3rd Grade
Recommended Reading
Non-Fiction
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico.
In this Native American tale, the clever lamb tricks the coyote.
Climo, Shirley. Korean Cinderella.
Pear Blossom goes to the village festival but along the way, she loses her straw sandal. The Magistrate finds the sandal and claims her for his bride in this multicultural adaptation of the Cinderella story.
Zelinsky, Paul. Rapunzel.
This Caldecott Award winning fairy tale about a girl imprisoned with long hair is beautifully illustrated in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
Aliki. The Story of Johnny Appleseed.
The story retells the wandering of John Chapman, whose devotion to planting apple trees makes him a legendary figure in American history.
Picture Books
Alexander, Lloyd. Fortune-Tellers.
A young man from Cameroon seeks the advice of a fortuneteller. When he returns to his village, he is mistaken for a fortuneteller with very funny results!
Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt.
Clara pieces a quilt that serves as a map of the Underground Railroad’s route to freedom. She escapes but leaves the quilt as a map to guide other slaves to the North.
dePaola, Tomie. Strega Nona: Her Story.
Big Anthony runs into trouble when he learns only part of Strega Nona’s spell and is unable to stop the magic pasta pot.
Peet, Bill. Wump World.
The Pollutians invade and take over the Wumps’ beautiful planet. The Wumps must rebuild their ruined world after the invaders move on to other planets.
Say, Allen. Grandfather’s Journey.
This Caldecott Award winner portrays a grandfather’s journey to America from Japan and describes the author’s love for both countries.
Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales.
Maria loses her mother’s wedding ring in the tamale batter. Panic arises when she realizes that it is missing as the family is gathering
Steig, William. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.
Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble that grants him three wishes. In a moment of fright, he asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock. Unfortunately, he is not able to undo the magic! Find out how Sylvester returns home to his family again.
Juvenile Fiction
Bianco, Margery Williams. The Velveteen Rabbit.
In this poignant story, a toy rabbit becomes real through the love of a young boy.
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells.
Julian can lead his young brother Huey into a pack of trouble in a flick of an eye. (Series)
Cleary, Beverly. The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
When Keith and his family vacation at the Mountain View Inn, he becomes fast friends with a little mouse whom he teaches to ride his toy motorcycle.
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest.
Ramona is having plenty of trouble with her teacher, her classmates, her sister and her mother’s part-time job.
Gardiner, John Reynolds. Stone Fox.
When Willy’s usually spry grandfather won’t get out of bed one morning, Willy enters a dogsled race against the towering Indian named “Stone Fox” in order to pay his grandfather’s taxes.
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall.
This Newbery Award winner is the story of a “mail-order” bride who travels across the country to the vast prairie to decide if she will marry a widower and become the mother of Caleb and Anna.
Scieszka, Jon. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
Ten fractured fairy tales that delight and amuse readers who are already familiar with the original versions.
