Treasury · Merit
The lists themselves
Fifteen lists, made by different people for different reasons, none of them trying to agree with the others. This door shows them as they are, and then the small overlap where two or more of them name the same book.
Don't miss these
The books on at least two of these lists, the ones on the most lists first. This is the only place the page lets the lists outvote each other — and it is agreement, not a ranking of quality.
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The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf, 1936 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 670L · AR 3.7 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 5 lists Beautiful Feet, Davidson Gifted, Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, 1947 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 360L · AR 1.8 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 4 lists Deep Roots Grade, Halsted - Best Friends, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey, 1976 · ages 4–6 · Lexile 600L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Deep Roots Grade, Halsted - Best Friends, Mensa Kids
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Curious George
by H.A. Rey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Encyclopedia Brown
by Donald J. Sobol, 1963 · up to age 10 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: MG (4–8)
on 3 lists Davidson Gifted, Deep Roots Grade, The Good & The Beautiful
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Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 710L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gág, 1928 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 580L · AR 3.5 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Halsted - Best Friends, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter, 1901 · ages 4–6 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.2 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids, TJEd Early Recommended
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Strega Nona
by Tomie dePaola, 1975 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 730L · AR 3.9
on 3 lists Beautiful Feet, Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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The Runaway Bunny
by Margaret Wise Brown, 1942 · age 4 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.7 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 3 lists Beautiful Feet, Deep Roots Grade, Halsted - Best Friends
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Ben’s Trumpet
by Rachel Isadora, 1979 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 530L · AR 2.2 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 2 lists Halsted - Best Friends, NY Public Library
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Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell Hoban, 1964 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 490L · AR 3.4 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
on 2 lists Deep Roots Grade, NY Public Library
18 books are on that many lists; these are the 12 on the most.
The lists, one by one
Fifteen different ideas about what is worth reading, in alphabetical order because putting a favourite first would be a judgement of a different kind. Each one is folded shut; open it to see the books the catalog holds from it.
The Association for Library Service to Children's notable children's books, chosen and annotated by librarians every year since 1940. The list itself ↗
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A Chicken Followed Me Home: Questions and Answers about a Familiar Fowl
by Robin Page, 2015 · ages 4–9 · Lexile 710L · AR 3.5 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Alphabet Under Construction
by Denise Fleming, 2006 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 150L
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Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day
by Jean Van Leeuwen, 2005 · ages 4–11 · Lexile 480L · AR 2.2 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns
by Betsy R. Rosenthal, 2015 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 680L
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And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon
by Janet Stevens, 2001 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 500L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Animal Crackers: A Delectable Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Lullabies for the Very Young
by Jane Dyer, 1996 · ages 4–7
A history curriculum taught entirely through literature — this is the reading it assigns, book by book. The list itself ↗
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Strega Nona
by Tomie dePaola, 1975 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 730L · AR 3.9
also on Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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The Runaway Bunny
by Margaret Wise Brown, 1942 · age 4 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.7 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, Halsted - Best Friends
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The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf, 1936 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 670L · AR 3.7 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
The Davidson Institute's reading list for profoundly gifted young readers; the hardest list here for its ages. The list itself ↗
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Encyclopedia Brown
by Donald J. Sobol, 1963 · up to age 10 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: MG (4–8)
also on Deep Roots Grade, The Good & The Beautiful
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The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf, 1936 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 670L · AR 3.7 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
A grade-by-grade book list, with the grade each book is filed under kept alongside it.
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Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey, 1976 · ages 4–6 · Lexile 600L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Halsted - Best Friends, Mensa Kids
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Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell Hoban, 1964 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 490L · AR 3.4 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on NY Public Library
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Curious George
by H.A. Rey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Mensa Kids, NY Public Library
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Encyclopedia Brown
by Donald J. Sobol, 1963 · up to age 10 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: MG (4–8)
also on Davidson Gifted, The Good & The Beautiful
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Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, 1947 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 360L · AR 1.8 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Love You Forever
by Robert Munsch, 1986 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 780L · AR 3.4 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
The reading recommended at the back of Judith Wynn Halsted's award-winning guide for gifted readers, Some of My Best Friends Are Books — her own bibliography, marked by age.
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Amanda Pig on Her Own
by Jean Van Leeuwen, 1991 · age 4 · Lexile 490L · AR 2.4
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Amy in the Rain with Baby Duck
by Amy Hest, 1995 · age 4 · Lexile 240L
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Anno's Counting Book
by Mitsumasa Anno, 1975 · age 4
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Are You My Mother?
by P. D. Eastman, 1960 · age 4 · Lexile 240L · AR 1.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Around the House
by Deni Brown, 1993 · age 4
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Baby Talk: A Pudgy Book
by Erika Stone, 1992 · age 4
Harvard Classics nothing in the catalog yet
The fifty volumes Charles W. Eliot chose in 1909 as a liberal education on a five-foot shelf. Old, Western, and unapologetically canonical. The list itself ↗
Reading lists from Mensa for Kids, graded by age band; the band each book is filed under is kept alongside it. The list itself ↗
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Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey, 1976 · ages 4–6 · Lexile 600L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, Halsted - Best Friends
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Curious George
by H.A. Rey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, NY Public Library
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Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, 1947 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 360L · AR 1.8 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 710L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, NY Public Library
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Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton, 1967 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 580L · AR 4.4 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade
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Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gág, 1928 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 580L · AR 3.5 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Halsted - Best Friends, NY Public Library
The American Library Association's annual medal for the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature, awarded since 1922. The list itself ↗
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Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña, 2016 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 610L · AR 3.3 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Halsted - Best Friends
The New York Public Library's staff picks for children — a large library system's answer to what a child should read next. The list itself ↗
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A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip Stead, 2010 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 580L · AR 3.0 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Bark, George
by Jules Feiffer, 1999 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 350L · AR 1.3 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Ben’s Trumpet
by Rachel Isadora, 1979 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 530L · AR 2.2 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Halsted - Best Friends
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Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell Hoban, 1964 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 490L · AR 3.4 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade
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Curious George
by H.A. Rey, 1941 · ages 4–7 · Lexile 600L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids
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Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by Mo Willems, 2003 · ages 4–5 · Lexile 280L · AR 0.9 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
St. John's College nothing in the catalog yet
The Great Books list of St. John's College in Annapolis and Santa Fe — the same books read by every student through all four years of its undergraduate program. The list itself ↗
A homeschool curriculum publisher's book list, filed by grade. The list itself ↗
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Encyclopedia Brown
by Donald J. Sobol, 1963 · up to age 10 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.1 · AR Interest: MG (4–8)
also on Davidson Gifted, Deep Roots Grade
Time Magazine 1923-2005 nothing in the catalog yet
TIME's all-time hundred novels: the best English-language novels published between TIME's first year, 1923, and 2005, when the list was made. The list itself ↗
TJEd Adult Recommended nothing in the catalog yet
A Thomas Jefferson Education is Oliver and Rachel DeMille's home-education method. It recommends three reading lists by the age of the reader — Early, Youth and Adult — and these are the adult ones. The list itself ↗
A Thomas Jefferson Education is Oliver and Rachel DeMille's home-education method. It recommends three reading lists by the age of the reader — Early, Youth and Adult — and these are the earliest. The list itself ↗
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Chicken Little
by folk tale, 1840 · ages 4–8
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Cinderella
by folk tale, 1697 · ages 4–8
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Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter, 1901 · ages 4–6 · Lexile 610L · AR 4.2 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
also on Deep Roots Grade, Mensa Kids
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The Blind Men and the Elephant
by Karen Backstein, 1992 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 470L · AR 2.6 · AR Interest: LG (K–3)
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Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Clement Clarke Moore, 1823 · ages 4–8 · Lexile 880L · AR 4.3
TJEd Youth Recommended nothing in the catalog yet
A Thomas Jefferson Education is Oliver and Rachel DeMille's home-education method. It recommends three reading lists by the age of the reader — Early, Youth and Adult — and these are the ones for young readers. The list itself ↗