Books & Such

Autumn Reading List

I love Autumn!  Cool, crisp air.  Raindrops gently falling, watering my garden.  Anticipation of the holiday season quickly approaching!  Here are some of my favorite books, devotionals, and Advent books, and more!  Hope they bless your family:)

Preschool-3rd Grade

Picture Books and Beginning Readers

Is Your Mama a Llama- Steven Kellogg

The Story of Ferdinand- Munro Leaf

MikeMulligan and His Steam Shovel- Virginia Lee Burton

Runaway Bunny- Margaret Wise Brown

Corduroy- Don Freeman

Are You My Mother?  P. D. Eastman

Pat, the Bunny- Dorothy Kunhardt

Moo Baa La La La- Sandra Boynton

Animals (Baby Touch and Feel Book)- DK Publishing

Dear Zoo (Flap Book)- Rod Campbell

 

Primary Reading, Grades 1-3

The Mixed Up Chameleon- Eric Carle

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  Bill Martin

Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- Judith Viorst

The Five Chinese Brothers- Claire Bishop

Strega Nona: An Old Tale- Tomie dePaola

Hansel and Gretel- Hans Christian Adnerson

Floss- Kim Lewis

Billy and Blaze- A Boy and His Horse- C. W. Anderson

The Boy Who Held Back the Sea- Thomas Locker

Hans Brinker- Bruce Coville

Vincent Van Gogh:  Sunflower & Swirly Stars- Joan Holub

Katie Meets the Impressionists- James Mayhew

Easy Readers

George and the Drummer Boy- Nathaniel Benchley

The Drinking Gourd- F. N. Monjo

Balloons Over Broadway- Melissa Sweet

Samuel Eaton's Day- Kate Waters

Thanksgiving Story- Alice Dalgiesh

Advanced Readers 

Squanto- Clyde Robert Bulla

Stories of the Pilgrims- Margaret Pumphrey

The Landing of the Pilgrims- James Daughtery

The Pilgim Fathers- L. DuGarde Peach

The Story of the World- Susan Wise Bauer

Discovery Books

Blood and Guts- Linda Allison

Jonathan Park- The Adventure Begins

Green Thumbs- Laurie Carlson

Where Butterflies Grow- Joanne Ryder

ADVENT--

**the following is a series for Avent.  It is recommended to be read every night from Thanksgiving until Christmas.  It's best to read Jotham's Journey first, since it's the first in the series.

Jotham's Journey- Aaron Ytreeide

Bartholomew's Passage

Tabitha's Travels

Elementary Grades 4-6

Michelangelo- Diane Stanley

Pagoo- Holling C. Holling

Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame

Journey to the Center of the Earth- Jules Verne

A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens

Encyclopedia Brown- Donald Sobol

Ralph Mouse- Beverly Cleary

Indian in the Cupboard- Lynne Reid Banks

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler- E. L. Konisburg

Twenty One Balloons- William Pene duBois

JR High and Up

Pigmalion- George Bernard Shaw

Taming of the Shrew- William Shakespeare

Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen

Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy

Utopia- Thomas More

The Epic of Gilgamesh- Anonymous

Encyclopedia Brown- Donald Sobol

A Wrinkle in time- Madeleine L'Engle

The League of Grateful Sons: DVD- Vision Forum

Silas Marner- George Eliot

Discovery

Unlocking the Mysteries of Life- Michael Behe

The Privileged Planet- John Rhys- Davies

State of the Arts- Gene Edward Veith

The Church In History- B. K. Kuiper

Betty Crocker Thanksgiving Cookbook

William & Sonoma- Thanksgiving Entertaining- Lou Pappas

Knots: More Than 50 Uses of the Most Useful Knots for Camping, Sailing, Fishing, and Camping- Peter Owen

Pilgrims and Indians:CD- Douglass W. Phillips

SEPTEMBER READING LIST

"Happy Tales to You!"

Happy September!! It's Back to School for Most of You! Ahh, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.  The  sounds of sheets of paper ripping from those spiral binders!  I miss that somewhat.  I hope you find this helpful in your year.  Please let me know which are your favorite:)

Elementary Grades Pre-K – 3:

Preschool/Board Books

My Big Animal Book- Roger Priddy

Barnyard Dance!- Sandra Boynton

Very Hungry Caterpillar- Eric Carle

I Spy Little Book- J. Marzollo & W. Wick

My Very First Mother Goose Book- I. Opie

Primary Reading Level Grades 1-3

Spiritual and Inspirational

A Child’s Story Bible- Catherine F. Vos

Hero Tales- Dave and Neta Jackson

Anthologies and Poetry

A Child’s Garden of Verses- Robert Louis Stevenson

Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young- Jack Prelutsky

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street- Dr. Suess

Picture Books

Now We are Six- A. A. Milne

Best Storybook Ever- Richard Scarry

Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book

Curious George's First Day of School- H.A. Rey

Beginning Readers and Read Aloud

The Red Book- B. Lehman- Caldecott Honor Book

Fire Engine Book- Tibor Gregory&Diane Muldrow (Little Golden Book)

I Know Numbers- Step Ahead- Golden Books

The Real Mother Goose- Blanche Fisher Wright (A Touch & Feel Book)

Aesop’s Fables: Illustrated Edition

The Selfish Giant- Oscar Wilde ***Don't miss this one!! Excellent:)

Easy Readers

Make Way For Ducklings- Robert McCloskey

Bob Books- Bobby Lynn Maslen and John R. Maslen

Camping Out- Mercer Mayer- Step 1 Reader

Town Mouse, Country Mouse- Jan Brett

Armadillo Rodeo- Jan Brett

My Loose Tooth- Stephen Krensky- Step 2 Reader

Ready? Set. Raymond- Vaunda Nelson- Step 2 Reader

Advanced Readers

Follow My Leader- James B. Garfield

If You Lived 100 Years Ago- Ann McGovern

My Fathers Dragon- Ruth Stiles Gannett

Mr. Popper’s Penguins- Richard Atwater

Holiday

Labor Day- Rookie Read Aloud Holidays- Carmen Bredson

The Little Chapel That Stood- A. B. Curtiss (I haven’t read this but it looks good-make sure you pre-read before sharing it with children)

Biographies

Clara Barton: Angel in the Battlefield- Rae Bains

Davy Crockett- Young Pioneer- Laurence Santrey (bday this month)

DaVinci: Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists- Mike Venezia

Discovery

How to Speak Politely and Why- Munro Leaf

My Body Book- Patty Carratello (K and up)

Parenting

Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV- Stan and Jan Berenstain

I’ll Love You Forever- Robert Munsch

Elementary Reading Level Grades 4-6

Spiritual and Inspirational

A Child’s Story Bible- Catherine F. Vos

Training Hearts, Teaching Minds- Starr Meade

Anthologies and Poetry

The Giving Tree- Shel Silverstein

Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost- Gary D. Schmidt

Literature

Paddle to the Sea- Holling C. Holling

All Creatures, Great and Small- James Herriot

A Door in the Wall- Marguerite De Angeli

Caddie Woodlawn- Carol Ryrie Brink

The Golden Goblet- Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The Wheel On The School- Meindert Dejong

Advanced Literature

Anne of Green Gables- L. M. Montgomery

Sherlock Holmes- Arthur Conan Doyle

Arabian Nights

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry- Mildred Taylor

The Bronze Bow- Elizabeth George Speare

Holiday

Cornerstones of Freedom- September 11, 2001- Andrew Santella

Biographies

DK Presidents- James D. Barber- Eyewitness Books

Childhood Biographies of Famous Americans: Louis Armstrong- Dharathula Millender

Childhood Biographies of Famous Americans: Davy Crockett- Young Rifleman- Aileen Wells Parks

Discovery

Art Auction Mystery- Anna Nilsen

Science Experiments You Can Eat!  Vicki Cobb (10 and up)

Food and Nutrition for Every Kid- Jancie VanCleave (10 and up)

Blood and Guts: A Working Guide to Your Own Intestines- Linda Allison (5 and up)

Resources

Fallacy Detectives- Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn

Financial Peace Jr.-Teaching Kids About Money- Dave Ramsey

Parenting

Young Peacemakers- Corlette Sande

Junior Reading Level Grades 7-9

Spiritual and Inspirational

Josh McDowell’s Youth Devotions

Soul Surfer Devotions- Bethany Hamilton

Anthologies and Poetry

Selected Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson- Penguin Classics

Literature

Anne of Green Gables- L. M. Montgomery

Sherlock Holmes- Arthur Conan Doyle

Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte

The Picture of Dorian Grey- Oscar Wilde

Arabian Nights

Advanced Literature

Moby Dick- Herman Melville

A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway

Holiday

National Geographic- Inside 9/11- Commemorative Edition

Biographies

John Bunyan- Author of the Pilgrims of Faith- Sam Wellman

Discovery

7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens- Sean Covey

The Weather Book- Michael Oard

Resources

Where’s My Stuff- Samantha Moss

What Smart Students Know- Adam Robinson

Parenting

The Heart of Anger- Lou Priolo

Senior Reading Level Grades 10-12

Spiritual and Inspirational

Hinds’ Feet On High Places- Hannah Hurnard

Anthologies and Poetry

The Song of Hiawatha and Other Poems- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

101 Great American Poems- Dover Editions

Literature

The Cross and the Switchblade- David Wilkerson

Adventures of Tom Sawyer- Mark Twain

Captains Courageous- Rudyard Kipling

Gulliver’s Travels- Jonathan Swift

Little Britches- Ralph Moody

Holiday

Let’s Roll- Lisa Beamer

Biographies

Discovery

What Color Is Your Parachute- Richard Nelson Bolles

How To Read A Book- Mortimer J. Adler

Financial Peace for the Next Generation- Dave Ramsey

Parenting

Power of a Praying Parent- Stormie Omartian

Adult (Any Reading Level)

Spiritual and Inspirational

Bible

ESV Study Bible- Crossway Bibles

Anthologies and Poetry

Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume A and B- Baym, Franklin

Oxford Book of American Poetry- David Lehman, John Brehm

Easy Readers

Very Easy True Stories- Sandra Heyer

OPD- Oxford Picture Dictionary- Jayme Adleson-Goldstein

Literature

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court- Mark Twain

The Time Machine- H. G. Wells

Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

The Pearl- John Steinbeck

Advanced Literature

The Scarlett Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck

Karamozov Brothers- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Hamlet- Shakespeare

Holiday

National Geographic- Inside 9/11- Commemorative Edition

Biographies

John Muir: The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books (autobiography)

Discovery

Gray’s Anatomy- Henry Gray

I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School- Carolyn Taggart

Resources

Where’s My Stuff- Samantha Moss

AUGUST READING LIST

Preschool-3rd GradePreschool/Board Books/Read Aloud
Wag!  Patrick McDonnell
Larry Learns to Listen- Veggie Tales
The Oak Inside the Acorn- Max Lucado
Butterfly House- Eve Bunting
The Ugly Duckling- Hans Christian Anderson
Runaway Bunny- Margaret Wise Brown
Goodnight Moon- Margaret Wise Brown
Guess How Much I Love You?  Sam McBratney

Primary Reading Level Grades 1-3
Spiritual & Inspirational
A Child's Story Bible- Catherine F. Vos
Stories from the Old Testament- Simon & Schuster

Anthologies & Poetry
Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry- L. Untermeyer

Picture Books
Beginning Readers & Read Alouds
Show Some Respect- Mike & Jan Berenstain (Berenstain Bears)
The Big Birthday Surprise- Dave Ramsey
Babar- Jean De Brunhoff
Curious George Takes a Trip- H.A. Rey
Robin Hood- Margaret Early
Twilight Comes Twice- Ralph Fletcher

Easy Readers
Camping Out- Mercer Meyer (Little Critter Series)
National Geographic- Sea Turtles- Laura Marsh
Monarch & Milkweed- Helen Frost
Pecos Bill- Steven Kellogg
Little Red Riding Hood- Trina Schalt
Stone Soup- Marcia Brown
The Story of Ping- Marjorie Flack
Madeline- Ludwig Bemelmans

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs- Judi Barrett

Advanced Readers
John Henry- Julius Lester
American Tall Tales- Mary Pope Osborne
A Bear Called Paddington- Michael Bond
A Cricket in Time Square- George Selden
Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution- Jean Fritz
Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame

Discovery Books
The Wackiest, Wildest, Wierdest Animals in the World- Jack Hanna

Resources
Honey for a Child's Heart- Gladys Hunt
The Read Aloud Handbook- Jim Trelease
Shepherding a Child's Heart- Tedd Tripp
Giving Them Grace:  Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus- Elyse Fitzpatrick

******************************************************
Elementary Reading Level- 4th-6th Grade
Spiritual & Inspirational
Training Hearts, Teaching Minds- Starr Meade
A Child's Story of the Bible- Catherine F. Vos
The Westminster Shorter Catechism- G. I. Williamson
The Jesus Storybook Bible- Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Princes' Poison Cup-R. C. Sproul
Halfway Herbert- Francis Chan

Anthologies & Poetry
A Child's Garden of Verses - Robert Louis Stevenson & Jessie Wilcox Smith
James Herriot's Treasury for Children- J. Herriot, Ruth Brown, and Peter Barrett
Sing Song- Christina Rossetti

Literature
A Cricket in Time Square- George Selden
Shiloh- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Sign of the Beaver- Elizabeth George Speare
Amos Fortune: Free Man- Elizabeth Yates
Landing of the Pilgrims- James Daughtery
The Light in the Forest- Conrad Richter
The Hatchet- Gary Paulsen
Where the Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls
Charlotte's Web- E. B. White (3rd-up)

 Advanced Literature
Adventures of Robin Hood- Roger Lancelyn Green
Little Lord Fauntleroy- Frances Hodgson Burnett
Augustus Caesar's World- Genevieve Foster
Black Ships Before Troy- Rosemary Sutcliff
Sarah, Plain and Tall- Patricia MacLachlan
The Golden Goblet- Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The Bronze Bow- Elizabeth George Speare
The Door in the Wall- Marguerite De Angeli

Discovery
Butterfly Life Stages Growth Kit- Insect Lore
The Solar System- Seymour Simon
Usborne Book of World History
Drawing with Children- Mona Brookes

Resources
Fallacy Detectives- Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn
Financial Peace Jr.- Teaching Kids About Money- Dave Ramsey

Parenting
Young Peacemakers- Corlette Sande
*******************************************
Junior High Reading Level-7th-8th Grade
Spiritual & Inspirational
A Young Woman After God's Own Heart- Elizabeth George
Boyhood and Beyond- Bob Schultz
Don't Check Your Brains at the Door- Josh McDowell

Anthologies & Poetry
The Norton Anthology of American Literature- Nina Baym and others
Hamlet- William Shakespeare

Literature
The Yearling- Marjorie Rawlings
The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson Burnett
Black Beauty- Anna Sewell
Up from Slavery- Booker T. Washington
Christy- Catherine Marshall
The Hiding Place- Corrie Ten Boom

Advanced Literature
The Lost World- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Red Badge of Courage- Stephen Crane
Around the World In Eighty Days- Jules Verne
Hittite Warrior- Joanne Williamson

Discovery
Kingfischer History Encyclopedia
The Victor Journey through the Bible- V. Gilbert Beers
The New the Way Things Work- David Macaulay

Resources
Ready for Responsibility- Dr. Bob Barnes

Parenting
Thoughts for Young Men- J. C. Ryle
Beautiful Girlhood- Karen Andreola
********************************************
High School-Adult
Spiritual & Inspirational
Do Hard Things- Alex & Brett Harris

Anthologies & Poetry
Much Ado About Nothing- William Shakespeare
Complete Poems of Christina Rosetti

Literature
Our Town- Thorton Wilder
The Prince and the Pauper- Mark Twain
Utopia- Thomas More
The Trail & Death of Socrates:  Four Dialogues -Plato
Pilgrim's Progress- John Bunyan
David Copperfield- Charles Dickens
Journey to the Center of the Earth- Jules Verne
Hunchback of Notre Dame- Victor Hugo
Joni- Joni Eareckson Tada
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman

Discovery
Handbook of Nature Study- Anna Botsford Comstock
Whatever Happened To Penny Candy?  Richard Maybury
A Writer's Guide to Powerful Paragraphs- Victor Pellegrino

Parenting
Accelerated Distance Learning- Brad Voeller
Money Matters-Ron Blue

     Patriotism- July 1, 2012

Well, although I already posted a book list for July, I thought I would go back and add some more books, specifically on patriotism as we anticipate the celebration of the Fourth of July.  I wanted to add a movie or two, just for fun.  As you can see, my list got a little long!  So many great movies that my family has watched over the years about freedom and those who fight for it. 

I'm a sap when I see young men and women in uniform.  In fact, (this is something I've adopted from my youngest son) whenever I see a serviceman in uniform, I try to make it a point to thank them personally.  I get so choked up! 

So... back to the list. 

Although I had a few items in mind, specifically on the founding of America, I just thought I would search the Internet, perhaps I would discover some that slipped my mind. 

To my dismay, the lists were, to say the least, not what I would consider appropriate for most audiences.  I was surprised by some of the results. 

I then realized my idea of patriotism may be different from the norm, so I pulled out the Webster's 1828 Dictionary.  Yes, 1828!

Now, if you do not yet own Webster's 1828 Dictionary, I discovered it now has Internet access!  This is SO great.  Let me encourage you all to look up one word- education.  Compare the result with a current dictionary.  You may be surprised by the difference.  This was the definition of patriotism-

PAT'RIOTISM ,n. Love of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. Patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in the character of a citizen.

Ok, now that I know I'm clear on the definition, here are a few movies you may enjoy:

1. Johnny Tremain- this is an OLD Disney movie, also a book by Esther Hoskins Forbes about a 14 yr. old young man in Boston at the time of the American Revolution. 

2. Daniel Boone, series by Disney.  You may or may not know that Daniel Boone was part of the militia during the Revolutionary War.  My boys loved these videos when they were little.  I must add, if you have a little boy, a coon-skin cap and a tri-cornered cap will become a must!  I still have they ones my boys wore.  If you are of a creative nature, you can even make your own.  Check out www.ehow.com>HolidaysandCelebrations

3. Swamp Fox, a TV series starring Leslie Nielsen, as Francis Marion, American Revolutionary War Hero.  Fun, entertaining; great for the whole family.

4. Ben and Me, animated.  Focuses mainly on the achievements of Benjamin Franklin and his many contributions to American society.  This is also a book by Robert Lawson.

5.  **Patriot, starring Mel Gibson.  Ok, this is by far one of my favorite movies of all times, BUT it comes with a warning.  It has some very gruesome scenes.  You may want to pre-watch this and skip some scenes for small or sensitive children. 

6.  Liberty Kids- this was a PBS children series. I thought it was well done.

7.  Yankee Doodle Dandy, the movie about George M. Cohan, writer of "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There", just to mention a few, was a musician, stage performer, and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for boosting morale during the onset of WW1 (Over There). 

8.  Sergeant York.  First of all, you can rarely go wrong with a Gary Cooper movie!  This heartfelt story is based on the life of Alvin York, the most decorated American soldier in WW1. 

9.  Gods and Generals.  Focusing on events that lead up to, and include the Civil War.  Main character is Stonewall Jackson

10.  Gettysburg.  An epic movie (well, in my books) covers the three-day battle from July 1-3 1863.

** a tidbit- while researching for this movie list I couldn't help but notice how many things happened on July 3&4- G. Cohan was born on 7/3/1878, Gettysburg battle took place the first three days of July, 1863, two founding fathers died fifty years to the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Yes, there are definitely many more I could add to the list, but these are some of my favorites concerning the American Revolution, Civil War, and WW1&2.

Here's a little presidential history for you.

Which two founding fathers, also presidents, died on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence?

The answer is at the bottom of this post just in case you want to guess first:)

There is much debate as to what day should be celebrated, July 2nd, the day Congress "declared" independence, or July 4th, the day Congress adopted it.  July 1-4 was a celebration to be sure!  July 8th was the first public reading of the Declaration in Philadelphia, PA. 

Wishing you all a great Independence Day.  Put out your flags, attend a local parade, picnic, and celebrate our freedoms as Americans! 

**Trivia answer-

Thomas Jefferson, 7/4/1826 at age 83- author of initial draft of Declaration of Independence

John Adams, 7/4/1826 at age 90- signer and editor of Declaration of Independence with Benjamin Franklin.

James Monroe also dies on July 4 in 1831 at age 73.

Patriotic Book List:

George Washington's World- Genevieve Foster 4th & up or read aloud

Benjamin Franklin- Ingri D'Aulaire 1st-4th grade

The Fourth of July Story- Alice Dalgliesh 4th & up

The Boston Tea Party (Cornerstones of Freedom)- R. Conrad Stein 3rd &up

The Story of the Statue of Liberty- Betsy Maestro 2nd & up

Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?- Jean Fritz 2nd & up

If You Lived in the Time of the American Revolution- Kay Moore 2nd & up

Streams of Civilization, volume 2- Gary J. Moes (text bookish) 6th- adult

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia of the World- Charlotte Evans-4th-adult

I hope this list is helpful to you!  Keep reading:)

**and when you see a serviceman or woman, make it a point to thank them.  These are but a few of MY local heroes: Robert Face, Eric Morris, Bob Koch (retired), David View, and James Hahn, not to mention my dad, grandpa, William Erwin Bowers, my brother-in-laws, and my great, great, etc.. (I think it’s 8 greats, but I forget) Job Bowers who served in the American Revolution.  Thank you for your love of country, family, and God! 

I must admit I didn't enjoy reading when I was a child.  Now imagine taking on the task of homeschooling your children when you're not an avid reader. Well that's exactly what I did 20 years ago.  I never told my children I didn't like reading, I just read to them --a lot!  In fact I read out loud so much one year that I ended up with the worst case of laryngitis.  My doctor told me I was not allowed to speak for a week. Well, this just wouldn't do, so I spoke only when necessary and enlisted my older children to help.  Reading to your children is a privilege!  It's not always easy it means the clothes and dishes me sit in while, the answering machine becomes your best friend, and you have to sit.  You have to sit longer than you may normally sit.  You need to be still and enjoy the world you enter with your children.  I can think of very few things that it impacted my children as much as me reading aloud to them on a regular basis.  They were able to absorb worlds they never would have known! And for that matter so did I.  

Each month I will post a list of our favorite books, along with some new ones that I haven't read. I hope this list is of benefit to you. 

         Happy Reading!  Nancy

Since it is late in the month of June, I thought I'd publish the reading list for July.

July Reading List

Many of these books can be found at the local library.  I have also found that not only garage sales, but Amazon used books, Goodwill and other stores of this nature have a large book selection

Primary Grades 1-3

Preschool/Board Books

The Going To Bed Book- Sandra Boynton

Dr. Suess ABC Book- Dr. Suess

Pat the Bunny- Dorothy Kunhardt

Picture Books and Beginner Readers

Roxaboxen- Alice McLerran

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- J. Viorst

The Biggest Bear- Lynd Ward

Curious George series- Hans A. Rey

Emperors New Clothes- Hans Christian Anderson

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and others)- Laura Joffe Numeroff

Librarian Who Measured the Earth- Kathryn Lasky

Miss Rumphius- Barbara Cooney

Blueberries for Sal (and others)- Robert McCloskey

Are You My Mother- P.D. Eastman

Cat in the Hat (and others)- Dr. Suess

Easy Readers

Amelia Bedelia (and others)- Peggy Parish

Carrot Seed- Ruth Krauss

Josephina Quilt Story- Eleanor Coerr

Nate the Great- Marjorie Sharmat

Sam, The Minuteman- Nathaniel Benchley

Advanced Readers

Pocahontas- Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

James and the Giant Peach- Roald Dahl

George Washington’s Breakfast- Jean Fritz

Boxcar Children and others- Gertrude Warner

City-David Macaulay

Elementary Grades 4-6

Ben and Me- Robert Lawson

Brady- Jean Fritz (slavery in America)

Addy: American Girl Series

Black Beauty- Anne Sewel

Call of the Wild- Jack London

Charlotte’s Web- E.B. White

I, Juan de Pareja- Eliz. De Trevino

Sounder- William Armstrong**

Sarah, Plain and Tall- Patricia MacLachlan

Island of the Blue Dolphins-Scott O’Dell

Carlotta- Scott O’Dell

Jr High and Up

Chronicles of Narnia series- C.S. Lewis

Uncle Tom’s Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe

Frederick Douglass: A Biography- C. James Trotman

Heidi- Joanna Spyri

Old Man and the Sea- Ernest Hemingway

Kidnapped- Robert Louis Stevenson

Julie of the Wolves- Jean Craighead George

Hatchet- Gary Paulsen

The Giver- Lois Lowry