March 1, 2021
In honor of Read Across America Day, we invite you to Read across the United States with this list of the most popular children’s books by state! Read Across America Day was launched in 1998 by the National Education Association (NEA), and is the nation’s largest annual celebration of reading.
Each year, the NEA sets a theme for the day. This year, the call to action is to create a nation of diverse readers. Those who participate in Read Across America Day will aim to motivate children to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources that are inclusive of all identities.
Reading has the potential to take the reader out of this world, and into one unlike anything they have ever seen. It’s a known fact that each state across the country is vastly different from the next, so it only makes sense for the book choices to be different too.
Our cross-country reading tour includes two books for each state: (1) the most popular book in the region and (2) one recommendation from Reading Partners. Let’s start with the nine states plus the District of Columbia where Reading Partners is located.
California: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Reading Partners’ recommendation: I Am Smart, I Am Blessed, I Can Do Anything! By Alissa Holder and Zulekha Holder-Young
Colorado: If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! By Elise Parsley
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris and Marissa Valdez
Maryland: If I Had a Raptor by George O’Connor
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Windows by Patrick Guest and Jonathan Bentley
Minnesota: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and Anait Semirdzhyan
New York: Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raul the Third
Oklahoma: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sheman Alexie
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Finish the Fight: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers
South Carolina: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids by Kimberly Brown Pellum
Texas: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voice Go Tell It by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Washington: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Swashby by the Sea by Beth Ferry and Juana Martinez-Neal
Washington, DC: Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett
Reading Partners’ recommendation: I Am Everything Good by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
Here are the rest of the states’ top books and a Reading Partners recommendation for each.
Alabama: Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Alaska: Eloise by Kay Thompson
Reading Partners’ recommendation: A Story About Afiya by James Berry and Anna Cunha
Arizona: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Reading Partners’ recommendation: We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
Arkansas: Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Reading Partners’ recommendation: I Am Enough by Grace Byers and Keturah A. Bobo
Connecticut: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn
Delaware: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Reading Partners’ recommendation: I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne and Julia Kuo
Florida: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho
Georgia: Home by Carson Ellis
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Hawaii: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris and Ana Ramirez Gonzalez
Idaho: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor and Rafael Lopez
Illinois: Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Reading Partners’ recommendation: 111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by Rina Singh and Marianne Ferrer
Indiana: What Do You Do With An Idea? By Kobi Yamada
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery and Jessie Hartland
Iowa: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison
Kansas: Ramony Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez
Kentucky: The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey
Reading Partners’ recommendation: All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier
Louisiana: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Maine: Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Where Are You From? By Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim
Massachusetts: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson and Sophie Blackall
Michigan: Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal
Mississippi: Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Yasmin the Explore by Saadia Faruqi and Hatem Aly
Missouri: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Montana: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
Reading Partners’ recommendation: My Friends by Taro Gomi
Nebraska: Freight Train by Donald Crews
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade by Lyla Lee and Dung Ho
Nevada: Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney and Rudy Gutierrez
New Hampshire: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora
New Jersey: Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Ready to Fly by Lea Lyon and Alexandria LaFaye
New Mexico: The Napping House by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Sadiq and the Green Thumbs by Siman Nuurali and Anjan Sarkar
North Carolina: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Señorita Mariposa by Mister G and Marcos Almada Rivero
North Dakota: Story Boat by Kyo MacLear
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar and Alea Marley
Ohio: Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua
Oregon: Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
Pennsylvania: The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Reading Partners’ recommendation: My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood by Tameka Fryer Brown and Shane Evans
Rhode Island: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Reading Partners’ recommendation: All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle and Mike Curato
South Dakota: Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Under My Hijab by Hena Khan and Aaliya Jaleel
Tennessee: A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams
Reading Partners’ recommendation: I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown and Jason “Rachel” Brown
Utah: Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and Vashti Harrison
Vermont: Drawn Together by Minh Le
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman and Sue Williams
Virginia: A Different Pond by Bao Phi
Reading Partners’ recommendation: The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali
West Virginia: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora
Wisconsin: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Drawn Together by Minh Le and Dan Santat
Wyoming: Corduroy by Don Freeman
Reading Partners’ recommendation: Super Satya Saves the Day by Raakhee Mirchandani and Tim Palin
Sources:
The Ultimate List of Children’s Books Set in Each State
Reading Through the States with Wrapped in Foil
What’s the Most Popular Book in Each State?
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