Created with the input of hundreds of early literacy teachers, this book compiles 7,500 caption books, natural language texts, series books, and children's literature for kindergarten through grade 3. The books are organized by both title and level of difficulty. Word counts are provided for most books to assist teachers as they take running records. It also includes helpful descriptions of a leveled book collection and how best to use it. There is information on using running records and benchmark books for assessment, as well as equivalence charts that compare this list to others. After an introduction, chapters in the book are: (1) "Matching Books to Readers in a Balanced Literacy Program"; (2) "The Role of Leveled Books within an Effective Literacy Program"; (3) "A Leveled Book Collection"; (4) "Understanding Leveled Collections and Reading Systems"; (5) "Using Leveled Books in a Guided Reading Program"; (6) "Getting Started: Creating a Classroom Collection"; (7) "Getting Started: Creating and Using a School Book Room"; (8) "Acquiring Books: Book Clubs, Gifts, and Cost-Effective Planning"; (9) "Acquiring More Books: A Practical Guide for Writing Grant Proposals"; and (10) "How To Use this Book List." Appendixes contain an evaluation response for text gradient; a 33-item list of book publishers/distributors; and the book list. (RS)