Title:Animal Life: Survival in the Wild

Author: Karen O’Callaghan and Kate Londesborough

            This book is a non-fiction book that discusses a wide range of animals and how they survive in their habitats.

Title: Animal Dads

Author: Sneed B. Collard III

Illustrator: Steve Jenkins

            This is a short book about what certain animal dads do for their offspring. The pictures are done in a very interesting way and the story gives a lot of good unfamiliar information.

Title: Children of the Dust Bowl

Author: Jerry Stanley

           This is a great book about people from Oklahoma that lived through the Dust Bowl. It is a great informational book with many pictures that are heartfelt and well-done. 

Picture book

Title: Lizzy and Skunk

Author: Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

          This book was a very cute story about a little girl and her toy skunk puppet that helped her through things that scared her. When Skunk goes missing she has to go to scary places to find him.

Title: Annie and the Animals

Author: Jan Brett

         This book is about a girl Annie who wants a new pet when her cat Taffy goes missing. She lures wild animals from the woods but decides none of them are right. At the end of the book Taffy surprises Annie. 

Title: The Wild Christmas Reindeer

Author: Jan Brett

          A story about the chistmas reindeer and how a small child named Teeka gets them ready to fly on Christmas Eve. 

Title: Little Critter Storybook Collection

Author: Mercer Meyer

         This is a collection of little critter stories. The book has a wide range of stories many of which relate to school. There are many great pictures that help a child relate to the story. 

Title: The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

Author: Beatrix Potter

        The story of Peter Rabbit and how the adventures he embarks upon.

Title: The Bear who went to the Ballet

Author: Jean Richardson

Illustrator: Susan Winter

            This book is about a bear named Tutu. She was a gift to a little girl named Harriett from her grandma. It is a story about how she makes her life with all the other toys.

Title: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Author: Laura Joffe Numeroff

Illustrator: Felcicia Bond.

            This book is a very cute little cause and effect story about a mouse and his activities during a day.

Title: The Very Hungary Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carle

            This is a story about the sequencing of the life cycle of a caterpillar.

Title: New Mexico A to Z

Author: Dorothy Hines Weaver

Illustrator: Kay Wacker

          This book has pictures and a little saying that goes along with each letter of the alphabet. Each of the topics are something related to New Mexico and the pictures show what the text is about.  

Title: The Tiny Seed

Author: Eric Carle

            This book is a well written story about different seasons and the life cycle of a flower. Carle goes through the stages and the pictures do a great job of depicting what happens from a seed all the way to a grown flower.

Title: Strega Nona

Author: Tomie DePaola.

            Short story about a woman, Strega Nona, who has a magic touch. She has a magic pasta pot and one time when she goes out of town the pot gets out of control. Strega Nona has to come to the rescue and save the town.

Title: The Big Snow

Author(s): Berta and Elmer Hader.

            This is a well written book about the happenings in fall and winter through the eyes of different animals that live in the forest. The books has very beautiful pictures as well.

Title: The Happiness Tree: A Yoga Story

Author: Uma Krishnaswami

Illustrator: Ruth Jeyaveeran

            This story is about a young girl who is clumsy and is going to be a tree in her school play. Her auntie then encourages her to join a children’s yoga class to learn   to be still and not so clumsy. This is a very well written book and has beautiful pictures.

Title: Monsoon

Author: Uma Krishnaswami

Illustrator: Jamel Akib

            This a multicultural book about a family that lives in India and is awaiting the monsoons. It is written from a young girls perspective. I loved this story!

Title: Pancakes, Pancakes!

Author: Eric Carle

            This book portrays a very interesting view of what goes into making foods we eat everyday! The story is very well written and the pictures help to carry the story.

Title: The Mysterious Tadpole

Author: Steven Kellogg

            A very cute story about a little boy who brings a tadpole to class for his classmates to watch grow. The story line is creative and the students and teacher don't see what they think they are going to.

Title: The Spice Alphabet Book

Author: Jerry Pallotta

Illustrator: Leslie Evans

           An alphabet book that outlines different spices and their importance. Each letter has pictures of each one to show what it looks like.

Title: Too Many Leprechauns

Author: Stephen Krensky

Illustrator: Dan Andreasen

           This story is about how a man named Finn plays a trick on some leprechauns to get them to leave his town so everyone can sleep again. The pictures in this book are very cute and well done.

Title: The Missing Mitten Mystery

Author: Steven Kellogg

          A story about a little girl who loses her mitten while she is out playing in the snow. Her and her dog go looking for the mitten making up stories along the way.

Title: Armadillo Rodeo

Author: Jan Brett

          A very cute story based on things that happen in the southwest. An armadillo named Bo tries to track down what he thinks is someone to be his friend.

Title: Gingerbread Baby

Author: Jan Brett

         Another version of the Gingerbread Man but in this story the character is a baby gingerbread person and in the end he is captured by a very resourceful boy, not eaten.

Title: Two Bad Ants

Author: Chris Van Allsburg

         A story about two ants that venture away from the rest of the ants. The two bad ants find out the dangers of straying from the rest of their kind.

 Folklore

Title: The Legend of the Bluebonnet

Author: Tomie DePaola

            This is a folktale about a little girl who gave up her prized possession to help save her tribe.

Title: The Tale of Three Trees

Author: Angela Elwell Hunt

Illustrator: Tim Jonke

             This story was a christian story about three trees and the life they had.

Title: When I Was Young in the Mountains

Author: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrator: Diane Goode

             This book is a Caldacott winner. It is about a young girl and her experinces and memories of growing up in the mountains.

Title: Knots on a Counting Rope

Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Illustrator: Ted Rand

            A story about a grandfather and his grandson and the ties that bind them together. The story is one with dialogue between the grandfather and his grandson about the grandson’s life.

Title: Pajaro Verde: The green bird

Author: Joe Hayes

Illustrator: Antonio Castro L.

            A folktale told by Joe Hayes that is about a young woman, Maribel, who has nine sisters. Maribel marries a green bird that she meets, who changes into a prince at night. The prince is injured and to save their love Maribel has to save him. The book is also written in English and Spanish, and the pictures are beautiful.

Title: The Gingerbread Cowboy

Author: Janet Squires

Illustrator: Holly Berry

            The story of the Gingerbread Man retold in a southwest setting. Very culturally directed and entertaining.

Title: Anook: The Snow Princess

Author: Hans Wilhelm

            A story abut a polar bear princess who gets exiled from her home and eventually comes back to take her place as the rightful queen.

Title: Cinderella’s Dress

Author: Nancy Willard

Illustrator: Jane Dyer

            A story about the making of Cinderella’s dress, different than the story we are all used to. Very interesting and from a different perspective.

Title: The Elves and the Shoemaker

Author: Jim LaMarche

            An old fairytale about a shoemaker who is poor and is saved by elves that make beautiful shoes for him to sell in his shoe shop. This book has beautiful pictures and is very well written.

Title: Waynetta and the Cornstalk: A Texas Fairytale

Author: Helen Ketteman

Illustrator: Diane Greenseid

            A folktale similar to jack and the beanstalk, just with a Texan twist.

Science Fiction

Title: Among the betrayed

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

            The third book in the Shadow Children series is about a young girl who is a third child and has been captured. With the help of three other third children she fights back and frees herself. But as long as the Population Police are still in charge she will never be completely free.

Title: Among the free

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

            The final book in the Shadow Children series. The book is written from yet another third child’s perspective and the books come to a nice close, although there is still room for sequels to be added. The book is very suspenseful and keeps the reader hooked just like all the others in this series.

Title: Space Dogs

Author(s): Justin Ball and Evan Crocker

            This book was a very interesting tale about a group of scientists who send a dog into space. Although, they have great hopes for their new project, the capsule crashes and the dog is now on another planet with very different human life than she is used to.

Realistic Fiction

Title: Dexter the Tough

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Illustrator: Mark Elliot

            This book was a well written story about a boy who has to start a new school and live with his Grandma because his Dad is sick.

Title: Say What?

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Illustrator: James Bernardin

            This story was about three siblings who always expected their parents to yell at them. The parents were sick of yelling at their children so they read an article telling them to say weird things, so they did and the kids have to figure it out.

Title: A Gift for Mama

Author: Esther Hautzig

Illustrator: Donna Diamond

            This book is about a young Jewish girl, Sara, who lives in Poland. Sara has always made her mother something for holidays, but this year for mother’s day she wants to do something different. She has come up with some creative ways to earn money for her gift.

Title: Stuart Little

Author: E.B. White

Illustrator: Garth Williams

          This is a classic book is about a little mouse that is taken in by humans and becomes a member of their family. The story is very creative an interesting book for children.

Fantasy 

Title: Inside My Feet: The story of a giant

Author:

            This is short story about a little boy who lives on the outside of some woods. One night some enchanted boots come to his home and capture his mother and father. The young boy has to come up with some way to save his family.

Title: The Widow's Broom

Author: Chris Van Allsburg

          A tale of a witch's broom that is found in a widow's garden. The widow finds out that the broom is no ordinary broom. The broom has magical powers!

Title: Fern the Green Fairy

Author: Daisy Meadows

        This book is one in the Rainbow magic series. It is about a fairy named fern. This book would be an easy read when a student begins chapter books. It is about a fairy named Fern and her meeting with two girls in a secret garden.

Historical Fiction

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts

Author: Gennifer Choldenko

            This is a story about a family that goes to work at Alcatraz. The boy who is the voice of the story name is Moose and he is telling the story from his perspective.

Title: Now Let Me Fly: The story of a slave family

Author: Dolores Johnson

            This is a beautifully written story about a young girl who is captured and sold into slavery. The story is a brief narrative of her life and the struggles she goes through as a result of slavery.

Title: The Titanic: Lost and Found

Author: Judy Donnelly

        This book has a lot of interesting facts about the Titanic and what happened. There is history as well as some more recent information.

Poetry/Verse

Title: The Children’s Book of America

Author: William J. Bennett

Illustrator: Michael Hague

            This book is a collection of short stories and poetry about life in America and all the figures that we know as American history.

Title: Just Us Two

Author: Joyce Sidman

Illustrator: Susan Swan

            This book is a poetry book that explains the animal dads roles in life and taking care of their offspring.

Title: Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow

Author: Joyce Sidman

Illustrator: Beth Krommes

             A poetry book about insects and other beings that you may find in a meadow.

Title: Gallop-o-Gallop

Author: Sandra Alonzo

Illustrator: Kelly Murphy

             A book of poems about all different kinds of horses and what they do.

Title: Beneath a Blue Umberella

Author: Jack Prelutsky

Illustrator: Garth Williams

            A poetry book about all different kinds of animals and people and interesting things that they do.

Title: Songs of Shiprock Fair

Author: Luci Tapahanso

Illustrator: Anthony Chee Emerson

        This is a poetry book that is about the happenings that surround the Shiprock Fair. The illustrations also help the reader to see parts of the fair.

Autobiography/Biography

Title: Meet Beverly Cleary

Author: S. Ward

           A very easy read about the life of author Beverly Cleary. This book would be one good for doing a short report with tidbits of information about various parts of her life.

Title: The Story of Women Who Shaped the West

Author: Mary Virginia Fox

         This is a short biography of several women who had substanial roles in establishing the West. The book includes people such as, Narcissa Williams, Annie Oakley, Henrietta King, and Jessie Benton.

Title: Stan and Jan Berenstain

Author: Mae Woods

         A brief overview about the famous authors of the Berenstien Bear books. Talks shortly about their history and then goes into how the series of books about a bear family was created.

Title: Louisa May Alcott

Author: Cary Ryan

        This book has biographical parts about the life and times of Louisa May Alcott, as well as, exerpts from her personal diary. The information gives great insight into her writing of her famous book Little Women.

Title: Lance Armstrong: The Race of His Life

Author: Kristin Armstrong

Illustrations: Ken Call

       This books is about the famous Lance Armstrong. The book outlines his life from the first time he got onto a bicycle and his first races throughout his career.