Waltham public schools summer reading list students entering grade 3
Waltham public schools summer reading list students entering grade 3
Waltham public schools summer reading list students entering grade 3
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Grade Three<br />
<strong>Waltham</strong> Public Schools<br />
Summer Reading List<br />
Students <strong>entering</strong> Grade 3<br />
New Favorites<br />
The World According to<br />
Humphrey<br />
by Betty Birney<br />
Toys Go Out<br />
by Emily Jenkins<br />
I Face the Wind<br />
by Vicki Cobb<br />
The Name Jar<br />
by Yangsook Choi<br />
Mystic Horse<br />
by Paul Goble<br />
Dona Flor: A Tall Tale<br />
about a Giant Woman with<br />
a Great Big Heart<br />
by Pat Mora<br />
Once upon a Cool<br />
Motorcycle Dude<br />
by Kevin O'Malley<br />
The Four Ugly Cats<br />
in Apartment 3D<br />
by Marilyn Sachs<br />
One City, Two<br />
Brothers<br />
by Chris Smith<br />
Students <strong>entering</strong> Grade<br />
3 are expected to read<br />
in a “just right” book<br />
for 20-25 minutes a day<br />
and record the completed<br />
books on the<br />
<strong>reading</strong> log.<br />
Dear Parents,<br />
Summer vacation is almost here! We hope that you make it a time to REST,<br />
RELAX, READ, but above all ENJOY!<br />
Reading, like a sport, involves practice and skill. Real skill building occurs<br />
when children read for pleasure, when children read “just right” books, that<br />
is, books that are not too hard and not too easy, and when children can explore<br />
books about those topics that interest them. The more they practice<br />
with someone’s encouragement, suggestions and praise (just like in a sport),<br />
the better and more confident readers they will become.<br />
Here are some tips to encourage <strong>reading</strong>:<br />
June 2011<br />
• Set aside a regular family <strong>reading</strong> and /or read aloud time.<br />
• Read to your children, even the older ones.<br />
• Recognize that your child’s own choice and interests are important<br />
ingredients toward <strong>reading</strong> enjoyment.<br />
• Let your child see you <strong>reading</strong> for pleasure.<br />
• Don’t forget to pack a book wherever you go this <strong>summer</strong>.<br />
• Encourage and help your child succeed with <strong>reading</strong> but do not<br />
push or expect too much too soon.<br />
• Participate in activities at the local library.<br />
• Learn more about children’s books, from your child’s friends, from<br />
the local library or from the attached <strong>list</strong>s.<br />
Best wishes for a safe, happy, <strong>reading</strong> fun-filled <strong>summer</strong> from the elementary<br />
<strong>reading</strong> staff and elementary library teachers of the <strong>Waltham</strong> Public Schools.<br />
Fitzgerald Wendy Darcy Meryl Kaye Amy Giroux Kathleen Finnerty<br />
MacArthur Sharon Davis Lori Vanaria Ellen Brandt<br />
Northeast Jennifer Gershon Judith Araujo Carol Klatt<br />
Plympton Kristen Amarante Wendy Darcy Judith Paradis<br />
Stanley Robin Fopiano Heather Cummings Laura Larsson<br />
Whittemore Amy Giroux Sabina Steede Mary Kenslea<br />
Nancy Coppolino – Director, Reading/Language Arts Department<br />
Sandra Roby – Director of Library/Instructional Technology
Page 2 Grade Three<br />
Books About Grade 3<br />
Amber Brown Is Not a<br />
Crayon<br />
by Paula Danziger<br />
Amber is a spunky third<br />
<strong>grade</strong>r, who has lots of opinions.<br />
Unfortunately her best<br />
friend Justin is moving away.<br />
Arthur's Teacher Trouble<br />
by Marc Brown<br />
Third-<strong>grade</strong> Arthur is amazed when<br />
he is chosen to be in the<br />
school spellathon.<br />
Class Clown<br />
by Johanna Hurwitz<br />
Lucas tries to improve his<br />
behavior as he starts third<br />
<strong>grade</strong>.<br />
Caldecott Award<br />
The Hello, Goodbye Window<br />
by Norton Juster<br />
Kitten's First Full<br />
Moon<br />
by Kevin Henkes<br />
The Man Who<br />
Walked Between the Towers<br />
by Mordicai Gerstein<br />
Poetry<br />
Almost Late to School<br />
by Carol Diggory Shields<br />
Blast Off: Poems About<br />
Space<br />
by Lee Bennett Hopkins<br />
Butterfly Eyes and other Secrets of the<br />
Meadow<br />
by Joyce Sidman<br />
The Classroom at the End<br />
of the Hall<br />
by Douglas Evans<br />
Nine stories about the strange<br />
and peculiar happenings at W.T. Melon<br />
Elementary.<br />
Clementine is a not-so-common third<br />
<strong>grade</strong>r!<br />
by Sara Pennypacker<br />
Clementine is not having a good week<br />
and she has been sent to the principal’s<br />
office again<br />
How to Be Cool in the Third Grade<br />
by Betsy Duffey<br />
Robbie York wants to be "cool." He doesn't<br />
have a chance because his mother<br />
takes his picture at the bus stop, he's not<br />
My Friend Rabbit<br />
by Eric Rohmann<br />
The Three Pigs<br />
by David Wiesner<br />
So You Want to Be President?<br />
by Judith St. George<br />
Street Music: City Poems<br />
by Arnold Adoff<br />
Take Me out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly<br />
Songs<br />
by Alan Katz<br />
Where the Sidewalk Ends<br />
by Shel Silverstein<br />
wearing jeans and falls accidentally on the<br />
class bully. Will it ever get better?<br />
I Was a Third Grade Spy<br />
by Mary Jane Auch<br />
Brian's dog Arful suddenly begins talking<br />
so Brian and his two friends send the dog<br />
to find out what their friends are planning<br />
for the school talent show.<br />
Just Grace<br />
by Charise Mericle Harper<br />
A very funny book about Just Grace, one<br />
of four Graces in a third <strong>grade</strong> classroom.<br />
Muggie Maggie<br />
by Beverly Cleary<br />
Stubborn Maggie is determined not to<br />
learn to write cursive in third <strong>grade</strong>, but<br />
will she win out?<br />
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat<br />
by Simms Taback<br />
Snowflake Bentley<br />
by Jacqueline Briggs<br />
Martin<br />
Officer Buckle and Gloria<br />
by Peggy Rathmann
Grade Three<br />
Fiction<br />
Barnstormers Baseball books<br />
by Phil Bildner<br />
In the late 1800s, a baseball with<br />
strange powers belonging to their late<br />
father works wonders for three children<br />
and a traveling baseball team which<br />
must raise $10,000.<br />
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride<br />
by Kate DiCamillo<br />
Mr. Watson's usual Saturday drive in his<br />
Cadillac with his favorite pig, Mercy,<br />
turns into an adventure when an unexpected<br />
passenger shows up in the back<br />
seat and Mercy finds<br />
herself behind the<br />
wheel. .<br />
The Kids of Einstein Elementary:<br />
Titanic Cat<br />
by Mlodinow<br />
Steffi, Kenny, and Jose travel back in<br />
time to the Titanic just before it sinks in<br />
order to rescue a little kitten, but they<br />
have to use math in order to find it.<br />
The End of the Beginning<br />
by Avi<br />
Avon the snail and Edward, a takecharge<br />
ant, set off together on a journey<br />
to an undetermined destination in search<br />
of unspecified adventures. .<br />
Coretta Scott King Award<br />
Before John Was a Jazz Giant<br />
by Carole<br />
Weatherford<br />
Ruby Lu, Brave and True<br />
by Lenore Look<br />
"Almost-eight-year-old" Ruby Lu spends<br />
time with her baby brother, goes to Chinese<br />
school, performs magic tricks, learns<br />
to drive, and has adventures<br />
with both old and new<br />
friends. .<br />
The Emperor of Absurida<br />
by Chris Riddell<br />
A young boy journeys in<br />
search of a dragon, through a strange<br />
land where he finds wardrobe monsters,<br />
pillow hills, and umbrella trees. .<br />
The Patchwork<br />
Path: A Quilt<br />
Map to Freedom<br />
by Bettye Stroud<br />
While her father leads her toward Canada<br />
and away from the plantation<br />
where they have been slaves, a young<br />
girl thinks of the quilt her mother used to<br />
teach her a code that will help guide<br />
them to freedom.<br />
Ghosthunters<br />
by Cornelia Funke<br />
Tom, not yet 10, is deathly afraid of<br />
The Secret Olivia Told Me<br />
by N. Joy<br />
Ivy and Bean<br />
by Annie Barrows<br />
When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean<br />
trick on her sister, she finds unexpected<br />
support for her antics from Ivy, the new<br />
neighbor who, is less boring than Bean<br />
first suspected. .<br />
The Dragon's Child<br />
by Jenny Nimmo<br />
Dando, a young dragon who cannot fly,<br />
is captured by dangerous<br />
humans, but a kind slave<br />
girl, an orphaned bird, and<br />
the melancholy son of the<br />
dragon's captor help him<br />
escape his imprisonment and<br />
learn to fly.<br />
ghosts and unable to<br />
convince his family he<br />
has seen one in the<br />
basement of the apartment<br />
building they live<br />
in.<br />
Page 3<br />
Lexi's Tale<br />
by Johanna Hurwitz<br />
Nnarrated by Lexington, the helpful,<br />
street-smart squirrel from Pee-Wee's Tale<br />
who always has an idiom from the world<br />
of squirrels, passed down by his mother,<br />
to help guide his actions.<br />
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her<br />
People to Freedom<br />
by Carole Boston<br />
Weatherford
Page 4 Grade Three<br />
Favorite Series<br />
A to Z Mysteries<br />
by Ron Roy<br />
Amber Brown<br />
by Paula Danzinger<br />
Andrew Lost<br />
by J. C. Greenburg<br />
Cam Jansen<br />
by David Adler<br />
Chet Gecko Mysteries<br />
by Bruce Hale<br />
Cobble Street Cousins<br />
by Cynthia Rylant<br />
Dinosaur Dove<br />
by Rex Stone<br />
Third Grade Detectives<br />
by George Edward<br />
Stanley<br />
Time Warp Trio<br />
by Jon Sciezca<br />
Classic Authors<br />
Aesop<br />
Rainbow Magic<br />
by Daisy Meadows<br />
Stink<br />
by Megan McDonald<br />
Zelda<br />
and Ivy series<br />
Hans Christian Anderson<br />
Margaret Wise Brown<br />
Matt Christopher<br />
Barbara Cooney<br />
Elliot's Park<br />
by Patrick Carman<br />
Fairy Realm<br />
by Emily Rodda<br />
Flat Stanley<br />
by Jeff Brown<br />
Geronimo Stilton<br />
by Geronimo Stilton<br />
High Rise Private Eyes<br />
by Cynthia Rylant<br />
Horrible Harry<br />
by Suzy Kline<br />
Humpty Dumpty Jr: Hardboiled Detective<br />
by Nate Evans<br />
Favorite Authors<br />
Alma Flor Ada<br />
Paula Bourgeois<br />
Jan Brett<br />
Beverly Cleary<br />
Tomie dePaola<br />
Kate DiCamillo<br />
Mem Fox<br />
Steve Jenkins<br />
Gail Gibbons<br />
Brothers Grimm<br />
Madeleine L'Engle<br />
Rudyard Kipling<br />
Robert McCloskey<br />
A.A. Milne<br />
Bill Peet<br />
Iris and Walter series<br />
by Elissa Guest<br />
Jack Russell Dog Detective<br />
by Darrel Odgers<br />
Jigsaw Jones Mysteries<br />
by James Preller<br />
Judy Moody<br />
by Megan McDonald<br />
Little Wolf<br />
by Ian Whybrow<br />
Mercy Watson<br />
by Kate DiCamillo<br />
My Weird School<br />
by Dan Gutman<br />
Dick King-Smith<br />
Arnold Lobel<br />
Mary Pope Osborne<br />
Peggy Parish<br />
Barbara Parks<br />
Dav Pilkey<br />
James Marshall<br />
Marjorie Sharmat<br />
Betty Ren Wright<br />
Beatrix Potter<br />
William Steig<br />
E.B. White<br />
Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
Margery Williams<br />
Jane Yolen
Grade Three<br />
Nonfiction<br />
Actual Size<br />
by Steve Jenkins<br />
Also What Do You Do With a Tail Like This<br />
and Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution<br />
Lots of fascinating facts and questions to<br />
think about.<br />
Ice Cream: The Full Scoop<br />
by Gail Gibbons<br />
This book traces the history of ice cream,<br />
and follows the process by which ice cream<br />
is made.<br />
Swimming for Fun<br />
by Andrew Willett<br />
This book describes the four racing strokes in<br />
the sport of swimming and presents information<br />
on the basic equipment, practice, coaching,<br />
and competition.<br />
Knut: How One<br />
Little Polar Bear<br />
Captivated the<br />
World<br />
by Isabella Hatkoff<br />
This is a story of a orphaned polar bear who<br />
received wonderful care from a zookeeper<br />
and lots of attention from the visiting crowds.<br />
Arithme-tickle: An<br />
Even Number of Odd<br />
Riddle Rhymes<br />
by J. Patrick Lewis<br />
Cartoon illustrations<br />
make solving math riddles<br />
fun.<br />
Newbery Awards<br />
The Upstairs Room<br />
by Johanna Reiss<br />
Millions of Cats<br />
by Wanda Gag<br />
Doctor DeSoto<br />
by William Steig<br />
Sarah Plain and Tall<br />
by Patricia MacLachlan<br />
Tough, Toothy Baby<br />
Sharks<br />
by Sandra Markle<br />
Photographs and text introduce the development<br />
of baby sharks, the ways they avoid<br />
predators, and their ascent up the ocean's<br />
food chain.<br />
Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects<br />
and Their Relatives<br />
by Cathy Camper<br />
Each double page spread shows a view of<br />
prehistoric insect life, descriptions, and information<br />
about modern day descendents.<br />
Living Color<br />
by Steve Jenkins<br />
Explore how animals use color to survive.<br />
Finding Home<br />
by Sandra Markle<br />
This true story tells of a koala that survived<br />
many small fires in the forest and wandered<br />
into a neighborhood.<br />
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins<br />
by Brian Selnick<br />
Read about the man who was the first to<br />
draw what dinosaurs probably looked like.<br />
Heavy Equipment: Up Close<br />
by Andrea Serlin<br />
Enjoy a look at those big machines that help<br />
build roads and buildings.<br />
Bears on Hemlock Mountain<br />
by Alice Dagliesh<br />
After the Rain<br />
by Norma Fox Mazer<br />
Scorpions<br />
by Walter Dean Myers<br />
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush<br />
by Virginia Hamilton<br />
Measuring Penny<br />
by Loreen Leedy<br />
Lisa measures her dog for a homework assignment<br />
to determine his height, width,<br />
length, weight, volume, and temperature.<br />
A True Story<br />
by Helen Lester<br />
Read how the author became a children's<br />
book writer.<br />
Henry’s Freedom Box<br />
by Ellen Levine<br />
This is amazing story of a slave’s unusual<br />
route to freedom.<br />
What Do You Do With<br />
a Tail Like This by Jenkins<br />
Cut-paper collages of animals and closeups<br />
of their noses, ears, tails, eyes,<br />
mouths, and feet set against white backgrounds<br />
invite readers to think about animal<br />
adaptations.<br />
Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution<br />
by Steve Jenkins<br />
Lots of fascinating<br />
facts and questions<br />
to think about.<br />
Because of Winn-Dixie<br />
by Kate DiCamilio<br />
Courage of Sarah Noble<br />
by Alice Dagliesh<br />
The Hundred Penny Box<br />
by Sharon Bell Mathis<br />
The Whipping Boy<br />
by Sid Fleischman<br />
Page 5
Page 6 Grade Three<br />
Books I might like to read...<br />
So many books! So little time to read them all!<br />
During the <strong>summer</strong> it is easier to make time to read some of the many wonderful books that have been written for children. When<br />
choosing a just right book, you can use the suggestions on our <strong>list</strong>s or go to one of the following websites, which have organized their<br />
suggestions in a user-friendly format.<br />
<strong>Waltham</strong> Public Library http://www.waltham.lib.ma.us/children/index.php<br />
Center for Teaching and Learning http://www.c-t-l.org/kids_recommend.html<br />
Children’s Choices Book<strong>list</strong> http://www.<strong>reading</strong>.org/Resources/Book<strong>list</strong>s/ChildrensChoices.aspx<br />
Horn Book Summer Reading http://www.hbook.com/resources/books/<strong>summer</strong>.asp<br />
Planet Esme http://www.planetesme.com/fun.html<br />
Summer Reading List from other communities<br />
Houston Area Independent Schools Network http://www.haisln.org/recommended<strong>reading</strong><strong>list</strong>s.html<br />
Multomah County, Oregon http://www.multcolib.org/kids/book<strong>list</strong>s/<br />
New York Public Library http://kids.nypl.org/<strong>reading</strong>/index.cfm http://www.<strong>summer</strong><strong>reading</strong>.org/<br />
Newport News Virginia http://www.sbo.nn.k12.va.us/academic/<strong>summer</strong>/elem-read.html<br />
<strong>Waltham</strong>’s Library And Reading Teachers’ wiki—see the <strong>list</strong>s and join the discussion!<br />
https://wps-<strong>summer</strong><strong>reading</strong>.wikispaces.com/Entering+Grade+3
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