4th Grade Common Core – English Language Arts

363.7 BAN

Bang, Molly.

Common Ground: the water, earth, and air we share. 1997.

Summary: Imagines a village in which there are too many people consuming shared resources and discusses the challenge of handling our world's environment safely.

398.2 BUR

Burrows, John.

The Adventures of Robin Hood. 2005.

Summary: Recounts the legend of Robin Hood, who plundered the king's purse and poached his deer and whose generosity endeared him to the poor. Includes review questions.

523 BER

Berger, Melvin.

Do Stars Have Points? questions and answers about stars and planets. 1998.

Summary: Questions and answers explore various aspects of stars and our solar system, including the sun, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids.

523.7 BAN

Bang, Molly.

My Light. 2004.

Summary: The sun explains the different ways in which its light is transformed into energy which powers the bulbs that illuminate the night.

523.7 SIM

Simon, Seymour.

The Sun. 1996.

Summary: Describes the nature of the sun, its origin, and source of energy, layers, atmosphere, sunspots, and activity.

523.8 MIL

Mitton, Jacqueline.

Zoo in the Sky: a book of animal constellations. 1998.

Summary: Identifies the groups of stars known as constellations and discusses their origin, uses, and observation.

551.5 BER

Berger, Melvin.

Can it Rain Cats and Dogs? questions and answers about weather. 1999.

Summary: Provides answers to such questions about the weather as "What makes the weather?", "Does air have weight?", "How big are hailstones?", and "What is El Niño?"

551.5 MIC

Michaels, Pat.

W is for Wind: a weather alphabet. 2005.

Summary: An A-Z pictorial for children including weather terms such as barometer, cloud, tornado, and sunshine introduced with poems accompanied by expository text to provide detailed information.

599.63 HAT

Hatkoff, Isabella.

Owen & Mzee: the true story of a remarkable friendship. 2006

Summary: Illustrated text and full-color photographs tell the true story of the unusual relationship between Owen, a baby hippopotamus orphaned by the tsunami, and Mzee, a 130-year-old giant tortoise.

612.1 BUR

Burstein, John.

The Amazing Circulatory System: how does my heart work? 2009.

Summary: Combines explanatory text, illustrations, photographs, and activities to provide an overview of the circulatory system and how it works.

612.1 SIM

Simon, Seymour.

The Heart: our circulatory system. 1996.

Summary: Describes the heart, blood, and other parts of the body's circulatory system and explains how each component functions.

792 ALI

Aliki.

William Shakespeare & the Globe. 1999.

Summary: Tells the story of the well-known playwright, William Shakespeare, and of the famous Globe Theatre in which many of his works were performed.

808.8 BEN

The Children's Book of Heroes. 1997.

Summary: Presents a collection of poems, traditional tales, and both fictional and true stories about all kinds of heroes.

808.8 RYL

Rylant, Cynthia.

Every Living Thing. 1988.

Summary: Twelve stories in which animals change people's lives for the better.

811 SID

Sidman, Joyce.

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. 2006.

Summary: Poem and factual information about meadow flora and fauna are presented alternately.

921 ADAMS

Fritz, Jean.

Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? 1974.

Summary: A brief biography of Samuel Adams describing his activities in stirring up the revolt against the British and how he was finally persuaded to learn to ride a horse.

921 GEORGE

Fritz, Jean.

Can't You make them Behave, King George? 1977.

Summary: A biography of the King of Great Britain at the time of the American Revolution.

921 HANCOCK

Fritz, Jean.

Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? 1976.

Summary: A biography of the first signer of the Declaration of Independence outlining all that he did for himself as well as what he did for Massachusetts and his new nation.

921 HENRY

Fritz, Jean.

Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? 1975.

Summary: A brief biography of Patrick Henry tracing his progress from planter to statesman.

921 PITCHER

Stevenson, Augusta.

Molly Pitcher: young patriot. 1986.

Summary: A childhood biography of the Pennsylvania German woman who became a Revolutionary War heroine when she carried water to American soldiers and even fired a cannon herself during the Battle of Monmouth.

921 REVERE

Fritz, Jean.

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? 1973.

Summary: Describes some of the well-known as well as the lesser-known details of Paul Revere's life and exciting ride.

921 SAMPSON

McGovern, Ann.

The Secret Soldier: the story of Deborah Sampson. 1975.

Summary: A brief biography of the woman who disguised herself as a man and joined the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

973 SCI

Scillian, Devin.

A is for America: an American alphabet. 2001.

Summary: Features a brief rhyme for each letter of the alphabet that provides information about some aspect of America.

973.3 MOO

Moore, Kay.

--if you lived at the time of the American Revolution. 1997.

Summary: Describes what life was like in colonial America, and provides information about the causes of the Revolutionary War, an introduction to the Loyalists and the Patriots, and a look at how things changed once the conflict began.

973.309 ADL

Adler, David A.

Heroes of the Revolution. 2003.

Summary: Profiles twelve men and women who had a significant impact on the American Revolution.

FIC AVI

Avi.

Poppy. 1995.

Summary: Poppy, a deer mouse, urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.

FIC AVI

Avi.

Ragweed. 1999.

Summary: Ragweed, a young country mouse, leaves his family and travels to the big city, where he finds excitement and danger and sees cats for the first time.

FIC BLU

Blume, Judy.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. 1972.

Summary: Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever-increasing problem.

FIC CLE

Cleary, Beverly.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle. 2000.

Summary: A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.

FIC COL

Collier, James Lincoln.

War Comes to Willy Freeman. 1983.

Summary: A free thirteen-year-old black girl in Connecticut is caught up in the horror of the Revolutionary War and the danger of being returned to slavery when her patriot father is killed by the British and her mother disappears.

FIC CRE

Creech, Sharon.

Love That Dog. 2001.

Summary: A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.

FIC DEA

De Angeli, Marguerite Lofft.

The Door in the Wall. 1949.

Summary: In 13th-century England, the crippled son of a great lord overcomes his disabilities by craftsmanship and wins knighthood by a courageous act.

FIC DIC

DiCamillo, Kate.

Because of Winn-Dixie. 2000.

Summary: Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

FIC DIC

DiCamillo, Kate.

The Tale of Despereaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. 2003.

Summary: The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

FIC FAR

Farley, Walter.

The Black Stallion. 1941.

Summary: Young Alec Ramsay is shipwrecked on a Desert Island with a horse destined to play an important part in his life.

FIC FLE

Fleischman, Sid.

The Whipping Boy. 1986.

Summary: A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

FIC HEN

Henry, Marguerite.

Misty of Chincoteague. 1975.

Summary: The determination of two youngsters to win a Chincoteague pony is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among those rounded up for the yearly auction.

FIC LAW

Lawson, Robert.

Ben and Me: a new and astonishing life of Benjamin Franklin as written by his good mouse Amos. 1939.

Summary: Benjamin Franklin's companion, Amos the mouse, recounts how he was responsible for Franklin's inventions and discoveries.

FIC LEN

Lenski, Lois.

Strawberry Girl. 1945.

Summary: Birdie Boyer and her hard-working family raise strawberries in Florida, but arouse the enmity of their lazy and proud neighbors, the Slaters.

FIC LEV

Levine, Gail Carson.

Ella Enchanted. 1997.

Summary: In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.

FIC MAR

Martin, Ann M.

A Dog's Life: the autobiography of a stray. 2005.

Summary: Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal.

FIC MCC

McCloskey, Robert.

Time of Wonder. 1957.

Summary: Follows the activities of two children spending their summer vacation on an island off the coast of Maine.

FIC NAY

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.

Shiloh. 1991.

Summary: When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

FIC OBR

O'Brien, Robert C.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. 1971.

Summary: Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.

FIC OSB

Osborne, Mary Pope.

Christmas in Camelot. 2001.

Summary: On Christmas Eve, Jack and Annie's tree house transports them to King Arthur's castle at Camelot, where they undertake a quest to the castle of the Otherworld.

FIC OSB

Osborne, Mary Pope.

Midnight on the Moon. 1996.

Summary: The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to a moon base in the future where they continue to search for the fourth thing they need to free their friend Morgan from the magician's spell.

FIC SPI

Spinelli, Jerry.

The Library Card. 1997.

Summary: Collection of four stories in which the lives of four young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books.

FIC SPI

Spinelli, Jerry.

Fourth Grade Rats. 1991.

Summary: Suds learns that his best friend is wrong. You don't have to be a tough guy, a "rat," to be a grown-up fourth grader.

FIC TAY

Taylor, Theodore.

The Trouble with Tuck. 1981.

Summary: A young girl trains her blind dog to follow and trust a seeing-eye companion dog.

FIC WIL

Wilder, Laura Ingalls.

The Long Winter. 1953.

Summary: After an October blizzard, Laura's family moves from the claim shanty into town for the winter, a winter that an Indian has predicted will be seven months of bad weather.