Below is a detailed, annotated bibliography of a variety of children's literature. This is a great resource library of useful materials for education.
Picture Books: Picture books should have illustrations that go along with the words of the story. You should be able to understand the general idea and plot of the story by the illustrations alone. The illustrations need to compliment the wording of the story.
Nonfiction Books: Nonfiction books need to be informative, but in a way that can be easily understood by children. Definitions and explanations need to be simple and in terms children are likely to understand. Pictures are also very helpful and informative.
Poetry Books: Poetry books need to be a widespread compilation from different authors. Almost like a “Best of” album a musician would put it. It needs to be a compilation of “best of” poems from different authors. Poems need to have different structures and range in topics, as well as types. The poems need to be easily read and understood and enjoyed by children.
Novels: Novels for children should have shorter chapters, so they don’t lose interest or feel overwhelmed by the length. The characters should be relatable. It helps for the characters to deal with the day to day struggles of normal children. Things such as friendship and family drama are easy for children to relate to. If a child relates to the characters, they are likely to enjoy the book.
Picture Books:
1. Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1969
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 1st
Summary: A small caterpillar hatches from an egg. He is very hungry and begins looking for food. Each day he eats more and more food, he eats so much food his stomach starts hurting. He is no longer a small caterpillar. He builds himself a cocoon and emerges from it a beautiful butterfly.
2. Title: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, 1964
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: 1st – 3rd
Summary: This story is about a boy and a tree. In early days the boy and the tree are best friends, but time goes on and the boy grows up and becomes interested in other things. The tree is often alone. The boy occasionally comes back and the tree gives what she can to the boy to make him happy, until finally the tree has nothing left to give. The boy comes back at a very old age and the tree is nothing but a stump, and still gives the boy all she has; a place to sit.
3. Title: The Little House
Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1978
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: K – 2nd
Summary: A cute, little house was built way out in the country and was home to a nice family. She often wondered what it would be like to live in the big city and how exciting it must be. Years later construction began around the little house and a city began to grow around her. Skyscrapers popped up all around her so that she could no longer see the stars in the sky. She began missing her simple, quiet country life. One day the great, great granddaughter of the man who built the house had her hauled out of the city and back into the country, the house was quite happy.
Caldecott Honor Book
4. Title: The Kissing Hand
Author: Audrey Penn
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 1993
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 2nd
Summary: Chester Raccoon is scared about his first night at school. His mother explains things seem scary at first but once he starts school he will love it and tells him all the fun, new things he will do. She then shows him a “secret”, she kisses the palm of his hand and tells him whenever he is feeling scared to put his palm to his cheek and he will feel her love and will no longer be afraid.
5. Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Author: Mo Willems
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2003
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 1st
Summary: The pigeon dreams of driving a bus. A bus driver leaves you in charge to look after his bus. He warns to not let the pigeon drive the bus. The pigeon comes along and begs and pleads for you to allow him to drive the bus, but you say “no”. The bus driver returns and thanks you for not letting the pigeon drive the bus.
Caldecott Honor Book
Nonfiction Books:
1. Title: A Ladybug Larva Grows Up
Author: Katie Marsico
Publisher: Scholastic, 2007
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: 3rd
Summary: This is an informative book that follows the life cycle of a lady bug. Starting out as an egg this story trails the ladybug through adulthood. It’s companied by colorful real life pictures of the stages of life.
2. Title: Mercury
Author: Christine Taylor-Butler
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2008
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: 2nd-3rd
Summary: This book lets children know all there is to know about the closest planet to the sun. Children have a pretty high interest level in space and love learning about it.
3. Title: Snakes and Other Reptiles
Author: Mary Knudson Schulte
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2005
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: K – 1st
Summary: This book informs young children about many different kinds of snakes and lizards. The book has beautiful, real life pictures of the reptiles in their natural habitats.
4. Title: Our Earth: Making Less Trash
Author: Peggy Hock
Publisher: Scholastic, 2008
Type: Nonfiction/Informative
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: This book shows children how trash is currently disposed of and why this method is causing pollution. This book shows different approaches to reducing, reusing, and recycling materials to reduce the amount of waste and pollution.
5. Title: A Home in the Swamp
Author: David C. Lion
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2006
Type: Nonfiction/Informative
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: This books shows opens the door for children to see life in a swamp. They find out about the habitat in general and the characteristics that make it a swamp, as well as the many animals and plants that call the swamp “home.”
Poetry Books:
1. Title: Poetry Matters
Author: Ralph J. Fletcher
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2002
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 3rd – 6th
Summary: This book aims at teaching children to write poetry. He gives examples of many different kinds of poems and the effects they can have.
2. Title: Poetry Zoo
Author: Margarita Montalvo
Publisher: Scholastic, 2006
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 2nd – 3rd
Summary: This is a bilingual book of poetry. Beautiful watercolor illustrations accompany the poems. The poems teach morals and ethics.
Awards: Best Bilingual Picture Book 2005
3. Title: Stinky Poetry: Halloween
Author: Elizabeth Krych
Publisher: Scholastic, 2005
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 1st – 3rd
Summary: This book contains many different poems all related to Halloween. There are poems about pumpkins, ghosts, and a witch’s brew. The book is interactive and comes with scratch and sniff stickers.
4. Title: The 20th-Century Children's Poetry Treasury
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books, 1999
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 3rd – 5th
Summary: This is a compilation of poems, gathered by Jack Prelutsky. The book travels through the 20th Century and has poems from each decade of the century. On each of the illustrated two-page spreads, there are four to six poems on a single theme, for a total of more than 200 poems by 137 poets.
5. Title: Alphathoughts: Alphabet Poems
Author: Lee Bennett Hopkins
Publisher: Wordsong, 2003
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: K – 2nd
Summary: This is for younger children and has poems for every letter in the alphabet. Children will learn new things while also becoming more comfortable with the alphabet.
Novels:
1. Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Series)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1998
Type: Modern Fantasy
Reading Level: 4th-6th
Summary: A young, orphaned boy is rescued from the neglect of his aunt and uncle, to discovery he is in fact a wizard. He is taken into the wizarding world where he is greeted like a celebrity, but has no idea why. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making a few friends along the way he overcomes obstacles and unlocks some secrets from his past.
2. Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1990
Type: Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 5th
Summary: A brilliant girl, Matilda, is born into a neglectful family. She learns to care for herself at a very young age because she is often left alone. She loves reading and finds her way to the local library and spends much of her time there until she gains the courage to ask her dad to allow her to start school. She goes to a dreadful school with a dreadful headmistress, Ms. Trunchbull. Her teacher, Miss Honey, is amazed at her love of learning and takes her under her wing. Matilda and Miss Honey overcome many obstacles dealing with Ms. Trunchbull and eventually become a family.
3. Title: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher: Yearling, 1982
Type: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: Ramona Quimby is an 8 year old girl, who no matter how hard she tries cannot keep herself out of trouble. Throughout the story Ramona has disagreements with her family along with her teacher and peers at school. She wants to fit in and wants people to like her. She tries a little too hard at times and ends up embarrassing herself and getting into trouble. At the end of the day, she makes up with her teacher and her family and a new appreciation for the life she has and in the people in it.
Newberry Honor Book
4. Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: The American Publishing Company, 1884
Type: Realistic Fiction/Adventure
Reading Level: 6th
Summary: Tom is a young boy living with his Aunt Polly near the banks of the Mississippi River. Tom is a trickster and is always getting into trouble. He befriends a boy, Huckleberry Finn, and the 2 boys witness a murder and decide to run away. Their families believe them to be dead, so they return during their funerals to surprise their families. They witness the murderer hiding gold and decide to steal it from him. Through a series of events they eventually get the gold and become heroes in the town.
Classic
5. Title: Among the Hidden (Series)
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000
Type: Modern Fantasy
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Luke lives in a future world where it is illegal to have more than 2 children due to food shortages. Luke is a 3rd child (a “shadow” child) and lives in secrecy. He is not allowed in public and does not dare to go outside, living in fear the population police will find him. After seeing a shadow in the neighbor’s house he realizes there are other shadow children and eventually befriends Jen, the 3rd child of a Baron. She opens Luke’s eyes to another world but ends up getting killed by the government during a rebellion. It’s a coming of age story.
6. Title: The Dollhouse Murders
Author: Betty Ren Wright
Publisher: Holiday House Inc., 2008
Type: Fiction, Mystery & Suspense
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Amy decides to go stay with her Aunt Clare for a couple weeks trying to escape her special needs sister, Luann, at home. It was the house of her great-grandparents before they were brutally murdered, but no one will speak of what happened. She finds a dollhouse in the attic that is an exact replica of the actual house, along with little dolls that are replicas of the murdered family. She discovers the dollhouse is haunted and the dolls are re-enacted the night of their demise, leading Amy and Aunt Clare to solve the mystery of their death.
7. Title: The House of Dies Drear
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 1984
Type: Historical Fiction/Multicultural
Reading Level: 4th – 6th
Summary: An African-American family moves into an enormous, old house. They learn the house was once used to hide runaway slaves. They discover many secret passage ways and start hearing strange sounds and believe their lives are in danger. But they soon learn the truth.
8. Title: Cousins
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Scholastic, 1990
Type: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: This book is about 2 cousins. Patty Ann, the one who is the envy of everyone, especially her cousin Cammy. While at summer camp Patty Ann drowns in a terrible swimming accident. Cammy feels guilty and needs to find a way to overcome the sudden death of her cousin.
9. Title: American Girl Series
Author: Janet Shaw
Publisher: American Girl, 2000
Type: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: These books follow young girls/women through their lives. Each book is about a different girl during a different time period and how they deal with life on a day to day basis. It shows the difficulties women had in the past and how far we’ve come.
10.
Title: Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock (Series)
Author: Carolyn Keene
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, 1930
Type: Mystery
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Nancy Drew is an 18 year old detective that helps her lawyer father out. She witnesses a little girl nearly get hit by a car and helps her out and gives her a ride home. Nancy learns the girl’s parents have died and a rich uncle promised to provide for the girl. The uncle later dies and all his money goes to other family members and no one is able to find the will. Nancy Drew makes it her mission to find the missing will and help the little girl and her kind aunts.
Nonfiction Books: Nonfiction books need to be informative, but in a way that can be easily understood by children. Definitions and explanations need to be simple and in terms children are likely to understand. Pictures are also very helpful and informative.
Poetry Books: Poetry books need to be a widespread compilation from different authors. Almost like a “Best of” album a musician would put it. It needs to be a compilation of “best of” poems from different authors. Poems need to have different structures and range in topics, as well as types. The poems need to be easily read and understood and enjoyed by children.
Novels: Novels for children should have shorter chapters, so they don’t lose interest or feel overwhelmed by the length. The characters should be relatable. It helps for the characters to deal with the day to day struggles of normal children. Things such as friendship and family drama are easy for children to relate to. If a child relates to the characters, they are likely to enjoy the book.
Picture Books:
1. Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1969
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 1st
Summary: A small caterpillar hatches from an egg. He is very hungry and begins looking for food. Each day he eats more and more food, he eats so much food his stomach starts hurting. He is no longer a small caterpillar. He builds himself a cocoon and emerges from it a beautiful butterfly.
2. Title: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, 1964
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: 1st – 3rd
Summary: This story is about a boy and a tree. In early days the boy and the tree are best friends, but time goes on and the boy grows up and becomes interested in other things. The tree is often alone. The boy occasionally comes back and the tree gives what she can to the boy to make him happy, until finally the tree has nothing left to give. The boy comes back at a very old age and the tree is nothing but a stump, and still gives the boy all she has; a place to sit.
3. Title: The Little House
Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1978
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: K – 2nd
Summary: A cute, little house was built way out in the country and was home to a nice family. She often wondered what it would be like to live in the big city and how exciting it must be. Years later construction began around the little house and a city began to grow around her. Skyscrapers popped up all around her so that she could no longer see the stars in the sky. She began missing her simple, quiet country life. One day the great, great granddaughter of the man who built the house had her hauled out of the city and back into the country, the house was quite happy.
Caldecott Honor Book
4. Title: The Kissing Hand
Author: Audrey Penn
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 1993
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 2nd
Summary: Chester Raccoon is scared about his first night at school. His mother explains things seem scary at first but once he starts school he will love it and tells him all the fun, new things he will do. She then shows him a “secret”, she kisses the palm of his hand and tells him whenever he is feeling scared to put his palm to his cheek and he will feel her love and will no longer be afraid.
5. Title: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Author: Mo Willems
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., 2003
Type: Picture Book
Reading Level: Pre-K – 1st
Summary: The pigeon dreams of driving a bus. A bus driver leaves you in charge to look after his bus. He warns to not let the pigeon drive the bus. The pigeon comes along and begs and pleads for you to allow him to drive the bus, but you say “no”. The bus driver returns and thanks you for not letting the pigeon drive the bus.
Caldecott Honor Book
Nonfiction Books:
1. Title: A Ladybug Larva Grows Up
Author: Katie Marsico
Publisher: Scholastic, 2007
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: 3rd
Summary: This is an informative book that follows the life cycle of a lady bug. Starting out as an egg this story trails the ladybug through adulthood. It’s companied by colorful real life pictures of the stages of life.
2. Title: Mercury
Author: Christine Taylor-Butler
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2008
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: 2nd-3rd
Summary: This book lets children know all there is to know about the closest planet to the sun. Children have a pretty high interest level in space and love learning about it.
3. Title: Snakes and Other Reptiles
Author: Mary Knudson Schulte
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2005
Type: Nonfiction/Informational
Reading Level: K – 1st
Summary: This book informs young children about many different kinds of snakes and lizards. The book has beautiful, real life pictures of the reptiles in their natural habitats.
4. Title: Our Earth: Making Less Trash
Author: Peggy Hock
Publisher: Scholastic, 2008
Type: Nonfiction/Informative
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: This book shows children how trash is currently disposed of and why this method is causing pollution. This book shows different approaches to reducing, reusing, and recycling materials to reduce the amount of waste and pollution.
5. Title: A Home in the Swamp
Author: David C. Lion
Publisher: Children’s Press, 2006
Type: Nonfiction/Informative
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: This books shows opens the door for children to see life in a swamp. They find out about the habitat in general and the characteristics that make it a swamp, as well as the many animals and plants that call the swamp “home.”
Poetry Books:
1. Title: Poetry Matters
Author: Ralph J. Fletcher
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2002
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 3rd – 6th
Summary: This book aims at teaching children to write poetry. He gives examples of many different kinds of poems and the effects they can have.
2. Title: Poetry Zoo
Author: Margarita Montalvo
Publisher: Scholastic, 2006
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 2nd – 3rd
Summary: This is a bilingual book of poetry. Beautiful watercolor illustrations accompany the poems. The poems teach morals and ethics.
Awards: Best Bilingual Picture Book 2005
3. Title: Stinky Poetry: Halloween
Author: Elizabeth Krych
Publisher: Scholastic, 2005
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 1st – 3rd
Summary: This book contains many different poems all related to Halloween. There are poems about pumpkins, ghosts, and a witch’s brew. The book is interactive and comes with scratch and sniff stickers.
4. Title: The 20th-Century Children's Poetry Treasury
Author: Jack Prelutsky
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books, 1999
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: 3rd – 5th
Summary: This is a compilation of poems, gathered by Jack Prelutsky. The book travels through the 20th Century and has poems from each decade of the century. On each of the illustrated two-page spreads, there are four to six poems on a single theme, for a total of more than 200 poems by 137 poets.
5. Title: Alphathoughts: Alphabet Poems
Author: Lee Bennett Hopkins
Publisher: Wordsong, 2003
Type: Poetry
Reading Level: K – 2nd
Summary: This is for younger children and has poems for every letter in the alphabet. Children will learn new things while also becoming more comfortable with the alphabet.
Novels:
1. Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Series)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 1998
Type: Modern Fantasy
Reading Level: 4th-6th
Summary: A young, orphaned boy is rescued from the neglect of his aunt and uncle, to discovery he is in fact a wizard. He is taken into the wizarding world where he is greeted like a celebrity, but has no idea why. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making a few friends along the way he overcomes obstacles and unlocks some secrets from his past.
2. Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin Books, 1990
Type: Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 5th
Summary: A brilliant girl, Matilda, is born into a neglectful family. She learns to care for herself at a very young age because she is often left alone. She loves reading and finds her way to the local library and spends much of her time there until she gains the courage to ask her dad to allow her to start school. She goes to a dreadful school with a dreadful headmistress, Ms. Trunchbull. Her teacher, Miss Honey, is amazed at her love of learning and takes her under her wing. Matilda and Miss Honey overcome many obstacles dealing with Ms. Trunchbull and eventually become a family.
3. Title: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher: Yearling, 1982
Type: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: Ramona Quimby is an 8 year old girl, who no matter how hard she tries cannot keep herself out of trouble. Throughout the story Ramona has disagreements with her family along with her teacher and peers at school. She wants to fit in and wants people to like her. She tries a little too hard at times and ends up embarrassing herself and getting into trouble. At the end of the day, she makes up with her teacher and her family and a new appreciation for the life she has and in the people in it.
Newberry Honor Book
4. Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: The American Publishing Company, 1884
Type: Realistic Fiction/Adventure
Reading Level: 6th
Summary: Tom is a young boy living with his Aunt Polly near the banks of the Mississippi River. Tom is a trickster and is always getting into trouble. He befriends a boy, Huckleberry Finn, and the 2 boys witness a murder and decide to run away. Their families believe them to be dead, so they return during their funerals to surprise their families. They witness the murderer hiding gold and decide to steal it from him. Through a series of events they eventually get the gold and become heroes in the town.
Classic
5. Title: Among the Hidden (Series)
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000
Type: Modern Fantasy
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Luke lives in a future world where it is illegal to have more than 2 children due to food shortages. Luke is a 3rd child (a “shadow” child) and lives in secrecy. He is not allowed in public and does not dare to go outside, living in fear the population police will find him. After seeing a shadow in the neighbor’s house he realizes there are other shadow children and eventually befriends Jen, the 3rd child of a Baron. She opens Luke’s eyes to another world but ends up getting killed by the government during a rebellion. It’s a coming of age story.
6. Title: The Dollhouse Murders
Author: Betty Ren Wright
Publisher: Holiday House Inc., 2008
Type: Fiction, Mystery & Suspense
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Amy decides to go stay with her Aunt Clare for a couple weeks trying to escape her special needs sister, Luann, at home. It was the house of her great-grandparents before they were brutally murdered, but no one will speak of what happened. She finds a dollhouse in the attic that is an exact replica of the actual house, along with little dolls that are replicas of the murdered family. She discovers the dollhouse is haunted and the dolls are re-enacted the night of their demise, leading Amy and Aunt Clare to solve the mystery of their death.
7. Title: The House of Dies Drear
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 1984
Type: Historical Fiction/Multicultural
Reading Level: 4th – 6th
Summary: An African-American family moves into an enormous, old house. They learn the house was once used to hide runaway slaves. They discover many secret passage ways and start hearing strange sounds and believe their lives are in danger. But they soon learn the truth.
8. Title: Cousins
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Scholastic, 1990
Type: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: This book is about 2 cousins. Patty Ann, the one who is the envy of everyone, especially her cousin Cammy. While at summer camp Patty Ann drowns in a terrible swimming accident. Cammy feels guilty and needs to find a way to overcome the sudden death of her cousin.
9. Title: American Girl Series
Author: Janet Shaw
Publisher: American Girl, 2000
Type: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: 3rd – 4th
Summary: These books follow young girls/women through their lives. Each book is about a different girl during a different time period and how they deal with life on a day to day basis. It shows the difficulties women had in the past and how far we’ve come.
10.
Title: Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock (Series)
Author: Carolyn Keene
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, 1930
Type: Mystery
Reading Level: 5th – 6th
Summary: Nancy Drew is an 18 year old detective that helps her lawyer father out. She witnesses a little girl nearly get hit by a car and helps her out and gives her a ride home. Nancy learns the girl’s parents have died and a rich uncle promised to provide for the girl. The uncle later dies and all his money goes to other family members and no one is able to find the will. Nancy Drew makes it her mission to find the missing will and help the little girl and her kind aunts.