Shel Silverstein captured the hearts of families from far and wide with his book The Giving Tree. Where the Sidewalk Ends is no different, despite being very different. This collection of poetry and simplistic illustrations ranges from funny to raw to very, very real. This would be a great introduction to a poetry unit for 3rd grade, which is around the grade I believe I first encountered it, and Scholastic has labeled it a “Q” on their guided reading scale.

Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a work of art—quite literally, because his illustrations have a lasting effect on the story and its readers. This simplistic story is great for demonstrating the differences between genres such as fantasy and realistic fiction, and could be used for creative drawing or writing projects. Scholastic places this book in the J category of guided reading, and recommends its usage in grades as early as pre-kindergarten to as high as fifth grade, depending on which content area the teacher wishes to pull from.