Grade 1 Recommended Reading List
First Grade Reading List
These recommendations are made, based on NYS Education Department’s Elementary Literacy Scale and descriptives.
First Grade – Emerging Beginner Reader:
The child may not be able to read all of the words but will demonstrate knowledge of “Concepts of Print” and use picture cues to construct the story.
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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You HEAR? |
By Bill Martin, Jr. |
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Go, Dog, Go! |
By P.D. Eastman |
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Jump, Frog, Jump |
By Robert Kalan |
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I Read Signs |
By Tana Hoban (NF) |
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Phonics Friends (click on Series) |
By Joanne Meier & Cecilia Minden (NF) |
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Planting a Rainbow |
By Lois Ehlert |
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Noisy Nora |
By Rosemary Wells |
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Rosie’s Walk |
By Pat Hutchins |
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Who Said Red? |
By Mary Serfozo |
First Grade – Beginning Reader:
Books range from 10-30 pages, a variety of genre including realistic stories, folk tales, fantasy and facts; more lines on page, longer sentences; full range of puncuation, abstract concepts; more vocabulary and high frequency words
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Actual Size |
By Steve Jenkins (NF) |
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Boom Chicka Rock |
By John Archambault |
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Color Farm |
By Lois Ehlert |
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Frank and Ernest Play Ball |
By Alexandra Day |
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Froggy plays in the Band |
By J. London & F. Remkiewicz |
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Is Your Mama a Llama? |
By Deborah Guarino |
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Just a Mess (series) |
By Mercer Meyer |
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Let’s Eat! What Children Eat Around the World |
By Beatrice Hollyer (NF) |
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The Mixed Up Chameleon |
By Eric Carle |
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The Napping House |
Audrey Wood |
First Grade – Advanced Beginning Readers:
Longer sentences, more multi-syllable words, more difficult high frequency words, but MANY easy high-frequency words, more challenging ideas and vocabulary, illustrations support text but story line is carried by text. LONGER text requires readers to remember information / action over longer period of time.
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Amelia Bedelia (series) |
By Pegy Parish |
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day |
By Judith Viorst |
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The Beetle Alphabet Book |
By Jerry Pallotta (NF) |
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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie |
By Laura Numeroff |
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Iggy Pig’s Beach Day |
By Vivian French |
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Life Cycle of a __________ (animal series) |
By Lisa Trumbauer (NF) |
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More Spaghetti I Say |
By Rita Golden Gelman |
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The Book That Jack Wrote |
By John Scieszka |
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The Rainbow Fish |
By Marcus Pfister |
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What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? |
By Steve Jenkins & Robin Page (NF) |
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With Love From Gran |
By D. Gackenbach |
Bibliography
These books and their reading levels were culled from the following resources:
Making the Connection: learning skills through literature by Patricia Pavelka, Corner Springs Books, 1995.
The Reading Teacher: journal, October 2005, “Children’s Choices for 2005” International Reading Association
The Reading Teacher; journal, September 2005, “ Teachers’ Choices for 2005” International Reading Association
FSUS Elementary 1st Grade Reading List: Florida State University Schools’ website
Buffalo Library Kids’ Corner
