Category: Third Grade

Honey, The Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln

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Deeply researched and charmingly told, this is the true story of one extra-special childhood rescue—a dog named Honey.

Long before Abraham Lincoln led the nation or signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he was just a barefoot kid running around Knob Creek, Kentucky, setting animals free from traps and snatching frogs out of the jaws of snakes.

One day, young Abe found a stray dog with a broken leg and named him Honey. He had no idea that the scruffy pup would find his way into Abe’s heart, become his best friend, and—one fateful day—save his life.

Whether shared at home or in the classroom, this is a good choice for young readers interested in true stories of U.S. presidents.

Nonfiction

AR Point .5

Word Count 1090

AR Reading Level 3.8

Kindness, Courage, Creativity, Cleverness, Responsibility

The Oak Inside the Acorn

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Soon Little Acorn grew into Little Oak. But now what was he to do? He couldn’t grow oranges like the orange tree or flowers like the rose bush. He just grew and grew until he became Big Oak, and his branches were big and strong-but still he didn’t know what he was to do. Then one day Big Oak found that his strong branches were just right for a very special purpose. The Oak Inside the Acorn is the story of the miracle inside each of us. For within every child is the special person God created, just waiting to grow.

Patience, Kindness, Adaptability

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.3

AR Point .5

Word Count 2489

What is Given from the Heart

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“Misery loves company,” Mama says to James Otis. It’s been a rough couple of months for them, but Mama says as long as they have their health and strength, they’re blessed. One Sunday before Valentine’s Day, Reverend Dennis makes an announcement during the service– the Temples have lost everything in a fire, and the church is collecting anything that might be useful to them. James thinks hard about what he can add to the Temple’s “love box,” but what does he have worth giving? This is a touching, powerful tale of compassion and reminds us all that what is given from the heart, reaches the heart.

Kindness, Innovation, Creativity, Gratefulness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.6

AR Point .5

Word Count 1120

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

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One wintry day, a postman delivers a mysterious package with a big pink bow to a lonely man named Mr. Hatch. 
“Somebody loves you,” the note says. 
“Somebody loves me!” Mr. Hatch sings as he dusts his living room. “Somebody loves me!” Mr. Hatch whistles as he does his errands in town. “But who,” Mr. Hatch wonders, “could that somebody be?” 
After some time, Mr. Hatch discovers just who his secret admirer is and, in doing so, enjoys the biggest surprise of his life!

Kindness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.9

AR Point .5

Word Count 1484

With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School

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“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”  -Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington had an incredible passion for learning. Born a slave, he taught himself to read. When the Civil War ended, Booker finally fulfilled his dream of attending school. After graduation, he was invited to teach in Tuskegee, Alabama. Finding many eager students but no school, Booker set out to build his own school—brick by brick.

Courage, Effort, Initiative, Leadership, Optimism, Perseverance, Teamwork

Nonfiction

AR Reading Level 3.7

AR Point .5

Word Count 1016

Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story

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“Nature study cultivates in the child a love of the beautiful.”

From the time she was a young girl, Anna Comstock was fascinated by the natural world. She loved exploring outdoors, examining wildlife and learning nature’s secrets. From watching the teamwork of marching ants to following the constellations in the sky, Anna observed it all. And her interest only increased as she grew older and went to college at Cornell University. There she continued her studies, pushing back against those social conventions that implied science was a man’s pursuit. Eventually Anna became known as a nature expert, pioneering a movement to encourage schools to conduct science and nature classes for children outdoors, thereby increasing students’ interest in nature. In following her passion, this remarkable woman blazed a trail for female scientists today.

Innovation, Leadership, and Perseverance

Nonfiction

AR Reading Level 3.9

AR Point .5

Word Count 689

My Rows and Piles of Coins

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The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins for a red and blue bicycle. How happy he will be when he can help his mother carry heavy loads to market on his very own bicycle–and how disappointed he is to discover that he hasn’t saved nearly enough! Determination and generosity are at the heart of this satisfying tale that captures the warmth of Saruni’s family and the excitement of market day.

 

Initiative, Critical Thinking-Problem Solving, Effort, Empathy, Patience, Responsibility, Self Control, Gratefulness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.8

AR Point .5

Word Count 1256

Boxes for Katje

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After World War II there is little left in Katje’s town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom “thick and bright,” Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje’s street to deliver a mysterious box – a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What’s inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks – beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.

This inspiring story, with strikingly original art, is based on the author’s mother’s childhood and will show young readers that they, too, can make a difference.

Empathy, Kindness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.5

AR Point .5

Word Count 1585

Leah’s Pony

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Leah’s pony was swift and strong. Together they would cross through cornfields and over pastures, chasing cattle as they galloped under summer skies. Then came the year the corn grew no taller than a man’s thumb. Locusts blackened the sky. The earth turned to dust. Gone were the cornfields and pastures where Leah and her pony once rode. It was the beginning of the great drought. Now Leah’s papa faced losing the family farm. Set in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, this deeply felt story, vividly portrayed through stunning oil paintings, tells of one child and what she would sacrifice for love of her family.

Courage, Critical Thinking-Problem Solving, Empathy, and Kindness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.3

AR Point .5

Word Count 1333

Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing

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Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world.

Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She hand wrote code that would allow the spacecraft’s computer to solve any problems it might encounter. Apollo 8. Apollo 9. Apollo 10. Apollo 11. Without her code, none of those missions could have been completed.

Critical Thinking-Problem Solving, Responsibility, Initiative, Innovation, Leadership

Nonfiction

AR Reading Level 3.7

AR Point .5

Word Count 722