Classics
Sketches by Box
by Charles Dickens
The first collection of stories published by Charles Dickens. I've been working on this one for a couple of months and may have a couple more to go. I'm just taking it a chapter or two a day, sometimes reading them twice. Dickens takes more brain power than more modern books. But I love his work! I find his dry wit and sarcastic satire to be downright hilarious. In this book, he gives short (4-6 pages) sketches of life and people in London.
Inspirational
Life Lessons from a Horse Whisperer
by Dr. Lew Sterrett
The author describes how he got involved in horse training (not some magical "whispering") and relates the lessons he learned working with horses with lessons he learned from Scripture.
Just For Fun
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective
by Donald J. Sobol
A young boy with amazing observational skills solves neighborhood crimes for his friends and helps his dad, who is a policeman. The short chapters present the reader with the opportunity to solve the case before turning to the back to find out the answers.
The Children of Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren
A short chapter book describing the lives of 6 children living in a small village in Sweden. Nice for cultural awareness. Presents positive view of parents and grandparents.
The Popcorn Book
by Tomie dePaola
Give the history of popcorn in an engaging way, as two boys try to make popcorn on their own at home.
Geography Read-aloud
Books set in Tennessee
Daniel's Duck
by Clyde Robert Bulla
A young boy in frontier days decides to join his family in making something to show at the fair. He carves a duck, which his older brother makes fun of. At the fair, Daniel sees lots of people laughing at his duck. He gets embarrassed and angry, grabs the duck and runs off to throw it in the river. But a respected local wood carver stops him and explains that people were laughing because the duck made them smile. A sweet story of an adult encouraging a child's efforts, however awkward they may be.
Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away
by Ketch Secor
A young girl and her grandpa love to make music together -- he on his harmonica, and she on her pennywhistle. They befriend a crow; then lots of things around the farm go missing, including the harmonica and whistle. One night a tremendous storm comes along. They don't have their instruments, but they sing the night away with all the songs they can remember. In the morning, they find that the storm blew down a tree in their yard. Lo and behold, inside the tree are all the missing items! Guess who took them? The crow of course!
A Band of Angels
by Deborah Hopkinson
Just after the civil war, Ella saves up her money to go to Fisk University. There she works and studies and sings. When the school is about to close because of lack of money, the choir group goes on tour to try to raise money to save the school. At first, the all-black choir sings the songs they think the white audiences want to hear. But very few people attend their concerts. One day, out of sadness, Ella begins to sing one of the spirituals she and her people sang while in slavery. The audience loved it. The group eventually toured all over the US, and even in Europe. Based on a true story.
Luck with Potatoes
by Helen Ketteman
A tall tale about a poor farmer in Tennesse who had bad luck with everything he tried in farming. Until he planted some potatoes. Then everything worked out for him. Hilarious.
Coat of Many Colors
by Dolly Parton
True story of Dolly Parton growing up very poor. Her mother made her a coat out of a bunch of colorful rags. She was proud of it, even though her schoolmates made fun of her. She knows the love that went into making it, and as her mother reminds her, "You're only poor if you choose to be."
Books Set in Mississippi
Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
A Chocktaw girl gets lost on the other side of the Bok Chitto River. A young slave boy shows her the way home. This begins many trips back and forth across the river as the boy and girl get to know each other's families. One night, the slave boy's family tries to escape because the boy's mother is being sold away. The Chocktaw help them escape across the river right under the noses of the slavecatchers.
