| Reading & Children's Literature | ||
Updated April 8, 2002
This is a listing of elementary reading and literature resources for use by teachers and students, with an emphasis on new resources and information. Looking for the best books? Try the TeachersFirst 100 Best Books for Children page.
2001 Newbery Award Winners - This year's selections of the best children's books.
Collected Reading Lists - Lure reluctant readers with this collection of topic-specific reading lists for older students!
Animabets - Grades 1-4 - This one is tough to categorize. It's a collection of word games, puzzles, and other on-line activities built around a menagerie of 26 animals - each representing a letter of the alphabet. The artwork is engaging, and the puzzles, while not state-of-the-art, are functional and effective. Given the number of incomplete sections, we suspect this site hasn't had much recent attention, but what's there works well.
A - Apple Pie: An old fashioned alphabet book Appropriate for grade K-1 and students of Children’s Literature - A page by page reproduction of this 1886 alphabet book by Kate Greenaway. The illustrations are scanned and quite good. This site is part of a larger site, Celebration of Women Writers, dept. of computational science, Carnegie Mellon Univ. Interesting as much as a historical item as teaching tool.
AmericaReads Challenge: Ready Set Read Early Childhood Learning Kit - Grades Pre-K-3 - Ready Set Read activity guides for families and caregivers provide ideas to help young ones learn about language with age appropriate activities. This site stems from President Clinton’s challenge to help improve reading levels for all American children and to have all children reading by the end of the third grade. The kit has comprehensive, with activities and games to help teach language skills. It is excellent for first time parents and those going into teaching early childhood. Materials and resources for families are also available in Spanish. A letter from Secretary Shalala explaining the site and giving details about the President’s plans for young readers is included. The American Library Association’s book list for young readers is also published. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Adult Books for Young Adults - Grades 7 to 12 - Brief reviews from Booklist Magazine of 1995 Editor’s choice books. A useful site for teenagers looking for reading material! The list is not terribly lengthy and the reviews are concise.
ALA Editors' Choice Revisited - Grades K-12 - This is the ALA's booklist. The list is categorized by reading level and by fiction/non-fiction. A synopsis of the title and bibliographic information is included.
America Reads - Grade Level: K-3 – An overview of the U.S. Department of Education’s program America Reads Challenge, including explanations of Legislation, federal initiatives and Title I programs. Provides examples of successful after-school tutoring and in-home tutoring programs.
Hans Christian Andersen Stories - Grades K-3 - Here's a collection of many of Andersen's stories and fairy tales, many with the original artwork. Most of these stories are short, so they're easily printed out for reading to your class. The site isn't fancy, but the information is easily accessible.
Louisa May Alcott - Grades 4-6 - This site was developed by the Univ. of Virginia. It includes information about the author as well as her books. Included are chapter summaries of Little Women and the complete text. This is an excellent site for students of Louisa May Alcott. Teachers will find this an excellent resource for a unit on Little Women. The entire text is included chapter by chapter.
Berit's Best Sites for Children - Grade level: K-2 - This web site reviews children's books. If you are looking for something new to read to a class this site has some good ideas.
Judy Blume’s Home Base - Appropriate for all levels, elementary through adult! - This is the homepage of well-known author, Judy Blume. It is a treasure chest for Judy Blume fans! The site includes writing tips, bio and photos, messages from Judy, book information, and a kid’s page. Highly recommended site for all!
Book Adventure - Grades 1-6 - A commercially sponsored contest site designed to encourage students to read. There are sections for teachers, students, and parents, as well as a list of sponsors. Could be useful for teachers seeking incentives for reading.
Booktalks - Grade K-6 - This is a collection of several hundred short descriptions of books commonly found in school libraries. Designed by a school librarian for use as book talks, they also serve as a quick plot synopsis for teachers interested in finding suitable books for interested young readers. Contents are indexed by subject, title, and author.
John Bianchi and Frank B. Edwards: Bungalo Books – Grades 1-5 - This is a wonderful site for lovers of all the series published by Bungalo Books. In addition to ordering information, there is a Fun Page, with coloring pictures, dot to dots, drawing page, send a card and an on line story. The teacher Pages includes activities for the books as well as theme lists and information on Reading Buddies and the authors. Bungalo publishes the following series: Pokeweed Public School Kids, Bungalo Boys Series, New Reader Series and the Mooners Series.
Karleen Bradford – Grades 3 to adult - Karleen Bradford is a well-known Canadian author. Her books include Fantasy, historical fiction and contemporary novels for young adults. She also has authored ghost stories, back-in-time and contemporary novels for ages 9-12. "Dragonfire" is her newest novel. This homepage includes book lists, writing help, a biography and direct email to the author.
By the Great Horn Spoon - Grades 4-12 - This ThinkQuest Finalist site is based on the book of the same name by Sid Fleischman. It describes the voyage to San Francisco and the role that the city played as a starting point for prospectors in the California gold rush. Lots of content in small pieces, with drawings by students and links to the book's text. This site could be used to study both the book and the history of the period.
Eric Carle - Grades Pre-K - 2. This site provides a listing of Eric Carle's upcoming books. Teacher exchange of ideas for Carle's books are also included. The site includes an author biography, newsletter and selection of frequently asked questions.
The Children's Book Council sponsors Children's Book Week each fall. Their site includes this Showcase collection of books recommended for children, with links and additional information on each book selected. A good starting point for building a reading list or library.
Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site - Target: Elementary - This site contains a collection of reviews of books for children, lesson plans, teaching ideas and activities. Topics are cross indexed by subject, curriculum ideas, themes and professional items for easy access. Also contains information about Carol Hurst’s Newsletter and educational products along with links to other sites. Site sponsored by Carol Hurst’s Consultants and Didax Educational Resources
Children's Literature Web Guide - Source: University of Calgary, Canada - Newbery and Caldecott information, book reviews and plans available to teach with the medal books. ALA best books are listed along with Internet book discussions, and resources for storytellers, teachers and parents. Also included are specific teaching ideas, indexes of research guides and publishers.
Children's Literature Database - Grades K-8 - Here's a new twist - a site that lets users enter in the kind of literature they want to read about: country, historical period, plot type, character types - and then returns a list of children's books that meet those criteria. This is a great resource for finding reading material to complement curricular content, or to simply help a reluctant reader find a book he or she will really love.
Children's Literature Reviews - Source: Didax Educational Resources - Grade Level: K-8 - Provides book reviews, literature units, plans and activities. Thematic units are available, as well as featured authors and their works. This site also contains professional articles on whole language programs.
Children's Picture Book Database - One of the faculty Miami University of Ohio has created an on-line database designed to help teachers build thematic units for young children around picture books. The only user interface is a fairly sparse search engine which prompts with selections of keywords for each of the various categories. While awkward at first, this becomes more intuitive as you use it. Search results include bibliographic information and short plot summaries. Once you get the hang of it, this could be a nice way to build thematic units for younger children.
Beverly Cleary - Grades 3-6 - This is the homepage of Portland Oregon's Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden. - It is part of the Multnomah county Library home page. There are several links to her publisher as well as a home page of Beverly Cleary. The site includes great information on this popular author, including a biography, book lists. You can get a list of places to purchase material related to this author. There is a book featured each month. A nice feature is that you can be notified by e mail when the page has been updated. (monthly) Links to the publisher and to a Beverly Cleary's homepage are included.
The Roald Dahl Web Site - Teachers & Grades 2-6 - There's far more than the usual author-site goodies at this British site devoted to author Roald Dahl. The teacher's section includes extensive lesson ideas based on several of Dahl's books. There are also lots of activities for students, and the material is well-written. You'll need Flash/Shockwave for this one.
Doucette Library of Teaching Resources - Grade K-8 Source: University of Calgary - Extensive collection of literary lists, award winners, curriculum supplements and support resources for children's literature. It provides professional support on multiculturalism, current educational trends and interdisciplinary education, and literature based learning. Also educational research is available in a thesis collection of research by masters and doctoral candidates.
Eighteen Highly Recommended Books for Girls - Grade Pre-K to 6 - Source: Random House Publishing - This site lists books that illustrate strong women and women in non-traditional roles. There are also helpful hints to empower young girls.
Enchanted Tulips and other verses for children Grades 3-6. A collection of poetry.
Fairy Tales and Stories - Grade K-6 - Translations of Hans Christen Andersen's tales and stories with artwork. The stories have been cross-referenced and also listed chronologically.
Old Time Fairy Tales - Grades K-6 - This is a nicely illustrated site with complete texts of numerous classic fairy tales. Typography is such that young students can read the text easily. The illustrations are simple but attractive, and the selection of available stories changes from time to time. Nice site for either student or teacher use.
First Grade Backpack - Reading - Grade 1-2 - Here's a selection of book and author sites compiled expressly for primary students. They provide quick access to a group of reading resources for first or second grade. Some can be used by students directly; others may require some help from the teacher. This site also contains arithmetic and geography sections.
Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts - Grades: 3-12 - Source: University of Pittsburgh Synopsis: Includes translations of many Germanic-rooted myths, legends and stories. The texts are categorized. Also gives many additional links to other tales and legends. Excellent source for comparison studies of specific tales such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.
Goosebumps - Grade 3-6 - Source: Scholastic - Synopsis: This site is based on the Goosebumps series, and features activities, newest books from R.L. Stine, and a fan club. Kids will enjoy this page.
Gary Harbo- Pre-K to Grade 4 - Synopsis: Gary Harbo books are featured. The stories come in two versions: one for 2-6 year olds with large print and 25 words or less per page, and one for 7-11 year old that contain approximately 200 words per page. Autographed books are available as well as original graphics and instructions on how to draw the characters.
HarperCollins Books for Children Grade:Pre-K and up - Synopsis: HarperCollins has a complete list of published children's books. Games for kids, how books are made and sampling the first chapter of their new books are included.
Hazel Hutchins - Grade 2-6 Source: Inkspot - Author Hazel Hutchins lists her work, biography and Guess-It quizzes that accompany her books.
Jackie French Koller - Grades K-6+ - This is the homepage of Jackie French Koller, author of children and young adult books. It includes a great deal of information about the author. Developed by Jackie French Koller as her homepage. There is a great deal of information about the author, her family, pets, hobbies as well as her books. This site includes a link to writing tips for would be authors. There are links to a few other authors as well.
Little Animals Activities - Grades 1-4 - This British site offers primary level reading and word game activities, many with accompanying narration. Students can use these individually, or as part of a group activity. There are also music activities and counting games.
A Little Princess Appropriate grades 3-6 The release of the movie sparked this site. There are reviews of the movie, book reviews, plot and character summaries etc. Information on the actors is included as well.
Lullabies and Other Songs for Children - elementary - Outstanding site for lyrics to children’s songs. There are lyrics (but not tunes or music) to over 500 children’s songs listed here. In addition, they will search for a song if you a re unable to find it. Another feature is the "Song of the Day’ that can be emailed to you automatically. There are links to thousands of songs. A very useful site to both music and classroom teachers. Appropriate for all children and adults who work with, or have children. [Note: The site was recently redesigned; most of the content appears intact, but it's a bit harder to find.]
The Marvelous Land of Oz - Grades K-4 - Continue on the adventures with the Scarecrow and the Tin Man using this complete electronic text of the sequel to The Wonderful World of Oz. Organized in chapters for reasonable downloading.
Mom’s Movie Guide - Grades K-8 - We've tucked this in because you may have a need to check movie and video ratings and descriptions. The site includes movie and video recommendations from the toughest critics out there: Moms! Contact the online reviews before you rent your next video, buy a book, or take your kids to the movies.
100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know - Appropriate for Grades K-3 - A list of 100 Picture Books developed by the New York Public Library. List includes title, author, illustrator and publisher. There are links to catalogs (for ordering these books) and to the New York Public Library Homepage. This is an excellent list for teachers to make available to parents of young children.
The Newbery Award - Grades K-8 - Learn about the Newbery Award: who started it, how you can earn one, and the list of books and authors who bear the prestigious medal. You can have your students debate the criteria and put other books up to the test, including books that they have written themselves! From the libraries at the University of North Carolina.
Nursery Rhymes - The Dreamhouse - Grades K-2 - This is a large collection of nursery rhymes, complete with background information, directions on singing games, movement, and histories of the various rhymes. Outstanding resource for teachers who want to involve young students with these commonly-enountered (and some not so common) rhymes.
Katherine Paterson - Grades 4 and up - This is the official homepage of award-winning author Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia. (Newberry 1978). Site includes an annotated booklist, frequently asked questions, audio of songs from stage productions of some of her books and links to Amazon.com to purchase titles. Although she is a well-loved and respected author, this site is a bit disappointing – lacking lessons, activities, or other enhancements.
Pooh Corner, Grades K-4. Welcome to Cotchford Farm! Explore the world of Winnie the Pooh and his friends and find out about the inspiration for this classic story.
Harry Potter Stories - All Ages - Harry Potter's all the rage, and the web doesn't disappoint. There are lots of resources about Harry and author J.K. Rowling.
Scholatic Books has an entire Harry Potter site. It features information on the books, discussion and author sections, even a Harry Potter screensaver.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club has more information about the Harry Potter books and the world of Harry Potter. You can even find the rules for Quidditch!
Reviews of the Harry Potter books include the announcement of the winning of the Children's Book Award and a quick review of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Aaron Shepard - Author’s On Line homepage for Aaron Shepard. - Appropriate for all elementary grade levels. - On this page you'll find loads of resources and treats (printable posters, music etc.) for teachers, librarians, storytellers, children's writers, parents, and young people -- all from award-winning children's author Aaron Shepard. His specialty is retold folktales. You'll also find information on Aaron, his books, and his author visits. Excellent resource site.
Aaron Shepard’s RT Page - Appropriate for grade levels 2 and up. This is a Reader’s Theater site from an award-winning author. This site includes a wonderful selection of reader’s Theatre scripts for many of Aaron Shephard’s books. There is a good explanation and description of WHAT reader’s Theatre is, as well as guides to staging etc. An excellent site for those wishing to pursue reader’s Theater. Excellent site!
Seussville - Grade level: K-5 - From Random House. In Seussville you can chat with the Cat in the Hat. There are also interactive games and puzzles to play.
Seussville Reading Games - Grades K-3 - Random House's Dr. Seuss site offers a nice little collection of shockwave-enhanced simple reading games for primary students. Suitable for kids who need a little practice, or for other general uses.
StoryArts - Storytelling Resources - Teachers & Librarians - Here's a site devoted to helping educators improve their storytelling skills. There are many pages of resources, including ideas for storytelling occasions and festivals, specific story sites, and lots of other good stuff. Check this one out if you read to your students!
Storytelling - Grades K-4 - Bring the art of storytelling to the primary classroom. This page, created by a classroom teacher, provides step by step instructions.
Surfing for ABC’s "Learning How to Surf the Internet" - Grades K-1 - Created by kindergarten and first grade students, this site shows how the kids used the Internet to research information and process what they found. Each letter has words beginning with the letter, then a link to a web site of the same letter. Example: "B" for baseball www.mlb.com(link to baseball web site. This idea would make a great classroom project! The site includes detailed lesson plans of how the project was done and pictures of the actual students who did the finished project. From Loogootee Elementary West Community Schools.
A Teacher’s Guide to Folklife Resources for K-12 Classrooms - A comprehensive guide developed by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Appropriate for teachers/media specialists/librarians - This is an excellent resource guide for any teacher/ librarian planning a unit of folklife. It is a copy of a publication available free from the Library of Congress. There is a wealth of information and addresses for planning purposes. State Folklife Centers are also included in the list of addresses.
A Very Personal Computer Appropriate K-adult. The Big Busy House page is part of the Harper Collins Publishing Company’s homepage. There are many links to books, activities related to books, games related to children’s books etc. The three games are both fun and educational, covering a large range of abilities and ages. Interesting section about how a book is made, based on Aliki’s book of the same title.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Grades 3-6 and lovers of the Little House series - Wonderful site featuring Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl. Includes information on her books, family, friends etc. Has a free digital post card service in various languages. This site is an excellent resource for those studying Laura Ingalls Wilder. It includes photos, information about her background as well as a guide to writing a paper about Laura Ingalls Wilder. The site is a member of the Children’s Literature Ring.
Folk Tales Collection - Grade Level K-3 - A collection of international folk and fairy tales.
Invitations to Literacy - Grades K-6 - Synopsis: This site is an accompaniment to the Houghton-Mifflin reading series Invitations To Literacy. Teacher reviews of books used in the series, discussion forums, activities and bibliographies are available. Strategies are also provided to assist in teaching phonics, whole language and early intervention.
Pegasus Paradise - Grade 4-8 - Language Arts/Reading - Use this student-made site as a reference to learn about Greek Gods and heroes. Links are integrated to learn more detailed information about the Olympians. Audio files download to hear the pronunciation of those difficult Greek names. Have students try the online games to test their knowledge. Thinkquest Junior Winner: third place winner, arts and literature, 1998.
Read Up On It! - K-12 - Library of Canada - This site promotes a free reading kit from the Canadian Library. This kit is designed to promote reading and give educators resources that worked for this group. It promotes children’s literature also. The site itself contains reading lists in French and English. The lists are centered around themes. There is also ways to share your success with the kit and pose questions in an open forum. They offer tips and suggestions on ways to encourage reading and learning among children and adolescents.
The Real Truth About Fast Foods and Nutrition - Grade 3-8 - Science/Health/Reading (advertising section) - Help students learn to eat healthy foods, even in the school cafeteria and fast food restaurants as they learn about nutrition and have fun in this student-made web site. Also included is a section on fast food advertising and critical analysis of advertising claims and strategies. Thinkquest Junior Winner: first place, Sports and Health, 1998.
Rigby Subject Resource Guides - K-12 - Reed Books - This Australian site is an excellent reference guide. Excellent links to any research and reference materials out there on the Web!! Very easy to use, well thought out reference guide with links to anything that has to do with academics! This guide also provides grade level information, professional resources, several other language resources, lesson plans, topic discussions, and research help and assistance.
Scholastic – from Scholastic Books, Inc. - This site is for reading and distance learning. It contains book clubs, parent, teacher, student, magazines. It also has teacher to teacher forums and a software club.
A Word a Day Homepage - Register for daily e-mail "word of the day". - Grades 4 and up - You can register for FREE daily e-mail "word of the day". The entry includes phonetic pronunciation, various meanings, and derivation. There is even a sound wave pronunciation of the word. You can retrieve a complete list of words presented. (examples: euphony, paragon) Excellent site for upper elementary through High School.
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