compiled and read by Marilyn Carpenter Ph.D.
Teachers who use children's literature as an integral part of their curriculum are challenged to keep abreast of newly published titles. Librarians who are supporting the classroom curriculum also have the same challenge. Part of my role as a consultant is to support teachers and librarians in their discovery of new titles. To do so I have compiled this list of excellent choices of trade books for kindergarten through ninth grade.
I have read all the books on the following list with an eye toward classroom use. I receive thousands of review copies from the major children's trade publishers each year. This access allows me to select from a variety of choices. I may read from ten to fifteen titles to find one that will be on the list. The list that follows is offered to teachers and librarians to save them time, and money. The list is not intended to limit but to be a beginning for those who need to have some guidance.
Thousands of new books roll off the presses of the major children's publishers each year. To discover the best of these new books takes many hours. Too often, limited funds are spent on titles that may sound attractive in a catalogue but prove otherwise when ordered. Gaining access to new titles, reading the books, setting criteria for selection and matching the titles to the needs of the targeted students is a lengthy process.
I suggest a visit to your local library or children's book store to browse and read before purchases are made. When teachers and librarians make their own choices they will be enthusiastic about the books and that excitement will transfer to their students.
PICTURE BOOKS
| Ahlberg, Allan | Mockingbird |
| Alborough, Jez | My Friend Bear |
| Aliki | Marianthe’s Story |
| Arnold, Katya | Meow! |
| The Adventures Of Snowwoman | |
| Arnold, Marsha | The Chicken Salad Club |
| The Pumpkin Runner | |
| Banks, Kate | And If The Moon Could Talk |
| Barrett, Mary B. | The Man Of The House At Huffington Row |
| Bateman, Teresa | Leprechaun Gold |
| Blake, Quentin | Mrs. Armitage And The Big Wave |
| Bodnar, Judit | Tale Of A Tail |
| Bradby, Marie | The Longest Wait |
| Brown, Marc | Arthur Lost And Found |
| Browne, Anthony | Willy The Dreamer |
| Burleigh, Robert | Home Run |
| Bornstein, Ruth | The Dancing Man |
| Bunting, Eve | So Far From The Sea |
| Some Frog | |
| Butterworth, Nick | Jingle Bells |
| Carter, Dorothy | Bye, Mis’ Lela |
| Caseley, Judith | Mickey’s Class Play |
| Chorao, Kay | Little Farm By The Sea |
| The Cats Kids | |
| Cleary, Beverly | The Hullabaloo Abc |
| Cooper, Floyd | Cumbayah |
| Cox, Judy | Now We Can Have A Wedding! |
| Crews, Donald | Night At The Fair |
| Cuyler, Margery | The Biggest, Best Snowman |
| Dale, Elizabeth | How Long? |
| Davis, Katie | Who Hops? |
| DeGroat, Diane | Trick Or Treat, Smell My Feet |
| Dillon, Leo & Diane | To Every Thing There Is A Season |
| Dunbar, Joyce | Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep |
| Baby Bird | |
| Dunrea, Olivier | The Trow-Wife’s Treasure |
| Egielski, Richard | Jazper |
| English, Karen | Just Right Stew |
| Falwell, Cathryn | Word Wizard |
| Christmas For 10 | |
| Farber, Norma | Without Wings, Mother, How Can I Fly? |
| Feiffer, Jules | I Lost My Bear |
| Fleming, Denise | Mama Cat Has Three Kittens |
| Fonteyn, Margot | Coppelia |
| Fowler, Susi | Beautiful |
| Garland, Sherry | My Father’s Boat |
| Gershator, Phillis | When It Starts To Snow |
| Gerstein, Mordicai | Stop Those Pants ! |
| The Wild Boy | |
| Graff, Nancy | In The Hush Of The Evening |
| Guthrie, Woody | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (Illus. By Kathy Jakobsen) |
| Hall, Zoe | The Surprise Garden |
| Harper, Dan | Telling Time With Big Mama Cat Mama |
| Hassett, John & Ann | Cat Up A Tree |
| Heide, F. & Pierce, R. | Tio Armando |
| Heinz, Brian | Nanuk: Lord Of The Ice |
| Henkes, Kevin | Circle Dogs |
| Hershenhorn, Esther | There Goes Lowell’s Party! |
| Herzig, Alison | Bronco Busters |
| Hickcox, Ruth | Great-Grandmother’s Treasure |
| High, Linda | Beekeepers |
| Hines, Anna | My Own Big Bed |
| Hoban, Tana | So Many Circles, So Many Squares |
| More,Fewer, Less | |
| Hobbie, Holly | Toot & Puddle: A Present For Toot |
| Hobbs, Will | Howling Hill |
| Hughes, Shirley | Alfie And The Birthday Surprise |
| Alfie’s Abc | |
| Hunter, Anne | Possum And The Peeper |
| Isadora, Rachel | A South African Night |
| Caribbean Dream | |
| Jenkins, Martin | Chameleons Are Cool |
| Jimenez, Francisco | La Mariposa |
| Johnson, Dolores | Grandma’s Hands |
| Johnson, Lindsay | Hurricane Henrietta |
| Johnston, Tony | The Chizzywink And The Alamagoozlum |
| Bigfoot Cinderrrrella | |
| Kahn, Rukhsana | The Rose In My Carpets |
| Karim, Roberta | This Is Hospital, Not A Zoo! |
| Karlins, Mark | Music Over Manhattan |
| Ketteman, Helen | I Remember Papa |
| Kimmel, Eric | A Hanukkah Treasury |
| Kleven, Elisa | A Monster In The House |
| Kroll, Virginia | Faraway Drums |
| Kvasnosky, Laura | Zelda And Ivy |
| Lasky, Kathryn | Sophie And Rose |
| Lawson, Julie | Emma And The Silk Train |
| Lester, Alison | Alice And Aldo |
| Lester, Helen | Tacky In Trouble |
| Lewin, Ted | The Storytellers |
| Lewis, Kim | Friends |
| Emma’s Lamb | |
| Lindbergh, Reeve | The Circle Of Days |
| London, Jonathan | Dream Weaver |
| Hurricane! | |
| Ice Bear And Little Fox | |
| At The Edge Of The Forest | |
| Lorbiecki, Marybeth | Sister Anne’s Hands |
| Lyon, George | A Traveling Cat |
| Mahy, Margaret | Beaten By A Balloon |
| A Summery Saturday Morning | |
| Manushkin, Fran | Miriam’s Cup |
| Martin, Bill | The Turning Of The Year |
| Martin, David | Five Little Piggies |
| Marshall, Janet | Banana Moon |
| McBratney, Sam | Just You And Me |
| McCaughrean, Geraldine | The Story Of The Nativity |
| McCully, Emily | An Outlaw Thanksgiving |
| McCurdy, Michael | The Sailor’s Alphabet |
| McNaughton, Colin | Preston’s Goal! |
| McPhail, David | Tinker And Tom And The Star Baby |
| Meade, Holly | John Willy And Freddy Mcgee |
| Meddaugh, Susan | Hog-Eye |
| Medearis, Angela | Poppa’s Itchy Christmas |
| Milgrim, David | Cows Can’t Fly |
| Morin, Paul | Animal Dreaming |
| Morozumi, Atsuko | My Friend Gorilla |
| Murray, Marjorie | The Stars Are Waiting |
| Nicholson, Nicholas | Little Girl In A Red Dress… |
| Nolen, Jerdine | Raising Dragons |
| Ogburn, Jacqueline | The Jukebox Man |
| Osborne, Mary Pope | The Life Of Jesus |
| Paradis, Susan | My Daddy |
| Parillo, Tony | Michelangelo’s Surprise |
| Park, Frances & Ginger | My Freedom Trip |
| Peck, Jan | The Giant Carrot |
| Polacco, Patricia | Thank You, Mr. Falker |
| Mrs. Mack | |
| Preller, James | Cardinal And Sunflower |
| Rand, Gloria | Spooky |
| Rathmann, Peggy | 10 Minutes Till Bedtime |
| Rankin, Laura | The Handmade Counting Book |
| Reiser, Lynn | Cherry Pies And Lullabies |
| Tortillas And Lullabies | |
| Little Clam | |
| Rochelle, Belinda | Jewels |
| Root, Phyllis | Aunt Nancy And Cousin Lazybones |
| What Baby Wants | |
| Roth, Roger | Fishing For Methuselah |
| Rumford, James | The Island-Below-The-Star |
| Russo, Marisabina | Hannah’s Baby Sister |
| Rylant, Cynthia | Scarecrow |
| Tulip Sees America | |
| Saul, Carol | Barn Cat |
| Schubert, Ingrid & Dieter | There’s A Hole In My Bucket |
| Sgouros, Charissa | A Pillow For My Mom |
| Shaik, Fatima | The Jazz Of Our Street |
| Shields, Carol | Month By Month A Year Goes Round |
| Day By Day A Week Goes Round | |
| Shulevitz, Uri | Snow |
| Siddals, Mary | Millions Of Snowflakes |
| Simmons, Jane | Come Along, Daisy! |
| Silverman, Erica | On The Morn Of Mayfest |
| Slate, Joseph | The Secret Stars |
| Sloat, Teri | There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Trout! |
| Stanley, Sanna | Monkey Sunday |
| Slate, Joseph | Miss Bindergarten Celebrates The 100th Day |
| Steig, William | Pete’s A Pizza |
| Strickland, Michael | Haircuts At Sleepy Sam’s |
| Suen, Anastasia | Window Music |
| Tafuri, Nancy | Counting To Christmas |
| Tarbescu, Edith | Annushka’s Voyage |
| Teague, Mark | The Lost And Found |
| Thomas, Joyce | I Have Heard Of A Land |
| Thomassie, Tynia | Feliciana Meet D’loup Garou |
| Tobias, Tobi | A World Of Words |
| Torres, Leyla | Liliana’s Grandmothers |
| Trottier, Maxine | Prairie Willow |
| Turner, Ann | Drummer Boy |
| Vagin, Vladimir | The Enormous Carrot |
| Van Leeuwen, Jean | The Tickle Stories |
| Nothing Here But Trees | |
| Van Nutt, Julia | A Cobtown Christmas |
| Waldron, Jan | John Pig’s Halloween |
| Wallner, Alexandra | The Farmer In The Dell |
| Walton, Rick | So Many Bunnies |
| Wellington, Monica | Night City |
| Weitzman, Jacqueline | You Can’t Take A Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum |
| Wells, Rosemary | Mcduff’s New Friend |
| Yoko | |
| Williams, Karen | Painted Dreams |
| Williams, Sue | Let’s Go Visiting |
| Willard, Nancy | The Tortilla Cat |
| Winthrop, Elizabeth | As The Crow Flies |
| Woodruff, Elvira | Can You Guess Where We’re Going? |
| Wood. Audrey | The Christmas Adventure Of Space Elf Sam |
| Wojciechowski, Susan | The Best Halloween Of All |
| Wyeth, Sharon | Something Beautiful |
| Yezerski, Thomas | Together In Pinecone Patch |
| Yolen, Jane | King Long Shanks |
| Tea With An Old Dragon | |
| Raising Yoder’s Barn | |
| Zalben, Jane | Beni’s Family Treasury: Stories For The Jewish |
| HOLIDAYS | |
| Zelinsky, Paul | The Wheels On The Bus |
| Zemach, Kaethe | The Character |
| Ziefert, Harriet | I Swapped My Dog |
FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES AND MYTHS
| Aylesworth, Jim | The Gingerbread Man |
| Babbitt, Natalie | Ouch! |
| Bierhorst, John | The Deetkatoo: Native American Stories About Little People |
| Bodkin, Odds | The Crane Wife |
| Cullen, Lynn | The Mightiest Heart |
| Demi | The Greatest Treasure |
| dePaola, Tomie | Big Anthony: His Story |
| Doherty, Berlie | Tales Of Wonder And Magic |
| Granfield, Linda | The Legend Of The Panda |
| Gelman, Rita | Queen Esther Saves Her People |
| Hausman, Gerald | The Story Of Blue Elk |
| Hickox, Rebecca | The Golden Sandal |
| Hodges, Margaret | Up The Chimney |
| Jaffe, Nina | The Way Meat Loves Salt |
| Kherdian, David | The Golden Bracelet |
| Kimmel, Eric | Ten Suns |
| Easy Work! | |
| Seven At One Blow | |
| Kinter, Judith | King Of Magic, Man Of Glass |
| Mayer, Marianna | Pegasus |
| McCully, Emily | Beautiful Warrior |
| Mollel, Tololwa | Kitoto The Mighty |
| Oram, Hiawyn | Baba Yaga & The Wise Doll |
| Rodanas, Kristina | Follow The Stars |
| Van Laan, Nancy | The Magic Bean Tree |
POETRY
| Alderson, Sue | Pond Seasons |
| Asch, Frank | Cactus Poems |
| Carlson, Lori | Sol A Sol: Bilingual Poems |
| Field, Edward | Magic Words |
| Hoberman, Mary Ann | The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems |
| Hollyer, Belinda | A Bookof Lullabies Dreamtime |
| Johnson, Angela | The Other Side |
| Kuskin, Karla | The Sky Is Always In The Sky |
| Moore, Clement | THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Illus. By Jan Brett) |
| Mora, Pat | This Big Sky |
| Philip, Neil | War And The Pity Of War |
| Sierra, Judy | Antarctic Antics |
| Sandburg, Carl | Grassroots |
| Stevenson, James | Popcorn |
| Watson, Clyde | Love’s A Sweet |
| Willard, Nancy | Step Lightly |
| Yolen, Jane | Snow, Snow |
BEGINNING READERS
| Bauer, Marion Dane | Bear’s Hiccups |
| Christmas In The Forest | |
| Capucilli, Alyssa | Bathtime For Biscuit |
| Cohen, Caron | How Many Fish? |
| Cushman, Doug | Aunt Eater’s Mystery Halloween |
| Godwin, Laura | Forest |
| Griffith, Helen | Alex And The Cat |
| Haas, Jessie | Clean House |
| Himmelman, John | The Animal Rescue Club |
| Johnston, Tony | Sparky And Eddie: Wild,Wild Rodeo! |
| Krensky, Stephen | Lionel In The Summer |
| Maitland, Barbara | The Bookstore Ghost |
| McDonald, Megan | Beezy |
| Mills, Claudia | Gus And Grandpa Ride The Train |
| Gus And Grandpa At The Hospital | |
| Rylant, Cynthia | Mr Putter And Tabby Toot The Horn |
| Mr. Putter & Tabby Take The Train | |
| Poppleton Forever | |
| Stevenson, James | Sam The Zamboni Man |
| Mud Flat April Fool | |
| Van Leeuwen, Jean | Amanda Pig And Her Best Friend Lollipop |
| Walker, Sally | The 18 Penny Goose |
| Ziefert, Harriet | Bugs, Beetles, And Butterflies |
FICTION
| Beard, Darleen | The Flimflam Man |
| Butts, Nancy | The Door In The Lake |
| Cameron, Ann | More Stories Huey Tells |
| Conly, Jane | While No One Was Watching |
| Conrad, Pam | Don’t Go Near That Rabbit, Frank! |
| Enderle, J. & Tessler, S. | What’s The Matter, Kelly Beans? |
| Ferris, Jean | Bad |
| Fleischman, Paul | Whirligig |
| Fleischman, Sid | Bandit’s Moon |
| Fletcher, Ralph | Flying Solo |
| Gantos, Jack | Joey Pigza Swalllowed The Key |
| Gerstein, Mordicai | Victor |
| Griffin, Adele | The Other Shepards |
| Hesse, Karen | Just Juice |
| Hest, Amy | The Great Green Noebook Of Katie Roberts |
| Hickman, Janet | Susannah |
| Holt, Kimberly | My Louisiana Sky |
| Honeycutt, Natalie | Granville Jones: Commando |
| Josse, Barbara | Ghost Trap: A Wild Willie Mystery |
| Keller, Holly | Angela’s Top-Secret Computer Club |
| Kerr, M.E. | Blood On The Forehead: What I Know About Writing |
| Kurtz, Jane | The Storyteller’s Beads |
| Lawrence, Iain | The Wreckers |
| Lewis, H.B. | Winnie Mae |
| McKinley, Robin | The Stone Fey |
| Napoli, Donna Jo | For The Love Of Venice |
| Paterson, Katherine | Parzival |
| Paulsen, Gary | Soldier’s Heart |
| Peck, Richard | A Long Way From Chicago |
| Pullman, Phillip | Clockwork |
| Roop, Peter & Connie | Grace’s Letter To Lincoln |
| Rosen, Michael | Down To Earth |
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone |
| Sachar, Louis | Holes |
| Wells, Rosemary | Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories |
| Williams, Carol | If I Forget, You Remember |
| Wilson, Jacqueline | Double Act |
| Wolff, Virginia Euwer | Bat 6 |
| Zemser, Amy | Beyond The Mango Tree |
| Zindel, Paul | Raptor |
INFORMATION BOOKS
| Ancona, George | Fiesta Fireworks |
| Barrio: Jose’s Neghborhood | |
| Let’s Dance! | |
| Arnosky, Jim | All About Turkeys |
| Beeler, Selby | Throw Your Tooth On The Roof |
| Berger, Melvin | Chirping Crickets |
| Bial, Raymond | Cajun Home |
| Bonners, Susan | Why Does The Cat Do That? |
| Bowen, Betsy | Tracks In The Wild |
| Carlson, Laurie | Boss Of The Plains |
| Curlee, Lynn | Into The Ice |
| Darling, Kathy | Lemurs On Location |
| Deem, James | Bodies From The Bog |
| Demi | The Dalai Lama |
| Dewey, Jennifer | Mud Matters |
| Fraser, Mary Ann | A Mission For The People |
| Geisert, Bonnie & Arthur | Prairie Town |
| Gibbons, Gail | Soaring With The Wind |
| Halperin, Wendy | Once Upon A Company… |
| Hansen, Joyce | Women Of Hope |
| Hines, Gary | A Christmas Tree In The White House |
| Howker, Janni | Walk With A Wolf |
| Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane | Lacrosse: The National Game Of The Iroquois |
| Celebrating Chinese New Year | |
| Hunter, Ryan | Cross A Bridge |
| Isadora, Rachel | Isadora Dances |
| Jenkins, Steve | Hottest Coldest Highest Deepest |
| Jimenez, Francisco | The Circuit |
| Jones, Bill | Dance |
| Johnson, Dinah | All Around Town |
| Jurmain, Suzanne | Freedom’s Sons |
| Kaplan, William | One More Border |
| King, Deborah | The Flight Of The Snow Geese |
| King, Elizabeth | Quinceanera: Celebrating Fifteen |
| Lasky, Kathryn | A Brilliant Streak: The Making Of Mark Twain |
| Lauber, Patricia | Painters Of The Caves |
| Lester, Julius | From Slave Ship To Freedom Road |
| Lester, Julius | Black Cowboy Wild Horses |
| Littlesugar, Amy | Shake Rag: From The Life Of Elvis Presley |
| Leedy, Loreen | Measuring Penny |
| Lobel, Anita | No Pretty Pictures: A Child Of War |
| London, Jonathan | Phantom Of The Prairie |
| Lowry, Lois | Looking Back |
| Lyongs, Mary | Talking With Tebe |
| Maass, Robert | Garden |
| Martin, Jacqueline | Snowflake Bentley |
| Mallory, Kenneth | A Home By The Sea |
| McMillan, Bruce | Salmon Summer |
| Meltzer, Milton | Ten Queens: Portraits Of Women Of Power |
| Meyer, Walter Dean | Amistad: A Long Road To Freedom |
| Minor, Wendell, | Grand Canyon |
| Morris, Ann | Play |
| Morrison, Gordon | Bald Eagle |
| Morrison, Taylor | Cheetah |
| Murphy, Stuart | Lemonade For Sale |
| Paulsen, Gary | My Life In Dog Years |
| Pinkey, Andrea | Duke Ellington |
| Podwal, Mark | The Menorah Story |
| Radcliffe, Theresa | Bashi, Elephant Baby |
| Robbins, Ken | Autumn Leaves |
| Sayre, April | Home At Last |
| Schaeffer, Edith | Mei Fuh: Memories From China |
| Schindel, John | Frog Face: My Little Sister & Me |
| Singer, Marilyn | Prairie Dogs Kiss And Lobsters Wave |
| Smith, R. & Schmidt, M. | In The Forest With The Elephants |
| Springer, Jane | Listen To Us: The World’s Working Children |
| Stanley, Diane | Joan Of Arc |
| Sturges, Philemon | Bridges Are To Cross |
| Swinburne, Stephen | Lots And Lots Of Zebra Stripes |
| Tompert, Ann | Saint Patrick |
| Wick, Walter | Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks |
| William, Stanley "Tookie" | Life In Prison |
| Winter, Jeanette | My Name Is Georgia |
| Younger, Barbara | Purple Mountain Majesties |
| Zoehfeld, Kathleen | What Is The World Made Of? |
SPECIAL FOR ADULTS
| Quindlen, Anna | How Reading Changed My Life |