Christ child. At first she refuses, but she later changes her mind and searches for the three kings and the Christ Child.
	Traditional	Golem	David Wisniewski	pre-k to 3rd	Students will sculpt their own Golem out of clay.	Centuries ago, in Prague, Rabbi Loew made Golem, a giant man made out of clay. Golem's task was to vanquish those who persecuted the Jews of Prague.
	Biography	Grandfather's Journey	Allen Say	k to 3rd	Students will gather into groups and create "portraits." They will pose in a portrait-like scene they think would be representative of their ancestors.	Say's grandfather was born in Japan and traveled throughout the United States as a young man. He loved both countries so much that when he was in one, he was homesick for the other.
	Modern Fantasy	Jumanji	Chris Van Allsburg	2nd to 4th	Students will design and construct their own board game.	A brother and sister play a boardgame that brings creatures to life
	Traditional	Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China	Ed Young	pre-k to 3rd	Students will make puppets and act out the story.	A wolf tried to trick three children into thinking that he was their grandmother, Lon Po Po. However, the children played a trick on the wolf.
	Biography	The Man Who Walked Between the Towers	Mordicai Gerstein	k to 3rd	Students will make a class mural depicting one of the scenes in the story.	Philippe Petit and some friends dressed as constructiuon workers and threw a tightrope between the twin towers. Then Philippe walked, danced, and even rested across the rope for over an hour.
	Traditional	Noah's Ark	Peter Spier	pre-k to 1st	Students will draw a class mural of the ark.	Spier translated a seventeenth cenutry Dutch poem about the Ark and illustrates, from beginning to end, this Bible story.
	Modern Fantasy	Owl Moon	John Schoenher/Jane Yolen	K-2nd	Students will go on a nature walk and sketch what they see.	Late one winter night a young girl and her father went owling. Her father maked the owl call, hoping to draw forth an owl.
	Traditional	Rapunzel	Paul O. Zelinsky	pre-k to 3rd	Students will make a diorama depicting their favorite scene.	A sorceress kept a young girl in a tower, locked away from the world. However, Rapunzel still managed to fall in love and the sorceress found out.
	Modern Fantasy	Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	pre-k to 2nd	Students will divide into pairs. One student pretends to be a monster, and the other student sketches a picture of the monster	A boy uses his imagination to go to a magical place full of wild creatures.

Newbery Award Winners

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Realistic Fiction *Chapter Book	Shiloh	Phyllis Reynolds Naylor	4th grade+	Students will enact a trial, with Marty as the defendant. Each student will have a role.	Marty finds an abused dog, Shiloh. Marty's parents tell him to return the dog, but Marty disobeys and hides the dog instead.
	Historical Fiction *chapter Book	The Whipping Boy	Sid Fleischman/ Peter Sis	4th grade+	Students will draw wanted posters of Jemmy and Prince Brat.	Jemmy takes the blame for Prince Brat's misdeeds. When they run away, Jemmy is charged with kidnapping the prince

ABC

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	ABC *Author Study	Anno's Alphabet	Mitsumasa Anno	pre-k to 1st	Have students identify the letters. They can draw the first letter of their name and draw items that begin with that letter.	Anno illustrates the letters of the alphabet. The book has a picture of each letter, as well as a corresponding page with hidden objects that begin with that letter.

Counting

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Counting *Author Study	Anno's Counting Book	Mitsumasa Anno	1st to 3rd	Students will make their own counting book using markers, construction paper, etc.	Anno illustrates the numbers zero through twelve. He starts with an empty landscape and builds from there.

Predictable

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Modern Fantasy	I Love You Forever	Robert Munsch/Sheila McGraw	pre-k to 1st	Students will act out their favorite scene in dance.	This is a tender story of the love between mother and son.

Picture

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Realistic Fiction *Author Study	Anno's Journey	Mitsumasa Anno	pre-k to 3rd	Students will create a play about the lone traveler.	Anno's lone traveler makes his way through Europe. He arrives by boat and travels across the continent by horse. Finally, he sells his horse and vanishes into the sunset on foot.
	Realistic Fiction *Author Study	Anno's U.S.A.	Mitsumasa Anno	pre-k to 3rd	Students will make a collage about the U.S.	Anno's lone traveler arrives in Hawaii and works his way through America west to east. He also goes backward through time, finally seeing Columbus's Santa Maria on the horizon.
	Realistic Fiction *Author Study	Anno's Counting House	Mitsumasa Anno	pre-k to 3rd	Students will make puppets of the characters and act out the story.	Ten children are moving from one house into another house

Traditional Literature/Fantasy

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Traditional	Iktomi and the Boulder	retold by Paul Goble	pre-k to 3rd	Students will dance out the story, and when the teacher says "freeze," they will explain what the character is thinking	Iktomi is a prankster who gets into a lot of trouble. This time, he angers a boulder which then chases and pins him down. Iktomi then must use his cleverness to get free.
	Traditional	The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks	retold by Verda Aardema/Yumi Heo	pre-k to 3rd	Have students make a mobile using a hangar, string, and construction paper.	A lonely lioness steals the baby chicks of an ostrich. The ostrich pleads with various animals to help get her chicks back.
	Traditional	The Samurai's Daughter	retold by Robert D. San Souci/Stphem T. Johnson	pre-k to 3rd	Students will take turns miming a scene or character from the book as the other students guess who the student is.	Tokoyo's father, a Samuarai noble, is sent into exile. She sets out to join her father and encounters bandits, a ghost ship, and a sea serpent.
	Traditional	Strega Nona	retold by Tomie de Paola	pre-k to 3rd	Students will make a picture using colored pastsa and other materials,	Strega Nona has a magic pasta pot. She hires Anthony to help around the house and warns him never to touch the magic pot. One day she goes to visit a neighboring village. Anthony decides to invite the towns people over for some pasta from Strega Nona's pot.
	Traditional	Yeh Shen	Ai-Ling Louie/Ted Young	pre-k to 3rd	Students will retell the story from another character's point of view.	A Chinese Cinderella story about a girl who befriends a fish that comes to her aid.

Modern Fantasy

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Modern Fantasy *Chapter Book	Tuck Everlasting	Natalie Babbit	5th grade+	Students will re-write song lyrics to a well-known song to express the feelings of one of the characters.	Winnie meets a family of people who live forever. She must decide if she wants to be like them.
	Modern Fantasy *Chapter Book	The Tale of Despereaux	Kate DiCamillo/Timothy Basil Ering	4th grade +	Students will create a one-liner tableaux. Students will pose in a scene from the book and recite one line about what the character is thinking	Despereaux is not an ordinary mouse. His name means disappointment. He adores music, falls in love with Princess Pea, and thwarts the plans of a rat named Roscuro.
	Modern Fantasy *Chapter Book	Matilda	Roald Dahl	3rd to 5th	Have students write a story about what they would do if they had special powers.	Matilda is unloved and unwanted by her family. She's extremely intelligent and discovers extraordinary powers that allow her to get even with her family and an evil headmistriss.
	Modern Fantasy *Chapter Book	A Wrinkle in Time	Madeleine L'Engle	3rd to 5th	Students will use styrofoam, natural objects, and other materials to make prints depicting a scene from the story.	Three children must help save the earth from the evil brain. Each child is an unlikely hero with hidden talents.
	Modern Fantasy *Chapter Book	The BFG	Roald Dahl	3rd to 5th	Have students make a diorama about their favorite scene.	The BFG is a big, friendly giant. He is unusal, for all other giants are evil and like to eat humans. The BFG must help Sophie, a young girl, save the Queen of England and various others from the giants.

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 *Chapter Book	Bridge to Terabithia	Katherine Paterson	4th grade+	Students will create a reader's theatre script for their favorite scene.	Jess is the fatest runner at his school until Leslie Burke, a girl, shows up. They become best friends.
	Realistic Fiction *Chapter Book	Holes	Louis Sachar	5th grade +	Students will draw a series of pictures of the novel and make a story board.	Stanley Yelnats is convicted of stealing a pair of shoes and sentenced to camp Green Lake. At this camp the inmates dig holes all day. Stanley discovers secrets about the camp counselors and the camp itself.
	Realistic Fiction	Ella Sarah Gets Dressed	Margaret Chodos-Irvine	pre-k to 1st	Students will dress up in the wildest, tackiest outfit they can create	A small girl goes through the process of choosing and wearing a wacky outfit.
	Realistic Fiction	No, David!	David Shannon	pre-k to 1st	Students will make puppets and act out the story.	A mischevious little boy gets into a lot of trouble.
	Realistic Fiction	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day	Judith Vorist	pre-k to 2nd	Students will pretend they are Alexander and draw what he is thinking.	Alexander gets into a little trouble because of his grumpy attitude.

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 *Chapter Book	I Juan de Pareja	Elizabeth Barton Trevino	4th grade +	Students will paint a self portrait. This would be a good addition to a unit on Vasquez.	Juan de Pareja is is a slave of Vasquez the painter. The two become close friends and Juan eventually obtains his freedom.
	Historical Fiction *Chapter Book	The Midwife's Apprentice	Karen Cushman	3rd grade +	Students will create a Wanted Poster for one of the characters.	Beetle has no name, no home, and no family. She is called Dung Beetle because she sleeps in a dung heap. The town midwife gives her a job and Beetle slowly gains an identity and name for herself.
	Historical Fiction *Chapter Book	Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry	Mildred Taylor	3rd grade+	Students will create a sketch book of characters, setting, and plot.	Cassie and her family deal with racism dring the 1930's.
	Historical Fiction *Chapter Book	Strawberry Girl	Lois Lenski	3rd grade+	Students will pretend to be the characters and problem solve to figure out how they could live together more peacefully.	Two neighboring families fight and feud in the backwoods of Florida.
	Historical Fiction *Chapter Book	Where the Red Fern Grows	Wilson Rawls	3rd grade+	Students will depict a scene on a square of paper to create a literature quilt.	A story of the friendship between a boy and his beloved coon hound dog. They go through many hardships together.

Poetry Anthology

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Modern Fantasy	Falling Up	Shel Silverstein	2nd+	Students will write a silly poem and trade with a partner. Then, they will illustrate their partner's poem.	A collection of strange and funny poems by Shel Silverstein.

Poetry

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Modern Fantasy	Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes	Roald Dahll	3rd+	Students will walk around the room pretending to be one of the characters. When the teacher says "change," students will pretend to be a different character.	Retellings of several fairytales, each with a surprise ending
	Modern Fantasy	Joyful Noise	Paul Fleischman	3rd+	Give the students a variety of noise-making objects. Students will create a sounds to go along with the text.	Poems about the insect world.

Biographies

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Autobiography *Chapter Book	Going Solo	Roald Dahl	3rd+	Students will write and illustrate a brief autobiography.	An autobiography of author Roald Dahl
	Biography *Chapter Book	Helen Keller	Margaret Davidson	3rd+	Students will write a musical about an important event in Keller's life.	A biography of Helen Keller

Informational

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Realistic Fiction	The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses	Joanna Cole	2nd to 5th	Students will make a collage of things that appeal to the 5 senses.	Ms. Frizzle and her class, as well as the assistant principal, examine the five senses
	Realistic Fiction	The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth	Joanna Cole	2nd to 5th	Children will construct models of volcanoes	The team travels to the center of the earth as part of a unit on earth science.
	Realistic Fiction	The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body	Joanna Cole	2nd to 5th	Students will create a mini museum, a sturdy box filled with items related to the text.	While on a field trip, Ms. Frizzle and her class accidentally end up inside a human digestive tract.

Multicultural

Picture of Book	Genre	Title	Author/ Illustrator/ Copyright	Recommended Age/Grade Level	Ideas for Classroom Use	Brief Description of the Book
	Traditional Fantasy	Fa Mulan	Robert D. San Souci/Jean& Mou-Sien Tseng	2nd to 5th	Students will write a play about a brave woman.	When one man from each family must join the Khan's army to fight the Tartars, Mulan goes in her fahter's place.
	Traditional Fantasy	The Korean Cinderella	Shirley Climo/Ruth Heller	2nd to 5th	Students will re-create the shoe by decorating a pair of shoes or sandals with sequins, paint etc.	Pear Blossom is a girl in Korea. With the aid of magical creatures, she goes through a Cinderella-like transformation from mistreated step-child to wife of a magistrate.
	Traditional Fantasy	The Rough Faced Girl	Rafe Martin/David Shannon	2nd grade to 4th	Students will write their own Cinderella story.	The Invisible Being will marry the person who is able to see his face. Only one person, a girl scarred from abuse, has a heart kind enough to allow her to see the Invisible Being.
	Historical Fiction *Chapter book	A Single Shard	Linda Sue Park	4th grade +	Incorporate into a unit about pottery or Korean art. Students will make clay sculptures	Tree Ear is an orphan who lives under a bridge with the crippled Crane Man. He secretly watches a potter work and dreams of making his own pottery one day.
	Historical Fiction	Tar Baby: Tales of Brer Rabbit	Joel Chandler Harris	2nd to 5th grade	Students will paint a picture of their favorite scene.	This is a collection of tales about Brer Rabbit and his many clashes with the evil Brer Fox. Included, of course, is the tale of the Tar Baby, which Brer Fox builds in order to lure and capture Brer Rabbit. Of course, Brer Rabbit escapes and lives to torture Brer Fox another day.