Curriculum-Related Read-Aloud Titles

Social Studies

• Bull Run by Paul Fleischman: Gripping first person narratives of the Battle of Bull Run by several participants

• The Burning Time by Carolyn Matas: Rose and her mother are accused of witchcraft in sixteenth-century France 

• Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote: Jason becomes convinced that the school custodian is a former star pitcher of the Negro leagues, and decides to become his friend in the hope that he will coach Jason's team

• In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord: Shirley Temple Wong immigrates to Brooklyn from China in 1947 and becomes a Dodger fan.

• Lives:  Poems About Famous Americans by Leslie Staub: Poetic portraits of sixteen famous Americans from Paul Revere to Neil Armstrong.

• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: Annemarie and her friend Ellen Rosen must pose as sisters in order to smuggle Ellen and her family out of Nazi-occupied Denmark. 

• Out of the Dust  by Karen Hesse: After Billie Jo's Mother dies, she and her father must cope with their grief and pain along with the blowing dust of their Oklahoma farm.

• Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder: Orphaned by the Civil War, Will goes to live with the Uncle he considers a traitor.

• SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting: Barry O'Neill is just 15 and traveling to America from Ireland--life on board is exciting and interesting until tragedy looms. 

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi: Traveling alone by ship from England to America in 1832, Charlotte is drawn into danger as she joins a mutinous crew.

• Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner and Don Bolognese: Shortly after the Civil War, a black family travels to Kansas to take advantage of the free land offered through the Homestead Act.

• The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis: Kenny Watson's family drives "home" to Birmingham, Alabama, from Detroit and Kenny experiences the warmth of family along with "Jim Crow" and church bombings.

Science and Math

• Auks, Rocks, and the Odd Dinosaur: Inside Stories form the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History: An introduction to some of the most remarkable treasures in the nation's attic, from the Komodo Dragon to the Allende meteorite, the oldest known object in the world.

• The Beauty of the Beast  by Jack Prelutsky: Animal poems from a variety of poets.

• Insectlopedia:  Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian: Insects are the topic of these delightful poems that swarm, buzz, and slither.

• Math Curse by Jon Scieszka: Daily life can become cursed when the math we count on cannot be trusted.

• Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy: Lisa measures her dog for a homework assignment to determine his height, width, length, volume, and temperature.

• One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi Clever Rani: A girl who knows the power of doubling numbers, uses her knowledge to outwit the greedy Raja.

• The Sign of the Beaver  by Elizabeth George Speare: Living alone in the Maine wilderness Matt struggled to survive until he is taught about living in the woods by local Indians

Literature and Language Arts

• Bug Off!:  A Swarm of Insect Words by Cathi Hepworth: Find the hidden insect words in other words such as frantic and slice.

• Classic myths to read aloud by William F. Russell: The essential Greek and Roman myths that form our cultural literary heritage.

• From Sea to Shining Sea:  A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs by Amy L. Cohn: A masterful collection featuring a variety of tales, from ethnic folktales, ghost stories, and tall tales, to historical events.

• Pass It On:  African-American Poetry for Children by Floyd Cooper: Illustrated collection of poetry by Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Eloise Greenfield, Lucille Clifton and others.

• Tales of Uncle Remus by Julius Lester: Master storyteller Lester re-crafts the well-loved stories and gives them a new look.