Table of Contents
Preface 1
Part 1
General Information about Reading and Children 3
Expectations 4
Choosing Books 5
Different Types of Books 6
Choosing a Book for the Child (Not the Adult) to Read 9
The Five-Finger Rule 9
Fluency 9
But He Is Reading the Same Book Over and Over Again! 10
The Setting 10
Voice 12
Story Form 13
The Plan 15
Part 2
Time-Tested Books Children Love 17
Beginning the School Year 19
Special Challenges 20
Preschool Children 21
Preschool Classics and Favorites 22
Five-and Six-Year-Olds Kindergarteners 26
Anticipating Kindergarten 27
Friendship 28
Alphabet Books and Reading 29
Counting 30
Holidays and Seasons 30
Winter and Snow 31
Spring and The Garden 33
Poetry, Nursery Rhymes, and Fairy Tales 34
Favorites for Five- and Six-Year- Olds 35
Six- and Seven- Year- Olds First Grade 36
Getting Ready for School 36
Friendship 36
The Seasons and Their Holidays 38
Bats and Halloween 38
Thanksgiving 39
Winter Holidays 39
The New Year and Winter 40
Valentine's Day and The Mail 40
Learning to Write 41
What is Happening to Our Teeth1 41
Weather and Spring 42
The Garden 43
Music 44
Family 44
Favorite Authors for First and Second Graders 45
Seven-and Eight-Year-Olds Second Grade 45
School Life 45
Halloween 46
Voting 47
Thanksgiving and Ancestors 47
Winter Holidays 48
More Biographies 49
Writing 50
Writing ideas 50
Letters 51
Diaries, Notebooks, and Journals 52
Writing Traits: Mechanics 52
Insects 53
More Favorites 53
Favorites Authors for Seven-to Eight-Year - Olds 54
Eight- and Nine-Year-Olds Third Grade 55
School Begins 55
Halloween 55
Writing: Twisted Fairy Tales 56
Genre Studies 57
Corning to America 57
February is Black History Month 59
More Biographies 60
Holidays 61
Festivals of Light 61
Fun Ties to Science 62
Writing 63
More 64
Favorites Eight and Up 65
Nine- and Ten-Year-Olds Fourth Grade 65
School Begins 65
Geography 66
Science Connections: Longitude and Latitude 67
Age of Exploration 68
Holidays 68
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday and Black History Month 69
More Biographies 70
Chinese New Year 71
Science Connections: Electricity 71
Poetry 71
Writing Inspiration 72
Punctuation and More 73
Writing Traits 73
Persuasive Writing 74
Memoirs 74
Memoirs to Tall Tales 76
The Westward Movement 77
Favorites for Nine-Year- Olds and Up 77
Ten- to Eleven- Year- Olds Fifth Grade 78
Geography Connections 79
Native American Legends 79
Science: Water 80
The New World 81
Holidays 83
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday and Black History Month 84
Earth Day and The Environment 86
More Recent Explorations 86
Science: Health 87
Poetry 87
Graduation 88
Favorites for Eleven- Year-Olds and Up 88
Bibliotherapy 90
Social Challenges 90
Bully Behavior 91
Differences 94
Sexual Identity 96
Illness, Death, and Divorce 98
Beyond this Guide 100
Acknowledgments 101
