Books
The proficiency levels reflect the amount of text per page, overall
complexity of language and vocabulary, and level of the story's
concreteness (vs. abstractness). These levels are meant to guide
teachers, not limit them; therefore, teachers are encouraged to
try any of these books with any group of students, editing, simplifying,
or amplifying as needed.
The Association of Children's
Librarians of Northern California (ACL) has a website that
includes storytime ideas and a "BayViews" section with
news, annotated book lists, and articles concerning children's
services and programming. Articles and storytime suggestions are
added on a monthly basis.
Proficiency Levels
Literacy Level
Beginning Level
Low-Intermediate Level
High-Intermediate Level
Advanced Level
Hoban, T. (1987). 26 letters and 99 cents. New York:
Greenwillow Books. This book is useful for basic literacy focusing
on numbers and money, letters, and pictures. Its large, clear
pictures suggest many teaching applications. See also other
basic concept books by the author (e.g., I Read Signs, 1983).
Hoban, T. (1997). Construction zone. New York: Greenwillow
Books. This book is simple and clear. There is a picture of
one piece of construction machinery and one word per two-page
spread. More vocabulary for construction workers is provided
at the back of the book.
Pomeroy, D. (1996). One potato. A counting book of potato
prints. New York: Harcourt Brace. Each number (1-10, 20, 30,
etc.) is associated with attractive food, and each two-page
spread is illustrated by an appetizing potato print.
Siddals, M. K. (1997). Tell me a season. Illustrated
by P. Mathers. The vocabulary of seasons, colors, and nouns
from nature comprises the minimal text in this simple book.
This book can also be used to introduce adjectives.
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Linden, A.M. (1992). One smiling grandma. A Caribbean
counting book. Illustrated by L. Russell. New York: Dial. This
is an intergenerational story that would suit a family literacy
class.
Low, W. (1997). Chinatown. New York: Henry Holt. Simple
sentences and descriptive illustrations capture daily life in
New York's Chinatown. Celebration of Chinese New Year is highlighted.
The author/artist is from Chinatown.
Miranda, A. (1997). To market, to market. Illustrated
by J. Stevens. New York: Harcourt Brace. This adult spoof on
the classic children's nursery rhyme has a repeated refrain,
rhyming words, and food and animal vocabulary.
Morris, A. (1992). Houses and homes. Photographs by
K. Heyman. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. Stunning, color
photographs and limited text present homes around the world.
See also Bread, bread, bread (1989), by the same author,
photographer, and publisher, done with the same mature style
and multicultural approach.
Cox, J. (1998). Now we can have a wedding. Illustrated
by D. DiSalvo-Ryan. New York: Holiday House. An inter-ethnic
wedding is planned, and friends and fellow tenants in their
apartment building prepare food from around the world for the
celebration.
Garland, S. (1993). The lotus seed. Illustrated by T.
Kiuchi. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. A single lotus
seed provides continuity for a Vietnamese family. The granddaughter
tells her grandmother's emotional and traumatic story in one
to two sentences per page in a semi-poetic format. Some challenging
language and vocabulary is included.
Garza. C.L. (1996). In my family/En mi familia. San
Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. These authentic vignettes
of family life in south Texas, by the author and illustrator,
a famous Mexican-American artist, are simply written, with one
topic per page. This is the sequel to Family pictures
(1989), by the same author and publisher.
Sakai, K. (1990). Sachiko means happiness. Illustrated
by T. Arai. Emeryville, CA: Children's Book Press. In this Japanese
family, roles change, as the grandmother begins to lose her
memory and her granddaughter learns to accept her as she now
is.
Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's journey. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin. This story is about the author's grandfather, who journeyed
between his two cultures--Japanese and American. The sparse
text has some challenging vocabulary and syntax.
Spenser, E. (1993). A flag for our country. New York:
Steck-Vaughn. This simply told story of Betsy Ross and the making
of the American flag has some difficult grammatical patterns.
It is good for citizenship and American history classes.
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Bartone, E. (1996). American too. Illustrated by T.
Lewin. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. An Italian-American
adolescent girl bridges two cultures. New York City in the early
20th century comes alive with Lewin's artistry. See also Peppe
the lamplighter (1993), by the same author and publisher,
about an Italian-American boy who proudly works in a menial
job to help his family.
Bresnick-Perry, R. (1992). Leaving for America. Illustrated
by M. Reisberg. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. Based
on a true story, this Russian-Jewish immigration saga highlights
the trauma of leaving home. The inter-generational story has
a detailed story line and some complex sentence patterns.
Bunting, E. (1991). Fly away home. Illustrated by R.
Himler. New York: Clarion Books. This story about homelessness
has some grammatical complexity. See also The wall (1990),
by the same author, illustrator, and publisher, about the Vietnam
memorial.
Kurtz, J., & Kurtz, C. (1997). Only a pigeon. New
York: Simon & Schuster. This journey into the urban life
of modern Addis Ababa is told through the eyes of an Ethiopian
adolescent boy who works, goes to school, and proudly raises
pigeons. The prose is enhanced by realistic, soft watercolor
paintings.
Lewin, T. (1997). Fair! New York: Lothrop, Lee &
Shepard. Lewin's large, colorful and detailed illustrations
accompany text about an American cultural experience, the county
fair. This book introduces a lot of vocabulary in a number of
verb tenses.
Maestro, B. (1996). Coming to America. The story of
immigration. Illustrated by S. Ryan. New York: Scholastic. This
illustrated history of immigration is historically accurate,
yet simplified for a picture book format. It provides additional
information at the end of the book (e.g., a table of dates).
Orr, K. (1990). My grandpa and the sea. Minneapolis,
MN: Carolrhoda Books. The wisdom of a simple fisherman is honored
in this story, set on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The
intergenerational conflict lends itself to class discussion.
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Ashabranner, B. (1993). Still a nation of immigrants.
Photographs by J. Ashabranner. New York: Cobblehill/Dutton.
This 125-page book explores the issues of immigration today.
It is divided into chapters and also smaller subsections, so
a teacher can easily select a 3-5-page passage for classroom
use. It highlights successful immigrants from a range of cultures.
Black and white photographs enhance the text.
Nye, N. S. (1996). The same sky. A collection of poems
from around the world. New York: Alladin. This selection of
short, original poems was written by children and adults from
all over the world. It is organized into topics (e.g., families,
dreams, and dreamers). Marketed as a children's book, the poetry
has appeal for all ages.
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