Literature Connection

Selected prose and poetry with a weather or season theme
 

Poetry and Read-Alouds

Demi and others.  In the Eyes of a Cat: Japanese Poetry for All Seasons. A beautifully illustrated collection of 75 poems, many Haiku, arranged by season. 

Hopkins, Lee Bennett.  Weather Poems for All Seasons. An anthology of 29 poems describing various weather conditions through the eyes of a child.

Lewis, J. Patrick.  Earth Verses and Water Rhymes.  A collection of poems about the changing weather of each season with unusual linoleum print illustrations.

Polacco, Patricia.  Thunder Cake. Charming tale of a little girl whose grandmother helps her overcome her fear of thunderstorms by telling her that the dark clouds are the ingredients for a "thunder cake".

Prelutsky, Jack.  Rainy, Rainy Saturday. A collection of fourteen humorous poems about what a child does at home on a rainy Saturday.

Rogasky, Barbara.  Winter Poems. An anthology of poetry with selections ranging from Shakespeare to Ogden Nash. 

Shaw Charles.  It Looked Like Spilt Milk. It might look like a puddle of spilt milk, but it's really a cloud.  This picture book with white and blue illustrations encourages the students to use their imaginations.

Independent Reading

Barrett, Judi.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.(Grade 2 -up)  In the town of Chewandswallow it rains soup and snows potatoes.  Sometimes there are even hamburger and ice cream storms!

Moskin, Marietta.  The Day of the Blizzard.(Grades 3-5) Historical fiction about a girl who must brave the Great Blizzard of 1888 in New York City to do an errand for her sick grandmother.

Ruckman, Ivy.  Night of the Twisters.(Grades 4-6) A fictional account of the devastating tornadoes that hit Nebraska in 1980. Twelve-year-old Dan, his best friend, and his baby brother are alone when a tornado almost destroys their house.

Stolz, Mary.  Storm in the Night.(Grades 2-3) Thomas's grandfather tells the story of how he overcame his own boyhood fear of thunderstorms.

Van Allsburg, Chris.  The Stranger.(Grades 2-4) Winter is late this year.  Could it be because Farmer Baily hit Jack Frost with truck? 

Note: All titles are available from Amazon Books.