Bibliography

Theme 4: Amazing Animals

The books listed below may be available through publishers, distributors such as bookstores or online retailers, or library systems.

Recommended Leveled Books for Independent Reading

Below Level

I'm a Caterpillar by Jean Marzollo
Scholastic 1997 (32p) also paper
A caterpillar explains what happens as he metamorphoses into a butterfly.
Science

A Snake Mistake by Mavis Smith
Puffin 1998 (32p) paper
Jake the snake eats two light bulbs he mistakes for eggs.

Elephants Swim by Linda Capus Riley
Houghton 1995 (32p) also paper
Brief rhyming text describes how elephants and other animals behave in water.
Science

Amazing Lizards! by Fay Robinson
Scholastic 1999 (32p) also paper
Rhyming text introduces readers to the colorful world of lizards.
Science

Buster: The Very Shy Dog by Lisze Bechtold
Houghton 1999 (48p)
Buster the dog overcomes his shyness to help his owner track down a garbage bandit.

They Thought They Saw Him by Craig Kee Strete
Greenwillow 1996 (32p)
A chameleon avoids danger by changing color to match his surroundings.

Spectacular Spiders by Linda Glaser
Millbrook 1998 (32p) also paper
A girl describes the spiders in her garden.
Science

Watchful Wolves by Ruth Berman
Lerner 1998 (32p)
A photo essay presents information about wolves.
Science

On Level

Winking, Blinking, Wiggling, and Waggling by Brian Moses
DK 2000 (32p)
A description of how different animals use sight and hearing.
Science

Coyote by Gerald McDermott
Harcourt 1994 (32p)
Coyote begs the crows to teach him to fly. Available in Spanish as Coyote.
Multicultural

* Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
Houghton 1992 (32p) also paper
Martha the dog learns to talk when the letters in her alphabet soup go to her brain.

* Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins
Houghton 1995 (32p)
Fun facts about record holders of the animal world.
Science

Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies
Candlewick 1997 (32p)
Larger than an elephant, the blue whale is Earth's biggest creature.
Science

The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo
Harcourt 2000 (32p)
A Native American girl worries when her cat Woogie disappears.
Multicultural

Ducks Don't Get Wet by Augusta Goldin
Harper 1999 (32p) also paper
Wild ducks can swim in water and fly in rain without getting wet.
Science

Above Level

The Lizard and the Sun/la lagartija y el sol by Alma Flor Ada
Doubleday 1997 (32p) also paper
A brave lizard helps return the sun to the people in this Mexican folktale. Text in English and Spanish.
Multicultural

Wild and Woolly Mammoths by Aliki
Harper 1996 (32p) also paper
The woolly mammoth lived during the Ice Age.
Science

Buddy: The First Seeing Eye Dog by Eva Moore
Scholastic 1996 (48p) paper
A German shepherd becomes famous as the first seeing eye dog in America.
Social Studies

The School Mouse by Dick King-Smith
Hyperion 1995 (123p) also paper
Flora the mouse saves her family by learning to read.

Chameleon by Rebecca Stefoff
Benchmark 1996 (32p)
The amazing chameleon can change color faster than you can count to ten.
Science

Chester the Worldly Pig by Bill Peet
Houghton 1965 (48p) also paper
Chester the pig wants to be a circus performer.

Books for Shared Reading

The Beautiful Butterfly by Judy Sierra
Clarion 2000 (32p)
A butterfly gets swallowed by a giant fish.
Multicultural

The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog by Ana Martín Larrañaga
Candlewick 1999 (32p) paper
A nosy frog barely escapes becoming a crocodile's dinner.

Miss Mary Mack by Mary Ann Hoberman
Little 1998 (32p)
A girl's elephant jumps over a fence with funny consequences.

* = Included in Houghton Mifflin Classroom Bookshelf, Level 2