OFF THE SHELF--The Night Before Kindergarten

The Night Before Kindergarten (Reading Railroad Books Series) 

by Natasha Wing , Julie Durrel (Illustrator) 

 Penguin, 2001

I bought this book when my son was about to enter kindergarten.  Since then, I have suggested it to every parent I know has a kid about to start school.  The poem shows kids getting their clothes and backpacks ready for the first day of school.  The first morning, they find the classroom to be fun and engaging while the parents wait anxiously in the hall.  A great way to help kids move smoothly into their first day of school, by calming their fears. 

Level:  K-1

OFF THE SHELF--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by JK Rowling

Scholastic, 1997

A student teacher asked me for a book written on a 5th grade reading level.  Most 5th graders are about 11 years old.  I recommended the first book of the Harry Potter series.  It is the book that Harry turns 11 years old, and it is written on that level.  Each of the books becomes more complex, as Harry ages, and so as the reader ages, the reading level becomes more complex, too.  The book speaks to many of the concerns of a 5th grader, also.  The fear of leaving what you've always known as you go off to a new school (in the US, that would be middle school).  Making friends and creating enemies as cliques start to form on the playground.  Starting that adolescent trek of learning who you are as an individual.  It hits the 11 year old reader on all levels.

Level:  4th-8th

Llama Llama Red Pajama

Llama, Llama Red Pajama
by Anna Dewdney

Penguin, 2005

Summary:  Llama llama can't go to sleep because he misses his mama.  A rhyming, picture book. 

Lesson:  I read this at the beginning of the year to the younger grades.  We talked about how mama was still there, even if we couldn't see her, trying to make the transition from home to school easier. 

Level:  PreK - 1st