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Electronic Reading File
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Tammy Young
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Title	Author/Illustrator	Genre/Awards	Interest Level	Idea for Classroom	Description of Book
The Polar Express	Chris Van Allsburg	Modern Fantasy 1986 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 2-4	The children will write a story about the time they were picked for something special. They will tell their story using correct sequencing words.	A boy gets the dream of being picked by Santa to have the “first gift of Christmas.” He soon discovers he lost the gift and later finds it under the Christmas tree with a note from Santa. Later in his life, he still gets joy from the gift because he still believes.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub	Audrey Wood Don Wood	Modern Fantasy 1986 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades P-1	Students will make predictions about what King Bidgood is doing in the bathtub. Then they will draw a picture of what they would like to do in their bathtub. (GPS: ELAKR6B)	King Bidgood wants to rule his kingdom from the luxury of his own bathtub. Everyone tries to lure him out to no avail until Page pulls the plug.
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	Modern Fantasy 1964 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades P-2	Children will answer questions about the setting and characters of the story. Then the children will make a character mask using various art materials. The students will wear their masks and parade around the school. (GPS: ELAKR6C)	Max is sent to bed without his supper. That’s when the wildness begins.
Officer Buckle and Gloria	Peggy Rathmann	Picture Story Book 1996 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 2-5	Children will take a safety walk around the school. They will then make and display posters about safety around the school.	No one wants to listen to Officer Buckle give a safety speech until Gloria starts doing tricks behind his back.
No, David!	David Shannon	Picture Story Book 1999 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 2-5	Children will learn beginning and end of stories from this book. After the book is read, they will change the beginning or end of the story and rewrite the story so that older children will want to read it.	Everything David tries to do, he is told No!
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale	Verna Aardema Leo & Diane Dillon	Modern Fantasy 1976 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades P-3	After reading the book for the first time, I will assign animals to each child. Then I will reread the story again so they can act out the animals they were assigned and make their animal noises to go along with the story.	This book journeys through the jungle and the animals in it. The story changes as it is passed from animal to animal.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears	James Marshall	Traditional Fantasy 1989 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 2-5	Children will be grouped in groups of four. They will then tell what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story to group members. When they are finished, each child will make a three picture comic strip giving the book a new ending. They will share it with the class.	This book tells the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in a new way.
The Snowy Day	Ezra Jack Keats	Contemporary Realistic Fiction 1963 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades P-2	After reading the book, I will ask students what kind of things they can do in the snow. Using their own experience in the snow if they have one, or the book as a reference, they will make a picture using cotton balls as snow and write one sentence describing their picture. (GPS: ELAKR6G)	This book tells about a little boy’s adventure in the snow.
Because of Winn-Dixie	Kate DiCamillo	Realistic Fiction 2001 Newbery Award Winner	Grades 3-5	Students will list and type ten things that make them a good friend. Then I will put their list along with their picture on the bulletin board to display in the room at the beginning of the school year.	Because of Winn-Dixie tells of a girl that searches and eventually finds friendship.
Pictures of Hollis Woods	Patricia Reilly Giff	Realistic Fiction 2003 Newbery Award Winner	Grades 4-5	After the story, I will conduct an Oprah Show in the classroom. All the characters from the book will be invited and the students can choose which one they would like to be. This will be a great way to reinforce the events of the story.	Hollis tells about her adventures in foster families and the desire to be loved.
Sarah, Plain and Tall	Patricia MacLachlan	Realistic Fiction 1996 Newbery Award Winner	Grades 3-5	Children will make a Japanese haiku poem about the sea that Sarah misses or the prairie that the others like.	Sarah comes to stay with Anna, Caleb, and Papa after their mother dies. She is plain and tall and misses the ocean, but they all love her.
Millions of Cats	Wanda Ga’g	Modern Fantasy 1929 Newbery Award Winner	Grades 3-5	This book will be a great way to help the students with math. The students will decide how much milk and cat food they would need to feed a million cats. Then they will look at cat food ads to decide how much money it cost to feed them for a week.	This book tells how a man ends up with a million cats.
Sounder	William Howard Armstrong James Barkley	Realistic Fiction 1970 Newbery Award Winner	Grades 3-5	Students will write several simulated journals either from the viewpoint of the son or the father in jail.	A father is put in jail for stealing food for his family and a beloved dog is killed.
Elbert’s Bad Word	Audrey Wood Audrey and Don Wood	Modern Fantasy Picture Book IRA-CBC Children’s Choice PIA Award for Children’s Books	Grades P-5	Children will color a picture of what they think a bad word looks like.	Elbert snatches a bad word while he is at a party and puts it in his back pocket. Before the party is over, the bad word sneaks into his mouth and escapes.
Piggies	Don and Audrey Wood Don Wood	Counting Picture Book 1995 Parent’s Choice Honor 1992 IRA/ABC Children's Choice	Grades P-1	I will give two part directions on what I want the students to paint and how I would like them to do it. The children can use their “piggies” in finger paint to paint a picture. After they finish their picture, I will determine if they followed the oral directions. (GPS: ELAKW1)	The author describes a child’s fingers as little piggies. They tell a story of what they do when it is bedtime.
The Kissing Hand	Audrey Penn Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak	Modern Fantasy Picture Book 2003 Children’s Choice Award	Grades P-2	The students will make a hand print on paper using paint. They will then put a heart sticker in the middle of the hand print and write one sentence using correct sentence format. They will tell why they love their mother or someone special. They will give it to them on Valentine’s Day. (GPS: ELAKW1E)	This is about a raccoon that doesn’t want to go to school. His mother kisses his hand and tells him to keep the kiss until he needs it.
A House for Hermit Crab	Eric Carle	Modern Fantasy Picture Book 1991 IRA Children’s Book Award	Grades P-3	The children will spread blue icing on a graham cracker. Then they will place oyster crackers on them and enjoy.	Hermit searches for a house he can call his own after he realizes he has out grown his current one.
<>Chrysanthemum <>	Kevin Henkes	Realistic Fiction Picture Book Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award	Grades P-5	Allow the students to paint a flower pot and plant Chrysanthemum seeds to give to their mothers or someone special on Mother’s Day.	This book tells the story of a little girl that loses faith in her name until it is made special again by her teacher.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom	Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault Lois Ehlert	ABC Book	Grades K-2	The students will name all lower and uppercase letters of the alphabet. Then they will sing the ABC Rock song. (GPS: ELAKR3B)	This story is about the little letters climbing up a coconut tree. They all fall down and the big letters dust them off.
Patty’s Pumpkin Patch	Teri Sloat	Concept Book	Grades P-5	The children will watch the teacher carve the class pumpkin and eat the roasted seeds for a treat like in the book.	This story goes through the life of a pumpkin from the seed until it becomes a jack-o-lantern. It also explains how to make a treat for winter guests if all the pumpkins aren’t used.
The Dinosaurs’ Alphabet	Richard Fortey John Rogan	ABC Book	Grades 3-5	The students will pick their favorite dinosaur in the book to do research on. They will do a power point presentation and share it with the class.	This book gives an illustration and funny saying about dinosaurs from A to Z.
Pickle Things	Marc Brown	Predictable Book	Grades P-2	The students will learn rhyming and non-rhyming words. They will then pick a pair of rhyming words to draw. Then they will write the rhyming words underneath their picture. (GPS: ELAKR2A)	This book tells a silly story using rhyming words. It tells of things that you wouldn’t see pickles used in.
The Napping House	Audrey Wood Don Wood	Predictable Book	Grades P-3	Children will have a Reading Party at school. They will do independent reading as well as group reading while enjoying a snack in their pajamas. Students will learn how to echo read with expression. (GPS: ELAKR4B)	This story tells of the characters trying to sleep until the wakeful flea disturbs them all.
The Three Sillies	Margot Zemach	Traditional Literature – Folktale	Grades 3-5	The children will make a class folktale book. One child will begin by writing the first page and illustrating it. The student will then pass it along to the next student to write and illustrate the second page and so on until the book is completed.	The young man sets out to find three people that are sillier than the farmer, the farmer’s wife, and the farmer’s daughter. When he does, he returns home to marry the farmer’s daughter and lives “happily forever after.”
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs	Jon Scieszka Lane Smith	Traditional Literature	Grades 2-5	Let the students tell what they remember of the traditional Three Little Pigs using a Venn diagram. After reading the story, the students will fold a piece of paper in half and write the similarities and differences in both stories on each side.	This story tells the wolf’s side of the Three Little Pigs.
Chicken Little	Retold by Steven Kellogg	Traditional Literature	Grades 2-5	Students will write a five sense poem about the sky falling. Each line will focus on one of the senses.	This book tells about when the sky is falling.
The Little Engine That Could	Watty Piper	Traditional Literature	Grades K-5	This book will be used for a Big Book read aloud. The students will chime in “I think I can! I think I can!” The students will then make an alphabet – sentence train. For example, “Aa is for a green alligator.”	This book tells of a train’s struggle to get courage.
Jack and the Bean Stalk	Retold and Illustrated by Steven Kellogg	Traditional Literature	Grades K-5	The students will use this book along with a science unit on plants. They will grow their very own bean and see it sprout.	This book is about a boy that disobeys his mother and must figure a way to get out of the mess he has caused.
The House at Pooh Corner	A.A. Milne Earnest H. Shepard	Modern Fantasy	Grades 1-5	The students will send an 8 x 11 postcard with a friendly letter to a pen pal telling them about the book.	This book tells about friendship.
The Three Pigs	David Weisner	Modern Fantasy 2002 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 2-5	Students will be grouped in groups of fours to rethink the ending of the story. When they are finished, they will act out the story for the class.	Weisner takes a familiar story and adds a twist.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle	Beverly Cleary	Modern Fantasy	Grades K-2	Lead a class discussion about fact and fiction. Then the students will make a mobile of things the mouse might really be afraid of such as people, a cat, rat traps, etc. The students will share their mobile with the class. (GPS: ELAKR6D)	This book is about a mouse that rides a motorcycle.
My Teacher Is a Alien	Bruce Coville Mike Wimmer	Science Fiction	Grades 2-5	The students will write a paragraph and illustrate a picture describing what the school would be like if aliens ran the school. We would hang them on the wall in the hall.	A teacher is kidnapped and replaced by an alien. After a mystery is solved, the teacher returns.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day	Judith Viorst Ray Cruz	Realistic Fiction	Grades 2-5	The students will show that they are personally involved with the character by writing, “If I were____, I would . . . ” They will also share related experiences from their own life as well as give advice to the character.	This story tells of the troubles that Alexander encounters on a regular day in his life.
The Little House in the Big Woods	Laura Ingalls Wilder	Historical Fiction	Grades 3-5	The students will pick their favorite part of the story and do a pantomime.	The book tells of life in a little cabin and the love that dwells within.
Trixie Belden #1 The Secret of the Mansion	Julie Campbell	Realistic Fiction	Grades 2-5	Have the students come up with their own mystery and let their partner try to solve it.	Trixie becomes friends to someone new in the neighborhood and they unravel the mansion mystery.
Loser	Jerry Spinelli	Realistic Fiction	Grades 2-5	Children will participate in a class discussion on how people get labels in school. Children will then write a journal entry on a time they jumped to conclusions about someone and were wrong.	This book is about a boy that marches to the beat of a different drum. He is considered a loser by his peers but is loved at home.
The Paper Boy	Dav Pilkey	Realistic Fiction	Grades 2-5	This book is a great way to introduce the character education word “responsibility.” After the story is read, the students can pick the color that they think represents the word responsibility. They will then make a color poem giving examples of responsibility.	A boy has the responsibility of a newspaper route.
Little House on the Prairie	Laura Ingalls Wilder	Historical Fiction	Grades 3-5	Have the students make a map of their summer adventure. They will then label the map with an explanation of where they went.	This book tells about the adventures Laura encounters as she heads West.
Little Princess	Frances Hodgson Burnett Tasha Tudor	Historical Fiction	Grades 2-5	Have the students write a letter to their father or someone special for Father’s Day telling him how much they love and appreciate him.	Sara is sent off to school while her father fights in the war. Her faith is tested when he becomes lost.
Winter Days in the Big Woods	Laura Ingalls Wilder	Historical Fiction	Grades 1-5	Allow children to make a chart with the things they have to do each week compared to what Laura had to do years ago. Then let them to write a summary telling who has it easier and why.	This book describes the roles that children had years ago.
The Star-Spangled Banner	Stuart A. Kallen/Tim Blough	Poetry	Grades 3-5	The children will make a quilt using the history of our nation’s wars and the American flag as the focus.	This book uses the Star-Spangled Banner poem as the focus of this historical book. The inserts include the number of Americans that were wounded, cannonballs that were fired, and other details of war.
The Night Before Christmas	Clement Moore/Jan Brett	Poetry	Grades 2-5	The children will make a wish list collage for their parents by cutting out pictures from ads at Christmas.	This story tells about what the children were doing as they anticipated Santa’s visit.
Birdsong	Audrey Wood Robert Florczak	Multicultural Book	Grades 2-5	Students will do an I-search paper on birds. They will be given the name of a bird from the book and research the question, “My bird comes from . . . and is special because . . .” They will write at least a one page summary on their bird and share it with the class.	Children and birds from different states in the United States are featured on each page. A helpful guide to the birds and state flowers are shown on the back cover for reference.
Smoky Night	Eve Bunting David Diaz	Multicultural Book 1995 Caldecott Medal Winner	Grades 3-5	Students will color a sheet of paper with a variety of different colors. They will then color over it completely with black crayon. The students will scratch a picture into the paper to reveal the beauty beneath. Then we will discuss friendship and why it is so important.	People in this neighborhood don’t get along. When they are forced out of their apartment because of a riot, they learn to get along.
The Talking Eggs	Robert Souci Jerry Pinkey	1990 Caldecott Medal Winner Multicultural Book	Grades 2-5	Have students divide into two groups. One group will come up with a scenario of bad ways to treat others and the other group will come up with a scenario of good ways to treat others. Each group will act out their scenario and the other students will discuss the difference afterwards.	This book talks about the way people treat others. It also tells what happens when someone’s actions can change your life forever.
Umbrella	Taro Yashima	Multicultural Book	Grades P-5	Students will make a collage of things people can do while it is raining.	This book is about a young girl who uses an umbrella for the first time.
Africa Dream	Eloise Greenfield Carole Byard	Multicultural Book	Grades 2-5	Use this book as an addition to a Social Studies unit on Africa. The students will write a sentence answering “I wonder why . . .” about the book. This will get the students interested in Africa before the unit is introduced.	A girl dreams about returning to Africa.
Helen Keller: Crusader for the Blind and Deaf	Stewart and Polly Ann Graff Wayne Alfano	Informational/Biography	Grades 2-5	Allow the students to make something special such as a card or an ornament for the students that have severe disabilities in their school. Allow them to go in pairs to give their gifts to these students for Christmas.	This book tells how Helen Keller overcame her disabilities.
What to Expect When Mommy’s Having a Baby	Heidi Murkoff Laura Rader	Informational	Grades P-5	This book can be used when a student’s mother is expecting a new baby. Have a class discussion on how things will change around the house and let the students make cards for the new mother and baby. The students will take dictation during the discussion to work on developmental spelling. (GPS: ELAKR1B)	This book gives a child’s insight on pregnancy and ways they can help their mother.
Homesick: My Own Story	Jean Fritz and Margot Tomes	Autobiography	Grades 2-5	Students make a shadow box of a time they were homesick.	Jean Fritz tells about her childhood memories.
The Signers: The Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence	Dennis Brindell Fradin Michael McCurdy	Informational/Biography	Grades 4-5	Explain to the students that it is hard to stand up for what you believe in. Tell them even when you do, there may be consequences. Allow them to research one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and make a poster of what they believed in.	This book gives biographies for each of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.