Special Collections
K-1 Common Core Text Exemplars
Description: These books exemplify the level of complexity that Common Core State Standards require students to engage with. While the choices serve to help educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range, this not a required reading list. #teachers
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Kitten's First Full Moon
by Kevin HenkesThe nationally bestselling picture book about a kitten, the moon, and a bowl of milk, written by the celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, was awarded a Caldecott Medal.
From one of the most celebrated and beloved picture book creators working in the field today comes a memorable new character and a suspenseful adventure just right for reading and sharing at home and in the classroom. It is Kitten's first full moon, and when she sees it she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. Does she get it? Well, no . . . and yes. What a night!
Are You My Mother?
by P. D. EastmanA baby bird goes in search of his mother in this hilarious Beginner Book edited by Dr. Seuss. When a mother bird's egg starts to jump, she hurries off to make sure she has something for her little one to eat. But as soon as she's gone, out pops the baby bird. He immediately sets off to find his mother, but not knowing what she looks like makes it a challenge. The little hatchling is determined to find his mother, even after meeting a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a Snort. The timeless message of the bond between mother and child make P. D. Eastman's Are You My Mother? A must for baby showers, beginning readers, and Mother's Day.
Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Images and descriptions available.
Green Eggs and Ham
by Seuss“Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am in this Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? On a train or in a tree? Sam keeps asking persistently. With unmistakable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic. In this most famous of cumulative tales, the list of places to enjoy green eggs and ham, and friends to enjoy them with, gets longer and longer. Follow Sam-I-am as he insists that this unusual treat is indeed a delectable snack to be savored everywhere and in every way.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
How People Learned to Fly
by Fran HodgkinsIn this book you find out about the many obstacles that have been overcome so planes and people can soar through the sky.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Amazing Whales!
by Sarah L. ThomsonHow big are whales? How do whales breathe? Do they live alone or in groups? Why are so many whales in danger?
This exceptional book for beginning readers explores one of the most amazing animals in the sea.
Featuring breathtaking photographs from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Amazing Whales! is the latest title in a new I Can Read Book series about the fascinating animals that share our world and how we can help to keep them healthy and safe.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
From Seed to Pumpkin
by Wendy PfefferIn the fall, pumpkins are everywhere: in the garden, in the supermarkets, and on doorsteps. But do you know how they grow from a tiny yellow seed to a big orange pumpkin? Read and find out!
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
by Steve JenkinsA nose for digging? Ears for seeing? Eyes that squirt blood? Explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this beautifully illustrated interactive guessing book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.
Winner of the Caldecott Honor
Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
by Arthur DorrosExplains how water flows from brooks, to streams, to rivers, over waterfalls, through canyons and dams, to eventually reach the ocean.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Fire! Fire!
by Gail GibbonsThe alarm sounds. Fire! Fire! Big trucks roll out of the fire house and race to the scene. Out come the soft hoses and aerial ladders. Whether the fire is in the city or in the country, on the waterfront or in a deep forest, firefighters are on the scene in moments, ready to attack the blaze.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Tomás and the Library Lady
by Pat MoraTomás is a son of migrant workers. Every summer he and his family follow the crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long, arduous days in the fields.
At night they gather around to hear Grandfather's wonderful stories. But before long, Tomás knows all the stories by heart.
"There are more stories in the library," Papa Grand tells him. The very next day, Tomás meets the library lady and a whole new world opens up for him.
Based on the true story of the Mexican-American author and educator Tomás Rivera, a child of migrant workers who went on to become the first minority Chancellor in the University of California system, this inspirational story suggests what libraries--and education--can make possible.
Raul Colón's warm, expressive paintings perfectly interweave the harsh realities of Tomás's life, the joyful imaginings he finds in books, and his special relationships with a wise grandfather and a caring librarian.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Family Pictures / Cuadros de Familia
by Carmen Lomas GarzaFamily Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza's girlhood: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, finding a hammerhead shark on the beach, picking cactus, going to a fair in Mexico, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist.
These day-to-day experiences are told through fourteen vignettes of art and a descriptive narrative, each focusing on a different aspect of traditional Mexican American culture. The English-Spanish text and vivid illustrations reflect the author's strong sense of family and community. For Mexican Americans, Carmen Lomas Garza offers a book that reflects their lives and traditions. For others, this work offers insights into a beautifully rich community.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Lon Po Po
by Ed YoungIn this Chinese version of the classic fairy tale, a mother leaves her three children home alone while she goes to visit their grandmother. When the children are visited by a wolf, pretending to be their Po Po, or granny, they let him in the house, but ultimately are not fooled by his deep voice and hairy face
Winner of the Caldecott Medal
This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.
The Paper Crane
by Molly Garrett BangA mysterious man enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes alive and dances.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
A Story, A Story
by Gail E. HaleyMany African stories, whether or not they are about Kwaku Ananse the "spider man," are called, "Spider Stories." This book is about how that came to be. The African storyteller begins: "We do not really mean, we do not really mean that what we are about to say is true. A Story, a story; let it come, let it go." And it tells that long, long ago there were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God.
Ananse, the Spider man, wanted to buy some of these stories, so he spun a web up to the sky and went up to bargain with the Sky God. The price the Sky God asked was Osebo, the leopard of-the- terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia the fairy whom-men-never-see. How Ananse paid the price is told in a graceful and clever text, with forceful, lovely woodcut illustrations, which have been described.
Winner of the 1971 Caldecott Award.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards for K-1 in English language arts at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Finn Family Moomintroll
by Tove Jansson and Elizabeth PortchMoomintroll lives in Moominhouse, nestled in Moomin Valley, a place where everyone does what they like and hardly ever worries about tomorrow. Moomintroll has some marvellous adventures with his friends. One day they find a tall black hat on top of a mountain, the Moomins don't realise that it will make some very strange things happen to them.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard Atwater and Florence Atwater and Robert LawsonMr. Popper has penguins in his fridge, an ice rink in the basement, and a family for whom life will never be the same How many penguins in the house is too many?
Mr. Popper is a humble house painter living in Stillwater who dreams of faraway places like the South Pole. When an explorer responds to his letter by sending him a penguin named Captain Cook, Mr. Popper and his family's lives change forever. Soon one penguin becomes twelve, and the Poppers must set out on their own adventure to preserve their home.
First published in 1938, Mr. Popper's Penguins is a classic tale that has enchanted young readers for generations.
Newbery Medal Honors book
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth WilliamsThe first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's treasured Little House series--now available as an ebook! This digital version features Garth Williams's classic illustrations, which appear in vibrant full color on a full-color device and in rich black-and-white on all other devices.
This beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family begins in 1871 in a log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Four-year-old Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their dog, Jack.
Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, but it is also exciting as they celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night Laura and her family are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle to send them off to sleep.
The nine Little House books are inspired by Laura's own childhood and have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank BaumTHE INSPIRATION FOR THE CLASIC FILM&“Follow the yellow brick road!&” Since it first appeared in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has brought joy to generations. In it, a girl's dream world comes to life as the cyclone lifts Dorothy from Kansas, depositing her in the enchanted land of the Munchkins. There she meets the famous Oz characters: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Her adventures along the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and the Wizard himself evoke the rich, universal appeal of a classic fairy tale.
I Read Signs
by Tana HobanIntroduces signs and symbols frequently seen along the street.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
A Weed is a Flower
by AlikiBrief text and pictures present the life of George Washington Carver, born a slave, who became a scientist and devoted his entire life to helping the South improve its agriculture.
Starfish
by Edith T. HurdStarfish have arms, but no legs. They have feet, but no toes. When starfish get hungry, they slide, glide, and feel their way in search of something to eat. Starfish aren't fish, but they are living animals. Learn how starfish move, eat, and grow in Edith Hurd's poetic text. Read and find out all about starfish, the stars of the sea.
My Five Senses
by AlikiA child's world is one filled with the discovery of sensations, and "My Five Senses" captures the excitement and wonder that accompany these discoveries by focusing on such common sensations as licking ice cream, petting a bunny and hearing a fire engine.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
A Tree is a Plant
by Clyde Robert BullaThis book describes a tree's life cycle through the seasons.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Hi! Fly Guy
by Tedd ArnoldWhen Buzz captures a fly to enter in The Amazing Pet Show, his parents and the judges tell him that a fly cannot be a pet, but Fly Guy proves them wrong.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Winner of the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor
Pancakes for Breakfast
by Tomie DePaolaThis wordless picture book follows the trials of a little old lady who attempts to make pancakes for her breakfast. “The optimistic determination of the woman and the gentle humor of the illustrations make this an appealing book for the very young.” —School Library Journal
This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades K-1, Stories).