| December 2006
(Theme: Winter Holidays/Intereligious Understanding) |
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Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas
Michael J. Rosen, Aminah Brenda Robinson (Illustrator)
At Christmas-Hanukkah time, a Christian woodcarver gives a carved angel to a young Jewish friend, who struggles with accepting the Christmas gift until he realizes that friendship means the same thing in any religion.
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Trees of the Dancing Goats
Patricia Polacco
During a scarlet fever epidemic one winter in Michigan, a Jewish family helps make Christmas special for their sick neighbors by making their own Hanukkah miracle.
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November 2006
(Theme: Immigrant Children) |
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La Mariposa
Francisco Jimenez, Simon Silva (Illustrator)
Because he can only speak Spanish, Francisco, the son of a migrant worker, has trouble when he begins first grade, but his fascination with a caterpillar in the classroom helps him begin to fit in.
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Drita, My Homegirl
Jenny Lombard
Drita and her family come to New York as refugees from war-torn Kosovo. Her new classmates tease her about virtually everything,
but an unlikely friendship with a tough African-American girl helps Drita to feel better about her new home.
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Blue Jasmine
Kashmira Sheth
When twelve-year-old Seema moves to Iowa City with her parents and younger sister, she leaves friends and family behind in her native India but gradually begins to feel at home in her new country.
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October 2006
(Theme: Gender Stereotypes) |
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Elena’s Serenade
Campbell Geeslin, Ana Juan (Illustrator)
In Mexico, a little girl disguised as a boy, sets out for Monterrey determined to master the art of glassblowing, and in the process, experiences self-discovery along the way.
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Ballerino Nate
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Robert W. Alley (Illustrator)
After seeing a ballet performance, Nate decides he wants to learn ballet but he has doubts when his brother Ben tells him that only girls can be ballerinas.
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September 2006
(Theme: Constitution Day/Voting Rights Act) |
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Granddaddy’s Gift
Margaree King Mitchell, Larry Johnson (Illustrator)
A young African-American woman reminisces about her grandfather's determination to vote in 1960s segregated Mississippi, where he becomes the first black registered voter in town.
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Ballot Box Battle
Emily Arnold McCully, A. Levine (Editor)
The story of Cordelia, a fictional young girl who is inspired by her neighbor, the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and follows her dream of being a horsewoman despite the sneers of others.
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Right to Vote
Sean Connolly, Ting Morris
Provides an introduction to the evolution and importance of the right to vote and an involved citizenry, including chapters on the expansion of voting rights to women and persons of color around the globe.
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August 2006
(Theme: New School/New School Year) |
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Shi-shi-etko
Shi-shi-etko, which means “she loves to play in water,” is counting down the four days she has until she leaves for Indian Residential School. Her mother, father and grandmother each share lessons they want her to carry with her.
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First Day in Grapes (Primer Dia en Las Uvas)
Spanish Version
Chico, a young boy in a family of migrant workers, gets picked on because he’s always “the new kid” in school and because he speaks Spanish. The story focuses on Chico’s first day of third grade at a new school. Chico learns to be proud of his abilities in math and to stand up for himself when some other students bully him and make fun of his heritage.
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Not-So-Weird Emma
Emma, the new kid at school, worries about her appearance and interests when a classmate calls Emma weird because she likes nature and “boy stuff.” Emma retaliates with name-calling and, before long, the whole class is name-calling. Emma realizes how much name-calling hurts and, with the help of her teacher, learns a better way to get along.
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June 2006
(Theme: Skin Color) |
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All the Colors We Are
Redleaf Press
All the Colors We Are explains the properties of human skin color in clear and simple terms to young children so that they can understand why there are differences in skin color between people.
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Cartas a mi mamá (Letters to My Mother)
Groundwood Books
The narrator of Cartas a mi mamá is a young Afro-Cuban girl who, upon the death of her mother, is forced to live with her aunt and cousins who tease and taunt her about her dark skin color. To keep her mother’s memory alive, and to remember that she was once deeply loved for who she is, she writes letters telling "Mami" what she is feeling. |
May 2006
(Theme: Asian Pacific Heritage Month) |
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The Name Jar
Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
The story of young girl who is teased by her classmates about her name, Unhei, but who comes to love and accept her Korean name after her grandmother explains the significance of her Korean name stamp.
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Journey to Topaz
Heyday Books
The story of a Japanese American family that is uprooted from their home and shipped with thousands of other West Coast Japanese Americans to a Utah desert concentration camp after the bombing at Pearl Harbor.
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Children of Asian America
Polychrome Publishing Corporation
An anthology of original children’s stories and poems which reflect the experiences and feelings of young people from various Asian-American communities.
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April 2006
(Theme: Holocaust Remembrance Day) |
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Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story
Lee & Low Books, Inc.
The story of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania, who saved thousands of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
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Hidden Child
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
A biographical account of Holocaust survivor, Isaac Sztrymfman, who was seven years old when the Nazis invaded Paris.
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March 2006
(Theme: Women’s History Month) |
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Betty Friedan: Feminist
Chelsea House Publishers
A biographical account of Betty Friedan’s life from author of the 1963 ground-breaking book, The Feminine Mystique, to women’s rights activist.
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February 2006
(Theme: Black History Month) |
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The Story of Ruby Bridges
Scholastic, Inc.
At the age of six, Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans in 1960.
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A Picture Book of George Washington Carver
Holiday House, Inc.
A brief biography of the African American botanist who overcame slavery and racial prejudice to become one of the most important scientists in the United States.
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Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth
Lee & Low Books, Inc.
The "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement" shares her responses to children's questions about her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and her outlook on life as a black American icon and woman.
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January 2006
(Theme: No Name-Calling Week) |
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Words Are Not For Hurting
Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.
Teaches preschoolers and toddlers the difference between kind words and hurtful words and how these words have an impact on others.
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Loser
HarperCollins Publishers
In first and second grades, Donald Zinkoff’s eccentricities and lack of coordination are accepted and found amusing by his peers, but starting in third grade, his classmates tease him, bully him and call him a loser.
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The Revealers
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Tired of being the outcasts, three seventh graders join together and create an unofficial e-mail forum where they post their experiences of being bullied.
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December 2005
(Theme: Human Rights Day) |
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For Every Child
UNICEF Publications
This book highlights children’s rights in simple words and pictures, such as the right to not be hurt, the right to live and grow, and the right to speak and be heard.
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Every Kid’s Guide to Understanding Human Rights
Joy Wilt Berry, Bartholemew (Illustrator)
This book describes and illustrates the inalienable rights of all persons expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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November 2005
(Theme: Indigenous Perspectives on Thanksgiving) |
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Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message
Jake Swamp, Erwin Printup (Illustrator)
This colorful message of gratitude and thanks for the natural world originated with American Indian peoples of upstate New York and Canada.
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1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
Margaret M. Bruchac, Catherine O'Neill Grace, Cotton Coulson (Photographer), Sisse Brimberg (Photographer)
This pictorial presentation of the reenactment of the first Thanksgiving counters traditional accounts.
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Rising Voices: Writings of Young Native Americans
Selected by Arlene B. Hirschfelder, Beverly R. Singer
A collection of essays, stories, and poems spanning over 100 years (1887-1990) that share the thoughts and feelings of young Native Americans.
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October 2005
(Theme: Hispanic Heritage) |
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The Perfect Piñata/La Piñata Perfecta
Kelli Kyle Dominguez, Diane Paterson (Illustrator), Teresa Mlawer (Translator)
Marisa picks out a butterfly piñata for her birthday party but by the day of the party, she decides it is too beautiful to break apart. Her parents offer an alternative piñata that Marisa feels is as perfect as the first.
Discussion Guide - The Perfect Piñata |
September 2005
(Theme: Anti-Arab/Anti-Muslim Bias) |
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My Name is Bilal
Asma Mobin Uddin (Author),
Barbara Kiwak (Illustrator)
Bilal and his sister transfer to a school where they are the only Muslim students. Bilal tries to hide his identity, until he reads a biography of an important figure in the history of the Islamic faith also named Bilal.
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Muslim Child: Understanding Islam Through Stories and Poems
Rukhsana Khan (Author),
Patty Gallinger (Illustrator)
Several short stories, poems, readings from the Qur’an, and a recipe, tell about Muslim children from a variety of backgrounds and places.
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August 2005
(Theme:
Women Suffrage) |
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A Long Way to Go: A Story of Women's Right to Vote
Zibby Oneal (Author),
Michael Dooling (Illustrator)
Lila expresses her belief in a woman's right to vote to her traditionalist father. She manages to convince her father of the injustice of gender inequality, and is allowed to march in a suffragist parade.
Discussion Guide - A Long Way to Go |
July 2005 (Theme:
People With Disabilities) |
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My Pal, Victor/Mi amigo Víctor
Diane Gonzales Bertrand (Author),
Robert Sweetland (Illustrator),
Eida de la Vega (Translator)
Two Latino boys enjoy various activities together, such as baseball and swimming. The reader discovers by the end that one of the boys is living in a wheelchair.
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Moses Goes to a Concert
Isaac Millman (Author)
Moses goes on a school trip to an orchestral performance. To the surprise of the children, the percussionist in the orchestra is deaf, just as they are. |
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All About My Brother: An Eight-Year-Old Sister’s Introduction to Her Brother Who Has Autism
Sarah Peralta (Author)
Sarah , the young author of this book, tells of her day-to-day life activities with her brother, Evan , who is autistic. |
June 2005 (Theme:
Same-Sex Headed Families) |
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How My Family Came to Be - Daddy, Papa, and Me
Andrew R. Aldrich (Author), Mike Motz (Illustrator)
This book features a young African-American boy who tells the story of how he was adopted by his two gay fathers when his birth mother became too sick to care for him.
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Heather Has Two Mommies
Leslea Newman (Author), Diana Souza (Illustrator)
This book tells the story of a girl who learns that her family isn't the only one that is different. While Heather has two lesbian mothers, her schoolmates have families with adopted sisters and brothers, single parents, stepparents, and with different cultural and religious traditions. |
May 2005
(Theme: Holocaust Remembrance) |
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Terrible Things
Eve Bunting (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
Terrible Things tells the story of a young rabbit who watches as the "terrible things" swoop in and take away different groups of animals living in the forest. This picture book models for young minds what can happen when people (or animals) do not stand up in the face of evil.
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April 2005
(Theme: Challenging Prejudice through Ally Behavior) |
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Wings
Christopher A. Myers (Author & Illustrator)
Wings is the retelling of a myth that highlights the beauty and perils of being different, and what one girl realizes when she resolves to stand up to prejudice.
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The Hundred Dresses
Eleanor Estes (Author), Louis Slobodkin (Illustrator)
A young girl learns the realities of prejudice while her classmates learn that hurting others is not satisfying.
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February/March 2005 (Theme: Black History Month & Women's History Month) |
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Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Pinkney (Author), Stephen Alcorn (Illustrator)
Let It Shine is a collection of short biographies celebrating the contributions of 10 black women who moved forward the cause of civil rights in America. Following a preface that describes her own family roots in the civil rights movement, Pinkney presents her heroines chronologically in verbal portraits that capture the subjects' faith, strength of character, and determination in the face of hardships and racial injustice.
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January 2005 (Theme: Bullying) |
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Say Something
Peggy Moss (Author), Lea Lyon (Illustrator)
A child who never says anything when other children are being teased or bullied finds herself in their position one day when jokes are made at her expense and no one speaks up.
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Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog
Graham McNamee(Author)
With the help of his good friend and her three-legged dog, Leftovers, ten-year-old Keath learns how to handle the class bully and deal with being the only white boy in his class.
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December 2004 (Theme: Hanukkah/December Holidays) |
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The Only One Club
Jeff Hopkins (Author), Jane Naliboff (Author)
Jennifer forms the "The Only One Club" because she is the only student in her first-grade class to celebrate Hanukkah. When her classmates want to join, she is resistant until she realizes that each of her friends is special, unique, and "the only one" at something. |
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The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate
Janice Cohn (Author), Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)
The true story describing how the people of Billings, Montana worked together to fight a series of hate crimes. |
October/November 2004 (Theme: Native American Awareness) |
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This Land is My Land
George Littlechild (Author & Illustrator)
Through his own words and paintings, acclaimed Native artist George Littlechild takes us back in time to the first meeting between his Plains Cree ancestors and the first European settlers in North America.
[Grade Level: 2 - 6] |
September 2004 (Theme: September 11th /Anti-Muslim and Arab Bias) |
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On That Day: A Book of Hope for Children
Andrea Patel (Author)
A simple and hopeful response to the September 11th tragedy, which suggests that even though bad things happen in the world, individual people always have a choice to do good things, too.
[Grade Level: K - 3] |
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Coming to America: A Muslim Family's Story
Bernard Wolf (Author & Illustrator)
Text and photographs depict the joys and hardships experiences by a Muslim family that immigrates to New York City from Egypt.
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August 2004 (Theme: Olympic Games) |
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A Picture Book of Jesse Owens
David A. Adler (Author), Robert Casilla (Illustrator)
A short biography of a sharecropper's son who became a
four-time Olympic gold medalist.
[Grade Level: K - 3] |
July 2004 (Theme: Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act) |
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Count Us In: Growing Up with Down Syndrome
Andy Bricky (Author), Jason Kingsley (Author), Mitchell Levitz (Author)
Two young men with Down Syndrome celebrate their successful coming-of-age and hard-won independence.
[Grade Level: 4 - 6] |
June 2004 (Theme: Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary) |
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Amazing Grace
Mary Hoffman (Author), Caroline Binch (Illustrator)
A young African-American girl discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
[Grade Level: 4 - 6] |
