A little boy shares a chocolate chip cookie with an adorable mouse, unaware of the endless requests that will follow. The cookie leads the mouse to ask for a glass of milk, which leads him to ask for a straw, which leads him to ask for a napkin, and so on and so forth. The detailed illustrations in Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie bring the story to life and allow children to determine what is happening even if they are unable to read the words. The story is fun to watch unfold and children will certainly find humor in the silly requests being made by the mouse. 

This book would be a great way to teach cause and effect. There are several examples found throughout the text, from beginning to end. It would also be the perfect story to practice sequencing. Students could use pictures to illustrate the sequential order of the events in the story. 

Lexile Level: AD410L

Where the Wild Things Are is a timeless classic that features the infamous home, away, home story. The main character, Max, gets into mischief throughout the day and finally his mother has had enough, so she sends him to bed without any dinner. While enduring his punishment his room turns into a forest and he travels by boat to where the wild things live. Max becomes king of the wild things but he still feels something missing. In the end, Max misses his family and returns home to a hot meal waiting for him. Throughout this story, there are many events that can be used to explain cause and effect. Making a "T chart" activity sheet would be beneficial to have the students understand the meaning of these. Also, this story includes great vocabulary, so a mini vocabulary lesson would be beneficial before reading the text. 

I hope this doesn't make you too hungry!! I would use Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to not only talk about weather, but also to talk about cause and effect! This book is excellent in having AMPLE scenarios of cause and effects! I would use this not only in a whole group, but also in a small group guided reading lesson! I would even throw in some fun art projects to make a great bulletin board!