Cosby, Bill, (illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood).
The Meanest Thing to Say
. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1997. This is a story about how a "new kid on the block" makes life difficult for others when he has his own ideas about games to play during recess that include name-calling, and how one boy, with wise suggestions from his father, defuses the new boy's game and makes him a friend.
Gutherie, Donna, Nancy Bentley, Kathy Keck Arnsteen.
The Young Author's Do - It - Yourself Book
. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, l994. This marvelous book takes students step-by-step through the exciting process of writing a storybook.
Hoffman, Mary.
Amazing Grace
. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, l991. This story about racial and gender prejudice shows how mothers and grandmothers can be a great support system helping children through the hurtfulness that other children inflict, sometimes without even realizing it.
Leaf, Munro (drawings by Robert Lawson).
The Story of Ferdinand
. New York: Viking, l936. This is the story of a young bull that simply does not fit the stereotype of the fierce, charging bulls that fight in the bullrings of Spain. He likes to smell flowers, which is exactly what he does until one day when he sits on a bee.
Lionni, Leo.
Frederick
. New York: Pantheon Books, l967. This story about a community of field mice includes one little mouse, Frederick, who, instead of gathering nuts and berries to help keep his comrades and himself warm in the winter, gathers rays of the sun and the colors of flowers and writes them into poetry.
Raschka, Chris.
Yo! Yes!
. New York: Orchard Books, l993. This story is about a little boy who is miserable because he says he has no friends and no on to play with. But along comes the "Yo!" of Yo! Yes! and suddenly he finds, to his great delight, that he does have a friend after all.
Seuss, Dr..
The Sneetches and Other Stories
. New York: Random House, 1953. This story is about a community where some members have stars on their bellies and some don't, and about how those who have stars treat those who don't. Those who have stars discover that stars or no stars, it really doesn't matter.
Silverstein, Shel.
A Light in the Attic
. New York: Harper & Row, l981. A book of whimsical and poignant poems, including one titled "Deaf Donald," about a boy who tries to sign to a girl that he loves her, but she understands only spoken language, so she leaves forever, never knowing that he loves her.
Silverstein, Shel. Lafcadio,
The Lion Who Shot Back
. New York: Harper & Row, l963. This is a poignant story about a lion who becomes such a good shot with a rifle that he travels from the jungle to the circus and becomes rich and famous, and gradually he takes on all of the characteristics of a man, except for the fact that he still is a lion underneath his fancy suits. Eventually the only thing he has not done is to go on a safari in the jungle where, of course, he must choose whether he will rejoin his cousins in the jungle or stay with the hunters on safari.
www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/Important Things.html "Important Things to Know" This is a one page article with basic common sense tips about reading to young children.
www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/Basics.html#Start Young "The Basics" This one-page article stresses starting to read to children when they are very young, being joyful about it, and letting the story or poem work its own magic.
http://209.41.14.122/qanda.html#ql "Chosen for Children" A three page article clarifying when to start reading to children, what kinds of books to read, and how long to continue reading to children as they grow up.
www.readbygrade3.com parentip.htm "How to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader" This article stresses that it is parents who lay the foundation for their children
to be good readers. It explains that reading is a long process that takes time to develop. The article identifies the details involved in a child becoming a good reader.
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity_collections_preview/teacher_resources/help_kids_… This website is a wealth of brief articles including topics such as: "Read Along" (reading is a physical act, as well as a mental one); "How to Look for Books" for different age groups; "Repetition and Rhyme," "Poetry in Motion," "Story Talk," "Tot Talk," and "Book Nooks”
