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Coming Soon...
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Staff Resources
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Westwood Intermediate Picture Books
to Teach the Word ChoiceTrait
Click here for a PDF copy |
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| Absolutely Awful Alphabet |
Gerstein, Mordicai |
Bookroom |
An alliterative alphabet book presents mean and monstrous letters, from A (an awfully arrogant amphibian) to Z (a zigzagging zoological zany).
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Adelita |
DePaola, Tomie |
Bookroom |
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After the death of her mother and father, Adelita is badly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters until she finds her own true love at a grand fiesta.
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Appalachia: Voices of Sleeping Birds |
Rylant, Cynthia |
974 RYL |
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Illustrates the moods, sounds, and feel of the Appalachian region. The word are straight from the heart and chosen to bring this special place to life.
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Ashantito Zulu |
Mugrove, M |
E MUG |
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This is an alphabet book of African traditions.
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Baloney (Henry P). |
Scieszka, Jon |
E SCI |
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While coming up with an excuse for being late, Henry introduces the reader to his unusual language. The words seem to be gibberish, but are actually synonyms from around the world.
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Cloud Dance |
Locker, Thomas |
E LOC |
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The author uses extremely visual language in a book that is a blend of history, science, art, and sheer magic.
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Faraway Home |
Kurtz, Jane |
Bookroom |
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Desta's father, who needs to return briefly to his Ethiopian homeland, describes what it was like for him to grow up there.
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Gold Fever |
Kay, Verla |
E KAY |
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Jasper heads to California during the gold rush. He finds that life as a digger has many drawbacks, such as snakes and grizzlies, grumpy miners, and costly provisions. A cautionary tale, written in poetic form, about the grass being greener over the hill.
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I Love You the Purplest |
Joose, Barbara |
Bookroom |
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Two boys discover that their mother loves them equally but in different ways.
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Insectlopedia |
Florian, Douglas |
Bookroom |
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Presents twenty-one short poems about such insects as the inchworm, termite, cricket, and ladybug.
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Kites Sail High |
Heller, Ruth |
Bookroom |
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Rhyming text and colorful drawings explaining the "variety of uses and meanings an individual verb may have." Use also with Convention trait.
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Lincoln: A Photobiography |
Freedman, Russell |
921 LIN |
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This book teaches us that good descriptions not only come in words, but also in photographs.
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Magic Fan |
Baker,Keith |
Bookroom |
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Guided by a magic fan, Yoshi uses his building skills to make a boat to catch the moon, a kite to reach the clouds, and a bridge that saves the villagers from a tidal wave. Use also with Presentation trait.
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Many Luscious Lollipops |
Heller, Ruth |
428.2 HEL |
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One of a series of books focusing on parts of speech. This one deals with adjectives Use also with Convention trait.
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Mirandy and Brother Wind |
McKissack, P |
E MCK |
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This tale of life 40 years after the official end of slavery sweeps the reader away with its words and images. The author uses a blend of African American vernacular language of the time alongside lyrical everyday language.
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Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster |
Frasier, Debra |
E FRA |
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The language is playful, but at the same time there is a serious subtext about the pressure students feel when learning vocabulary. Sage places a great deal of importance on the learning of isolated vocabulary words.
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Miz Berlin Walks |
Yolen, Jane |
Bookroom |
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Mary Louise gradually gets to know and love her elderly neighbor lady who tells wonderful stories as she walks around the block of her Virginia home
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More than Anything Else |
Brady, Marie |
E BRA |
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The power of reading is the spotlight on this fictional account of the life of Booker T. Washington.
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Mountain Dance |
Locker, Thomas |
Bookroom |
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A poetic description of various kinds of mountains and how they are formed. Includes factual information on mountains.
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My Mama Had a Dancing Heart |
Gray |
E GRA |
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A ballet dancer recalls how she and her mother would welcome each season with a dance outdoors.
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The Old Woman Who Named Things |
Rylant |
E RYL |
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An old woman who has outlived all her friends isreluctant to become too attached to the stray dog thatvisits her each day.
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Piggie Pie |
Palatini |
E PAL |
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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.
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Possum Magic |
Fox, Mem |
Bookroom |
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Two Australian possums go in search of the magic that will make the invisible one of them visible.
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Quiet Place |
Wood |
E WOO |
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Text and illustrations describe some of the specialplaces that one can go to be quiet and alone and toimagine, such as a woods, a seashore, a library, or inside oneself
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Quick as a Cricket |
Wood, Audrey |
Bookroom |
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A young boy describes himself as "loud as a lion," "quiet as a clam," "tough as a rhino," and "gentle as a lamb."
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Raising Sweetness |
Stanley, Diana |
Bookroom |
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Sweetness, one of eight orphans living with a man who is an unconventional housekeeper, learns to read and writes an important letter to improve their situation.
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Secret Footprints |
Alvarez, Julia |
Bookroom |
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A story based on Dominican folklore, about the ciguapas, a tribe of beautiful underwater people whose feet are attached backwards,
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Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School |
Sierra |
E SIE |
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A boy sends off for "Professor Swami's Super Slime" to use as his science fair project and then has to copewith the funny disaster that follows.
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Shrek! |
Steig |
E STE |
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Horribly hideous Shrek leaves home and terrifieseveryone he encounters in his search for his equally ugly bride.
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Sky Sweeper |
Gershater, P. |
Bookroom |
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Despite criticism for his lack of "accomplishments," Takiboki finds contentment sweeping flower blossoms and raking the sand and gravel in the monks' temple garden. Use also with Organization trait.
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Some Smug Slug |
Edwards, Pamela |
Bookroom |
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A smug slug that will not listen to the animals around it comes to an unexpected end
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Storm |
Harshman, Marc |
Bookroom |
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Though confined to a wheelchair, Jonathan faces the terror of a tornado all by himself
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Story of Ferdinand |
Leaf, Munro |
E LEA |
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Ferdinand is a bull who prefers to sit in the shade and smell the flowers, rather than put on a good show in the bull ring.
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Subway Sparrow |
Torres, Leyla |
E TOR |
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A small sparrow flies into a subway car and is trapped, forcing communication between people who normally ride the subway in complete silence. As they work together to save the sparrow, the passengers develop an understanding and appreciation for the very human need to communicate – no matter what language we speak.
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Under the Quilt of Night |
Hopkinson, D. |
E HOP |
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Powerful book about the Underground Railroad. This is the story of a young black girl running from slavery. The author’s careful choice of words creates tension and energy.
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Up, Up and Away |
Heller, Ruth |
Bookroom |
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Rhyming text and colorful drawings define adverbs and explain when and how to use them. Use also with the Convention trait.
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Where have all the Unicorns Gone? |
Yolen |
E YOL |
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The unicorns flee from the noise, violence, and destruction of civilization and find refuge in the sea.
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Why the Banana Split |
Walton, Rick |
E WAL |
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The author teaches students how to use powerful verbs in their writing.
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Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge |
Fox, Mem |
Bookroom |
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A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore that of an elderly friend. Use also with Idea Trait
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Wilma Unlimited |
Krull, Kathleen |
921 RUD |
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Biography of Wilma Rudolph, who overcame polio to become an Olympic champion.
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Witch Who Wanted to Be a Princess |
Gambling, Louise |
E GAM |
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Bella is a modern witch in every way, except that she has the age-old dream of becoming a princess. Even graduation top of her witch’s class doesn’t give her the ability to transform herself, so she does the next best thing – she sets out to marry a prince
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Z was Zapped |
Van Allsburg, C |
Bookroom |
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Depicts how A was in avalanche, B was badly bitten, C was cut to ribbons, and the other letters of the alphabet suffered similar mishaps.
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Yo, Yes? |
Raschka, Chris |
E RAS |
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This Caldecott honor book explores the tentative beginnings of a friendship, using the sparest of language. |
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Westwood Intermediate Picture Books to Teach the Sentence Fluency Trait
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All By Herself |
Paul |
811 PAU |
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This is a book of poems about fourteen girls, some of whom later became famous, who performed acts of daring, determination, and courage at a young age
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Behold the Trees |
Alexander |
E ALE |
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A land once protected by all sorts of wonderful trees is reduced over time by war and environmental neglect to desert, until new inhabitants plant trees and slowly make Israel bloom again.
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Big Bad Wolf at School |
Krensky |
Bookroom |
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Rufus, a young wolf, has a hard time fitting in at the Big Bad Wolf Academy, where he has been sent to learn to huff and puff, until the day he uses his true talent.
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Casey at the Bat |
Thayer |
811 THA |
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Christopher Bing's illustrations highlight the telling of this classic poem.
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Celebrate America in Poetry and Art |
Panzer |
811.008 PA |
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Art, coordinated with text, creates a special sense of time, place and mood.
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Come on, Rain |
Hesse |
Bookroom |
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A young girl eagerly awaits a coming rainstorm to bring relief from the oppressive summer heat
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Dogteam |
Paulsen |
E PAU |
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Using the format of a prose poem with colorfulillustrations, the author describes the cold crisp nightrun of a dog team.
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Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll |
Ireland |
E IRE |
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Mayhem ensues when a little girl takes unusual pets like a rhinoceros and a kangaroo to places usually reserved for people.
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Down at the Seaweed Café |
Perry |
Bookroom |
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Everyone gathers for singing, dancing, and storytelling at a little coastal restaurant where the regulars include sea otters, seagulls, and whales.
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Dream Weaver |
London |
Bookroom |
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While walking on a mountain path, a young boy discovers a yellow spider spinning her web and as he quietly watches her, he sees the world from a different perspective.
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Great Migration: An American Story |
Lawrence |
759.13 LAW |
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The historic migration of African-Americans from the rural South to northern cities in the early decades of the twentieth century is chronicled in text and Jacob Lawrence's paintings.
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Harlem |
Myers |
811 MYE |
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Words and pictures convey to readers the spirit of Harlem in its music, art, literature.
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Heartland |
Siebert |
811 SIE |
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This book is a lyrical celebration of the Midwest.
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Hey You! C'mere: A Poetry Slam |
Swados |
811 SWA |
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A series of poems concerning everyday events and emotions.
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Homerun |
Burleigh |
E BUR |
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A poetic account of the legendary Babe Ruth as he prepares to hit a home run.
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Hoops |
Burleigh |
Bookroom |
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Burleigh uses the rhythm and cadence of language to mirror the feel of basketball.
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How I Became a Pirate |
Long |
E LON |
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Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of their life.
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I Live in Music |
Shange |
Bookroom |
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Shange's lyrical poem is a tribute to the language of music and the magical, often mystical, rhythms that connect people
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If I Were in Charge of the World, and Other Worries |
Viorst |
811 VIO |
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Forty poems reveal a variety of secret thoughts, worries, and wishes.
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Important Book |
Brown |
E BRO |
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This book points out how all things have certain important qualities that are special.
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Isla |
Dorros |
Bookroom |
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A young girl and her grandmother take an imaginary journey to the Caribbean island where her mother grew up and where some of her family still lives.
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John Henry |
Lester |
398.21 LES |
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Retells the legend of the African American railroad builder who raced against a steam drill to cut through a mountain.
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Lookin' for Bird in the Big City |
Burleigh |
E BUR |
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Miles Davis, a teenage music student, spends many hours trying to find Charlie Parker in New York City.
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My Mama Had a Dancing Heart |
Gray |
E GRA |
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A ballet dancer recalls how she and her mother would welcome each season with a dance outdoors.
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My Mama Says there aren’t any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires…. |
Viorst |
Bookroom |
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A little boy doesn't know whether to believe his mother's assurances that there aren't any ghosts or monsters because she isn't always right about everything.
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Nappy Hair |
Herron |
Bookroom |
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Various people at a backyard picnic offer their comments on a young Afro-American girl's tightly curled, "nappy" hair.
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Night of the Gargoyles |
Bunting |
E BUN |
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At night, the gargoyles on top of the art museum come to life.
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One Tiny Turtle |
Davies |
Bookroom |
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Lyrical text offers fascinating information about the journey of the tiny, endangered loggerhead turtle
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River Dream |
Say |
Bookroom |
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While sick in bed, a young boy opens a box from his uncle and embarks on a fantastic fishing trip
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Sebastian: A Book About Bach |
Winter |
921 BAC |
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Describes how Johann Sebastian Bach survived the sorrowsof his childhood and composed the music the world has come to love.
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Sign of the Seahorse |
Base |
E BAS |
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The inhabitants of a coral reef are threatened when a shady real estate deal started by the greedy Groper floods their area with poisonous waste.
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Something Might Happen |
Lester |
Bookroom |
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Twitchly Fidget the lemur worries about almost everything until his Aunt Bridget Fidget pays him a visit and shows him another way to live.
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Spider and the Fly |
Howitt |
811 HOW |
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An illustrated version of the well-known poem about a wily spider who preys on the vanity and innocence of a little fly.
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Visit ot William Blake's Inn: Poems for the Innocent and Experienced Travelers. |
Willard |
811 WIL |
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Poems describe the curious menagerie of guests at William Blake's inn.
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Web Files |
Palatini |
E PAL |
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Ducktective Web and his partner try to quack the case of the pilfered peck of perfectly picked pickled peppers.
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Westwood Intermediate Books to Teach the Conventions Trait
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Behind the Mask |
Heller |
428.2 HEL |
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Explores through rhyming text the subject of prepositions and how they're used.. Use also with Word Choice
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Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish |
Gaiman |
Bookroom |
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After trading his father for two goldfish, a boy and his little sister go on a rollicking adventure around town to get him back
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Do Re Mi |
Roth |
Bookroom |
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For many years, Guido d'Arezzo, a young man from Tuscany, has imagined that his system of lines and spaces can be used as a written language of music and he is determined to make his ideas work.. Use also with Ideas
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Great Texas Hamster Drive |
Kimmel |
Bookroom |
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When Pecos Bill's daughter gets two pet hamsters, they soon multiply into the hundreds, so Bill decides to take them all to Chicago
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Hooray for Diffedorfer Day |
Prelutsky |
E PRE |
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The students of Diffendoofer School celebrate their unusual teachers and curriculum, including Miss Fribble, who teaches laughing, Miss Bonkers, who teaches frogs todance, and Mr. Katz, who builds robotic rats.
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If You Were a Writer |
Nixon |
E NIX |
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Melia tells her writer mother she'd like to be a writer too, and as the day progresses she receives many helpful suggestions.
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Kites Sail High |
Heller |
Bookroom |
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Rhyming text and colorful drawings explaining the "variety of uses and meanings an individual verb may have.". Use also with Word Chioice
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Many Luscious Lollipops |
Heller |
428.2 HEL |
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Using simple, playful verse and bright, lifelike paintings...explores the subject of adjectives" from their simple to more complex form. Use also with Word Choice
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Mine All Mine |
Heller |
428.2 HEL |
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Introduces various types of pronouns, explains how and when to use them, and provides poetic glimpses of what our language would be without them. Use also with Word Choice.
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Nouns and Verbs have a Field Day |
Pulver |
E PUL |
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When the children in Mr. Wright's class have a fieldday, nouns and verbs in the classroom make their own fun.
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Ox, House, Stick |
Robb |
Bookroom |
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See how the Roman alphabet began and how it has changed through the years.
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Pen that Pa Built |
Edwards |
Bookroom |
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A cumulative, illustrated tale describing the process of raising sheep and using their wool to make warm woolen blankets
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Punctuation Takes a Vacation |
Pulver |
Bookroom |
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When all the punctuation marks in Mr. Wright's class decide to take a vacation, the students discover justhow difficult life can be without them.
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The Scarves |
Bunge |
Bookroom |
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A child brings separated grandparents back together by knitting them scarves and inviting them to ice skate on a frozen lake. Illustrates dialogue
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Up, Up and Away |
Heller |
Bookroom |
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Rhyming text and colorful drawings define adverbs and explain when and how to use them
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Yo, Yes! |
Raschka |
Bookroom |
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Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends. |
Westwood Intermediate Books to Teach the Presentation Trait
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Actual Size |
Jenkins |
Bookroom |
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Discusses and gives examples of the size and weight of various animals and parts of animals
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Amelia’s Notebook |
Moss |
Bookroom |
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The hand-lettered contents of a nine-year-old girl's notebook, in which she records her thoughts and feelings about moving, starting school, and dealing with her older sister, as well as keeping her old best friend and making a new one
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Bad Case of Stripes |
Shannon |
Bookroom |
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Camilla Cream was always worried about what other people thought of her, but her troubles really began the day she awakened to find herself covered with stripes
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Behold the Trees |
Alexander |
E ALE |
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A land once protected by all sorts of wonderful trees is reduced over time by war and environmental neglect todesert, until new inhabitants plant trees and slowlymake Israel bloom again.
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Charlie Parker Played Be Bop |
Raschka |
921 PAR |
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Introduces the famous saxophonist and his style of jazz known as bebop.
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Cloud Dance |
Locker |
E LOC |
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Presents the paintings of clouds by artist Thomas Lockerwhich are accompanied by melodic text.
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How Are You Peeling? |
Freymann |
Bookroom |
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Brief text and photographs of carvings made fromvegetables introduce the world of emotions.
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Ignis |
Wilson |
Bookroom |
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Though he is admired by others, a young dragon does not feel complete because he cannot breathe fire
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Night of the Gargoyles |
Bunting |
E BUN |
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In the middle of the night, the gargoyles that adorn the walls of a museum come to life and frighten the night watchman.
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Journey of Oliver K Woodman |
Pattison |
Bookroom |
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Oliver K. Woodman, a man made of wood, takes a remarkable journey across America, as told through the postcards and letters of those he meets along the way
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Magic Fan |
Baker |
Bookroom |
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Guided by a magic fan, Yoshi uses his building skills to make a boat to catch the moon, a kite to reach the clouds, and a bridge that saves the villagers from a tidal wave. Use also with Word Choice.
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Once I Ate a Pie |
MacLachlan |
811 MAC |
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In a collection of poems, many dogs tell tales about their lives.
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Other Side |
Woodson |
E WOO |
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Two girls, one white and one black, gradually get toknow each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town.
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Rimshots |
Smith |
Bookroom |
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Stories and poems about playing basketball. Use also with Organization
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Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups |
Wisniewski |
818 WIS |
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A humorous revelation of the real reasons why adults tell children to do things, such as "Eat your vegetables," "Comb your hair," and "Don't blow bubblesin your milk."
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Seven Blind Mice |
Young |
398.24.YOU |
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Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind mendiscovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance.
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Silent Movie |
Avi |
E AVI |
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In the early years of the twentieth century, a Swedishfamily encounters separation and other hardships upon immigrating to New York City until the son is cast in silent movie, in a picture book that evokes an actual silent movie.
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Snowflake Bentley |
Martin |
921 BEN |
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biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations.
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Spider and the Fly |
Howitt |
821 HOW |
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An illustrated version of the well-known poem about a wily spider who preys on the vanity and innocence of a little fly.
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Starry Night |
Waldman |
E WAL |
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Vincent Van Gogh befriends a young boy in New York City in this picture book fantasy about art and creativity.
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Who’s Got Game |
Morrison |
Bookroom |
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"How can you say I never worked a day? Art is work. It just looks like play..." So says Foxy G. to his buddy Kid A... sassy, sly tale of friendship, betrayal, and survival - or not." |
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