Today, I’m sharing our book list for making connections!
Be sure to check out all our reading comprehension book lists. We even have printable comprehension book list.
*This post contains affiliate links.
One important comprehension strategy we want readers to use is making connections. There are three kinds of connections readers make before, during or after reading:
- text to self – This reminds me of my own life…
- text to text– This reminds me of another book I’ve read/movie I’ve watched…
- text to world– This reminds me this time in history/what’s going on in the world right now…
You can read more about making connections in The Measured Mom’s post of our 10-week Reading Comprehension Series or in my article, Reading Comprehension Strategies: Reading Equals Thinking.
Book List for Making Connections: Text to Self
When picking text to self books, it is important to look for books that have a theme that kids can relate to. Family, sibling rivalry, pets, school, or feelings are a great place to start. The characters also need to be realistic, especially for older kids. These just a few of the books I’ve used over the years to teach text to self connections.
Have you ever just had a bad day? I have {many, actually.} Kids can totally relate to Alexander the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst.
We’ve all been embarrassed or afraid we won’t fit in. Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber is a great one with this theme.
You are Special by Max Lucado is another good one about feeling like you don’t measure up. I LOVE the underlying message in this book!
Have you ever wanted “those shoes?” Yes, the shoes that everybody else has, but you don’t. I can SO relate to this one as a kid! Most kids can also relate to Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts.
A family discovers a stray dog at the park while on a picnic and just can’t seem to get that dog off their minds. Finally, the adopt the dog as their own. Kids who have pets {or want pets} can relate to The Stray Dog by Marc Simont.
Book List for Making Connections: Text to Text
Books that make for great text to text connections usually share a similar theme, the characters have similar traits or the struggle/problem in the texts is similar. These are a few books that make for great text to text connections.
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco and More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby both have the theme of struggle and learning to read.
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Ernest L. Polacco are both wonderful books about family reunions and the fun that family can have together.
Crow Boy by Taro Vashima and The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi are both books about kids from a different country coming into a new school and how they learn to adapt {as well as the kids in the classroom learning to adapt to them.}
Leon and Bob by Simon James {I wish this was still in print!} and Jessica by Kevin Henkes are both about imaginary friends and the power of making a new friend.
Fairy tales are also a GREAT place to do some text to text connections, as there are MANY variations on these texts. It’s fun to read them and compare them. Here are a few we’ve enjoyed:
- The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst, The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone , & The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka
- The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone, The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philomen Sturges, The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens, Manana Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul, & It’s my Birthday by Helen Oxenbury
- The 3 Little Pigs by James Marshall, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, The 3 Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, & The 3 Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz
- Goldilocks and the 3 Bears by James Marshall, Goldilocks and the 3 Dinosaurs by Mo Willems, Dusty Locks and the 3 Bears, Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks by Nancy Loewmen, & Goldi Rocks & the 3 Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz
- Little Red Riding Hood, Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, & Little Red Riding Hood by Lisa Campbell Ernst
- 3 Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone , The 3 Silly Billies by Margie Palatini, & The 3 Billy Goats Fluff by Rachael Mortimer
- Mr. Wolf’s Pancakes by Jan Fearnley pulls in a lot of fairy tale characters
- Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini is another text that pull in characters from other books and stories
Book List for Making Connections: Text to World
Historical fiction is a great genre as well as books that relate to something going on in the world right now when picking books for text to world connections.
Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter tells of the Underground Railroad.
How Many Days to America? by Eve Bunting tells the story of refugees from a Carribean island as they set sail for America. Eve Bunting has several texts that work well for text to world connections, including The Wall {Vietnam War}, Fly Away Home {homelessness/poverty}, A Day’s Work {other cultures}, Dandelions {westward movement in America} and Cheyenne Again {early Native Americans}.
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by retells the story Philippe Petit’s tight rope walk between the twin towers in New York, but would be a great book to also relate to September 11.
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry is a creative way to teach kids about the destruction of the rain forest and how we need to take care of our world.
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki tells of the realities of war and happens at the time of World War II.
You May Also Enjoy:
- 50+ Books for Modeling Comprehension Strategies
- Books for Teaching Comprehension
- Books with Adjectives
- Reading Comprehension Strategies Series
Follow This Reading Mama’s board Comprehension Strategies on Pinterest.
~Becky