A Splash of Red by Jenn Bryant

A Splash of Red is a book that takes place locally in West Chester, PA. The book focuses
on the little boy name Horace and how big and fast he was growing, especially his hands.
Horace always loved to draw especially for his friends because it made people happy. Horace
saw in the paper an ad that said, Draw Me and you can win a prize. Horace ended up winning
a full set of art supplies. Horaces dad walked out on his family at a young age so he was always
putting his hands to use and keeping busy. Even when Horace went to war it brought out art
within him. He was injured in the war, and could not draw anymore, but he ended up getting
married and started a new life with new adventures. By the end of the story Horace found a way
to make his arm stronger so that he can paint again. This book teaches a lesson on overcoming
adversity and that if you work hard you can do anything.
Interest Level: K-3
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.2

At Ellis Island by Louise Peacock

At Ellis Island is a fictional story, but with real life
accounts when millions of people came to America through Ellis
Island. Part of the story tells about a tourist and her greatgrandmothers arrival to Ellis Island. She talks about how most of
the children would wait for days to pass through because they
could not go alone. Another part of the story is about Sera who
was a 10 year old Armenian Immigrant that wrote to her mother,
but soon realized her mother died in a massacre. The account
goes through the sinking of the Mongolia and how it was a
struggle for some people to come over to America at the time. I
really enjoyed reading this book. I even learned a lot about Ellis
Island that I never knew before. I think this is a great book to include on my classroom

bookshelf one day, and it can even be used as part of a Social Studies lesson to talk about
immigrants.
Interest Level: 2-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.0

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

Beautiful Oops is a book that teaches a lesson to students that we
all make mistakes. The book goes through certain mistakes we can
make such as making a spill, dripping paint, bending paper, making
a smudge on a paper, but it can all turn into something beautiful. It
is important for children to realize everybody makes mistakes at
some point in their lives, and that is okay because we can all learn
from our mistakes.
Interest Level: PreK-2
Grade Level Equivalent: 2.0

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie DePaola

26 Fairmount Avenue is about the author Tomie DePaola and his memories while he lived
in Meriden, Connecticut during the 1930s. The book first starts out when he experienced his first
hurricane at the time his family had just began to build their new house. The type of
neighborhood he lived in was like a large family and everybody knew everyone. The author
throughout the book also tells a lot about his relatives and it shows how close they are. The book
goes through after the hurricane when he got to see the newly animated Snow White movie with
his mother, and then through all of the holidays that lead up to moving into their new home. This
is a great book that shows the readers the love of a new home and his memories from a young

boy. Of course there were some obstacles to face, but it showed a familys love for each other
through it all.
Interest Level: 3-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.8

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox by Chris Butterworth

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox is a fun story to read to children. It
talks about the food that is found in a childs lunchbox, but the question is
where that food came from. The book goes through the example of how
first the bread has to be made by the baker, and in a factory before it is able
to be bought in the grocery store. The book then discusses how vegetables
are grown from a farm, and then packed away for the store. Next in the
story is how juice is made, but first comes from an apple tree and then the
apples are sent to a milling machine before poured into cartons. This was
such a great book to read. It helps children understand where their food really comes from and
how it is all made before it hits the grocery shelves.
Interest Level: K-3
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.2

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat by Carlyn Beccia

I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat is a fun book to read to children about the basic
illnesses such as a cold, fever, headache, and some cures that can go along with it. It is an
engaging book for children because the cures are nasty cures from the prehistoric times such as
frog soup, cherry bark, and caterpillar fungus. It can be a fun book for children to predict what is
going to happen next, or what they think will cure the illness. Each page of the book is labeled
with what the illness is, and then has several cures of how to get better. This was such a fun
book to read. Children will love guessing what is on the next page and have fun with the
colorful illustrations.

Interest Level: 1-4

Grade Level Equivalent: 4.0

If I Were President by Catherine Stier

If I were President discusses about what it would be like as a
president. It talks about living at the White House, what the
President would eat, and the Presidents duties being in charge. This
is a great book for children to read to understand what the President
does for our country. It goes through how the president works with
congress to pass the laws and describes what a veto is. The book
goes through the job of the secret service, and also how the
president helps aid people in times of tragedy while also in fun
times, such as lighting the holiday tree and throwing the first
baseball pitch in the spring. I thought this was a fun book and I really enjoyed reading it. I
would definitely include this book in my classroom one day as part of a social studies lesson.
Interest Level: K-3
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.6

Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words by Karen Leggett

Abouraya
Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words is a powerful read for
students when Malala stood up for young girls at the age of 16 to the
UN about education. Malala was a Pakistanian, and targeted with a
few of her friends from a Taliban gunman. She did this speech after
she was shot. At this point the Taliban had closed schools for all
young girls. Several months after this happened Malala spoke out
about how this needs to be resolved, and that every child deserves to
be educated. This was a great read that I really enjoyed. It shows how it takes courage during a
time of fear that can pull you through a difficult time. It is a book that students can learn about
this serious issue that happened and how a young girl made such a difference.
Interest Level: 3-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.0
Mix it Up by Herve Tullet

Mix It Up is a great book for young children to learn their colors, and
learn when two colors mix together what color it will make. The book
goes through step by step what the child should do such as tapping on
a color, closing the book, and shaking the book. The story gets
children thinking and able to predict what would happen when the
two colors are pushed together. I really enjoyed this book. I think
that it is a great read for children to understand their colors better, but
having fun with it.

while still

Interest Level: Pre-K

Grade Level Equivalent: 1.0

Noah Webster & His Words by Jerri Chase Ferris

Noah Webster and His Words is a picture book about Noah
always being right and full of confidence. He grew up on a
farm and loved using words more than growing crops. When
he got older he became a teacher, but there wasnt any books so
he decided to write them himself. The best book he had written
was his very own dictionary and it was 2000 pages. Webster
wanted to unite America through language and this was his way
of doing so. This is a fun, illustrated book that shows if you work hard you can achieve your
dream.
Interest Level: PreK-3
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2

Sit- In by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Sit- In is about four students, David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell who were
hungry for a meal and decided to go to Woolworths Lunch Counter. This all
took place in North Carolina in 1960 when segregation was taking place during
the time of Martin Luther King. The four boys were reminded blacks were not
allowed continuously. The boys would continue to sit at the counter. The next
day more students came to the sit-in and it got bigger each day. The blacks were made fun of,
and even had pepper, milkshakes, and food thrown in their face. The students kept Dr. Kings
words close to them and fought for their integration. By 1963 the president urged for change and
passed the civil right act in 1964 that banned segregation in public places. This is a great book to
teach children about segregation and realize that we are all equal no matter what color we are.
Interest Level: K-3

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.2

Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the

True Story of an American Feud by Suzanne Trip Jurmain
This book is about Thomas Jefferson and John Adams who were
two very good friends, but then turned into being the worst of
friends due to their different personalities. The book talks about
how they were to run the United States, but in different ways.
One was for the Democratic Party and the other for the
Republican, which caused a lot of disputes between them. I
really liked this book because it was about how close they were
in the beginning, and then they grew apart, and then at the end
became great friends again. This book can be used to teach a
lesson to children that it is okay to grow apart from a friend, but
come back together after a while.
Interest Level: 1-3
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.0