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Books for Grades K-3

Children in grades K-3 are beginning to read on their own, but they still like to hear a story read to them. Here's a list of books our teacher editors suggest to meet both needs. Parents can use many of these as "read-alongs" to help their children improve their reading. Children can also read many of these books on their own. The reading levels vary, but all are at an appropriate "interest" level for primary grades. Have your child use the five finger test to decide if the book is too difficult and should be a "read together" choice.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - by Judith Viorst
A young boy named Alexander endures a cascade of small misfortunes--from gum stuck in his hair to a cavity at the dentist--that convince him he's having the worst day imaginable, only to learn that even bad days pass and happen to everyone sometimes.

Amazing Grace - by Mary Hoffman
A spirited young girl named Grace, who loves acting out stories, sets out to prove that she can play any role she wants (including Peter Pan in her school play) despite classmates telling her she can't because she's a girl and because she's African-American.

Ameila Bedelia - by Peggy Parish
Amelia Bedelia, a literal-minded housekeeper, causes a string of comical mishaps by following her employer's instructions exactly as worded, like dusting the furniture with powder instead of removing dust.

Are You My Mother? - by Philip Eastman
A newly hatched baby bird sets out on a journey to find his mother, asking a series of animals and machines, "Are you my mother?" until he's finally reunited with her.

The Art Lesson - by Tomie dePaola
A young boy named Tommy, who loves to draw, struggles to hold onto his own creative spirit when his art teacher insists that all the students copy the same picture instead of drawing what they imagine.

Beezus and Ramona - by Beverly Cleary
Nine-year-old Beezus Quimby struggles to keep her patience and love for her exuberant, unpredictable four-year-old sister Ramona, whose imaginative antics constantly turn Beezus's life upside down.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
The World of Beverly Cleary
D.E.A.R. Day, April 12th

The Big Dipper - by Franklyn M. Branley
Learn what the Big Dipper is and how to find it in the night sky, including how its position changes with the seasons and how to use it to locate the North Star.

Blueberries for Sal - by Robert McCloskey
While picking blueberries with their mothers on a Maine hillside, a young girl named Sal and a baby bear cub each accidentally wander off and follow the wrong mother.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
I've Got the Blues

The Bracelet - by Yoshiko Uchida
During World War II, a young Japanese American girl named Emi treasures a bracelet from her best friend as a keepsake to remember her by after Emi's family is forced from their home into an internment camp.

Caps for Sale - by Esphyr Slobodkina
A peddler who carries his stock of caps stacked on his head falls asleep under a tree, only to wake and find that a band of mischievous monkeys has stolen every cap and copies his every move.

The Cat in the Hat - by Dr. Seuss
On a rainy day with their mother away, a bored brother and sister get more than they bargained for when a tall, mischievous cat in a striped hat arrives and turns their house upside down with his chaotic games.

Clifford the Big Red Dog - by Norman Bridwell
Follow the playful adventures of an enormously oversized, gentle red dog and his devoted owner, Emily Elizabeth, whose love caused him to grow bigger than a house.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Clifford the Big Red Dog
PBS Kids

Curious George - by Hans Augusto Rey
Curious George follows the endearing misadventures of an irresistibly inquisitive orphan monkey whose well-meaning mischief constantly lands him in trouble until his friend, the Man with the Yellow Hat, helps save the day.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Go! George Go!
Curious George

Does the Moon Change Shape? - by Meish Goldish
Introduce your young readers to the lunar cycle, explaining how the Moon's shifting appearance is caused by sunlight reflecting off its changing position relative to Earth.

Don't Call Me Pig - A Javelina Story - by Conrad Storad
Learn why a Javelina is not a pig in this nicely illustrated introduction to animals of the American southwest - change to Southwest. Great fun for beginning readers.

The Dot - by Peter Reynolds
A discouraged young girl named Vashti discovers her inner artist and unleashes her creative confidence after a caring teacher encourages her to make a simple mark and see where it takes her.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Missouri Kids!
Ocearch
International Dot Day
Cities Quizzes
Play Games, Learn Math!

A Giraffe and a Half - by Shel Silverstein
This story tells the cumulative, chaotic tale of a giraffe who continually acquires increasingly absurd items, from a rose on his nose to a snake eating cake, before systematically undoing all the ridiculous complications.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Shel Silverstein Poems
Shel Silverstein's Official Website
The Giving Tree Lesson

The Giving Tree - by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree shares the story of a lifelong relationship between an unconditionally loving tree and a growing boy, tracing how the tree selflessly surrenders every part of herself to make the boy happy as he ages.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Shel Silverstein Poems
Shel Silverstein's Official Website
The Giving Tree Lesson

Green Eggs and Ham - by Dr. Seuss
This classic rhyming story shares Sam-I-Am's persistent efforts to persuade a stubborn narrator to try an unfamiliar green dish, ultimately revealing that open-mindedness can lead to surprising delights.

Happy Birthday, America! - by Marsha Wilson Chall
This family reunion is packed with fun on the Fourth of July. Come celebrate in the festivities - it's bound to be a day to remember.

Honeybees - by Deborah Heiligman
This is a nicely illustrated introduction to the life and times of honeybees for primary students, with enough color and flair to keep the attention of older children as well.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Bees: A Honey of an Idea

Horton Hatches the Egg - by Dr. Seuss
Read this story of an intensely loyal elephant who agrees to guard an ungrateful bird's nest through severe weather and hunters, demonstrating that steadfast devotion and keeping one's word lead to extraordinary rewards.

How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids - by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
A young boy named Felix learns how everyday acts of kindness or unkindness fill or drain an invisible bucket above everyone's head, showing how our actions directly impact the happiness of others and ourselves.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - by Dr. Seuss
When the grumpy, cave-dwelling Grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the cheerful residents of Whoville by stealing all their presents and decorations, he discovers that the holiday spirit can't be packed away in a sack.

I Had a Friend Named Peter - by Janice Cohn
When Betsy's friend Peter was hit by a car and killed, she has many questions for her parents. This book addresses many of the questions and emotions children may have after losing a friend.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - by Laura Joffe Numeroff
When a boy gives a hungry mouse a cookie, it sets off an escalating, circular chain of requests -- from a glass of milk to a straw to a napkin -- each one leading right back to wanting another cookie.

Jabari Jumps - by Gaia Cornwall
Jabari learns to overcome his fears and build self-confidence as he prepares to tackle the high diving board at his local pool with his father's patient support.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Mentor Texts for Teaching Perseverance

The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - by Hasan Davis
Told from his own perspective, this picture-book biography follows York, the enslaved man owned by Captain William Clark, as he travels with the Lewis and Clark expedition across the American West, earning the crew's trust through his skill, judgment, and diplomacy with the Native nations they encounter.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Reading Treks: The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Jumanji - by Chris Van Allsburg
When siblings Judy and Peter discover a mysterious jungle-themed board game, they find that each move brings the game's wild hazards -- stampeding rhinos, a mischievous monkey, a lurking lion -- vividly and dangerously to life in their own house.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Jumanlly

The Kissing Hand - by Audrey Penn
A little raccoon named Chester finds comfort in heading off to school after his mother shares a loving family secret--a kiss imprinted on his palm that keeps her love with him wherever he goes.

A Light in the Attic - by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein's poems are sometimes silly, sometimes wonderful. These are great poems to read with a child.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Shel Silverstein Poems
Shel Silverstein's Official Website
The Giving Tree Lesson

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse - by Kevin Henkes
After young mouse Lilly gets carried away showing off her beloved new purse, sunglasses, and quarters during class, her teacher Mr. Slinger confiscates them, sending Lilly into a fit of anger and a plan for revenge -- until a note inside her purse changes her heart.

The Little Engine that Could - by Watty Piper
When a train full of toys and treats for children on the other side of a mountain breaks down, only a small, unproven blue engine agrees to help, pulling the heavy load over the summit while repeating the mantra, "I think I can, I think I can."

The Little House - by Virginia Lee Burton
A little house built in the countryside watches the seasons pass happily for years, but as the city gradually grows up around her with roads, buildings, and subways replacing the fields and trees, she becomes neglected and surrounded until a descendant of her original owner rescues her and moves her back to the countryside.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Little House Books

Lizards for Lunch - A Roadrunner's Tale - by Conrad Storad
Here's a wonderful "read with me" or "read aloud" animal book with charming illustrations. Learn all about roadrunners in the process.

The Lorax - by Dr. Seuss
When a young boy visits the mysterious Once-ler to learn why the land around his home has become a barren wasteland, he hears the story of the Lorax -- a small creature who "speaks for the trees" -- and how the Once-ler's greed for profit led him to clear-cut the Truffula forest despite the Lorax's warnings.

Love You Forever - by Robert Munsch
A mother sings the same tender lullaby to her son every night throughout his life -- through infancy, rebellious childhood, and even into his adulthood -- until age makes her too frail to continue, and he takes up the song for her, singing it to his own newborn daughter in turn.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Robert Munsch Poems & Stories

Madeline - by Ludwig Bemelmans
When Madeline, the smallest of twelve girls at a Parisian boarding school, wakes in the night with appendicitis, her rush to the hospital and the scar she proudly shows off afterward spark unexpected envy among her classmates.

Math Curse - by Jon Scieszka
Math is everywhere in this book, but fear not - it all adds up in the end.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Myths, Folktales, & Fairy Tales
Library of Congress Read.gov
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

The Mitten - by Jan Brett
When a boy named Nicki loses a white mitten in the snow, it becomes a surprisingly roomy shelter for one woodland animal after another, from a mole to a bear, until a tiny mouse's sneeze sends them all tumbling out.

The Napping House - by Audrey Wood
In a cozy house where everyone is asleep, a slumbering granny is joined one by one by a child, a dog, a cat, and a mouse, all piling atop her bed, until a tiny flea's bite sets off a chain reaction that wakes them all at once.

Oh, the Places You'll Go - by Dr. Seuss
With its exuberant rhymes and imaginative illustrations, Dr. Seuss's final book follows a young traveler through life's ups and downs, from triumphant "Bang-ups" to lonely "Slumps," encouraging resilience, self-reliance, and the courage to keep moving forward.

The Paper Bag Princess - by Robert Munsch
When a dragon destroys her castle, burns her clothes, and kidnaps her fianc? Prince Ronald, resourceful Princess Elizabeth dons a paper bag and outsmarts the dragon to win his release, only to have the ungrateful prince criticize her appearance.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Robert Munsch Poems & Stories

The Polar Express - by Chris Van Allsburg
On Christmas Eve, a young boy boards a magical train bound for the North Pole, where Santa Claus chooses him to receive the first gift of Christmas: a silver bell from his sleigh, whose enchanting ring can only be heard by those who truly believe.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
The Polar Express Teacher's Guide

Ramona the Pest - by Beverly Cleary
Starting kindergarten brings a whirlwind of mischief and misunderstandings for spirited, strong-willed Ramona Quimby, whether she's pulling a classmate's curls, hiding under the table to avoid naptime, or quitting school altogether after a crushing disappointment.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
The World of Beverly Cleary
D.E.A.R. Day, April 12th

Smoky Night - by Eve Bunting
During the chaos of a night of urban riots, young Daniel and his mother watch from their apartment as looting breaks out below, and when the unrest forces them and their reluctant neighbor, Mrs. Kim, to flee with their cats, the shared danger helps mend the racial tension between their families.

So Far From the Sea - by Eve Bunting
A Japanese American family travels to Manzanar, the site of a World War II internment camp, to visit the grave of young Laura's grandfather, who died shortly after being released, and as her father leaves a memento from his Cub Scout days at the grave, the visit opens a window into the family's history of injustice and loss.

Stellaluna - by Janell Cannon
A baby bat must find her way in the world, and in doing so she learns a lot about how many things that appear different can be very similar.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt - by Deborah Hopkinson
A young enslaved girl named Clara, working in the plantation house, secretly stitches a quilt that maps her route to freedom using patches representing fields, rivers, and roads she overhears from other enslaved people, eventually using it to guide her escape north.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - by William Steig
When young donkey Sylvester finds a magic pebble that grants wishes, a startled encounter with a lion leads him to panic and accidentally wish himself into a rock, leaving him trapped and separated from his desperate, searching parents for an entire year until a chance picnic reunites the family.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit - by Beatrix Potter
Despite his mother's warning to stay out of Mr. McGregor's garden, mischievous young rabbit Peter sneaks in to feast on vegetables, narrowly escaping capture after a harrowing chase that costs him his jacket and shoes.

That Summer - by Tony Johnston
A touching story about a family dealing with the terminal illness of a child. This story is told through the eyes of the sick child's brother.

The Word Collector - by Peter Reynolds
The Word Collector follows a young boy named Jerome who gathers, organizes, and shares magical words, celebrating the transformative power of language and self-expression.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - by Jon Scieszka
Told from the wolf's point of view, this sly retelling claims he never meant any harm -- he was just borrowing a cup of sugar when a bad cold and some flimsy pig houses led to a series of unfortunate "accidents."

The Velveteen Rabbit - by Margery Williams
A stuffed rabbit, given to a boy as a Christmas gift, longs to become "Real" as the wise old Skin Horse describes, and through the boy's love and the wear of being well-loved, the rabbit's wish begins to come true -- even after illness threatens to separate them forever.

A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver - by Aliki
This picture book biography follows George Washington Carver from his childhood as an enslaved and later orphaned boy with a deep love of plants to his life's work as a scientist and teacher who found countless new uses for crops like the peanut and sweet potato.

What Makes Day and Night - by Franklyn M. Branley
This nonfiction picture book explains the science behind day and night through a simple demonstration--a child and a flashlight standing in for the sun and a spinning Earth--showing how the planet's rotation, not the sun's movement, makes the sun appear to rise and set.

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death - by Laurie Krasny and Marc Brown
Using dinosaur characters and straightforward language, this nonfiction picture book gently explains what death means, why people die, and the range of emotions -- sadness, anger, confusion -- that children may feel after losing someone they love.

Where the Sidewalk Ends - by Shel Silverstein
This beloved poetry collection invites readers to a whimsical, often topsy-turvy world of silly characters, odd predicaments, and playful wordplay, covering everything from a boy who turns into a TV set to a girl who won't take out the garbage.

TeachersFirst reviewed resources related to this book/author:
Shel Silverstein Poems
Shel Silverstein's Official Website
The Giving Tree Lesson