Picture Books for Teaching Narrative Writing
North Carolina has made changes in the traits scored on the state narrative writing test. The original bibliography information has been changed to reflect the differences. If you are linked to this page, or have this page bookmarked, you may want to switch to the link below: Using Picture Books to Teach Narrative Writing.
Sorted by Trait
Return to Using Picture Books to Teach Narrative Writing Traits
This bibliography is sorted by primary writing trait; traits are color-coded to make them a little easier to find when listed as secondary traits in other entries.
North Carolina scores Personal and Imaginative Narratives using four traits on a four point scale: Main Idea, Supporting Details, Organization and Coherence (Sentence Fluency). Word choice, sentence fluency and voice are considered within these traits. Conventions are scored with a "+" or "-" added to the numerical score depending on number and level of errors.
Six traits: Ideas/Supporting Details, Organization, Word Choice, Voice, Sentence Fluency (Coherence), and Conventions (There are no specific entries for Conventions--most any book can be used to teach this trait).
Plus: A clear moment in time, Beginnings, Endings, Imaginative writing, Sense of Time and/or Place
Author |
Title Indicates Out of Print |
Summary |
Writing
|
Curriculum
|
Character
|
Book of Poetry selected by: Lansky, Bruce | Kids Pick the Funniest Poems | ||||
Alexander, Martha | Where Does the Sky End, Grandpa?* | Grandpa and his little grandchild walk together at the end of the day wondering about all kinds of things. | A clear moment in time | Science | Respect |
Aragon, Jane | Salt Hands* | A young girl’s brief encounter with a deer. | A clear moment in time | Science | Respect |
Bates, Artie | Ragsale* | A family spends Saturday morning going to ragsales. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies Cultural Group: Afro-American |
|
Bunting, Eve | Night Tree | A family makes its annual trip to decorate an evergreen tree with food for animals at Christmas. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies | Caring |
Bunting, Eve | No Nap | Dad’s efforts to make Susie take a nap only exhaust him. | A clear moment in time | Health | Perseverance |
Bunting, Eve | Smoky Night | During the Los Angeles riots a young boy and his mother discover the value of getting along with others. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies Multicultural |
Respect |
Burningham, John | Harvey Shumfenburger’s Christmas Present | Santa discovers one last gift he must deliver. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Cherry, Lynn | The Great Kapok Tree | Animals convince a man not to cut down the tree that is their home. | A clear moment in time | Science | Responsibility |
Crews, Donald | Shortcut | Children put themselves in danger | A clear moment in time | Health Cultural Group: Afro-American |
Responsibility |
Dooley, Norah | Everybody Cooks Rice | A young girl exploring her neighborhood discovers that everyone is cooking rice for supper that night. | A clear moment in time | Math: Measurement Multicultural |
Respect |
Fleming, Virginia | Be Good to Eddie Lee | Eddie Lee, a boy with Down’s Syndrome, follows Christy into the woods and shares several special discoveries with her. | A clear moment in time | Science | Compassion |
Friday, Beverly & David | Time To Go* | As a family prepares to leave, a
child takes one last look at his farm home. |
A clear moment in time | Social Studies | Caring |
Gliori, Debi | The Snow Lambs | A sheepdog guides a lamb about to give birth to safety during a snowstorm. | A clear moment in time | Science | Courage |
Harden, Dan | Colliding With Chris | A young boy’s first ride on a bike with handbrakes turns out much wilder than he ever thought. | A clear moment in time | Health | |
Herald, Maggie | A Very Important Day | A group of immigrants become citizens of the US on a winter day in New York. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies Multicultural |
Citizenship |
Hesse, Karen | Lester’s Dog | A boy overcomes his fear of a mean dog when he has to protect a frail, abandoned kitten. | A clear moment in time | Health | Courage |
Hutchins, Pat | The Doorbell Rang | More and more friends arrive to share a plate of cookies. | A clear moment in time | Math: computation | Fairness |
Impey, Rosa | Joe’s Café* | Big brother Joe comes to understand what the responsibility of being in chargemeans when his little sister disappears while Joe is playing. | A clear moment in time | Health | Responsibility |
Johnston, Tony | The Promise* | A farmer passes down a tradition of making a promise to care for animals with a little girl who helps him birth a calf. | A clear moment in time | Science | Responsibility |
Keats, Ezra Jack | Apt. 3 | On a rainy day two brothers try to
discover who is playing the harmonica in their building. |
A clear moment in time | Social Studies Cultural Group: Afro-American |
Compassion |
Moore, Clement | The Night Before Christmas | A narrative poem about Christmas Eve and a visit from St. Nick. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies | |
Munsch, Robert | The Dark | Jule Ann pounds on the bottom of the cookie jar, and a small lump jumps out and starts gobbling up every shadow in sight. | A clear moment in time | Science | |
Pilkey, Dave | The Paperboy | A paperboy’s morning delivery routine. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
Responsibility |
Pinkwater, Daniel | Author’s Day | A famous author visits a school and things don’t go quite right. | A clear moment in time | Perseverance | |
Waddell, Martin | The Big Big Sea | A young girl and her mother take a moonlight walk to the sea. | A clear moment in time | Science | Caring |
Weller, Frances and Robert Blake | The Angel of Mill Street | On a snowy Christmas Eve in the late 1800’s a family waits and worries when their cripple uncle doesn’t come home. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies | Caring |
Yolen, Jane | Beneath the Ghost Moon* |
Poem: follows "‘Twas the night before Christmas"….mice battle mean-hearted creepy crawlies to protect their home. | A clear moment in time | Science | Courage |
Rylant, Cynthia | When I Was Young in the Mountains | Episodic remembrances of the author’s childhood linked by the title phrase. | A clear moment in time (each episode), voice | Social Studies | Compassion |
Goode, Diane | I Hear A Noise* | A little boy’s worst fears are realized. | A clear moment in time, imaginative | Health | Responsibility |
Van Allsburg, Chris | Bad Day at Riverbend | Surrealistic journey into the imagination, set in a western town where things start to go haywire. | A clear moment in time, coherence | Social Studies | Courage |
Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn | The Barber’s Cutting Edge | Rashaad gets his hair cut and learns the joy of learning new words. | A clear moment in time, ending: surprise | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
|
Herman, Emily | Hubknuckles | Each Halloween a ghost named Hubknuckles dances around the outside of the house. The oldest daughter decides she is not afraid and thinks her mom and dad are just playing a trick. She finds out she is wrong. | A clear moment in time, ending: surprise | Social Studies | Courage |
Johnson, Paul Brett | The Cow Who Wouldn’t Come Down | Miss Rosemary uses all of her imagination to convince her flying cow to return to her regular station. | A clear moment in time, ending: surprise | Perseverance | |
Gilliland, Judith | Not in the House, Newton! | Everything Newton draws with his crayon becomes real. | A clear moment in time, imaginative | Health | Self-discipline |
Brinkloe, Julie | Fireflies! | A young boy is pleased with the jar of fireflies he caught until their lights begin to dim. | A clear moment in time, organization | Science | Respect |
Kumin, Maxine | The Beach Before Breakfast | An adult and child explore the beach early one morning. | A clear moment in time, sense of place | Science | Respect |
Yolen, Jane | Owl Moon | On a winter night under a full moon, father and daughter trek into the woods to see the Great Horned Owl. | A clear moment in time, sense of place | Science | Caring |
Viorst, Judith | The Good-Bye Book | A child begs his parents not to go out to dinner, separation anxiety. | A clear moment in time, voice/whining | Health | Courage |
Bunting, Eve | Ghost’s Hour, Spook’s Hour | Scary incidents at midnight give Biff the dog and his master a frightening time. | A clear moment in time, word choice | Health | Courage |
Joose, Barbara M. | Snow Day! | When school is canceled because of snow, Robby and his family enjoy the day together. | A clear moment in time, word choice | Social Studies | Caring |
Young, Ed | Night Visitors | A young scholar learns respect for all forms of life when he dreams he becomes part of an ant colony. | A clear moment in time, word choice | Science Cultural group: Asian |
Respect |
Harrison, Troon | Don’t Dig So Deep, Nicholas | Nicholas begins digging a hole in the sand and unleashes a whole gang of animals from New Zealand who go wild on the beach. | A clear moment in time | Science | Self-discipline |
Howard, Elizabeth | Chita’s Christmas Tree | Papa and Chita leave downtown Baltimore in a buggy to find a tree in the deep woods. | A clear moment in time | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
|
Rylant, Cynthia | The Relatives Came | The relatives come from West Virginia, and everyone has a wonderful time. | Beginning/ending: circular, word choice (very simple word choice) | Social Studies | Respect |
Meyer, Mercer | There’s A Nightmare in My Closet | A little boy fears the dark and the monster in his closet. | Beginning: begins with the end/flashback | Health | Courage |
Herriot, James | Moses the Kitten | Dr. Herriot finds Moses near a farm pond in winter nearly frozen to death and takes him home where something unusual happens. | Beginning: bold statement by the narrator, ending: surprise | Social Studies Cultural group: English |
Compassion |
Bunting, Eve | Going Home | Carlos and his family travel home to Mexico for Christmas. | Beginning: dialogue lead | Social Studies Cultural group: Hispanic |
Citizenship |
Clement, Rod | Grandpa’s Teeth | Soon after Grandpa’s teeth disappear from a glass beside his bed, the whole town is under investigation. | Beginning: dialogue lead, ending: surprise |
Social Studies | Honesty |
Dukes, Kate | Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One | Aunt Isabel and her niece, Penelope, create a story including all the necessary elements. | Beginning: dialogue lead, ideas/supporting details | ||
Munsch, Robert | Moira’s Birthday | Without her parent’s consent Moira invites the whole school to her birthday party. | Beginning: dialogue lead, ideas/supporting details | Math: computation | Fairness |
Rylant, Cynthia | Night in the County | Describes the sights and sounds of the country. | Beginning: dramatic, word choice | Social Studies | Respect |
Hooks, William | The Mighty Santa Fe* | At Christmas, William has to leave behind his cherished train set when his family goes to visit his frightening great grandmother. | Beginning: figurative language, ending: mystery | Health | Courage |
Hoffman, Mary | Amazing Grace | Grace is determined to be Peter Pan in the school play. | Beginning: introduces the character | Social Studies Multicultural |
Perseverance |
Steig, William | Shrek! | Shrek, an ugly monster, is sent into the world to do his share of damage. | Beginning: introduces the character | ||
Yorinks, Arthur | Hey, Al | Al and his dog yearn for a better life. | Beginning: introduces the character | Social Studies | Respect |
Ackerman, Karen | Song and Dance Man | Grandpa enjoys reliving his vaudeville days for the grandchildren. | Beginning: introduces the character, coherence | Social Studies | Respect |
Houston, Gloria | My Great-Aunt Arizona | Arizona grows up and teaches in the same one room schoolhouse she attended as a child. | Beginning: introduces the character, ending: poignant | Social Studies | Caring |
Sharmart, Marjorie | Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport | A New York City boy’s preconceived ideas of life in the west make him apprehensive about moving. | Beginning: introduces the narrator, Stereotype/Reverse stereotype | Social Studies | Courage |
Mendez, Phil | The Black Snowman | A magical kente brings a black snowman to life and helps a young boy discover his heritage and self-worth. | Beginning: mysterious, coherence | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
Courage |
91-Yolen, Jane | Encounter | A young Indian boy’s tale of Columbus coming to the new world. | Beginning: mysterious, voice/serious | Social Studies Multicultural |
Responsibility |
Pinckney, Andrea | Duke Ellington | Biography of Duke Ellington, the jazz playin’ man. | Beginning: question, word choice, voice/jazzy | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
|
Howard, Elizabeth | Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crabcakes later) |
Sunday afternoons Sarah and
Susan visit Aunt Flossie and hear stories of old times while sharing cookies, crabcakes, and hats. |
Beginning: setting | Social studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
Respect |
Tudor, Tash | Corgiville Fair | Satirical story about a county fair. | Beginning: setting, word choice |
Social Studies | Honesty |
Yorinks, Arthur | Louis the Fish | An unhappy butcher from Flatbush finally is happy. | Beginning: starts at the end | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Viorst, Judith | The Tenth Good Thing about Barney |
A little boy must deal with the death of his pet. | Beginning: starts in the middle | ||
Hofsepian | Why Not? | Original folktale of a solemn man who adopts two cats only to discover he needs two laps. He solves the dilemma and learns how love can grow. | Beginning: strong statement | Health Multicultural |
Responsibility |
Trivazas, Eugene | The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig | A great version of the old fairy tale | Beginning: traditional narrative, ending: surprise |
Science | Courage |
Arrington, Frances | Stella’s Bull | Set in the Depression, a child confronts and triumphs over the demons of a young imagination. | Coherence | Social Studies | Courage |
Griffith, Helen | Georgia Music | A girl and her grandfather share two different kinds of music. | Coherence | Social Studies | Caring |
Hopkinson, Deborah | Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt | A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern that guides her to freedom in the North. | Coherence | Social Studies Multicultural |
Courage |
Hesse, Karen | Come On, Rain | A young girl eagerly awaits a coming rainstorm to bring relief from the oppressive weather. | Coherence, A clear moment in time | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
|
Nolen, Jerdine | Raising Dragons | In spite of her parent’s disbelief, a little girl raises a dragon. | Coherence, voice | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
Caring |
Hughes, Monica | A Handful of Seeds | Forced into the barrio by the
death of her grandmother, Concepsion takes with her a
legacy of corn, chile and bean seeds and finds they hold the key to survival. |
Ending: circular, sense of place | Social Studies Multicultural |
Courage |
Van Allsburg, Chris | The Stranger | A mysterious stranger recuperates at Farmer Bailey’s house and affects the weather. | Ending: mysterious | Science | Compassion |
Burningham, John | Hey! Get Off Our Train | At bedtime a young boy takes a ride on his toy train and rescues several endangered animals. | Ending: mysterious, imaginative | Science | Respect |
Howard, Arthur | When I Was Five | A six year old boy describes things he liked when five and compares them to things he likes now. | Ending: personal comment, Beginning: announcement | Social Studies | |
Zolotow, Charlotte | William’s Doll | William’s father resists the idea of his son having a doll. | Ending: poignant, stereotype | Social Studies | Respect |
Howard, Ellen | Log Cabin Quilt | When a family moves to a cabin in Michigan, something even more important than Granny’s quilt pieces makes the house a home. | Ending: strong statement by a character | Social Studies | Respect |
Houston, Gloria | The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree | Since Papa left the Appalachian to go to war. Ruthie and her mom wonder how they will fulfill his obligation of getting the perfect tree for town celebration. | Ending: summary ending, sense of place, word choice | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Brown, Marc | Arthur’s Computer
Disaster |
Arthur disobeys his mother by
playing his favorite game on the computer. |
Ending: surprise | Social Studies | Self-discipline |
Kimmel, Eric | Charlie Drives the Stage* | Nothing keeps the stagecoach driver from delivering Senator McCorkel to the train station or time. | Ending: surprise | Social Studies | Dependability |
Van Allsburg, Chris | The Sweetest Fig | After being given 2 magical figs that make dreams come true, Monsieur Bobit’s plans for the future are spoiled by his dog. | Ending: surprise | Health | Respect |
Hest, Amy | How to Get Famous In Brooklyn* | A young girl observes the goings-on in her neighborhood and writes notes in her notebook. | Ending: surprise, sense of place, prewriting | Social Studies Multicultural |
|
Hines, Anna | When the Goblins Come Knocking | A scared little boy watches
costumed Trick-or-Treaters come to his door. The next Halloween, he’s "the scariest one." |
Ending: surprise, word choice (strong verbs) | Social Studies | Courage |
Hoban, Russell | Monsters | A young boy only paints monsters, different monsters, until parents become concerned and take him to a doctor. "Everything works out" when the monster comes to life. | Ending: surprise; word choice | Health | |
Williams, Vera | A Chair for My Mother | A mother, daughter and grandmother save money for a comfortable chair after their furniture is lost in a fire. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies Multicultural |
Self-discipline |
Buehner, Carolyn | Fanny’s Dream | "Cinderella" story—a hard-working farmgirl dreams of a better life and finds it—for real. | Ideas/supporting detailsv | Social Studies | Honesty |
Allen, Jeffrey | Nosey Mrs. Rat | Mrs. Rat uses all kinds of tactics to get the "scoop" on all of her neighbors. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Self-discipline |
Andrews, Jan | Very First, Last Time | A young Inuit girl walks alone on the sea floor for the very first last time. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies Cultural group: Native American, Inuit |
Responsibility |
Bang, Molly | The Paper Crane | A mysterious man goes into a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane thatcomes to life and dances. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies Multicultural |
Perseverance |
Cherry, Lynn | The Armadillo from Amarillo | A wandering armadillo explores Texas. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Respect |
Cooney, Barbara | Miss Rumphius | A little girl grows up and makes the world a better place. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Fox, Mem | Wilfred Gordan McDonald Partridge | A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore that of an elderly friend. | Ideas/supporting details | Health | Compassion |
Hoberman, Mary Ann | One of Each | A dog with one each of everything in his house thinks his life is perfection but finds that no one else can enjoy its oneness. He solves the problem by getting doubles and sharing. | Ideas/supporting details | Health | Fairness |
Hoff, Syd | Arturo’s Baton | Famous conductor and his baton make beautiful music. He looses the baton; his manager, servants, dog search. Problem: how to lead the orchestra without the baton. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | |
Hoff, Syd | Oliver | Oliver the elephant is the eleventh elephant and the circus needs only ten. Oliver tries a variety of ways to find a job and home, but ends up with the circus because of his talent. | Ideas/supporting details | Health | Perseverance |
Hooks, William | The Three Little Pigs and the Fox | Three grown pigs leave home with 3 pieces of advice from mom. Appalachian version of classic tale where Hamlet, the youngest pig, rescues 2 greedy brothers from a mean, tricky fox. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Houston, Gloria | But No Candy* | While her uncle is off in WW II, Lee watches candy gradually disappear from the family store and realizes her entire world has changed. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Patriotism |
Hutchins, H. J. | Believing Sophie | A little girl is accused of shoplifting and tries to prove herself innocent. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | Honesty |
Keller, Wallace | The Wrong Side of the Bed* | A little boy gets up from the wrong of bed and everything goes topsy-turvy. | Ideas/supporting details | Math: spatial orientation | |
Lord, John | The Giant Jam Sandwich | A village plagues by 4 million wasps makes a giant jam sandwich and traps the hungry insects inside. | Ideas/supporting details | Math: Big numbers | Perseverance |
Nixon, Joan | If You Were a Writer | Advice from a mother who is a writer to her child who wants to be a writer too. | Ideas/supporting details | Self-discipline | |
Pitman, Helena | A Grain of Rice | A farmer outwits an Emperor and gets to marry the princess. | Ideas/supporting details | Math: factorial numbers Cultural group: Asian |
Perseverance |
76-Slawson, Michele | Apple Picking Time | Neighbors spend a fall day picking apples with others on a small farm. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies | |
Stevens, Janet | From Pictures to Words: A Book About Making a Book | Animals in an illustration try to help the author write a book. | Ideas/supporting details | ||
Tompert, Ann | Grandfather Tang’s Story | Grandfather tells stories using tanagrams. | Ideas/supporting details | Math: Shapes Cultural group: Asian/Chinese |
|
Wilhelm, Hans | I’ll Always Love You | Friendship between a boy and his dog. | Ideas/supporting details | Health | Responsibility |
Zalben, Jane | Beni’s First Wedding | Beni participates in a Jewish wedding. | Ideas/supporting details | Social Studies Multicultural |
Compassion |
Allard, Harry and James Marshall | Miss Nelson is Missing | Miss Nelson, the nicest teacher in the school, is replaced by Viola Swamp and the students gain new respect for Miss Nelson. | Imaginative | Social Studies | Cooperation |
David, Lawrence | Beetle Boy | Gregory Sampson wakes up to find
that he has become a beetle and only one person seems to notice. |
Imaginative | Science | Consideration |
Dorros, Arthur | Abuela | Grandmother and child take imaginary trip over Manhattan. | Imaginative | Social Studies Cultural group: Hispanic |
|
Dorros, Arthur | Isla | Imaginary trip to the Caribbean Islands | Imaginative | Social Studies Cultural group: Hispanic/Caribbean |
|
Floca, Brian | The Frightful Story of Harry Walfish | When a class goes ape on a field trip, the teacher tells a story about one of her misbehaving classmates who got left in a museum after it closed. | Imaginative | Health | Self-discipline |
Johnson, Doug | Never Ride Your Elephant to School | Boy rides his elephant to school and gets into lots of unusual problems that he must solve. | Imaginative | Health | Responsibility |
Small, David | Fenwick’s Suit | Fenwick buys a suit that comes to life and takes over everything. | Imaginative | Health | |
Anderson, Hans C. | The Emperor’s New Clothes | An Emperor is made to look foolish. | Organization | Social Studies | Integrity |
Blaine, Marge | The Terrible Thing That Happened at Our House* | Life as the family knows it changes suddenly. | Organization | Health | Fairness |
Bunting, Eve | How Many Days to America? | Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America. | Organization | Social Studies Multicultural |
Courage |
Burningham, John | Cannonball Simp | An abandoned dog, captured by the
dogcatcher, finds a new life in the circus. |
Organization | ||
Carlson, Nancy | Arnie and the Skateboard Gang | Arnie has to decide how far he will go to be "cool." | Organization | Health | Courage |
Cole, Joanna | Magic School Bus Series | Mixture of fact and fiction in the classroom. | Organization | All | Responsibility |
English, Karen | Big Wind Coming! | People prepare for and wait out a fierce storm. | Organization | Science | Responsibility |
Hoffman, Mary | Boundless Grace | Young black girl faces dealing with her father’s new family with her grandmother’s help. | Organization | Social Studies Cultural group: Afro-American |
Courage |
Johnson, Elizabeth | The Three-In-One Prince | Prince John, a middle son, uses his wits to win a Princess’s hand. | Organization | Health | Perseverance |
Johnson, Ryerson | Kenji and the Magic Geese | A Japanese family whose love of beauty and belief in miracles defy hunger. | Organization | Social Studies Cultural group: Asian/Japanese |
Courage |
Kaldhol, Marit & Oyen, Wenche | Goodbye Rune | When her best friend accidentally drowns, a little girl, with the help of her family, tries to come to terms with death and sadness. | Organization | Health | Compassion |
Lobel, Arnold | Fables | One page fables | Organization | All | |
Sendak, Maraca | Where the Wild Things Are | Maxi misbehaves and is sent to his room. | Organization | Health | Self-discipline |
Hoffman, Mary | Henrys Baby | Henry wants to belong the "in" crowd and thinks he has to act tough and cool. Thinks his baby brother doesn’t help his image, but a surprise is in store. | Organization, ending: circular | Social Studies Multicultural |
Responsibility |
Halberd, Katherine | Alexander and the Magic Boat | Imaginative Alexander pushes two armchairs together and persuades his mother to join his fantastic voyage. | Organization, beginning: strong lead | Social Studies | |
Sisulu, Elinor | The Day Gogo Went to Vote | Thembi and her great-grandmother, who has not left the house for many years, go together to vote on the momentous day when black South Africans are allowed to vote for the first time. | Personal Narrative | Social Studies Cultural Group: South African |
Patriotism |
Lyon, George Ella | Come A Tide | Too much rain and snow cause flooding in Kentucky. | Personal narrative | Science | Courage |
56-McLerran, Alice | Roxaboxen | The author remembers a town neighborhood children created and played in. | Personal Narrative | Social Studies | Patriotism (citizenship) |
Ringold, Faith | Tar Beach | A young girl dreams of flying and claiming all that she can see for herself and her family | Personal Narrative | Social Studies Multicultural |
Compassion |
Gray, Libba | My Mama Had a Dancing Heart | A ballet dancer recalls how she and her mother welcomed each season with a dance outdoors. | Personal narrative, word choice | Social Studies | Caring |
Harvey, Brett | My Prairie Christmas | Papa goes out to get a Christmas tree and doesn’t return. A family’s first Christmas on the prairie. | Personal narrative, word choice | Social Studies | Courage |
Heath, Amy | Sofie’s Role | A young girl helps out in her family’s bakery. | Personal narrative, word choice (especially onomatopoeia) | Social Studies | Responsibility |
DePaola, Tommy | The Art Lesson | Author remembers his art teacher from elementary school. | Personal narrative/ 3rd person |
Social Studies | Perseverance |
Yolen, Jane | Letting Swift River Go | The town of Swift River is dismantled and flooded to create a reservoir. | Personal narrative/1st person. ending: poignant | Social Studies | Compassion |
Albert, Richard | Alejandro’s Gift | A powerful environmental lesson about life in the dessert. | Sense of place | Science Multicultural |
Respect |
Joseph, Daniel M. and Mendel, Lydia J. | All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go | Spending Christmas in Florida with his grandparents, David is surprised that there is no snow and his winter clothes are too warm for him. His grandparents help him adjust to change. | Sense of place | Social Studies | Respect |
Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie | The Bear That Heard Crying | A fictional retelling of the true story of 3 year old Sarah Whitchard, who lived in 1783, became lost in the woods of New Hampshire and was protected by a bear until her rescue four days later. | Sense of place | Social Studies | Courage |
Binch, Caroline | Gregory Cool | A boy visits his grandparents in Tobago and sees a different way of life. | Sense of place, word choice | Social Studies Multicultural |
Respect |
Willis, Jeanne | Earthlets | This book describes babies from the alien point of view. | Voice/"factual" | Social Studies | Compassion |
Hines, Anna | When We Married Gary | Story of a second marriage from a child’s point of view | Voice/child-like | Health | Compassion |
Hewitt, Kathryn | Two by Two: The Untold Story | Noah sends invitations to family and animals to come on a romantic vacation cruise. | Voice/cunning | Social Studies | Responsibility |
Viorst, Judith | Alexander, Who’s Not…Going to Move | Alexander refuses to move if it means giving up his favorite friends and special places. | Voice/determined | Health | Courage |
Blood, Charles | The Goat in the Rug | This is the true story of a Weaver and her goat. | Voice/factual | Social Studies Cultural group: Native American/Navajo |
Loyalty |
Joseph, Lynn | An Island Christmas | Rosie’s preparation for Christmas on the island of Trinidad. | Voice/lyrical | Social Studies Cultural group: Hispanic/Caribbean |
|
Viorst, Judith | Alexander …Bad Day | Nothing goes right for Alexander. "Some days are like that," Mom says. | Voice/pouting | Health | Responsibility |
Meddaugh, Susan | Cinderella’s Rat | A rat tells the story from his
side as a coachman. |
Voice/surprised | Loyalty | |
Adoff, Arnold | Flamboyan | Magical prose describes life on a Caribbean Island. | Word choice | Social Studies Cultural group: Hispanic/Caribbean |
Respect |
Base, Graeme | Animalia | Alliterative ABC book | Word choice | Science | |
Hazen, Barbara | Turkey in the Straw | A farmer had rather fiddle than farm. At the worst time for the farm, he throws a fiddling party. | Word choice | Social Studies | Responsibility (lack of) |
Helldarfier, M.C. | Gather Up, Gather In: A Book of Seasons | A prose-poem book of the seasons of the year. | Word choice | Science | Respect |
Hol, Adelaide | The Runaway Giant* | Forest animals react to a melting snowman they believe is a giant. | Word choice | Health | Courage |
Holder, Heidi | Carmine the Crow | Carmine helps a swan caught in a snare. The swan gives Carmine a box of stardust that he shares, but begins to worry about it being used up before he gets to make a wish. | Word choice | Science | Kindness |
Hoopes, Lyn L. | The Unbeatable Bread | Poem about Uncle Jon baking an
"unbeatable bread; whose aroma takes on a life of
its own with magical results—the power of creativity. |
Word choice | Social Studies | Determination |
Hubbard, Woodleigh | C is for Curious | An ABC book of feelings | Word choice | Health | |
Johnston, Tony | The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea | Western version of The Princess and the Pea | Word choice | Social Studies | |
Seeger, Pete | Abiyoyo | Banished from town for misbehavior, a little boy and his dad are invited back after they conquer the giant Abiyoyo. | Word choice | Social Studies Cultural group: African |
Self-discipline |
Shannon, David | A Bad Case of Stripes | In order to ensure her popularity
Camilla Cream always does what is expected until one day she no longer recognizes herself. |
Word choice | Math: patterns | Integrity |
Heller, Nicholas | Goblins in Green | Monster book | Word choice (alliterative ABC book) | ||
Wilder, Laura Ingalls | Dance at Grandpa’s | A little girl and her family attend a wintertime party at her grandparent’s home in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. | Word choice, A clear moment in time | Social Studies | |
Ketteman, Helen | Aunt Hilarity’s Bustle* | Hilarity tries with disastrous results to make the best of things when too poor to buy the latest fashions. | Word choice, funny cause and effect | Social Studies | Determination |
Turner, Patricia | The War Between the Vowels and the Consonants | Funny book about letters and which are most important. | Word choice, Ideas/supporting details | Courage | |
Kimmel, Eric | Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins | Hershel relates how he outwits the goblins that haunt the old synagogue and prevent the village people from celebrating Hanukkah | Word choice, imaginative | Social Studies Cultural group: Jewish |
Courage |
Hurd, Edith | The Day the Sun Danced | Follows the seasons in a forest | Word choice, poetry | Science | |
Gelsanliter, Wendy | Dancing in the Kitchen | Radio music livens things up as a family enjoys preparing dinner at Grandma’s. | Word choice, rhyme | Social Studies | Caring |
Keillor, Garrison | The Old Man Who Loved Cheese | Wallace P. Flynn loves smelly cheese so much that his family leaves him, dogs and cats can’t stand to be around him, and even skunks have to move. | Word choice, rhyme | Health | Loyalty |
Hirshi, Ron | Harvest Song | Story of a girl spending time with Grandma on the farm. Covers the changing seasons. | Word choice, sense of place | Science | Respect |
Zolotow. Charlotte | Say Hi! | Mother and daughter take a walk on an autumn day. | Word choice,sense of place | Science | Respect |
Steig, William | Brave Irene | Irene braves wind, ice and snow to deliver a ball gown. | Word choice variations of "said,"
Coherence |
Science | Perseverance |
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