Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- Martin Luther King, Jr. and His
Birthday
- by Jacqueline Woodson
(Multicultural)
Silver 1990 (32p)
Readers learn why Martin Luther
King's birthday is celebrated.
- Daniel's Duck
- by Clyde Robert Bulla
Harper 1979 (64p)
A young boy meets his idol who
teaches him to respect his own work.
- Amazing Grace
- by Mary Hoffman
(Multicultural)
Dial 1991 (32p)
Grace knows she can be anything she
wants to.
- Boundless Grace
- by Mary Hoffman
(Multicultural)
Dial 1995 (32p)
In this sequel, Grace goes off to meet
her father's new family in Africa.
- Pearl Paints
- by Abigail Thomas
(Art )
Holt 1994 (32p)
When Pearl gets a set of paints for her
birthday, she discovers she can't stop
painting.
EASY
- The Courage of Sarah Noble
- by Alice Dalgliesh
Macmillan 1987 (64p); also paper
Eight-year-old Sarah helps her father
build a home in the wilderness.
Available in Spanish asEl valor de
Sarah Noble.
- Centerfield Ballhawk
- by Matt Christopher
Little 1992 (64p)
José wants to become the ball player
his father once was.
- Hattie and the Wild Waves
- by Barbara Cooney
(Art)
Viking 1990 (40p)
A young girl from Brooklyn finally
decides to follow her dream to become
an artist.
- A Picture Book of Jesse Owens
- by David A. Adler
(Multicultural)
Holiday 1992 (32p)
Owens overcomes obstacles to become
an Olympic champion.
- Mom Can't See Me
- by Sally Hobart Alexander
(Social Studies)
Macmillan 1990 (48p)
The author, who became blind in her
twenties, tells her story from the point
of view of her ten-year-old daughter.
- Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand
- by Arthur Levine
Tambourine 1993 (32p)
Mrs. Moscowitz and her neighbors are
determined to save the last tree in their
neighborhood.
- John Henry
- by Julius Lester
(Multicultural)
Dial 1994 (40p)
The legendary John Henry wields two
sledgehammers to make a railroad
tunnel through a mountain.
- Clara Barton and Her Victory Over
Fear
- by Robert Quackenbush
(Social Studies)
Simon 1995 (40p)
Once too timid to ask for a new pair of
gloves, Clara Barton later became a
nurse on the Civil War battlefields.
AVERAGE
- Beans on the Roof
- by Betsy Byars
Delacorte 1988 (80p) paper
George “String” Bean struggles for
inspiration to write a poem.
- The Toothpaste Millionaire
- by Jean Merrill
(Multicultural)
Houghton 1974 (96p) also paper
Rufus develops and markets his own
brand of toothpaste.
- Five Brave Explorers
- by Wade Hudson
(Multicultural)
Scholastic 1995 (48p)
The lives of five African American
explorers are outlined.
- Riptide
- by Frances Ward Weller
Putnam 1990 (32p)
A dog named Riptide proves his
bravery on a Cape Cod beach.
- Peppe the Lamplighter
- by Elisa Bartone
Lothro's father learns that even a
lamplighter's job is important.
- The Big Help Book
- by Alan Goodman
(Social Studies)
Minstrel 1994 (48p)
Youngsters who are actively involved
in volunteerism encourage others to get
involved.
- The Skates of Uncle Richard
- by Carol Fenner
(Multicultural)
Random 1978 (62p) paper
Marsha dreams of becoming a champion
skater, but how can she practice in
Uncle Richard's old-fashioned hockey
skates?
- Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the
American West
- by Stephen Kroll
(Social Studies)
Holiday 1994 (32p)
Details the hardships of the Lewis and
Clark expedition in 1804-1806.
- The Glorious Flight: Across the
Channel with Louis Bleriot
- by Alice and Martin Provensen
Viking 1983 (40p)
The story of the inventor of the first
heavier-than-air machine to fly across
the Channel.
- Ride the Red Cycle
- by Harriette Gillem Robinet
(Multicultural)
Houghton 1980 (48p)
A crippled boy struggles to realize his
dream of riding a bicycle.
- Mirette on the High Wire
- by Emily Arnold McCully
Putnam 1992 (32p)
Mirette helps the Great Bellini, a
master wire-walker, regain his courage.
- The Street Is Free
- by Kurusa
(Multicultural)
Kane-Miller 1992 (48p)
Neighborhood children decide a local
vacant lot should be turned into a
playground. Available in Spanish as
La calle es libre.
- The Losers Fight Back: A Wild Willy
Mystery
- by Barbara M. Joosse
Clarion 1994 (128p)
Willy and Lucy figure out how to turn
their soccer team into winners and
outwit the school bully.
- Charles Lindbergh: Hero Pilot
- by David R. Collins
(Social Studies)
Chelsea 1991 (80p)
The story of Lindbergh and his historic
flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis.
- Class President
- by Johanna Hurwitz
(Multicultural)
Morrow 1990 (96p)
Shy Julio runs against the popular
Cricket for class president.
- Bluewater Journal: The Voyage of the
Sea Tiger
- by Loretta Krupinski
Harcourt 1995 (32p)
Young Benjamin and his family
experience many adventures aboard a
clipper ship in 1860.
- The Patchwork Quilt
- by Valerie Flournoy
(Multicultural)
Dial 1985 (32p)
Tanya wants to finish the quilt she and
her grandmother worked on together
until her grandmother's illness.
- Swamp Angel
- by Anne Isaacs
Dutton 1994 (54p)
A tall tale about Angelica Longrider,
who vanquished Thundering Tarnation,
a bear terrorizing Tennessee.
CHALLENGING
- How It Feels to Fight for Your Life
- by Jill Krementz
Little 1990 (144p)
The stories of fourteen youngsters who
face their serious illnesses with great
courage.
- Teammates
- by Peter Golenbock
(Multicultural)
Harcourt 1990 (32); also paper
The story of Jackie Robinson, who
broke the color barrier in professional
baseball, and his teammate Pee Wee
Reese, who became his friend.
- Champions: The Story of Ten
Remarkable Athletes
- by Bill Littlefield
(Multicultural)
Little 1994 (144p)
Chronicles the careers of ten
outstanding male and female athletes
who have overcome a variety of
obstacles.
- The Shiniest Rock of All
- by Nancy Ruth Patterson
Farrar 1991 (72p)
Robert learns to overcome his inability
to say his “r's” with the help of Miss
Snead's rock.
- The Pride of Puerto Rico: The Life of
Roberto Clemente
- by Paul Robert Walker
(Multicultural)
Harcourt 1988 (144p)
The life story of baseball player
Roberto Clemente.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves
- Lothrop 1992 (48p)
(Multicultural)
Ahyoka and her father Sequoyah spend
years creating an alphabet for their
Cherokee people.
- Taking Flight: My Story by Vicki Van
Meter
- by Vicki Van Meter with Dan Gutman
(Social Studies)
Viking 1995 (96p)
Twelve-year-old Vicki tells her story of
becoming the youngest girl to fly
across the country.
- Amelia Earhart: Courage in the Sky
- by Mona Kerby
(Social Studies)
Viking 1990 (58p)
The story of the famous aviator who
disappeared in 1937.