Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Judi Barrett*

Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers--until the weather takes a turn for the worse. (PreS - Gr. 3)
The Quiltmaker's Gift
Jeff Brumbeau

When a generous quiltmaker finally agrees to make a quilt for a greedy king but only under certain conditions, she causes him to undergo a change of heart. (Gr. 1 - 4)
Superdog: The Heart of a Hero
Caralyn Buehner

Tired of being overlooked because he is so small, a big-hearted dog named Dexter transforms himself into a superhero. (PreS - Gr. 3)

Bravery Soup
Mary Ann Cocca-Leffler

Carlin, who is frightened by everything, wants to try some of Big Bear's bravery soup, but first he must travel through a dark forest to a monster's cave to retrieve an important ingredient. (PreS - Gr. 3)
Miss Rumphius
Barbara Cooney

Great-aunt Alice Rumphius was once a little girl who loved the sea, longed to visit faraway places, and wished to do something to make the world more beautiful. (K - Gr. 5)
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type
Doreen Cronin*

When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want. (PreS - Gr. 4)


*Also check out Diary of a Worm, another good read aloud by this author!
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: an Irish Folktale
Tomie De Paola*

The laziest man in all of Ireland catches a leprechaun, who offers a potato seed instead of a pot of gold for his freedom. (K - Gr. 3)

The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson

A clever mouse uses the threat of a terrifying creature to keep from being eaten by a fox, an owl, and a snake--only to have to outwit that creature as well. (PreS - Gr. 3)
Roasted Peanuts
Tim Egan

Sam the horse gets picked to be on the local baseball team, but unfortunately his friend Jackson the cat, despite being a good thrower, is not selected. (K - Gr. 3)
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Candance Fleming

After planting the garden he has dreamed of for years, Mr. McGreely tries to find a way to keep some persistent bunnies from eating all his vegetables. (K - Gr. 4)
Stone Soup
Heather Forest

Two hungry travelers use a stone as a soup starter and demonstrate the benefits of sharing. Includes a recipe for soup. (K - Gr. 5)
The Hickory Chair
Lisa Rowe Fraustino

A blind boy tells of his warm relationship with his grandmother and the gift she left for him after her death. (Gr. 3 - 6)
Big Chickens
Leslie Helakoski

While trying to escape from a wolf, four frightened chickens keep getting themselves into the very predicaments they are trying to avoid. (PreS - Gr. 2)
Seven Silly Eaters
Mary Ann Hoberman

Seven fussy eaters find a way to surprise their mother for her birthday. (Gr. 2 - 5)
Cinder Edna
Ellen Jackson

Cinderella and Cinder Edna, who live with cruel stepmothers and stepsisters, have different approaches to life; and, although each ends up with the prince of her dreams, one is a great deal happier than the other. (K - Gr. 6)
A Bird and His Worm
James Kaczman

A bird who does not like to fly becomes good friends with a worm, and together they set out walking south for the winter. (PreS - Gr. 3)
Hooway for Wodney Wat
Helen Lester*

All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he can't pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully. (PreS - Gr. 3)
How I Became a Pirate
Melinda Long

Jeremy Jacob joins Braid Beard and his pirate crew and finds out about pirate language, pirate manners, and other aspects of pirate life. (PreS - Gr. 3)
The Giant Jam Sandwich
John Lord

When four million wasps fly into their village, the citizens of Itching Down devise a way of getting rid of them. (K - Gr. 3)
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon
Patty Lovell

Even when the class bully at her new school makes fun of her, Molly remembers what her grandmother told her and she feels good about herself. (K - Gr. 3)
The Shivers in the Fridge
Fran Manushkin

One-by-one, the members of the Shivers family disappear from the inside of their chilly refrigerator home. (K - Gr. 3)
The Honest to Goodness Truth
Patricia McKissack*

After promising never to lie, Libby learns that it's not always necessary to blurt out the whole truth either. (Gr. 1 - 6)
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Arlene Mosel

When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names. (K - Gr. 4)
Mud Puddle
Robert Munsch*

Jule Ann has an adventure with a mud puddle. (Gr. 2 - 5)
Albert
Donna Jo Napoli

One day when Albert is at his window, two cardinals come to build a nest in his hand, an event that changes his life. (K - Gr. 3)
Sweet Tooth
Margie Palatini*

Stewart's loud, obnoxious sweet tooth constantly gets him into trouble, until Stewart uses a healthy diet to take control of the situation. (Gr. 2 - 6)
The Halloweiner
Dav Pilkey*

All the other dogs make fun of Oscar the dachshund until one Halloween when, dressed as a hot dog, Oscar bravely rescues the others. (PreS - Gr. 3)
The Big Orange Splot
Daniel Pinkwater*

When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood. (PreS - Gr. 4)
In Enzo's Splendid Garden
Patricia Polacco

A cumulative rhyme describes the uproarious chain of events that ensue when a waiter trips over a book dropped by a boy watching a bee. (K - Gr. 4)
Crazy Hair Day
Barney Saltzberg

Stanley is excited about Crazy Hair Day at his school, until he discovers that he has gotten the date wrong. (K - Gr. 3)
The Monster Who Ate My Peas
Danny Schnitzlein

A young boy agrees to give a disgusting monster first his soccer ball, then his bike in return for eating the boy's peas, but when the monster asks for his puppy, the boy makes a surprising discovery. (Gr. 1 - 3)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Jon Scieszka*

The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs. (K - Gr. 6)
Horton Hatches the Egg
Dr. Seuss*

When a lazy bird hatching an egg wants a vacation, she asks Horton, the elephant, to sit on her egg--which he does through all sorts of hazards until he is rewarded for doing what he said he would. (PreS - Gr. 4)
A Bad Case of Stripes
David Shannon*

In order to ensure her popularity, Camilla Cream always does what is expected, until the day arrives when she no longer recognizes herself. (PreS - Gr. 4)
Dirt Boy
Erik Jon Slangerup

To avoid taking a bath, Fister Farnello runs away from home and is befriended by Dirt Man, a filthy giant who lives in the woods. (K - Gr. 4)
Beverly Billingsly Borrows a Book
Alexander Stadler

Beverly is thrilled to finally check out a book with her own library card, but when she accidentally keeps the book too long she worries that she'll have to pay a huge fine or go to jail. (PreS - Gr. 3)
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
Eugenios Trivizas

An altered retelling of the traditional tale about the conflict between pig and wolf--with a surprise ending. (PreS - Gr. 6)
Too Many Pumpkins
Linda White

Rebecca Estelle, an old woman who has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl and her family had nothing else to eat, finds herself with a full crop of them. (K - Gr. 3)
The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups
David Wisniewski

A humorous revelation of the real reasons why adults tell children to do things, such as "eat your vegetables," "comb your hair," and "don't blow bubbles in your milk." (Gr. 1 - 5)
Jubal's Wish
Audrey Wood

Jubal Bullfrog wishes for happiness for his animal friends and finds that sometimes wishes come true in an unexpected way. (PreS - Gr. 2)
It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale
Margot Zemach

Unable to stand his overcrowded and noisy home any longer, a poor man goes to the Rabbi for advice and soon learns to appreciate what he has. (K - Gr. 6)