LaDawn Noble

Annotated Bibliography
November 17, 2017
Picture books should be vivid in some way and relatable and exciting for the reader. The
language of the book should also be appropriate for the intended audience.
Nonfiction books should be accurate in the information portrayed to the reader. The information
should be presented in such a way that is appropriate for its audience but still accurately relays
the concepts.
Poetry books should be exciting and varied in the types of poems presented. It is more accessible
to the reader if the poems are sectioned into themes.
Childrens novels should be accessible and appealing to the reader. Since these books will have
very little to no pictures, the language of the books should be appropriate for its intended
audience.
Picture Books
Author: Aaron Reynolds
Title: Creepy Carrots
Publisher and Year: Simoon & Schuster Books 2012
Type of book: picture book
Reading level: 2 through 4 grade
nd

th

The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch in this clever picture book parable about a
rabbit who fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Jasper Rabbit loves carrotsespecially
Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little
League. He eats them walking home. Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they?
Noteworthy traits: Reynolds uses a grayscale color scheme with a bright orange for the
carrots to add to the sinister feeling of the book

Author: Maurice Sendak

Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Publisher and Year: Harpor and Row 1963
Type of book: picture book
Reading level: 3 through 5 grade
rd

th

This story focuses on a young boy named Max who, after dressing in his wolf costume,
wreaks such havoc through his household that he is sent to bed without his supper. Max's
bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle environment, and he winds up
sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as the "Wild Things." After successfully
intimidating the creatures, Max is hailed as the king of the Wild Things and enjoys a playful
romp with his subjects; however, he decides to return home, to the Wild Things' dismay. After
arriving in his bedroom, Max discovers a hot supper waiting for him.
Noteworthy traits: This book appeals heavily to a childs imagination, it is very relatable
to the age of its intended audience.

Author: Shel Silverstein

Title: The Giving Tree
Publisher and Year: Harpor & Row 1964
Type of book: picture book
Reading level: 2 through 4
nd

th

The book follows the life of a female apple tree and a boy who are able to communicate
with each other; the tree addresses the human as "Boy" his entire life. In his childhood, the boy
enjoys playing with the tree, climbing her trunk, swinging from her branches, and eating her
apples. However, as time passes he starts to make requests of the tree.
Noteworthy traits: This book allows for younger students to understand the idea of
compassion. And what it mean to give to others, sometimes students have a hard time
understanding this concept so it would be very helpful to use this book because it is presented in
a way they understand.

Author: Jane Yolen

Title: Owl Moon
Publisher and Year: Philomel Books 1987
Type of book: picture book
Reading level: 2 through 4
nd

th

The story deals with a father that takes his daughter owling for the first time on a cold
winter's night. Along their way, they encounter a great horned owl. While it is not stated which
gender the child is, Schoenherr illustrations gave it away. According to Jane Yolen's website, she
is actually Yolen's child, Heidi Stemple. The "Pa" character is based on her husband, an avid
outdoorsman and birdwatcher. "I've become aware of nature through my husband", said Yolen.
Noteworthy traits: This book is a Caldecott Medal recipient

Author: Ellen Levine

Title: Henrys Freedom Box
Publisher and Year: 2007
Type of book: picture book
Reading level: 3-5
Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All
the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn
from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again
devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the
warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an
arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday, his first day of freedom.
Noteworthy traits: This book does a wonderful job of talking about a very sensitive
subject in our history. This nook is a Caldecott recipient.

Nonfiction Books
Author: Anne Frank
Title: The Diary of a Young Girl
Publisher and Year: Contact Publishing 1947
Type of book: nonfiction
Reading level: 5 through 9
th

th

Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's
remarkable diary has since become a world classica powerful reminder of the horrors of war
and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a
thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding.
For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another
family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annexe" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside
world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the
ever-present threat of discovery and death.
Noteworthy traits: This book is a shockingly vivid account of the horrible events that
unfolded on Anne and her family during WWII.
Author: Janet Pascal

Title: Who Was Abraham Lincoln

Publisher and Year: Grosset & Dunlap 2008
Type of book: nonfiction
Reading level: 4 through 6 grade
th

th

Born to a family of farmers, Lincoln stood out from an early ageliterally! (He was six feet
four inches tall.) As sixteenth President of the United States, he guided the nation through the Civil
War and saw the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln was tragically shot one night at Fords Theaterthe
first President to be assassinated. Over 100 black-and-white illustrations and maps are included.
Noteworthy traits: This book is 112 pages long which might seem like a bit much to some
students but the language is t such a level that they can understand.

Author: Johanna Reiss

Title: The Upstairs Room
Publisher and Year: 1972
Type of book: nonfiction
Reading level: 3 through 5
rd

th

This is the true story of a girl's extraordinary survival during the German occupation of
Holland of World War II. Annie was only ten years old, but because she was Jewish, she was forced
to leave her family, her home, and everything she knew. Annie was taken in, far from home, by
complete strangers who risked everything to help her. They showed Annie where she had to stay - the
cramped upstairs room of their farmhouse. she would remain there while Nazis, who were ever
vigilant, patrolled the streets outside. If Annie made even a sound from upstairs, or if a nosy
neighbor caught sight of her in the window, it would surely mean a death sentence for her and the
family that took her in.
Noteworthy traits: This book is a Newbery Medal Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, and
winner of the Jewish Book Council Childrens Book Award.

Author: Joseph Hopkins

Title: The Tree Lady: The true Story of How one Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever
Publisher and Year: Beach Lane Books 2013
Type of book: nonfiction
Reading level: 3 through 4
rd

th

Katherine Olivia Sessions never thought shed live in a place without trees. After all, Kate
grew up among the towering pines and redwoods of Northern California. But after becoming the first
woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science, she took a job as a
teacher far south in the dry desert town of San Diego. Where there were almost no trees. Kate

decided that San Diego needed trees more than anything else. So this trailblazing young woman
singlehandedly started a massive movement that transformed the town into the green, garden-filled
oasis it is today.
Noteworthy Traits: This book is an awesome ay to teach students the importance of the earth
and trees that surround us. It is also a wonderful way to show children that if they are really
passionate about something and they want to make a change, they can definitely do so!

Author: Brian Floca

Title: Locomotive
Publisher and Year: Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2013
Type of book: nonfiction
Reading level: 3 through 5
rd

th

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding
America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip
and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving;
and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.
Noteworthy traits: The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times
bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America's early railroads.

Poetry Books
Author: Paul B. Janeczko
Title: A Kick in the Head: An everyday Guide to Poetic Forms
Publisher and Year: Candlewick 2005
Type of book: poetry
Reading level: 5 through 8 grade
th

th

In this splendid and playful volume second of a trilogy an acclaimed creative team
presents examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the rules of poetry, but
also the spirit that brings these forms to life.
Noteworthy traits: This book has some explanations of the forms of poetry used so that
they students can understand the meaning and the difference between the forms.
Author: Susan Moger
Title: A Poem for Everyday and Anthology of 180 poems
Publisher and Year: Scholastic 2006
Type of book: poetry

Reading level: 3 through 5 grade

rd

th

Spark a love of poetry and language with this classroom treasury of poems. It includes
time-tested classics by poets such as Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg, Elinor Wylie, and Emily
Dickinson, plus new poems sure to become classroom favorites. The poems are perfect for
teaching poetic forms such as haiku, cinquain, and free verse, as well as figurative language such
as metaphor, alliteration, similes, and more. Also includes teaching tips and activities. A resource
you'll turn to again and again.
Noteworthy traits: These poems are fun and can be used during a poetry unit.

Author: J. X. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane Dyer

Title: Talking Like The Rain
Publisher and Year: Little Brown 1992
Type of book: poetry
Reading level: 3 through 5 grade
rd

th

A collection of poems and illustrations celebrating the lives of children includes works by
A. A. Milne, Edward Lear, Robert Louis Stevenson, and many new voices and is divided into
sections on Day and Night, Just for Fun, and others.
Noteworthy traits: This book of poems includes vivid pictures and fun exciting poems
that are exciting and are written with the intent of being read aloud.
Author: Virginia, Mattingly, and Nicky Cooney
Title: The Classic Book of Best- loved Childrens Poems
Publisher and Year: Courage 1997
Type of book: poetry
Reading level: 3 through 5 grade
rd

th

A volume of verse illustrated with illustrations from a variety of noted artists. There are
animal poems, collections of tall tales and lullabies, and rhymes.
Noteworthy traits: This poetry collection features vivid and exciting pictures and poems
that are sectioned by theme.

Author: Jack Prelutsky and Arnold Lobel

Title: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

Publisher and Year: Random House 1983
Type of book: poetry
Reading level: 3 through 5 grade
rd

th

A generous collection with a distinctly upbeat tone, this gives a taste of the best poets
writing for children over the last several decades. Lobel's drawings imbue the whole with action
and graphic images as inventive as the verse. Successfully geared to meet home, school, and
library needs
Noteworthy traits: This poetry collection features vivid and exciting pictures and poems
that are sectioned by theme.
Childrens Novels
Author: E.B. White
Title: Charlotte's Web
Publisher and Year: Harper 1952
Type of book: childrens novel
Reading level: 3rd through 6th
This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a
classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the
words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for
a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern,
who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter. E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is
a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to
come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E.B. White's Stuart Little
and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, among many other books. Supports the Common
Core State Standards
Noteworthy traits: this book teaches compassion for others as well as perseverance. It also
stands out because it teaches children that death is a part of life and someday it may happen to
someone we care deeply for.

Author: LEngle Madeleine

Title: A Wrinkle In Time
Publisher and Year: Dell 1976
Type of book: childrens novel
Reading level: 3rd through 5th

In these four entertaining and well-known stories for children, two of the titles are read by
their authors. An especially helpful feature is the indication on each tape of what chapters are
covered, since the chapters do generally run from one side to the next. Technical quality is excellent
with clear, well-spoken, straightforward narrations. Each reading aptly conveys the spirit of the text.
The tapes are packaged in sturdy vinyl boxes, which include illustrations, a short synopsis, a short
biography of the author, and a description of the narrator. These thoroughly enjoyable productions
are worthwhile purchases for any library collection.
Noteworthy traits: This book is a Newberry Medal recipient.

Author: C.S. Lewis

Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Publisher and Year: Macmillian 1950
Type of book: childrens novel
Reading level: 4th through 6th
Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and
assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

Noteworthy traits: This book is very vivid and exciting!

Author: Louis Sachar
Title: Holes
Publisher and Year: Straus and Giroux 1998
Type of book: childrens novel
Reading level: 3rd through 5th
Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime
and punishment and redemption.
Noteworthy traits: This book has wonderful language for its intended audience.

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Title: The Secret Garden
Publisher and Year: Frederick A. Stokes 1911
Type of book: childrens novel
Reading level: 4th through 6th
Born in India, the unattractive and willful Mary Lennox has remained in the care of servants
for as long as she can remember. But the girl's life changes when her mother and father die and she
travels to Yorkshire to live with her uncle. Dark, dreary Misselthwaite Manor seems full of mysteries,

including a very special garden, locked tight for 10 years. With the help of Dickon, a local boy, Mary
intends to uncover its secrets.
Noteworthy traits: This book include some stunning artwork in some of its versions. The plot
is relatable and tells the story of two opposite children becoming friends.