by Louise Borden (Author), Stacey Schuett (Illustrator) and read by Jylene Morgan

America is by Louise Borden, caught my attention because it spoke to my heart of what is beautiful about our nation.  

Click on the picture to Hear Jylene Reading Aloud this book

Written by Gary Paulsen

This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor.

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present—and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent’s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair—it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

Written by Katherine Paterson

This Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss.

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief. 

In addition to being a Newbery Medal winner, Bridge to Terabithia was also named an ALA Notable Children's Book and has become a touchstone of children's literature, as have many of Katherine Paterson's other novels, including The Great Gilly Hopkins and Jacob Have I Loved.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

by Jylene Morgan

A  little girl named Hailey is supposed to share during circle time at school. She has not been able to find anything or think of anything to share. Hailey and her family get in the car to go to school and find out there is a moose at the top of their street. They watch as the moose runs around the parking lot at the top of their street. The police arrive and the moose challenges the police. Then they go on to school and to circle time.  

by Judith Viorst

The perennially popular tale of Alexander’s worst day is a storybook that belongs on every child’s bookshelf.

Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair.
And it got worse...

His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!

This handsome new edition of Judith Viorst's classic picture book is sure to charm readers of all ages.

BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL BY Robert McCloskey  (Caldecott Honor Book)

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.

written and illustrated by Bill Peet

Buford is a scrawny little sheep, but he had a big problem his horns wouldn't stop growing. They curved around and started to grow back towards him.  He coulcn't climb the big boulders and keep up with the other sheep.  So he left the herd and made his way down to a meadow and ended up with a herd of cattle.  Then Fall arrived and the hunters came.  They start to track him in the snow.  See what happens when the hunters catch up to hin.  What a glorious ending. 

By Ruth Horowitz 

Introduce young naturalists to the mysterious high tide of the horseshoe crabs.

One June night, under the full moon, Daniel’s mother wakes him up to see the extraordinary sight of horseshoe crabs spawning on the beach, just as they have every spring for an awesome 350 million years. But when Daniel returns in the morning, he finds only one lonely crab, marooned upside down in the sand. Can he possibly save it? Like a perfect day at the beach, CRAB MOON leaves an indelible memory of a special adventure between parent and child, and a quiet message about doing our part to preserve even earth’s oldest creatures.

by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's inspiring true story—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift,narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable. 

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled. 

Thompson's lyrical prose and Qualls's bold collage illustrations offer a powerful celebration of triumphing over adversity.

Includes an author's note with more information about Emmanuel's charity.

By Anna Dewdney

It’s an exciting day for Llama Llama; he’s going to visit Gram and Grandpa Llama and spend the night! His first night away from home….and from Mama. But he makes sure to pack everything he needs. And there are so many fun things to do with Gram and Grandpa. It’s not until he gets ready for bed that he realizes that he’s forgotten something important. Fuzzy Llama! Fortunately, Grandpa Llama has a wonderful solution and soon Llama Llama is having sweet dreams.

By Anna Drewdney

In this infectious rhyming read-aloud, Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama! Tucked into bed by his mama, Baby Llama immediately starts worrying when she goes downstairs, and his soft whimpers turn to hollers when she doesn't come right back. But just in time, Mama returns to set things right. Children will relate to Baby Llama's need for comfort, as much as parents will appreciate Mama Llama's reassuring message.

The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads, from the creator of the “stunning” (Booklist) Moonshot.

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

by Robert  McCloskey

Mrs. Mallard was sure that the pond in the Boston Public Gardens would be a perfect place for her and her eight ducklings to live.  The problem was how to get them there through the busy streets of Boston.  But with a little help from the Boston police, Mrs. Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack arive safely at their new home.
   This brilliantly illustrated, amusingly observed tale of Mallards on the move has won the hearts of generations of readers.  Awarded the
Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children in 1941, it has since become a favorite of millions.

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Aldens begin their adventure by making a home in a boxcar. Their goal is to stay together, and in the process they find a grandfather.

by Bill Martin,Jr. and John Archambault

One dark and windy autumn night when the sun has long gone down, a young boy and his older sister are sent to the end of town to get a bucket of milk. As they walk down the lonely road, bathed in eerie moonlight, all the boy can think about is the ghost-eye tree.

Oooo...
I dreaded to go...
I dreaded the tree....
Why does Mama always choose me
When the night is so dark
And the mind runs free?

What will happen when they come to the tree? Can they run past it or will it reach out and grab them?

Any child who has been frightened of the dark will enjoy this scary book, which is meant to be read aloud. Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault developed the story as a reader's theater piece, which they have performed in schools across the country. Now, with Ted Rand's stunning illustrations, the ghost-eye tree comes to life. Watch out!

adapted & Illustrated by Jan Brett,

The Mitten is a Ukrainian Folktale. A little boy named Nicki loses his white mittesn in the snow.  While he is off playing a mole finds his mitten and burrowed inside.  Then a rabbit & a hedgehog moves in.  Animal after Animal moves in until finally a big bear moves in. The art showing all the animals inside the mitten is quite wonderful and can be used for a lot of discussion  The bear sneezes and everyone comes out of the mitten.  Nickie cames back and sees his mitten and takes it home. A delightful story.

by Dian Curtis Regan illistrated by Anna Dewdney

Tony Adler is determined to sell more bags of peppermints than any other 4th grader. Not only will he raise money for the school library, but he'll win the candy apple-red guitar. Unfortunatley, awful Veronica wants the guitar, too. Tony's got to find a way to beat Veronica--and win the peppermint race.

Jim Trelease

The classic million-copy bestselling handbook on reading aloud to children—revised and updated 

Recommended by "Dear Abby" upon its first publication in 1982, millions of parents and educators have turned to Jim Trelease’s beloved classic for more than three decades to help countless children become avid readers through awakening their imaginations and improving their language skills. It has also been a staple in schools of education for new teachers. This updated edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research (including the good and bad news on digital learning), The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.

by Eric Carle

A VERY classic from Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

One day a tiny cricket is born and meets a big cricket who chirps his welcome. The tiny cricket tries to respond, but there is no sound. The quiet cricket then makes his way into the world, meeting one insect after another, each of whom greets the little cricket with a cheery hello--the hum of a bee, the whirr of a dragonfly, the whisper of a praying mantis. The cricket rubs his wings together each time, but nothing happens, not a sound. Until the day he meets another cricket, a female, and something different happens . . .

As children turn the page on this wonderful moment, they are greeted with a surprise--an actual chirp!

Full of Eric Carle's gorgeous and lush collage art, a gentle rhythmic text for read-alouds, and a wonder-inducing surprise at the end, The Very Quiet Cricket remains an all-time favorite from one of the true masters of picture-book making.

By Robert McCloskey (Caldecott Medal winner 1958)

"Out on the islands that poke their rocky shores above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day..." So begins McCloskey's classic story of one summer on a Maine island. The spell of rain, the gulls and a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurrican, and, in the end, the peace of the island as the family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant, evocative pictures.

For fans of Old Yeller and Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows is a beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool.

Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.  

Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.