Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth · Grades K–3 · Realistic Fiction
Mei Li by Thomas Handforth is on US reading lists at grades k–3. It appears on 1 list: the Caldecott Medal. Every citation below links to the primary source.
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Assigned across 1 curriculum list
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Mei Li is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades K–3
- Age range
- Ages 5–8
- Pages
- 48
- Reading time
- about 55 minutes (est.)
- First published
- 1938
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780385076395
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-23; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for kindergarten?
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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Caldecott Medal?
More formats & details
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Why it is assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades k–3. Written in the 1930s; pairs with curriculum units on chinese new year and fortune-tellers; cited on the Caldecott Medal.
Where this book is recommended
Caldecott Medal
- recommended·Kindergarten gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1939 Caldecott Medal winner
- recommended·1st gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1939 Caldecott Medal winner
- recommended·2nd gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1939 Caldecott Medal winner
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1939 Caldecott Medal winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is Mei Li?
- Mei Li is listed for grades K–3. It appears on 1 book-award list. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Mei Li?
- It takes about 55 minutes to read Mei Li (48 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 55 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Mei Li?
- Mei Li appears on reading lists for Caldecott Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Mei Li banned in schools?
- Mei Li does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally. See the banned books list by state.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades K–3 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner.