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 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 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
| Adler, David | Hiding From The Nazis |
| Chanukah In Chelm | |
| Appelbaum, Diana | Cocoa Ice |
| Auch, Mary Jane | Bantam Of The Opera |
| Banks, Kate | Baboon |
| Bartlett, T.C. | Tuba Lessons |
| Bartoletti, Susan | Dancing With Diziadziu |
| Bateman, Teresa | The Ring Of Truth |
| Bedard, Michael | The Divide |
| Birchman, David | A Green Horn Blowing |
| Booth, David | The Dust Bowl |
| Brown, Marc | Arthur’s Computer Disaster |
| Buckley, Helen | Moonlight Kite |
| Bunting, Eve | Trouble On The T-Ball Team |
| December | |
| Twinnies | |
| Calhoun, Mary | Flood |
| Cannor, Janell | Verdi |
| Cherry, Lynne | Flute's Journey |
| Chin-Lee, Cynthia | A Is For Asia |
| Clark, Emma | Little Miss Muffet’s Count-Along Surprise |
| Cowan, Catherine | My Life With The Wave |
| Cowley, Joy | Singing Down The Rain |
| Davol, Marguerite | Batwings And The Curtain Of Night |
| Delaney, A. | Pearl’s First Prize Plant |
| DeFelice, Cynthia | Willy’s Silly Grandma |
| Dengler, Marianna | The Worry Stone |
| Edwards, Pamela | Dinorella |
| Egan, Tim | Burnt Toast On Davenport Street |
| Ehlert, Lois | Hands |
| Farber, Norma | The Boy Who Longed For A Lift |
| Feiffer, Jules | Meanwhile |
| Fox, Mem | Whoever You Are |
| Geisert, Arthur | The Etcher’s Studio |
| Graham, Bob | Queenie One Of The Family |
| George, Jean Craighead | Artic Son |
| Heller, Nicholas | The Giant |
| Hest, Amy | You’re The Boss, Baby Duck! |
| When Jessie Came Across The Sea | |
| High, Linda | A Christmas Star |
| Hoban, Tana | Look Book |
| Hobbie, Holly | Toot & Puddle |
| Hoffman, Alice | Fireflies |
| Johnson, Angela | The Rolling Store |
| Johnson, Paul | Farmers’ Market |
| Johnston, Tony | The First Day Of School |
| Day Of The Dead | |
| Jonas, Ann | Watch William Walk |
| Kipling, Rudyard (Adapted by Jerry Pinkey) | Rikki Tikki Tavi |
| Kurtz, Jane | Trouble |
| Lasky, Kathryn | Marven Of The Great North Woods |
| Lee, Milly | Nim And The War Effort |
| Lesser, Carolyn | Storm On The Desert |
| Lester, Helen | Author: A True Story |
| Listen Buddy | |
| Lewin, Ted | Fair! |
| Lied, Kate | Potato |
| Locker, Thomas | Water Dance |
| London, Jonathan | Ali Child Of The Desert |
| London, Sara | Firehorse Max |
| Lowell, Susan | The Bootmaker And The Elves |
| Martin, Bill & Sampson, Michael | Swish! |
| Marzollo, Jean | Home Sweet Home |
| Mayne, William | Lady Muck |
| McDonald, Megan | Tundra Mouse |
| McCully, Emily | Popcorn At The Palace |
| McKee, David | Prince Peter And The Teddy Bear |
| McNaughton, Colin | Oops! |
| Melmed, Laura | Little Oh |
| Miller, William | Richard Wright And The Library Card |
| Mills, Claudia | Gus And Grandpa |
| Gus And Grandpa And The Christmas Cookies | |
| Miranda, Anne | To Market, To Market |
| Mora, Pat | Tomas And The Library Lady |
| Mitchell, Barbara | Waterman’s Child |
| Morrison, Taylor | The Neptune Fountain |
| Neitzel, Shirley | We're Making Breakfast For Mother |
| The House I’ll Build For The Wrens | |
| Nivola, Claire | Elisabeth |
| Nodset, Joan | Go Away, Dog |
| Noll, Sally | Surprise! |
| Osborne, Mary Pope | Rocking Horse Christmas |
| Otten, Charlotte | January Rides The Wind |
| Pastuchiv, Olga | Minas And The Fish |
| Paterson, Katherine | Marvin’s Best Christmas Present Ever |
| Pearson, Tracey | The Purple Hat |
| Perkins, Lynne | Clouds For Dinner |
| Pinkwater, Daniel | At The Hotel Larry |
| Pirotta, Saviour | Turtle Bay |
| Plourde, Lynn | Pigs In The Mud |
| Pomerantz, Charlotte | Mangaboom |
| Pomeroy, Diana | Wildflower Abc |
| Porte, Barbara | Tale Of A Tadpole |
| Poydar, Nancy | Snip, Snip… Snow! |
| Riley, Linnea | Mouse Mess |
| Roberts, Bethany | A Mouse Told His Mother |
| Robinson, Aminah | A Street Called Home |
| Ryder, Joanne | Winter White |
| Rylant, Cynthia | Poppleton |
| Silver Packages | |
| Sadler, John | The Cats Of Mrs. Calamari |
| Sanders, Scott | Meeting Trees |
| Sierra, Judy | Counting Crocodiles |
| Silverman, Erica | The Halloween House |
| Spiegelman, Art | I’m A Dog! |
| Stanley, Diane | Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter |
| Stevens, Jan | Carlos And The Skunk |
| Stewart, Sarah | The Gardener |
| Tafuri, Nancy | What The Sun Sees/What The Moon Sees |
| Testa, Fulvio | A Long Trip To Z |
| Tunnell, Michael | Mailing May |
| Vizurraga, Susan | Our Old House |
| Voake, Charlotte | Ginger |
| Waddell, Martin | The Hidden House |
| Wahl, J. & Sheban, C. | I Met A Dinosaur |
| Waldman, Neil | The Never-Ending Greenness |
| Wells, Rosemary | Mcduff Moves In |
| Mcduff Comes Home | |
| Bunny Money | |
| Weston, Martha | Bad Baby Brother |
| Whitcher, Susan | The Key To The Cupboard |
| Wittmann, Patricia | Buffalo Thunder |
| Whatley, Bruce | Detective Donut And The Wild Goose Chase |
| Wood, Audrey | Birdsong |
| Yolen, Jane | Miz Berlin Walks |
| Zolotow, Charlotte | Who Is Ben? |
FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES AND MYTHS
| Ada, Alma Flor | The Lizard And The Sun |
| Andersen, Hans Christian, Trans. Lewis, Namoi | The Emperor’s New Clothes |
| Czernecki, Stefan | The Cricket’s Cage |
| Dabcovich, Lydia | The Polar Bear Son |
| Demi | One Grain Of Rice |
| Doucet, Sharon | Why Lapin’s Ears Are Long |
| Egielski, Richard | The Gingerbread Boy |
| Ehud Ben-Ezer | Hosni The Dreamer |
| Goldin, Barbara | The Girl Who Lived With The Bears |
| Hamilton, Morse | Belching Hill |
| Hamilton, Virginia | A Ring Of Tricksters |
| Hodges, Margaret | The True Tale Of Johnny Appleseed |
| Kajpust, Melissa | The Peacock’s Pride |
| Kellogg, Steven | The Three Little Pigs |
| Kimmel, Eric | Squash It! |
| Lasky, Kathryn | Hercules |
| McDermott, Gerald | Musicians Of The Sun |
| Moodie, Fiona | Nabulela |
| Nolan, Dennis | Androcles And The Lion |
| Pilling, Ann | Creation: Read-Aloud Stories From Many Lands |
| Pyle, Howard | Bearskin |
| Ray, Jane | Hansel And Gretel |
| Sanderson, Ruth | Rose Red & Snow White |
| Say, Allen | Under The Cherry Blossom Tree |
| Sims, Laura | The Bone Man |
| Taylor, Harriet | When Bear Stole The Chinook |
| Winthrop, Elizabeth | The Little Humpbacked Horse |
| Wolkstein, Diane | Bouki Dances The Kokioko |
| Yep, Laurence | The Khan's Daughter |
POETRY
| Adoff, Arnold | Love Letters |
| George, Kristine O’Connell | The Great Frog Race |
| Greenfield, Eloise | For The Love Of The Game |
| Mavor, Salley | You And Me: Poems Of Friendship |
| Myers, Walter Dean | Harlem |
FICTION
| Bonners, Susan | The Silver Balloon |
| Cooper, Susan | The Bogart And The Monster |
| Evans, Douglas | So What Do You Do? |
| Fine, Anne | The Tulip Touch |
| Fleischman, Paul | Seedfolks |
| George, Jean Craighead | Julie’s Wolf Pack |
| Giff, Patricia Reilly | Lily’s Crossing |
| Haas, Jessie | Westminster West |
| Henkes, Kevin | Sun & Spoon |
| Hesse, Karen | Out Of The Dust |
| Hobbs, Will | Ghost Canoe |
| Holmes, Barbara | Letters To Julia |
| Levine, Gail | Ella Enchanted |
| McKinley, Robin | Rose Daughter |
| Naylor, Phyllis | Saving Shiloh |
| Nix, Garth | Shade’s Children |
| Paulsen, Gary | Sarny |
| My Life In Dog Years | |
| Porte, Barbara | Harry’s Pony |
| Pullman, Philip | The Subtle Knife |
| Rylant, Cynthia | The Blue Hill Meadows |
| Skurzynski, G. & Ferguson, A. | Wolf Stalker |
| Spinelli, Jerry | The Library Card |
| Wringer | |
| Stevenson, James | The Mud Flat Mystery |
| Wilson, Nancy | Old People, Frogs, And Albert |
| Woodson, Jacqueline | The House You Pass On The Way |
INFORMATION BOOKS
| Adler, David | Lou Gehrig |
| Bial, Raymond | Mist Over The Mountains |
| Bernhard, Emery & Durga | Prairie Dogs |
| Brown, L. & Brown, M. | What’s The Big Secret? |
| Davies, Nicola | Big Blue Whale |
| Fisher, Leonard Everett | The Gods And Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt |
| Freedman, Russell | Out Of Darkness: The Story Of Louis Braille |
| George, Jean Craighead | Look To The North A Wolf Pup Diary |
| Gibbons, Gail | The Honey Makers |
| Hampton, Wilborn | Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns |
| Horenstein, Henry | Baseball In The Barrios |
| Jiang, Ji Li | Red Scarf Girl |
| Joyce, William | Buddy |
| The World Of William Joyce Scrapbook | |
| King, Dr. Martin Luther | I Have A Dream: Illustrated Edition |
| King-Smith, Dick | Puppy Love |
| Lasky, Kathryn | The Most Beautiful Roof In The World |
| Miller, Debbie | A Polar Bear Journey |
| Pringle, Laurence | An Extraordinary Life: The Story Of A Monarch Butterfly |
| Sneve, Virginia | The Apaches |
| Sola, Michele | Angela Weaves A Dream |
| Steger, Will | Over The Top Of The World |
| Szabo, Corinne | Sky Pioneer |
| Tillage, Leon Walter | Leon’s Story |