Book Finder

This ‘Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science’ follows garbage from the trash bin to various places (landfills, recycling centers, etc.). Common terms are explained and made accessible to children. This title would pair well with Kate & Jim McMullan’s I Stink! (HarperCollins), a book told from the truck’s perspective.

A cumulative poem (in the cadence of “The House that Jack Built”) chronicles the work and life of Mexican potter, Juan Quezada. Words could center around the culture, the potting process, or art & artists.

There are many kinds of sounds. Use this book as a jumping off point for loud sounds, onomatopoeic sounds, or use The Quiet Book (Houghton) for the opposite of loud. These books might also inspire a word wall for emotions (e.g., how does this kind of quiet/loud make you feel?).

Are animals and their familiar animal sounds really trying to say another word in English? (For example, “When a hoses says NEIGH,/does she really mean HAY?”) Word walls could be made of rhyming words (or word families) or of animal sounds in English as well as what animals say in other languages.

Basic geometry is introduced in this story about children who accompany their parents on a trip to Egypt. A word wall of geometric shapes and terms would enhance a math study.

Terms and comparisons to describe numbers are presented in an engaging story from which word wall content could be developed and expanded.

How many kinds of seeds to you see? Where are they found? This handsomely illustrated book of seeds provides a poetic look at the myriad types of seeds and plants to complement a classroom study.

When a young donkey named Sylvester comes across a magic pebble, he saves himself from a confrontation with a lion by wishing himself into a rock. Frantic parents search for Sylvester until they stop for a picnic on a large rock. Rich language and humorous cartoon illustrations make this a memorable classic.

One animal’s claim is followed by others who are successively bigger, smaller, etc., each using rich (and richer) descriptors.

In this springtime tale, a young girl and her father plant a flower box together.

In this ode to country living, Rylant shares a glimpse into one family’s life.

Alliterative, onomatopoeic language (and gentle illustrations) reveal a child’s day shared with family from sun-up to moon-rise.

Short poems (haiku) were written in response to but also evoke creatures shown in crisp close-up photographs of small animals and insects in their natural surroundings. This collection and others by Yolen/Stemple introduce information about nature, and could be used as part of the science curriculum.