1940s books assigned in 3rd grade
US schools assign 24 books written in the 1940s to 3rd grade students, across 6 states, spanning 730L–990L. Every title below is cited from a state ELA standard, district reading list, or AP/IB syllabus.
Most widely assigned from the 1940s
King of the Wind
Marguerite Henry · on 2 reading lists
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- Titles
- 24
- Written
- 1940–1949
- Lexile range
- 730L–990L
- States assigning
- 6
The list — 1940s, 3rd grade
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Adam of the RoadElizabeth Gray Vining
Call It CourageArmstrong Sperry
Johnny TremainEsther Hoskins Forbes
King of the WindMarguerite Henry
Make Way for DucklingsRobert McCloskey · 730L
Many MoonsJames Thurber
Miss HickoryCarolyn Sherwin Bailey
My Father's DragonRuth Stiles Gannett · 990L
Prayer for a ChildRachel Field
Rabbit HillRobert Lawson
Song of the SwallowsLeo Politi
Strawberry GirlLois Lenski
Stuart LittleE.B. White · 920L
The Big SnowBerta and Elmer Hader
The Door in the WallMarguerite de Angeli
The Hundred DressesEleanor Estes · 870L
The Little HouseVirginia Lee Burton
The Little IslandMargaret Wise Brown
The Magic School Bus Inside the EarthJoanna Cole
The Matchlock GunWalter Dumaux Edmonds
The Rooster CrowsMaud Petersham
The Twenty-One BalloonsWilliam Pene du Bois
They Were Strong and GoodRobert Lawson
White Snow, Bright SnowAlvin Tresselt
Most-assigned 1940s authors in 3rd grade
Robert Lawson (2) · Marguerite Henry · Robert McCloskey · Rachel Field · E.B. White · Eleanor Estes
Common questions
- How many 1940s books are assigned in 3rd grade?
- 24 books written between 1940 and 1949 appear on 3rd grade reading lists tracked by ReadingList. Each one is cited from a state department of education, district list, or AP/IB syllabus.
- What Lexile range do these 1940s books cover?
- Lexile measures for the 1940s titles assigned in 3rd grade run from 730L to 990L. Poetry, drama, and graphic novels without a published Lexile measure are not counted in that range.
- Are these assigned nationally or in a few states?
- 6 states assign at least one 1940s title at 3rd grade in the lists tracked here, so this is a broad pattern rather than a single state's canon. Per-state lists are on each state page.