Dayton Metro Library - Kids Info4U

A collection of poems celebrating African-American fathers by Angela Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carole Boston Weatherford, and others. READING LEVEL: 3

Describes the life and accomplishments of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel and a figure in the early women's rights movement. READING LEVEL: 4.4

Mr. Popper, a painter and decorator, is presented with a penguin that he names Captain Cook. The penguin changes the lives of the Popper family. Features Robert Lawson illustrations. READING LEVEL: 5.6

Poppy the 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. READING LEVEL: 4.5

A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life in the cupboard and befriends him. READING LEVEL: 4.6

In 1923, after learning Morse code and setting up his own amateur radio station, a twelve-year-old boy sends a message that leads to the rescue of a family stranded by a hurricane in Florida. Based on experiences of the author's father. READING LEVEL: 5.1

Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever increasing problem. READING LEVEL: 3.3

Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in New Orleans in 1960. READING LEVEL: 2

It's Ralph's lucky day when along comes Keith, the owner of the toy motorcycle, who teaches Ralph how to ride properly, and then turns him loose to enjoy the biking adventure of his life. READING LEVEL: 5.1

The year she is in the third grade is a sad time for Amber because her best friend Justin is getting ready to move to a distant state. READING LEVEL: 3.7

Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy. READING LEVEL: 4.4

Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm with the purse from a dog sled race he enters. READING LEVEL: 4

Eccentric Aunt Sally comes from Canada to babysit the Anderson children while their parents are on a trip to Paris and every night the bedtime story adds another piece to a very suspect family history. READING LEVEL: 5.4

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. This reissue of the classic story featuring the vampire rabbit celebrates the book's twentieth anniversary. Includes an essay by co-author James Howe on the origins of "Bunnicula." READING LEVEL: 4.2

A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success. READING LEVEL: 5.6

Reluctuant Nicky spends a wonderful summer with Grandma who introduces him to the joy of rafting down the river near her home and watching the animals along the banks. READING LEVEL: 4.1

Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village. READING LEVEL: 5.2

A combination of engaging text and distinctive illustrations make this an excellent biography of this controversial civil rights leader. READING LEVEL: 6

Thirteen-year-old Phoebe recalls her younger brother Mick and his death in a bicycle accident. READING LEVEL: 4.5

Arthur goes to pick up the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner but comes back with a 260-pound chicken. READING LEVEL: 4.9

The six mean Herdman kids lie, steal, smoke cigars (even the girls) and then become involved in the community Christmas pageant. READING LEVEL: 5.1

This picture book biography of the famous former slave and abolitionist features an inspiring story and impressive illustration. READING LEVEL: 3

At the dedication of a school named after him, an old former slave tells the story of his life and how his white friend helped him earn the money for the school by repeatedly selling him into slavery, after which he always escaped. READING LEVEL: 5.6

Relates episodes in the life of eleven-year-old Ellie and her family who live in a coal mining town in West Virginia. READING LEVEL: 4.6

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story. READING LEVEL: 3.3

Joe receives a magic book for his birthday present from his uncle. Joe, Fred and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons and vile-smelling giants roamed the land. SERIES READING LEVEL: 3.8

Driving home from the beach on Labor Day, Joshua receives some shocking news from his mother: he must repeat third grade. READING LEVEL: 5.1

Describes the life and work of the courageous man who changed the way people saw the galaxy, by offering objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe. READING LEVEL: 4.8

Fifth-grader "Encyclopedia" Leroy Brown solves ten mysteries and, by putting the solutions at the back of the book, challenges the reader to do the same. SERIES READING LEVEL: 3.9-4.2

A biography of the Italian Renaissance artist and inventor who, at about age thirty, began writing his famous notebooks which contain the outpourings of his amazing mind. READING LEVEL: 6.8

The children of Gumbo Grove Elementary School discover the contributions of many famous Afro-Americans during Black History Month. READING LEVEL: 4.1

The son of a North Carolina sharecropper recalls the hard times faced by his family and other African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century and the changes that the civil rights movement helped bring about. READING LEVEL: 4.9

Discusses the placement of over 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children in homes throughout the Midwest from 1854 to 1929 by recounting the story of one boy and his brothers. READING LEVEL: 6.1

The adventures of the debonair mouse Stuart Little as he sets out in the world to seek out his dearest friend, a little bird who stayed a few days in his family's garden. READING LEVEL: 6

A year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors. READING LEVEL: 5.3

Twelve-year-old Lafayette's close relationship with his older brother Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother. READING LEVEL: 4.3

When his family moves to a small town near Milwaukee, Matt's efforts to fit into his new fourth-grade class are complicated by his poor spelling and his encounter with the ghost of one of the school's former teachers. READING LEVEL: 4

Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery about the concept of revenge. READING LEVEL: 5

An illustrated collection of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar, including

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. READING LEVEL: 4.6

In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. READING LEVEL: 4.5

When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay. READING LEVEL: 3.4

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. READING LEVEL: 4.4

Describes an incident in the life of John Parker, an ex-slave who became a successful businessman in Ripley, Ohio, and who repeatedly risked his life to help other slaves escape to freedom. READING LEVEL: 2

When he discovers that he is destined to be someone's dinner, Wilbur the pig is desolate until his spider friend Charlotte decides to help him. READING LEVEL: 4.4

A retelling of a folktale in which a beautiful girl with long golden hair is kept imprisoned in a lonely tower by a sorceress. Includes a note on the origins of the story. READING LEVEL: 4.6

Recommended Books for Fourth Grade