For Parents
Reading List
Books that fit the year, each linked to the weeks where it helps most.
Daily Read-Alouds: this week's anchor text with five daily prompts →
42 books
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White · Read-aloud novel · Read-aloud
A pig, a spider and a true friendship on a farm. A favorite for a long read-aloud. Be ready to talk about a sad moment near the end.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
by Beverly Cleary · Read-aloud novel · Read aloud or alone
Ralph, a hotel mouse, gets to ride a boy's toy motorcycle, gets into trouble and has to set things right. Short chapters with a clear problem and solution.
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan · Read-aloud novel · Read aloud or alone
A short, gentle novel about a prairie family and the woman who comes from the seacoast of Maine. Great for talking about setting and how characters change. Anna and Caleb's mother has died, so be ready to talk about it gently.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard and Florence Atwater · Read-aloud novel · Read-aloud
A house painter ends up with a house full of penguins. Funny, and a natural way into how animals need the right climate.
My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett · Read-aloud novel · Read aloud or alone
A boy sneaks onto an island to rescue a baby dragon, using clever tools from his backpack. It has a map to follow, too.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary · Chapter book · Read aloud or alone
Ramona starts third grade, just like your child. Full of everyday ups and downs and easy to connect to.
The Stories Julian Tells
by Ann Cameron · Chapter book · Independent read
Short, funny family stories told by Julian. Each chapter stands alone, which makes it a good first independent chapter book.
Juana & Lucas
by Juana Medina · Chapter book · Independent read
Juana lives in Bogotá, Colombia, and is not sure about learning English. Spanish words are sprinkled through the story.
Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen
by Debbi Michiko Florence · Chapter book · Independent read
Jasmine wants to help pound mochi at her family's New Year celebration. A warm look at family tradition and culture.
Jada Jones: Rock Star
by Kelly Starling Lyons · Chapter book · Independent read
Jada loves collecting rocks and has to find her way in a new school group project. Science and friendship together.
Tornado
by Betsy Byars · Chapter book · Independent read
While a family waits out a tornado, a farmhand tells stories about the dog that arrived in a storm. A short book with big feeling.
The Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes · Chapter book · Read aloud or alone
A classic about teasing and the courage to speak up. Leads to good talks about kindness and doing the right thing.
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows
by Asia Citro · Chapter book · Independent read
Zoey uses her science notebook and careful tests to help a magical animal. A fun model for asking questions and testing ideas.
Twister on Tuesday (Magic Tree House #23)
by Mary Pope Osborne · Chapter book · Independent read
Jack and Annie visit a prairie school in the 1870s and face a tornado.
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young · Folktale · Read aloud or alone
Three sisters outsmart a wolf in this Caldecott Medal folktale. Compare it with the Red Riding Hood story you know.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
by John Steptoe · Folktale · Read aloud or alone
Two sisters, one kind and one proud, travel to meet the king. A clear central message to find and explain.
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti
by Gerald McDermott · Folktale · Read aloud or alone
Anansi's six sons each use a special skill to save him. A short trickster tale from Ghana that also explains something in nature.
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across the city. A beautiful way into what makes a community.
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
A grandfather sails from Japan to North America and loves both places. Short, quiet and full of things to talk about.
The Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
A quilt made from family clothes is passed down through four generations of an immigrant family.
A Chair for My Mother
by Vera B. Williams · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
After a fire, a girl, her mother and grandmother save coins in a jar for a comfortable chair. A gentle story about saving for a goal.
Ox-Cart Man
by Donald Hall · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
A farm family makes and grows goods all year, then sells them at market. Perfect for producers, goods and trade.
Those Shoes
by Maribeth Boelts · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
Jeremy really wants the shoes everyone has. A thoughtful story about needs, wants and giving.
Grace for President
by Kelly DiPucchio · Picture book · Read aloud or alone
Grace runs for class president in a school election set up like the real Electoral College. A fun look at how voting works.
Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems
by Eloise Greenfield · Poetry · Read aloud or alone
Short poems about everyday joys, told in a child's voice. Great for reading aloud and hearing rhythm.
A Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson · Poetry · Read aloud or alone
Classic poems such as 'My Shadow' and 'The Swing'. Skip 'Foreign Children', which uses outdated, stereotyped words for children from other places, including Native peoples. Public domain, so you can find them online or at the library.
The New Kid on the Block
by Jack Prelutsky · Poetry · Read aloud or alone
More than 100 silly poems that beg to be read aloud. Good for practicing expression and fluency.
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
by Joyce Sidman · Poetry · Read-aloud
Poems that follow colors through the seasons. Rich with images to picture in your mind.
Forces Make Things Move
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
A clear, friendly introduction to pushes and pulls and how they make things move.
What Makes a Magnet?
by Franklyn M. Branley · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
Explains how magnets work, with simple activities to try.
Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs
by Patricia Lauber · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
Shows how energy moves from plants to animals, link by link.
Over and Under the Pond
by Kate Messner · Nonfiction: science · Read-aloud
A boy and his mother paddle across a pond and notice life above and below the water. A good model for observing a local ecosystem.
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?
by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
A guessing game about how animals use their noses, ears, tails, eyes, feet and mouths. Great for adaptations.
The Cloud Book
by Tomie dePaola · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
Names the main kinds of clouds and shares old weather sayings. Take it outside and look up.
Hurricanes!
by Gail Gibbons · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
Explains how hurricanes form and how people stay safe. Clear diagrams to study together.
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin · Biography · Read aloud or alone
The true story of a Vermont farmer who photographed snowflakes. A Caldecott Medal book about patient observation.
Fossils Tell of Long Ago
by Aliki · Nonfiction: science · Read aloud or alone
How fossils form and what they tell us about life long ago.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Picture Book Edition)
by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer · Biography · Read aloud or alone
A true story from Malawi: a boy builds a windmill from scrap parts. A real-life example of the engineering design process.
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
by Miranda Paul · Biography · Read aloud or alone
A woman and her neighbors turn plastic trash into purses. A true story of community problem-solving.
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
by Traci Sorell · Nonfiction: social studies · Read-aloud
A Cherokee author shows a year of Cherokee Nation life today, season by season, with Cherokee words.
House Mouse, Senate Mouse
by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes · Nonfiction: social studies · Read aloud or alone
Mice in the U.S. Capitol show how an idea becomes a law. A light way into the lawmaking branch.
What Can a Citizen Do?
by Dave Eggers · Picture book · Read-aloud
Rhyming text about the many small ways people help their community.