Special Collections

District List: BCPS Supplemental Texts - Grade 2

Description: Baltimore City Public Schools Supplemental Text List for students in 2nd Grade. #bcps


Showing 1 through 25 of 45 results

Strega Nona

by Tomie DePaola

When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works in this classic Caldecott Honor book from Tomie dePaola.

Strega Nona—"Grandma Witch"—is the source for potions, cures, magic, and comfort in her Calabrian town. Her magical everfull pasta pot is especially intriguing to hungry Big Anthony. He is supposed to look after her house and tend her garden but one day, when she goes over the mountain to visit Strega Amelia, Big Anthony recites the magic verse over the pasta pot, with disastrous results.

In this retelling of an old tale, author-illustrator Tomie dePaola combines humor in the writing and warmth in the paintings as he builds the story to its hilarious climax.

Date Added: 05/14/2019


A Is For Abigail

by Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser

Lynne Cheney and Robin Preiss Glasser collaborated on America: A Patriotic Primer, which captured the imagination of American children and became a national best-seller. Now they turn their hands to A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women and bring the great women of American history to life. Filled to the brim with words and pictures that celebrate the remarkable (although often unmarked) achievements of American women, this is a book to relish and to read again and again.

Mothers, daughters, schoolchildren, generations of families -- everyone -- will take Abigail Adams's words to heart and "remember the ladies" once they read the stories of these astonishing, astounding, amazing American women.

Date Added: 05/17/2019


The Shortest Day

by Wendy Pfeffer and Jesse Reisch

The beginning of winter is marked by the solstice, the shortest day of the year. Long ago, people grew afraid when each day had fewer hours of sunshine than the day before. Over time, they realized that one day each year the sun started moving toward them again. In lyrical prose and cozy illustrations, this book explains what the winter solstice is and how it has been observed by various cultures throughout history. Many contemporary holiday traditions were borrowed from ancient solstice celebrations.

Simple science activities, ideas for celebrating the day in school and at home, and a further-reading list are included.

Date Added: 05/28/2019


Cowboys And Cowgirls

by Gail Gibbons

In words and pictures, this book captures all the excitement and adventure of the Wild West. Gibbons's colorful watercolors deftly recreate cowboys clothing, equipment, and lifestyle, and the lively text includes descriptions of famous cowboys and cowgirls, as well as historical facts. Full color.

Date Added: 06/26/2019


Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days

by Cynthia Rylant

From the Book Jacket: Henry and his 180-pound dog Mudge are best friends forever. And in this fifth book of their adventures, they share the joys of winter. Other books in this series are available from Bookshare.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Frog and Toad All Year

by Arnold Lobel

Go sledding with Frog and Toad and see what happens when Frog tumbles off and Toad has to steer by himself. See how frog cheers Toad up on a rainy day when it feels as if spring will never come. See why Frog and Toad go to bed happy after raking yards all day even though the wind scatters the leaves all around until it looks as if the leaves were never raked up at all. Toad the ice-cream monster may be the funniest Toad you've seen yet. On Christmas Eve find out how worries can grow and grow even when there's nothing to worry about. Two of the four Frog and Toad books by Lobel have won major awards. In Frog and Toad All Year, the third book in this hilarious series of easy to read chapter books about best friends, children will laugh and cheer at the five stories: one for each season and one about Christmas Eve. The pictures are carefully and humorously described.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Over and Under the Snow

by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter s snowy landscape in this magical book.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Locomotive

by Brian Floca

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America's early railroads, from the creator of the "stunning" (Booklist) Moonshot.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


How We Crossed The West

by Rosalyn Schanzer

THE YEAR: 1804

THE MISSION: To search for a river route across the western united states all the way to the Pacific Ocean, mapping and exploring this uncharted land for the U.S. government.

THE EXPLORERS: MERIWETHER LEWIS AND WILLIAM CLARK: Two military men, a crew of adventurers, and a dog named Seaman.

Join Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery on an incredible, historic, and unforgettable journey.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Too Many Tamales

by Gary Soto

As she helped her mother prepare the tamales for Christmas dinner, Maria slipped her mother's diamond ring onto her finger for just a moment. But suddenly, the ring was gone, and there were 24 tamales that just might contain the missing ring. "A warm family story that combines glowing art with a well-written text to tell of a girl's dilemma."--School Library Journal, starred review.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table

by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Eric-Shabazz Larkin and Will Allen

Will Allen is no ordinary farmer. A former basketball star, he's as tall as his truck, and he can hold a cabbage--or a basketball--in one hand. But what is most special about Farmer Will is that he can see what others can't see. When he looked at an abandoned city lot in Milwaukee he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world.

No space, no problem. Poor soil, there's a solution. Need help, found it. Farmer Will is a genius in solving problems. In 2008, the MacArthur Foundation named him one for his innovative urban farming methods, including aquaponics and hydroponics.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of the Caldecott Medal winner, Snowflake Bentley, and Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious , along with debut artist Eric-Shabazz Larkin's striking artwork, tells the inspiring story of the African American innovator, educator, and community builder.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food

by Chris Butterworth

Fresh retro artwork lures little readers on a tasty trip to farms, dairies, and more. Yum! The best part of a young child's day is often opening a lunchbox and diving in. But how did all that delicious food get there? Who made the bread for the sandwich? What about the cheese inside? Who plucked the fruit? And where did the chocolate in that cookie get its start? From planting wheat to mixing flour into dough, climbing trees to machine-squeezing fruit, picking cocoa pods to stirring a vat of melted bliss, here is a clear, engaging look at the steps involved in producing some common foods. Healthy tips and a peek at basic food groups complete the menu.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


The Rough-Face Girl

by Rafe Martin and David Shannon

NIMAC-sourced textbook

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Heart on Fire

by Ann Malaspina and Steve James

On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony made history--and broke the law--when she voted in the US presidential election, a privilege that had been reserved for men. She was arrested, tried, and found guilty: "The greatest outrage History ever witnessed," she wrote in her journal. It wasn't until 1920 that women were granted the right to vote, but the civil rights victory would not have been possible without Susan B. Anthony's leadership and passion to stand up for what was right.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Strega Nona

by Tomie Depaola

[Handwritten on dust jacket inside cover:] I Miei Amici, As I tell my story, so many memories come back to me... of dear Grandma Concetta who shared her secrets with me... of childhood days with my best friend Amelia and the different paths we have taken as Stregas... of my early days in the little house on the hill... and the happy moments when I met my dear helper Big Anthony and sweet Bambolona who even now are at my side to help me each day when the villagers come with their problems... But, I am getting ahead of my story... Let us go back to the beginning on the night I was born. The wind was blowing dark storm clouds across the hills... and I would not make my appearance in the world until...

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Before We Eat

by Mary Azarian and Pat Brisson

Milk doesn't just appear in your refrigerator, or apples on your kitchen counter. Before we eat, many people must work very hard planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, and filling crates. In this book, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, readers find out what must happen before food can get to our table to nourish our bodies and spirits.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


New York's Bravest

by Mary Pope Osborne

In the 1840's there was a New York City firefighter named Mose Humphreys whose bravery was known throughout the city. Over the years, legends about Mose's strength and heroics grew to larger-than-life proportions. In this book Mary Pope Osborne adds her own two cents to the old legends, telling an exciting and touching story that introduces Mose--all of eight feet tall and able to swim the Hudson River in two strokes--to young children.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


I Have a Dream

by Kadir Nelson and Martin Luther King Jr.

On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation's history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's magificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, 50 years later, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation's past.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Sit-In

by Andrea Davis Pinkney

It was February 1, 1960. They didn't need menus. Their order was simple. A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side. Courageously defying the WHITES ONLY edict of the area, four young black men took a stand against the injustice of segregation in America by sitting down at the lunch counter of a Woolworth's department store. Countless others of all races soon joined the cause following Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful words of peaceful protest. By sitting down together, they stood up for civil rights and created the perfect recipe for integration not only at the Woolworth's counter, but on buses and in communities throughout the South.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Henry's Freedom Box

by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson

A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.

Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday -- his first day of freedom.

Winner of the Caldecott Honor

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Poppleton in Winter

by Cynthia Rylant

In this easy-to-read chapter book, Poppleton the pig charms young readers with his quirky adventures and whimsical ideas! Poppleton grows an icicle garden and ends up with an icicle fence instead. He sculpts a bust of Cherry Sue without explaining his constant visits just to look at her face. And he wonders why he can't find a friend to go on a sleigh ride with. No one can go, because they're all preparing Poppleton's birthday party!

[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 2-3 at http://www.corestandards.org.]

Date Added: 03/11/2019


Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

by Erica Silverman and Betsy Lewin

A Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book Hold on to your hats! Two new pals have arrived on the scene: Cowgirl Kate and her stubborn, but devoted cowhorse, Cocoa. Together they count the herd, ride the range, and, of course, argue till the cows come home--as only best friends can do.With its spirited text and bright, humorous illustrations by Caldecott Honor recipient Betsy Lewin, this first book in the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa series is bound to be a hit with young wranglers everywhere. This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Stories)

Date Added: 03/11/2019


The Listeners (Tales of Young Americans Series)

by Gloria Whelan

Ella May lives on a plantation but she doesn't live in the great house. She is a slave. It's dark in the morning when Ella May heads to the fields to pick cotton. And it's sunset when she comes home. But her day isn't done, not yet. Ella May still has important work to do. She's got to listen. Each night Ella May and her friends, Bobby and Sue, listen outside the windows of their master's house. Acting as the ears of their families, the children listen in the hopes of gleaning information about their fates and those of their loved ones. Who will be sold? Who will stay? What is happening in the rest of the country? The lives of slaves depended on the whims and inclinations of their owners. They had no control over the circumstances of their daily lives or futures. But they could dream. And when the promise of freedom is spoken, the children are the first to hear it. Award-winning author Gloria Whelan's quiet, poignant story brings to life the heartbreaking reality of what life as a slave was like for the youngest members of society. Picture descriptions added.

Date Added: 03/11/2019


I Could Do That!

by Linda Arms White

Full of humor and spunk – just like Esther! "I could do that,"says six-year-old Esther as she watches her mother making tea. Start her own business at the age of nineteen? Why, she could do that, too.

But one thing Esther and other women could NOT do was vote. Only men could do that.

With lively text and humorous illustrations as full of spirit as Esther herself, this striking picture book biography shows how one girl's gumption propels her through a life filled with challenges until, in 1869, she wins the vote for women in Wyoming Territory – the first time ever in the United States!

I Could Do That! is a 2006 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Date Added: 03/11/2019



Showing 1 through 25 of 45 results