Andrew goes to school and sees his friend Nicky, who has a lot
of beautiful freckles. Andrew is jealous of Nicky’s freckles and is willing to
do anything so that he can have them too. He thinks if he has freckles his mom
won’t be able to tell when his face is dirty. He asks Nicky how he got his
freckles, but he gets the unfortunate answer that he was born with them. Sharon,
a sneaky girl in Andrew’s class, offers him a freckle juice formula for fifty
cents. Andrew uses all of his allowance to get the recipe. He goes home and begins
dumping the random ingredients together, but after drinking it he feels really
sick. When he goes to school the next day he draws on blue freckles, because
the juice didn’t work. Everyone laughs and makes fun of him. His teacher
removes his freckles using her secret formula. Nicky wishes he could have that
formula, and Sharon tells him that she has a recipe.
Age Range: 6 - 10 years
Grade Level: 1 - 5
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By: Judy Blume
Peter has a little brother who constantly annoys him. Fudge
is only two and demonstrates normal behavior for a two year old, but to Peter
it’s annoying. The worst thing Fudge does is he always bothers Dribble, Peter’s
pet turtle. One day, Fudge does the worst thing he could ever do. He actually
swallows Dribble. Their mother rushes Fudge to the hospital, where doctors are
able to remove Dribble from Fudge’s stomach. However, Dribble has died. Peter
is devastated, so to make him feel better they decide to get a dog. Peter names
his turtle, in memory of Dribble. This time Fudge won’t be able to swallow
their pet.
Age Range: 7 and up
Grade Level: 2 and up
Eric Carle
Draw Me a Star By: Eric Carle
An artist has someone telling him what to draw. He starts
with a star and then draws so many other things such as a couple, a dog, cat,
and birds. Each thing he draws tells him what to draw next. The last thing he
draws is another start, which asks him to hold on to it. Then they travel
across the night together.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
The Grouchy Ladybug By: Eric Carle
A grouchy ladybug finds a leaf full of aphids, but he
doesn’t want to share them with the ladybug that’s already there. He insists on
fighting, but when the other ladybug agrees to fight he tells him that he isn’t
big enough. The ladybug flies off to find someone bigger to fight. As the day
goes on the ladybug keeps finding other animals to fight, but none of them are
big enough. He finally finds a whale to fight, but he gets no answer from the
whale. He files down the whale’s entire body, and when he reaches the tail he
is smack all the way across the sea. The ladybug goes back to the original leaf
and finally agrees to share the aphids with the other ladybug.
Age Range: 3 and up
Grade Level: PreK-up
Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Brave By: Beverly Clearly
Its summer time and Ramona has spent most of it breaking
bricks with her friend Howie. Ramona is the youngest in her family and always
bothers her older sister Beezus. Ramona tries to stick up for Beezus when some
boys are picking on her, but all she ends up doing is embarrassing her. No one
appreciates her trying to be brave. Summer ends, and Ramona enters first grade.
Ramona always gets in trouble at school, and she believes her teacher hates
her. One day while the class is preparing for parents night, Ramona catches
Susan copying her owl. Ramona decides to destroy both her own and Susan’s owl.
The teacher makes Ramona apologize in front of the class. Ramona is then
excluded by her peers. Roman is the excluded by her peers. One day when Ramona
shows up to school wearing only one shoe she is finally included. She was
brave, and had thrown her shoe at a dog that had tried to attack her on her way
to school. The secretary says she was brave and the class decides to nickname
her “The Brave”.
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Socks By: Beverly Cleary
Socks is a cat that lives with the Brickers. Socks is the
apple of their eye until the new baby comes along. Once the baby arrives Socks
doesn’t get the same amount of attention he once got. He begins to feel like
they have forgotten about him. He begins to act out, but this ends up having
him moved to the garage. Once in the garage, Socks leaves and goes on adventures.
One of those adventures he gets in a fight with another cat. He returns home,
and when the Brickers see him they see how they’ve neglected him. They bring
him in and hug and pet him all night. Socks realizes that they do still love
him, so he gives the baby a chance. Socks ends up loving him, and even sleeps
with him in his crib.
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 2 - 7
Andrew Clements
Frindle By: Andrew Clements
Back when Nick was in the fifth grade he had the horrible
English teacher Mrs. Granger. Nick decides to stall class one day by asking her
the origin of multiple words. After that class, he decides to make up a new
word for pen. He calls it a frindle. The word catches on quickly with his
classmates, but not with Mrs. Granger. She makes all of the students that use
the word frindle stay after school. This angers the parents and the bus
drivers. A friend of Nick’s dad begins to market the word frindle. By the time
Nick is an adult frindle had become a common word and was even added into the
dictionary. Mrs. Granger sends Nick a copy of the new dictionary with a note
saying that her disliking the word frindle was her way of helping to make it
more popular. In return, Nick sends her a gold pen and tells her to call it
whatever she chooses.
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
The Landry News By: Andrew Clements
Cara Landry decides to start her own newspaper. She titles
it the Landry news. Her first paper she writes about her fifth grade teacher
Mr. Larson. After he reads the critical article he decides to return to his
unconventional teaching ways. The class helps add to the paper, and in one
edition she adds a story written by a boy about his parents’ divorce. Cara
relates to it because her parents are divorced too. Mr. Larson allows her to
print it, and this angers the principal. The principal tells the children that
the Landry News can no longer be printed. He also has Mr. Larson sent for a
hearing to be fired. All of this receives local publicity and at the hearing
Mr. Larson is not found guilty of doing anything wrong. The Landry News
continues to be printed and the next edition Cara writes about how Mr. Larson
will be teacher of the year again.
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza Loses Control By: Jack Gantos
Joey, a boy with ADHD, goes to visit his dad during the
summer. This is the first time he has ever met his dad, and he wants to impress
him. Since he has finally gotten a dosage of medication that works for him, he
thinks he can keep his ADHD under control and be on his best behavior as much
as possible. His dad decides to flush all of Joey’s meds and teach him
baseball. Joey slowly loses control over himself without his medication. Joey
wants to please his dad, even though he knows what he’s doing is wrong. He
stands up for himself, eventually, and decides to continue his medication.
Age Range: 10 - 14 years
Grade Level: 5 - 9
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key By: Jack Gantos
Joey is a child with ADHD. Because of his ADHD, Joey is very
impulsive. These impulses cause Joey to get himself into trouble very often.
One time he swallowed a key, but the one time at school when he accidentally
tripped with scissors and cuts the tip of a girls nose off, was his final
straw. Joey is sent to a special education program. He doesn’t want to be there
and tries everything he can to get out. However, while he is there he is able
to learn about his disability, himself, and others with disabilities as well.
Age Range: 10 - 14 years Grade Level: 5-9
Kevin Henkes
Julius the Baby of the World By: Kevin Henkes
Lilly is excited to have a baby brother, but once he arrives
her excitement soon dwindles. Her parents give him so much attention, and Lilly
is jealous. She does a lot of bad things, which earn her a lot of time in the
uncooperative chair. At a party for Julius, Lilly’s cousin Garland talks bad
about Julius. Lilly stands up for Julius and she finally feels love towards
him.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 4
Owen By: Kevin Henkes
Owen had a favorite fuzzy blanket. His blanket went with him
everywhere. Mrs. Tweezers, the nosey neighbor, tells Owen’s parents that he is
too big to be carrying around a blanket. His parents try all kinds of tricks to
get rid of the blanket, but nothing works. His mother comes up with the idea to
turn the blanket into handkerchiefs. This makes everyone happy, even Mrs.
Tweezers.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 4
Leo Lionni
Cornelius By: Leo Lionni
When Cornelius, a crocodile, hatches he walks upright
instead of crawling. No one cares about the different things Cornelius can do. He
goes and finds a monkey who teaches him to stand on his head and swing from his
tail. He goes to show the other crocodiles, but they say they don’t care. He
goes to leave, but when he checks behind him he sees the other crocodiles
trying to stand on their heads and swing by their tails.
Age Range: 3 - 7 years Grade Level: Preschool-2
Fredrick By: Leo Lionni
A family of mice lives in an old stone wall on a farm. All
of the mice begin to gather food for the winter, all except Fredrick. As winter
goes on the mice begin to run out of food. Fredrick helps by having the mice
imagine the sun to become warm, and think about colors, and then he recites a
poem. All of this helps make the winter a little more bearable.
Age Range: 3 - 7 years Grade Level: Preschool-2
Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Moose a Muffin By: Laura Numeroff
A boy gives a moose a muffin, and the moose then needs some
jam. Once he has the jam he ends up eating all of the muffins. They decide to
make more, but the moose needs a sweater before the leave. The moose continues
to need things until he’s reminded of the jam. Once he gets the jam he’s
reminded of the muffins, and the book continues.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool-2
If You Give a Pig a Pancake By: Laura Numeroff
The book starts with a girl giving a pig a pancake. The pig
needs syrup, which leads to needing a bath, and so on and so on. The pig
continues to need things until she hangs wallpaper and gets all sticky. She’s
reminded of the maple syrup, and the book hints at starting all over again.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool-2
Jack Prelutsky
Rhymes Around the Year: Dog Days By: Jack Prelutsky
This book goes through each month and has a poem for each
one. It describes what people do during that month, and what the weather is
like. There’s a bit of a twist though, because instead of people there are dogs
and it’s described through a dog’s point of view and what they like to do
during each month.
Age Range: 5 - 8 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 3
Tyrannosaurus was a Beast By: Jack Prelutsky
There’s a poem written about each dinosaur. Along with the
name of the dinosaur there is the pronunciation. Some of the poems rhyme and
some do not. Some also have repetition, while others do not. This book also
provides brief, miniscule facts about each dinosaur.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Cynthia Rylant
All in a Day By: Cynthia Rylant
This book talks about all the things a day brings. It tells
of all the newness, surprise, and beauty a new day brings. In the end, there’s
a reminder that the day will end and not come back again. The reader is to live
each day to the fullest and make it count.
Age Range: 4 and up
Grade Level: Preschool - 4
The Great Gracie Chase By: Cynthia Rylant
Gracie was a dog that enjoyed her quiet home. One day painters
come and disrupt her quiet home. She barks at them and they throw her outside.
There, she decides to run away. Everyone begins to chase her, so she keeps
running. She runs so much that she tires everyone out. She realizes how quiet
everything is now and decides to walk home.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool-3
Maurice Sendak
Outside Over There By: Maurice Sendak
Ida is to watch over her baby sister while her father is at
sea. Each night she plays her horn to put the baby to sleep, but one night Ida
doesn’t watch her close enough and goblins steal her away. Once Ida realizes
her sister is missing. She leaves to find her. However, when she goes through
the window she goes through the wrong way. By going through it backwards, it
causes her to end up in Outside Over There. She isn’t able to find her sister,
but then she hears her father’s voice telling her where to go. She follows it
ad is able to find her sister. She gets her and they return home. At home her
mother shows Ida a letter her father sent saying that he plans to come home
soon.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten-3
Where the Wild Things Are By: Maurice Sendak
Max is a boy who decides to dress up in his wolf costume. He
plays around the house and makes such a mess his mother sends him to bed
without dinner. In his room things begin to change, and Max finds himself in a
jungle. The jungle is where the wild things live. The wild things are scared
and intimidated by Max, so much so that they crown him the king of the wild
things. Max eventually decides to return home, and when he does he finds dinner
waiting for him in his bedroom.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten-3
David Shannon
David Goes to School By: David Shannon
David’s teacher always told him no. he got in trouble for
being tardy and for chewing gum in class. He had a hard time not touching
others and paying attention. In the cafeteria he started a food fight. He never
wanted to come in form recess. Sometimes he even had to stay after school.
After he cleaned all the desks and did such a good job that the teacher gave
him a star and sent him home.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool-3
No, David! By: David Shannon
David’s parents always told him no. they would tell him to
come back here and to be quiet when he was doing things he shouldn’t. they also
told him not to play with his food and to go to his room. David did so many
things he wasn’t supposed to, but his parents still loved him anyways.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Chris Van Allsburg
Jumanji By: Chris Van Allsburg
Judy and Peter go to the park to play, and while they’re
there they discover a free game sitting under a tree. They decide to take it
home. They get home and begin to play. Peter’s first roll tells him a lion
attacks and to the children’s terror a real lion appears. Judy takes her turn
and a dozen monkeys appear. The children must finish the game or the animals
won’t go away. They continue the game and things continue to happen and animals
keep appearing. Judy finally reaches the end and shouts “Jumanji”, and
everything disappears. The children take the game back to the park and return
home.
Age Range: 6 - 8 years
Grade Level: 1 - 4
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick By: Chris Van Allsburg
Chris was shown a book of drawings by Peter Wenders. They
were drawn by Mr. Burdick. There were many stories written about each picture.
After Burdick left the drawings with Peter he never returned to bring the rest
of the stories. When Peter shows Chris the drawings he’s inspired and compiles
this book full of the drawings and brief captions.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 3
Judith Viorst
Earrings By: Judith Viorst
A little girl wants her ears pierced, but her parents say
she is too young. She gives her parents many reasons why she needs them, but he
parents give her many reasons why she may not have them. she asks for them for
birthdays and holidays, but always ends up getting something else. She even
tells her parents all of the jobs she’ll do at home if they let her get her
ears pierced. The book ends with her still dreaming of beautiful earrings.
Age Range: 6 - 10 years
Grade Level: 1 - 5
The Good-Bye Book By: Judith Viorst
A little boy doesn’t want his parents to go out to a French
restaurant. He tries to get them to stay by giving them reasons they shouldn’t
go. He also doesn’t want a babysitter. In the end, his parents leave and the
boy ends up liking the babysitter.
Age Range: 3 - 6 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 1
Audrey Wood
It’s Duffy Time By: Audrey Wood
Duffy is a dog that likes to nap. He take s a before and
after breakfast nap, an afternoon nap, and a before dinner nap. At bedtime he
is read a story and snuggles into bed, but isn’t sleepy at all.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
The Red Racer By: Audrey Wood
Nona sees a shiny red bike on her way to school. The one she
has is old and ugly, so she wants the new one. Her parents tell her no because
she already has a bike. She decides to get rid of her bike so they will have to
get her the new one. After putting her bike on the train tracks she gets home
to find that her parents have bought all the stuff to make her bike look new
again. She runs to the train station and luckily her bike was on the wrong
tracks. They work all weekend and when they finish she has a beautiful bike
again.