Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- The Cow That Went OINK
- by Bernard Most
Harcourt 1990 (32p)
A cow that oinks and a pig that moos
teach each other the words they know.
Available in Spanish as La vaca
que decía OINK.
- I Pretend
- by Heidi Goennel
Tambourine 1995 (32p)
A child's imagination turns ordinary
moments into adventures.
- Dinner at the Panda Palace
- by Stephanie Calmenson
(Math)
Harper 1995 (32p) paper
All kinds of hungry animals show up at
the Panda Palace for a hearty meal.
- The Wizard
- by Bill Martin, Jr.
Harcourt 1994 (32p)
A wizard casts a spell that eventually
causes his own disappearance.
EASY
- Night Becomes Day
- by Richard McGuire
Viking 1994 (32p)
Night evolves into day and back again.
- The Napping House
- by Don and Audrey Wood
Harcourt 1984 (32p) paper
A flea wakes everyone from their
slumber on a cozy bed.
- Mouse TV
- by Matt Novak
Orchard 1994 (32p)
When their TV goes blank, the mouse
family discovers the fun of doing
things.
- The Vegetables Go to Bed
- by Christopher King
Crown 1994 (32p)
Each vegetable in the garden prepares
for sleep in its own way.
- Cat-Fish
- by Jill Newton
Lothrop 1992 (24p)
Winston, a fisherman's cat, decides to
try living in the ocean.
AVERAGE
- A Most Unusual Lunch
- by Robert Bender
Dial 1994 (32p)
When a hungry frog swallows a beetle,
it sets off a series of unusual events.
- Animals Don't Wear Pajamas: A
Book About Sleeping
- by Eve B. Feldman
(Science/Health)
Holt 1991 (32p)
A look at the unusual sleeping habits
of sixteen different animals.
- Komodo!
- by Peter Sís
Greenwillow 1993 (32p)
A boy goes to an Indonesian island,
where he finds the Komodo dragon.
- Mrs. Merriwether's Musical Cat
- by Carol Purdy
Putnam 1994 (32p)
A stray cat has a surprising effect on
Mrs. Merriwether's piano students.
- The Mysterious Tadpole
- by Steven Kellogg
Dial 1977 (32p); 1979 paper
Louis's tadpole turns into a Loch Ness
monster.
- When Bluebell Sang
- by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Bradbury 1989 (32p); Macmillan paper
1992
A cow named Bluebell gains fame and
fortune with her wonderful singing
voice.
- How the Second Grade Got
$8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of
Liberty
- by Nathan Zimelman
(Math)
Whitman 1992 (32p)
A second grade class raises money to
visit the Statue of Liberty.
- The Cow Who Wouldn't Come
Down
- by Paul Brett Johnson
Orchard 1993 (32p)
Miss Rosemary resorts to trickery to
get her flying cow, Gertrude, back on
the ground.
- The Day the Goose Got Loose
- by Reeve Lindbergh
Dial 1990 (32p)
A goose causes comical chaos in the
farmyard when it flies away from its
coop.
- Martha Calling
- by Susan Meddaugh
Houghton 1994 (32p)
Martha the dog wins a vacation at an
inn where no dogs are allowed.
- Gertrude the Bulldog Detective
- by Eileen Christelow
Clarion 1992 (32p); also paper
When Gertrude the bulldog becomes a
detective, she helps catch two art
thieves.
- Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
- by Arnold Lobel
(Multicultural)
Greenwillow 1982 (32p) paper
Ming Lo's wife wants him to move the
mountain next to which they live.
- Ben's Trumpet
- by Rachel Isadora
(Multicultural)
Greenwillow 1979 (32p); Mulberry
1991 paper
A jazz-loving boy's dreams come true
when he plays a real musician's
trumpet.
- Chicken Little
- by Steven Kellogg
Morrow 1985 (32p); also paper
A fox attempts to hijack a chicken
truck, setting off a surprising chain of
events in this madcap story.
Available in Spanish asPollita
pequeña.
CHALLENGING
- Roxaboxen
- by Alice McLerran
Lothrop 1991 (32p)
A group of children use their
imaginations to create a city in the
desert.
- Our Amazing Animal Friends
- by Gene S. Stuart
(Science/Health)
National Geographic Society 1994
(34p)
This book describes record holders in
the animal world, including the largest
lizard and the fastest mammal.
- Imogene's Antlers
- by David Small
Crown 1988 (32p)
A young girl wakes up one morning to
discover she's sprouted a huge set of
antlers.
- The Paper Crane
- by Molly Bang
(Multicultural)
Greenwillow 1985 (32p); Mulberry
1987 paper
A paper crane that comes to life
restores the fortunes of a kind man.
- Just Plain Fancy
- by Patricia Polacco
Putnam 1990 (32p)
Two Amish children discover an
abandoned egg that hatches a beautiful
peacock.
- Paul Bunyan
- by Steven Kellogg
Morrow 1993 (48p); Mulberry 1994
paper
The remarkable exploits of the hero of
an American tall tale. Available in
Spanish asPaul Bunyan.
- Anansi and the Talking Melon
- by Eric Kimmel
(Multicultural)
Holiday 1994 (32p); also paper
A spider tricks Elephant into thinking
that the melon in which he's hiding can
talk.
- A Snake Mistake
- by Mavis Smith
Harper 1991 (32p); also paper
This is a story based on the real
account of a snake that swallowed a
light bulb.
- The Magic Schoolbus in the Time
of the Dinosaurs
- by Joanna Cole
Scholastic 1994 (32p)
The Magic Schoolbus transports Ms.
Frizzle's class back to prehistoric
times.
- Incredible Dinosaurs
- by Christopher Maynard
(Science/Health)
Snapshot 1994 (32p)
Captioned photographs relay
fascinating facts about different
dinosaurs.
- How Much Is a Million?
- by David M. Schwartz
(Math)
Lothrop 1985 (40p); Scholastic paper
Marvelosissimo the Mathematical
Magician explains the numbers a
million, a billion, and a trillion.
- Pudmuddles
- by Carol Beach York
Harper 1993 (48p)
Mr. and Mrs. Pudmuddle do many
things backward, such as eating dinner
for breakfast.
- Everyday Mysteries
- by Jerome Wexler
(Science/Health)
Dutton 1995 (32p)
This book displays close-up
photographs of everyday objects and
challenges children to guess what
they are.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- Time Train
- by Paul Fleischman
Harper 1991 (32p); also paper
During a field trip to Utah's Dinosaur
National Monument, Miss Pym's class
goes back in time to the Jurassic
period.
- Meteor!
- by Patricia Polacco
Putnam 1987 (32p)
The entire town turns out to gawk at
the sight of a meteor in Gramma and
Grampa Gaw's front yard.
- Horton Hatches the Egg
- by Dr. Seuss
Random 1940 (64p); also paper
Horton the Elephant agrees to egg-sit
for a lazy bird named Mayzie.
- Flat Stanley
- by Jeff Brown
Harper 1964 (64p); also paper
Stanley Lambchop wakes up to discover
that he's flat, and he has a series of
funny adventures. Available in
Spanish asStanley, El Plano.
Books for Shared Reading
- And to Think That I Saw It on
Mulberry Street
- by Dr. Seuss
Random 1989 (32p)
Marco imagines all kinds of fantastical
sights on Mulberry Street.
- Fortunately
- by Remy Charlip
Macmillan 1980 (40p); Aladdin 1993
paper
On his way to a birthday party, Ned has
a series of comic misadventures.
- The Giant Jam Sandwich
- by John V. Lord
Houghton 1987 (32p); also paper
The citizens of Itching Down devise a
clever way to get rid of four million
wasps.