Learn + Live Letter Level 2 Book List

Foundations Unit

• A Second, A Minute, A Week With Days In It: A Book About Time by Brian P. Cleary
• The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle (or read it on OpenLibrary here)
• Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year by various authors (this one is an investment, but you will use it so much for Tea + Poetry throughout the year!)
• A Child’s Introduction to Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings and Sculptures by Heather Alexander (similar to the above, we will reference this book throughout the year)

Apples Unit

• How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman (read it on OpenLibrary here or listen a read aloud here)
• Blossom to Apple (Where Food Comes From) by Sarah Ridley
• Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson (or listen to this read aloud)
• Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta (or read it on OpenLibrary here)

Fall Harvest Unit

• From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons (or read it on OpenLibrary here)
• From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer (or read it on OpenLibrary here)
• Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (or read it on OpenLibrary here)

Leaves Unit

• The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang
• Up in the Leaves by Shira Boss
• Why Do Leaves Change Colors? by Betsy Maestro (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Leif and the Fall by Allison Sweet Grant
• Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman (optional, but recommended if your child loves nature and figuring out what’s what!)

Modern-Day Egypt Unit

• Follow Me Around Egypt by Wiley Blevins
• We’re Sailing Down the Nile by Laurie Krebs (or listen to this YouTube read aloud or read it online on OpenLibrary.org)
• The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil
• The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence Parry Heide (or read it on OpenLibrary here)

Optional additional resource:

• Smithsonian Children’s Illustrated Atlas

Dinosaurs Unit

• The Magnificent Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures by Tom Jackson (note: If you already own an encyclopedia-style book of dinosaurs, feel free to use that in place of this book)
• Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled by Catherine Thimmesh
• Dinosaur Lady by Linda Skeers (or you can listen to this read aloud)
• How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland (or you can listen to this read aloud)

Optional additional reading:

• Brick by Brick Dinosaurs by Warren Elsmore (If you have a child who loves dinosaurs and LEGO, this book is a dream come true!)

Clouds + Weather Unit

• A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons (or read it on OpenLibrary here)
• When the Wind Blows by Stacy Clark

Neighborhood Unit

• Home by Carson Ellis
• How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise (or you can listen to this read aloud)
• Molly, By Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s Virst Female Firefighter by Dianne Ochiltree (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice With Art by Cynthia Levinson

Native People of Mesoamerica Unit

• Rain Player by David Wisniewski (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall
• Blue Frog: The Legend of Chocolate by Dianne De Las Casas
• The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

Optional additional reading:

• Children’s Illustrated Atlas (this is a great resource to have in your homeschool library, and we will refer to it throughout the year)

Five Senses Unit

• Look, Listen, Taste, Touch and Smell, Learn About Your Senses by Pamela Hill Nettleton (or use this read aloud)
• The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Finley Mosca
• Hands & Hearts by Donna Jo Napoli

Big Feelings Unit

• Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak Ph.D. (or read it here on GetEpic.com)
• After the Fall by Dan Santat (or listen to this read aloud)
• When Miles Got Mad by Sam Kurtzman-Counter (or listen to this read aloud)
• Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival (or listen to this read aloud)
• The Boy with the Big Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee (or read it here on GetEpic.com)
• Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (or listen to this read aloud)

Optional additional reading:

• Thanku: Poems of Gratitude by Miranda Paul – Want to build out your collection of poetry? This lovely book is full of poems that inspire gratitude and thankfulness.

China Unit

• I See the Sun in China by Dedie King
• (+) China: Travel for Kids by Celia Jenkins (This book is an excellent resource for a lot of information about modern-day China, and it’s a great option for screen-free families, but it may be less engaging for some children. If your child prefers a picture book with a story, we recommend I See the Sun in China.)
• The Greatest Power by Demi (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes
• Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson (or listen to this read aloud)
• Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker (or you can listen to this read aloud)

India Unit

• Living in…India by Chloe Perkins
• Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth (or you can read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Seven Gold Rings by Rajani LaRocca
• Grandfather Ghandi by Arun Ghandi and Betheny Hegedus (or listen to this read aloud)

Outer Space Unit

• Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex
• Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacey McAnulty
• Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
• Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Kathleen Krull (or listen to this read aloud)

Snow Unit

• The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonders by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson, Ph.D (or listen to this read aloud)
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner (or listen to this read aloud)

Optional extra reading:

• A Fraction’s Goal ― Parts of a Whole by Brian P. Cleary (or read it here on GetEpic.com)

Arctic Unit

• North and South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres by Sandra Morris
• Here is the Arctic Winter by Madeleine Dunphy (find it here on OpenLibrary)
• Arctic White by Danna Smith (or use the L+L read aloud!)
• A Symphony of Whales by Steve Schuch (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Lights That Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer

Greece Unit

• If You Were Me and Lived in…Ancient Greece by Carole P. Roman
• Greek Myths for Young Children by Heather Amery (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Archimedes: The Man Who Invented the Death Ray by Shoo Rayner
• This is Greece by Miroslav Sasek

Tools + Construction Unit

• The Ultimate Construction Site Book by Anne-Sophie Baumann
• Construction People by Lee Bennett Hopkins
• Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland into a Home by Barb Rosenstock
• The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter

Quilts Unit

• The Quilting Bee by Gail Gibbons (or you can find it here on OpenLibrary.org)
• Papa and the Pioneer Quilt by (or you can read it on OpenLibrary)
• The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom by Bettye Stroud (or read it here on OpenLibrary) OR Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson (read aloud option)
• Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Quilt by Valériane Leblond
• (+) Jazz by Walter Dean Myers – This collection of poems introduces children to a timeline of jazz greats. While not required, it’s a lovely overview of this incredible genre. (And a great option for your next Tea + Poetry!)

Light, Shadows + Rainbows Unit

• All About Light by Lisa Trumbauer (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• What Makes a Shadow? by Clyde Robert Bulla (or read it here on OpenLibrary here)
• On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• All the Colors of the Rainbow by Allen Fowler (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Newton’s Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist by Kathryn Lasky

Optional additional reading:

• Energy: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn

Rocks Unit

• The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain and Yuval Zommer
• The Pebble in My Pocket by Meredith Hooper (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Volcano Wakes Up! by Lisa Westberg Peters
• A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston

Rivers, Lakes + Ponds Unit

• Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner (or listen to this read aloud from the author)
• What is a River? by Monika Vaicenavičiene
• Rivers & Lakes: Nature Hide & Seek by John Norris Wood

Optional additional reading:

• The Treasure Hunter’s Handbook by Liza Gardner Walsh – If your family spends a lot of time outdoors exploring streams and ponds, this is an excellent resource you will use for years. For this lesson, pages 24-34 will be most helpful. (You can also find it on OpenLibrary here!)

Insects + Spiders Unit

• The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer (if you already own a bug encyclopedia-type book or a similar book to this, you can also read that instead!)
• Steve the Dung Beetle: On a Roll by Susan R. Stoltz (or listen to this read aloud)
• How to Survive as a Firefly by Kristen Foote (L+L read aloud to come!)
• The Spider: The Disgusting Critters Series by Elise Gravel (or you can listen to this read aloud—the book starts at about 3:00)
• Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story of a World-Traveling Bug Hunter by Christine Evans (or listen to this read aloud)

Spring Unit

• The Reason for the Seasons by Gail Gibbons (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Yucky Worms by Vivian French (or you can read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett
• The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta

Optional additional reading:

• North and South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres by Sandra Morris (If you have this book from our Arctic Unit, you can pull it out again to discuss the different seasons in different hemispheres this week!)

Flowers Unit

• What’s Inside a Flower? And Other Questions About Science and Nature by Rachel Ignotofsky
• The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer (or any flower encyclopedia you own will work!)
• The Night Flower by Lara Hawthorne (or listen to this read aloud)
• Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Optional additional reading:

• The Treasure Hunter’s Handbook by Liza Gardner Walsh – If your family spends a lot of time outdoors exploring streams and ponds, this is an excellent resource you will use for years. For this lesson, pages 24-34 will be most helpful. (You can also find it on OpenLibrary here!)
• Sing a Song of Seasons edited by Fiona Waters – We reference this book of poetry often throughout our units because it provides one song for every day of the year. It’s a great staple to have in your homeschool library, especially if you’re a family that enjoys Tea + Poetry!

Birds Unit

• Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward (or watch our read aloud here!)
• Silent Swoop: An Owl, an Egg, and a Warm Shirt Pocket by Michelle Houts (or listen to this read aloud on YouTube)
• Flamingo Sunset by Jonathan London (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Crows! Strange and Wonderful by Lawrence Pringle (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Optional additional reading:

• Superlative Birds by Leslie Bulion – This fascinating book of poetry shares fun facts about a variety of amazing birds. If your child is a bird lover, this would make a great option for Tea + Poetry this week.

Optional chapter books:

• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
• The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

Castles Unit

Note: There are SO many castle book options for this age! We’ve listed a few examples below, but use whatever you already own or can find at your local library if you don’t want to make a purchase. As long as your book shows a bit about how castles were built, their parts, and the people who lived in them, they should work fine for this unit. Here are some we enjoy:

• Fast Forward Castles by Peter Dennis (or read this slightly different edition on OpenLibrary)
• See Inside Castles by Katie Daynes
• Castles – Usborne Beginners by Stephanie Turnbull (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• (+) The Usborne Book of Castles by Lesley Sims (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Other books for this unit:

• Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Hawk of the Castle by Danna Smith (this book is difficult to find, so you can listen to this read aloud instead if you can’t find it)
• Knight: A Noble Guide for Young Squires by Sir Geoffrey De Lance and Dugald A. Steer (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Who Wants to be a Princess? What it was Really Like to be a Medieval Princess by Bridget Heos (or listen to the L+L read aloud here!)

France Unit

• The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse by Patrician MacLachlan (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Crêpes by Suzette by Monica Wellington (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Butterflies + Migration Unit

• A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• When Butterflies Cross the Sky: The Monarch Butterfly Migration by Sharon Katz Cooper (or listen to this read aloud on YouTube)
• Migration: Incredible Animal Journies by Mike Unwin
• Numenia and the Hurricane: Inspired by a True Migration Story by Fiona Halliday (or listen to this read aloud)

Savanna + Safari Unit

• The Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobab by Barbara Bash (or read it online at OpenLibrary)
• Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire A. Nivola (or read it here on OpenLibrary) OR Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kwamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale From Kenya by Mary and Rich Chamberlain (or listen to this read aloud)
• For You are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane (or read it here on OpenLibrary or listen to this read aloud)

Optional additional reading:

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kwamkwamba and Bryan Mealer – This is the chapter book version of the picture book we’ll read for our lessons. If your child is interested in learning more about William Kwamkwamba’s story, this would make a great read aloud book for the next few weeks.

Animal Care Unit

• Honey: The Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln by Shari Swanson (or listen to this read aloud)
• A Home in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown (or listen to this read aloud)
• Hello, Horse by Vivian French (or listen to this read aloud)
• If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo by Mary Jean Hendrick (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Elephants Come Home by Kim Tomsic (or listen to this read aloud—it was originally a live chat, so the video is a little long, but the book starts at 6:02)

Optional chapter books:

• My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara
• Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

Up in the Air Unit

• Taking Flight: How the Wright Brothers Conquered the Skies by Adam Hancher
• The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont by Victoria Griffith (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• How Airports Work by Clive Gifford
• Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany by Kristen Fulton (or listen to this read aloud)
• Leonardo and the Flying Boy by Laurence Anholt (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Forest Unit

• The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
• Forest Night, Forest Bright by Jennifer Ward (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Stretch to the Sun by Carrie A. Pearson
• The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Golz (or listen to this read aloud)

Optional chapter books:

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Japan Unit

• The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa (or listen to this read aloud)
• Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner (or listen to this read aloud)
• One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis (or read it here on OpenLibrary)

Optional additional reading:

• Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins (or listen to this read aloud)
• A Child’s Introduction to Art by Heather Alexander

Optional chapter book:

• Hachiko Waits by Lesléa Newman

Ocean Unit

• Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steven Jenkins (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
• How to Survive if You’re a Shark by Kristen Foote
• The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond (or listen to this read aloud)
• Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea by Robert Burleigh (or listen to this read aloud)

Optional additional reading:

• The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer

Dance (Party!) Unit

I Will Dance by Nancy Bo Flood (or listen to this read aloud)
Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps by Srividhya Venkat (or listen to this read aloud by professional Bharatanatyam dancer Chintan Patel)
Knockin’ on Wood: Starring Peg Leg Bates by Lynn Barasch (or read it here on OpenLibrary)
Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margartina Engle (or listen to this read aloud)
Feel the Beat by Marilyn Singer (This book comes with a CD that makes it really come to life! Listen to this read aloud for a taste of how this book could be read.)