The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

Fiction
3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade

There once was a train that took toys and treats to the children over the mountain. One day the trip got to be too much for the train and she had to stop. The toys' hearts were broken and they knew that some other engine just had to come help them. The first engine, was a passenger engine, who refused to help. The next engine was a freight engine, he refused to help because he had just worked hard pulling machines over the mountain. The third engine to come by was a rusty engine that complained about being tired and said he needed to rest. The toys begin giving up hope until a little blue engine came by. The engine was small and was only used for switching trains in the yard. The engine felt sorry for the toys, so he agreed to help pull them. As the engine was climbing up the mountain it kept repeating to its self "I think I can," and the engine did! Because of the engine's kindness and motivation the toys and treats were able to reach all the children.


I will read this book to my students on the first day of school. I will explain to them that there are going to be things that they feel like they can't do but to remember if they believe in themselves they can do anything. I will explain to them that just like the Little Blue Engine helped the train I will be there to help them throughout the year. And throughout the entire year if a child becomes frustrated because something gets too hard I will remind them of the Little Engine That Could!

I Knew You Could! by Craig Dorfman

Fiction
3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade

This sequel to The Little Engine That Could talks about the struggles the train has gone through to get to where he is in his life. The Engine talks about first having to choose which track to take. He gives advice as to what to do when you start on the track you choose and he says to just remember that you can do anything! The Engine then talks about when you go through life's tunnels and it seems difficult to remember just like you came in, you can come out. And he proceeds to talk about how sometimes you may wish you could go off your track but make sure you stop and just enjoy the trip. The Engine says not to be afraid to give yourself praise, make new friends, and ask a friend for help. He says to always stay true to yourself. He ends his journey by saying not to rush and believe that you can do anything.


I will read this book to my students on the last day of school. I will tell them how proud I am of them for working so hard and I know that they will do great things. I feel that no child is ever too old to hear this book and receive praise for the accomplishments they have made.

We The Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow

Nonfiction
3rd Grade

Catrow begins the book explaining his first encounter with the Preamble to the Constitution. He explains to kids the importance of the document and what it means. The next part of the book explains what each part of the Preamble means in terms kids would understand. Then finally Catrow breaks the Preamble into different pages by each section and provides an illustration that will help students with understanding what each part means.


Before reading this book with my students I will divide them into groups and give them a copy of the Preamble. I will have them write down what they think each part means. After the students have done this they will share with the entire class. Once each group has presented we will read this book so that the students can get an understanding of what the Preamble means and see if their interpretation was correct.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Modern Fantasy
3rd Grade

The Once-ler in this rhyming tale explains how the Lorax (he speaks for the trees) left where he once sat. The Once-ler one day discovered Truffula trees. He knew that the trees were perfect to help him make a Thneed. A Thneed can be used for a shirt, sock, glove, hat, and many other uses. The Once-ler began cutting down all the Truffula trees to make more and more Thneeds. Soon everything that lived in the Truffula trees had to leave because they had no home. The Once-ler cut all of the Truffula trees down and finally the Lorax just had to leave. The book ends with the Once-ler worrying about what he did and he decides to give away the last Truffula tree seed in hopes that the Lorax and his friends would come back.


I will use this book to talk to students about the importance of taking care of our environment. I will use it to explain what happens when we over use our resources. I think that this literature connection will help them better understand the consequences of not using our environmental resources wisely.

Amelia Rules! The Whole World's Crazy by Jimmy Gownley

Graphic Novel
3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade

Amelia is facing many challenges in her life. A new home, school, and friends and all because her parents got divorced. In this series of comic stories Amelia brings readers into her life and creates a vivid picture of her feelings. This graphic novel is divided into five stories that take place all in the first year of the Amelia moving.

The first story is "Amelia vs. the Sneeze Barf." In this story Amelia introduces her mom, aunt (which her mother and her live with), and her new friends. Amelia also introduces readers to a club her friends have called the Gathering of Awesome Super Pals. Each person in the club has their own name and role. During this story the club sets out of a mission to get the bullies of the school. They successfully succed thanks to the sneeze barf.

The next story is called "The Gym Class System." This story is about Amelia's first days at her new school. During these first days she manages to go to the principal's office several times, finds out her friends belong to the nerd group, and realizes that she hates PE.

The third story, "The Loosely in Disguise, and Frightened," takes place during Amelia and her friend's Halloween adventure. The adventure all started when Amelia's dad canceled his plans with her. Then to cheer her up, Amelia's aunt decides to invite Amelia's friends over for a scary movie. The movie turns out to frighten all of the kids and makes for an interesting Trick-or-Treating adventure where the girls end up taking care of the villain.

"Amelia McBride and the other Side of Yuletide" was the fourth story. During this story Amelia and her friends decide that they will figure out if Santa Claus is real. While on the mission Amelia worries that she will become part of Santa's naughty list. During this story Amelia discovers that one of her friends is poor and she might need to help Santa make sure her friend has a good Christmas. At the end of the story Amelia discovers that Santa does exist and he can always use a helper.

The final story "Speak Softee to Me" is about when Amelia's dad takes her and her friends on a camping trip. The fact that Amelia's dad invited her friends makes her furious; she wants to spend time with her dad alone since she never sees him anymore. But while on the camping trip she discovers that her mom and dad did not divorce because of her and that her dad does love her very much.

This graphic novel takes readers through a year in which one girl's life changes a lot but things turn out okay. There is a lot of humor but also a lot of serious moments that can help children get through the difficult times in life where they just don't understand.


Most likely I will not use this graphic novel as part of my curriculum but I do want to have it available in my classroom for my students. I want students to have a variety of comic books that they can read. I also will suggest this book to any child who may be hurting because of a divorce in their family or a new student in the classroom.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

Realistic Fiction
3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade

This is a story that teaches children the importance of being nice to people. Maddie and her friend Peggy waited for Wanda everyday so that they could pick on her because she wore the same blue dress everyday and had a weird last name. They picked on Wanda because every time they asked her how many dresses she had, she would say she had 100, and they knew this was not true. It bothered Maddie that everyone, including her, was mean to Wanda because she too did not have a lot of money. Maddie never said anything to stop anyone from picking on Wanda because she did not want everyone to start picking on her.

Wanda had been missing for a few days before anyone noticed and it was not until she won the contest that everyone realized where she was. Each year girls drew dresses for a contest and every year Peggy won the contest. On the day that the winner would be announced everyone walked into the classroom to find 100 pictures of dresses hanging around the room. All of the dresses were beautiful. The teacher announced that Wanda had drawn each of them, and the girls realized that this was the 100 dresses she was referring to.

Shortly after this announcement the class received a note saying that Wanda would not be returning to school. She and her family were leaving because of the hurtful things people said to them. This really upset Maddie because she realized she would never be able to say she was sorry. After school Maddie and Peggy went to Wanda's house to tell her she won the contest but they discovered she had already left. Maddie still wanted to tell her she was sorry, so she convinced Peggy to write a note with her to send to Wanda to see how she was doing. For a long time the girls did not hear anything back from Wanda. But then one day Wanda sent a note to her old class telling the girls that they could keep two of the dresses and the rest could be divided up between the other members of the classroom. After carefully looking at the photos Peggie and Maddie realized that Wanda had drawn those dresses for them because the person wearing the dresses had their faces. This sweet act of kindness stunned Maddie because she could not believe that someone she was so mean to forgave her.


At the beginning of each year I want to introduce students to books that will help build a classroom community. I feel that this book will be a great one to include. It will teach the kids about the importance of being nice to everyone. After reading this book as a class I will let the students come up with some rules for the classroom about how others should be treated.

Poetry Matters by Ralph Fletcher

Nonfiction
4th or 5th Grade

Poetry Matters is a book all about how to write poetry. Fletcher uses biographical, autobiographical, and nonfiction writing to help aspiring poetry writers. The book is divided into two sections. The first section is about how to decide what to write your poem about and the ways to help develop those ideas. The second section is about writing the poem, revising it, and what to do once its finished.

The first chapter of the book talks about how Fletcher became interested in poetry and what made him decide to write this book. In the next three chapters he talks about how emotion, image, and music relate to poetry. Before the first section ends there is a chapter about deciding what to write your poem about.

The beginning of the second section talks about how to write the poem and then it goes on to talk about how the use of words can impact your poem. After talking about the beginning stages of writing poetry it discusses how to edit the poem to get it the way you want it. Towards the end of the book Fletcher spends a little while discussing types of poetry (ex. haiku). The last chapter of the book gives children ideas as to how to share their poetry.

This book has many other features that would help young poetry writers. For example, the last pages of the book contain a huge list of poetry books that children might be interested in. Also, throughout the book there are interviews from poets to help students get an idea as to how they handle writing poetry.


I will use this book to help students with a poetry unit. I will design the unit based around this book. Each student will have a copy of the book, one that I hope they can keep. I will encourage students to write poems based on the advice Fletcher gives. At the end of the unit we will use one of the strategies Fletcher presents on how students can share their poetry. I will allow the students to vote on which strategy they would like to do. I want the poetry unit to each year to be based on what the students are curious about.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Modern Fantasy
4th Grade


Charlotte's Web is a classic that all children should read. This is a story of a wonderful friendship that all begins when a little girl (Fern) decides to save the runt of a liter of pigs (Wilbur). Fern enjoyed her pet Wilbur and his friendship, and in return Wilbur loved her back. The two did everything together until Wilbur was forced to go live with Fern's Uncle Zuckerman. This event devastated Wilbur and he found himself in a new barnyard with no friends, until he met Charlotte.

Charlotte was a beautiful spider who was kind to Wilbur and befriended him when he was lonely. Wilbur was happy in the barnyard until he heard the news of him being a part of the holiday meals the family would enjoy. This scared Wilbur but it was his friend Charlotte to the rescue.

With the help of the barnyard rat Templeton, Charlotte was able to create a miracle that would save Wilbur. Templeton started collecting words from trash that described Wilbur. Charlotte carefully crafted these words into her web and the Zuckerman farm saw this as nothing less than a miracle. In fact this miracle made Zuckerman decide to show Wilbur off at the fair.

So, Wilbur, Charlotte, and Templeton all headed to the fair together. This time Charlotte choose her word carefully to describe Wilbur, for this would be the last web she would ever weave. Once the fair officials saw the web they awarded Wilbur with a special award, one that would keep Zuckerman from killing the him.

Wilbur's joy quickly faded when he realized that Charlotte was too weak to return to the barnyard with him. He knew that she had created an egg sac full of her children and he was determined that if his friend Charlotte could not be with him that the baby spiders would be. With the help of Templeton, Wilbur was able to safely bring the egg sac to the barn and say goodbye to his wonderful friend Charlotte. Wilbur was able to see many more of Charlotte's descendants and he enjoyed them being his friend. Charlotte indeed saved Wilbur and gave him a wonderful life.


I will use this book as a connection between science and literature. In 4th grade science students learn about animals. They describe how they are alike and different, how their behaviors and body shapes help them survive, and how differences in animals can be a benefit. I will read this book with my students during the science unit on animals to help them see these things within literature.

Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco

Multicultural
5th Grade

This is a story of a friendship that developed between a young African American boy and an older Jewish lady. Their friendship began one day when Larnel (the young boy)decided to give Mrs. Katz (older lady) a kitten; he knew that she was a lonely lady that missed her husband. Mrs. Katz named her kitten Tush because the kitten was missing her tail. Larnel came over everyday to help Mrs. Katz take care of the kitten and because of this their friendship blossomed. When Mrs. Katz told Larnel about her heritage, he discovered that what her race went through was much like what his race went through. Larnel found himself having a lot of respect for Mrs. Katz and the two went through a lot together. They found Tush when she got lost, they visited Mr. Katz grave, and they enjoyed a Passover meal together. The two shared a lot of memories together. Their families stuck by each other and the story ends leaving readers with a picture of Larnel visiting Mrs. Katz's grave, showing how the two stayed close to each other through a lot.


This book discusses a lot about Jewish culture and the Passover. This is a culture that a lot of students probably do not know about but one that is important. I will read this story out loud to students and have them research more about Jewish and African American culture. And because Larnel compared his culture to Mrs. Katz's culture I will have students compare the events and traditions of the Jewish people to those of the African Americans using a Venn Diagram.

Top Secret by John Reynolds Gardiner

Science Fiction
3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade

Allen Brewster knew he was smart enough to be an inventor. When it came time for the science fair Ms. Green announced to her class that it was important that this year one of her students won the silver trophy and that she was named best science teacher. Allen knew he had the idea that would do this; he would create human photosynthesis. Of course, the idea did not go over well with Ms. Green and she was quick to assign Allen to do a project on lipstick. For any child this would be discouraging and especially when you tell your parents what happened and they to do not believe in your idea. However, one person did believe and that person happened to be Allen's Grandpop. He encouraged Allen to go through with his idea because any great inventor and scientist was once a child.

When Allen begin his research he discovered that it was possible for him to create human photosynthesis. He made many recipes of drinks he could drink until he found one that made him no longer hungry. Allen drank the recipe and became a human plant. His skin turned green, he found himself always thirsty, and the sunlight gave him energy. When he told his parents and teacher about his discovery they immediately thought he was crazy and referred him to a psychiatrist. Allen became frustrated with this and decided he would write a letter to the president about his discovery. The president was intrigued by his discovery and immediately started doing testing on Allen. Scientist and doctors discovered that Allen was a human plant and that he had in fact created human photosynthesis.

This idea made the president nervous so he decided to mark Allen's discovery as top secret. If everyone found out that there was a way to keep themselves from being hungry they would no longer need food and this would cause a problem for the economy. So, the president immediately ordered for Allen to take a pill to make him human again and made him promise never to reveal his secret.

Because of this top secret project Allen could not use his invention in the science fair, so he had to end up turning in a lipstick project made by the president. The lipstick project was magnificent and indeed won the silver trophy. But, Allen still wanted to prove to his teacher that his invention had worked. To do this he figured out how to put his recipe in a lipstick that he had his teacher sample. He immediately took his teacher outside, where they could be alone, to show her how her skin was turning green. He proved to her that human photosynthesis was possible. The book ends with Ms. Green being swept away by two men in suits. The author ends the book in a way that allows the reader to try to figure out for themselves what happened to Ms. Green.


I will read this book to my students before the science fair. I think it will be a fun way to introduce the fair to the students and get them excited about creating a project that is a new idea. So often students feel limited as to what type of project they can do and I want to encourage them to think outside of the box just like Allen did.

American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

Folk Literature
3rd Grade

The author captures the stories that everyone has grown up hearing as a child in this book. This book is a collection of stories about famous legends from America. Before each story Osborne includes a note that helps readers gain background knowledge of how the tall tale came to be. The book includes stories about Davy Crockett, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, Johnny Appleseed, Stormalong, Mose, Febold Feboldson, Pecos Bill, John Henry, and Paul Bunyan. Each story includes illustrations that depict the story being told.

My favorite story in book was about John Henry. The story begins talking about the day John Henry was born and how he was born with a hammer in his hand. John Henry was strong and skillful when working with a hammer. Everyday John worked as a steel driver. One day a man came with a great new invention called a steam driller and this provided John Henry with a great challenge. He knew he could hammer faster than any steam driller and he wanted to prove it. So, John Henry and the man with steam driller competed to see who could hammer faster and of course John Henry proved to be the better man for the job. While still hammering John Henry's ribs begin to crack, he collapsed, and died that very day. This story along with the others would excite children!


While in 3rd grade students learn to assess the heroic deeds of folktale legends. I will use this book to help students with that. Everyday during this unit we will read one folktale and talk about the character. After finishing the unit I will have students create their own folktale and write it. I will also have them illustrate their story. Once all the stories are finished I will create a class book that will contain all the folktales the students have written.

Cherokee Summer by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

Multicultural
3rd Grade

This book is about a young Cherokee Indian named Bridget. The book is divided into sections that talk about the Cherokee heritage. The first thing the book talks about is how the Cherokee nation ended up in Oklahoma because of the Trail of Tears. It gives a description of what the Trail of Tears was and why the Indians were forced to move. It then goes on to talk about Tahlequah which is where most Cherokee Indians live in Oklahoma. Bridget talks about the principal chief of the Cherokee and how she is a woman. In the Cherokee nation women play a huge part in the tribe. The book then goes on to talk about Cherokee traditions such as basket weaving, hunting, young Cherokee's learning the language, legends, and the summer stomp dance. Also, in the book there is a Cherokee story called the "Possum Learns a Lesson." The purpose of this is to give readers an example of the stories told to Cherokee children. The book also includes a glossary that can help readers look up words they may not know.


This picturebook really captures many traditions of the Cherokee Indians. In the NCSCOS one of the 3rd grade standards for social studies is for students to to be able to compare and contrast different communities from different times and places. I will use this book along with others about the Cherokee Indians and other Indian tribes. Students will read these books and then compare and contrast the traditions the Indians tribes have to the traditions their family and culture has.

My Wartime Summers by Jane Cutler

Historical Fiction
5th grade

This novel takes place during World War II. It is about a young girl, Ellen, who is at home growing through the summers of the war. The novel takes place during the summers of 1942 to 1945. When the war begins she is a little girl that enjoys playing and being curious with her friends, one of which is a Jew from Germany whose family was able to get out of the country. She also loves to play with her uncle, who lives with her family.

As the story continues things change for Ellen. Her uncle decides to join the military and she finds herself growing into a teenager that is no longer fascinated by playing outside but rather talking about boys. But one thing that stays the same, is her love for her uncle and hearing about his experience in war. At the end of the book readers are able to capture just how much Ellen's life has changed since the war first started. This is shown by the comparison of what her uncle is like now that he is home from war and her reaction to this change. Readers are able to capture what it was like for US families during the war.

The author has the book divided into the summer of each year. As you read you can see the difference in Ellen's lifestyle and personality, it serves almost like a timeline. This book also does an excellent job showing a different perspective of the war and how people's lives changed during the war.


So often when students learn about WWII they hear the prospective of a soldier or a Jew. Both of these prospectives are important for students to learn about but it is also important for them to hear different sides as well. I would use this book with a number of other books (maybe from the prospective of a nurse, parent of a soldier, Japanese-American, etc.) to teach students about the other sides of war. I would give students a list of books to choose from and have them pick one book to read. After reading the book I would have them present to their classmates the book they read and the perspective they read it from.