SEEDS! Good Books about Plant Life Cycles for Kindergarten Level Readers

The wonder of Spring!

The earth warms and plants come back to life. Roots and tops emerge like magic from little seeds!

To open up the wonder of life cycles and seeds we've pulled together this list of the Easiest Non-Fiction Practice Readers: books at the Kindergarten reading level. 

**all ratings from GoodReads

BEANS!
(Plants: Life Cycles)
by Gail Saunders-Smith, PhD

Large text and simple sentences help newer readers explore the natural world. This book takes children from Burpee seed packet to planting, flowering, picking, and snapping.

I like the format of this book. It uses very simple phrases --no capitalization -- along with suitable photographs.

Table of Contents
Bean Seeds
Planting Beans
Bean Pods

Words to Know
Read More
Internet Sites
Index/Word List

sample text

beans in a packet
beans in a seed
beans in a hole
beans in a garden
beans in a blossom
beans in a pod
beans in a basket

Reading Information
Word Count: 36
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reader:  0.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 11375
Lexile: NP

WATCH CORN GROW
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Kristen Rajczak

Photographs and simple sentences show corn and corn silk and give children corny facts.

 
Word Count: 52
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reader:  0.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141538
Lexile: 380L

Available in Spanish
-- Como Crece El Maiz! 

SEEDS!
(Nature Walk)
by Rebecca Stromstad Glaser

Ironic that this is the only book on this list that is Common Core since it is nearly impossible to locate at a reasonable price.

Check your library.  The publisher describes it thusly:  "Describing several examples of seeds, this photo-illustrated nature walk guide shows very young readers how to identify seeds and tells how the seeds spread. Includes photo glossary and quiz."

Common Core Suggested
Word Count: 106
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 154134

WATCH APPLE TREES GROW
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Mary Ann Huffman

Children will read about the life cycle of apple trees and the importance of bees.

Word Count: 86
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141537
Lexile: 380L
Available in Spanish
-- Mira Como Crece El Manzano!  

WATCH GRASS GROWS
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Kristen Rajczak

Children think they know a lot about grass, but in this book they will discover that there are many different types of grass, some of which are very tall.

Word Count: 54
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141539
Lexile: 380L
Available in Spanish
-- Mira Como Crece El Cesped!

WATCH PEAS GROWS
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Therese M. Shea

Children will read about the life cycle of peas and will probably be surprised by their pretty flowers.

Word Count: 78
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141540
Lexile: 380L
Available in Spanish
-- Mira Como Crecen Los Guisantes!

WATCH PINE TREES GROWS
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Therese M. Shea

Children will read about how useful pine tree are and how those big trees start off as tiny seeds.

Word Count: 64
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141541
Lexile: 380L
Available in Spanish
-- Mira Como Crecen Los Pinos!

WATCH TULIPS GROWS
(Watch Plants Grow!)
by Kristen Rajczak

Children will read about how beautiful tulips grow from bulbs.

Word Count: 57
Page Count:  24
Accelerated Reader: 0.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141542
Lexile: 380L
Available in Spanish
-- Mira Como Crecen Los Tulipanes!

For Fiction that would compliment these books see  SPRING! books for Kindergarten level readers

compiled by Pam
updated March 2014

ALBERT EINSTEIN for 2nd Graders

It amazes me how even very young children have heard about Einstein and are interested in him.  This book by the Schaefers is a simple biography at the Second Grade reading level.  It uses simple text and pictures to give general information about this important scientist.

There is no Look-Inside feature, but most of Ms. Schaefers books feature short sentences, images and/or drawings, and a time line, with a glossary at the back of the book.  

ALBERT EINSTEIN
by Lola M. Schaefer and Wyatt S. Schaefer

Biography of the German-born scientist who made some of the most important discoveries in the field of physics.

Word Count: 189
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 70355

compiled by Pam

Mars books at the Third Grade level

It's rather discouraging to look and see so few non-fiction practice readers about the planet Mars :(

The following books are at the 3rd Grade reading level. You can find our 2nd Grade reading list here. Like the earlier list, these books have neither reviews nor sample/excerpt pages. You should be able to find them at your library, or for cheap on the secondary market.

Mars
By Derek Zobel

Full-color images. The physical characteristics of the planet Mars are discussed.

Word Count: 323
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 3.0 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 135606

• Publisher: Blastoff! Readers (2010)
• ISBN-10: 1600146791

Mars
By Charnan Simon

This book contains information about Mars, including its relationship to the Sun and other planets, key characteristics, history, and other fun relevant facts.

Word Count: 591
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 3.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 146931
Lexile: 630L

• Publisher: Cherry Lake Pub. (2011)
• ISBN-10: 1610800826
• sample pages available
  

Mars
By Adele Richardson

Orbit, atmosphere, and surface features are covered.

Word Count: 550
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 84581
Lexile: 650L

• Publisher: First Facts Books (2005)
• ISBN-10: 0736836896

Mars
By Margaret J. Goldstein

Introduction to Mars, describing its place in the solar system, its physical characteristics, its movement in space, and other facts are discussed.

Word Count: 829
Page Count: 48
Accelerated Reading level: 3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 77016

• Publisher: Lerner Books (2008)
• ISBN-10: 1580133606
• sample pages available
  

The Red Planet
By Pearson Education
Fear, Sharon

This obscure book (not found at GoodReads at all) might be available at your library or ebay. (1 copy at amazon).

Word Count: 781
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 3.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 57887

• Publisher: CELEBRATION PRESS (2000)
• ISBN-10: 0673596214

Mars Books at the Second Grader level

With the landing of the Mars probe there is likely going to be increased interests in this mysterious planet.

The following non-fiction books are at the 2nd Grade reading level. (One exception- an obscure 1st Grade book at the bottom of this post.) Most do not have reviews nor sample/excerpt pages; but where there are some we have included that information. (Goodreads results updated August 2012)

Mars
(Pebble Plus: Exploring the Galaxy)
by Thomas K. Adamson

Simple text and photographs give a basic description of the planet Mars.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 156
Page Count:
Accelerated Reading level: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 70347
Lexile: 400L

• Publisher: Capstone Press (2007)
• ISBN-10: 1429607378

Marte (Spanish version)
(Mars)
by Thomas K. Adamson
(Pebble Plus: Exploring The Galaxy (Bilingual))

The Spanish version of Adamson's book.



Mars: The Red Planet
(Our Solar System)
by Lincoln James

Many scientists think Mars was once covered with water, just like Earth. Was Mars once home to living creatures as well? Will people one day live on Mars? Scientists are keeping a close eye on Mars in the hope of answering these questions. Open up Mars: The Red Planet to find out more about one of the solar system's most interesting locations

Word Count: 256
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 2.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 138895

• Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing (2010)
• ISBN-10: 1433938251

Mars
(Scholastic News)
by Melanie Chrismer

GoodReads rating – 5 Stars – from 7 reviewers

Describes Mars, the fourth planet closest to the sun in our solar system, discusses how astronomers are studying it, and compares it to Earth.

Features:
- Includes vocabulary word hunt with pronunciations, glossary, and index
- Labeled diagrams and timelines
- Full-color photographs
- Dasy-to-read fonts
- Web sites for further research and information
- Updated art of solar system shows 8 planets and their orbits instead of 9
- Updated indexes

Word Count: 325
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 2.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 102748

• Publisher: Children's Press (2008)
• ISBN-10: 0531147622
• sample pages available
  

Mars
(My First Look at Planets)
by Teresa Wimmer

Discusses (briefly) atmosphere and geography.

Word Count: 530
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 2.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 116224

• Publisher: Creative Educ (2007)
• ISBN-10: 1583415181

Mars: The Red Planet
by Greg Roza
(Journeys)

Check at your library for this one. will probably be hard to track down. what Mars is and if there is water or life on Mars.

Word Count: 288
Page Count: 16
Accelerated Reading level: 2.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 52232

• Publisher: Rosen Classroom (2005)
• ISBN-10: 1404254269

--------------------

Note: We found one book at the first grade level. We did not make a list for it because we couldn't find a book image, or even a link on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. We're including it here in case you library happens to carry it.

Mars
by Andrea Shaw
This book explains where Mars is, its size, and what it is made of.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 146
Accelerated Reading Level: 1.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 80021


Mars Books at the 3rd Grade level can be found here.

Sally Ride books for Second Graders

We've found two books at the 2nd Grade level. Unless you're a classroom instructors we suggest you track these books down at the library. While informative, the material probably won't keep children's attention over repeated readings.

American Heroes
Set C (Phonic Readers)
by Jo Albee

This Phonic Reader won't be what most people are looking for, but we're including it in case your library has it. The emphasis is phonics more than history.

Word Count: 217
Page Count: 16
Accelerated Reading level: 2.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 72092

• Publisher: Compass Point Books (2003)
• ISBN-10: 075650502X

Sally Ride
(Scholastic News Nonfiction Readers: Biographies)
by Catherine Nichols

A nice beginners book. The young reader will learn about satellites, robotic arms, and zero gravity.



Features
• Includes vocabulary word hunt with pronunciations, glossary, and index
• Labeled diagrams and timelines
• Beautiful, full-color photographs
• Simple interior design and easy-to-read fonts
• Websites for more information
• Vocabulary preview and review pages plus back-matter pages that invite readers to think further on the study topics

Word Count: 277
Page Count: 24
Accelerated Reading level: 2.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 102902
Lexile: 390L

• Publisher: Children's Press (2005)
• ISBN-10: 0516249428

compiled by iPam