This is “Magic Tree House: Fact Tracker - Baseball” by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce. This is the book that goes with the MTH series #29: A Big Day For Baseball. This short NF novel is perfect for students who were engaged in the fiction companion for the text and students who like sports. The book is filled with facts about baseball from the field positions, history of baseball, and famous baseball players.

This is “Aliens on Vacation” by Clete Barrett Smith. This SF novel is perfect for upper elementary grades through middle school. This book is hard to put down when you‘re on the adventures with Scrub and his quite interesting summer vacation at his grandmothers, who owns an “Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast”.
Teaching strategies: LC, IR. UDL: 8.1 Allow students to research aliens & other science fiction creatures.

MUST READ🚨 This NF PB, also a Coretta Scott King Award Winner, is “Hidden Figures:The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space” written by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman. This book is also a motion picture as of 2016. This takes us back to the 30s, 40s, 50s, & 60s, when women were seen inferior to men and race was seen inferior as well, yet 4 strong women changed the game.

This HF Novel titled “Behind The Bedroom Wall” by Laura E. Williams, is a Milkweed Prize Award Winner for Children‘s Literature. Written for older grades (4-6), this takes us back to 1942 during the Nazi Germany era, when a 13 year old girl must decide what to do when she finds out her parents are hiding Jewish refugees behind her bedroom wall. Coming from a perspective of a young girl, this book captures young readers to make connections.

This book is a NY Times Best-Seller! This biographical (B) PB, “Salt in His Shoes”, written by Deloris & Roslyn Jordan, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is an awesome read especially for students who love sports. This is about Michael Jordan as a child who was in fear at the time that he wouldn‘t become a basketball player because of his height. His mother told him “salt in his shoes” would help him grow. An excellent read for school and home.

“Falling Up” written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein is a classic Poetry (P) PB excellent for all grade levels, and contains 144 poems featuring black and white illustrations. I remember reading this with my grandma as a child and noticing this “different” way of writing. Teaching Strategies: S, LC, CR, PR

“Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets” by “Crossover” author Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, is a sweet Poetry PB composed of 20 poems “celebrating” different influential African American poets. It also contains biographical information on the poets. This book is also a Coretta Scott King Award winner. Teaching Strategies: RT, CR

This is an RNF PB, “Child of the Civil Rights Movement”, written and illustrated by Paula Young Shelton and Raul Colon. This book is amazing because it‘s written from the perspective of MLK‘s niece, when she was living as a young child during the birth of the civil rights movement. Teaching Strategies: RC, LA. UDL: 3.1 Make sure students have an understanding of the civil rights movement era before reading the text.

This short novel is “I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912” by Lauren Tarshis. One of the several in her series, this HF text brings an engaging approach for students to read about things that really happened in our history. Teaching Strategies: LC, IR. UDL: 3.3 Show students the actual Titanic ship (virtually). EL: 5. Teach student vocabulary related to the event.

This SF Newbery Medal winner, “The Giver” written by Lois Lowry, which has also been adapted into a picture book, illustrated by P. Craig Russell. It‘s also been made into a motion picture. This novel is about a young boy set in a tougher society.

This book is “Martin‘s Big Words”, written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier. This biography picture book has won 12 awards, the most popular including the Jane Addams Children‘s Book Award, Caldecott as well as Coretta Scott King Honor Books, and New York Times Notable Book of the Year. This story takes us back to Martin‘s childhood and tells how the “big words” of whites and blacks influenced him to fight for equal rights.

This is “The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat. This Caldecott Medal winning MF picture book is about an imaginary creature who goes on the search for his friend. This story has stunning visuals and has a great lesson for children about courage and friendship.
Teaching Strategies: RA, LC
UDL: 3.2- Discuss relationships like the friendship between Beekle and his friend.

This Caldecott Honor MF picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems is about driver who has to leave his bus and asks the audience to not let the pigeon drive the bus!
Teaching Strategies: RA, LC, S
UDL: 4.2: Play the YouTube storytime version for students to have access to a motion picture version of the book.
EL: 11. Change of voice and gesture to express the words in the story.

This RF picture book, “What Do You Do with an Idea?” written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom earned the Independent Publishers Book Award. This short story teaches students that whoever they are at any age, they can bring an idea into the world no matter how big, odd, or difficult.
Teaching Strategy- RA
UDL- 3.2: Students come up with their own ideas.
EL- 15: Reread an important page if necessary and discuss the important pieces.

This beautiful MF John Newbery Medal winning novel “The Girl Who Drank The Moon”, by Kelly Barnhill, brings the reader into a forest with a story about a young girl, a swamp monster, and her dragon. & another thing, magic. Also, consequences.
Teaching Strategy-IR,LC
UDL- 6.2 Plan to read the book in a specific amount of time which supports time management also.
EL- 6. Have consistent discussion during the book so they can comprehend the story.

This very short NF picture book by Mem Fox, illustrated by Leslie Staub, discusses the differences between children all over the world, but also the similarities that unites us all.
Strategy- RA, LC
UDL- 8.3: Showing the bond between our community and the rest of the world.
EL- Venn Diagram: Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between each student.

This classic TL picture book by Mercer Mayer is one of his many Little Critter Series books. All That I Can Be is a 2 Stories in 1 Book - containing “When I Get Bigger” & “When I Grow Up”, both about his dreams of things he wants to accomplish when he grows and becomes an adult.
Strategy- RA, AS
UDL- 9.1: Inspiring students to feel that they can be & do anything.

This MF short novel by Mary Pope Osborne is 45th in the MTH series. This takes an adventure back to India over 400 years ago to save their friends penguin.
Teaching Strategies- LC, PR
UDL- 1.2 ACDWC can be read independently, with a peer, or as a daily Read Aloud.
EL- Continually monitor comprehension: Stop & ask questions every chapter or few pages.
Site- https://www.mthclassroomadventures.org (Resources for ALL MTH books including LP‘s!)

This MF short picture book written my Eric Litwin & illustrated by James Dean about how this cat keeps moving & grooving despite all the messes he gets on his new white shoes.
Teaching Strategies- LC, RA, S.
UDL- 9.2: coping with issues in life
EL- Encourage self talk: modeling positive coping skills during LC.
Website- https://lalymom.com/3-pete-cat-shoes-book-extension-activities/ (Excellent resource on activities to do after reading)