Recommended Read Aloud Booklist for March Compiled by Jan Powell Curriculum Coordinator Literacy Programs Screen Actors Guild Foundation
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Recommended Read Aloud Booklist for March Compiled by Jan Powell Curriculum Coordinator Literacy Programs Screen Actors Guild Foundation The month of March has several special themes for choosing books to read to students. Here are some sample ideas for March read alouds. In many cases the authors chosen have additional titles. Special themes: Read Across America (Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s Birthday); Recent Award-Winning Books; St. Patrick’s Day Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s Birthday March 1st is this year’s ‘official’ big day for celebrating Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association and its partners, with many special events planned. March 2, 2013, marks the 109th birthday of children’s book author Theodor Seuss Geisel. However, school districts and schools often plan special days or weeks during March that focus on literacy and the importance of reading in students’ learning lives. There are too many books by Dr. Seuss to list all of them, but books should be easy to find because there are so many. A helpful resource for other materials is: http://www.nea.org/grants/read-across-america-downloadables.html st Classic Dr. Seuss books for PreK – 1 : The Foot Book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Fox in Socks Dr. Seuss’s ABC Green Eggs and Ham I Can Read With My Eyes Shut Cat in the Hat Longer Dr. Seuss books: The Lorax Horton Hears a Who Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Did I Ever tell You How Lucky You Are? If I Ran the Zoo Recent Award-Winning Books The Randolph Caldecott Medal and Honor books for the most distinguished American picture books for children are awarded each year. 2013: Medal winner: This Is Not My Hat written and illustrated by Jon Klassen (PreK-2nd) When a tiny fish appears wearing a round blue bowler hat which he took (it happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. Klassen creates an ambiguous ending that invites discussion about the possible outcomes and ultimately leaves it up to the child to decide the little fish's fate with every reading. Honor Books: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (K-2nd) From the seemingly endless box of Extra Yarn Annabelle knits clothing for everyone around her, tempering the ill-tempered and creating beautifully patterned warmth for people, animals, and objects alike. When a greedy clothes-loving archduke tries to buy--then steal--the box for himself, he discovers that ill-gotten gains bear no fruit--or in this case, yarn. One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small (K-3rd) When well-mannered Elliot reluctantly visits the aquarium with his distractible father, he politely asks whether he can have a penguin--and then removes one from the penguin pool to his backpack. The fun of caring for a penguin in a New England Victorian house is followed by a surprise revelation by Elliot's father. Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (PreK- 2nd) In this magical bedtime story, the lyrical narrative echoes a Runaway Bunny – like cadence: “Does everything in the world go to sleep?” the little girl asks. In sincere and imaginative dialogue between a not-at-all sleepy child and understanding parents, the little girl decides “in a cocoon of sheets, a nest of blankets,” she is ready to sleep, warm and strong, just like a tiger. Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown (PreK-2nd) The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Green written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (PreK-2nd) How many kinds of green are there? There's the lush green of a forest on a late spring day, the fresh, juicy green of a just-cut lime, the incandescent green of a firefly, and the vivid aquamarine of a tropical sea. This book will delight and quite possibly astonish you. 2012: Medal Winner: A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (PreK-2nd) Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy the dog’s anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special. Honor Books: Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell (K-3rd) Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true. Blackout by John Rocco (K-3rd) One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . but not everyone likes normal. Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (K-4th) Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a boy who lived on a farm and a child who had chickenpox. He was a soldier, a husband, and most of all, an artist. Follow his grandson through a garden where memories are handed down through the shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. GRANDPA GREEN opens the door to a garden of wonder which parents and grandparents will be able to share with children for generations to come. 2011: Medal Winner: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (K-2nd) Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor. Honor Books: Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (K-4th) Little is known about the man known as Dave the potter. Two things are certain, though: he was a slave in South Carolina, and he was a potter of uncommon skill. This is a wonderful introduction to a great lost artist. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (PreK-3rd) It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story—and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? 2010: Medal Winner: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (PreK-3rd) In this wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling. Honor Books: All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (K-2nd) Following a circle of family and friends through the course of a day from morning till night, this book affirms the importance of all things great and small in our world, from the tiniest shell on the beach, to warm family connections, to the widest sunset sky. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (PreK-2nd) With original and spot-on perceptions, Joyce Sidman brings the colors of the seasons to life in a fresh light, combining the senses of sight, sound, smell, and taste. Illustrator Pam Zagarenski's interpretations go beyond the concrete, allowing us to not just see color but feel it. 2009: Medal Winner: The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes (PreK-1st) A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home in this Caldecott Medal-winning bedtime book for young children. Honor Books: A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (3rd-6th) Willie loved to write: words gave him freedom and peace. But he also knew that he needed to earn a living, so when he grew up he went off to medical school and became a doctor--one of the busiest in town! Yet he never stopped writing.