2nd Grade (Age 7)

Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats.

Who is this stranger? Why did he arrive after a winter storm and what surprises does he bring?
A delightful book of the animals and birds reaction to a snowman who suddenly appeared in their woods after a winter storm. This tale is beta-carotene for the spirit in everyone!

Sun & Spoon proves that Kevin Henkes is just as adept at writing for older readers as he is at creating award-winning picture books like Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Chrysanthemum, and the Caldecott Honor Book Owen. After his grandmother’s death, ten-year-old Spoon Gilmore longs for just the right memento to preserve her memory. His search–through keepsakes, family stories, and his journal about her–leads him into a new understanding of death, memory, and family, as well as a deeper relationship with his grandfather. One of the few novels about mourning written for middle-graders, this earnest novel will not only help students …

Despite the danger of capture and punishment, a brave young slave creates a quilt with a map stitched into it to guide herself and others to freedom.

A special dessert is often among the most memorable parts of a holiday celebration, and the pie that Ma and Pa rindle whip up offers the most amazing feast Willobee Street has ever tasted! To make their amazing pie, the Brindles toss together every sweet thing in sight (including marshmallows, chewing gum, and sprinkles) and mesmerize the entire neighborhood for the full 13 hours it takes to bake. Although Ma cautions the neighbors not to eat too much, no one listens. When they eventually go home and drift off to sleep, too much pie turns sweet dreams into potbellied nightmares, …

Tacky’s companions are graceful and quiet. He isn’t. He is an odd bird. But when hunters come looking for pretty penguins, it is Tacky’s individuality that saves the day.

Rosemary Wells’s mother was a ballerina who believed that Maria Tallchief was America’s greatest dancer. So it made sense for Wells to seek out this famous ballerina to collaborate on a picture biography. Wells does a marvelous job telling Tallchief’s story, from her early years on an Osage Indian reservation in Oklahoma to the stages of New York. Young readers will see that persistence and practice pay off.

Standardized testing has hit Miss Malarkey’s class. And in spite of being assured that “The Test,” the IPTU (the Instructional Performance Through Understanding test), isn’t important, the kids can see that the teachers, the principal, and even their parents are acting more than a little weird. By exaggerating the seriousness of testing Finchler creates a hilarious story. Amusing illustrations and funny speech balloons add to the entertainment. Use as a read-aloud in the midst of test preparations to break up tension for both you and students!