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Order the Reading Rockets Launching Young Readers PBS Series

Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

Books by Theme

Change Is in the Air

Can you see it? Do you feel it? Change is on the way! Soon, the days will become shorter, trees will change their color, and kids will get ready for school. You can sense each of these changes as you read about playing in leaves or watch an apple tree bear fruit. You might even feel a winter chill as you read a poem. It’s an exciting time of year!

A Chill in the Air: Nature Poems for Fall & Winter
A Chill in the Air: Nature Poems for Fall & Winter
By: John Frank
Illustrated by: Mike Reed
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Look for "signs" when "…Maples blushing/Rivers rushing — /Fall is here." From autumn to winter, feel the change of seasons while reading these short, evocative, and beautifully illustrated poems.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
By: Julia Rawlinson
Illustrated by: Tiphanie Beeke
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

As autumn approaches, a young fox finds the changes he notices in his world disconcerting — until he sees his favorite tree, appearing even more beautiful as it sparkles with icicles. Readers can almost feel the ice on the final illustration in this comforting story.

I Know It's Autumn
I Know It's Autumn
By: Eileen Spinelli
Illustrated by: Nancy Hayashi
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

The signs that autumn is here are all around, from shorter days to warmer clothing. A child chronicles these changes in short rhyming text accompanied by softly lined, serene illustrations.

In the Leaves
In the Leaves
By: Huy Voun Lee
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

On a beautiful autumn morning, Xiao Ming, his mom and his friends visit a farm. As they explore the season and the location, Xiao Ming introduces his friends to several Chinese characters. Textured cut paper collage extend the story and the learning.

Mouse's First Fall
Mouse's First Fall
By: Lauren Thompson
Illustrated by: Buket Erdogan
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

In this simple escapade, two young mice — Mouse and Minka — play in colorful fall leaves. Because the adventurers are small, focus remains on the earth-toned leaves for a simple, but satisfying time.

The Apple Pie Tree
The Apple Pie Tree
By: Zoe Hall
Illustrated by: Shari Halpern
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

An apple tree changes — as do the seasons — until the children who witness it can pick the fruit to make an apple pie. Crisp collages focus on the tree, the seasons, and the girls who experience it.

The Stranger
The Stranger
By: Chris Van Allsburg
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Who is the stranger that Farmer Bailey accidentally bumped in his pickup truck? The young man recovers but can't remember who he is until one day it becomes clear that autumn has arrived everywhere except the Bailey farm. Richly colored, highly realistic illustrations convey the story's mystery and beauty.

The Vegetables We Eat
The Vegetables We Eat
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Some are perennials, others are annuals, but one thing is for sure: vegetables are grown to be eaten! This introduction to edible plants will inform and may lead to discussions of where vegetables grow, how we eat them, and when they are harvested.

We Gather Together
We Gather Together
By: Wendy Pfeffer
Illustrated by: Linda Bleck
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Animals and people prepare for fall in different ways and at different times around the world. The season is often celebrated by harvests, introduced and illuminated in lyrical prose and restrained illustrations.

Wow! School!
Wow! School!
By: Robert Neubecker
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Wow! It is fall and time for school! Share Izzy's first day as she travels from her mountain home to gleefully experience the first day. A large format supports the bold, highly detailed illustrations where readers can find Izzy to share her excitement.

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