Content Area Picture Books

SCIENCE:
See It Grow Series (1st and 2nd grade reading levels)

Apple - Dawn Bluemel Oldfield
In this book, readers learn how apples grow from seed to fruit.


Coconut - Jackie Lee
Readers will discover how a coconut seed turns into a coconut palm that bears lots of new coconuts in clear, simple steps in this basic introduction to plant development.


Cranberry - Jackie Lee
A cranberry is full of fruity goodness. It is smooth, round, and red. How did it get that way? Beginning readers will discover how a tiny cranberry seed turns into a vine that forms flowers and then fruit in clear, simple steps in this basic introduction to plant development.

Oak Tree - Joyce Markovics
Discover how oak trees grow from seedlings to large, leafy trees that produce flowers and new acorns.


Pumpkin - Jackie Lee
Discover how pumpkins grow from small seeds to seedlings to vines that produce flowers and big, ripe pumpkins.

Sunflower - Joyce Markovics
A tall plant with a huge yellow flower grows in a field. It was once a small seed. So how did it get so big? Beginning readers will discover how a seed turns into a sunflower in clear, simple steps in this basic introduction to plant development.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs - Linda Sue Park
Presents animals acting out the verbs made from their names, including hogs hogging, slugs slugging, and other creatures demonstrating homographs, words with different meanings that are spelled and pronounced the same.


MATH:

Measuring Penny - Loreen Leedy
Lisa learns about the mathematics of measuring by measuring her dog Penny with all sorts of units, including pounds, inches, dog biscuits, and cotton swabs.




FICTION:
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music - Margarita Engle
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner, 2016

Buddy and Earl Go Exploring - Maureen Fergus
Buddy is just settling in for the night when Earl announces that he's going on a trip. Before buddy knows it, he and Earl are off on another grand adventure. While exploring the wilds of the kitchen, they see wondrous sights, make delicious discoveries and even encounter a couple of unusual monsters.

More Than Enough: A Passover Story - April Halprin Wayland
Illustrations and simple text portray children and their family as they prepare for, then celebrate, a Passover seder with foods, games, songs, and even a sleepover.

CHRISTIAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

The Lightlings - R.C. Sproul
Charlie's fears of the dark are calmed by his grandfather's story of the Son of the King of Light brought into the world so that people need never fear the darkness.

Paul's Travel's - Tim Dowley
Through this fully illustrated guide, children discover the fascinating story of Paul—his life, journeys, and letters—with a letter stored in its own pocket for each chapter.

Nonfiction

Stella Writes Series - Jan Wagstaff

Stella: Poet Extraordinaire
Stella and her teacher, Ms. Merkley, take readers on a journey through the process of writing poetry, from finding inspiration by taking a poetry walk to a final Poetry Jam where all the young poets share their work.

Stella and Class: Information Experts
Do you know what it's like to be inquisitive? To have your mind racing with questions? Stella does! When Stella's class gets curious about chameleons, their teacher, Ms. Merkley, is happy to oblige. Join Stella and her friends as they become chameleon experts, and experts in informative writing. Sharing what you learn; that's what informative writing is all about.

Stella Tells Her Story
She has a story to tell. (Ms. Merkley says everyone does.) Today, Ms. Merkley announced, is the perfect day to start writing narratives. Max has the story about his puppy, and Tineka is ready to retell her catfish adventure. But what topic will Stella choose? The time she got cupcake batter in her hair? Her trip to the amusement park? And how will she write it? What happened first, next, last . . . ? Stella loves to write. Go with her on a writing journey as she relives and retells a heartwarming story.

Stella Writes an Opinion
Meet Stella. She has lots of opinions. Like, the best food is ice cream and kids should be allowed to bring toys to school and Ms. Merkley is the nicest teacher in the whole world. So, when Ms. M. tells the class they get to write an opinion, Stella gets excited. But how will she choose what to write about? Go with Stella on her writing journey and see how one kid's opinion can change a school. What could be more fun than to write what you think about an important topic. Now that's power!

Picture Books for Math

The Greedy Triangle - Marilyn Burns
Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and angles until it doesn't know which side is up.

It's Probably Penny - Loreen Leedy
After learning about probability at school, Lisa has to complete an assignment and find things that fit into the categories of will, might,  and cannot happen.

Biographies

The William Hoy Story - Nancy Churnin
All William Ellsworth Hoy wanted to do was play baseball. After losing out on a spot on the local deaf team, William practiced even harder--eventually earning a position on a professional team. But his struggle was far from over. In addition to the prejudice Hoy faced, he could not hear the umpires' calls. One day he asked the umpire to use hand signals: strike, ball, out. That day he not only got on base but also changed the way the game was played forever. William "Dummy" Hoy became one of the greatest and most beloved players of his time!

How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln - Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
Relates the events of an important early case for American female detective Kate Warne, describing how she went undercover as a society lady on a mission to thwart an assassination plot against the sixteenth president.

Nonfiction

Julie Andrews' Treasury for All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year
A collection of illustrated poems and songs for children, celebrating holidays and events throughout the calendar year, including verses Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Cole Porter, Oscar Hammerstein, and others, and featuring introductions by Julie Andrews, in which she describes memories of holiday and family moments.

Cold, Crunchy, Colorful: Using Our Senses - Jane Brocket
Combining simple text with gorgeous photos, the latest addition to Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts series encourages children to use all five of their senses (and the corresponding body parts associated with those senses) to investigate the world around them.


A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin - Jen Bryant
Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.



What Do Authors and Illustrators Do? - Eileen Christelow
Children's books tell stories with words and often with pictures, too. In What Do Authors Do? Christelow shows how an idea blossoms into a final book in colorful watercolors and comic book-style frames. In What Do Illustrators Do?, two artists create their own versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, from rough sketch to finished artwork. Includes creative writing and drawing exercises.

The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life - Lois Ehlert
Presents a visual survey of Lois Ehlert's artistic career that reflects on her parents' support, her early creative experiments and her behind-the-scenes book-making processes.

The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees: A Scientific Mystery - Sandra Markle
Honeybees are a crucial part of our food chain. As they gather nectar from flowers to make sweet honey, these bees also play an important role in pollination, helping some plants produce fruit. But large numbers of honeybees are disappearing every year ... and no one knows why. Is a fungus killing them? Could a poor diet be the cause? What about changes to bees' natural habitat? In this real-life science mystery, scientists and beekeepers are working to answer these questions ... and save the world's honeybees before it's too late.

The Secret Pool - Kimberly Ridley
A look at vernal pools, which form every year when low places on the forest floor fill up with rain and melted snow.

Nonfiction

Grades 3-6

Get Into Art: Animals - Susie Brooks

Introduces children to the world of art while encouraging budding artists to develop their own artistic abilities. Accomplished artists, along with some of their famous pieces and techniques are presented, then followed up with an art project reminiscent of each artist's work or genre. Perfect for active young artists of all abilities.

 

Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More: A History with 21 Activities - Mary Kay Carson

Tracing the evolution of humankind's pursuit of astronomical knowledge, this resource looks deep into the furthest reaches of space. Children will follow along as the realization that the Earth is not at the center of the universe leads all the way up to recent telescopic proof of planets orbiting stars outside the solar system. In addition to its engaging history, this book contains 21 hands-on projects to further explore the subjects discussed. Readers will build a three-dimensional representation of the constellation Orion.

Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
- Selene Castrovilla
An account of the friendship between the first American president when he was an officer in the Continental Army and the young Marquis de Lafayette describes how the latter came to America to offer his services before earning a military position and Washington's admiration.

Locomotive - Brian Floca
Learn what it was like to travel on the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s.





Grades 5-8
Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing - Leonard S. Marcus
Describes the life and work of English illustrator Randolph Caldecott and his influence on the modern picture book.

Grades 9-12
Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice - Catherine Lewis
Uses the "Three Blind Mice" nursery rhyme to illustrate key elements of writing and literature, including plot, mechanics, foreshadowing, point of view, character, style, and dialogue.

New Books for Elementary Students

Mitchell Goes Bowling - Hallie Durand
One Saturday, when Mitchell almost knocks down his dad, his dad catches him and puts him in the car. And when they step into the bowling alley, Mitchell feels right at home. Pizza! Giant crashing noises! Special shoes! But as Mitchell picks up the biggest ball and quickly learns the word gutter, and when Dad does a little kick with his leg and earns a big X on the scoreboard, Mitchell starts to get peevish. How can Mitchell get a chance to do a steamin'-hot-potato-dance, too? With wit, warmth, and comedic charm, Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile roll another strike with this tale of a lovably rambunctious child and his doting dad.

Which is Round? Which is Bigger? - Mineko Mamada
"This deceptively simple concept book prompts the reader to compare pairs of objects and then choose which one has a particular attribute. At first the answer seems obvious--until the page is turned to reveal a delightful twist!" - Amazon

Foxy! - Jessica Souhami
Fox tricks gullible humans into peeking into his sack and trades what escapes from the sack for tastier meals until he is outfoxed by a woman who swaps a captive boy for a big dog that chases the fox away for goodessica Souhami.


Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes - Roseanne Greenfield Thong
A little girl discovers things that are round, square, and rectangular in her Hispanic American neighborhood.

Lessons on Liberty: A Primer for Young Patriots - Peter A. Lillback and Judy Mitchell
"Packed with colorful illustrations, this entertaining and educational hardcover book uses a simple alphabet poem to guide the reader through the fundamental principles of American liberty. Incorporating early 19th century dictionary definitions and enhanced graphics, Bible quotations and Poor Richard's Almanack, this engaging book adds powerful historic quotes, surprising facts, and truths about our nation's founding to excite young and old about our country-this beacon of liberty for the world. Included also are activity pages to further teach young scholars with a hands-on approach-perforated for easy tear-out, these pages may be reproduced on a copier for group use."--Provided by publisher

I Remember - edited by Mark Latta, Darolyn "Lyn" Jones, Barbara Shoup, Corrie Herron, Olivia
Gehrich, Brett Hiatt, and James Sandberg
Funded by the Summer Youth Program Fund, the Indiana Writers Center's "Building a Rainbow" creative writing program serves a diverse group of young people in Indianapolis, improving their writing and literacy skills through a series of creative writing exercises that teach them how to write the stories of their own lives. Working one-on-one, Writers Center instructors, student teachers, and volunteers help the young writers get their words on the page and also encourage them to reflect upon the experiences they've written about, considering how what they've learned can help them make their dreams come true. I Remember is a collection of writings completed during the Indiana Writers Center summer youth writing programs.

Teacher Resources

ESL:

Matching Books & Readers: Helping English Learners in Grades K-6

- Nancy L. Hadaway and Terrell A. Young
Providing practical guidance and resources, this book helps teachers harness the power of children's literature for developing ELLs' literacy skills and language proficiency. The authors show how carefully selected fiction, nonfiction, and poetry can support students' learning across the curriculum. Criteria and guiding questions are presented for matching books and readers based on text features, literacy and language proficiency, and student background knowledge and interests. --from publisher description

Literacy:

Inclusive Literacy: Lessons for Early Childhood - Pam Schiller and Clarissa Willis

A collection of one hundred literacy lessons designed to introduce, develop, and help children practice literacy skills and concepts. The lessons also include adaptations for children with special needs and for second language learners.

I See What You Mean: Visual Literacy K-8 - Steve Moline
Some educators may view diagrams, pictures, and charts as nice add-on tools for students who are visual thinkers. But Steve Moline sees visual literacy as fundamental to learning and to what it means to be human. --from publisher description

Math:
Dice Activities for Algebraic Thinking - Chet Delani and Mary Saltus
 "Activities ... created to engage students in developing fluency with the mathematical concepts of square number, square root, prime number, factorials, summation, integers, and exponential notation"--P. iii (for grades 5-8)

Geometric Constructions and Investigations with a Mira™
- Ernest Woodward and Thomas Hamel
Reproducible book features 21 lessons. Each lesson includes full teaching notes, answers, and reproducible transparency and worksheet masters. Lessons include an introduction to the MIRA™, reflections of lines and triangles, symmetry, and congruence(for grades 6 and up)

Mira™ Math Activities for Elementary School
Look at geometry through a child’s eye. The many illustrated games and puzzles use the MIRA™ to introduce concepts of symmetry, congruence, parallel and perpendicular lines, angles, and other ideas.

MIRA™ Math Activities for High School
A sequenced review of transformational geometry with the MIRA™, starting at a 7th grade level and moving upward. Topics include properties of perpendicular lines, reflection, symmetry, and motion.

Science & STEM:
Hands-On Engineering: Real-World Projects for the Classroom - Beth L. Andrews
The author presents 26 projects--each with a teacher's guide, photocopiable worksheet, and additional project ideas--for which students use design and engineering methodologies to investigate and build their own solutions. (for grades 4-7)

Bringing Outdoor Science In: Thrifty Classroom Lessons - Steve Rich
Presents more than fifty science lessons for grades K through 6, arranged in six units: greening the school, insects, plants, rocks and soils, water, and in the sky. (for grades K-8)

Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy
- Jessica Fries-Gaither and Terry Shiverdecker
Provides guidance and resources for using nonfiction text to teach science in grades three through five, including instructions for eight units, an annotated list of books, student worksheets, and more.(for grades 3-5)