Joy/Stimulation/Rewards Page 1


Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three Billy Goats Gruff

P.C. Asbornsen & J.E. Moe (Illustrator - Marcia Brown). This book is read simply for the joy of reading. It's purpose is not to teach any great lesson or any new factual information, vocabulary, or even comprehension. Its purpose is to simply be read for fun and to help children enjoy reading.
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.; New York; 1957.
General Grade Level: Primary (1st-2nd).




Puff the Magic Dragon

Romeo Muller (short Chapter Book). Little Jackie Draper is a young boy who has not spoken for a long time. The doctors that his parents hired declared the case to be hopeless. Puff, a magic dragon comes along to help cheer Jackie up. Puff made a life-sized "Jackie Paper" with crayons, paper and scissors - in which he put the "living thing" of Jackie Draper. This way, Puff could take Jackie with him on a magical trip to a place called Honah Lee. They made a boat out of Jackie's bed and traveled across the ocean to Puff's kingdom. On the way to Honah Lee, Puff teaches Jackie to not be so afraid of everything and to see things as they really are. (For instance, the big scary pirate deep down really has the heart of a baker). Jackie also learns through this that people can change. But when Jackie and Puff arrive at Honah Lee, they see that the island is ruined and covered with creatures called living sneezes. Puff couldn't fix the situation since the source of his magic is Honah Lee and it was ruined. So Puff pretended to be angry with Jackie and told him to go home since he had completed his quest and was no longer fearful. So Jackie left, but he brought back the baker with him. The baker made chicken soup, which made all the living sneezes better. The living sneezes then helped Jackie and Puff make Honah Lee like it used to be. Then, Jackie was suddenly back home again. Puff told him that it was time for him to go beyond "childish fancies" such as dragons and to not need them anymore. Then Jackie said goodbye to Puff, his first words in years.
Publisher: Avon Books, New York, 1979.
General Grade Level: Advanced (4th-5th).




The Arabian Nights
The Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights - "introduced for young readers" by William Saroyan. This is another book to be read for the joy of reading. It is a collection of selections about heroes, monsters, genii, fairies, and sorcerers - told by Sheherezade to save her life. The selections in this collection include "The Merchant and the Genie," The Fisherman and the Genie," "The Greek King and the Physician Douban," "Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp," "The Enchanted Horse," "Codadad and His Brothers," "Abou Hassan, or the Sleeper Awakened," "Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves," "Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Perie Banou," "The Three Sisters," and "Sinbad the Sailor." These stories are filled with humor, mystery, intrigue, and acts of courage.
Publisher: Platt and Munk, New York, 1966.
General Grade Level: Advanced (5th-6th).




The Swiss Family Robinson
The Swiss Family Robinson

Johann Wyss. This book chronicles the shipwreck and subsequent adventures of the Swiss Robinson family. This book is to be read for the sheer enjoyment of reading. The language is a little old and stiff and the book is quite long , but it is still and enjoyable book of adventures.
Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc.; Kingsport, Tenn; 1949.
General Grade Level: Advanced (4th-6th).




A Horse in the House-Maryalicia Crowell (Illustrator - Leonard Kessler). Jenny is a young girl who lives in a third floor apartment in a brownstone house with her parents in Brooklyn, New York. Jenny's parents take her out to dinner and but her clothes; she has two rows of dolls on her bed and four rows of books on her shelves, but she is sad and lonely. Jenny desperately wants a dog but her mom suggests a parakeet instead. The second floor neighbor suggests a kitten because it would be quieter. The first floor neighbor says that a kitten would ruin her petunias and suggests that she get a parakeet instead. Jenny is sad until she sees a horse outside the house. She brings the horse in and up the stairs. The horse scares Jenny's neighbors and mother, so Jenny's mother says that the horse must go. Jenny takes the horse back outside. A surprised policeman suggests that Jenny should get a parakeet. Later that day, Jenny's first floor neighbor brings her a kitten, her second floor neighbor brings her a puppy, and the police officer gives her a parakeet. Everyone thinks that these pets will be better than having a horse in the house.
Publisher: Young Scott Books, New York, 1972.
General Grade Level: Primary--Intermediate (2nd-3rd). Other Category: humor.




Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes

Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes-Marguerite de Angeli. This book is a compilation of many Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes. This is a very enjoyable book to read and the illustrations are also lovely. This is a book to read simply for the joy and love of reading.
Publisher: Doubleday and Company, New York, 1953.
General Grade Level: almost all (2nd-6th).




Tasha Tudor's Bedtime Book

Tasha Tudor's Bedtime Book-Tasha Tudor. This is a compilation of famous fairy tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Frog Prince, The Three Wishes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, The Billy Boat's Gruff, The Babes in the Wood, The Real Princess (The Princess and the Pea), Hansel and Gretel, and the Country Mouse and the City Mouse. It also includes a few well-known poems such as The Owl and the Pussycat. There are also a few lesser-known fairy tales such as Mother Hulda, The Traveling Musicians of Bremen, and my personal favorite, The Star Dipper. The illustrations are very charming and captivating, as are the tales.
Publisher: Platt and Munik, New York, 1977.
General Grade Level: Intermediate.




Tales of the Kingdom
Tales of the Kingdom

David and Karen Mains (Illustrator - Jack Stockman). This book is very captivatingly entertaining. It is the tale of Scarboy and his little brother, Little Child. The story takes place in the Enchanted City--a place in which people are awake at night and sleep during the day. The Enchanter wants to capture all the orphans in the city , but they hide from him and his secret police, the Burners. The book also includes stories about other characters, such as that of a girl named Dirty, a juggler who keeps his own rhythm, a baker that learns to give away his bread, and a princess named Amanda. The stories are mesmerizing--extremely difficult to put down.
Publisher: David C. Cook Publishing Co; Elgin, Illinois; 1983.
General Grade Level: Advanced (3rd-6th) Other Category: Artwork.




Tales of the Resistance
Tales of the Resistance

David and Karen Mains (Illustrator - Jack Stockman). This book is the second in a two-part series about Scarboy (now called Hero) and the conflict between the Enchanter and the Rangers. New characters are introduced in this book--including Thespia the actress, Doubletalk, Triple Tongue, Sewer Rat, Boiler Brat, the Forbidden Princess, and the Carnival Daughter. This book is just as entertaining as the first and the illustrations are just as beautiful.
Publisher: David C. Cook Publishing Co; Elgin, Illinois; 1983.
General Grade Level: Advanced (3rd-6th) Other Category: Artwork.




Whipping Boy
The Whipping Boy

Sid Fleischman (Illustrator - Peter Sis). This is a book surely to be read for the sheer joy of reading. It's very humorously entertaining. Sid Fleischman paints fabulous word pictures. The story is about Prince Brat and his whipping boy, Jemmy-from-the-streets. One day, Prince Brat runs away and makes Jemmy come with him. They are subsequently captured by two highwaymen and held for ransom. The rest of the story is about how Jemmy and the Prince escape and how they become friends along the way. One of the best things about this book is the humorous colloquialisms--such as "He's got enough lip for two sets of teeth" and "Cows would give beer first."
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, New York, 1986.
General Grade Level: Intermediate (3rd-5th).
Award: John Newbery Medal Other Category: Humor, Vocabulary.
Other Works: Mr. Mysterious & Company, Chancy and the Grand Rascal, The Hey Hey Man, Humbug Mountain, and the McBroom Stories.




Snowy Day
The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats. This selection is about a young boy named Peter who has a day of adventures out in the snow. He plays in the snow, makes a snow man and snow angels, and pretends to be a mountain climber.
Publisher: The Viking Press, 1962.
General Grade Level: Primary.
Award: Caldecott.




Johnny Tremain
Johnny Tremain

Esther Forbes (Michael McCurdy). This story is about Johnny Tremain, a boy who was an apprentice silversmith but because of an injury to his hand, became a horseboy for the Boston Observer. He becomes a messenger for John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, and other Sons of Liberty. Johnny is involved in pivotal events of the American Revolution--such as the Boston Tea Party and the conflict at Lexington.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998. (Originally:1943).
General Grade Level: Advanced (193 pp). Other Category: Real-life Information.
Award: John Newbery Medal.
Other Work: Paul Revere and the World He Lived In.




White Stag
The White Stag

Kate Seredy. This book is about the migration of the Huns and Magyars from Asia to Europe--where they settled in the Hungarian Plains. It is about Nimrod, Hunor, Magyar, Bendeguz, and most importantly, Attila, the Red Eagle. It is a story about pagan gods, fairies, and warriors. The White Stag is a creature that leads the Huns to the "promised land." This story is written in poetic prose; the illustrations are magnificently clear.
Publisher: The Viking Press, New York, 1965. (Originally: Viking, 1937).
General Grade Level: Intermediate. Other Category: Real-life Information.
Award: John Newbery Medal.




Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Robert C. O'Brien (Illustrator - Zena Bernstein). This book is about a mouse named Mrs. Frisby whose husband has died and her quest to find help. A friendly crow takes her to see a wise old owl and he sends her to visit the rats that live under the rosebush and have a reputation of being odd. Mrs. Frisby finds out that her husband and the rats had been imprisoned for several years in the NIMH laboratories and had been injected with concoctions that made them wise, long-lived, and inventive.
Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company, New York, 1971.
General Grade Level: Advanced.
Award: John Newbery Medal.
Also adapted as a motion picture in Secret Of Nimh available on DVD.




From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E. L. Konigsburg. This is a story about Claudia and her brother, Jamie. Claudia decides to run away and asks her brother to come along. They decide to live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While staying there, Claudia and Jamie discover a statue so beautiful that Claudia does not want to go home until she discovers its maker.
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon and Schuster, 1967.
General Grade Level: Advanced.
Award: John Newbery Medal.

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