Reading & Literature

Black Beauty's story, as told by himself, is the fascinating tale of the life of a horse a hundred years ago, when horses were a part of daily life. Although his early colthood is happy, Black Beauty later tastes the bitterness of cruel handlers and indifferent masters as he passes from hand to hand, progressing from the country to London and back again. This, the most famous horse story ever written, is a must on everyone's reading list. Paperback. Learn More

This Dover coloring book contains beautiful images of Black Beauty and his adventures. All ages. Suspenseful, deeply moving story of a horse's experiences at the hands of many owners, accompanied by 35 realistic, ready-to-color scenes that follow Black Beauty from his carefree days as a young colt through bleak and arduous experiences with often cruel handlers. Learn More

Billy's younger neighbor, Tommy, loves to ride Blaze. But he wants a pony of his own--a real one, not just another toy pony. Then one glorious day, with a little help from Billy and Blaze, Tommy finds the gray spotted pony of his dreams. Ages 5-8. Paperback. 32 pages. Learn More

Billy and Blaze are lost. This book is part of the classic Billy and Blaze series for young readers. Sensitive drawings and easy-to-read words capture the warmth and special understanding between a boy and his horse. Ages 5-8. Learn More

ABOUT BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL

What happens when Sal and her mother meet a mother bear and her cub?

A Caldecott Honor Book! Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Sal and her mother a picking blueberries to can for the winter. But when Sal wanders to the other side of Blueberry Hill, she discovers a mama bear preparing for her own long winter. Meanwhile Sal’s mother is being followed by a small bear with a big appetite for berries! Will each mother go home with the right little one?

With its expressive line drawings and charming story, Blueberries for Sal has won readers’ hearts since its first publication in 1948. “The adventures of a little girl and a baby bear while hunting for blueberries with their mothers one bright summer day. All the color and flavor of the sea and pine-covered Maine countryside.”—School Library Journal, starred review. 

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This is a utopian world: humanity is carefree, healthy and technologically advanced. Warfare and poverty have been eliminated and everyone is permanently happy due to government-provided stimulation. The irony is that everything humans consider essential has been eliminated. It is also a hedonistic society, especially the use of soma, a powerful drug taken to escape pain and bad memories through hallucinatory fantasies. A caste system was developed based on genetically engineered intelligence. When an educated savage falls in love with an average person from the World State there is conflict and he becomes defiant. He disrupts the society and refuses to take his drugs and eventually commits suicide. Learn More

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Use this guide to explore the story of two lonely children who form a strong friendship and create an imaginary, magical, forest kingdom to escape their troubles together. Bridge to Terabithia: An Instructional Guide for Literature is filled with challenging cross-curricular activities and lessons that work in conjunction with the text to teach students how to better analyze and comprehend literature. This resource is the perfect tool to teach students how to analyze story elements in multiple ways, practice close reading, improve text-based vocabulary, and determine meaning through text-dependent questions. Support your instruction of this well-known story while adding rigor to your students' explorations of rich, complex literature.

Grades 4-8

From Teacher Created Materials

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Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Includes 7 new poems, including “Brown Girl Dreaming”.

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The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father. It's 1936, in Flint Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him: 1. He has his own suitcase full of special things. 2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. 3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression! Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road to find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself. Learn More

Use this guide to explore the story of Bud, an orphan during the Great Depression, who embarks on a journey to find the musician he believes is his father. Bud, Not Buddy: An Instructional Guide for Literature features challenging cross-curricular lessons and activities that work in conjunction with the text to help students analyze this Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning book. This guide is packed with ways to practice close reading, determine meaning through text-dependent questions, and practice text-based vocabulary, making it the perfect tool to teach students how to analyze story elements in various ways. Add rigor to your students' explorations of rich and complex literature while supporting Common Core Learning Standards.

Grades 4-8

From Teacher Created Materials

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When Jack's aunt is forced to sell her beloved mansion but is still unable to raise enough money to pay her debts, the twelve-year-old goes to California in search of gold to help her. Joined by his trusty butler, Praiseworthy, Jack finds adventure and trouble at every turn. Will Jack strike gold in San Francisco or come home empty-handed? This new edition features illustrations by Brett Helquist. Learn More

For the first time in the history of the Little House books, this new edition features Garth Williams’ interior art in vibrant, full color, as well as a beautifully redesigned cover. The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as they move from their little house on the banks of Plum Creek to the wilderness of the unsettled Dakota Territory. Here Pa works on the new railroad until he finds a homestead claim that is perfect for their new little house. Laura takes her first train ride as she, her sisters, and their mother come out to live with Pa on the shores of Silver Lake. After a lonely winter in the surveyors' house, Pa puts up the first building in what will soon be a brand-new town on the beautiful shores of Silver Lake. The Ingallses' covered-wagon travels are finally over. 304 pages. Ages 8-12 Learn More

Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors -- neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all. Caddie is brave, and her story is special because it's based on the life and memories of Carol Ryrie Brink's grandmother, the real Caddie Woodlawn. Her spirit and sense of fun have made this book a classic that readers have taken to their hearts for more than seventy years Learn More

A boy tries to overcome his fear of the sea in this treasured classic and winner of the Newbery Medal. Maftu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided the sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered-- so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.. Ages 10-12 Learn More

ABOUT CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM BEHAVE, KING GEORGE?

This entertaining volume, by Newbery Honor-winning author Jean Fritz, sheds light on the life of England’s King George III.

It begins when he was a bashful boy who blushed easily, goes on to his early days as king, and finally examines his role in the American Revolution – when Americans ceased to think of him as good King George. Fascinating history made accessible for young readers.

“The lively text includes plenty of amusing, personality-revealing anecdotes . . .”–Children’s Literature

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The story takes place at Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania. Holden Caufield has been expelled and will return home to Manhattan in four days. He has a physical fight with a dormitory neighbor over Jane Gallagher, a girl Holden has a crush on. He leaves the school a few days early and checks into a Manhattan hotel without telling his parents. Each encounter is a frustrating misinterpretation with sexual overtones. He flirts with strangers, tries to set up dates and then "chickens out." At one point, he sneaks into his own apartment and wakes his younger sister, Phoebe. In the end, he goes home because he misses everyone. Learn More

The Discovering Literature Series is a teaching guide that was designed to help students develop an appreciation for literature, to improve reading comprehension, and to introduce students to the techniques of literary criticism that reflect our best understanding of how to make meaning from text. Each guide in the series features an award-winning novel and uses a focus on strategic reading in its introduction of a wide range of critical reading skills and literature elements, as well as opportunities for writing in a variety of genres.

Each literature teaching guide for the Hunger Games trilogy is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and includes strategic reading lessons that focus on both the individual volume and the series. There are over 50 separate strategies in the series for deeper understanding and meaning.

In addition to lessons that focus on the standard elements of literature (plot, characterization, setting and mood, theme, diction, style, and narration), students are provided with the Choice Analysis Tool to help them gain a deep understanding of motivation in a complex and terrorized society. They are also offered the opportunity to use historical documents (e.g., the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence) as well as other works of literature and poetry to contextualize the trilogy. Each book also includes Writer’s Forums that guide students in writing while using the books in the series as a backdrop. A vocabulary feature in the final volume provides word study ideas for the entire series.

This 112-page teaching guide includes an answer key.

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Catherine, is a 13 year-old daughter of an English country knight. She is known as "Birdy" for her caged pets. Birdy is a spirited and inquisitive young woman who narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year--the year 1290. In this journal, she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off. She writes about her dislike of her brothers, schemes to avoid chores, and an annoyance with her parents. A Newbery Honor Book. Learn More

ABOUT CENTERBURG TALES

Centerburg might be your town. Grampa Hercules and his never-ending tall tales, Dulcy Dooner, the uncooperative citizen, unbusinesslike Uncle Ulysses and his friendly lunchroom, the flustered sheriff, the pompous judge—they are all as American as they come. But there’s a subtle and delightful difference. In Centerburg, along with the routine of day-to-day living, the most preposterous things keep happening.

But nothing fazes Homer Price! Ragweeds taller than fire ladders, music that sets a whole town dancing—he solves these problems calmly and efficiently. Homer Price is a boy with a good supply of common sense—and ingenuity!

Homer’s Grampa Hercules is a delightful old rascal and his extravagent reminiscences of his youth are the starting point of many of the episodes. The chapter titles are as enticing as the chapters themselves: The Hide-a-Ride, Looking for Gold, Ever So Much More So, Experiment 13, Grampa Hercules and the Gravitty-Bitties, Pie and Punch and You-Know-Whats.

Mr. McCloskey’s characters have warmth and kindness and a healthy curiosity; but they are not above a few minor faults and foibles. They are unmistakenably alive. Like Mr. McCloskey himself, they are perpetually amused by the everyday hazards and discrepancies around them.

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Charlotte's Web Literature Guide by Memoria Press. Literature study guides train students to become active readers. These guides focus on vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, and composition skills. Words to pronounce and spell prepare students for each chapter, and words to define build vocabulary. Comprehension questions teach students to think about what they have read and to learn to identify the important content of each story. Comprehension questions also teach students the advanced skill of composing a clear, concise answer to a question, a difficult skill at any age. Writing is thinking, and good questioning stimulates the child to think and to write. 3rd grade. Teacher's Guide available (item# 4407)

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Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White is an all-time Newbery Honor-winning classic of children’s literature. The Student Guide and Teacher Guide included in the Charlotte’s Web Set will help develop your student’s reading ability.

The Teacher Guide contains the answers to the Student Guide (sold separately#4351) and the Quizzes and Tests.

117 pages

Non-religious

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In her own courageous voice, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her, and life does not get any easier when her father remarries. Adeline and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled with gifts and attention. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family. Like the classic Cinderella story, this powerful memoir is a moving story of resilience and hope. Learn More

The future belongs to you. Should anyone insult you, tell yourself this: I am a child of destiny who will unite East and West and change the world.

After enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, Chinese Cinderella (CC) seeks refuge at a martial-arts school and joins a secret dragon society. Under the guidance of Grandma Wu, CC is introduced to the exciting world of espionage as a part of the Chinese Resistance movement. And when CC and her new comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of WWII American airmen, they prove that true bravery knows no age barrier.

By Adeline Yen Mah

From Harper collins

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