Recommended Books
These books and other resources will help children explore the unit’s themes and topics.
Fiction
Clickety Clack by Rob and Amy Spence
A little black train is filled with noisy animals that bother the driver, Zack, and give him a headache attack!
Engine, Engine Number Nine by Stephanie Calmenson
A rhyming story of a steam engine that chugs through town and country, picking up animals and people on the way to the fair.
Harriet and the Roller Coaster by Nancy Carlson
George challenges his friend Harriet to ride the frightening roller coaster and discovers that she is the brave one!
Puff-Puff, Chugga-Chugga by Christopher Wormell
A little train is loaded with a very large walrus, a very large bear, and an even larger elephant, plus all the things they bought on their shopping trip. Will the train make it back home?
Red Sled by Lita Judge
Woodland creatures take a child’s sled for a nighttime joy ride.
Sebastian’s Roller Skates by Joan De Deu Prats
Shy Sebastian finds it hard to make friends until one day he finds an old pair of roller skates in the park.
Skating with Bears by Andrew Breakspeare
Tim wants to skate, but he only slips, trips, and falls . . . until one magical night.
Sophie’s Wheels by Debora Pearson
As a baby, Sophie’s wheels are on a baby buggy; then she moves on to other wheels—riding in a stroller, a wagon, a grocery cart, and on a tricycle.
The Old Man and His Door/El viejo y su puerta by Gary Soto
An old man uses his door as a ramp to help workers load heavy furniture into a moving van. After reading ask children hold a group brainstorm: How could you use the old man's door in your room or playground?
The Runaway Tortilla by Eric Kimmel
A tortilla rolls away from a man and a woman, two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, and five rattlesnakes in this variation on The Gingerbread Man folktale. After sharing this book, invite children to make up a story about one these foods escaping from your room at lunchtime. What other foods can roll away like the tortilla does in the story?
Train Song by Harriet Ziefert
The sights and sounds of a freight train making its way through the countryside on its normal rounds are described.
Zoom! By Diane Adams
A timid boy joins his eager father for a ride on a roller coaster.
Nonfiction and Concept Books
Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Familiar examples, like throwing a ball, pushing a toy car, and running up stairs, help children explore the concepts of forces, friction, and gravity.
Inclined Planes by Anne Welsbacher
Introduces children to this kind of simple machine.
Inclined Planes and Wedges (Early Bird Physics) by Roseann Feldmann and Sally M. Walker
Starts with the basics and gradually builds on children’s growing understanding of the concepts.
Machines We Use (It's Science!) by Sally Hewitt
Looks at various simple machines and how we use them to make work easier. Has activities using wheels and more.
Ramps by Kay Manolis
Workers use them for easy loading and skateboarders use them for fun. Readers learn how ramps are used in everyday life.
Rolling by Patricia Whitehouse
Simple experiments with everyday objects that roll.
What Is a Plane? (Welcome Books: Simple Machines) by Lloyd G. Douglas
Photos and simple text about simple machines.
Wheels and Axles by Anne Welsbacher
A basic explanation of this simple machine for children.
Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
This book uses familiar examples, such as throwing a ball, pushing a toy car across the floor, and running up stairs, to help children explore and understand the concepts of forces, friction, and gravity.
Rolling by Patricia Whitehouse
This book invites readers to try a number of simple experiments with everyday objects that roll.