A Pizza the Size of the Sun (P) by Jack Prelutsky and illustrations by James Stevenson would be a great book to do a Read Aloud (RA) with. This poetry book it filled with cute, quirky poems that would be a great book to read to your kids during a poetry unit in English. The vocabulary in these poems, such as I‘m Wrestling with an Octopus, can be advanced; however, it will help strengthen student‘s vocabulary skills. The UDL principle used is 2.1,

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (TL) by Jon Scieszka and illustrations by Lane Smith would be a great Readers Theater (RT) to do with the students. In this book, the story of the three little pigs is told from the Wolf‘s perspective. The Wolf feels that this is all a misunderstanding and he did nothing wrong. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is a very cute book and can be a good example to show students how different perspectives can change

The Giver (SF) by Lois Lowry, a John Newbery Winner, would be a great book to do a Literature Circle (LC) with. In this science fiction novel, a 12 year old boy named Jonas lives in a world where everyone looks the same and everyone is without emotions or feeling. Jonas receives the Assignment of Receiver of Memory, which is the person that holds past memories and all emotions. The original Receiver of the Memory teaches Jonas about emotions and

The Lion and the Mouse (TL) by Jeremy Pinkny, Caldecott Medal winner, would be a great book to do a Storytelling (S) with because it only has illustrations. In this book, Aesop‘s fable is retold through beautiful, expressive illustrations. A lion spared the life of a mouse and when the lion is caught in trouble the mouse returns the kindness and helps him. The Lion and the Mouse is a perfect book to teach students that illustrations are important

The City of Ember (SF) by Jeanne DuPrau, a Sunshine State Young Reader award winner, would be a great book to do a Literature Circle (LC) with. This science fiction is about an underground city, called Ember, that is slowly deteriorating, losing food and losing light. Lina and Doon, young kids who live in Ember, find escape plans left behind by “the builder”. Will they find their way out before everything goes dark? Students will learn about

Me...Jane (B) by Patrick McDonnell, a Caldecott Medal winner, would be a great book to do Independent Reading (IR) with. In this biography, a young Jane Goodall explores the natural world around her with her stuffed chimpanzee, Jubilee. Jane dreams of living and working with animals, until one day when her dream comes true. While the students are independently reading, they can fill out a graphic organizer with the main idea, characters, setting,

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (NF) by Lindsay Mattick and illustrations by Sophie Blackall, a Caldecott winner, would be a great book to do a Read Aloud (RA) with. This book recounts the history behind the beloved character Winnie the Pooh. Students will be engaged and love this book because they will see Winnie the Pooh was based off a real bear! Also, the pictures at the end of the book with the bear would be

Moonshot: The Flight of the Apollo by Brian Floca (NF) would be a great book to do a Partner Reading (PR)with. Moonshot talks about everything that goes into shooting a rocket into space and what astronauts do in space. This book can be read during a Science unit about space or a History unit that is talking about the moon landing. After this book is read, a video of a rocket launch can be shown to the students to further show what happens.

Abe‘s Honest Words:The Life of Abraham Lincoln (B) by Doreen Rappaport and illustration by Kadir Nelson, would be a great book to do a Read Aloud (RA) with. This book shows the life of Abraham Lincoln from poor little boy to 16th President of the United States. Abe's Honest Words would be a great book to read with a History unit on the Presidents, Gettysburg Address, or for President‘s Day. The UDL principle that can be used is 3.1, activating

Let the Children March (NF) by Monica Clark-Robinson and illustrations by Frank Morrison, a Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner, would be a great book to do a Read Aloud (RA) with. In this non-fiction book, brave little boys and girls from Birmingham, Alabama decide to march for their civil rights. Sadly, some kids went to jail for a little, but they were able to make a big difference in their community. Let the Children March can be read on a

The Ugly Duckling (TL) by Hans Christian Andersen and illustration by Vilhelm Pedersen, would be a good book to do a Storytelling (S) with. In this traditional literature book, a duck is born looking much different from the rest of his family and is ridiculed because of this. The duck later finds out he looks different because he's actually a swan and becomes beautiful.

Creepy Carrots (F)written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown, a Caldecott Medal winner, would be a great book to do a Read Aloud (RA) with. Creepy Carrots is a book about Jasper Rabbit, who thinks that carrots keep following him wherever he goes. Jasper‘s mom and dad don't believe him and the story has a twist ending. Creepy Carrots can be used to highlight main idea,summarize events, and have the students learn to make predictions.

The Paperboy (RF) by Dave Pilkey, a Caldecott Honor Book, would be great for a Partner Reading (PR). This book describes the morning of a little boy who delivers papers with his dog. The Paperboy is a simple book that has good descriptive words that younger students and ESOL students can learn from. Also, students can learn about story sequence. The UDL principle that can be used is 2.4, promoting understanding across languages.

Martin‘s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrations by Kadir Nelson (B), a Caldecott Medal and Jane Addams book winner, would be a great book to do a Storytelling (S) with. In this wonderful book, Martin Luther King‘s life is shown from when he was a child to the civil rights activist he became as a man. Martin‘s Big Words would be great to read to a class during a unit on the Civil Rights Movement or for Black History Month.

The Crossover (P), a John Newbery Medal Winner and Coretta Scott King Award Honor book, by Kwame Alexander would be a great book to do an Author's Study (AS) with. A teacher can have the class complete an assignment where they research the author and make a Piktochart. The Crossover is written in verse and follows the up and downs of Josh and Jordan Bell, who play basketball.

A Different Pond (HF), a Caldecott Honor book, by Bao Phi is a wonderful book that can be used as an (AS) Author Study. The end of A Different Pond has a lot of information about the author that can be a good start to an author study. This book is about a boy who goes on an early morning fishing trip and learns about his dad‘s life back in Vietnam. A different Pond is a great book to have in a classroom because it highlights the sacrifices

Grandfather‘s Journey (HF), a Caldecott winner, by Allen Say is a book that can be done with (CR) Choral Reading. Because the sentences aren't too long in this book and vocabulary isn't too advanced, choral reading would be a great way to read this book. This historical fiction recounts the journey of a man's grandfather who moved from Japan to America. The man‘s grandfather after many years misses his native home and goes back only to miss his

Dear Mr. Washington (HF) by Lynn Cullen would be great as a (RA) Read Aloud. This story is based on the famous portraits of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. In this funny story, Gilbert Stuart‘s children try to be on their best behavior when Washington comes to their house for his portrait. However, things do not go as planned and Stuarts daughter, Charlotte, begins writing letters to Washington asking him to come over again. This story has a

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone (F) by J.K. Rolling is a book that can be used as a (LC) Literature Circle. This book is about a boy who feel he does not fit in well with his family. Harry Potter‘s parents died when he was little so he must live with his insufferable Aunt and Uncle. On Harry‘s eleventh birthday he finds out he is a wizard and starts attending a Wizard Academy called Hogwarts. Throughout the book, Harry faces much adversity,

Because of Thursday(RF) by Patricia Polacco is a great book that can be used as a (RA) Read Aloud. This book is about a woman who opens a successful restaurant and has a good life. Sadly, her husband passes away and she loses her love for cooking. One day she finds a little cat who helps her get her love for cooking and life back. This is a great book to read aloud to students because some of the vocabulary can be advanced, but it can help