Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- Oink
- by Arthur Geisert
Houghton 1991 (32p)
In this almost wordless story, eight adventurous piglets sneak away from their sleeping mother.
- Shake My Sillies Out
- by Raffi
(Music)
Crown 1988 (32p) paper
Sleepless forest animals and campers
jump, jiggle, and wiggle their sillies
away.
- Ten Cats Have Hats
- by Jean Marzollo
(Math)
Scholastic 1994 (24p)
From one bear to ten cats, a young girl
presents animals and their silly
possessions.
- Who Sank the Boat?
- by Pamela Allen
Sandcastle 1990 (32p) paper
Five animal friends decide to go
rowing in a very small boat, but
disaster's not far behind.
- More Spaghetti, I Say!
- by Rita Golden Gelman
Scholastic 1993 (32p) paper
Minnie the monkey is so busy eating
spaghetti that she can't play with
Freddy.
- Frogs in Clogs
- by Sheila Samton
Crown 1995 (32p)
Frogs in clogs and pigs wearing wigs
are some of the silly animal antics in
this book.
EASY
- Shoes
- by Elizabeth Winthrop
Harper 1986 (32p); also paper
Exuberant rhyming verse celebrates all
kinds of different shoes.
- Silly Sally
- by Audrey Wood
Harcourt 1992 (32p)
Silly Sally and her animal friends
parade into town walking backwards
and upside down.
- The Surprise Party
- by Pat Hutchins
Macmillan 1969 (32p); also paper
Rabbit's having a party, but as each
animal tells the next, the message
becomes completely garbled.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- by Nadine Bernard Westcott
(Music)
Dutton 1987 (32p); Puffin paper
A rollicking rhyme pays homage to the
peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- Green Eggs and Ham
- by Dr. Seuss
Random 1960 (64p); also paper
Sam-I-Am convinces another creature to
eat green eggs and ham.
Available in Spanish asHuevos
verdes con jamón.
- The Grumpalump
- by Sarah Hayes
Clarion 1990 (24p)
In this cumulative story, a strange
grumpalump turns out to be a hot-air
balloon.
- Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree
- by Eileen Christelow
Clarion 1991 (32p); also paper
Five mischievous monkeys discover the
risks in teasing a crocodile.
- The Missing Tarts
- by B. G. Hennessy
Viking 1988 (32p); also paper
The Queen of Hearts involves Jack and
Jill and other Mother Goose characters
in a lively search for her missing tarts.
AVERAGE
- My Mom and Dad Make Me Laugh
- by Nick Sharratt
Candlewick 1994 (32p)
Mom adores spots and Dad wears only
stripes, but in this funny family, a boy
dresses in gray because he loves
elephants.
- The Cow Buzzed
- by Andrea Zimmerman and David
Clemesha
Harper 1993 (32p); also paper
In this funny cumulative tale, all the
farm animals get the sniffles and the
wrong voices after a bee sneezes.
- Ten Tiny Turtles
- by Paul Cherrill
(Math)
Ticknor 1995 (32p)
These silly counting rhymes capture
animal activities, from worms wearing
sunglasses to fish playing hockey.
- El libro tonto
(The Silly Book)
- by Babette Cole
A young boy points out the many silly
things that people do. Text in
Spanish.
- Sheep Take a Hike
- by Nancy Shaw
Houghton 1994 (32p)
When six sheep set out for a hike, they
have a series of comic misadventures.
- April Showers
- by George Shannon
Greenwillow 1995 (32p)
A group of frogs dancing and jumping
and leaping in the rain doesn't notice a
snake.
- The Right Number of Elephants
- by Jeff Sheppard
(Math)
Harper 1990 (32p); also paper
In this counting book, helpful
pachyderms solve some problems for a
young girl.
CHALLENGING
- Zoodles
- by Bernard Most
Harcourt 1992 (32p)
The answers to this book of playful
riddles are hybrid animals like the
camelephant.
- Caps for Sale
- by Esphyr Slobodkina
Harper 1947 (48p); also paper
A poor peddler loses his caps to a
group of mischievous monkeys.
Available in Spanish asSe venden
gorras.
- Laughing All the Way
- by George Shannon
Houghton 1992 (32p)
Duck's bad day gets even worse after
he's grabbed by Bear.
- Old Turtle's Riddle and Joke Book
- by Leonard Kessler
Greenwillow 1986 (48p); Dell 1990
paper
Old Turtle and his friends tell easy
jokes and riddles.
- Duncan the Dancing Duck
- by Syd Hoff
Clarion 1994 (32p)
A dancing duck finds fame in the big
city.
- No Peas for Nellie
- by Chris Demarest
Macmillan 1988 (32p); also paper
Nellie goes through an outlandish list
of all the things she'd rather eat than
peas.
- Amelia Bedelia
- by Peggy Parish
Harper 1963 (64p); also paper
The literal-minded housekeeper follows
one funny mix-up with another.
BOOKS FOR TEACHERS TO READ ALOUD
- A Poem for a Pickle: Funnybone
Verses
- by Eve Merriam
Greenwillow 1989 (40p)
These bouncy, funny poems will
delight children.
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew
Cubbins
- by Dr. Seuss
Random 1989 (48p)
Every time Bartholomew doffs his hat
before the king, another hat appears.
- King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
- by Audrey Wood
Harcourt 1985 (32p); also paper
A king refuses to get out of the
bathtub to rule his kingdom.
- Moira's Birthday
- by Robert Munsch
Firefly 1993 (32p) paper
Moira's birthday party turns out to be
even bigger than she expected.
Available in Spanish asEl
cumpleaños de Mariela.
BOOKS FOR SHARED READING
- Rachel Fister's Blister
- by Amy MacDonald
Houghton 1990 (32p)
A blister on a girl's toe prompts all of
the adults to try a series of silly cures.
- It's Raining, It's Pouring
- by Kin Eagle
Whispering Coyote 1994 (32p)
Six new verses add humor to a
traditional rhyme.
- The Cake That Mack Ate
- by Rose Robart
Little 1987 (32p); also paper
In this humorous cumulative story,
Mack the dog eats a birthday cake.
- Pardon? Said the Giraffe
- by Colin West
Harper 1986 (24p) paper
Giraffe is so tall, he can't hear a word
that Frog says to him.