Required Reading- Books 31-40

Carle, E. (1990). Pancakes, pancakes! New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young 

     Readers.

Breakfast, please! In this Carle piece, Jack wanted a pancake for breakfast and his mother replied that she was too busy and needed help in order to prepare his requested meal.   Jack needed to harvest the wheat, take it to the miller so he could grind it into flour, gather eggs from the chickens, milk the cow, churn the butter, and collect firewood.  After he went to the cellar for some jam, the pancake was finally ready to be eaten for Jack’s breakfast.  

Carle is known for his vibrant collage illustrations and Pancakes, Pancakes! is no exception to his wonderful work.  This educational book is created for ages 5-9 and is ideal for teaching the order of procedure to students.  A theme that can be taken away from the story is that hard work is rewarded in the end. 

If you like this book you might also like, The Greedy Python by Richard Buckley.

Chin, J. (2014). Gravity. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

What if gravity didn't exist?  If you keep reading, you’ll find out what happens to small objects
when gravity is taken away, even up to the size of the Sun!  Everything on Earth and in space has
gravity, which is what makes objects fall to Earth.  The size of the object depends on how much
gravity is being pulled upon it.

Gravity is a brilliant book that makes a complex subject easily understandable for young readers ages 5-9.  The striking watercolor illustrations and the choice of objects depicted within will make it resonate among young children.   This is a great book to introduce the concept of gravity to young children.  The last page of the book takes the information into more detail after you have read the story, which is beneficial for a classroom assignment. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns.

Grimes, N., & Collier, B. (2006). Welcome, Precious. New York: Orchard Books, an imprint 

     of Scholastic, Inc.

In this lovely piece, a mother and father welcome a new baby into their family.  They welcome the baby to some of the most beautiful things in life, like rainbows, chocolate fudge, the outdoors, daddy hugs, and grandma kisses.  You can feel the love and protection the parents have towards their baby and how they want what’s best for their Precious. 

Welcome, Precious is created for ages 4 and up that is the product of literary award winners Nikki Grimes and Bryan Collier.  It celebrates the love and life of a new family and their baby.  It could be a great read aloud for a young child that’s expecting a sibling and has rich illustrations to go along with it. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Full, Full, Full of Love by Trish Cooke.

Hamilton, V., & Ransome, J. (2003). Bruh Rabbit and the tar baby girl. New York: Blue Sky 

     Press.

Ever want your food but you're too lazy to prepare it? Well in this story, Bruh rabbit is lazy when it comes to planting his own food.  Instead, he mooches off of Bruh Wolf’s garden of corn and peanuts.  Bruh Wolf suspects something and creates a scarecrow to deflect the animal eating his crops.  It doesn’t work, so Wolf devises a plan to make a sticky tar baby to catch the thief.  That night Bruh Rabbit gets stuck in the tar and can’t get out.  He’s domed when Bruh Wolf wakes up and finds him.  Can Bruh Rabbit out-wit Bruh Wolf when daylean comes?  Or will he be the wolf’s breakfast?

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl won the Notable Children’s Book Award in 2004 that’s arranged for ages 5-9.  It’s a clever classic southern tale that can be found in many versions.  Ransome’s detailed, beautiful paintings also match the story very well.  More about the origins of the tale can be found in the back pages of the book. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco.

Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. New York: The Viking Press.

Let it snow in this cute story about a boy named Peter. One morning, Peter wakes up and looks out his window to discover snow as far as he could see.  Peter experiences multiple adventures on his snow day and unexpectedly learns a little science lesson.  After a long day of playing in the snow, he comes home only to worry about the dream he had of the snow melting away.  He wakes up from the dream and discover more snow had fallen.  Peter decides to bring his friend along for his next snowy adventure.

The Snowy Day is the winner of the 1963 Caldecott medal and is geared for ages 5-9.  Horn Book magazine even said it’s “the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero”, which was an important book for its time. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt.

Lin, G. (2010). Ling & Ting : Not exactly the same! New York: Little, Brown.

Have you ever met a set of twins who aren't quite exactly the same? Ling and Ting are identical twins and may look the same, but they like different things.  They react to situations differently and want everyone to remember that they are not exactly the same.  One day Ling and Ting get a haircut.  Ling sets perfectly still while getting her bangs trimmed and Ting can’t sit still.  Ting then sneezes and the barber messes up her bangs.  Ting likes magic and Ling can’t remember the card she chose.  One sister makes smooth dumplings while the other doesn’t.  One sister can use chopsticks and the other decides to use a fork.  Ling and Ting go about their day proving they like different things and are their own individual person.

This piece won the Geisel Honor in 2011, the Kirkus Best Children’s Book in 2010 along with making many other top reading lists and is geared for ages 6-9.  It’s a great book to teach about individuality and how two sisters seek to prove that they are not exactly the same, even though they are twins. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell.

Myers, W. D., & Harper, L. (2011). Looking for the easy life. New York: HarperCollins.

In this cute story, five little monkeys discover that living easy isn't always good. Five little monkeys on Monkey Island were tired of bending weird ways just get a banana to eat.  They were looking for the Easy Life.  They thought Oswego Pete would do a better job at being Chief Monkey than Uh-Huh Pete.  So they voted Pete out and followed Oswego on a chase to the Easy Life.  After encountering lions, sharks, and hippos, and the unfortunate Oswego getting his tail bitten off...the monkeys decided living on their original land of Monkey Island wasn’t so bad after all.  The monkeys figured out a little hard work isn’t always bad and living easy isn’t always good.

Surprisingly Looking for the Easy Life did not win any awards and is considered unpopular by this New York Times Best-Selling author, Walter Dean Myers.  This book is intended for ages 4-8.  There is a good moral to the story but reviewers withdrew from the language of the book and insinuations given by some of the characters.

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

Ringgold, F. (2015). Harlem renaissance party. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

In this book, Lonnie gets the chance to fly with his Uncle Bates to Harlem to meet Langston Hughes.  Along the way, they meet famous artists, musicians, and athletes who were influential in the 1920’s.  After experiencing walking with giants, Lonnie now understands the importance of the Harlem Renaissance.  Lonnie learns to become proud of his culture and where he came from.  He even sets out to become a famous poetry writer himself.

Faith Ringgold is a Caldecott Honor artist who takes you on the journey through Harlem back in the 1920’s.  Her bold illustrations capture the essence of the Harlem Renaissance and charm young readers while teaching them about an important part of history. 

This book is made for ages 6 and up.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Peña.

Santat, D. (2017). After the fall : How Humpty Dumpty got back up again. New York: 

     Roaring Brook Press.

The book recounts the aftermath of events that occur after Humpty's epic fall. Once he healed
from the fall, he walked past the same wall every day wishing to be at the top of it again with
the birds.  His fear controlled him so much that he would never climb up.  One day he had a great
idea to build a paper airplane in the shape of a bird to bide the time not spent with them up top...until
his creation flew over the wall.  Will Humpty Dumpty climb the wall to save his creation on the other
side?  Or will he leave behind the airplane he worked so hard on?  

After the Fall made its way to many Best Book lists such as NPR, Horn Book Fanfare, and Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book and is created for ages 5-9.  It is a must read for all young children and teaches about courage to face any fear.  Santat’s illustrations are similar to those of his Adventures of Beekle book. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy.

Yang, K. (2018). Front Desk. Levine Books.

Most kids don't dream of working until they're older. Well, this isn't quite the case when you meet the main character of this story. Mia Tang is the daughter of two immigrant motel workers. while her parents busy themselves with keeping the motel clean, she works at the front desk intercepting calls and taking care of office duties.

Readers also discover that her parents go above and beyond by helping to hide immigrants in preparation for a better life.

Can Mia follow her dreams of becoming a writer when language barriers among other obstacles are present?

If you like this book, check out Yang's other title called Parachutes.

Required Reading - Books 16-30

Alexander, K., Colderley, C., Wentworth, M., & Holmes, E. (2017). Out of wonder : Poems 

     celebrating poets. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

The authors finds a way to showcase adoration for twenty beloved poets throughout history.
Her you'll find poems created to honor and celebrate their words that have encouraged many
people.  Reading the preface to find out the inspiration of this book by
Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth.  Kwame has made it his
life’s work to share the joy of reading and writing poetry with others.  

This book won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2018 that’s intended for ages 8-12.  The poems pay tribute to twenty well known poets throughout history with phenomenal illustrations to match the tone of each composition.  This book serves as a great way to hook readers into poetry!

If you enjoy this book you might also like, One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes.

Bishop, N. (2008). Frogs. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction.

Frogs are all around us. These strange creatures live on land and water and have some strange habits for survival.  Frogs can be found on almost every continent and can be as small as a dime or as large as a baby. Wow!  If you are curious about a frog's cycle of life and how they endure different climates this is the place to be.  Keep reading to learn about different species of frogs and how each one has its own tactic for a successful existence. You'll learn more about frogs than you'd ever imagine!

Bishop is a Sibert Medal-winning photographer.  He won the Boston Globe Award in 2008, the Gryphon Award in 2009, along with many other awards.  This is an excellent book for young readers interested in frogs or to help with a research project.  The close-up photographs are an endless source of fascination for anyone perusing the book. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Actual Size by Steve Jenkins.

Curtis, C. P. (2018). The journey of little Charlie. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Little Charlie has lived his entire life in the throes of poverty as the son of a share-cropper living in South Carolina.  He can't read, but thinking has always been important to him.  What might be seen as a curse in the novel because it means Charlie is thrown into the world of adults, a world of large decisions and moments, is his size.  Charlie is only twelve years old but is already six foot and four inches and one hundred and eighty pounds, and once his father dies due to an accident and bad luck on a cosmic scale, Charlie is forced to accompany the overseer of the nearby plantation, Cap'n Buck, to hunt down some runaway slaves.

Cap'n Buck is as vile a villain as you are likely to find within the pages of middle grade fiction and as repulsive on the outside as he is on the inside.  Curtis has reached into the darkest parts of humanity and pulled out this foul creature to exude depravity and reek across the pages and in the reader's imaginations, and Charlie must ride alongside this man for fear of what he will do to him and his mother over the supposed debt that his father owed the Cap'n.  When confronted with the reality of what he has been charged to do, bring a family back into the cruel chains of slavery, Charlie is faced with a choice--a choice on what is right and what he's willing to do to see that the right thing is done.

Bravery is what it takes for a person to make the right choice when they are faced with it, and Curtis' characterization of Charlie makes that choice all the more real for the readers.  Curtis' use of dialect lends Charlie an air of authentic country, which adds to the fact that Charlie has lived without access to the education and opportunities that he sees others in the novel possess.  This could compound the racism that Charlie has been steeped in since he was born in the south by making him envious, but it's a testament to Charlie's character that it doesn't.  This seems to be Curtis' point about courage.  People who are willing to make the brave choices have something good and pure in their core that wouldn't allow them to follow the evil path or even to go on with their own lives ignoring the chance for good they could do.  This is especially effective when set up against the ease and enjoyment that the Cap'n shows in his violent and cruel actions.

Want more of Curtis’ work?  Check out Bud, Not Buddy.

Draper, S. M. (2015). Stella by starlight. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

In this humbling true story, Stella lives with her parents and little brother Jojo in Bumblebee, North Carolina during the time of segregation.  Stella feels safe even though she is African-American living a life of segregation that affects nearly every aspect of their lives.  Unfortunately, one night she and her brother Jojo sneak out of the house and happen to witness members of the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross on the other side of the pond.  Stella and the rest of her black community will have to decide how to safely stand up for themselves without putting their lives in danger.  Stella teaches you about beauty in brokenness. Lessons of self resepect and bravery can be found throughout the pages of this book.

The author wrote this historical fiction book from her grandmother’s journal when she was 10 years old.  The journal was passed down to her from Draper’s father who requested to have his mother’s story written into a book.  It’s a book that speaks to young people about being brave when the opportunity presents itself.  It’s created for ages 10 and up. 

If you find interest in this book you might also like, Gone Crazy in Alabama (Gaither Sisters, #3), by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Engle, M. (2015). Drum dream girl: How one girl's courage changed music. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

No No No. In Margarita Engle's Drum Dream Girl, the main character hears the same discouraging word when she wants to play the drums.  She is surrounded by drum beats in the island of music where she lives, and she dreams of playing drums of her own in front of others.  But dreaming is all she is allowed to do.  Everyone tells her that only boys are allowed to play the drums, but this tenacious little girl refuses to let her dream die.

Many children's books tell stories with the theme of never giving up on your dreams and I say, "What's wrong with that?"  Kids should hear this theme again and again, in as many different iterations that authors can devise.  Their dreams are the valuable drive that will help them push themselves to excellence, so they must believe that those dreams are a precious element to their being, a part of themselves that might grow but should never die.  Engle shows us this ten fold through this story.  Drum Dream Girl is brave, and the beat of Engle's words should resonate with all readers.  The illustrations reflect the longing we can feel when our dreams continue to be out of reach as the main character is shown watching people play the drums with joy and need plastered on her face.

What makes this story all the more inspiring is that it is based on a true story.  According to the author, Cuba actually had a taboo against women and girls playing the drums until Millo Castro Zaldarriga broke the taboo and became a world famous musician.

Want more of Engle?  Check out The Surrender Tree.

Garza, C. L., Rohmer, H., Schecter, D., & Alarcón, F. X. (1996). In my family/En mi familia. 

     San Francisco: Children's Book Press.

Garza paints her memories of growing up in a traditional Mexican American family in her small home town in Texas.  Her personal stories make you feel like you experienced her traditions along with her.  Making cascarones, dancing with the family, eating empanadas, and listening to her grandmother’s stories are only a few of the many memories she has.  

In My Family won the Pura Belpré Award in 1998 and is made for ages 6-12 with a strong message of family unity, cultural diversity, childhood experiences,  and memories.  Carmen Lomas Garza is an internationally renowned artist that has painted vibrant illustrations to bring the reader into the special traditions of her family.  There’s even a Q&A section reserved in the back of the book to learn more about the author. 


If you enjoy this book you might also like, Just in Case by Yuyi Morales.

Reynolds, J. (2017). As brave as you. New York: A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/Atheneum Books 

     for Young Readers.

Ernie and Genie are on their way to visit their grandparents for the summer who live in the country.  They don’t have internet but Genie keeps a journal full of questions to ask once he gets access to Google again.  In Genie’s eyes, Ernie is brave, always taking up fights and protecting him.  But something goes wrong when Grand pop tries to make Ernie into a man. Genie will have to rethink what it means to be brave.  Throughout Genie and Ernie’s adventures, they find Gran pop's secret room he always disappears to and figures out why he never goes outside.  They also are taken aback when they find out Grand pop is completely blind.  

As Brave As You won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens and is produced for ages 10 and up.  It also won the Schneider Family Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, and is the Kirkus Prize winner for 2018.  This book has a heartfelt storyline of family, brotherhood, growing up, and what it means to be brave. 


If you enjoy this book you might also like, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs. New York, NY: Viking.
Get a good laugh at this twist on the traditional story of the three little pigs. In this version, the wolf swears this whole huff and puff thing is all a big misunderstanding. The big bad wolf, Alexander T. Wolf to be precise, tells us what actually happened on the day of the attacks on three ill-mannered pig brothers. He was just trying to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors, but he had a very unfortunate cold and a powerful set of lungs.
A wolf has to eat and if a pig dies in an accident, there is no sense in letting a good meal go to waste. At least that is what the wolf would have us believe. Scieszka has created a very strong voice with his rendition of the Big Bad Wolf, and readers will find themselves being sucked into his tale, beginning to believe his every word. But this book makes an excellent lesson in the unreliable narrator and the all important life lesson that you can't believe everything you hear. The book could inspire some healthy debate between you and your children or students. Who should we believe?

Looking for another great read? Try The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

Singer, M., & Masse, J. (2010). Mirror, Mirror: A book of reverso poems. NY: Dutton.

Imagine classic fairy tales turned into poetry!  Imagine a book where you can read it from
top to bottom, then bottom to top and it still made sense.  Putting a spin on poetry is a new
and exciting way to reach readers!  Reading one poem that has two meanings is unique and
puts excitement back into reading poetic pieces.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems is an ALA Notable and won the Cybil Award in Poetry and the Land of Enchantment Picture Book Award, along with many others.  It’s built of fairy tale reverse poems invented by Singer where the poem can be read forward or backward and presents a different perspective each way.  This book is encouraged for ages 8 and up and has appealing artwork. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, GUYKU: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka.

Smith, L. (2010). It’s a book. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

We all know a kid or two who can’t fathom the idea of putting down a cell phone, tablet, ipod, etc. Technology is all the rage in the modern age.  In this work by Lane, a young donkey is bothered by what his monkey companion is doing. He’s reading a book and the donkey continues to bother the monkey with questions about its technological capabilities. Eventually the donkey takes the book and becomes submerged in its story for the next several hours, showing the dominance of a good story over technology.

In this book, the text is short and the illustrations are simple, but they still carry the pestering curiosity of the donkey and the rising annoyance of the monkey with perfect clarity.  The humor adds a very nice touch.  Every adult throughout history has looked upon the younger generation and despaired about what’s going wrong with them, and It’s a Book capitalizes on feelings of concern on the increasing prevalence of technology replacing reading for the sake of humor. This title reminds us that books will always reign in the realm of imagination. Adults have to make sure we’re putting good books into our children’s hands to make them as accessible as their phones.

Smith carries this same sense of humor in many of his books. If you enjoyed It’s a Book be sure to check out Madame President.

Stead, R. (2020). The List of Things That Will Not Change. NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Divorce changes families.  In this book, Bea's life changes in various ways as a result of divorce. In order to help her deal with the changes happening in the world as she knows it, she begins to keep a list of the things that won't change.  This give her a sense of belonging and security. Ultimately and most importantly, she feels assured that her mom and dad will always love her as well as each other.

In this unconventional story, Bea learns that life as some know it isn't always that simple. She's hoping that her dad's marriage brings her newfound joy, especially when the prospect of having a new sister is in store.

Want a similar text? You might want to check out When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson.

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Sweet writes a biographical picture book about Tony Sarg, the man behind the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.  Tony was obsessed with puppets and making things move from a very young age.  He went into a career revolving around marionettes, and soon he was performing with his puppets on Broadway.  From here his career only got bigger.  He was hired to design automated puppets for Macy's store window holiday display, and then he was asked to build the floats for the first Macy's parade. Oh what fun!

Contrary to popular belief, things didn't just happen overnight for Tony's career or the parade floats.  He had passion, and that drove him to keep working and to continue to seek better ways to make his enormous puppets move more realistically than they did the year before.  This will serve as a great lesson for kids, and might even serve as an introduction to students' first revision lessons.  We should never be happy with our first efforts if we can continue to work hard and improve upon them.

The illustrations add another level of appreciation to the story.  Kids will see representations of his puppet displays and floats and imagine what they might have looked like in real life, and the illustrations, especially Sweets mixing of photographs of different props like spools of thread or actual puppets, also give kids a glimpse of the design process as someone sketches out plans, analyzes those plans, and then acts upon those plans.  Every page is full of glee and joy, in text and illustration, just like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

If you like this book try Brave Girl: Clara Lemlich and the Shirtwaist Makers by Michelle Markel.

Wiesner, D. (2001). The three pigs. NY: Clarion.

In this twist on the traditional story, The Three Pigs collect materials to build their houses. 
The big bad wolf huffs and puffs and blows the first pig right off the pages of the story.  The
first pig realizes it’s safe and rescues the other pigs from their storybook pages before the
wolf could get them.  The pigs end up in other nursery rhymes and magical kingdoms, saving
a distressed dragon from its fate before they go back to their story.  The wolf is
trapped inside the pages and gave one last huff and puff to the pig’s house made with brick. 
But to his demise, the dragon took care of the wolf...and dinner at the same time.

Wiesner won the Caldecott Medal in 2002 for rendition the Three Little Pigs and is aimed for ages 5 and up and is an inventive picture book that assumes you know the traditional tale of the three little pigs, and then gives it a nice little twist.  The art is fantastic and fairly easy to understand what is going on. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka.

Willems, M. (2017). Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world. New York: 

     Disney/Hyperion.

Sam is a big chicken to say the least.  He is scared of everything, except for his monster friend, Leonardo.  Kerry is afraid of everything, too except for her monster friend, Frankenthaler.  Sam and Kerry found out they are even afraid of each other!  The monster friends decide to leave, which makes the kids figure out common ground between each other like ice cream and the “Whee Ride”.  When the monsters return, the scaredy cats are nowhere to be found.  It turns out both kids love to scare others.  The monsters are in for a real treat.

Willems created this book about friendship and facing your fears and is entertaining for young readers who like books that are silly and have a positive message.  It is produced for ages 4 and up and is the prequel to Leonardo the Terrible Monster. 

If you enjoy this book you might also like, My Pillow Keeps Moving by Laura Gehl.

Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. NY: Penguin.

Life can be a whirlwind for a young lady looking to find herself. In this book, Jacqueline
is a young girl who was born in Ohio where her father is from, but was raised in the South by
her mom and grandparents. There you could still find pieces of Jim Crow laws even after the
Civil Rights Movement.  Her family moved to New york City and was encouraged to stay with
her Jehovah’s Witness faith.  Growing up in different places during a rare time in American history
molded Jacqueline into a girl with a voice and one who conquered the crazy world around her. 

Brown Girl Dreaming won the John Newbery Award in 2015, along with the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2014 and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literacy in 2015.  This book of poems is created for ages 10 and up that talks of growing up as an African American in the 1960s and 70s and still feeling the effects of Jim Crow in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement.  It’s a colorful memoir of the author’s childhood and captures the importance of friends, the family unit, and the ups and downs of growing up.

If you enjoy this book you might also like, Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings by Margarita Engle.