Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown

Arthur is the director for his class's Thanksgiving play.  Everyone refuses to play the role of the turkey, the vital but unappealing role.
My preschooler loves this series.  Perfect for 1st-3rd graders too for building stamina and fluency/accuracy.

Guided Reading Level: L (2nd grade)

Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth by Jon Chad*

In comic-style, readers can learn about the different layers of the earth and other interesting science facts.  Some encounters are fantastical but make the reading more fun!
Points to discuss: Science is the "ultimate answer" to every question.  Old earth view is promoted.
*Highly recommend.

How To Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World by Faith McNulty illustrated by Marc Simont*

A great book to share when a child is curious what is inside the earth.
Not overly didactic in style but one learns a lot!
*Highly recommend.

Imagination Station #9 Escape to the Hiding Place by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger illustrated by David Hohn*

Patrick and Beth travel to Holland and witness how the Dutch help the Jews escape the Nazi soldiers.
My second grader brought this home from his school library.  He is enjoying reading this series to himself.  He liked when the cousins helped a baby escape.
This book focuses on Corrie Ten Boom

Ready to Read Level 1 Wonders of American The Statue of Liberty by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by John Wallace*

Even though the pages have only one sentence per page, the reader will learn a lot the Statue of Liberty and its origins.
Text features: close up, map, cut away/cross section, graph (school buses on top of each other to reveal how tall the statue is), more facts at the end
*Highly recommend.
More in series.

The Hungry Billy Goat by Rita Milios illustrated by Ching

Follow a billy goat who eats everything . . . so many items that the boy telling the story flees to save his own life!
Rhyming text.  Illustrations support the words=perfect for beginning reader.

Dirty Larry by Bobbie Hamsa

"A Rookie Reader"
Larry is always dirty.  Many little boys will be able to relate to this story!  One simple sentence per page.
Perfect for the beginning reader-illustrations support the text.