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
| Aliki | Those Summers |
| Anderson, Laurie | Ndito Runs |
| Appelt, Kathi | Bat Jamboree |
| Bang, Molly | Goose |
| Bannerman, Helen | The Story Of Little Babaji |
| Bartone, Elisa | American Too |
| Birchman, David | Jigsaw Jackson |
| Blake, Quentin | Clown |
| Blos, Joan | Nellie Bly's Monkey |
| Bogart, Jo Ellen | Gifts |
| Brooks, Alan | Frogs Jump |
| Brown, Marc | Arthur Writes A Story |
| Bunting, Eve | Train To Somewhere |
| Sunflower House | |
| Market Day | |
| Going Home | |
| The Blue And The Gray | |
| Bushnell, Jack | Sky Dancer |
| Byars, Betsy | My Brother Ant |
| Calhoun, Mary | Tonio's Cat |
| Cannon, Annie | The Bat In The Boot |
| Carr, Jan | The Nature Of The Beast |
| Clements, Andrew | Temple Cat |
| Cole, Joanna | Give A Dog A Bone |
| Conrad, Pam | The Rooster's Gift |
| Cowley, Joy | Gracias The Thansgiving Turkey |
| Degen, Bruce | Sailaway Home |
| Dematons, Charlotte | Looking For Cinderella |
| deVries, Anke | My Elephant Can Do Almost Anything |
| Dionetti, Michelle | Painting The Wind: A Story Of Vincent Van |
| GOGH | |
| Dunrea, Olivier | The Tale Of Hilda Louise |
| Edwards, Pamela | Some Smug Slug |
| Erdrich, Louise | Grandmother's Pigeon |
| Esterl, Arnica | Okino And The Whales |
| Fleming, Denise | There Once Was A Wood |
| Fox, Mem | Wombat Divine |
| Franklin, Kristine | The Wolfhound |
| Gackenback, Dick | Barker's Crime |
| Gaffney, Timothy | Grandpa Takes Me To The Moon |
| Gibbons, Faye | Mountain Wedding |
| Gilbert, Suzie | Hawk Hill |
| Gliori, Debi | The Snow Lambs |
| Goss, Linda | The Frog Who Wanted To Be A Singer |
| Graham, Steve | Dear Old Donegal |
| Gray, Libba Moore | Little Lil And The Swing-Singing Sax |
| Greenstein, Elaine | Mrs. Rose's Garden |
| Grindley, Sally | Peter's Place |
| Guy, Ginger | Fiesta! |
| Haddon, Mark | The Sea Of Tranquillity |
| Hall, Donald | Old Home Day |
| Hall, Zoe | The Apple Pie Tree |
| Harris, Robie | Happy Birth Day! |
| Hathorn, Libby | The Wonder Thing |
| Heinz, Brian | Kayuktuk: An Artic Quest |
| Henderson, Kathy | A Year In The City |
| Henkes, Kevin | Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse |
| Hermes, Patricia | When Snow Lay Soft On The Mountain |
| Hest, Amy | Jamaica Louise James |
| Hines, Anna | When We Married Gary |
| Hippely, Hilary | A Song For Lena |
| Ho, Minfong | Hush! |
| Hoban, Tana | Just Look |
| Howard, Arthur | When I Was Five |
| Howard, Ellen | The Log Cabin Quilt |
| Hutchins, Pat | Titch And Daisy |
| Hughes, Monica | A Handful Of Seeds |
| Jacobs, Kate | A Sister's Wish |
| Johnston, Tony | The Ghost Of Nicholas Greebe |
| How Many Miles To Jacksonville? | |
| The Magic Maguey | |
| Kalan, Robert | Moving Day |
| Ketteman, Helen | Grandma's Cat |
| Kharms, Daniil | First, Second |
| Kindley, Jeff | Choco-Louie |
| Kitamura, Satoshi | Sheep In Wolves' Clothing |
| Kroeger, Mary & Borden, Louise | Paperboy |
| Lasky, Kathryn | Lunch Bunnies |
| Lerner, H. & Goldhor, S. | What's So Terrible About Swallowing An Apple Seed? |
| Lesser, Carolyn | Great Crystal Bear |
| Dig Hole, Soft Mole | |
| Lester, Alison | When Frank Was Four |
| Levitin, Sonia | Nine For California |
| Lewin, Ted | Market! |
| Lewis, Kim | One Summer Day |
| Little, Mimi | Yoshiko And The Foreigner |
| Lyon, George Ella | Ada's Pal |
| Martin, Ann | Leo The Magnificat |
| Martin, Jane | Now I Will Never Leave The Dinner Table |
| Martin, Jacqueline Briggs | Grandmother Bryant's Pocket |
| McMullan, Kate | If You Were My Bunny |
| Melmed, Krauss | The Marvelous Market On Mermaid |
| Mertins, Lisa | Ginkgo And Moon |
| Miller, Margaret | Now I'm Big |
| Mitchell, Barbara | Red Bird |
| Mora, Pat | Uno, Dos, Tres; One, Two, Three |
| Moss, Marissa | The Ugly Menorah |
| Myers, Walter Dean | How Mr, Monkey Saw The Whole World |
| Nethery, Mary | Hannah And Jack |
| Nightingale, Sandy | Cider Apples |
| Pilkey, Dav | The Paperboy |
| Pomeroy, Diana | One Potato |
| Popov, Nikolai | Why? |
| Reit, Seymour | A Dog’s Tale |
| Roberts, Bethany & Hubbell, Patricia | Camel Caravan |
| Root, Phyllis | Mrs. Potter's Pig |
| Aunt Nancy And Old Man Trouble | |
| Rosenberg, Liz | Grandmother And The Runaway Shadow |
| Rosen, Michael | This Is Our House |
| Rosenberg, Liz | Moonbathing |
| Rounds, Glen | Once We Had A Horse |
| Russo, Marisabina | Grandpa Abe |
| Schick, Eleanor | My Navajo Sister |
| Schaefer, Carole | The Squiggle |
| Schlein, Miriam | More Than One |
| Schories, Pat | Over Under In The Garden |
| Schotter, Roni | Dreamland |
| Schumaker, Ward | Dance! |
| Scott, Ann | Brave As A Mountain Lion |
| Schotter, Roni | Dreamland |
| Shannon, George | Tomorrow's Alphabet |
| Shaw-MacKinnon, Margaret | Tiktala |
| Shea, Pegi | New Moon |
| Shelby, Anne | The Someday House |
| Sis, Peter | Starry Messenger |
| Sisulu, Elinor | The Day Gogo Went To Vote |
| Stanley, Diane | Saving Sweetness |
| Steig, William | The Toy Brother |
| Steiner, Barbara | Desert Trip |
| Stevenson, James | I Meant To Tell You |
| Yard Sale | |
| Stewart, Dianne | Gift Of The Sun: A Tale From South Africa |
| Strete, Craig | They Thought They Saw Him |
| Strete, Craig & Chacon, Michelle | How The Indians Bought The Farm |
| Tamar, Erika | The Garden Of Happiness |
| Teague, Mark | The Secret Shortcut |
| Temple, Charles | Train |
| Thornhill, Jan | Wild In The City |
| Tyrrell, Frances | Woodland Christmas |
| Vaughan, Marcia | Snap! |
| Waddell, Martin | Small Bear Lost |
| You And Me, Little Bear | |
| Wakefiled, Ali | Those Calculating Crows! |
| White, Linda | Too Many Pumpkins |
| Winch, John | The Old Man Who Loved To Sing |
| Winter, Jeanette | Josefina |
| Wolf, Ferida | A Weed Is A Seed |
| Wolf, Jake | Daddy, Could I Have An Elephant? |
| Wood, Audrey | The Bunyans |
BEGINNING READERS
| Alphin, Elaine | A Bear For Miguel |
| Buck, Nola | Sid And Sam |
| Novak, Matt | Newt |
| Skofield, James | Detective Dinosaur |
FOLK TALES, FAIRY TALES AND MYTHS
| Craft, M. Charlotte | Cupid And Psyche |
| DeMaupassant, Guy | When Chickens Grow Teeth |
| DeRegniers, Beatrice | David And Goliath |
| Duncan, Lois | The Magic Of Spider Woman |
| Farris, Pamela | Young Mouse And Elephant |
| Goble, Paul | The Return Of The Buffaloes |
| Remaking The Earth | |
| Goldin, Barbara | Coyote And The Fire Stick |
| Greger, C. Shana | Cry Of The Benu Bird |
| Hamilton, Virginia | When Birds Could Talk: Bats Could Sing |
| Hausman, Gerald | Eagle Boy |
| Howe, John | The Knight With The Lion |
| Huck, Charlotte | Toads And Diamonds |
| Kimmel, Eric | Count Silvernose |
| One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes | |
| The Tale Of Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves | |
| Kurtz, Jane | Miro In The Kingdom Of The Sun |
| Morpurgo, Michael | Robin Of Sherwood |
| Oppenheim, Shulamith | And The Earth Trembled |
| Osborne, Mary Pope | Favorite Norse Myths |
| Paterson, Katherine | The Angel & The Donkey |
| Pollock, Penny | The Turkey Girl |
| Rockwell, Anne | The One-Eyed Giant |
| San Souci, Robert | Pedro And The Monkey |
| Young Lancelot | |
| Sutcliff, Rosemary | The Wanderings Of Odysseus |
| Taylor, Harriet | Brother Wolf |
| Wisniewski, David | Golem |
| Wolkstein, Diane | Esther's Story |
| White Wave: A Chinese Tale |
POETRY
| Berry, James | Rough Sketch Beginning |
| Dickinson, Emily | Poems For Youth |
| Dyer, Jane | Animal Crackers |
| Giovanni, Niki | Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate |
| The Genie In The Jar | |
| Hallworth, Grace | Down By The River |
| Ho, Minfong | Maples In The Mist |
| Hughes, Langston | The Block |
| Livingston, Myra Cohn | Festivals |
| Merriam, Eve | The Inner City Mother Goose |
| Opie, Iona | My Very First Mother Goose |
| Philip, Neil | Earth Always Endures: Native American Poems |
| Prelutsky, Jack | Monday's Troll |
| A Pizza The Size Of The Sun | |
| Ryder, Joanne | Earthdance |
| Singer, Marilyn | All We Needed To Say |
| Stoddard, Sandol | What Are Roses For? |
| Yolen, Jane | O Jerusalem |
FICTION/BIOGRAPHY
| Avi | Poppy |
| Bawden, Nina | Granny The Pag |
| Byars, Betsy | Tornado |
| Cushman, Karen | The Ballad Of Lucy Whipple |
| Dessen, Sarah | That Summer |
| Dorris, Michael | Sees Behind Trees |
| Farmer, Nancy | A Girl Name Disaster |
| Fleischman, Paul | Dateline: Troy |
| Forman, Michael | After The War Was Over |
| Freeman, Suzanne | The Cuckoo's Child |
| Hesse, Karen | The Music Of Dolphins |
| Lasky, Kathryn | True North |
| A Journey To The New World | |
| McCaffrey, Anne | Black Horses For The King |
| Myers, Walter Dean | Slam! |
| Napoli, Donna Jo | Song Of The Magdalene |
| Zel | |
| Nix, Garth | Sabriel |
| Orgel, Doris | The Princess And The God |
| Paterson, Katherine | Jip: His Story |
| Perl, Lila & Lazan, Marion | Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story |
| Pevsner, Stella | Would My Fortune Cookie Lie? |
| Pullman, Phillip | The Golden Compass |
| Rinaldi, Ann | Keep Smiling Through |
| Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons: The Story Of Phillis Wheatley | |
| Staples, Suzanne | Dangerous Skies |
| Temple, Frances | The Beduin's Gazelle |
| Thesman, Jean | The Ornament Tree |
| Turner, Megan | The Thief |
| Valgardson, W.D. & Wallace, J. | Sarah And The People Of Sand River |
| Voigt, Cynthia | Bad Girls |
| White, Ruth | Belle Prater's Boy |
| Wilson, Budge | Mothers & Other Strangers |
| Wynne-Jones, Tim | The Maestro |
INFORMATION BOOKS
| Anderson, Joan | Cowboys |
| Atkin, S. Beth | Voices From The Street |
| Bang, Molly | Chattanooga Sludge |
| Bash, Barbara | In The Heart Of The Village |
| Bernhard, Emery | The Way Of The Willow Branch |
| Bernhard, Emery & Durga | A Ride On Mother's Back |
| Bial, Raymond | With Needle And Thread |
| Blumberg, Rhoda | Full Steam Ahead: The Race To Build A |
| Transcontinental Railroad | |
| Brenner, Barbara & Takaya, Julia | Chibi: A True Story From Japan |
| Brewster, Hugh | Anastasia's Album |
| Cole, Joanna | The Magic School Bus Inside A Beehive |
| Cooney, Barbara | Eleanor |
| Cooper, Martha | Anthony Reynoso: Born To Rope |
| Dewey, Jennifer | Stories On Stone |
| Dingus, L. & Norell, M. | Searching For Velociraptor |
| Duggleby, John | Artist In Overalls: The Life Of Grant Wood |
| Esbensen, Barbara | Swift As The Wind |
| Facklam, Margery | Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars |
| Fox-Davies, Sarah | Little Caribou |
| Franklin, Kristine & McGirr, Nancy | Out Of The Dump |
| Freedman, Russell | The Life And Death Of Crazy Horse |
| Ganeri, Anita | Pharaohs & Mummies |
| Glass, Andrew | The Sweetwater Run |
| Granfield, Linda | In Flanders Fields |
| Harness, Cheryl | Young Abe Lincoln |
| Kaplan, John | Mom And Me |
| Krensky, Stephen | Breaking Into Print |
| Kroll, Steve | Pony Express! |
| Krull, Kathleen | Wilma Unlimited |
| Lamb, Nancy | One April Morning |
| Lauber, Patricia | Hurricanes |
| Flood: Wrestling With The Mississippi | |
| Lavender, David | Snowbound: The Tragic Story Of The Donner Party |
| Lindbergh, Reeve | Nobody Owns The Sky |
| Lyon, Mary | Painting Dreams |
| Macy, Sue | Women In Sports |
| Maestro, Betsy | Coming To America |
| McMillan, Bruce | Jelly Beans For Sale |
| Micklethwait, Lucy | I Spy A Freight Train |
| Munro, Roxie | The Inside Outside Book Of Libraries |
| Murphy, Jim | A Young Patriot |
| Murphy, Stuart | Ready, Set, Hop! |
| Myers, Walter Dean | Toussaint L'ouverture: The Fight For Haiti's Freedom |
| Onyefulu, Ifeoma | Ogbo Sharing Life In An African Village |
| Parker, Nancy | Panama Canal |
| Patent, Dorothy | Prairies |
| Paulsen, Gary | Puppies, Dogs, And Blue Northers |
| Peterson, Cris | Harvest Year |
| Pfeffer, Wendy | What's It Like To Be A Fish? |
| Pinkey, Andrea | Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin' Cowboy |
| Presilla, Maricel & Soto, Gloria | Life Around The Lake |
| Ryder, Joanne | Jaguar In The Rain Forest |
| Rylant, Cynthia | Margaret, Frank, And Andy |
| Scholastic Voyages of Discovery | The History Of Making Books |
| Simon, Seymour | Wildfires |
| Sneeve, Virginia | The Cheyennes |
| Stanley, Diane | Leonardo Da Vinci |
| Tanaka, Shelley | On Board The Titanic |
| Terban, Marvin | Dictionary Of Idioms |
| Tunnell, Michael | The Children Of Topaz |
| Wallner, Alexandra | The First Air Voyage In The United States |
| Warren, Andrea | Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story |
| Waters, Kate | On The Mayflower |