Count Them While You Can: A Book of Endangered Animals

by Ann Bowman

Summary: Describes the habits of endangered animals.

This book contains a story in rhyme that flows like a poem. Children are invited to count the animals on each page. On opposite pages of the story, there are facts about endangered animals. For this reason, the book can be enjoyed by a large age range. An adult could read the story part with young children and encourage them to count. An early school age teacher could read the story aloud to a class and then provide the book during open read time for students who are interested in the facts. Older school age children may use facts in this book to supplement a report on endangered species.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 6

Reading Level: grade 3

Butterfly Tree

by Sandra Markle

Summary: When Jilly encounters a mysterious orange cloud on a family outing to Lake Erie, she and her mother go to investigate the phenomenon. Includes facts about monarch butterflies.

Because of the way this book started, I thought the story was going to lead into a bad situation. However, it is a sweet story about a special moment a mother and daughter have together. There is a note at the end of the story about butterfly migration. This book will appeal to curious, young elementary students.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 1

Bee and Bird

by Craig Frazier

Summary: In this wordless picture book, a bumblebee and a bird embark on a travel adventure.

The bright illustrations in this book did not appeal to me. However, the illustrations are simple enough that very young children will be able to narrate a story. Wordless books are meant for children to use their creativity and develop an appreciation for books.

Miss Fox's Class Shapes Up

by Eileen Spinelli

Summary: When Miss Fox realizes that her students do not have healthy habits, she teaches them that healthful living is fun and rewarding, which they find to be true on Field Day.

This story is best for preschoolers due to its mildly didactic nature. For primary grade students, it is appropriate to read this book before field day.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 3

Young Adult Science Fiction Reads: Time Travel

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Too Many Frogs! 

by Ann and John Hassett

Summary: With rapidly increasing numbers of frogs coming out of her basement, Nana Quimby asks assorted neighborhood children for help, but finally it is up to her to come up with a solution.

This is a fun and silly book great for reading aloud. Children can practice adding increasingly larger numbers during this repetitive story. This book can also be used to discuss exaggeration and estimation. 

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 2

 

Hopper and Wilson 

by Maria van Lieshout

Summary: An elephant and a mouse embark on a journey to discover what it looks like at the end of the world.

This is a sweet book that is great for entertainment value alone. A quick discussion on how there is no edge of the world is appropriate after reading this story with younger children.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 2

 

The Funny Little Woman 

by Arlene Mosel

Summary: While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures from whom she escapes with the means of becoming the richest woman in Japan.

This book won the prestigious American Library Association’s Caldecott award for illustrations. The illustrations mostly use simple dull colors, but this allows for the funny little woman in bright red and orange to stick out. The story is a Japanese folktale that is wonderful for a multicultural unit lesson. 

Interest Level: grade k-3

Reading Level: grade 4

Me and My Dragon 

 by David Biedrzycki

Summary: A child tells all the reasons a small, fire-breathing dragon would make an excellent pet and the ways to take proper care of it.

This is a humorous story that is great simply for entertainment. Children will find the text silly but fun.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 2

Gibbus Moony Wants to Bite You!

 by Leslie Muir

Summary: A young bat is eager to sink his newly-emerging adult fangs into a neck, although his parents and grandfather remind him that they only bite fruit.

This is an amusing story that can be used to discuss appropriate behavior, specifically not biting anything but food. I recommend sharing this book with young children on Halloween because it is not scary but the characters are vampires.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2

You are a Gift to the World; The World is a Gift to You

by Laura Duksta

Summary: Presents two stories showing readers that life is filled with magical moments and that the planet provides many of the biggest gifts.

This is a glorious upside down book. You can read the book in one direction and then turn it upside down and read it in the other direction. I like that the last page of both stories is a page in the middle of the book that is written in a circle. This is an excellent book for discussing the environment and opinions. For an older crowd, a teacher or reader may choose to discuss the author’s note. This author has lived with an illness and feels a calling to spread love.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 3

Young Adult Science Fiction Reads: Dystopias and Futuristic Societies

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A Mango in the Hand: A Story Told through Proverbs

by Antonio Sacre

Summary: Guided by proverbs from his father and other relatives, Francisco makes several attempts to bring ripe mangoes home for dessert on his saint day, and in the process learns lessons in love and generosity. Includes glossary of Spanish words and phrases.

This is a fantastic book that teaches many morals at once. It is not a bilingual book in the sense that the entire story is written in both English and Spanish. However, this book contains Spanish phrase translated which makes it ideal for older children who are native Spanish speakers and are learning to read English. The book is lengthy and most appropriate for elementary students to read to themselves, but an adult could read this book with a young child with a long attention span one on one.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 3

Pumpkin Cat

by Anne Mortimer

Summary: Mouse shows Cat how to grow pumpkins, then turns one into a surprise. Includes facts about growing pumpkins.

This is a short Halloween story that is great for sharing with little ones. It is not scary in any way. The book is an excellent read aloud before discussing pumpkins or planting.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2

Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet

by Kelly DiPucchio

Summary: Gilbert has everything a goldfish could want except a pet of his own, but none of the animals who come near his fishbowl seem quite right until Fluffy, with his long tail and whiskers, appears.

This is an amusing story that children with a silly sense of humor will enjoy. The ending was a nice surprise to what I thought might be coming!

Interest level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading level: grade 3

The Sleepless Little Vampire

by Richard Egielski

Summary: A young vampire, unable to sleep, tries to figure out whether it is the howling of a werewolf, the clacking of skeletons, or something else that is keeping him awake.

This is a wonderful read to celebrate Halloween without a horror story! I recommend this book as a read aloud for students in kindergarten through third grade. Children can join the reader by making the different sounds in the book. This book could be read with younger children who are not especially sensitive to the supernatural. The story is not scary; but the characters are classic characters displayed in a cartoonish fashion (ghost, vampires, skeletons, etc.)

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

by Sherri Duskey Rinker

Summary: At sunset, when their work is done for the day, a crane truck, a cement mixer, and other pieces of construction equipment make their way to their resting places and go to sleep.

This is a marvelous bedtime story for truck lovers. The characters, who are trucks, have a resemblance to Disney’s Cars characters. A child who is reluctant to listen to books but likes that movie is more likely to listen to this book.

Interest Level: ages 2-4
Reading Level: grade 2

Caramba and Henry

by Marie-Louise Gay

Summary: When Caramba's mother asks him to watch his brother while Henry learns to fly, Caramba ties a string around his waist and lets him soar.

This is a unique story that allows for discussions about new siblings. I do not recommend reading it in preparation for a new sibling, but it is helpful in discussing what can be frustrating about a baby.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2

Survival Stories for Grades 3-5

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Tucker: Little Dog Lost and Found

by Danny Sit

Summary: Tucker the Jack Russell terrier packs his bags and takes the train to the beach for an adventure, but after a fun day he discovers that he does not know how to get home.

This is an adorable book that will be enjoyed by any dog lover! This book contains photographs that I especially appreciated as a Long Islander.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 3

Mannie and the Long Brave Day

 by Martine Murray

Summary: Mannie's special box full of secret things comes in handy on her day of imaginary adventures with her doll and her toy elephant.

This is a mediocre story. However, I like that one of the last illustrated pages of the books contains sparkles coming out of the box. A reader can ask children to use their imaginations to describe what could be coming out of this box or write a sequel to this story.

Interest Level: ages 2 - grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2

Hornbooks and Inkwells

by Verla Kay

Summary: Two brothers spend a year attending a one-room schoolhouse on the frontier.

This picture book is written in rhyme and flows like a poem. This is a great book to share with a class as an introduction to historical fiction or as a supplement to a lesson on frontier life. The story addresses discipline for children at that time. I liked that an illustration of such punishment does not show the teacher actually hitting the child, but raising a rod to do so. This book allows for a great deal of discussion about schools and may have students thinking that their school is not that bad after all.

Interest Level: grades K-6
Reading Level: grade 2

 

 We Love Our School!: A Read-together Rebus Story 

by Judy Sierra

Summary: Rhyming text with rebuses follows a group of animals through their first day of school.

This is a fun picture book that is appropriate for beginning readers. Being a rebus story, throughout the text there are pictures in places or words. For example, the title on the cover of the book has a heart in place of the word love.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 1

Bunny’s Lessons

by Harriet Zeifert

Summary: A stuffed rabbit learns much from Charlie, his constant companion, including the meaning of the words "loud," "ouch," and "messy," but also about saying you are sorry and knowing you are loved.

This is an excellent simple examination of common childhood emotions. This book can be used to help young children with behavioral issues gain a greater understanding of their own emotions, and the emotions others feel as a result of their behavior. If I still taught children with autism, I would share this with certain students who do not have a strong grasp on their emotions and others’ emotions in general.

Interest Level: ages 2-4
Reading Level: grade 2

Goodnight Owl

by DwellStudio

Summary: Simple text invites the reader to look under lift-up flaps to find various creatures as they go to sleep at night in the forest.

This is an adorable bedtime story for young children. Children can be actively involved in the book by lifting the flaps and finding what is hidden beneath. The story ends with a very cute surprise.

Interest Level: birth-age 4
Reading Level: grade 1

Science Fiction Picture Books

Dino Pets Go to School

by Lynn Plourde

Summary: A boy brings various dinosaurs to school, but discovers that neither the loudest, nor the tallest, nor the smartest is suited for the classroom. Includes facts about dinosaurs.

This is a humorous book. I recommend it to anyone who likes dinosaurs. One of the last pages contains facts about real dinosaurs. This book could be used to discuss what is and is not appropriate to bring to show and tell!

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 3

 

 The Wheels on the Bus 

by Jane Cabrera

Summary: In this version of the classic song, animal passengers roar, flap, and chatter while riding a bus.

 This book is fun to read aloud or sing along! A reader can engage the listeners by encouraging them to makes the sounds that the animals in the book make, or sing.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3

Reading Level: grade 1 

 

 

The Daily Comet: Boy Saves Earth from Giant Octopus 

by Frank Asch

Summary; Hayward likes facts. However, he does not like the fact that his father works for a sensationalistic tabloid which he believes is a big fake. This belief is changed when he joins his father on Go to Work with a Parent Day and encounters an enormous fact that he can't explain.

This is a lengthy tale that is most suited for older elementary students. The boy’s sarcastic, cynical thoughts are amusing. This book allows for much discussion on yellow journalism, yet leaves some room for believer’s imaginations.

Interest Level: grades k-3 

Reading Level: grade 5

Without You

by Geneviève Côté

Summary: Two friends, a rabbit and a pig, have a quarrel until they discover that they have more fun together than alone.

This is a sweet story about friendship. This book is great for a quick read aloud to preschool students.

Interest Level: ages 2-grade 3
Reading Level: grade 2