Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s Birthday March 1st is this year’s ‘official’ big day for celebrating Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association and its partners, with many special events planned.

March 2, 2013, marks the 109th birthday of children’s book author Theodor Seuss Geisel. However, school districts and schools often plan special days or weeks during March that focus on literacy and the importance of reading in students’ learning lives.

There are too many books by Dr. Seuss to list all of them, but books should be easy to find because there are so many. A helpful resource for other materials is:

http://www.nea.org/grants/read-across-america-downloadables.html

Classic Dr. Seuss books for PreK – 1st:

 

The Foot Book

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Fox in Socks

Dr. Seuss’s ABC

Green Eggs and Ham

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut

Cat in the Hat

 

Longer Dr. Seuss books:

 

The Lorax

Horton Hears a Who

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Did I Ever tell You How Lucky You Are?

If I Ran the Zoo

The Randolph Caldecott Medal and Honor books for the most distinguished American picture books for children are awarded each year.

 

2013

Medal winner:

 

This Is Not My Hat written and illustrated by Jon Klassen (PreK-2nd)

When a tiny fish appears wearing a round blue bowler hat which he took (it happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. Klassen creates an ambiguous ending that invites discussion about the possible outcomes and ultimately leaves it up to the child to decide the little fish’s fate with every reading.

 

Honor Books:

 

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (K-2nd)

From the seemingly endless box of Extra Yarn Annabelle knits clothing for everyone around her, tempering the ill-tempered and creating beautifully patterned warmth for people, animals, and objects alike. When a greedy clothes-loving archduke tries to buy-then steal-the box for himself, he discovers that ill-gotten gains bear no fruit-or in this case, yarn.

 

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small (K-3rd)

When well-mannered Elliot reluctantly visits the aquarium with his distractible father, he politely asks whether he can have a penguin-and then removes one from the penguin pool to his backpack. The fun of caring for a penguin in a New England Victorian house is followed by a surprise revelation by Elliot’s father.

 

Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (PreK-2nd)

In this magical bedtime story, the lyrical narrative echoes a Runaway Bunny – like cadence: “Does everything in the world go to sleep?” the little girl asks. In sincere and imaginative dialogue between a not-at-all sleepy child and understanding parents, the little girl decides “in a cocoon of sheets, a nest of blankets,” she is ready to sleep, warm and strong, just like a tiger.

 

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown (PreK-2nd)

The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him.

 

Green written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (PreK-2nd)

How many kinds of green are there? There’s the lush green of a forest on a late spring day, the fresh, juicy green of a just-cut lime, the incandescent green of a firefly, and the vivid aquamarine of a tropical sea. This book will delight and quite possibly astonish you.

 

2012:

Medal Winner:

 

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (PreK-2nd)

Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy the dog’s anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. Raschka’s signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

 

Honor Books:

 

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell (K-3rd)

Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of “a life living with and helping all animals,” until one day she finds that her dream has come true.

 

Blackout by John Rocco (K-3rd)

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, “Mommm!” His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can’t work on her computer, and Dad can’t finish cooking dinner. What’s a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights-in stars that can be seen for a change-and so many neighbors it’s like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun-talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal.

 

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (K-4th)

Grandpa Green wasn’t always a gardener. He was a boy who lived on a farm and a child who had chickenpox. He was a soldier, a husband, and most of all, an artist. Follow his grandson through a garden where memories are handed down through the shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. GRANDPA GREEN opens the door to a garden of wonder which parents and grandparents will be able to share with children for generations to come.

 

2011:

Medal Winner:

 

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (K-2nd)

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

Honor Books:

 

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (K-4th)

Little is known about the man known as Dave the potter. Two things are certain, though: he was a slave in South Carolina, and he was a potter of uncommon skill. This is a wonderful introduction to a great lost artist.

 

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (PreK-3rd)

It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story—and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting?

 

2010:

Medal Winner:

 

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (PreK-3rd)

In this wordless adaptation of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he’d planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher’s trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling.

 

Honor Books:

 

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (K-2nd)

Following a circle of family and friends through the course of a day from morning till night, this book affirms the importance of all things great and small in our world, from the tiniest shell on the beach, to warm family connections, to the widest sunset sky.

 

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (PreK-2nd)

With original and spot-on perceptions, Joyce Sidman brings the colors of the seasons to life in a fresh light, combining the senses of sight, sound, smell, and taste. Illustrator Pam Zagarenski’s interpretations go beyond the concrete, allowing us to not just see color but feel it.

 

2009:

Medal Winner:

 

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes (PreK-1st)

A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home in this Caldecott Medal-winning bedtime book for young children.

 

Honor Books:

 

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (3rd-6th)

Willie loved to write: words gave him freedom and peace. But he also knew that he needed to earn a living, so when he grew up he went off to medical school and became a doctor-one of the busiest in town! Yet he never stopped writing. This biography of poet William Carlos Williams celebrates the amazing man whose poems about ordinary, everyday things will inspire young readers to create poems of their own.

 

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (1st-4th)

When James and Eamon go to a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon’s grandparents’ house, it turns out that their free time spent staying inside, eating waffles, and playing video games is way more interesting than nature. But sometimes things work out best when they don’t go exactly as planned. A moving and hilarious celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, where Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.

 

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2nd-6th)

Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy’s father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could. The book is based on the author’s childhood memories of World War II and features stunning illustrations that celebrate the power of imagination.

St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th

Classic titles:

 

That’s What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (PreK-2nd)

A fun-loving story of leprechaun mischief and burying pots of gold from a longtime favorite children’s author who just happens to be Irish-born.

 

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola (K-2nd)

Another popular children’s book author shares information about St. Patrick’s life and retells some Irish legends.

 

St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons (K-2nd)

A popular children’s book author shares information about St. Patrick’s life and how St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated.

 

Jack and the Leprechaun by Ivan Robertson, illustrated by Katy Bratun (PreK-2nd)

Here is a delightful story of Jack Mouse visiting his cousin Sean in Ireland at St. Patrick’s Day. This book presents Irish folktales as well as traditions and customs of St. Patrick’s Day.

 

Clever Tom and the Leprechaun: An Old Irish Story by Linda Shute (K-3rd)

This is a favorite to read to children. When he captures a leprechaun Tom Fitzpatrick is sure his fortune is made, but the leprechaun has other ideas.

 

The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Amy Wummer (PreK-2nd)

An Irish twist on the Christmas classic finds Tim and Maureen setting traps to catch a leprechaun. But although they catch one, will they find his pot of gold?

 

The Whites of Their Eyes (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School) by Andrew Clements (2nd-6th)

Benjamin Pratt is running out of time—and if the old Oakes School gets torn down by greedy developers, his hometown by the sea will be changed forever. Good thing Ben and Jill have found a secret weapon—a third Keeper. Who knew that a kid so annoying could be such a spy wiz? But the janitor has secret weapons of his own: a bag of high-tech tricks, plus some low-tech security measures that are simple but terrifying. These kids are smart, but can they outsmart Lyman and his new “assistant”? There’s history in the making here, and the clock keeps tick, tick, ticking toward total demolition.

 

Leprechaun in Late Winter! by Mary Pope Osborne (Grades 2nd-4th)

Jack and Annie are whisked back to long to Ireland—the land of leprechauns!

 

Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy (Junie B. Jones, No. 12) by Barbara Park (1st-3rd)

Junie B. Jones has a pet day problem! There’s going to be a pet day at school, only guess what? No dogs allowed! And that’s the only kind of pet Junie B. has! If Mother and Daddy won’t buy her a new pet, Junie B. will just have to find one on her own. Like maybe a jar of ants. Or a wiggly worm. Or—could it be—something even better?