The kissing hand is a classic. This story is great to read on the first day of school for students who are nervous or think they are alone and it's great for many grade levels. I would use UDL 9.2 "facilitate personal coping skills and strategies". And my EL is 14 "simplify your speech by making it slower and redundant" to help ESOL students keep up with and understand the story. TS-RA

Everyone loves a Pete the cat story and I love this one a lot because it has a great lesson to it that even adults need to hear. This poetic story is fun to read and teaches students to have a half glass full look on life. I think this is great to have in your classroom library especially with all of the negative in the world today. The UDL I would use is 7.2 "optimize relevance, value and autonomy". TS-S

Llama llama time to share is another great poetic book to have in a younger classroom because this book teaches sharing. There are many llama llama books and they have many different messages but this one is meant to talk about how llama llama doesn't want to share but it is the right thing to do. TS-RA

How do dinosaurs say I'm mad is another poetic book from the series that is a New York time best seller. I think this book is important to have in your classroom library because it can help kids who have issues expressing their anger. In the story the dinosaur is mad and they are talking about appropriate ways to deal with that anger. I would use UDL 1.2 "offer alternatives for auditory information" TS-RT

How do dinosaurs say I love you is such a cute, poetic story that talks about ways you can say I love you. I think so many boys are taught that it is no manly to say I love you and I think this book is a small step toward fixing that. If kids are read this book at a young age that even manly dinosaurs say I love you then maybe kids won't think it's so dumb to say. I would use UDL 8.3 "foster collaboration and community" TS-S

How do dinosaurs choose their pets never fails to make me laugh. This poetic style book is a part of a New York Times best selling series and if you have read it you understand why. This book is about dinosaurs who want a pet and how they choose what pet they should get. Students will think this is funny and I'm sure they have asked their parents for s crazy pet before. I would use UDL 2.5 "illustrate through multiple media" TS-RA

How do dinosaurs say goodnight is such a cute poetic story and would be helpful for parents and teachers to use to show that even dinosaurs have bed times and have to say goodnight. This New York Times selling series is great for younger kids. UDL 7.1 "Optimize individual choice autonomy." And EL 10: "Teach think pair and share in a cooperative group" I would use this EL to her the students talking to one another about the story. TS-RA

This book is based on a true story and it is a nonfiction book about Tutankhamen as a child and the story of his life. I found this book very fascinating and I think students would love to learn about Egypt through the story of a child. UDL 1.2 "offer alternatives for auditory information" this story had amazing art to help aid the story. EL 28 "provide biographies of significant men and women from different countries" #ucflae3414f17 TS-PR

Kira Kira is a touching Newberry winning story about a family who moved from a Japanese community to Georgia and all of the struggles they face. This book won a newberry award and I think this book will be relatable for kids who are new to a town and feel like they don't fit in. I would use EL 3: "Encourage self talk" so that students can talk about how they relate to this story. TS-IR

Who doesn't love a Jackie Robinson book?! This biography is a great book to read in the classroom because it shows how the world was divided and that people had to be strong to withstand it. It shows how far we come and why it is important to treat everyone equally. I think this book sticks out for boys because of the sports aspect and they can get a good life lesson. UDL 3.1 "Activate or supply background knowledge" TS-LC

Circus Galacticus is literally out for this world. It is a SF about an orphan who is stuck going to a private school but has issues from out of this world. This is a fun story that I think kids can use their imaginations and enjoy this story as if they are there. I would use EL strategy 6 "continually monitor student comprehension" because this story can get confusing and is probably best to be used as a read aloud. TS-SR

The 39 clues series is a New York Times best selling series and is great one to have in your classroom. These books take students on an adventure and make them use their brains and figure out mysteries. I think it would be fun to read the first one as a class and see if we can solve the puzzle together and then if a student enjoys it they can move on to the rest of the books in the series. TS-RA

I love the entire MF Magic Tree house series! This particular story takes students into the action of ninjas which is neat for both boys and girls so the story should be enjoyed by all. I think it's important for students to want adventure and to make learning fun. UDL 2.2 "Clarifying syntax and structure" these books take students into a different world so it is important to make sure students can understand that and follow along. TS-IR

What a classic! This is one of the first TL book that I remember hearing and how sad it made everyone when the other ducks were mean to the ugly duckling and it helped us understand we need to be nice to everyone. For this story I would us EL strategy 11: "Place language in meaningful content" by stopping at life lesson spots and clarifying what is happening so that those students get the message as well. TS-S

This would be a cute HF story to read around the holidays so that students can read about the feasts that happen and different traditions around the world. This book is a Laura Ingalds Wilder award winner. I would use EL strategy 20 "List the most important words and phrases you use or plan to use in a presentation on a transparency or chalk board" because their might be terms about other traditions that will be unfamiliar to students. TS-S

Bud, not buddy is a HF book about a determined boy who is traveling on his own to find his dad. This Newberry winning book would be good to have in the classroom because it brings the students on a relatable adventure and it may be more relatable for students with a single parent. EL strategy 38: "assign short readings for homework" because this is a long enough book to assign pages to be read at home at their own pace before class. TS-LC

World at War 1944 is a HF Magic tree house book where the characters go back to World War 2 and share what happens while they are there. This is a great/magical way to talk about history and to get the kids to put themselves in it. EL strategy 4: "Link lesson to students' prior knowledge". UDL: 2.2 "clarify syntax and structure" because some kids may struggle when the characters leave reality and go to an alternate place #ucflae3414f17 TS-IR

This is a classic TL story that has been told many times. It is a Caldecott winner and is a fun tongue twister. It is a good book to use to teach sequence order. The EL I would use is number 14 "Simplify your speech by making it slower and redundant". UDL 1.2 "offer alternatives for auditory information" by creating a timeline or an interactive story. TS-S #ucflae3414f17

Grace for President by Kelly Dipucchio is a New York Times bestseller and is a must have! TS-RA This book will help students understand how elections work and how any one of them could be president some day. I would use EL 13: "Use preview and review activities" because we can write down everything we know about an election before and after reading. UDL 3.1 "Activate or supply background knowledge" by talking about previous elections

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a RF Caldecott winning story about a girl and her fathers adventure when they go "owling" on a winter night. Most stories are about children and their mothers so it's refreshing to read a story about a daughter and her father sharing an adventure. TS-LC. I would use EL strategy 6: "Continually monitor students comprehension" this story is longer than what some students may be used to so I would constantly check on them.

How to grow a friend by Sara Gillingham is a must read for young kids! TS-RA.This RF book talks about what it takes to be a good friend and relates it to growing a garden to help the kids relate. The EL strategy I would use is number 4: "Link lesson topic to students' prior knowledge" I would do this by asking the students if they have friends and what they do to make their friends happy. UDL 9.3 " Develop self assessment and reflection"