Illustrated by: Marta Alvarez Miguens

Published: June 6, 2017

Grade Level: 2-4

Lexile: 730L

Standards:

2.2.R.4 Students will begin to summarize facts and details from an informational text.

2.3.R.1 Students will determine the author’s purpose (i.e., to tell a story, provide information).

Read Aloud: https://youtu.be/A5jDI_mVFTw?si=BPNw0WxIhC_6dJVj

Resource: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=shark%20lady

Awards:

Parents magazine Best Children's Book of 2017

Best STEM Book

New York Times Twelve Books for Feminist Boys and Girls

Outstanding Science Trade Book

SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books

Illustrated by: Shel Silverstein

Published: 1974

Grade Level: 4-5

Lexile level: N/A

Standards:

4.3.R.4 Students will find textual evidence of literary devices:● metaphor ● idiom ● personification ● hyperbole ● simile ● alliteration ● onomatopoeia

4.3.R.5 Students will answer inferential questions using evidence from one or more texts to support answers.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RZV46uuCW4

Resource: https://www.shelsilverstein.com/learning-resources/

Awards:

New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year (1974)

American Library Association Notable Children's Book (1974)

George C. Stone Center for Childrens Books Recognition of Merit

Grammy Award for Best Children's Recording (1984)

Illustrated by: Brandon Dorman

Published: June 7, 2006

Grade Level: 3-8

Lexile Level: 700L

Standards:

3.3.R.3 Students will find examples of literary elements: ● setting ● plot ● characters ● characterization

5.7.R Students will analyze the characteristics and effectiveness of a variety of alphabetic, aural, visual, spatial, and/or gestural content from various perspectives.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTvsOU2qbFE

Resource: https://alyssahollingsworth.com/2017/03/17/10-writing-resources-fantasy/

Awards:

Young Readers' Choice Awards

New York Times Bestseller

State Books List

Beehive Award

Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca

Published: July 28, 1992

Grade Level: 2-4

Lexile: 510L

Standards:

2.2.F.1 Students will expand their sight word vocabulary by reading regularly- and irregularly-spelled words in isolation and context with increasing automaticity.

2.2.R.1 Students will identify the main idea and supporting details of a text.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjEsEdrkb6o

Resource: https://www.mthclassroomadventures.org/mth-books/

Awards:

Parents choice award

Childrens choice award

International Reading Association

National Education Association

Georgia Children's Book Award

Illustrated by: Brian Floca

Published: March 28, 2017

Grade Level: Pre-K-3

Lexile: 590L

Standards:

PK.3.R.3 Students will identify characters in a story with prompting.

PK.3.R.2 Students will answer basic questions (e.g., who, what, where, and when) about texts, photographs, or illustrations during shared reading or other text experiences with prompting.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X23ED2dJpAs

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Princess-Cora-and-the-Crocodile-Lit-Log-Novel-Study-For-Distance-or-Classroom-3817440

Awards:

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year

Cybils Awards Finalist

Illustrated by: Alexandra Day

Published: February 1996

Grade Level: Pre-K-3

Lexile: N/A

Standards: PK.3.R.2 Students will answer basic questions (e.g., who, what, where, and when) about texts, photographs, or illustrations during shared reading or other text experiences with prompting.

1.3.R.2 Students will describe who is telling a story with prompting

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiKq58Urbu0

Resources: https://karennespoli.com/picture-book-activities/

Illustrated by: Bob Staake

Published: April 9, 2013

Grade level: 1-4

Lexile: N/A

Standards:

2.2.R.3 Students will begin to summarize the plot of a story to include the beginning, middle, and end.

2.7.R Students will explore and compare ideas and topics in multimodal content.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpGeSBlhVbw

Resources: https://babblingabby.net/free-reading-activities-for-picture-books/

Awards:

New York Times Notable Book

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year

Bank Street College of Education

American Booksellers Association

Starred reviews

Caldecott contender

Illustrated by: Josie Portillo 

Publish: October 3, 2017

Grade Level: 4-7

Lexile: 520L

Standards:

4.2.R.3 Students will summarize and sequence the important events of a story.

5.3.R.1 Students will determine the author’s purpose (i.e., entertain, inform, persuade), and draw conclusions to determine if the author’s purpose was achieved.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkoHQ7rTEJs

Resources: https://writeonwithmissg.com/2025/02/25/engaging-activities-for-teaching-historical-fiction-in-middle-high-school/

Awards:

Golden Kite Award for Middle Grade Fiction

Illustrated by: Suzanne Kaufman

Published: July 10, 2018

Grade Level: Pre-K-3

Lexile: 370L 

Standards:

1.5.R.1 Students will recognize simple sentences.

K.8.R Students will listen and respond to read-alouds, participate in shared reading, and interact independently with texts.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5gia39y5uo

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=all%20are%20welcome%20activity&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21086793759&gbraid=0AAAAADncKPWaUqYdSuHdN8V12JNXoG6I0&gclid=Cj0KCQjw58PGBhCkARIsADbDilw_RNt8z02qhEj_gdqppZ8vqeY90S-V-eX_3fKlqWAEnWwfkgD0sEUaAvdSEALw_wcB

Awards:

2019 Washington State Book Award for Best Picture Book

The 2019 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year

2018 Amazon Best Books Ages 3-5

Illustrated by: Pascal Lemaitre

Published: 2006

Grade Level: Kindergarten-4

Lexile: 540L

Standards:

1.3.R.2 Students will describe who is telling a story with prompting

1.3.R.5 Students will begin to use details from a text to draw conclusions and make predictions.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BjtSBcBlwk

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-ReadingRead-Aloud-Plan-DO-NOT-OPEN-THIS-BOOK-by-Michaela-Muntean-Level-O-5678895

Awards:

ALA Notable Book

E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Award

Huffpost Best Picture Book honorable mention

Wanda Gag Read Aloud Honor Books

Illustrated by: Hatem Aly

Published: April 4, 2023

Grade Level: K - 2

Lexile: 730L

Standards:

K.2.R.4 Students will begin to retell facts and details from an informational text.

2.2.R.2 Students will identify elements of various genres in fiction and nonfiction texts.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6bT_QsiNdk

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse/free?search=jane%20goodall

Illustrated by: N/A

Published: June 2, 2020

Grade level: 3-7

Lexile: 930L 

Standards:

6.2.R.3 Students will paraphrase a paragraph in their own words to demonstrate comprehension.

6.3.R.8 Students will analyze one or more ideas from a text, providing textual evidence to support their inferences

Read aloud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QR_Ha0p6rk

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse/free?search=realistic%20fiction%20worksheets

Awards: Sequoyah Award

Sid Fleischman Award

Illustrated by: Jason Chin

Published: March 30, 2021

Grade Level: Pre-k-3

Lexile: 610L

Standards:

K.4.R.2 Students will begin to develop an awareness of context clues through read-alouds and other text experiences.

1.2.R.3 Students will sequence the plot (i.e., beginning, middle, and end) of a story.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICrNxHgg2aE

Resources: https://bookpagez.com/resource/watercress-lesson-plans/

Awards:

Caldecott Medal Winner

Newbery Honor Award

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award 2022

New England Book Award Winner

2021 Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book

Your Neighbor New Generation Award

Reading the West Award for Picture Books

2022 Ohioana Book Award for Juvenile Literature

2022 Floyd’s Pick Honor Book

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

SCBWI 2022 Crystal Kite Award, Southwest Division

2021 Cybils Award

Illustrated by: Floyd Coope

Published: February 2, 2021

Grade Level: 3-6

Lexile: 1100L

Standards:

4.4.R.5 Students will acquire new grade-level vocabulary, relate new words to prior knowledge, and apply vocabulary in various contexts.

5.2.R.1 Students will explain how key supporting details support the main idea of a text.

Read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLcxfCPbz_U

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Unspeakable-The-Tulsa-Race-Massacre-by-Carole-Boston-Weatherford-Activities-7827859

Awards:

Caldecott Medal 2022

Illustrated by: Corey R. Taylor

Published: 2023

Grade Level: K-2

Lexile: N/A

Standards:

1.3.R.5 Students will begin to use details from a text to draw conclusions and make predictions.

1.4.R.5 Students will acquire new grade-level vocabulary, relate new words to prior knowledge, and apply vocabulary in new situations.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ8Bnogu9I8

Resources: https://b0f646cfbd7462424f7a-f9758a43fb7c33cc8adda0fd36101899.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/teaching-guides/TG-9780063370913.pdf

Awards: Geisel Award

Illustrated by: Rose Bousamra

Published: 2022

Grade level: 5 - 8

Lexile: 430L

Standards:

5.5.R.1 Students will recognize simple, compound, and complex (i.e., independent and dependent clauses) sentences.

5.4.R.5 Students will acquire new grade-level vocabulary, relate new words to prior knowledge, and apply vocabulary in various contexts.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dQ_jyNUIGY

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Frizzy-by-Claribel-A-Ortega-Graphic-Novel-BOOK-STUDY-Digital-NO-PREP-10765888

Awards: Pura Belpré Award

Illustrated by: Vashti Harrison

Published: May 2, 2023

Grade level: Pre-k-3

Lexile: N/A

Standards:

3.2.R.3 Students will summarize and sequence the important events of a story.

3.3.R.1 Students will determine if the author’s purpose is to entertain, inform, or persuade.

Read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHWOiShs6B4

Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=big%20by%20vashti%20harrison

Awards: Coretta Scott King Award

Illustrated by: Jonathan Nelson

Published: October 2, 2022

Grade Level: Pre-K-2

Lexile: 610L

Standards:

K.6.R.2 Students will identify and use graphic and text features to understand texts: ● photos ● illustrations ● titles

1.2.R.4 Students will retell facts and details from an informational text.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TXPRfzHCn0

Resources: https://carolinestarrrose.com/classroom-connections-forever-cousins-by-laurel-goodluck/

Awards: American Indian Youth Literature Award

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Year in Review award winner