Freddy’s Favorites compile TextProject’s recommendations for read-aloud books for struggling and beginning readers. The Common Core State Standards bring increased focus to what it is that students are learning in schools and what they need to know. Through read-alouds, students can be introduced to topics and genres that they might otherwise not be able to read independently. Our list of Read-Aloud Favorites can be searched by grade level, genre, format and subject.
To read more about the importance of reading aloud in a classroom, please read this blog entry in Frankly Freddy.
Asian Kites
Kite flying is one hobby that crosses cultures. There are different styles of kite making and it’s really amazing that they are all made with a large sheet of paper (called the sail), thin wooden sticks (spars), glue, and a long string (kite line). This book is a great introduction into kite making. Hosking has an extensive background into the different materials that kites can be made of, and he also makes allowances for the casual hobbyist by describing inexpensive alternatives as well as other more expensive materials. Hosking has a great introduction that points out the strengths and weaknesses of different materials, such as silkspan versus tissue paper.
The patterns in this book are organized into the region from which they originated. For example, there are kites from China, Malaysia, and Korea. The simple and clear instructions are partnered with pictures. There is also a clear list of tools and materials needed for each kite pattern.
The Highwayman (Visions in Poetry)
This book is the second in a series called Visions in Poetry. Like the other books in this series, the poems are favorites from long ago, but contemporary artists provide the illustrations. This presents a new and fresh approach that may catch the attention of today’s teens. For example, in this 1907 ballad, The Highwayman, the anti-hero rides a horse, however, in the illustrations, he is riding a motorcycle. The villains in the ballad, the Redcoat troops, are dressed in long trench coats, instead of the traditional garb of the British Army. The illustrations, done in the film noir style, add to the mystique of a love affair gone wrong. The ballad is exciting to read, and the illustrations grab your attention. In the end, you can’t help but get swept up in the story.
Solomon’s Tree
Solomon’s Tree is about a First Nations boy’s relationship with a beloved tree. Solomon is devastated after a storm knocks over the giant maple tree in Solomon’s backyard. As a part of his grief, Solomon and his uncle, a Tsimpshian carver, make a mask from a log of the tree. The mask making process described in the book is based on the author’s experience during a mask making workshop and on the artwork of Victor Reece. The other masks that the illustrator, Janet Wilson, uses in the book are also masks by Victor Reece. Solomon’s Tree is a beautiful book that melds seamlessly the expertise of Spalding, Wilson, and Reece.
Imagine A Day
As a companion to their last book, author and illustrator Sarah L. Thomson and Rob Gonsalves have teamed up to create Imagine a Day. Just like Imagine a Night, the text and illustrations are as beautiful and fanciful as any daydream. Each illustration shows the fluid nature of our daydreams, with objects that seem to blend together. For example, the green steeples of a row of cathedrals fade into the background where they look like tall trees growing on a mountainside. Imagine a Day encourages us to daydream and shows us what some daydreams may look like.
Ancient Thunder
This is a beautiful book about the wild horses that used to live in the Canadian plains. The author and illustrator Yerxa uses his memories of these wild horses as inspiration for the text and illustration. To create the look of worn leather, paper was hand treated and vibrantly painted to look like authentic First Nations clothing. The result is a book where the clothing and the horses in the illustration seem to move. The text is lyrical and brief to allow the readers to focus more on the illustrations.