Recommended K-4 Children's Books for Parents

A client recently asked me for book recommendations and so I passed these brochures along.  I thought I would share them on my blog.

You can download the brochures here.

For Kindergarten

For First Grade 

For Second Grade

For Third Grade

For Fourth Grade

Grammar and Vocabulary Resources for Middle School ELA Teachers

from here. 

In the last month, I have been asked by several middle school ELA teachers for professional text recommendations that they can read in order to strengthen their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.  Below are books and articles that I have found most helpful.Curious what you think and what additions you might add.


Articles - Grammar

Anderson, Jeff. (2006). Zooming in and zooming out: Putting grammar in context into context. English Journal, 95(5), 28-34. 

Ehrenworth, Mary. (2003). Grammar--comma--a beginning. English Journal, (1), 90-96.

Fearn, Leif & Nancy Farnan. (2007). When is a verb? Using functional grammar to teach writing. Journal of Basic Writing, 26(1), 63-87.

Graham, S., Capizzi, A., Harris, K. R., Hebert, M., & Murphy, P. (2014). Teaching writing to middle school students- A national survey. Reading & Writing- An Interdisciplinary Journal, 27, 1015–1042.

Nunan, Susan Losee. (2005). Forgiving Ourselves and Forging Ahead: Teaching Grammar in a New Millennium. English Journal, 94(4), 70-75.

Saddler, Bruce. (2006). Improving sentences via sentence combining instruction. The Language and Literacy Spectrum, 16, 27-32.

Smagorinsky,Peter,  Wilson, Amy Alexandra and Cynthia Moore. (2011). Teaching grammar and writing: A Beginning teacher's dilemma. English Education, 43(3), 262-292

Weaver, Constance, Carol McNally & Sharon Moerman. (2001). To grammar or not to grammar: That is NOT the question! Voices in the Middle, 8(2), 17-33

Books & Chapters
Grammar

Crovitz, Darren & Michelle D. Devereaux. (2017). Grammar To Get Things Done: A Practical Guide for Teachers Anchored in Real-World Usage. Urbana IL: NCTE & NY: Routledge.

Noden, Harry. (2011). Image grammar: Teaching grammar as part of t e writing process, 2nd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pinker, Steven. (2014).  "Telling Right from Wrong: How to Make Sense of the Rules of Correct Grammar, Word Choice, and Punctuation." from The Sense of Style. New York: Penguin.

Sadler, Bruce & Kristie Asaro-Sadler. (2010). Writing better sentences: Sentence-Combining instruction in the classroom. Preventing School Failure, 54(3), 159–163.

Strunk, William, Jr. (1999). The Elements of Style, 4th ed. Pearson. (free ebook)

Weaver,  Constance. (1996). Teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Weaver, Constance. (2008). Grammar to enrich & enhance writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Williams, James D. (2005). The Teacher's Grammar Book, 2nd Ed.  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. (pdf of book)

Zinsser, William. (2016) On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. New York: Harpers. 


Vocabulary Articles

Baumann, James F. & Michael Graves. (2010). What is academic vocabulary? Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(1), 4-12.

Blachowicz, Camille L.Z., Fisher, Peter J.L., and Donna Ogle. (2006). Vocabulary: Questions from the classroom. Reading Research Quarterly, (41)4, 524-539.

Bromley, Karen. (2007). Nine things every teacher should know about words and vocabulary instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(7), 528-537.

Fang, Zhihui. (2007). The language demands of science reading in middle school. International Journal of Science Education, 28(5). 491-520. 

Flanigan, Kevin & Scott Greenwood.(2007). Effective content vocabulary instruction in the middle: Matching students, purposes, words, and strategies.Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(3), 226-238

Flanigan, Kevin, Templeton, Shane & Latisha Hayes. (2012). What's in a word? Using content vocabulary to generate growth in general academic vocabulary knowledge. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(2), 132-140. 

Kieffer, Michael & Noinie K. Lesaux. (2007). Breaking Down Words to Build

Meaning: Morphology, Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension in the Urban Classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61(2), 134-144. 

Lesaux, Nonie K., Kieffer, Michael J. & S. Elisabeth Faller. (2010). The Effectiveness and Ease of Implementation of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention for Linguistically Diverse Students in Urban Middle Schools. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 196–228.

Nagy, William & Dianna. Townsend. (2012). Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(1), 91-108.

Snow, C., Lawrence, J.F., & White, C. (2009). Generating knowledge of academic language among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 325-344.

Swanson, Elizabeth, Jeanne Wanzek, Lisa McCulley, Stephanie Stillman-Spisak,

Sharon Vaughn, Deborah Simmons, Melissa Fogarty & Angela Hairrell. (2015). Literacy and Text Reading in Middle and High School Social Studies and English Language Arts Classrooms.  Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 1-24.

Vocabulary Books

Rasinski, Tim, Padak, Nancy, Newton, Rick M. and Evangeline Newton. (2008). Greek and Latin Roots: Keys to Building Vocabulary. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education

Robb, Laura. (2014).  Vocabulary is Comprehension: Getting to the Root of Text Complexity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy. 

Autumn Festivals: Book Recommendations for Grades 3-8+

1. Day of the Dead

Ancona, George. 1993. Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. NY: HarperCollins.

Amado, Elisa. 1999. Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead. Illustrated by Joya Hairs. Toronto: Groundwood Books.

Goldman, Judy. 2008. Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead. Illustrated by Rene King Moreno. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Johnston, Tony. 2000. Day of the Dead. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter. NY: Sandpiper.

Keep, Richard. 2008. Clatter Bash! A Day of the Dead Celebration. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

Krull, Kathleen. 1994. Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead. Illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Vicente, Luis San. 2002. Festival of Bones/El Festival de las Calaveras:  The Little-Bitty Book for the Day of the Dead. El Paso. TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Winter, Jeanette. 2004. Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet. Cambridge, MA: North-South Book.

2. Halloween

Behn, Harry. 2003. Halloween. Illustrated by Greg Couch. NY: North-South Books.

Bowers, Sharon. 2009. Ghoulish Goodies. Storey Books. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aGMe1VwBbA

Choi, Yangsook. 2006. Behind the Mask. NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Hamilton, Virginia. 2004. Wee Winnie Witch’s Skinny. Illustrated by Barry Moser. NY: Blue Sky Press.

Heiligman, Deborah. 2009. Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Halloween. Washington D.C.: National Geographic.

from The Three Witches

Hurston, Zora Neale. 2006. The Three Witches. Adapted by Joyce Carol Thomas. Illustrated by Faith Ringgold. NY: HarperCollins.

Merrian, Eve. 1987. Halloween ABC. NY: Simon & Schuster.

From Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Montes, Marisa. 2006. Los Gatos Black on Halloween. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. NY: Henry Holt.

Nikola-Lisa, W. 1997. Shake Dem Halloween Bones. Illustrated by Mike Reed. NY: Houghton Mifflin.

RavenWolf, Silver. 1999. Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide.

 

3. Harvest Festivals/Autumn

Bruchac, Joseph (Abenaki). 2007. Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving. Illustrated by Greg Shed. NY: Sandpiper.

Jackson, Ellen.  2003. The Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest. Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press.

Lee, Uk-Bae. 1999. Sori’s Harvest Moon Day: A Story of Korea. Norwalk, CT: Soundprints.

Leslie, Clare Walker and Frank E. Gerace. 2000. The Ancient Celtic Festivals: And How We Celebrate Them Today. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions International.

Levenson, George. 2002. Pumpkin Circle. Photographs by Shmuel Thaler. San Francisco, CA: Tricycle.

Lin, Grace. 2010. Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. NY: Knopf.

O’Neill, Catherine. 2004. 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving. Washington D.C.: National Geographic.

Pfeffer, Wendy. 2006. We Gather Together. Illustrated by Linda Bleck. NY: Dutton Juvenile.

Russell, Ching Yeung. 1997. Moon Festival. Illustrated by Christopher Zhong-Yuan-Zhang. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Tan, Amy 1995. The Moon Lady. Illustrated by Gretchen Shields. NY: Aladdin.

Tang, Sanmu. 2008. Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Translated by Mina Tenison. Better Link Press.

Williams, Brenda. 2009. Lin Yi’s Lantern: A Moon Festival Tale. Illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books.

4. Scary Stories (Grades 3 – 8+)

From Coraline

Bellairs, John. 2004. The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Illustrated by Edward Gorey. NY: Puffin.

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. Coraline: The Graphic Novel. Illustrated by P. Craig Russell. NY: Harper Collins.

----------------. The Graveyard Book. Illustrated by Dave McKean. NY: HarperCollins.

Gidwitz, Adam. 2011. A Dark Tale and Grimm. NY: Puffin.

From La Llorna/The Weeping Woman

Priestly, Chris. 2007. Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror. Illustrated by David Roberts. NY: Bloomsbury.

Hayes, Joe. 2006. La Llorna/The Weeping Woman. Illustrated by Mona Pennypacker. Translated by Bicki Trego Hill. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

-------------. 2003. El Cucuy: A Bogeyman Cuento. Illustrated by Honorio Robeledo. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Riggs, Ransom. 2011. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.

SanSouci, Robert D. 2010. Haunted Houses (Are You Scared Yet?). Illustrated by Kelly Murphy and Antoine Revoy. NY: Henry Holt.

Books To Teach Children About Labor History

I. Child Labor
Atkins, S. Beth. 2000. Voices from the Fields: Children of Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories. NY: Little, Brown.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2003. Kids on Strike. NY: Sandpiper.
---------------------------------. 1999. Growing Up In Coal Country. Toronto: Groundwood Press.
Carter, Anne Laurel. 2008. Out of the Deeps. Illustrated by Nicholas Debon. Orca Book Publishers.
Engfer, Lee, Robert Conrow and Leanna Engfer. 1997. Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children. Photographs by David L. Parker. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner.
Freedman, Russell. 1998. Kids at Work: Lewis Hine an the Crusade Against Child Labor. NY: Sandpiper
Kielburger, Craig and Kevin Major. 1999. Free the Children: A Young Man Fights Against Child Labor and Proves that Children Can Change the World. NY: Harper Perennial.
Potter Tracey. 2008. Billy Creekmore: A Novel. NY: HarperCollins.
Robinson, J. Dennis. 2010. Striking Back: The Fight to End Child Labor Exploitation. Compass Point Books.
Wallace, Ian. 2005. Boy of the Deeps. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
Winthrop, Elizabeth. 2007. Counting on Grace. NY Yearling.

II. Labor Unions/Labor Strikes/Struggle to Work

Auch, Mary Jane. 2002. Ashes of Roses. NY: Holt.   

Baker, Julie. 2002. Up Molasses Mountain. NY: Wendy Lamb Book.

Bunting, Eve. 1997. A Day's Work. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. NY:  Sandpiper.

Burgan, Michael. 2008. The Pullman Strike of 1894. Compass Point Books.
Cohn, Diane. 2005. Si, Se Puede!/Yes We Can!: Janitors Strike in L.A. Illustrated by Francisco Delgado. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Goldin, Barbara Diamond. 1997. Fire! The Beginnings of the Labor Movement. NY: Puffin.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2007. Uprising. NY: Simon & Schuster.
Harnes, Cheryl. 2007. Rabble Rousers: Twenty Women Who Made a Difference. NY: Dutton.
Hughes, Pat. 2004. The Breaker Boys. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Landau, Elaine. 2009. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. NY: Children's Press.
Lawrence, Katherine. 2006. Labor Legislation: the Struggle to Gain Rights for American Workforce (The Progressive Movement: 1900-1920: Efforts to Reform American's New Industrial Society). NY: Rosen.

Lyon, George Ella. 2011. Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song. Illustrated by Christopher Cardinale. El Pas, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Matas, Carol. 2003. Rosie in New York City: Gotcha! NY Alddin.
McNeese, Tim. 2007. The Labor Movement: Unionizing America. Chelsea House Publications.
Perez, N.A. 2002. Breaker. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Roberts-Davis, Tonya. 2004. We Need to Go to School: Voices from the Rugmark Children. Toronto: Groundwood Press.
Shea, Peggy Deitz. 2006. The Carpet Boy's Gift. Illustrated by Leane Morin. Teabury House Publishers.
Skyrzynski, Gloria. 2008. Sweat and Blood. A History of U.S Labor Unions. Minneapolis MN: Twenty-First Century Books.
Springer, Jane. 1997. Listen to Us: The World's Working Children.  Toronto: Groundwood Press.

III. Biographies of Labor Leaders
Anaya, Rudolfo. 2000. Elegy on the Death of Cesar Chavez. Illustrated by Gaspar Enriquez. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. 2005. Cesar. Si, Se Puede!/Yes We Can! Illustrated by David Diaz. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books.
Brown, Monica. 2010. Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. NY: Rayo.
Christensen, Bonnie. 2001. Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People. NY: Knopf.
Del Catillo, Richard Griswold. 2008. Cesar Chavez: The Struggle for Justice/Cesar Chavez: La lucha por la justicia. Illustated by Anthony Accardo. Ttanslated by Jose Juan Colin. Pinata Books.
Doak, Robin S. 2008. Dolores Huerta: Labor Leader and Civil Rights Activist. Compass Point Books.
Josephson, Judith Pinkerton. 1996. Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Worker's Rights. Minneapolis MN: Lerner Books.
Kraft, Betsy Harvey. 1995. Mother Jones: One Woman's Fights for Labor. NY: Clarion.
Krull, Kathleen. 2003. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. San Diego, Ca; Harcourt.
Miller, Connie Colwell. 2007. Mother Jones: Labor Leader. Illustrated by Steve Erwin. Charles Barnett, III. Captsone Press.
Soto, Gary. 2003. Cesar Chavez: A Hero for Everyone. Illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter. NY: Aladdin.
Stanley, Jerry. 1996. Big Annie of Calumet: A True Story of the Industrial Revolution. NY: Knopf.


IV. Local Activism
Din, Anne Bar. 1999. The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale. Illustrated by Domitilia Dominguez. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
DiSalvo-Ryan. DyAnne. 2000. Grandpa's Corner Store.  NY: HarperCollins.
Halpin, Mikki. 2004. It's Your World Too. If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers. NY: Simon Pulse.
Hoose, Philip. 2002. It's Our World Too: Young People Making a Difference and How You Can Too. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Moore, Anne Elizabeth and . 2004. Hey Kidz! Buy this Book: A Radical Primer on Corporate and Governmental Propaganda and Activism for Short People. Illustrated by Megan Kelso. Soft Skull Press/Publishers West.

Fabulous Global Books for Fifth Grade

Mirror & Window Books
Addasi, Maha. 2010. Time to Pray. Arabic translation by Nuhu Albitar. Illustrated by Ned Gannon. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press. (Bilingual text: English & Arabic).
Anzaldúa, Gloria. 1997. Friends From the Other side/Amigos del otro lado. Illustrated by Consuelo Méndez. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.
Coy, John. 2003. Strong to the Hoop. Illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart. NY: Lee & Low.
Draper, Sharon. 2010. Out of My Mind. NY: Atheneum.
Grimes. Nikki. 2006. The Road to Paris. NY: Putnam.
Krishnaswami, Uma. 2011. The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. NY: Atheneum ( Kindle version).
Perez, Amada Irma. 2002. My Diary from Here to There/Mi Diaro De Aqui Hasta Alla. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.
Rumford, James. 2008. Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. NY: Roaring Press Books.

Text to Text

I. Japanese Interment

Chin, Steven A. 1992. When Justice Failed: The Fred Korematsu Story. Illustrated by David Tamura. NY: Steck Baghn.
Cooper, Michael L. 2002. Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp. NY: Clarion.
Layson, Annelex Hofstra. 2008. Lost Childhood: My Life in a Japanese Prison Camp During World War II. Illustrated by Herman J. Viola. Washington D.C. National Geographic.

Lee-Tai, Amy. 2006. A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press.

Lieurance, Suzanne. 2009. The Lucky Baseball: My Story in a Japanese-American Internment Camp. Enslow Publishers.

Means, Florence.1993. The Moved Outers. NY: Walker Books.

Mochizuki, Ken. 1993. Baseball Saved Us. Illustrated by Dom Lee.! NY: Lee & Low.

Noguchi, Rick & Deneen Jenks. 2001. Flowers for Mariko. Illustrated by Michelle Reiko. New York: Lee & Low. 
Savin, Marcia. 1995. Moon Bridge. NY: Scholastic.

Shigekawa, Marlene. 1993. Blue Jay in the Desert. Illustrated by Isao Kikuchi. Chicago, IL: Polychrome Publishing Corporation.

Stanley. Jerry. 1996. I Am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment. NY: Crown Books for Young Readers.
Tunnell, Michael and George W. Chilcoat. 1996. The Children of Topaz: The Story of Japanese-American Internment Camp. NY: Holiday House.
Uchida, Yoshiko. 1996. The Bracelet. Illustrated by Joanna Yardley. New York: Putnam.
--------------------. 1995. The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography. Surrey, UK: Beech Tree.


2. Thanksgiving
Bruchac, Margaret M. (Abenaki), and Catherine Grace O’Neill. 2001. 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.
Hunter, Sally M. (Ojibwe). 1995. Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.
Peters, Russell M. (Wampanoag). 1992. Clam-bake: A Wampanoag Tradition. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.
Swamp, Jake (Mohawk). 1995. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message. New York: Lee & Low.

3. Civil Rights
Bausum, Ann. 2005. Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Greenberg, David. 2008. A Tugging String: A Novel About Growing Up During the Civil Rights Era. NY: Dutton.

Haskins, Jim & Benson, Kathleen. 2006. John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. NY: Lee & Low.

McWhorter, Diane. 2004. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968. NY: Scholastic. 

Partridge, Elizabeth. 2009. Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children an Don't You Grow Weary. NY: Viking. 
Rappaport, Doreen. 2006. Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 
Shange, Ntozake. 2009. We Troubled the Waters. Illustrated by Rod Brown. NY: Amistad.
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2009. Birmingham, 1963. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.
--------------------------------. 2004. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. NY: Dial.

Text to World

from My Shoes & I

Anderson, M.T. 2005. Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Cambridge MA: Candlewick.

Bermann, Flemming. 2010. Global Warming for Young Minds: A Global Warming and Sustainability Guide For Children. Durham, CT: Eloquent Books.

Cherry, Lynne, Gary Braasch and David Sobel. 2010. How We Know What We Know about Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications.

Fleischman, Paul. 2004. Seedfolks. Illustrated by Judy Pedersen. NY: Harper Trophy.
Laínez, René Colato. 2010. My Shoes and I. Illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.
Parker, David L., Lee Engfer and Robert Conrow. 1997.

Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications.

Ringgold, Faith. 2004. What Will You Do for Peace? Impact of 9/11 on New York City Youth. Hamden, CT: InterRelations Collaborative.
Say, Allen. 2005. Kamishibai Man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Shea, Peggy Dietz, 2006. The Carpet Boy’s Gift. Illustrated by Leane Morin. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, Publisher.
Sheth, Kashmira. 2010. Boys without Names. NY: Balzer & Bray.
Williams, Mary. 2005. Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.NY: Lee & Low.

Creating Visual Images

from The Sounds of Color

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. 1999. Jump Back Honey: The Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan, Carole Byard, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Brian Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney and Faith Ringgold. New York: Hyperion.
Garland, Sherry. 2000. Voices of the Alamo. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. New York: Scholastic Press.
Hayes, Joe. 2004. Ghost Fever / Mal de Fantasma. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Ihimaera, Witi. 2003. The Whale Rider. San Di- ego, CA: Harcourt.

Liao, Fu-Bin. 2006. The Sounds of Color: A Journey of the Imagination. New York: Little Brown & Young.
Maher, Ramona. 2003. Alice Yazzie’s Year. Illustrated by Shonto Begay. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.
Nye, Naomi Shihab, (Ed). 1998. The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East. NY: Simon & Schuster.
Soto, Gary. 2006. A Fire in My Hands: Revised and Expanded Edition. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2005. Show Way. Illustrated by Hudson Talbott. NY: Putnam.

Asking Questions
Brown, Don. 2004. Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Burleigh, Robert. 2011. Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Croses the Atlantic. Illustrated by Wendell Minor. NY: Simon & Schuster.
Demi. 2006. Su Dongpo: Chinese Genius. NY: Lee & Low.
Grimes, Nikki. 2003. Talkin’ About Bessie. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. NY: Orchard.
Joseph, Lynn. 2001. The Color of My Words. New York: Harper Trophy, Reprint.
Medina, Tony.!2002. Love to Langston. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. NY: Lee & Low.
Nelson, Marilyn. 2001. Carver: A Life in Poems. Asheville, NC: Front Street.
Pappas, Theoni. 1991. Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices. New York: Wide World Publishing.

Inferring
Babbitt, Natalie. 1975. Tuck Everlasting. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Catrow, David. 2005. We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution. New York: Puffin.
de la Pena, Matt, 2011. A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. NY: Dial.
Govenar, Alan. 2000. Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter. New York: Jump at the Sun.
Johnston, Tony. 2003. Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio. New York: Scholastic.
Joseph, Lynn. 2001. The Color of My Words. NY: Harper Trophy.
McKissack, Patricia. 2007. A Friendship for Today. NY: Scholastic.
Medina, Jane. 1995. My Name Is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River. Illustrated by Fabricio Vandenbroeck. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
Morpurgo, Michael. 2004. Kensuke's Kingdom. NY: Scholastic.
Morrison, Toni. 2004. Remember: The Journey to School Integration. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Schertle, Alice. 2007. We. Illustrated by Kenneth Addison. New York: Lee and Low.
Yep, Laurence. 1996. Hiroshima. New York: Scholastic.

Determining Importance

Christensen, Bonnie. 2011. Django. NY: Flash Point.
Jackson, Donna. 2004. In Your Face: The FACTS About Your Features. NY: Viking.
Jurmain, Suzanne. 2005. The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Leacock, Elspeth and Buckley, Susan. 2001. Journeys in Time: A New Atlas of American History. Illustrations by Rodica Prato. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Morrison, Toni. 2003. Remember: The Journey to School Integration. San Diego, CA: Houghton.
Murphy, Jim. 2006. The Great Fire. NY: Scholastic.
Opini, Bathseba and Richard B. Lee. 2011. Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations. NY: Annick Press.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 2000. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. Illustrated by Steven Alcorn. San Diego, CA: Gulliver Books.
Skurzynski, Gloria. 2000. On Time: From Seasons to Split Seconds. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Synthesis

Bley, Annette. 2007. And What Comes After a Thousand? La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller.

from And What Comes After a Thousand?

Landowne, Youme. 2004. Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Lawrence, Jacob. 1995. The Great Migration: An American Story. NY: Harper Trophy.
Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. 2006. The Pull of the Ocean. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
Nikola-Lisa, W. 2006. How We Are Smart. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. NY: Lee & Low.
Rockwell, Anne. 2002. Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. New York: Dragonfly.
Russell, Ching Yeung. 2009. Tofu Quilt. NY: Lee & Low.
Sis, Peter. 2003. The Tree of Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Thomas, Joyce Carol, Ed. 2003. Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone. The Brown V. Board of Education. Illustrations by Curtis James. New York: Jump at the Sun.

SOL#17: Updated - Play Ball! Recommended K-12 Books about Baseball

Although I don't follow baseball today, I can still recall in the early 1970s, during spring driving with my dad in his trusty VW bug (the original) and listening to AM radio coverage of a baseball game. I remember my dad listening as Nolan Ryan pitched his way to a no hitter and recall my dad saying, Mary, we have a sure winner here. I'm not sure if it had something to do with listening to a game,  being with just my dad, or perhaps both--but I recall the time fondly.  

With spring a few weeks away and baseball warming up, I hope the list inspires you to "pitch a few books" to others and to read to children.


1. Picture Books

Adler, David A. 2007. Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella. Illustrated by Gordon James.NY: Viking Juvenile.
-------------------. 2004. The Babe & I. Illustrated by Terry Widener. NY: Sandpiper.
-------------------. 2003. Mama Played Baseball. Illustrated by Chris O’Leary. NY: Harcourt.

Bildner, Phil. 2011. Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and the Record-Setting Summer of 1941. Illustrated by S.D. Schindler. NY: Putnam Juvenile.
--------------. 2006. Shoeless Joe & Betsy Black. Illustrated by C.F. Payne. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Bowen, Fred. 2010. No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season. Illustrated by Chuck Pyle. NY: Dutton Juvenile.
Burleigh, Robert. 2003. Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth. Illustrated by Mike Wimmer. NY: Sandpiper.

Burleigh, Robert. 2007. Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson: Against the Odds. Illustrated by Mike Wimmer. NY: Sandpiper.

Churin, Nancy. (2016). The William Hoy Story. Illustrated by Jez Tuya. New York: Albert Whitman & Company.
Cline-Ransome, Lisa. 2003. Satchel Paige. Illustrated by James E.Ransome. NY: Aladdin.
Corey, Shana. 2006. Players in Pigtails. Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. NY: Scholastic.

Curtis, Gavin. 2001. The Bat Boy and His Violin. Illustrated by E.B Lewis. NY: Aladdin.

Gilles, Almira Astudillo. 2001. Willie Wins. Illustrated by Carl Angel. NY: Lee & Low.

Golenbock, Peter. 2005. Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way. Illustrated by Don Lee. NY: Lee & Low.

---------------------. 1992. Teammates. Illustrated by Paul Bacon. NY: Sandpiper.

Hopkinson, Deborah. 2003. Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings. Illustrated by Terry Widener. NY: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books.

Hubbard, Crystal. 2005. Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream. Illustrated by Randy Duburke. NY: Lee & Low.

Johnson, Angela. 2007. Just Like Josh Gibson. Illustrated by Beth Peck. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Kusugak, Michael (Inuit). 1993. Baseball Bats for Christmas. Illustrated by Vladana Langer Krykorka. Tornoto, Ontario: Annick Press.

Lorbiecki, Marybeth. 2006. Jackie's Bat. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Mandel, Peter. 2000. Say Hey! Illustrated by Don Tate. NY: Hyperion.

McKisack, Patricia. 2008. Michelson, Richard. 2006. Across the Alley. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York: Harcourt.

Mellage, Nanette. 1999. Coming Home: A True Story of Josh Gibson, Baseball's Greatest Run Hitter. Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Troll.
Michelson, Richard, 2011. Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King. Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
Mochizuki, Ken. 1995. Baseball Saved Us. Illustrated by Don Lee. New York:  Lee & Low.

Moss, Marissa. 2004. Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen. Illustrated by C.F. Payne. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Negron, Ray. 2006. The Boy of Steel: Baseball Dream Come True. Illustrated by Laura Seeley. New York: Harper Collins.

Nelson, Kadir. 2008. We Are The Ship: The Story Of Negro League Baseball. NY: Jump at the Sun.

Okimoto, Jean Davies. 2002. Dear Ichiro. Illustrated by Doug Keith. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books.

Posada, Jorge. 2010. Play Ball! Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Paula Wiseman Books.

Rappaport, Doreen. 2000. Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championship. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York: Dial.
Robinson, Sharon. 2009. Testing the Ice: A True Story about Jackie Robinson. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Scholastic Press.
--------------------. 2004. Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America. New York: Scholastic.

Shore, Diane Z. & Jessica Alexander. 2011. This is the Game. Illustrated by Owen Smith. New York: HarperCollins.

Tavares, Michael. 2000.  Zachary's Ball. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick.

Uhlberg, Myron. 2005. Dad, Jackie, And Me. Illustrated by Colin Bootman. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.
Vernick, Audrey. 2010. She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story. Illustrated by Don Tate. New York: Collins.

Winter, Jonah. (2016). You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Illustrated by Andre Carrilho. New York: Schwartz & Wade.

-----------------. 2008. Roberto Clemente: The Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Atheneum.

Wise, Bill. (2012). Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy. Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. New York: : Lee & Low.
Wise, Bill. (2009). Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. New York: Lee & Low.
Yolen, Jane. (2010). All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever. Illustrated by Jim Burke. New York: Philomel.

Poetry

Edelson, Noah. 2005. Cooperstown Dreams: Poems about Baseball and Other Things That Make a Difference. Illustrated by Hannah Edelson. Sherman Oaks, CA: Mighty Oak Media.

Fehler, Gene. 2009. Change-Up: Baseball Poems. Illustrated by Donald Wu. NY: Clarion.

Graves, Donald. 1996. Baseball, Snakes and Summer Squash: Poems about Growing Up. Illustrated by Paul Birling. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1993. Extra Innings: Baseball Poems. Illustrated by Scott Medlock. NY: Harcourt.

Janeczko, Paul B. 1998. That Sweet Diamond Baseball Poems. Illustrated by Carole Katchen. NY: Atheneum.

Koertge, Ron. 2006. Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick.

Maddax, Marjorie. 2009. Rules of the Game: Baseball Poems. Illustrated by John Sandford. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.

Morrison, Lillian. 1992. At the Crack of the Bat: Baseball Poems. Illustrated by Steve Cieslawski. NY: Hyperion.

Raczka, Rob. 2010. GUYKU: Haiku for Boys. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. NY: Houghton Mifflin. (includes a haiku about baseball cards)

Rodriguez, Alex. 2007. Out of the Park. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. NY: Harper Collins.

Smith, Charles. 2004. Diamond Life: Baseball Sights, Sounds, and Swings. NY: Orchard.

Thayer, Ernest. 2002. Casey At the Bat. Illustrated by Leroy Neiman. Introduction by Joe Torre. NY: Ecco.
 -----------------. 2000. Casey at the Bat: A Ballad at the Republic in the Year 1888. Illustrated by Christopher Bing. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle.

Informational

Bretón, Marcos. 2003. Home Is Everything: The Latino Baseball Story: From the Barrio to the Major Leagues. Photographs by Jose Luis Villegas. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Chronicle Books Staff. 2009. B Is for Baseball: Running the Bases from A to Z. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Cook, Sally and James Charlton. 2007. Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball. Illustrated by Ross MacDonald. NY: Margaret K. McElderry.
Curlee, Lynn. 2004. Ball Park: The Story of America's Baseball Fields. NY: Antheum.

Gibbons, Gail. 2000. My Baseball Book. NY: HarperCollins.

Herzog, Brad. 2004. H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
Wong, Steven. 2007. Baseball Treasures. Illustrated by Susan Einstein.NY: HarperCollins.

Novels & Short Stories (Middle School & High School)

Cochrane, Mick. 2010. The Girl Who Threw Butterflies. NY: Yearling.

De la Pena, Matt. 2008. Mexican WhiteBoy. NY: Delacorte.

Lupica, Mike. 2011. The Batboy. NY: Puffin.

----------------. 2008. The Big Field. NY: Philomel.
----------------. 2007. Heat. NY: Puffin.

Mackel, Kathy. 1997. A Season of Comebacks. NY: Penguin.

Mercado, Nancy (Ed.). 2009. Baseball Crazy: Ten Short Stories that Covers the Bases. NY: Puffin.

Park, Linda Sue. 2008. Keeping Score. NY: Philomel.

Preller, James. 2008. Six Innings: A Game in Life. NY: Feiwel & Friends.

Raven, Margot Theis. 2005. Let Them Play. Illustrated by Chris Ellison. Sleeping Near Press.

Ritter, John H. 2005. The Boy Who Saved Baseball. NY: Puffin.
----------------. 2000. Over the Wall. NY: Philomel.

Sturm, James. 2007. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. Illustrated by Rich Tommaso. NY: Hyperion.
Testa, Maria. 2004. Becoming Joe DiMaggio. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.