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Mystery Reader Read-Aloud for the Classroom

Caldecott Winners Section (J CALDECOTT)

Floca     Locomotive

In the summer of 1869, trains, crews and family travel together on America’s brand new transcontinental railroad.

Mosel    The Funny Little Woman

While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures.  She escapes and becomes the richest woman in Japan.

Rathmann           Officer Buckle and Gloria

The children at Napville Elementary School ignore Officer Buckle’s safety tips until a police dog named Gloria accompanies him for his safety speeches.

Picture Books (Pic)

Agee      Lion Lessons

Some kids take karate classes; why not lion lessons?

Agee     The Wall in the Middle of the Book

Is that wall really keeping us safe? Are we really better off on this side of the wall?

Barrett  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers–until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Brett      Trouble with Trolls

While climbing Mt. Baldy, Treva outwits some trolls who want to steal her dog.

Bunting One Green Apple

While on a school field trip to an orchard to make cider, a young immigrant named Farah gains self-confidence when the green apple she picks perfectly complements the other students’ red apples.

Cronin   Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows that Type (and others)

When Farmer Brown’s cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.

Daywalt     The Day the Crayons Came Home

One day, Duncan is happily coloring with his crayons when a stack of postcards arrives in the mail from his former crayons, each of which has run away or been left behind, and all of which want to come home.

Ernst      The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers

The Gingerbread Girl, who once escaped the fox that devoured her brother, must now try to save from a similar fate the animal crackers she received as a birthday gift.

Flesher  Alfred’s Nose

Even though everybody loves him as he is, Alfred, a French bulldog, finds it hard to accept his unusual looks, especially his nose.

Henkes  Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.

Henkes  Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

Howe    Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores

Three mice friends learn that the best clubs include everyone.

Kellogg  The Mysterious Tadpole

It soon becomes clear that Louis’s pet tadpole is not turning into an ordinary frog.

Leaf       The Story of Ferdinand

Ferdinand the bull likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers, but one day he gets stung by a bee and his snorting and stomping convince everyone that he is the fiercest of bulls.

Lerman How to Raise Mom & Dad

A big sister tells her brother hints on how to raise Mom and Dad, including hints such as “leave the green veggies for them” and “tell them when they skip parts of a story.”

Lester    Tacky the Penguin

Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps.

Munsch     The Paper Bag Princess

A feminist fairy tale in a nice new edition.

Noble    Jimmy’s Boa and the Big Splash Birthday Bash

Jimmy’s birthday party at SeaLand turns out to be a big splash when everyone ends up in the big tank.

Numeroff            If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and others

Relating the cycle of requests a mouse is likely to make after you give him a  cookie takes the reader through a young child’s day.

Palatini  Piggie Pie

Gritch the witch flies to Old MacDonald’s farm for some pigs to make a piggie pie, but when she arrives she can’t find a single porker.

Palatini  Gorgonzola: a very stinkysaurus

When Gorgonzola the dinosaur learns that everyone runs from him to avoid his smell, rather than out of fear, he is grateful to the little bird who shows him how to brush his teeth and wash.

Polacco My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother

After losing running, climbing, throwing, and burping competitions to her obnoxious older brother, a young girl makes a wish on a falling star.

Proimos               Patricia von Pleasantsquirrel

After failing to convince her parents that she is a princess, Patricia von Pleasantsquirrel leaves her moatless house in search of a “princessdom.”

Rex        School’s First Day of School

Creative and heartwarming, this book lends itself to conversations with kids about seeing something from a different point of view.

Rosenthal            Duck!Rabbit!

Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck.

Schachner      Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese cat with an uncanny imagination, pretends to battle el Blimpo Bumblebeeto Bandito–a giant bee–on behalf of the Mexican Chihuahuas it has been terrorizing.

Seuss     The King’s Stilts

When the King’s stilts are stolen and hidden, and he can no longer enjoy his play hour, the whole kingdom is threatened with destruction until a page boy bravely saves the day.

Seuss     The Lorax.

The Once-ler describes the results of the local pollution problem.

Sheth     Tiger in My Soup

Great illustrations complement the imaginations of a boy whose older sister refuses to read to him when serving him his lunch.

Squires  The Gingerbread Cowboy

A freshly baked gingerbread cowboy escapes from the rancher’s wife’s kitchen and eludes his pursuers in this western United States version of the “Gingerbread Boy.”

Stanton This Book is Red

In this humorous concept book, readers are asked to question their logic for naming colors.

Van Wright      When an Alien Meets a Swamp Monster

A chance encounter between two kids with very different outward appearances leads to mistaken identities, wild claims to skeptical parents and a friendship based on unexpected commonalities.

Waber   Ira Sleeps Over

Ira is conflicted about what to bring to his first sleepover. Should he take his sister’s advice?

Williams      The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

A little old lady who is not afraid of anything must deal with a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods trying to scare her.

Willis     Hippospotamus

When a hippopotamus discovers a spot on her bottom, it seems every creature in the jungle knows what it is and how to cure it.

Illustrated Literature (JIL)

Ahlberg     Previously

The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other. Includes Goldilocks, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, The Frog Prince, Cinderella, and The Gingerbread Man.

Alexander     How the Cat Swallowed Thunder

Warned not to get into his usual mischief, Mother Holly’s cat tries to tidy up all the mess he has made while she is away.

Brumbeau     The Quiltmaker’s Gift

When a generous quiltmaker finally agrees to make a quilt for a greedy king but only under certain conditions, she causes him to undergo a change of heart.

Einhorn      A Very Improbable Story: A Math Adventure

Waking up one morning to find a talking cat on his head, Ethan is informed that the cat will not leave until he, Ethan, wins a game of probability.

Kalman  Looking at Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything

Attractive biographies of the presidents by the renowned New Yorker illustrator Maira Kalman.

Perkins  Frank and Lucky Get Schooled

Accompany the inseparable Frank and his dog Lucky as they learn about subjects including biology and math while exploring their local surroundings.  

Rex        Nothing Rhymes with Orange

All the fruits gather together and enjoy a rhyming party, but poor Orange feels left out because he does not rhyme with anything–until Apple invents a new word.

Rex        Pssst! 

The animals at the zoo have some unusual requests for a little girl who goes to visit.

Fiction (J Fic)

Avi          Best Shorts:  Favorite Short Stories for Sharing

Featuring loyal pets, rogue waves, ghosts who use cell phones, and young people caught up in events beyond their control, these stories are written by some of the most entertaining and esteemed authors of children’s literature.

Brown   Flat Stanley

After a bulletin board falls on Stanley while he is sleeping, he finds that being flat has its advantages.

Cameron     The Stories Huey Tells (and others by Cameron)

It isn’t easy being Julian’s younger brother. When Huey has bad dreams, Julian says his are scarier. When Huey wants to study animal tracks, Julian says he’s too young. But Huey isn’t a baby. He’s an adventurer, a chef, a tracker, and a scout. And he’s about to show Julian—and the world—all that he can do.

DiCamillo     Mercy Watson Fights Crime (and others)

Mercy the pig’s love of buttered toast leads to the capture of a small thief who would rather be a cowboy. 

Hanlon     Dory Fantasmagory series

Dory, the youngest in her family, is a girl with a very active imagination, and she spends the summer playing with her imaginary friend, pretending to be a dog, battling monsters, and generally driving her family nuts. Laugh out loud funny.

Lowry    Gooney Bird Greene series

A humorous early realistic fiction series starring the likable Gooney Bird Greene. Chapters work well-as stand-alone stories. 

Milne     Eeyore Has a Birthday

Eeyore is sad because he thinks nobody remembered his birthday, until his party starts.

east act brave.

Pinkwater      Larry books

Polar bear Larry eats 250 pound of ice cream.  (Ice Cream Larry)

Sachar   Wayside School stories — chapters

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.  

Scieszka       The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales.

Non-fiction ( J Non-fic) 

398.2095 Two    Two of Everything

A poor old Chinese farmer finds a magic brass pot that doubles or duplicates whatever is placed inside it, but his efforts to make himself wealthy lead to unexpected complications.

398.21 Sal      Epossumondas

A retelling of a classic tale in which a well-intentioned young possum continually takes his mother’s instructions much too literally.

398.2452 Kim     Anansi and the Talking Melon

A clever spider tricks Elephant and some other animals into thinking the melon in which he is hiding can talk.

398.2452 Ste     Tops and Bottoms

Hare turns his bad luck around by striking a clever deal with the rich and lazy bear down the road.

510.92 (Erdos) Hei     The Boy Who Loved Math

A pleasingly illustrated biography of Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos, who had an unusual personality that may appeal to children.

811.4 (Horton) Tat     The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

This is the true story of North Carolina slave George Moses Horton who taught himself to read and became the first African American poet to be published in the south.

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  • About Us
    • About Westfield
    • History of the Library
    • Holiday Closings 2023
    • Library Board of Trustees
    • Library Curbside
    • Library Policies
    • Mission Statement
    • Positions Available
    • Publications
    • Solar Energy Production
    • Back
  • Circulation
    • Catalog Resources
      • Borrowing
        • Get A Card
        • Loan Periods
        • Pay Fines
        • Books From Other Libraries
        • Health Literacy Tote Kits
        • Museum Passes
        • Books on Wheels
        • Back
      • Reserve & Renew Items
      • Search The Catalog
      • Back
    • Devices
      • Book Clubs in a Bag
        • Adult Book Clubs
        • Children’s Book Clubs
        • Back
      • Kill-A-Watt Devices
      • Mobile Hot Spots
      • Back
    • Back
  • Books & Media
    • Book Recommendations
    • Downloadable Audiobooks
    • Downloadable eBooks
    • Digital Magazines
    • Digital Music
    • Library Apps
    • Local History
    • Movies and Videos
    • Museum Passes
    • Online Book Club
    • Back
  • Events
  • Library Services
    • Adult Services
      • Adult Book Club Kits
      • Adult Events
      • Ask a Librarian
      • Book Match for Adults
      • Book Recommendations
      • Books on Wheels
      • Health Literacy Tote Kits
      • Meeting Room Policy
      • Museum Passes
      • Online Book Club
      • Remote Printing
      • What to Read Next (Novelist)
      • Back
    • Teen Services
      • Book Genie
      • Booklists for Teens
      • Brainfuse: Help Now
      • DMV Practice Test
      • Online Book Club
      • Teen Volunteering
      • Back
    • Youth Services
      • 1000 Books Before Kindergarten
      • Book Genie
      • Booklists for Kids
      • Brainfuse: Help Now
      • Children’s Events
      • Tumblebooks
      • Back
    • Back
  • Research
    • Library Tutorials
    • Local History
    • Recommended Websites
    • Research Databases
    • Social Media Tutorials
    • Back
  • Support
    • Foundation
    • Friends of the Library
    • Gifts and Memorials Program
    • Back
  • Connect
    • Ask a Librarian
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Take Note Newsletter
    • Town of Westfield Code
    • Wowbrary
    • Back