Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- Blaze and the Forest Fire: Billy and
Blaze Spread the Alarm
- by C. W. Anderson
Macmillan 1992 (48p)
Billy and his pony Blaze ride over
dangerous trails to alert people to a
fire.
- The Big Storm
- by Rhea Tregebov
Hyperion 1993 (32p)
On the day of the big storm, Jeannette
forgets about her cat, Kitty Doyle.
- Kinderdike
- by Leonard Everett Fisher
Macmillan 1994 (32p)
People of a small village in Holland
rebuild after a major storm.
- V for Vanishing: An Alphabet of
Endangered Animals
- by Patricia Mullins
(Science/Health)
Harper 1994 (32p)
Endangered animals are presented with
their Latin names and native regions.
- The Great Shaking
- by Jo Carson
Orchard 1994 (32p)
The Missouri earthquakes of 1811 and
1812 are described by a bear.
- The Molasses Flood
- by Blair Lent
Houghton 1992 (32p)
A wave of molasses takes Charlie
Muldoon and his house on a ride
through the streets of Boston.
EASY
- Time of Wonder
- by Robert McCloskey
Viking 1957; Puffin 1989 paper
In this classic, a storm builds off the
coast of a Maine island.
- Fighting Fires
- by Susan Kuklin
Bradbury 1993 (32p)
A photo essay showing the New York
City Fire Department at work.
- Henry the Sailor Cat
- by Mary Calhoun
Morrow 1994 (40p)
That intrepid Siamese cat Henry saves
the day when a storm comes up at sea.
- Shipwrecks: A 3-Dimensional
Exploration
- by David Hawcock
(Social Studies)
Harper 1993 (24p)
A seventeenth-century Spanish galleon
and theTitanic are shown in their
original states and as they were found
after they sank.
- Flying Firefighters
- by Gary Hines
(Social Studies)
Clarion 1993 (32p)
The crew of Copter 517 fights a forest
fire from the air.
- Emergency!
- by Gail Gibbons
Clarion 1993 (32p)
Explains how emergencies are handled
on land and sea.
- Crossing the New Bridge
- by Emily Arnold McCully
Putnam 1994 (32p)
The happiest person in town must be
first to cross the New Bridge, or
disaster will strike.
AVERAGE
- Clouds of Terror
- by Catherine A. Welch
Carolrhoda 1994 (56p) paper
Life in southwestern Minnesota is
disrupted by plagues of grasshoppers in
the 1870s.
- They Survived Mount St. Helens
- by Megan Stine
(Social Studies)
Random 1994 (96p) paper
The story of Washington's volcanic
disaster and the people who survived
it.
- All About Mountains and Volcanoes
- by Elizabeth Marcus
(Science/Health)
Troll 1984 (32p)
Well-illustrated, factual information.
Available in Spanish asMontañas y
volcanes.
- Terror in the Towers: Amazing
Stories from the World Trade Center
Disaster
- by Adrian Kerson
(Social Studies)
Bullseye 1993 (96p) paper
True accounts of the World Trade
Center bombing, told by those who were there -- from
kindergartners to rescue workers.
- Smoky Night
- by Eve Bunting
(Multicultural)
Harcourt 1994 (32p)
When Daniel and his mother must leave
their home because of a fire, Daniel
worries about his cat.
- Lost in the Storm
- by Carol Carrick
Clarion 1979 (32p) also paper
After a violent storm, Christopher fears
his dog may be lost forever.
- Danger -- Icebergs!
- by Roma Gans
(Science/Health)
Harper 1987 (32p)
Explains how icebergs are formed and
the methods used to find them before
they cause disasters.
- Survive! Could You?
- by Judy Donnelly and Sydelle Kramer
Random 1993 (96p) paper
How to survive earthquakes, quicksand,
tidal waves, and other disasters.
- Avalanche
- by Stephen Kramer
(Science/Health)
Carolrhoda 1991 (48p)
What causes snow slides and how they
can be prevented.
- Fire! Fire!
- by Gail Gibbons
(Science/Health)
Harper 1984 (40p) also paper
Discusses all types of fires and
firefighting methods.
- If You Lived at the Time of the Great
San Francisco Earthquake
- by Ellen Levine
(Social Studies)
Scholastic 1992 (64p)
The events of April 18, 1906, as seen
from a child's perspective.
- Earthquakes
- by Franklyn M. Branley
(Science/Health)
Harper 1990 (32p) also paper
The author describes what earthquakes
are and how they occur.
- Oil Spill!
- by Melvin Berger
(Social Studies)
Harper 1994 (32p)
Explains how oil spills occur and the
damage they do, focusing on the Exxon
Valdez disaster.
- The Story of the Chicago Fire
- by R. Conrad Stine
(Social Studies)
Childrens 1982 (32p)
Eyewitness accounts of the Chicago
fire of 1871.
CHALLENGING
- Young Indiana Jones and theTitanic
Adventure
- by Les Martin
Random 1993 (128p) paper
Young Indy may be traveling first class
to disaster.
- Finding theTitanic
- by Robert Ballard
Madison 1993 (48p)
Ballard describes how he found the
Titanic in 1985, 12,000 feet below the
sea.
- Forest Fire
- by Christopher Lampton
(Science/Health)
Millbrook 1991 (64p)
The causes of forest fires and the
techniques used to fight them.
- Air Disasters
- by Roger Coote
Thomson 1993 (48p)
Air disasters and what causes them.
- The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire
- by Zachary Kent
(Social Studies)
Childrens 1989 (32p)
The story of a factory fire in which
over one hundred workers perished.
- Icebergs
- by Jenny Wood
(Science/Health)
Puffin 1990 (32p)
Basic information on these dangerous
formations. Available in Spanish as
Los icebergs.
- Volcanoes
- by Jenny Wood
(Science/Health)
Puffin 1990 (32p)
Information on what causes volcanoes
to erupt. Available in Spanish asLos
volcanes.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- The Blizzard of 1896
- by E. J. Bird
Carolrhoda 1990 (72p)
Tall tales about amazing things that
happened during this blizzard.
- Polar theTitanic Bear
- by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden
Little 1994 (64p)
A toy bear relates his experiences
aboard theTitanic and his reunion
with his owner.
- Tikvah Means Hope
- by Patricia Polacco
(Multicultural)
Doubleday 1994 (40p)
A neighborhood near Oakland is
devastated when fires ravage the
community during Sukkoth.