Miss Olds Suggested Reading List for Grade 2 Students

Red by Michael Hall

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Night
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Genre: fiction
Theme: inclusion
Students reflect on their roles in the classroom and society as a
whole
Helps students build self-confidence and learn about acceptance
Write or talk about a way YOU can help someone feel
accepted. Was there a time you have not felt accepted?

on Fire by Ronald Kidd

Genre: historical fiction
Theme: racism
Students learn about Freedom Riders and Martin Luther King Jr.
Research Freedom Riders and Martin Luther King Jr.
Learn about subject specific vocabulary
Billys Booger A Memoir (Sorta) by Wiliam Joyce
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Genre: picture book

Theme: writing
Students see how other individuals (authors) began their career
as
writers
Write your own memoir

On the Shoulders of a Giant: an Inuit Folktale retold by Neil

Christopher
o Genre: picture book
o Theme: First Nations, Metis, Inuit culture (FNMI)
o Students learn about other cultural myths
Study of FNMI cultures and beliefs
Read other myths and compare to the myths you know

Space Dumplins by Craig Thompson

o Genre: graphic novel/science fiction
o Students discover societys impact on the environment
Design your own comic strip to change the ending of the
book
Draw a picture of yourself doing a heroic act

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: perseverance and feelings
o Students will learn how to accomplish difficult tasks and
handle frustration
Discuss a time you were frustrated and how you
handled it
Draw a picture of what anger (happy, any emotion)
looks like
Use words that you know to describe what anger (any emotion) is like

Fantastic Elastic Brain by Joann Deak and Sarah Ackerley

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: learning
o Students learn about how their brain is growing and that it is
okay to make mistakes
Draw a diagram of the brain. Can you label the parts of
a brain?
Write or tell someone about a function of a part of your
brain.

The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald

o Genre: picture book / memoir
o Theme: body image
o Students see photos and captions written by other students
describing their favourite body parts
Take a photo of or find a picture on the internet of
your favourite body part
Write about your favourite body part. Why is it your
favourite?

My Teachers Secret Life by Stephen Krensky

o Genre: fiction/picture book
o Theme: imagination
o Students use their imagination to guess what their teacher does
outside of school
Write about what kind of secret life you think your
teacher/friend/parent/pet has

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: acceptance/diversity/expressing yourself

Students read about a boy who is actually invisible in his class

until he can share his talents with everyone
Discuss your talents and how they are important to your
classroom

Take
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The Box by Axel Janssens

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: imagination/acceptance
o Students read about a boy who gets an amazing bicycle for his
birthday, but everyone plays with Kobes box
Draw a picture or write about what game you would a box
for
Discuss how Leopold felt in the story. How could he change
how he felt?

Away the A by Michael Escoffier

Genre: picture book
Theme: phonics learning/word structure/alphabet
Students read this fun book about how taking away letters changes
words
Write your own page for the book. Draw a picture that
represents the words you wrote about.

How to Read a Story by Kate Messner

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: reading
o Students learn different ways to enjoy and discover reading
Use this with your child to encourage them begin reading
at home
Reference this story when you have a hard time getting
comfortable with reading
Use this book before you go to the library/book store to pick out a book

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: self-esteem
o Students read about how mistakes are not just bad, sometimes
they create wonderful things
Read this with your child to help them build their selfesteem and encourage them to take risks.
If your child makes mistakes, reference the story to boost their self-esteem

Giraffes Cant Dance by Giles Andreae

Genre: picture book

Theme: rhyme/cultural diversity/self-esteem
Students read about a giraffe that cannot dance like all of the other
animals. However, the giraffe can dance beautifully in a different
way
If your child feels like he/she is different from other students
this will help them see they have something to bring into the
classroom
Discuss how the giraffe feels. Discuss how the other animals were acting.
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Wumbers by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: numeracy
o Students will discover what happens when a number and a
word are combined
Can you create your own word that has a number in it?
Use it in a sentence.
Draw a picture to help represent the meaning of your sentence

Quick
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Inside
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This Book by Barney Saltzberg

Genre: picture book/fiction
Theme: writing/creativity
Students will read a book that is created by three siblings, each
sibling has their own book within the main book
Create a small book to combine with two other students to
make a big book like the siblings book
Discuss how the writing was different for each sibling. Did they write the
about same things? Did they use the same kind of sentences? Were the
books the same length?

as a Cricket by Audrey Wood and Don Wood

Genre: picture book/fiction
Theme: self-awareness
Students read about a young boy who learns and celebrates about
the different parts of himself.
Come up with the own parts of you that you know about
(contradictory like brave and shy). Discuss them

What
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Does Peace Feel Like? By Vladimir Radunsky

Genre: picture book
Theme: peace
Students read about how other students imagine peace to
look/feel/smell/taste like
Write about how you think peace would
look/feel/smell/taste like

Andrew Drew and Drew by Barney Saltzberg

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: discovery of ideas, self-discovery, imagination/creativity
o Students read about how Andrew uses his imagination to create
wonderful things
Using a paper with lots of empty circles on it, create as many
different things as you can think of

The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown

o Genre: fiction
o Theme: word games/rhymes, word structure
o Students will discover word play and fun in this book when reading
about all types of objects in the world
Read this to your child
Discuss rhyme and content of pages

Whimsys Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: emotions, self-awareness
o Students read about Whimsy, she is carrying around a lot of
heavy things which get too heavy for her. She decides to change
the things so they help lift her up.
Discuss things that are heavy for you, how can you change them to life you
up?
Draw a picture of the things that weigh you down

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: listening to and respecting others
o Students read about a boy whose crayons quit. They no longer
want to colour, and the boy must find a solution.
Discuss if you have ever felt like the crayons. How did
Duncan resolve his problem?
Use a picture to show how you would prevent your crayons from feeling used

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: embracing lifes messes, reflection
o Students will interact in this read-aloud story that takes them
through a story that keeps messing up. When the main character

stops and reflects on his story, he realizes that sometimes being imperfect is what
makes a good story.
Think of a time you made a mistake, what did you learn from it? Did it make
for a funny story?

What
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Do You Do With an Idea? By Kobi Yamada

Genre: picture book
Theme: creativity
Students read about a boy who has an idea. As the book
continues, the boys idea grow bigger and bigger, and it
changes his world
Write a list of ideas that you have had today
Think about your past ideas, do you ignore them or feed
them?
Write one way that you can feed your ideas
- Two by Kathryn Otoshi
o Genre: picture book/fiction
o Theme: friendship, self-awareness, counting
o Students read about One and Two who are best friends, then
Three comes and is best friends with One. Two feels left out.
Write about a time you felt left out. How did you feel, how
did you get over it? What would you say to Two when Two
felt left out?
Create a chant you could say with a friend

If Everybody Did by Jo Ann Stover

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: responsibility
o Students read about what would happen if everyone (adults
and kids) did what they wanted all of the time.
Discuss why we have to do things we dont like doing sometimes. Think about
things we have to do to keep ourselves safe.

Open
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The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane Auch and Herm Auch

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: writing/plot
o Students will read about a chicken who decides to write a story
about she becomes a professional author.
Discuss what a plot is. How do you become a professional
author

Very Carefully by Nick Bromley

Genre: picture book
Theme: humour
Students read about a crocodile who has fallen into their bedtime
story.

Discuss a time you had to be brave.

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: vocabulary building/word play, perseverance
o Students will read about a student who misunderstands new
vocabulary in her class.
Create a personal dictionary to help you learn vocabulary at home and at
school

My Hometown by Russell Griesmer

o Genre: picture book/historical fiction
o Theme: visualizing differences
o Students flip through a book with mostly pictures that compare
present day to the 1860s
Research what your hometown used to look like in the past
Look at pictures from when you were younger. Write down some changes you
see from then and now

by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Genre: picture book
Theme: determination, imagination
Students read about a girl who thinks about the possibilities of
tomorrow
Predict what you think could happen tomorrow or in the
future. Write about your ideas

There
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The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: word play, diverse experiences
o Students will read about OK personifying different things
Write about things that you are good about

Its Okay to Make Mistakes by Todd Parr

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: acceptance, self-discovery
o Students will read about a child who tries new things and makes
mistakes. He learns from mistakes and how to embrace them.
Discuss your past mistakes and how they are good things
Discuss how you can take more chances and try new things

Only
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One You by Linda Kranz

Genre: picture book
Theme: family, love, exploration
Students will read about a family that share what they have
learned about the world through imagery of the ocean
Create a page to go along with Only One You that shows some unique
knowledge that you have to share. Can you set it in the sea?

This Plus That by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: word play and math, life experiences
o Students will read a fun collection of words written as
addition/subtraction sentences.
Write your own math sentence using words

My Map Book by Sara Fanelli

o Genre: picture book/autobiography
o Theme: humour, mapping
o Students will read about mapping skills through an autobiography
Create your own map of your life (create your own city/country/world)
Discuss about how your map reflects your life

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: writing
o Students will read a book that uses colours and made up words
that encourages them to both write and read books that dont have
pictures
Create your own made up word and make a page to add to
the book
Discuss why reading is fun, even without pictures

There
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Are Cats in This Book Viviane Schwarz

Genre: picture book
Theme: interactive/caring
Students read an interactive story about cats and discover the
main characters (the three cats)
Go to Viviane Shwarzs website and print off the cat cut
outs. Put them in your books and create an adventure for
Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre. Tell your adventure to someone.

Magic
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Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: fiction (small chapter books)
Theme: discovery and literature (varies in each book)
Students will follow the adventures of Jack and Annie by
travelling through different books the children read.
Research some of the places/animals/other
interesting things that Jack and Annie encounter

Something Extraordinary by Ben Clanton

o Genre: picture book
o Theme: finding joy
o Students learn about how to be positive and it instills
curiosity in their world
What is one extraordinary thing that you wish you
could do? Draw a picture to show what it is