Passport to the World
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Great Fiction & Nonfi ction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A Walk in New York
By: Rubbino Salvatore
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
A boy and his father share the wonder of a visit to the sites of New York City, from the Empire State Building ending with a taxi ride to Grand Central (and a postcard to the reader) with lots in between. Energetic illustrations complement the informative text.
Adventures of Polo
By: Regis Faller
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
The rollicking adventures of Polo, a bright and resourceful pup, are told through lively, detailed pictures that warrant multiple examinations. Quick-paced and engaging, Polo brings all the right supplies for exploring the wider world by boat, plane and spaceship!
Along a Long Road
By: Frank Viva
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
A bicyclist rides begins his outing near the sea and rides through cities, towns, and the country with the water always in view. Restrained but effective language complements the highly stylized illustrations in limited colors accentuated by the glossy yellow road the bicyclist rides on.
Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic
By: Ginnie Lo | Illustrated by: Beth Lo
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Follow That Map! A First Look at Mapping Skills
By: Scot Ritchie
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
One day when Sally and her friends are playing, they notice that her dog and cat are missing. The children use map skills to explore their neighborhood and beyond to locate Sally's pets. Information and fun combine in this easy informational book.
Just Fine the Way They Are: From Dirt Roads to Rail Roads to Interstates
By: Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge | Illustrated by: Richard Walz
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Folks often resist change, even when it came to improving roads and modes of transportation in a growing United States. An informal text and informative but relaxed illustrations capture the essence of this history, suggesting what may be next. Additional resources are included.
Kimonos
By: Annalore Parot
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Traditional wooden Kokeshi dolls inspired this introduction to Japanese words and culture while presenting a participatory book with flaps to lift, fold-outs and more.
Line 135
By: Germano Zullo | Illustrated by: Albertine
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
On the Road
By: Susan Steggall
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
A family trip begins with everyone piling into the car. They then travel through the city with its traffic, over a bridge, through a tunnel, and more, stopping only when the family reaches the sparkling sea. Torn paper collage illustrations and simple text chronicle the gratifying outing.
On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World's Weather
By: Marilyn Singer | Illustrated by: Frane Lessac
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
One World, One Day
By: Barbara Kerley
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Every day children around the world awake to begin their days having breakfast, going to school, coming home to families. A poetic text combines with photographs from myriad countries to visually highlight the richness of the world and its people.
Redwoods
By: Jason Chin
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Giant redwoods are usually found in the Northwest United States, so how does a boy on a New York subway get to the redwoods canopy? That's just what happens in this informative, illustrated journey from underground to atop the world's tallest trees. The redwoods can be found in national parks in northern California and southern Oregon.
Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes
By: Roseanne Thong | Illustrated by: John Parra
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Subway Ride
By: Heather Lynn Miller | Illustrated by: Sue Rama
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Down, down, down...now off we go! begins a journey on city subways from Washington DC to Moscow and more. This short, fantastic, colorfully illustrated trip ends with a brief description of the real transit systems described.
Thanking the Moon
By: Grace Lin | Illustrated by: Grace Lin
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
The Last Train
By: Gordon Titcomb | Illustrated by: Wendell Minor
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
The train's illustrious past combines with realistic illustrations to successfully present a reverent homage and history. The rhyming text is from an original song. Additional resources to learn more about trains and their history concludes this handsome book.
The Scrambled States of America
By: Laurie Keller
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Dorothy may have thought there's no place like home when she clicked her ruby slippers, but the wanderlust of her native state is what starts all the trouble here. Kansas is bored and gets best friend Nebraska to help stir things up. Soon they're throwing a potluck party for all the states and everyone delights in the idea of seeing another part of the country. Readers will unwittingly learn more than they would ever have thought while poring over the witty remarks exchanged over state lines.
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World
By: Selby Beeler | Illustrated by: G. Brian Karas
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Lighthearted illustrations provide just the right tone for brief looks at what happens when children lose their teeth in various places around the world. The title indicates what is done in Korea while an American child awaits the tooth fairy's exchange. A map provides a quick glimpse of this intriguing, quick world tour just right for browsing.
Tito Puente, Mambo King
By: Monica Brown | Illustrated by: Rafael López
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar?
By: George Shannon | Illustrated by: Julie Paschkis
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia
By: Verna Aardema
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
The year Grace turned eight, her Mum and Dad took her and her siblings on a trip around Australia. The kids "missed school for the whole winter term" and Grace documented much of what she learned, where she went, and the adventures they had as they experienced the diversity of the continent. Grace's informal voice is informative yet engaging, completed by line drawings and simple maps.
Crouching Tiger
By: Ying Chang Compestine | Illustrated by: Yan Nascimbene
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Everglades
By: Jean Craighead George | Illustrated by: Wendell Minor
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
As an Indian storyteller guides a boat of children down the sea of grass, he reveals the story of the landscape's formation of what was to become a subtropical national park home to many unique animals. This carefully crafted and handsomely illustrated cautionary tale urges conservation, as the future of the Everglades depends on it.
Go, Go America
By: Dan Yaccarino
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
This fun, fact-filled glimpse at the states begins with a warning that many of the facts are "wacky and outrageous" but buckle up and join the romp! (Leominster, MA, was the birthplace of the plastic lawn flamingo, for example.) Factoids combine with humorous illustrations to engage travelers on the go!
If You Lived Here: Houses of the World
By: Giles Laroche | Illustrated by: Giles Laroche
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Let's Celebrate: Festival Poems from Around the World Let's Celebrate: Festival Poems from Around the World
By: Debjani Chatterjee , Brian D'Arcy | Illustrated by: Shirin Adl
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Mazes Around the World
By: Mary D. Lankford | Illustrated by: Karen Dugan
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Regardless of where they are found, mazes are amazing! Visit mazes that can be found around the world in this brief, informative, and intriguing look at these mysterious labyrinths.
Me on the Map
By: Joan Sweeney | Illustrated by: Annette Cable
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
The United States is a big place which holds many children and their families. Maps and what they show are introduced by a girl who begins with a drawing of her room in her home. The house is then placed on a street, in a town, etc. until we see the U.S. as part of the world. This accessible book may help children understand their place on the map — and in the census.
Monumental Verses
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt
By: Joanna Cole | Illustrated by: Bruce Degen
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Nine O’Clock Lullaby
By: Marilyn Singer | Illustrated by: Frane Lessac
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Piñata Maker/El Piñatero
By: George Ancona
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egypt Drawing Book
By: Ralph Masiello
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia
By: Sally Pomme | Illustrated by: Sophie Herxheimer
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Where do you find needles? All over the world, of course! Readers will recognize many things in these stories from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries where stories, riddles, and more are told at mealtimes to feed the soul as well as the body. As with many folktales, readers recognize what they share with people in another part of the world while celebrating what makes them unique.
The Museum Book: A Guide to Strange and Wonderful Collections
By: Jan Mark | Illustrated by: Richard Holland
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest
By: Steve Jenkins
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Exploring its history, geography, climate, and culture, this unique book takes readers on the ultimate adventure of climbing Mount Everest.
The Ugly Vegetables
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
In a neighborhood of flower gardens, a Chinese-American girl and her mother plant what the child considers to be ugly vegetables. The ugly vegetables, however, become attractive and help build community when made into a delicious soup! A recipe is included.
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
By: Vera B. Williams | Illustrated by: Vera B. Williams
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Ultimate Trains
By: Peter McMahon | Illustrated by: Andy Mora
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Sophisticated readers will learn a great deal about trains and how they work in straightforward text and color photographs. Suggested experiments bring concepts into focus but are best done by older children or with an adult
Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World
By: Roseanne Thong | Illustrated by: Elisa Kleven
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Children around the world make wishes. Information about what makes a wish come true follows a short poem. Each tradition is placed on a double-page spread accompanied by jewel-toned illustrations.
Age Level: 9-12 years old
United States Atlas for Young Explorers (Third Edition)
By: National Geographic Society
Age Level: 9-12 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
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