I don't even remember where I got this list to reference it, and I think I've also added to it. I use it every year that I teach writing though and love so many of the books on it!
Ideas and Content
- Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard & James Marshall
Suspense
- Everybody Needs a Rock by Bryd Baylor
- The Best Town in the World by Bryd Baylor
- The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
- Take Time to Relax by Nancy Carlson
- The Armadillo from Amarillo *
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney *
- Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst
- Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
- Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox*
- When Jesse Came Across the Sea
- Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story by Ai Ling Louie
- The Three Javelinas by Susan Lowell
- Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
- Kafi and his Magic by Maya Angelou
Research to story writing connection
- I Hate to Read! By Rita Marshall
- A Drop of Water by Walter Wick*
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
focus
moment in time
- The Beach Before Breakfast
moment in time
moment in time
- When I Was Young in the Mountains
moment in time
- I’m in Charge of Celebrations *
Memory
moment in time
- The Pain and the Great One
everyday experiences
- The Story of Ruby Bridges
Expository
Methaphors, writing + geopgraphy
Own personal journey
Stretch imaginations through language
Use of research & info to inform and tell a story at same time
- My Mama Had a Dancing Heart
- Pink and Say- Patricia Polacco
- Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
- The Relatives Came - Cynthia Rylant
- The Squiggle- Carole Lexa Schafer
- Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
- Sheep Out to Eat- Nancy Shaw
- Pete’s a Pizza- William Steig
- Say Something- Mary Stoltz
- Jumanji- Chris Van Allsburg
- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick- Chris Van Allsburg
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone- J.K. Rowling
- Dear Mr. Blueberry- James Simon
- Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions- Selby Beeler
- A Drop of Water- Walter Wick
- Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobob- Barbara Bash
- The New Way Things Work- David Macaulay
- Magic School Bus at Waterworks- Joanna Cole
- It’s Disgusting and We Ate it- James Solheim
- Sweet Words So Brave- Barbara Curry
- Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems- selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
- The Disappearing Alphabet- Richard Wilbur
- Motel of Mysteries- David Macaulay
- The Secret Knowledge of Grown Ups- David Wisniewski
- The Story of Ruby Bridges- Robert Coles
- Snowflake Bentley- Jacqueline Briggs Martin
- The Flag We Love- Pam Munoz Ryan
- My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother- Patricia Polacco
- Twister- Darleen Bailey Beard
- Messages in the Mailbox- Loreen Leady
- A Porcupine Named Fluffy- Helen Lester
- Officer Buckle and Gloria- Peggy Rathmann
- Today is Your Birthday- P.K. Hallinan
- Rotten Teeth- Laura Simms
- David Goes to School- David Shannon
Organization
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- Judith Viorst
ABC Structure
- Old Black Fly- Jim Aylesworth
- Alphabet City- Stephen Johnson
- Q is for Duck- Mary Etling & Michael Folsom
- Tomorrow’s Alphabet- George Shannon
Back and Forth Structure
· Meanwhile Back at the Ranch- Trinka Hakes Noble
- When I Was Little- Jamie Lee Curtis
· Fortunately- Remy Charlip
Circle Stories
· If You Give a Moose a Muffin- Laura Numeroff
· If You Give a Pig a Pancake- Laura Numeroff
Cumulative Structures
- Hey! Get Off Our Train- John Birmingham
· There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Series of Snapshots
- It Looked Like Spilled Milk- Charles Shaw
- Look! Look! Look!- Tana Hoban
- Animals Black and White- Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
Voice
- I’ll Fix Anthony- Judith Viorst
- I Am the Dog I am the Cat- Donald Hall
- The Night I Followed the Dog- Nina Laden
- Peach and Blue- Sarah Kilborne
- The Tenth Good Thing About Barney- Judith Viorst
Word Choice
- Sports Page- Arnold Adoff
poetry & sentence fluency
- Yeh-Shen, Cinderella Story
- My Mama Had a Dancing Heart
verbs, vibrant images
descriptive language
descriptive language
descriptive language
Sensory details, to carefully observe the world around them
- Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World
Character’s coming to life
Character’s coming to life
- James and the Giant Peach (chap. book)
- Maniac Magee (chap. book)
- Wrinkle in Time (chap. book)
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter
- A Wonderful Day to be a Cow
descriptive language
Figurative language
- Old Devil Wind- Bill Martin Jr.
- Peace at Last- Jill Murphy
- A My Name is Alice- Jane Bayer
- The Ghost-Eye Tree- Bill Martin Jr.
- Quick as a Cricket- Audrey Wood
- I Love You the Purplest- Barbara Joosse
- Things That are Most in the World- Judi Barrett
- The Magic Fan- Keith Baker
- My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch- Graeme Base
intriguing words
- Double Trouble in Walla Walla- Andrew Clements
- Today I Feel Silly and Other That Make My Day- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Some Smug Slug- Pamela Duncan Edwards
- Feathers and Fools- Mem Fox
- The Lotus Seed- Sherry Garland
- Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse- Kevin Henkes
- Antics!- Catherine Hepworth
- Bug Off!- Catherine Hepworth
- Amber on the Mountain- Tony Johnston
- The Giant Jam Sandwich- John Vernon Lord
- Swine Lake- James Marshall
- Edward and the Pirates- David McPhail
- The Whales- Cynthia Rylant
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs- Jon Scieszka
- Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
- Caleb and Kate- William Steig
clever phrasing, vivid details
- Solomon: The Rusty Nail- William Steig
- Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia- Peggy Parish
- A Series of Unfortunate Events- Lemony Snicket (chap. book)
- Voices of the Heart- Ed Young
- A Cache of Jewels- Ruth Heller
- Many Luscious Lollipops- Ruth Heller
adjectives, word choice, creative
- Up, Up, and Away! A Book About Adverbs- Ruth Heller
- Insectlopedia- by Douglas Florian
Crafted phrasing, wonderful choice of details on every page
- Duke Ellington- Andrea Davis Pinkney
Rhyme, some alliteration, engaging rhythm
- Ashanti to Zulu- Margaret Musgrove
- Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma
Sentence Fluency
- Crocodile Beat- Gail Jorgenson
- Night in the Country- Cynthia Rylant
- Fireflies, Fireflies, Light My Way- Jonathon London
Conventions (this trait can be modeled with all books)
Teacher Resource
- Teaching the Youngest Writer- Marcia Freeman
Maupin House (800) 524-0634
Cinderella Stories
· Yeh-Shen