Literature Sites
100 Things to do with Books
http://www.english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/books.html
Download the RTF file or click on the Printer Friendly Version, print, cut out, laminate
and use these cards in a Library Center in your classroom. Great ideas for students to use
following the reading of any book.
Alice in Wonderland
http://www.bedtime-story.com/bedtime-story/classics-aliceinwonderland.htm
The complete text of Lewis Carroll's classic is accompanied here by illustrations from
nine original and two contemporary artists. The wealth of illustrations and large, playful
font ensure that grown-ups and children will enjoy reading the story together. A section
dedicated to the making of the story will satisfy everybody's curiosity about the origins
of this favorite.
A Literary Map of Manhattan
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2005/06/05/books/20050605_BOOKMAP_GRAPHIC.html
Explore Manhattan through the words of great literature. Scroll down the map or click on
the book icons to find a quotation that relates to a specific address in New York.
Enhancing many of the quotations are portraits of the writers and reviews of the original
works. This is a fascinating way to focus on the role that this incredible city has played
in the minds of the writers who lived here.
American Folklore
http://www.americanfolklore.net/index.html
This folklore site contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and
legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50
United States. You can read about all sorts of famous characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos
Bill, Daniel Boone, and many more.
Art of Reading
http://www.rif.org/art/
From RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) comes this excellent resource focusing on the
connections between art and the written word. On the Educators page there are downloadable
lesson plans in PDF format plus lots of hands-on activities. All are divided into Pre-K,
Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-8. There are also booklists faeturing art themes to
promote reading and a list of Web sites that do the same. The Kids link takes you to
Reading Planet, a fun, previously featured part of the site.
Author Online! Aaron Shepard’s Home Page
http://www.aaronshep.com/index.html
Lots of stories, guides, resources, and activities by author Aaron Shepard.
Beantime Stories
http://www.meddybemps.com/5.1.html
This site contains many well illustrated stories for younger students to read online. The
newest story is Frogwart and the Easter Eggs.
Between the Lions
http://pbskids.org/cgi-registry/lions/tales.pl/games
Get wild about reading with this fun site featuring PBS's Lionel and Leona Lion. Build
literacy and reading skills through stories, tongue twisters and songs. Teachers and
parents will find over 200 printable games, stories, coloring pages, and more. The authors
provide a helpful dictionary that will spark the interest of younger students. Clicking on
the word gives the new reader a picture, an explanation, and the word in Spanish. Explore
the Designated Reader program for new ideas for your classroom.
Bibliomania
http://www.bibliomania.com/
More than 2000 texts—poetry, short stories, novels, and more are available online
from Bibliomania. Authors range from Aesop to Emile Zola. Best part, at least for
educators, are the study guides and teaching aids for many classics.
BookPals
http://www.bookpals.net/storyline/
This site provides an on-line video program featuring Screen Actors Guild members reading
children's books aloud.
Bookwink: Archive of Book Reviews
http://www.bookwink.com/archives.html
Each month, Bookwink presents reviews of three new books for readers in grades 3 through
8. These are available both as web videos and podcasts. Sonja Cole brings her experience
as both a middle school librarian and a high school English teacher to her role as book
reviewer.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
http://www.carolhurst.com/
CBC: The Children's Book Council
http://www.cbcbooks.org/
Check the Meet the Author/Illustrators Archive to find out about your favorite author or
illustrator.
Complete Jane Austen
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/austen/index.html
Step into the life and times of Jane Austen as you explore each novel, the men of Austen,
themes, and the surprising insights a study of Jane Austen can offer for 21st century
life.
Dear America
http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/index.htm
This site is all about the book series Dear America, My America, My Name is America, and
The Royal Diaries. Find excerpts from the books, activities, video clips, a writer's
workshop, and games.
Dust Echoes
http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/
An excellent and interactive site for young students, teaching them many of the ancient
stories of Australia in a fresh way. The site includes several games and lesson plans for
five stories: "The Wagalak Sisters," "The Be," "Namorrodor,"
"Morning Star," and "Frog Story." Watching and listening to these
stories, students can gain insight into cultural diversity and how universal truths are
transmitted in different cultures.
English Fairy Tales
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/eft/eft21.htm
This illustrated collection of fairy tales includes the old favorites like Jack and the
Beanstalk, Henny-Penny, The Three Little Pigs, and The Three Bears. In addition, there are
quite a few tales that are probably new to most readers. The site also provides a very
helpful Notes section that advanced readers will want to check out.
Great Books Index
http://books.mirror.org/gb.home.html
Online edition of great books from around the world. Both the Alex Catalogue and this site
are similar. Hopefully you'll find the work you are looking for listed in one of them.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/
Harry Potter
http://www.kidsreads.com/harrypotter/index.html
In Search of Shakespeare (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/
The educator section contains resources designed around six thematic strands:
Shakespeare's Language, Shakespeare on Film, Performance, Primary Sources, Teaching
Shakespeare to Elementary Students, and Teaching Shakespeare with Technology. You'll find
professional development strategies, lesson plans, a multimedia library of curriculum
resources, and much more.
Island of the Blue Dolphin
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/dolphin/
This is a thematic exploration of the historical fiction novel - Island of the Blue
Dolphins by Scott ODell. Students will complete Mission Santa Barbara. They need to find
information leading to the rescue of Karana, an Indian girl left on the island of San
Nicholas. They will explore the three areas: village, sea life, and island, and then
report to father Rubio at the mission with the information to receive their reward
certificate.
Jake and the Migration of the Monarch
http://www.monarchpublishers.com
Monarch Publishers' author and artist (public school board members) Website features their
new children's book Jake and the Migration of the Monarch. It is a wonderful story about a
young boy and his loving mother, exploring the marvels of the monarch butterfly migration.
Their website is full of fun activities for children, wonderful music and songs, beautiful
artwork. Very educational and includes teacher and parent guides for art, music, science,
math, drama, dance, social studies, Spanish, and language arts.
Judy Blume's Home Base
http://www.judyblume.com/
This is the official site of Judy Blume. Click the "Check Out What's Happening with
Judy" link for current news. There is a Bio & Photos and a Questions section that
all have to do with Judy - how she grew up, why she writes, and her family. There is a
Writing section, where Judy discusses her writing tips and a great section on Censorship.
The Book List section gives descriptions of Judy's books.
Kiddie Records Weekly
http://www.kiddierecords.com/
Welcome to Kiddie Records Weekly, Classics from the Golden Age. Their purpose is to share
those classic stories with you and your students. Come here to listen to these classics
with them. All the past weeks are archived. You will find many classic voices from Roy
Rogers to Woody the Woodpecker. They are doing us a great service in preserving what was
on these records for future generations to come visit. To surf this site you can use the
side menu or your can click on the record album covers to visit different sections of the
archive. The albums are scheduled ahead by date, so you have a good idea of when to come
back for a certain album.
KidsReads.com
http://www.kidsreads.com/
Check out the new books for the month and read reviews of favorite books. Check out
reading lists for classic books and new favorites. Read the Trivia sections and solve Word
Scrambles among other things on this fun site.
King Lear, Love, Tyranny, and Madness
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/index.shtml
For classes studying "King Lear," this Web site provides insights about how the
play succeeds as theater as well as literature. It contains transcripts and audio files of
well-known actors, directors and critics discussing the themes found in King Lear. The
site contains great images, a bibliography, essays, and more!
Knowing Poe
http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
This is an excellent Website for anyone interested in researching the life and writing of
Edgar Allan Poe. It provides detailed biographical information, primary texts, and video
clips. The interactive section on Poe's "Poetic Principle" is especially helpful
in understanding Poe's writing.
Lewis Carroll Scrapbook (Library of Congress)
http://international.loc.gov/intldl/carrollhtml/lchome.html
The Lewis Carroll Scrapbook at the Library of Congress is an original scrapbook that was
kept by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Better known as Lewis Carroll, the Victorian-era
children's author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass
(1871), Dodgson was a lecturer in mathematics at the University of Oxford. The scrapbook
contains approximately 130 items, including newspaper clippings, photographs, and a
limited number of manuscript materials, collected between 1855-72. A timeline, authored by
Edward Wakeling, former chairman of the Lewis Carroll Society, helps to place materials
found in the scrapbook in their proper context.
Lil' Fingers Storybooks
http://www.lil-fingers.com/storybooks/index.html
Young readers and beginning English language learners will enjoy these short animated
read-along/listen-along stories.
Lit2Go
http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/
This great website allows you to download stories and poems from more than 100 authors
onto your computer or MP3. There is also the capability to read along as you listen. The
literature is grouped by title, author, reading level. Selections span a wide range of
literature ranging from nursery rhymes to the philosophy of Aristotle. Teachers can
download graphic organizers that go with many of the stories.
Literature and Life
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/litandlife/toc.html
PBS explores African-American literature, from slave narratives to the work of
contemporary artists. This comprehensive site explores the authors, era, and impact of the
literature. There are also audio clip readings and video clip interviews.
Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database
http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Online?action=listlittext
NYU's Literature, Arts and Medicine Database is a collection of writings, art and film
related to the medical humanities. This extensive section offers a look at dozens of works
of literature from Jane Austin to Richard Wright. Each work is annotated with summary and
commentary and features a link to download the full text of that specific work. This is a
great site for teachers of English/Language Arts.
Litscape.com
http://www.litscape.com/
This free access site includes works of literature contained in books that are currently
in the public domain. You can find works by author, themes, fables, songs, and more. All
works are indexed by title, first line, last line, and moral (for fables).
Little House Books
http://www.littlehousebooks.com/
Lots of information and activities for Laura Ingalis Wilder's Little House books. Sections
include a biography of Wilder, The Books, The Girls of Little House, and Fun & Games.
Little Red Hen Online
http://www.schoolexpress.com/storytime/redhen.html
Enjoy this simple retelling of the classic story "The Little Red Hen" complete
with many colorful illustrations. This is an excellent site for guided reading or
independent reading practice for beginning readers. English language learners will also
benefit from this colorful source.
Magic Tree House
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/index.html
Students can read books from the Magic Tree House series or Merlin Missions and then take
an online quiz to collect Magic Tree House Passport Stamps. They can print out a Passport
Book for their stamp collection. There are other activies, games, and a section telling
about Mary Pope Osborne, the author of the books.
Milestones in Lit
http://www.phschool.com/atschool/literature/Milestones/LIT_ML.html
Each month, Milestones in Lit presents a list of significant literary events that have
occurred in that month over the years. This is a good site to check on a monthly basis to
constantly learn something new.
Miscositas.com
http://www.columbia.edu/~ljl17/
A collection of over 40 virtual picturebooks in English, French and Spanish. Also includes
games, realia, curricular suggestions for teaching and learning these languages, and links
to more resources. Illustrated throughout with colorful drawings including entries in the
large pop-up glossary.
Norton Anthology of American Literature
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/naal/
Here is a wealth of supplemental information for the famous and beloved Norton Anthology
of American Literature. Each volume, divided by years, is there. Clicking on a specific
volume provides students with self-grading quizzes, outlines and summaries of the six
periods, timelines with historical-literary contexts, and searchable explorations to help
students draw connections between writers and literary periods.
Online Gallery: Turning the Pages
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html
Leaf through 15 great books online and magnify the details. There are also links to other
parts of the Online Gallery that are interesting.
OpenSource Shakespeare
http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/
Access the complete works of William Shakespeare - all his plays, sonnets and other poetry
- with a lot of interesting tools to aid in serious studies of the Bard's works. Each of
the works is completely searchable. In addition, the site offers a concordance which
allows users to trace all uses Shakespeare made of any particular word. Users can also
view sonnets individually, or choose any two to examine side by side.
Outline of American Literature
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/oaltoc.htm
Part of the U.S. Department of State's impressive International Information Programs, this
incredibly detailed and scholarly Website presents an overview of American literature
chronologically. It divides the topic into 10 chapters, from Early American and Colonial
to Contemporary. Each section is richly detailed, but requires an upper-grade reading
level. The excellent site is an excellent resource for educators preparing their lessons,
and would also be suitable for students able to appreciate its incredible depth of
information.
PBS Kids: Stories
http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/
This online companion to the popular PBS series offers numerous stories that each lead
into an adventure of related games. Stories can be printed out for reading away from the
computer, and a new story is featured each week.
Reading Planet
http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/
Reading Planet is designed to help children explore the world of books. It features a Book
Zone with an annotated list of 1,000 children's books that can be browsed by age group,
author, or category. It also has an Activity Lab and a Game Station with fun reading
activities.
Read Print
http://www.readprint.com/
Welcome to a Web site that any avid reader will love! Here at Read Print, you can read
online books, poems and even short stories. You will find mostly classics here, which
makes it a great resource for both students and teachers.
Repeat After Us
http://repeatafterus.com/
This site is a collection of copyright-free literature ranging from nursery rhymes to
philosophy to stories from many time periods and cultures. There are more than 6000 texts,
and over 1100 of them are accompanied by audio readings. The site was originally designed
to help English language learners, as users can hear the words spoken as they view the
texts. It is also useful for those who are hearing-impaired, as well as anyone who is
looking for simple access to these texts.
Robert Munsch Website
http://www.robertmunsch.com/
Everything you need to know about the children’s author, Robert Munsch, from past
class visits to unpublished works, you can find it all here. Listen to him read his books.
Romeo and Juliet
http://www.rsc.org.uk/romeo/home/home.html
A play guide of "Romeo and Juliet" by the Royal Shakespeare Company with
background of the play, interviews with director and actors, and insight into the theater
process. With special links for teachers and students on staging the play, themes, casting
games, lesson plans, and more.
Shel Silverstein: the Official Site for Kids
http://shelsilverstein.com/
This is the official web site for poet/author Shel Silverstein and includes many sections
such as: Let's Have Some Fun, What's New, Shel's Books, About Shel, and Ideas for Teachers
and Parents. This site is a beautifully crafted delight for children and adults.
Sherlock Holmes
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/
Spaghetti Book Club
http://www.spaghettibookclub.org/
The Spaghetti Book Club Web site is a place for kids who love to read and talk about
books! It is the largest site of book reviews written and illustrated by kids for kids.
The Spaghetti Book Club was created as a way to support and encourage kids' love for
reading by giving them an opportunity to connect, on a personal level, with the books they
are reading and then share their reactions, thoughts, and opinions with family members,
friends, and kids around the world.
Storyline Online (BookPALS)
http://www.bookpals.net/storyline/index.html
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation is proud to bring you Storyline Online, an on-line
streaming video program featuring SAG members reading children's books aloud. There are
presently 10 stories available.
StoryPlace: The Children's Digital Library
http://www.storyplace.org/
A great site for younger students. Online stories, activities and printable activities.
The Pre-School Library reads the stories out loud. There is a Spanish version as well as
an English version.
Today in Literature
http://www.todayinliterature.com/
Find out what happened on today in literature in the past. The day's article is displayed
on the home page. You can also access past dates. This site has been added as a Quick Link
to the bottom of the Announcements.
Tolkien Archives
http://www.nytimes.com/specials/advertising/movies/tolkien/index.html
Visit this site to learn about J.R.R. Tolkien and his books. Among its many features are
lesson plans, book reviews and a guided tour of Tolkien web sites.
Tolkien Trail
http://tolkientrail.com/
Younger fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series will enjoy all the fun and games
here. Divided into different sections, each bearing the name of a location in Tolkien's
Middle-earth, the site offers not only fun and games but also a biography of the author,
songs and tales, and fan art.
Turning the Pages
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html
Prepare for hours of fascination leafing through pages of 15 incredible original texts,
from the Diamond Sutra, the oldest printed book, to an original copy of "Alice's
Adventures Underground." Along the way, check out such varied texts as the
Lindisfarne Gospels and Mozart's musical diary. In most cases, you can magnify the text
and hear or read commentary about it, page by page. These are truly primary sources from
across the span of history.
Web-Enhanced Reading Adventures
http://www.bookpop.com/index2.html
Click on Book-Pop for children's stories with words, pictures, and read-aloud options.
There are twelve stories in three collections. Click on Story-Pop for stories told in
audio only. Most of these are different from those in Book Pop. All stories are by Stephen
Cosgrove, author of the popular "Serendipity" series of children's books. In
addition, you can download pictures to color and listen to music from many of the stories.
This is a fun site that encourages children to read.
Webrary
http://www.webrary.org/kids/jbibmenu.html
Created for users of Morton Grove Public Library in Illinois, this site is also useful for
anyone looking for children's stories about specific topics. The site contains lists of
books about boys, girls, horses, sports, witches, and so on. The author of each book is
included, and short plot synopses give readers an idea of what each book is about.
Webtime Stories
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/webtime/index.html
Webtime Stories is an annotated collection of web sites for people who love children's
literature. Though there is nothing quite like reading a good book, the internet combines
the printed word with graphics, sounds, interactivity and animation to create rich and
memorable reading experiences. Whether your interest is picture books, science fiction,
fairy tales or just plain fun, Webtime Stories has something for you. Each site has an
introduction that describes its personality and details highlights.
Welcome to Jan Brett's Home Page
http://www.janbrett.com/
Favorite author and illustrator Jan Brett unselfishly provides glorious illustrations on
stationery, calendars, coloring pages, bookplates, flash cards, awards, certificates,
Valentine Mailbox decorations, and tons more! You will become addicted to this website,
which also offers a free Email newsletter as well as book lists, coloring pages, videos,
and activities. The hedgehog paperdolls, Hedga and Hedgie, complete with outfits, are too
much fun!
Wendy's World of Stories for Children
http://www.wendy.com/children/
Winged Sandals
http://www.wingedsandals.com/
This is a previously featured site that has been updated. Explore a great looking, highly
interactive site about Greek mythology from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Watch
short cartoons of mythological stories, play interactive games, create "make and
do" crafts, read a "who's who" directory of mythological figures plus a
more academic "history" section, and even ask the Oracle a question.
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