Table of Contents
Wordless
1. Weisner, David. Tuesday
2. Mayer, Mercer. Frog Goes to Dinner
Picture Story
1. Woodson, Jacqueline. The Other Side
African American
2. Say, Allen. Grandfather’s Journey
Asian-American
3. Soto, Gary. Chato and the Party Animals
Hispanic-American
4. Bruchac, Joseph. Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People’s Forced March
from Homeland
Native American
5. Ammon, Richard. An Amish Year
Religious Cultures
6. Uhlberg, Myron. Dad, Jackie and Me.
Physical/Mental Challenges
7. Falconer, Ian. Olivia Forms a Band
8. McClowsky, Robert. Blueberries for Sal
9. Howitt, Mary. The Spider and the Fly
10. Mayer, Mercer. There’s a Nightmare in My Closet
11. Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji
12. Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are
Realistic Fiction
1. Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons
2. Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh
3. Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry
4. Hoff, Syd. The Lighthouse Children
5. Polacco, Patricia. Chicken Sunday
African-American
Historical Fiction
1. Curtis, Stephen Paul. Elijah of Buxton
2. Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
3. MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah Plain and Tall
4. Gerstein, Mordicai. The Man Who Walked Between the Two Towers
5. Say, Allen. The Bicycle Man
Japanese culture
Fantasy
1. DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux
2. Louie, Ai Ling. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
Chinese culture
3. Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting
4. Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
5. Weisner, David. Flotsam
Nonfiction
1. Freedman, Russell. Children of the Great Depression
2. Edwards, Pamela Duncan. The Bus Ride That Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks
African-American
3. Knight, Margaret. Fashion Through the Ages: From Overcoats to Petticoats
4. Bare, Colleen Stanley. Never Kiss an Alligator
Biography
1. Freedman, Russell. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle
for Equal Rights
African-American
2. Isadora, Rachel. Young Mozart
3. Mayo, Margaret. Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories of St. Francis
4. Stanley, Diane. Michelangelo
Poetry
1. Hoberman, Mary Ann. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
2. Frost, Robert. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
3. Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein
Author: David Wiesner
Title of Book: Tuesday
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1991/New York: Clarion
Awards: Caldecott Medal, ALA, Notable Children’s Book, American Bookseller, Pick of the
Lists, Bulletin for the Center for Children’s books, Blue Ribbon, Kentucky Blue Ribbon ward,
Library of Congress, Best Books for Children, New York Public Library, 100 Title for Reading
and Sharing, Parenting Magazine, Ten Best Books of the Year, Publishers Weekly, Best Books of
the Year, School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year, Young Hoosier Picture Book Award
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Frogs on their lily pads mysteriously and magically lift off a pond
one Tuesday night and fly all over town, cruising past people in their homes and alarming dogs
and birds.
Literary Devices: point of view
Style and Media: realism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Tuesday aloud to class.
2. Have students discuss Tuesday in small groups, speculating about what Wiesner could have
written to go along with the pictures
3. Divide the book into smaller sections, so each group of students has a small portion of the
story.
4. Working together, students will write words to accompany illustrations for their section.
5. Put all the sections together and read the story with the student’s writing aloud to the class.
Author: Mercer Mayer
Title of Book: Frog Goes to Dinner
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1974/New York: The Dial Press
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A family gets dressed for dinner at a fancy restaurant. The little
boy in the family sneaks his pet frog into his pocket. At dinner, the frog gets loose and creates
havoc for the other patrons.
Literary Devices: foreshadowing
Style and Media: realism, pen and ink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Frog Goes to Dinner aloud to class before lunch one day.
2. Discuss manners and specifically how people are expected to act at the dinner table and at
restaurants.
3. Students will work in small groups to brainstorm about manners, citing examples of both good
and bad manners.
4. Teacher will list students’ examples on the board, making additions as necessary.
5. Teacher will encourage students to practice good manners that day in the lunchroom.
Author: Jaqueline Woodson
Title of Book: The Other Side
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2001/New York: Putnam
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Notable Children’s Book in
the Language Arts, National Council for the Social Studies, School Library Journal Best Books,
Teacher’s Choice Award
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: African-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A little African-American girl lives on one side of a fence and is
told by her family not to ever cross it. A little white girl moves into the house on the other side
and sits on the fence watching the African-American girl playing with her friends. Eventually
they get to know each other and become friends.
Literary Devices: metaphor, symbolism, point of view
Style and Media: realism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Other Side aloud to the class.
2. Discuss how The Other Side is told from Clover’s viewpoint.
3. Students will work with a partner to discuss what they think the character Annie was thinking.
How would the story be written from her viewpoint?
4. Students will share their ideas with the class.
Author: Allen Say
Title of Book: Grandfather’s Journey
Genre: historical fiction fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1993/Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Boston Globe/Horn Book
Award, Randolph Caldecott Award, Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts, National
Council for the Social Studies
Grade/Range: K-2, 3-4
Multicultural Category: Asian-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The story of a young man who leaves his native Japan and travels
to America to work and raise a family and the conflicting feelings he experiences as he enjoys
his new homeland but also misses his old one.
Literary Devices: atmosphere, foreshadowing, irony, paradox, parallel story, symbolism
Style and Media: impressionism, expressionism, folk, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Grandfather’s Journey aloud to the class.
2. Students will discuss what it would be like to travel to another part of the world to live.
3. In small groups, students will work together to research life in Japan, using the Internet and
other resources at the library. Topics to be researched include: food, holidays, history,
recreation.
4. Students will share this information with the class.
Author: Gary Soto
Title of Book: Chato and the Party Animals
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2000/New York: Putnam
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Pura Belpre Award
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: Hispanic-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Chato decides to throw a birthday party for his new friend Novio
Boy who has never had a birthday party because he came from the pound. Chato gets so excited
planning the party that he forgets to invite Novio Boy.
Literary Devices: personification, dialogue
Style and Media: expressionism, acrylic on scratchboard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Chato and the Party Animals aloud to the class.
2. Have students discuss Chato and the Party Animals in small groups.
3. Students will work in groups to come up with one or two sentences about what it means to be
a friend.
4. Students will share their ideas with the class.
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Title of Book: Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People’s Forced March from
Homeland
Genre: historical fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2002/Washington: National Geographic
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: 3-4, 5-6
Multicultural Category: Native American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The tragic true story of how the United States government, in the
1860s, forced thousands of Navajos off their land on a forced walk to a remote reservation 400
miles away.
Literary Devices: mood, tone
Style and Media: impressionism, acrylics on clay board
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People’s Forced March from Homeland
aloud to the class.
2. Have students discuss the book in small groups. Provide each group with a map that charts the
route the Navajos followed to reach the reservation. Have students calculate how many days
they think it took the Navajos to walk the 400 miles to the reservation.
3. Allow each group to discuss its findings to the class.
4. Take the class outside for a walk around the school or track, if available. Point out how many
more laps would have to be walked to equal the amount of walking forced on the Navajos by
the U.S. soldiers.
Author: Richard Ammon
Title of Book: An Amish Year
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2000/New York: Atheneum
Awards: National Council for the Social Studies
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: Religious Cultures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A year in the life of a young girl living in an Amish community.
Literary Devices: tone, mood
Style and Media: Realism, pastels
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read An Amish Year aloud to the class.
2. In small groups, students will compare and contrast their lives with the Amish childrens’ lives.
What would they like about being Amish? What would they dislike?
3. Students will share responses with the class.
Author: Myron Uhlberg
Title of Book: Dad, Jackie and Me
Genre: historical fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2005/Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers
Awards: Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts, Teacher’s Choice Award
Grade/Range: 3-4, 5-6
Multicultural Category: Physical/Mental Challenges
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A young boy and his father enjoy following the Brooklyn Dodgers.
It is 1947 and Jackie Robinson is the the first black player in Major League Baseball. The boy’s
father, who is deaf, gets them tickets to a game.
Literary Devices: tone, simile
Style and Media: realism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Dad, Jackie and Me aloud to the class.
2. Discuss what it means to be deaf, what causes deafness, how people who are deaf cope, etc.
3. In small groups students discuss what it would feel like to be deaf and how society can help
those who can’t hear.
4. Students share their ideas with the class.
Author: Ian Falconer
Title of Book: Olivia Forms a Band
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2006/New York: Simon
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: Pre-K, K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Olivia decides to form a band to accompany the evening’s
fireworks show using everyday household items to make music.
Literary Devices: metaphor, simile, mood, dialogue
Style and Media: cartoon, charcoal and gouache
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Olivia Forms a Band aloud to the class.
2. Discuss the four families of instruments that make up an orchestra (strings, woodwinds,
percussion, brass) and also the keyboard or piano, and how those instruments work.
3. Divide the class into four groups - one for each family of instruments - and have them
brainstorm how they could duplicate the sounds for their instrument family with everyday
objects like Olivia did. Also, can they think of words that describe how the instruments
sound?
4. Share each group’s ideas with the class.
Author: Robert McClowsky
Title of Book: Blueberries for Sal
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1948/New York: Viking
Awards: Randolph Caldecott Honor Book
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Little Sal and her mother go to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries
to can and store for winter. At the same time, a mother bear and her cub go to Blueberry Hill to
fill up on blueberries for their winter hibernation. Little Sal and the cub wander off and start
following the wrong mothers.
Literary Devices: alliteration, dialogue, personification,
Style and Media: realistic, lithography
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Blueberries for Sal aloud to the class.
2. Present a jar of blueberries (or blue colored marbles!) to the class and have them estimate how
many they think are in the jar.
3. Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a portion of the blueberries to count.
4. Add all the groups blueberry counts together to discover the correct answer.
Author: Mary Howitt
Illustrator: Tony DiTerlizzi
Title of Book: The Spider and the Fly
Genre: modern fantasy; poetry; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2002/New York: Simon
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Randolph Caldecott Honor
Book, School Library Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A cunning spider lures a naive fly into his lair through the use of
flattery.
Literary Devices: metaphor, simile
Style and Media: expressionism, gouache
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Spider and the Fly out loud to the class.
2. Discuss how The Spider and the Fly is an example of a fable, the definition of a fable, how it
is used.
3. Students will discuss how the spider tricked the fly and what they think this fable is trying to
teach.
4. Students will try to write their own fable.
Author: Mercer Mayer
Title of Book: There’s a Nightmare in My Closet
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1969/New York: Dial
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: Pre-K; K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A little boy decides to get rid of the nightmare monster in his
closet but instead ends up tucking him into bed.
Literary Devices: flashback
Style and Media: cartoon, pen and ink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read There’s a Nightmare in My Closet aloud to the class.
2. With a partner, students will describe their idea of a nightmare. Partner will take notes and ask
questions and then draw what the partner’s nightmare would look like.
3. Students will rotate roles.
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Title of Book: Jumanji
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1981/Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Boston Globe/Horn Book
Honors Award, Randolph Caldecott Award, School Library Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Two young children, a brother and sister, find a board game under
a tree with a note saying that once started, the game must be finished. As they play, the game
comes to life, bringing adventure and danger, until the game is over and everything goes back to
normal.
Literary Devices: foreshadowing
Style and Media: surrealism, conte dust and conte pencil
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Jumanji aloud to the class.
2. Divide the class into small groups and give them age-appropriate board games.
3. Allow them to play the games, practicing patience, turn-taking, sportsmanship, etc.
4. After game time have them write in a journal, expressing whether or not they would
recommend the game to other children their age.
Author: Maurice Sendak
Title of Book: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: modern fantasy; picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1963/New York: Harper Collins
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Lewis Carroll Shelf Award,
Library of Congress Children’s Books, New York Public Library’s “One Hundred Titles for
Reading and Sharing,” Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Randolph Caldecott Award, New York
Times Best Illustrated Book
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Max is being naughty and is sent to bed without supper where he
imagines that his room has become a forest full of giant, wild animals, “The Wild Things.” Max
becomes the king of the wild things until he starts to feel lonely and hungry and goes home to
find his dinner waiting.
Literary Devices: Hyperbole, inference
Style and Media: colored pen and ink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Where the Wild Things are aloud to the class.
2. Students will draw pictures and write descriptive sentences about what their own “wild things”
would look like and what types of activities they would do together.
Author: Sharon Creech
Title of Book: Walk Two Moons
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 1994/New York: HarperCollins
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Notable Children’s Book in
the Language Arts, John Newberry Medal, State Awards - Oklahoma, School Library Journal
Best books
Grade/Range: 5-6; 7+
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Thirteen-year-old Salamanca goes on a cross-country trip with her
grandparents. Along the way she tells them the story of her friend Pheobe and reveals details
about the disappearance of her mother.
Literary Devices: simile, metaphor
Literature Set:
1. Bruchac, J. (1996). Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America.
New York: Bridgewater. A collection of traditional Native American tales celebrating the
wonder and mystery of the natural world, arranged under the categories “Fire,” “Earth,”
“Water,” and “Air.”
2. Brown, L. (1996). When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death. London: Little
Brown. Explains feelings people have when a loved one dies.
3. Highwater, J. (1977). Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey. New York: Harper Collins. Anpao
journeys across the history of Native American traditional tales in order to search for his
destiny.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Students read Walk Two Moons independently.
2. Discuss the Native American tradition of the pow-wow.
3. Put students into groups and have them form their own tribe, including name, dress, customs,
etc. Provide materials so they can make headdresses, etc.
4. Have a pow-wow in school where tribes can introduce themselves to each other.
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Title of Book: Shiloh
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 1991/New York: Atheneum
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, John Newbery Medal,
Teacher’s Choice Award, State Awards - Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii,
Illinois, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, New
Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Pacific Northwest, South
Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming,
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A young boy finds a lost beagle that belongs to a grouchy man in
his town. When the boy realizes the man mistreats the dog, he decides to keep it and hide it in the
woods near his home.
Literary Devices: point of view, metaphor, simile, tone
Literature Set:
1. DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn Dixie. United States: Candlewick Press.
A ten-year-old girl named Opal Buloni describes her summer and all the good things that
happen to her because of her dog Winn Dixie.
2. Rawls, W. (1961). Where the Red Fern Grows. New York: Random House.
The adventures of Billy and his coonhound in the Ozarks of Oklahoma and the tragedy and
understanding that Billy experiences with the death of his dog.
3. Gipson, F. (1956). Old Yeller. New York: HaperCollins.
The Coates family, settlers in Texas, take in a stray dog who becomes a beloved pet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Independently read Shiloh.
2. Have students discuss moral dilemmas and what it means to do the right thing, even if it
involves breaking the rules, like Marty did when he hid Shiloh from Judd. Is it ever OK to
break the rules? How do you know?
3. Students will develop a short skit, dramatizing a time it is appropriate to break the rules in
order to do the right thing.
4. Students will perform skits in front of the class.
Author: Molly Bang
Title of Book: When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1999/New York: Blue Sky
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Randolph Caldecott Honor
Book, Jane Addams Book Honor
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Sophie gets really angry when it is her sister’s turn to play with the
toy gorilla. She kicks and screams and then finally runs out of the house through the woods to be
alone and calm down before coming back home.
Literary Devices: metaphor
Style and Media: expressionism, gouache
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry aloud to the class.
2. Lead a whole-class discussion about anger, asking students to volunteer and tell about things
that make them angry. Discuss how anger makes you feel.
3. Divide students into small groups, asking them to come up examples of things that could make
them angry, and the appropriate vs. inappropriate ways to handle it.
4. Students will create an “Angry Book” with pictures and words describing how they’ve felt
when someone or something has made them mad.
Author: Syd Hoff
Title of Book: The Lighthouse Children
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1994/New York: HarperCollins
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Sam and Rose live alone in a lighthouse by the sea but are not
lonely because they have sea gulls to keep them company. When a big storm hits the lighthouse
and they have to move away from the sea, they find a way to reconnect with their birds.
Literary Devices: dialogue, metaphor
Style and Media: cartoon, acrylics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Lighthouse Children aloud to the class.
2. List the seagulls names on the board in a random order and assign several names to each
student.
3. Students will work in pairs coming up with additional names that rhyme with the ones they
were assigned.
4. Each pair will share names with the entire class.
Author: Patricia Polacco
Title of Book: Chicken Sunday
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1992/New York: Philomel Books
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: African-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A young girl befriends two brothers who are neighbors and spend
time with the boys’ grandmother, especially Sundays, when they go to church and eat a big lunch
together. The children decide to dye eggs in the Russian tradition to sell to buy a new hat for
grandmother for Easter.
Literary Devices: dialogue, simile, metaphor
Style and Media: realistic, pencil and wash
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Chicken Sunday aloud to the class.
2. Students will work in small groups to brainstorm how they could earn extra money, like the
three children did in the book.
3. Students will write about what how they could earn extra money and how they would use it.
Author: Stephen Paul Curtis
Title of Book: Elijah of Buxton
Genre: historical fiction, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 2007/New York: Scholastic
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6; 7+
Multicultural Category: African-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Elijah is a first-generation free-born child in the town of Buxton, a
haven for newly-freed slaves in Canada. A corrupt preacher steals money from a man who was
saving to buy his own family’s freedom, which sends Elijah on a mission to America to get the
money back.
Literary Devices: mood, tone, metaphor, illusion
Literature Set:
1. Johnson, D. (1994). Seminole Diary: Remembrances of a Slave. New York: Macmillan.
Libbie, a slave in 1834, writes about her life in the form of a diary and describes how she
escapes from slavery and meets the Seminole Indians.
2. Pearsall, Shelley. (2002). Trouble Don’t Last. New York: Knopf.
Samuel, an eleven-year-old Kentucky slave, and Harrison, the elderly slave who helped raise
him, attempt to escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad.
3. Greenwood, B. (1999). The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad. New York:
Scholastic. The dramatic story of the Underground Railroad as seen through the eyes of two
young girls: Eliza, a runaway slave, and Johanna, whose family gives her refuge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Elijah of Buxton independently.
2. Lead a group discussion with the class about the class, including the history of slavery in
America.
3. Have students write a journal entry, pretending they are slaves and writing how they feel.
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Title of Book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Genre: historical fiction, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 1958/Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, John Newbery Medal
Grade/Range: 5-6
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Sixteen-year-old Katherine Tyler (Kit) leaves her home in
Barbados to live with her aunt and uncle in a small Puritan community. When Kit befriends an
old Quaker woman who has been banished by the community for being a witch, Kit is also
accused of witchcraft.
Literary Devices:
Literature Set:
1. Rees, C. (2001). Witch Child. New York: Candlewick.
In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the
New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community near Salem, Massachusetts.
2. Wilson, L. (1997). The Salem Witch Trials. City: Lerner.
This book discusses the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692, the events leading up to them, and
how the trials have been viewed by different historians since then.
3. Starkey, M. (1973).The Visionary Girls: Witchcraft in Salem Village. New York: Little, Brown.
A look at the Salem witchcraft trails from the perspective of the accusers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Independently read The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
2. Discuss the life of the Puritans and how they came to view suspicious or confusing behavior as
a sign of witchcraft.
3. Divide the class up into several groups and have them simulate a witchcraft trial, with students
deciding who will play the role of judge, accuser and accused.
4. Have students perform their trial in front of the class.
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Title of Book: Sarah Plain and Tall
Genre: historical fiction, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 1985/New York: Harper Collins
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, State Awards - Kansas, Golden
Kite Award, National Council for the Social Studies, John Newbery Medal
Grade/Range: 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The father of two young children living on a prairie seeks a new
wife after their mother dies. The new wife, Sarah, is homesick for Maine and the children worry
that she will leave them.
Literary Devices: flashback, metaphor, foreshadowing, symbolism
Literature Set:
1. MacLachlan, P. (1994). Skylark. New York: Harper Collins.
This sequel to Sarah Plain and Tall is about a drought on the prairie and how it worries the
children that it will cause Sarah to want to leave.
2. Bawden, N. (1979). The Robbers. New York: Lothrop.
When nine-year-old Phillip’s dad decides to remarry, he must leave his grandmother’s house
and adjust to a new life with his father and stepmother.
3. Kurtz, J. (1995). Pulling the Lion’s Tail. New York: Simon.
A young Ethiopian girl struggles to get to know her stepmother so her grandfather devises a
clever way to help her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Sarah Plain and Tall independently.
2. Discuss the book in class and explain how to write a newspaper want ad.
3. Pass around examples of newspaper want ads.
4. Students will work with a partner to write a newspaper ad for a stepmother.
Author: Mordicai Gerstein
Title of Book: The Man Who Walked Between the Two Towers
Genre: historical fiction, modern fantasy, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2002/Boston: Houghton
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Boston Globe/Horn Book
Award, Randolph Caldecott Award, School Library Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The story of Philippe Petit, a French aerialist who walked, danced
and performed tricks on a tightrope between the world trade center towers in 1974.
Literary Devices: personification, allusion,
Style and Media: cartoon, ink and oil paint
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Man Who Walked Between the Two Towers aloud to the class.
2. Discuss the book.
3. Students will write a letter to their parents, as if they were on the street below Philippe,
describing what they saw and how they felt.
Author: Allen Say
Title of Book: The Bicycle Man
Genre: historical fiction, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2003/Oakland: Houghton Mifflin
Awards: International Reading Association Children’s Book Award
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: Japanese culture
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Allen Say writes about a memory from his childhood, when two
American soldiers show up at his school in Japan on Sportday, when the children compete in
races. One of the soldiers begins to ride the principal’s bicycle, performing tricks.
Literary Devices: imagery, metaphor, simile
Style and Media: cartoon, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
See Formal Lesson Plan
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Title of Book: The Tale of Despereaux
Genre: modern fantasy, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 2003/Cambridge: Candlewick
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, State Awards - Arkansas, State
Awards - Delaware, State Awards - Kentucky, State Awards - Maine
Grade/Range: 5-6
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The story of Despereaux Tilling, a tiny mouse with big ears who is
different from the rest of the mice, falls in love with a princess, and is therefore banished to the
dungeon where he meets a rat named Roscuro, and the servant girl Miggory Sow.
Literary Devices: personification, point of view
Literature Set:
1. Osborne, P. and Pope, M. (2000). Knights and Castles. New York: Random House. Jack and
Annie look at knights, armor and life in a castle.
2. Spires, E. (1999). The Mouse of Amherst. New York: Farrar. When she moves into Emily
Dickinson’s bedroom, Emmaline the mouse discovers her own propensity for poetry.
3. Yolen, J. (1972). The Girl Who Loved the Wind. Springfield: Crowell Publishers. Though her
father tries to protect her from all unpleasant things, a young princess is intrigued by the voice
of the wind that tells her of worlds beyond the palace walls.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Tale of Despereaux independently.
2. Discuss in a group the main characters in the book
3. In small groups, students discuss their favorite character and why.
4. Students write a continuation of the book, focusing on what happens to their favorite character
in the future.
Author: Ai Ling Louie
Title of Book: Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
Genre: traditional fantasy, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1982/New York: Philomel Books
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Boston Globe/Horn Book
Honors Award, School Library Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: Chinese culture
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A version of the traditional Cinderella story set in China. The
main character, Yeh-Shen, is raised by her cruel stepmother, who kills her only friend, a fish.
Yeh-Shen keeps the fishes bones, which have magical powers and becomes her version of a fairy
godmother.
Literary Devices: point of view, symbolism
Style and Media: impressionism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China aloud to the class to coincide with the start of
the Chinese New Year and as part of a unit on this holiday.
2. Discuss the significance of the Chinese New Year, what it means, and how it is celebrated.
3. Distribute handouts to the class listing and summarizing the different animals of the Zodiak.
4. Students work in groups to discuss their Zodiak sign and write short essays on where or not
they think they have some of the characteristics of their sign.
5. For an at-home activity, students go home and discover the Zodiak signs for the members of
their families.
6. Teacher charts the different signs on a bulletin board, with other information about the Chinese
New Year.
Author: Natalie Babbitt
Title of Book: Tuck Everlasting
Genre: modern fantasy, junior novel
Publication Year/Publisher: 1975/New York: Farrar
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
Grade/Range: 5-6
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A young girl Winnie, becomes friends with the Tuck family and
learns about their secret of immortality. When Mae Tuck kills a man who uncovers their secret,
she is sent to jail and sentenced to death. Winnie helps the Tucks escape to another town so their
secret will not be revealed. Winnie is given the option of drinking the magic water that would
make her immortal, but decides not to and dies at the age of 87.
Literary Devices: symbolism, simile, metaphor
Literature Set:
1. Varley, S. (1984). Badger’s Parting Gifts. New York: Lothrop.
Badger’s friends are sad when he dies, but they treasure the legacies he left them.
2. Sleator, W. (1999). Rewind. New York: Dutton.
Eleven-year-old Peter learns that he is adopted and is then hit by a car. He is then given several
chances to alter the events that could lead to his death.
3. Carey, J. (2002). Wenny Has Wings. New York: Atheneum.
Will has a near-death experience during an accident that kills his younger sister. To cope, Will
writes her letters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Students read Tuck Everlasting independently.
2. In pairs, students calculate how old they would be today if they had drank from the spring of
eternal life the same time as the Tucks, in 1793. In 1995? In 2075?
3. Students write a brief essay explaining what age they would want to drink from the spring
water if they had the chance? How old would they like to be forever and why?
Author: Doreen Cronin
Title of Book: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type
Genre: modern fantasy, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2000/New York: Simon
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Randolph Caldecott Honor
Book, State Awards - Maryland, Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts, School Library
Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Cows on a farm find an old typewriter and begin making requests
from the farmer. When he won’t agree to their demands, they go on strike until he will give them
what they want.
Literary Devices: inference, personification
Style and Media: cartoon, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type aloud to the class during the first day of school.
2. Explain how the cows used the typewriter to get what they needed, but in class there are other
ways for students to ask the teacher for things they need.
3. Discuss with the class the procedures students use to get what they need during the school day.
For example, using the restroom, sharpening pencils, getting water, etc.
4. With a partner, have students brainstorm for other types of needs that could come up during
the school year.
5. Students share ideas with the class, and teacher provides answers to potential needs.
Author: David Weisner
Title of Book: Flotsam
Genre: modern fantasy, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2006/New York: Clarion
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Randolph Caldecott Award
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A young boy finds an old camera that has washed up on the beach.
He develops the photographs and discovers that the camera has been used by many other
children.
Literary Devices: imagery, mood
Style and Media: realism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Flotsam aloud to the class.
2. Give each student a disposable camera. Take the class outside and let students photograph the
campus.
3. After the photos are developed, have students select their favorite photo and write a brief story
to go with it.
4. Students will share stories with the class.
Author: Russell Freedman
Title of Book: Children of the Great Depression
Genre: informational book, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2005/New York: Clarion
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Golden Kite Award, Orbis
Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, Teacher’s Choice Award
Grade/Range: 5-6; 7+
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Photos and simple text describe this time in America’s history and
how it affected by children and adults.
Literary Devices: imagery, mood, allusion
Style and Media: realism, photographs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Children of the Great Depression aloud to the class.
2. In small groups, students discuss what it must have been like to live through the Great
Depression.
3. Students will write a fictional journal entry, pretending they are children living in families that
are struggling because of the depression.
4. Students will volunteer to share their stories with the class.
Author: Pamela Duncan Edwards
Title of Book: The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks
Genre: informational, poetry, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2005/New York: Houghton Mifflin
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4
Multicultural Category: African-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Retraces the events that paved the way for the civil rights
movement, starting with what happened when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus.
Literary Devices: dialogue, allusion
Style and Media: cartoon, pen and ink and watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks aloud to the class.
2. Discuss the concept of fair v. unfair.
3. Read aloud the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
4. Divide the class into small groups. Students will discuss how implications of the law, in terms
of what is fair and unfair treatment.
Author: Margaret Knight
Title of Book: Fashion through the Ages: From Overcoats to Petticoats
Genre: historical fiction, modern fantasy, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1998/City: Viking
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4; 5-6; 7+
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: An illustrated, lift-the-flap book describing different clothing
styles through history.
Literary Devices: tone
Style and Media: realistic, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of Fashion through the Ages: From Overcoats to Petticoats.
3. Students will read the book in their group.
4. Students will share their favorite clothing style with the class.
5. Students will design their own clothing, making sketches of their ideas.
Author: Colleen Stanley Bare
Title of Book: Never Kiss an Alligator
Genre: informational, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1989/New York: Cobblehill
Awards: National Science Teachers Association
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Description of alligators, including how they are different from
crocodiles, their habits, etc.
Literary Devices: mood
Style and Media: realism, photographs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Never Kiss an Alligator aloud to the class.
2. Discuss other animals in nature that live near our homes, schools and work that are wild and
how we should treat them. Animals could include coyote, hawks, foxes, possum, deer, etc.
3. Divide students into small groups. Assign each group a wild animal to research.
4. Students will use the Internet and library to discover information about their animal.
5. Students will present information to the class.
Author: Russell Freedman
Title of Book: The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for
Equal Rights
Genre: biography
Publication Year/Publisher: 2004/New York: Clarion Books
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, National Council for the
Social Studies, John Newbery Honor Book, Parent’s Choice Silver Honors, School Library
Journal Best Books
Grade/Range: 7+
Multicultural Category: African-American
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The story of Marian Anderson, a famous African-American singer
who was denied the right to perform in Constitution Hall because of her race and so therefore
performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Literary Devices: flashback, mood, tone, imagery
Literature Set:
1. Rappaport, D. (2007). Free At Last! Stories and Songs of Emancipation. New York:
Candlewick.
A book about the experiences of African-Americans in the South, from emancipation in 1863
to the 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared school segregation illegal.
2. Bausum, A. (2006). Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the
Civil Rights Movement. New York: National Georgraphic.
Describes the courage and determination of the young people who risked danger and even
death to participate in the civil rights movement.
3. Manheimner, A. (2005). Martin Luther King, Jr.: Dreaming of Equality. New York: Lerner.
The life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his role in the civil rights movement.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal
Rights independently.
2. Students will listen to a recording of Marian Anderson performing.
3. Students will discuss Marian Anderson and her music.
4. Students will write an essay about whether or not they agreed with how Anderson handled not
being able to sing in Constitution Hall and why or why not.
Author: Rachel Isadora
Title of Book: Young Mozart
Genre: biography, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1997/New York: Penguin
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: Pre-K; K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The story of Mozart with special focus on his childhood.
Literary Devices: mood, atmosphere
Style and Media: impressionism, watercolor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Play, Mozart, Play aloud to the class.
2. Play a CD of Mozart’s most famous compositions and let the students dance.
3. Start with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” Mozart’s 12 variations on the melody. Other pieces
to play could include Rondo Alla Turca,
Author: Margaret Mayo
Title of Book: Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories of St. Francis
Genre: biography, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2000/Italy: Little, Brown
Awards: N/A
Grade/Range: 3-4; 5-6
Multicultural Category: religious cultures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: The life and time of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of nature
and animals.
Literary Devices: symbolism, mood, atmosphere
Literature Set: naive, painterly
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories of St. Francis aloud to the class.
2. Discuss what it means to protect the environment.
3. Divide the class into small groups to brainstorm ways students in the school could do more to
protect the environment.
4. Put ideas together and make presentation to the principal to see if ideas can be implemented.
Author: Diane Stanley
Title of Book: Michelangelo
Genre: biography, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2000/Hong Kong: HarperCollins
Awards: School Library Journal Best Books, National Council for the Social Studies, Orbis
Pictus Honor Book
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: An description of Michelangelo, his many accomplishments, and
his life in 15th and 16th Renaissance Italy.
Literary Devices: allusion, tone
Style and Media: realism, watercolors, colored pencil, gouache, digital art
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Michelangelo independently.
2. Discuss what it means to be a “Renaissance Man.”
3. Divide students into groups to discuss what a modern “Renaissance” man or woman would be
able to do.
4. Independently, have students write what a type of art they wish they could excel at and why,
such as painting, drawing, writing, sculpture, cooking, gardening, etc.
Author: Mary Ann Hoberman
Title of Book: You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
Genre: poetry, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 2001/New York: Little, Brown
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, Notable Children’s Book in
the Language Arts, Teacher’s Choice Award
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Brief stories and poems intended for more than one reader about
mice, hat, hopping and skipping, a snowman, a dime, a snake, the telephone, a puppy, a bear,
friends
Literary Devices: dialogue, alliteration, personification, point of view
Style and Media: cartoon, ballpoint pen, watercolor, and dry pastel on watercolor paper
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You aloud to the class, using volunteers to play the
additional role.
2. Put students in pairs. Students will work together to come up with their own version of a
poem with two speakers.
3. Students will present poems to the class.
Author: Robert Frost
Title of Book: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Genre: poetry, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1978/New York: Dutton
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
Grade/Range: K-2
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: Robert Frost’s famous poem combined with stunning illustrations.
Literary Devices: mood, atmosphere, tone, symbolism
Style and Media: realism, pen and ink and gauche
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening aloud to the class.
2. Divide class into small groups.
3. Go to the library and computer lab so students can research Robert Frost and find additional
poems to share with the class.
4. Have students present information and read other works aloud to the class.
Title of Book: Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein
Genre: poetry, picture book
Publication Year/Publisher: 1978/New York: Dutton
Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, State Awards - Wisconsin
Grade/Range: K-2; 3-4; 5-6; 7+
Multicultural Category: N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief Summary of Content: A collection of poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein.
Literary Devices: mood, tone, alliteration, symbolism, allusion, personification
Style and Media: cartoon, pen and ink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Extension Activity:
1. Read two or three poems from the book Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings
of Shel Silverstein aloud to the class.
2. Give each student a copy of Shel Silverstein’s poetry collection.
3. Students will independently read through the poems, selecting their favorite.
4. Students will create a poster, including the poem and original drawings.
5. Students will present their posters to the class.
Unique Learner for Second - Fourth Grade:
Central Auditory Processing Disorder or CAPD
Central auditory processing disorder affects about five percent of school-aged children.
These students cannot process information they hear in the same way as others because their ears
and brain don’t fully coordinate. It is as if there is a disconnect between what the child hears and
how the brain processes the information, specifically as it relates to speech.
Children with CAPD don’t often recognize the subtle differences between sounds in
words and may have trouble understanding any speech presented under less than optimal
conditions, i.e. where distracting background noises are not present. Some other symptoms
include:
• Trouble paying attention and remember information
• Problems carrying out multi-step information
• Poor listening skills
• Need more time to process information
• Have low academic performance
• Have behavior problems
• Have language difficulty
• Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling and vocabulary
Teachers can help students with CAPD by:
• Seat the child in the front of the classroom and away from distractions, like an open
door or window.
• Try to face student while talking.
• Get the student’s attention before asking a question or giving an explanation.
• Eliminate competing distractions.
• Simplify instructions or have them provided in writing.
• Always have the student rephrase instructions to make sure he/she understands.
(Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, (nidcd.nih.gov),
www.bbbautism.com, and kidshealth.com)
Future Reading Plan
Part I: Who Am I As a Professional Reader?
As a lifelong reader, I have always enjoyed reading for its own sake. No matter how busy or
hectic my life gets, there is always a new book on my nightstand every month. In addition, as a parent, I
have always made reading a priority and do not feel a day is complete unless we have enjoyed at least one
book together. This class, however, has opened my eyes to a new way to look at books, including new
genres to explore and how to evaluate and appreciate literary devices. Most importantly, I feel I now have
a better understanding of what constitutes quality children’s literature. If only I had the money and could
go back in time and re-stock my children’s library of books! Because now I would know exactly what to
buy!
Part II: Reading Goals
Along with this new knowledge of children’s literature, I now realize I need to really bone up on
several genres to become a more well-rounded reader. For example, I have not read nearly enough
children’s biography, historical fiction or poetry. I tend to stick to one genre - fiction - and have
overlooked lots of great books in the process. Also, I would like to read more award-winners because
there are a great source of quality children’s books. To further these objectives, and to enhance my
education as I pursue a K-6 certification, I have the following goals:
Goal 1:
Read all the Newbery Award and Caldecott Medal winners and honor books. Purchase as many
as I can afford or at least my very favorites.
Goal 2:
For each book I select above, alternate with a quality biography or historical fiction selection,
again using awards as my guide. This will keep my reading over the next year more balanced.
Goal 3:
Add to my literature extension file for each title, continuing to organize the books according to
genre and specifying age targeted, as well as creating activities and lesson plans for each book.
This will be a great tool to keep in my classroom.
With the above goals, I feel confident I can further my knowledge of quality children’s literature,
and by the time I have my own classroom I should have an extensive file on books of all genres for all
ages of elementary school students.