Emotions-Personal Issues
And Not Afraid To Dare
This is a collection of short (15-20 page) biographies of 10 African American women: Ellen Craft, Charlotte Forten Grimke, Mary Fields, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Clara Hale, Leontyne Price, Toni Morrison, Mae C. Jemison, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Children of the Great Depression
Freedman describes the impact of the Great Depression on the youth of that time. Topics include the struggles youth had staying in school and finding jobs and what youth did to help their families survive. Photographs by well known photographers accompany
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
| social studies
|
My Secret Camera
As a young man in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, Mendel Grossman, secretly took hundreds of photographs to document the miserable life of the people in the ghetto and their struggles for survival. Simple text accompanies the photographs.
Author: Smith, Frank Dabba |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ziba Came on a Boat
This story is based on a real incident. Ziba and her mother run from their country because of fighting. They are on an overloaded boat coming to freedom. Ziba spends the time thinking of what she left behind, why she left her home and what the future wo
Author: Lofthouse, Liz |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions
145th Street: Short Stories
Engaging short stories written in Myers' natural writing styles that contain serious side plots and portray some of the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Characters are portrayed honestly and jump off the page to keep the reader enga
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Day That Changed America, A :D-Day June 6, 1944
The story of D-day, the freeing of France from Nazi control. Told through four real men: a paratrooper, a medic, an infantryman, and a fighter pilot. It is illustrate with paintings and also uses actual photos. It gives reality to this historic event.
Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Day That Changed America, A :D-Day June 6, 1944
The story of D-day, the freeing of France from Nazi control. Told through four real men: a paratrooper, a medic, an infantryman, and a fighter pilot. It is illustrate with paintings and also uses actual photos. It gives reality to this historic event.
Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Diego Bigger Than Life
These short poems tell about the life of the artist Diego Rivera, his various loves, his life as an artist, and his unusual and intense life. It ends with a one paragraph comment by his last wife, Frida Kahlo. Back matter includes a wealth of information
Author: Bernier-Grand |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lady Liberty: A Biography
Poetic format shares the stories of the people involved in the building of the Statue of Liberty. It also shares the reactions and contributions of everyday people seeing her rise in NY Harbor. Beautiful illustrations that add to the stories of the peopl
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | literature and arts
|
Lady Liberty: A Biography
Poetic format shares the stories of the people involved in the building of the Statue of Liberty. It also shares the reactions and contributions of everyday people seeing her rise in NY Harbor. Beautiful illustrations that add to the stories of the peopl
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | literature and arts
|
Tibet Through the Red Box
The author-illustrator returns to his father's home as an adult to learn the contents of a mysterious red box that his father had brought back from Tibet years before. The past is revealed through a diary, memories, and extraordinary illustrations.
Witness
Structured as a play with characters, acts, and text, this story depicts a small Vermont town facing issues of racism and bigotry introduced by the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920's. The courage of two young girls and the adults who support them leads the way t
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > anger
9-11 Artists Respond: Volume One
Over 100 graphic artists draw their reactions to the 9-ll attack on the World Trade Center. There are as many styles and points-of-view as artists. Although graphic in nature, some texts would be difficult for beginning readers due to size and type face
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, The
When Junior (Arnold) Spirit chooses to go to school off his North Dakota reservation to attend an all white farm school, he encounters a few new friends and loses an old one as he navigates the worlds of whites and Native Americans.
Author: Alexie, Sherman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Journey
Journey, an eleven-year-old boy whose Mom has left him and his sister to live with her parents, feels angry and betrayed. He spends the summer looking at family photos, learning to recognize the sustaining love of his grandparents, and letting go of his
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Just One Flick of the Finger
Young Jack brings his father's gun to school hoping to scare a bully, but events take an unexpected and violent turn.
Author: Lorbiecki, Marybeth |
|
Letting Swift River Go
This book tells the story of a community's act of selling up the houses and land to the government so that a water reservoir can be built. It is told from the view point of a woman who felt as though she lost her childhood because all her landmarks had
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
Long Way Gone, A: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The story of a Sierra Leonian boy who at age 12 was recruited and forced into being a gun toting, drug crazed soldier and then learned how to live with what he had done after going through a UNICEF rehabilitation program.
Author: Beah, Ishmael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Marching for Freedom
The compelling story of the events in Selma, Alabama that led to the voter rights march to Montgomery in 1965. Interviews with some of the marchers and black and white photographs highlight the struggles of African Americans to get the right to vote.
Author: Partridge, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memories of Summer
The novel is set in 1955. A father and 2 daughters (Lyric, the narrator, is 13 and sister Summer is 16) move from rural Kentucky to Flint, MI. The story is about the move, about Lyric's adjustment, but mostly about Summer's descent into mental illness and
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
My Sister's Keeper
Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
Real Time
A gripping story told in real time (hence the title)from the viewpoints of several characters involved in the bombing of an Israeli bus.
Author: Kass, Pnina Moed |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois
This biography of Louise Bourgeois traces the influences of her childhood in France and her independent development as a woman artist later in the U.S. The book includes beautiful reproductions of her work and numerous back pages for further exploration.
Author: Greenberg & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | social studies
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
smoky night
1
Author: bunting, eve |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Stitches: A Memoir
An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
Author: Small, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Touching Spirit Bear
Cole, a juvenile "delinquent," is offered jail or "circle justice," a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal, his victim, and the community. Cole's time at a remote Alaskan island and his interactions
Under the Shadow of Wings
Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
Wagon, The
At the time of Emancipation and Lincoln's death, a young boy, born into slavery, looks back on his anger at slavery and the support of his family as he helps his father build a wagon for the master which later carries them to freedom.
Author: Johnston, Tony |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > betrayal
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, The
When Junior (Arnold) Spirit chooses to go to school off his North Dakota reservation to attend an all white farm school, he encounters a few new friends and loses an old one as he navigates the worlds of whites and Native Americans.
Author: Alexie, Sherman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
African Princess
Illustrated with paintings, photographs, and artifacts, six biographies tell us about royal African women from Ancient Eygpt to the present: Hatshepsut of Egypt; Njinga of Matamba; Taytu Tetal of Ethiopia; Amina of Zaria; Tata Ajache of Dahomey; and Eliz
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Aida
The opera diva Leontyne Price retells this classic operatic tale made famous by the 19th century composer Giuseppi Verdi. The princess Aida is captured and forced into slavery by Egyptian soldiers, but she and rival army leader Radames fall in love. The
Author: Price, Leontyne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Bearing Witness
This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Encounter
An old Taino man tells a story about his childhood, about the day the invaders came and his people welcomed them. At the end it is clear that he is talking about Columbus. The book ends with an author's note. This is a powerful book with superior illust
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Growing Up in Revolution and the New Nation
"Studying history is a way of snooping into the past." So begins this interesting book that focuses on childhood and adolescence in 1775--1800. Illustrated with paintings from the Revolutionary War period, the book describes education, work and leisure, d
Author: Miller, Brandon Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II
This amazing book takes the reader inside the internment camps and shows the fortitude of the people who survived and thrived despite the hardships imposed on them. An amazing book for readers of all ages. Beautiful photos add to the text.
Author: Sandler, Martin W. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Journey
Journey, an eleven-year-old boy whose Mom has left him and his sister to live with her parents, feels angry and betrayed. He spends the summer looking at family photos, learning to recognize the sustaining love of his grandparents, and letting go of his
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Roanoke
Based on extensive research, this book explores the political intrigue surrounding the disappearance of the first American colony at Roanoke, in what is now North Carolina. The suspenseful text is supplemented with archival photographs and paintings, a t
Author: Miller, Lee |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
Shadow Children, The
While visiting his grandfather in France, Etienne discovers a secret from the days of World War II and the Nazis.
Author: Schnur, Steven |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
So Far From the Sea
A Japanese American visits Manazar, a Japanese relocation camp in World War II, to visit the grave of a grandfather.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Tale of Paradise Lost, The
An exquisitly illustrated prose retelling of John Milton's famous poem Paradise Lost.
Author: Willard, Nancy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Way a Door Closes, The
Told in a poetry format, a teenage boy describes his reaction to his father's leaving the family, and then to his return.
Author: Smith, Hope Anita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > bullies
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, The
When Junior (Arnold) Spirit chooses to go to school off his North Dakota reservation to attend an all white farm school, he encounters a few new friends and loses an old one as he navigates the worlds of whites and Native Americans.
Author: Alexie, Sherman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Hoot
This charming and funny young adult mystery by the well-known adult mystery writer, Carl Hiassen, involves corporate greed, suburban expansion, environmental protection, child abuse and neglect, bullying, and social protest.
Jabberwocky
With his wonderfully bright, energetic illustrations, Myers gives an Mezo-American and African American spin to the famous poem by Lewis Carroll.
Myer's "reimagined" famous poem by Carroll is unique in its contemporary setting of an urban street basket
Author: Carroll, Lewis |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Josepha
A boy narrates the story of his friend and protector, the immigrant young man Josepha, who had to leave school to work.
Author: McGugan, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Night the Bells Rang, The
This short novel (76 pages), told from the point of view of a farm boy, tells the story of Mason's struggles with a bully, and of his growing up. Although the book has the feel of a reminiscence, the emotions are complex and the characters ring true.
Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, The
Margaret Rose Kane, 12 years old, escapes oppressive summer camp with the help of her great-uncles and then helps them rescue from urban renewal the sculptural "towers" that they have been creating for 45 years.
Author: Konigsburg, E. L. |
|
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Shake Rag
As a boy, Elvis Presley discovers "good news" music at a traveling church that gives his guitar playing a distinctive sound when he records later in 1954.
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Your Move
When gang initiation threatens his younger brother, James summons the courage to make up his own mind.
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > compassion
Abraham's Battle
An ex-slave named Abraham, a young Confederate soldier, and a girl from Gettysburg meet in the cataclysmic days of the Civil War battle. Abraham meets Lincoln after the President gives his famous address.
Author: Banks, Sara Harrell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Every Living Thing
Each story in this collection features an animal, and in every case the existence of the animal helps to foster the feelings of love or compassion in the people. The stories touch upon topics such as alcoholism, aging, loneliness, and foster parenting.
Faithful Elephants: A True Story
During WW II many zoo animals starved, by order of the Army, or had to be killed. The story, set in a Tokyo zoo, shows animals' helplessness in the face of human destruction.
Author: Tsuchiya, Yukio |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hidden Child
A survivor of the Holocaust describes with illustrations and text his hiding in France during World War II and his search for his family and friends after the war.
Author: Millman, Isaac |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Let Them Play
This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of the 1955 state champion little league team from South Carolina, who were all African-American and who encountered segregation problems as they continued to win.
Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Light Shining through the Mist
Lush color photographs and text tell the story of how Dian Fossey studied the gorillas in Africa and died trying to protect them and their habitat during a time of political unrest.
Author: Matthews, Tom |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Mother Teresa
This is a beautifully illustrated biography of the woman who became Mother Teresa.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Parvana's Journey
Disguised as a boy, Parvana rescues a baby and joins with a young boy as she travels through war-torn Afghanistan searching for her family. The telling of the story through the child's perspective allows the reader to approach a sensitive current event an
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
School for Pompey Walker, A
At the dedication of a school named for him, Pompey Walker tells how he and a white friend, Jeremiah, raised money to build a school for ex-slave children. With the help of his friend, Pompey allows himself to be sold over and over again, escaping each t
Author: Rosen, Michael J. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Time to Love, A
Beautifully illustrated and ably introduced by sons of the author, this book retells six Bible stories from different perspectives, all revealing aspects of love--father/son, friends, brothers, lovers, and daughters-in-law. Teachers can promote religious
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Walt Whitman: Words for America
This biography of Walt Whitman extends our knowledge of the poet, both in his growth as a poet and learning of the experiences that were the source of his poetry. Back matter contains more biographical and historical information, sources, and full poems
Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death
9-11 Artists Respond: Volume One
Over 100 graphic artists draw their reactions to the 9-ll attack on the World Trade Center. There are as many styles and points-of-view as artists. Although graphic in nature, some texts would be difficult for beginning readers due to size and type face
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Abraham Lincoln Comes Home
The story of the impact of Lincoln's death unfolds as a young child waits to see Lincoln's funeral train.
Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Abraham Lincoln Comes Home
The story of the impact of Lincoln's death unfolds as a young child waits to see Lincoln's funeral train.
Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
American Plague, An
Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Appointment
This lavishly illustrated book is a distillation of the classic Somerset Maugham novella Appointment in Samarra. Not until the very end do we realize that the important appointment that the man must keep is an appointment with death. The illust
Author: Maugham, Somerset |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir
What happens "at the end of words"? The author faced this difficult question as a teenager. Through alternating narration and poetry, she shares her anger, sorrow, confusion, and healing after her mother's death from breast cancer.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Subtitled "The true story of the day America entered World War II," this book describes the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspectives of four people, both Japanese and American. Excerpts about others who were influenced by the attack are also provided,
Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Auction, The
In this sad intergenerational story, a boy and his grandfather reminisce the night before their farm is put up for sale.
Birches
On each page Ed Young illustrates trees and forests and the countryside, in browns and sepia tones, and presents them along with several lines of Robert Frost's well-known poem, "Birches." The poem is printed in its entirety again on the last two pages.
Author: Frost, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Birmingham, 1963
A fictional narrator tells, in poetry, about the day she turned 10, which was also the day of the church bombing in Birmingham
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Block, The
This collection of Langston Hughes poems is complemented by the illustrations of Romare Beardon. An introduction by Bill Cosby precedes the collection, and biographies of the poet and artist conclude it.
Author: Hughes, Langston |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Borning Room, The
The narrator remembers growing up in southern Ohio in the 19th century, remembers farm life, celebrates her relatives with their varying ideas about slavery and religion, remembers her part in hiding slaves.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brothers War, The: Civil War Voices in Verse
Well-known poet J. Patrick Lewis includes archival photographs and factual information to expand the emotional of his poems that give voice to individuals who were caught up in the Civil War. The book also includes a map, a timeline, a bibliography, and
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buried in Ice
The authors explore the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin's failed expedition to find the Northwest Passage in 1845. Sections of fictionalized history alternate with present-day, first-person narrative of the scientific search for answers. A glossary
Author: Beattie, Owen & Geiger, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Can't Get There from Here
This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Children We Remember, The
Archive photographs and a simple text tell the story of the Nazis' attempt to starve and kill the Jews during WW II.
Author: Abells, Chana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Clan Apis
This is a graphic novel (a.k.a.comic book) about bees. Students will learn about bee anatomy and behavior. End notes contain science information about bees.
Author: Hosler, Jay |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Color of My Words, The
This is an easy-reading novel, part poetry and part prose, about Ana Rosa, a young writer who is growing up poor in a seaside village in the Dominican Republic where she learns about family community, the merengue, and the power of words.
Author: Joseph, Lynn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts
"Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews of people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines... death and burial across cultures and societies" (dust jacket). Appendices include a chron
Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Day Before Christmas, The
Four years after the death of her mother, seven-year-old Allie goes with her grandfather to a performance of the ballet "The Nutcracker" on Christmas Eve. Warned by her father before leaving that Grandpa may be a little sad, Allie learns that Grandpa had
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Ellen Foster
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
Faithful Elephants: A True Story
During WW II many zoo animals starved, by order of the Army, or had to be killed. The story, set in a Tokyo zoo, shows animals' helplessness in the face of human destruction.
Author: Tsuchiya, Yukio |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fever 1793
This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Garden of Happiness, The
A young girl cares for a seed that she plants near a community garden in New York City.
Gathering of Days, A
This book, subtitled A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32, is a fictitious diary kept by a fourteen-year-old girl during the last few years she spent on her family's farm. During these months Catherine's father remarried, her closest friend died of feve
Author: Blos, Joan W. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
This somewhat repetitive account of the brutal death of Emmett Till, the Chicago 14-year-old boy visiting Mississippi, argues that the media coverage of the trial and the subsequent outrage of the public provided the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement
Author: Crowe, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ghost of the Southern Belle
This is a ghost story set on the high seas. The young son of a ship's captain finds a way to end the curse of a ghost ship.
Hundred Penny Box, A
A young boy loves his Great Aunt Dew, her stories, and her box of one hundred pennies, one for each of her birthdays. But Michael's mother is impatient with them both and wants to throw the box out.
I Heard the Owl Call my Name
Although this book is not universally appealing, some readers respond emotionally and deeply to this story of a young priest's year with the Native American people of British Columbia, his illness, and his acceptance of his fate. The book does not provid
In the Shadow of No Towers
Part personal reaction to 9/11 and part history of newspaper comics, this book is a bit like a graphic novel. It is raw in tone and difficult to follow at spots.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Lincolns, The
Using a scrapbook format with blocks of stories and archival photographs, the author provides a chatty, up-close biography of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Since the book is in a scrapbook format, students can start reading anywhere in the book or read in the
Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Locomotion
Lonnie, a.k.a. Locomotion, is encouraged by his teacher Ms. Marcus to write poetry. His poems, in many, many forms but all accessible, tell his story of losing parents in a fire, separation from his sister, group homes, and foster care.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Love You, Soldier
This touching story about the effects of WW II on one family is told through the eyes of seven-year-old Katie. (NOTE: This is a short chapter book that will be very easy for students to read.)
Author: Hest, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Missing May
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.
Moon Over Tennessee
A boy accompanies his father into the Confederate Army in the Civil War, eventually arriving at the battle of Gettysburg. The story-poem is told in a format of journal entries. Somber black and white woodcuts contribute to the tragic tone. A map and an
Author: Crist-Evans, Craig |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moving Mama to Town
Enterprising Freddy James moves his mother and younger brother to town after his father leaves and the farm fails. He works at the local saloon where he learns from everyone he meets.
Author: Young, Ronder Thomas |
|
My Sister's Keeper
Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa
Shonto Begay's artwork has been celebrated throughout the southwestern U.S. for decades. Twenty of his paintings are the illustrations for this book. Each painting is accompanied by a poem.
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
Author: Newman, Leslea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Out of the Dust
Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Pink and Say
This long picture book tells the story of Pinkus Aylee, an African-American soldier in the Civil War, and of his mother, Moe Bay and of his friendship with a young White boy. A moving book that may be more appropriate for adults than for children, it cel
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pyramid
Black and white illustrations accompany this nonfiction account, a process of building an Egyptian pyramid. Some teachers may want to use this as a reference; some students may love poring over the details. The book ends with a glossary.
Author: Macaulay, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Romeo and Juliet, (The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of)
This lively, clear, prose retelling of
Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet follows the original story very closely.
Author: Shakespeare, William |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sacred River
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text introduce the reader to the colorful riverfront scene in the Hindu pilgrimage center known as Benares or Varanasi, India.
Author: Levin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sarney
A sequel to Nightjohn, the book follows the life of Sarny, the slave girl that Nightjohn taught to read, as she travels to New Orleans in the aftermath of the Civil War to find her children who had been sold into slavery.
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
Secret Life of Bees, The
Fourteen-year-old Lily and Rosaleen, the black servant who has look after her since her mother died 10 years earlier, run from Lily's abusive father and the brutality and racism of the police. Against the historical events of 1964 in South Carolina, they
Shattered
This collection contains twelve stories about the impact of war on children and teenagers, some fictional, some personal experiences. A trailer with historical background crawls across the bottom of the page. Biographies of the authors are included.
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Soldier's Heart
15-year-old Charley Goddard lies about his age to enlist in the Civil War. This book chronicles his war experiences (some very graphic) with the First Minnesota Volunteers. At the end of the book we learn a bit about how the War affected Charley's mind a
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Stone Water
Grant, a 15-year-old boy, grapples with his grandfather's request to remove him from life support systems. This is a realistic and emotionally riveting portrayal of issues surrounding death.
That Summer
A boy looks back on the summer that his brother became ill and died.
Through the Mickle Woods
The king is grieving for his dead wife, but with the help of a wise bear and a young boy learns the three lessons about living and loving.
Thunder at Gettysburg
This book is written in five chapters of free verse and tells the story of a young girl who was a witness to the battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The text is accompanied by several line drawings and a concluding historical note.
Author: Gauch, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Hell with Dying
Because of the controversial subject matter and the language of the title, this book would have to be introduced carefully and treated sensitively. The author tells the story of growing up down the road from old alcoholic Mr. Sweet, who would fall on his
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Very Best of Friends, The
When a farmer dies, his wife deals with her grief by ignoring (hating) his favorite cat, until she finally realizes that they could find companionship with each other.
War and the Pity of War
This large collection of powerful poems and very moving illustrations on war ranges over time and place and level of difficulty. The editor includes an index of writers, and index of poems, and an introduction thate gives his reasons for selecting partic
Author: Philip, Neil |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Wreath for Emmett Till, A
Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > determination/perseverance
Abraham's Battle
An ex-slave named Abraham, a young Confederate soldier, and a girl from Gettysburg meet in the cataclysmic days of the Civil War battle. Abraham meets Lincoln after the President gives his famous address.
Author: Banks, Sara Harrell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ain't Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry
The author is a historian who became interested in John Henry, a supposedly mythical ex-slave who outraced the steam engine in digging a tunnel through the side of the Allegheny Mountains. This book chronicles the author's efforts to find the truth about
Author: Nelson, Scott Reynolds |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Alia's Mission
This graphic storybook/graphic novel is based on the true story of the chief librarian at the Central Library in Basra, Iraq. It tells the story of how she tried to save the books from destruction during the Iraq War.
Author: Stamaty, Mark Alan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole
This non-fiction, photographic picture book tells the history of the Antarctic. The pictures are all accompanied by true stories of heroism and adventure.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing | language arts - reading
|
Artist in Overalls
Born into a poor farming family in Iowa, Grant Wood struggled to study art and earn a living. He chose to paint simple people and scenes with a classical feel, a style that became known as Regionalism.
Author: Duggleby, John |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Ashfall
Alex, fifteen, was left alone in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the weekend while his father, mother and sister, traveled to Illinois to visit an uncle. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash and violenc
Author: Mullin, Mike |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science | language arts - reading
|
Baseball Saved Us
A young boy in an internment camp finds baseball to be his saving grace, although his determination and spirit is what sees him through.
Author: Mochizuki, Ken |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Berenice Abbott, Photographer
The biography's subtitle "An Independent Vision" suggests the creativity, innovation, perservance that Berenice Abbot exhibited as she pursued the newly emerging field of photography and associated with the leading photographers of the 1920's and 1930's.
Author: Sullivan, George |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Big Annie of Calumet
Big Annie is the story of Annie Clemenc who led the miners' strike of 1913 in Calumet, Michigan against the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The book contains many photographs of the strike and conditions in the mines and a brief overview of the Industri
Author: Stanley, Jerry |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black and White Airmen: Their True Story
The history of airmen in WWII is told through the experiences of two men from Cincinnati, one African American and one Caucasian. Information about race relations at the time is woven throughout the narrative.
Author: Fleischman, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson
An interesting account of fightin' Black Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight of the world in 1910. The prejudicial issues of the era made this a monumental task. Bold words and bold color art combine to create a rhythmic text that captures the ener
Author: Smith, Charles R., Jr. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Black Ships Before Troy
This beautifully illustrated book retells Homer's epic poem The Iliad about the Trojan War. A glossary of names is included.
Author: Sutcliff, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Black Whiteness
During the several months Admiral Richard Byrd spent alone in Antarctica in 1934, he nearly dies of carbon monoxide poisoning before he is rescued. The poetic language, line lengths, and diary excerpts give an intensity and truthfulness to the story.
Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Bobbin Girl, The
Rebecca, a 10-year-old "bobbin girl" working in the textile factories in Lowell, Massachuesetts in the 1830's must decide if she will participate in the first workers' strike.
Author: McCully, Emily Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya
Story of how a Kenyan boy sets a goal of becoming a doctor after his baby sister dies. He succeeds and is now a physician in Akron Ohio.
Author: Oelschlager, Vanita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies | science
|
Boy Who Saved Cleveland, The
During a malarial epidemic in the late 18th century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
Author: Pinkney, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
Author: Pinkney, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brave Harriet
The story of Harriet Quimby, the first woman to earn a pilot's license and the first woman to fly across the English Channel, is told in the first person. An author's note adds historical facts.
Author: Moss, Marissa |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bread and Roses, Too.
This is a fictionalized history of the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts, factory strike. The main characters are two children, a girl whose family is active in the strike, and a homeless boy. Aspects of the strike itself and of outsiders' attempts to help the
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brothers In Hope
The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
Author: Williams, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bud, Not Buddy
It's 1936, Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud (not Buddy) has run away from foster care to search for his father. (Newbery winner)
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Butter Man, The
The father of a young child recalls a time of poverty and famine in Morocco. Written in descriptive language, this is a story within a story. Rich author's note and glossary help support this read to become a literary event. Folk art paintings by Julie
Author: Alalou, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Carver
Personal and professional details of the life of George Washington Carver are told in poems from the perspectives of many people.
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Cat with the Yellow Star, The: Coming of Age in Terezin
Ela Weissberger's life before, during, and after she and her family were forced to live in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin during WWII. Photographs reinforce Ela's memories of survival and hope.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chanda's Secrets
Sixteen-year-old Chanda, who lives in a fictional sub-Saharan
country that is feeling the impact of HIV/AIDS psychologically(fears, lies, and sundered relationships)and socially (ostracism of tainted people, necessity of hiding), takes a courageous stand
Author: Stratton, Allan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Children of the Great Depression
Freedman describes the impact of the Great Depression on the youth of that time. Topics include the struggles youth had staying in school and finding jobs and what youth did to help their families survive. Photographs by well known photographers accompany
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
| social studies
|
Choices
George Ella Lyon, an accomplished writer of children's books, wrote this collection of stories (and its accompanying text, More Choices) specifically for adult new readers; in fact, she conferred with ABE students from Kentucky while creating the
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
This story describes the customs used in both the plantation house and the slave quarters during the Christmas season during slavery years. The amount of detail--even recipes and songs are included--is unusual, and yet the book flows well and makes compe
Author: McKissack, Patricia & McKissack, Frederick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Circle Unbroken
A young girl learns the tradition of making sweet grass baskets.
Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Copper Sun
Kidnapped from her African village, Amari survives the horrors of the ocean voyage and slavery at Derbyshire Farms before running away, heading south with an indentured servant and small slave boy. Amari's hope and perserverence help her and two others ma
Author: Draper, Sharon |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader
Although she is best known for shepherding the "Little Rock Nine" through the dangers and stresses of the first school integration test, Daisy Bates pursued a life of community crusading despite obstacles and personal difficulties before and after Little
Author: Polakow, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dandelions
As her family struggles to establish a sod home on the Nebraska prairie, Emma finds a way to cheer up her mother.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Danger Along the Ohio
The Dunn family is traveling down the Ohio River in 1793. The children become separated from their father and must fend for themselves while heading toward Marietta.
Author: Willis, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Darkness over Denmark
Written in the form of snippets of interviews, this book tells the stories of the Danish Resistance and the rescue of Jews in WW II. This is an important and inspiring story, which may be unknown to many.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Django: World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist
In descriptive, poetic, rhythmic (8 count meter per line as the rhythm of music) text the life story of Django Reinhardt is sketched for the reader. The illustrations offer a glimpse into the life of gypsies and the challenges this guitarist endured to be
Author: Christensen, Bonnie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Django: World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist
In descriptive, poetic, rhythmic (8 count meter per line as the rhythm of music) text the life story of Django Reinhardt is sketched for the reader. The illustrations offer a glimpse into the life of gypsies and the challenges this guitarist endured to be
Author: Christensen, Bonnie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dolley Madison Saves George Washington
An easy-reading biography of Dolley Madison that focuses on her adult years, particularly as Jefferson's hostess in the White House and First Lady. Dolley Madison saved a large portrait of George Washington before the Brittish burned the White House.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Don Quixote and the Windmills
This retelling of the famous Spanish novel by Cervantes recounts Don Quixote's first adventure as a knight. An Author's Note contributes historical information about Cervantes.
Author: Kimmel, Eric |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow
Illustrated with beautifully reproduced paintings in chronological order, this biography of the American artist Edward Hopper recounts his long, productive life, his marriage to artist Josephine Nivison, and his friendships with fellow artists Guy Pene du
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Eleanor
This biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life conveys the emotionally impoverished childhood amid wealth and power. The book captures the indomitable spirit of the woman who would become the greatest and most beloved First Lady and a leader in her own
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedman relates this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with the interest of suspense fiction which is accompanied by extensive archival photographs. The book traces her evolution from a shy young girl from an unhappy home to America's most acclaimed First
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Facing the Lion
Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
Author: Lekuton, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Family Farm
Two children learn that their family is in danger of losing its farm. They devise a plan for saving it.
Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, The
Whimsical biography of Henri Rousseau illustrated in his style of artwork. This book recounts the life of Henri Rousseau who began painting at the age of 41. Spare text written in lovely figurative language - "the flowers open their hearts" and "He holds
Author: Markel, Michelle |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fever 1793
This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Find Where the Wind Goes
This is an autobiography of Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to become an astronaut. She uses the metaphor of "wind" to describe events from her life.
Author: Jemison, Mae |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Finding Fish
This is the autobiography of Antwone Fisher (basis for a movie made by Denzel Washington). Antwone's childhood was filled with emotional and physical abuse. He found a way to overcome this difficult beginning.
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
First in the Field: Baseball Hero Jackie Robinson
This biography of Jackie Robinson, which focuses on his life until he retired from professional baseball, is accompanied by photographs. A timeline that notes African American sports milestones concludes the book.
Author: Dingle, Derek T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
First Part Last, The
[revised from dust jacket] Bobby is a classic urban teenaged boy-- impulsive, eager, restless. On his 16th birthday, he learns that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Their lives change dramatically, both during the pregnancy and after baby Feather is born.
Fish
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Author: Matthews, L. S. |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Flight
This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Lindbergh's daring flight over the Atlantic in 1927. It opens with a brief historical note by author Jean Fritz.
Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fly High!
This is an illustrated biography of Bessie Coleman, whose interest in aviation and desire "to be somebody" led her to become the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license.
Author: Borden, Louise & Kroeger, Mary Kay |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Peg Leg Joe travels from plantation to plantation teaching slaves the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd," which conceals directions for the route north to freedom. The book follows one slave family as they are directed north to the Underground Railroad and
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Forbidden Schoolhouse
With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
Author: Jurmain, Suzanne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice
These are stories about the Freedom Riders during the early years of the Civil Rights movement. The detail and "human" perspective provided goes well beyond most written descriptions. This is an engaging account of the actions of incredibly brave heroes.
Author: Haskins, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Girl Wonder
This is a very simple retelling of part of Alta Weiss's childhood. Alta pitched for the Vermillion (OH) Independents, a semi-pro baseball team, in 1907.
Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
|
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
Gutenberg
This black and white picture book tells the story of Johann Gutenberg, creator of the printing press. It includes a map, time line, and afterword.
Author: Fisher, Leonard Everett |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hana's Suitcase
When a suitcase with Hana Brady's name on it arrives at the Toyko Children's Holocaust Education Center, the children have many question about who Hana might have been. In an effort to answer those questions, Fumiko Ishioka, the center's curator, begins a
Author: Levine, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Heart of a Champion, The
These are short biographies of sports figures who have been featured on Wheaties boxes over the years. Subsections, organized by traits that contribute to success (commitment, grace, courage, team effort, and perseverance) are preceded by short essays abo
Henry's Freedom Box
This simply written picture book tells the true story of Henry Brown, a runaway slave who escaped to freedom by mailing himself in a crate.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
I Remember Korea
This collection of poignant and gripping memories of Korean War veterans includes archival photographs, a timeline, and Internet sites.
Author: Granfield, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Joan of Arc
The author weaves together historical fact and fiction in the story of a modern French girl who idolizes Joan of Arc. An historical map and beautiful illustrations enhance the stories.
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
John Henry
This beautifully illustrated, award-winning book tells the tale of the ex-slave John Henry who outraced the steam engine in digging a tunnel through the side of the Allegheny Mountains. The book begins with introductory notes from both Julius Lester and
John Muir: America's First Environmentalist
From a work-filled childhood as an immigrant from Scotland, self-taught John Muir worked to study and save the wilderness he loved, resulting in the first protected National Park at Yosemite and the founding of the Sierra Club for conservation. The autho
Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Jump at de Sun
This interesting biography of the author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston emphasizes her unique celebration of black life and language at the turn of the century when such topics were unpopular. Her niece wrote the introduction.
Author: Porter, A. P. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Keep on Singing
The story of the life of the singer Marian Anderson is told in ballad form. The author's notes at the end of the book include additional biographical information.
Author: Livingston, Myra Cohn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Langston Hughes
This well written and engaging biography is accompanied by many of Hughes's poems, some of his other writing, and intriguing illustrations. Especially interesting for Ohio readers is the focus on his life in Cleveland and the influence of Karamu House.
Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Long Walk to Water, A
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva D
Author: Park, Linda Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Way Gone, A: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The story of a Sierra Leonian boy who at age 12 was recruited and forced into being a gun toting, drug crazed soldier and then learned how to live with what he had done after going through a UNICEF rehabilitation program.
Author: Beah, Ishmael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lost: A Story in String
Using string figures, a grandmother tells a story of the uses of imagination and resourcefulness. Beautiful black-and-white clayboard and ink illustrations and clear diagrams and resources encourage readers to try the string figures.
Mansa Musa
A beautifully illustrated story of the quest for identity of a descendent of Sundiata, the famous king of Mali in Central Africa. The author's note describes her research and lists resources. The Dillons provide ethnic design motifs,an historical map, a
Author: Burns, Khephra |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maria De Sautuola: The Bulls in the Cave
The scientific world did not accept until 1902 the discovery of prehistoric cave painting in Altamira, Spain, which was discovered by 9-year-old Maria De Sautuola in 1879.
Author: Fradin, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American GIrl
Based on an unpublished memoir, this picture book tells the story of daily life for a middle-class African American girl in New York in the 19th century. Maps and photographs illustrate the story.
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Marvelous Mattie
Based on the life of Margaret E. Knight, the book portrays an imaginative girl who overcomes the barriers of poverty and sexism to become an inventor of over 90 inventions with 22 patents. The author's note gives more biographical information while paten
Author: McCully, Emily |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Mary Smith
Before the advent of alarm clocks, Mary Smith's job was to wake the workers of her village with her trusty peashooter.
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
This is the first of two volumes about the experiences of the author's parents in the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The author depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats in his illustrations.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale
A powerful graphic novel about a father who survived the Nazi concentration camps and his son in which Jews are depicted as mice and Nazis as cats. The story jumps back and forth between the present life in the Catskills and the past life in the camps.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Minty
Long before her years as leader in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, nicknamed Minty, was a strong-willed child who dreamed of running away while suffering the brutalities of slavery. Old Ben taught her survival skills that she would need later.
Author: Schroeder, Alan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
When offered a choice between a ceramic clock and a shovel as a gift before leaving for America, Bridie chooses the latter and uses it throughout her resourceful life.
Molly Bannaky
This is a biography of the grandmother of the famous mathematician, Banjamin Banneker, who came to America in 1683 as an indentured servant and married her freed slave. The author includes an historical note.
Author: McGill, Alice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mud City
Shauzia, with her dog, has fled Afghanistan and survives on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, and in a refugee camp. This is the second part of a trilogy.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Brothers' Flying Machine
This biography of Wilber and Orville Wright is told by their younger sister.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
My Name is Georgia
This simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe describes how she was true to her life-long goal of being an artist and how she gained inspiration for her paintings from the natural world around her.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
My Secret Camera
As a young man in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, Mendel Grossman, secretly took hundreds of photographs to document the miserable life of the people in the ghetto and their struggles for survival. Simple text accompanies the photographs.
Author: Smith, Frank Dabba |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nation's Hope, A
An "elegant and powerful picture book biography which centers around the historic fight" of Joe Louis during WWII, where prejudice was set aside. The illustrations and historical tidbits add to this story of an unforgettable legend.
Author: De La Pena, Matt |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Nightjohn
An escaped slave returns to the South to teach others how to read. This 92-page book is very bleak, and the violence is quite graphic.
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nikola Tesla
This biography of little-known scientist Nikola Tesla recounts his life and work on harnessing and advocating for alternating-current electricity with its many engineering applications that we take for granted. Archival photographs illustrate the text.
Author: Dommermuth-Costa, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Ninth Ward
This is a powerful reenactment of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and how it affected the poor section of the ninth ward. The hurricane and subsequent levee failure come to life through the eyes of a twelve year old special girl. The voi
Author: Rhodes, Jewell Parker |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | science
|
No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War
A touching recounting of a Jewish child's survival in Nazi Poland. Hidden with her Catholic nanny, Anita and her younger brother are hidden for years but are eventually caught and imprisoned. After freedom, they are both sent to a sanatorium for tubercul
Author: Lobel, Anita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Now Let Me Fly
This book gives a fictional account of Minna, a young African girl, taken from her homeland and sold into slavery. The epilogue carries the story forward to the Emancipation Declaration.
Author: Johnson, Dolores |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Old African, The
a beautifully told and illustrated story that, according to the dust jacket, is "based on legend." The Old African has magical powers. This is the story of his capture and enslavement as a young man and ultimately, his plan to free his fellow slaves.
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One More River to Cross
This is a photographic chronicle of African American life. The text is very simple. The photos are very powerful. The author includes an index of the photos.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Over the Top of the World
The main text is a diary of explorer Will Steger's expedition (1994) from Russia to Canada by way of the North Pole. Pictures from the expedition accompany the text, and sidebars provide additional information about the Arctic.
Author: Steger, Will |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Painting the Wind
This "is a beautiful story about holding on to perfect moments that only a summer in a place that you love can offer" (dust jacket).
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia & MacLachlan, Emily |
|
Parvana's Journey
Disguised as a boy, Parvana rescues a baby and joins with a young boy as she travels through war-torn Afghanistan searching for her family. The telling of the story through the child's perspective allows the reader to approach a sensitive current event an
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pick and Shovel Poet
This moving biography recounts the life of Italian immigrant poet Pascal D'Angelo. The author includes some of D'Angelo's poems as well as archival photos of immigrant life, an extensive bibliography and an index.
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Anne Frank, A
This picture book retells the familiar story made famous by the The Diary of Anne Frank of a young Jewish girl who goes into hiding with her family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Although the book includes a few quotati
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Queen of the Falls
An engaging story about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - a 63 year old school teacher. Van Allsburg combines sepia toned illustrations with a smooth and flowing text while using tension to hold the reader's interest.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Ray Charles
In a beautiful reprint of a 1973 book, the author tells the story of the legendary blind musician Ray Charles. An Afterword updates the earlier version.
Author: Mathis, Sharon |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Razia's Ray of Hope
This is a fictional story about the a young girl in Afghanistan who wants to attend school and the building of the first school for girls in that country.Tolerance and determination are key themes.
Author: Suneby, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Remember
Spare text and very moving photographs recount times surrounding Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation from the perspective of children.
Author: Morrison, Toni |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange
This biography of photographer Dorthea Lange contains many of her photographs. Lange photographed and helped raise awareness of the poor conditions of the migrant workers during the Depression.
Author: Partridge, Ellizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Richard Wright and the Library Card
This is a 'slice of life' biography about the author Richard Wright set in his late adolescence/ young adulthood. Events deal with discrimination, Richard's discovery of literature, and how he decided to become an author.
Author: Miller, William |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Roses in My Carpet, The
This story of a young refugee boy from Afghanistan was inspired by a real child. The boy lives in a refugee camp and weaves rugs.
Author: Khan, Rukhsana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Royal Bee, The
A poor boy from Korea desperately wants an education. He listens outside the school door for awhile and is eventually allowed to attend school to prepare for The Royal Bee, a national test of students' knowledge.
Author: Park, Frances, & Park, Ginger |
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois
This biography of Louise Bourgeois traces the influences of her childhood in France and her independent development as a woman artist later in the U.S. The book includes beautiful reproductions of her work and numerous back pages for further exploration.
Author: Greenberg & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | social studies
|
Ruth Law Thrills a Nation
The author recounts in easy text and wondrful watercolor illustrations the 1919 flight of Ruth Law from Chicago to New York.
Author: Don Brown |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Same Stuff as Stars, The
Angel and her little brother Bernie are dropped off at their great-grandma's house. Dad is in jail, and mom is an alcoholic and selfishly unable to be a mother. Together, the new family learns to live together in the crumbling Vermont farmhouse.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
|
Sarney
A sequel to Nightjohn, the book follows the life of Sarny, the slave girl that Nightjohn taught to read, as she travels to New Orleans in the aftermath of the Civil War to find her children who had been sold into slavery.
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
shadow spinner
1
Author: fletcher, susan |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
On an expedition to cross Antarctica, Ernest Shackleton and his crew lost their ship in the ice flow. Shackleton and five others left in small boats to get help. This is a higher reading level version of Spirit of Endurance by the same author.
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story
The book is set on a Virginia plantation in 1862. Eleven-year-old Summer and her older brother Rosco live with their mother on the Parnell Plantation as talk of President Lincoln's coming proclamation to free slaves reaches the community. Each of the mai
Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sky Pioneer
This biography of American aviatrix Amelia Earhart traces her interest in aviation from childhood to her disappearance on a round-the-world flight in 1937. Photographs, journal entries, maps, a chronology, an afterword, a bibliography, and an index sugge
Author: Szabo, Corinne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Snowflake Bentley
This is a biography of Wilson Bentley, a scientist who photographed thousands of snowflakes in order to study their formations. Additional information is presented in sidebars throughout the book.
Author: Martin, Jacqueline Briggs |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
Author: McClafferty, Carla |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of ZN Hurston
Part of the Great Achievers series, this book chronicles the life and writings of Zora Neale Hurston, the important African-American writer of the first-half of this century. The book is 121 pages and contains lots of photographs. The author has woven c
Author: Lyons, Mary E. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Spirit of Endurance
The book employs maps, archival photographs, blueprints, and paintings to tell the exciting story of Ernest Shackleton's rescue of his men on his expedition in Antarctica when their boat, The Endurance, was destroyed in an ice floe. The author includes a
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Starting Home
The full title of this book is Starting Home: The Story of Horace Pippin, Painter. Lyons tells the story of Pippin, an African-American painter, with a style that makes compelling reading. The book chronicles the effect of history and the impac
Author: Lyons, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Stone Lamp, The
This book of poems and accounts gives a personal and historical perspective of the meaning of lighting the Menorah lamps representing the eight nights of Hanukkah. The author tells in prose and poetry of real events from 1190 to 1995. Brian Pinkney's vi
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Strongest Man in the World, The: Louis Cyr
The text of this book goes far beyond just being the biography of a famous 20th century strong man, Louis Cyr. It is a description of early health mores and an evolution of the circus concept. Additionally, we learn a little about the other famous circus
Author: Debon, Nicolas |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sweethearts of Rhythm: The story of the greatest all-girl swing band in the world
The 16-member, all-woman, racially diverse swing band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm from the war years of the 1940's are brought to life by the idiomatic speech and rhythms of Nelson's poetry and by Pinkney's vibrant illlustrations. The individ
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
This account of Olympics and Olympians through the years is stunningly illustrated with photographs that capture the action and emotion of the events. An appendix of rich detail includes a map and statistics.
Author: Macy, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
After years of lobbying, Sarah Hale, an editor and writer, won the battle to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Back matter includes historical and biographical information. Adults may find the tone of voice and some illustrations childish a
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
There Comes a Time
This book, winner of the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, chronicles the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. The book begins with slave trading and ends with the "Black Power" movement of the late 1960's. A timeline, bibliography, and index are included.
Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
They Called Her Molly Pitcher
This is an historical/legendary account of Molly "Pitcher" Hays McCauly, who followed her husband to fight in the Revolutionary War and was made a sergeant by General Washington for her courage and bravery. A biography and timeline accompany the colorful
Author: Rockwell, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt
The book depicts T. Roosevelt's life from youth to death. It explains his marriages, children, passions and accomplishments as a politician and conservationist. Full color illustrations and direct quotes help bring the story of Teddy Roosevelt to life.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
To Fly
In short 2-3 page chapers with delightful watercolor illustrations, the narrative traces the Wright bothers' step-by-step evolution as aviation engineers. The author provides a timeline, a bibliography, notes, and an index.
Author: Old, Wendie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Toussaint L'Ouverture
The author wrote the biography of Haiti's hero, Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the fight for liberation from France and Spain, to accompany Jacob Lawrence's paintings.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trapped:How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
An in-depth recounting of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine in 2010 that entombed 33 miners for 69 days, their heroic struggle to survive and the efforts of those who saved them. The book is riveting in detail and even inspirational. Book contains ex
Author: Aronson, Marc |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | science
|
Trial By Ice
Illustrated by archival photographs, this biography recounts the life and expeditions of Ernest Shackleton in his attempts to reach the South Pole (he never did). He is nonetheless revered for his leadership, optimism, and courage. Teachers will find th
Author: Kostyal, K. M. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trouble Don't Last
This is the story of 11-year-old Samuel and "cranky old Harrison," who leave the Kentucky farm where they are slaves and head north to freedom, encountering non-stereotypical members of trhe Underground Railroad. The author is the historian at Hale Farm a
Author: Pearsall, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Twelve Rounds to Glory
This biographical tribute told in rap-inspired verse captures the life of the "Louisville Loudmouth" who was in so many respects the "Greatest of all Time." This amazing account of Muhammed Ali's life is told in twelve chapters, like a 12 round boxing mat
Author: Smith, Charles |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | language arts - reading
|
Uncommon Traveler
Mary Kingsley, who grew up in Victorian England, isolated, without formal education but with her Father's library, made trips to explore West Africa, where she accomplished many firsts and survived many adventures. The beautiful watercolor illustrations,
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys
This is a recounting of a true family story about Virgie, who wants to go to school with her big brothers, despite her young age, the fact that girls were thought not to need an education, and the distance she must travel (7 miles).
Author: Howard, Elizabeth |
|
Voice from the Wilderness, A
Four-year-old Anna Howard Shaw arrived in the U.S in 1851, lived as a pioneer in Michigan, became a teacher, a minister, a doctor, and worked for women's right to vote before her death in 1919.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wake Up Our Souls
Well-written biographies and stunning reproductions of the work of approximately 30 African American artists introduce us to painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists born between 1830 and the present. The design makes the book beautiful and the e
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa
The true story of how Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan educated in the USA, started a movement to replant trees in Kenya, one seedling at a time. Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize for replenishing of the forests in her country.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Washington at Valley Forge
In Freedman's inimitable style, he captures the grit and triumphs over the lack of provisions for General Washington's winter encampment at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Excellent and unfamiliar paintings of Washington accompany the text. Th
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin's biography not only emphasizes his well-known role as advisor and organizer to leadership in the Civil Rights Movement but expands our view with his activities as speaker, singer, actor, artist, and non-violent activist. This biography pro
Author: Brimner, Larry Dane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball
This book is about the beginnings and history of Negro League Baseball. The accomplishments of many of the better players are described. Paintings of the players are included. There is a bibliography and filmography at the end of the book.
Author: Nelson, Kadir |
HSE Descriptors:
| social studies
|
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
Author: Levinson, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
When Harriet Met Sojourner
The author imagines the meeting of two brave activists for the freeing of slaves --Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman when they were in Boston in 1864. The story is told with the aid of very powerful artwork.
Author: Clinton, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
When Marian Sang
This book is an introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, depicting her music, her inspiration, and her struggles as a singer against segregation .
Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders
This book features 17 figures who fought against injustice and oppression all over the world. Against overwhelming odds and heartbreaking loss, they stood, they hoped, they spoke! These well and lesser known leaders are portrayed in poetry as heroes who h
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Women of Hope
The author wrote essays on thirteen African American women to accompany photographs of the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. The essays feature inspiring women who exhibited courage in overcoming barriers of race and gender in fighting for rights we all
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Yellowstone Moran:Painting the American West
A true story of how Tom Moran traded his city environs for a chance to join a scientific expedition to Yellowstone and record the wonders in his paintings. The author researched letters and journals of the famous Hayden expedition into Yellowstone Nationa
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Zlata's Diary
Eleven-year old Zlata keeps a diary during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992-93. The first part of the diary has insights about a child living her life in war torn Sarajevo, the second part becomes tedious and repetitive.
Author: Filipovic, Zlata |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > divorce
Lost Lake, The
A boy and his dad go out trekking, looking for a private lake, and in the process they grow closer.
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
The author reminisces indirectly by depicting and describing outfits she wore at times of loss in her life. This clever book has a limited audience: urban (especially New York), women, and people interested in fashion design.
Unbreakable Code, The
A young Navajo boy, who must leave his Southwest home, draws courage from his grandfather's story about being a "Code Talker" during WWII.
Author: Hunter, Sara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > fear
A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
Author: Neufeld, Josh |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
Author: Neufeld, Josh |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anno's Medieval World
In Anno's beautifully illustrated medieval world, superstitions rather than science explain natural phenomena, especially the shape and movement of the earth. Anno uses medieval styled illustrations to share these beliefs of the Middle Ages up to the Age
Author: Anno, Mitsumasa |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Armageddon Summer
Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Bee & Jacky
A brother and sister suffer the effects of their father's Vietnam trauma and their mother's ineffectualness by resuming a physical relationship. This moving, psychologically honest book is difficult to read because the real or imagined incest is portraye
Bird House, The
This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
Cats in Krasinski Square, The
With a simple text and marvelous watercolors, Hesse tells a true story of the bravery of the Jewish Resistance who helped the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. End matter provides more historical background.
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Cycle of the Werewolf
Short mystery/horror story depicting the sequence of events as a werewolf terrorizes a small town in Maine over the course of a year. A ten year old parapalegic uncovers the mystery and slays the beast with the help of his fun loving uncle. Short chapte
Author: King, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Grab Hands and Run
Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hidden Child
A survivor of the Holocaust describes with illustrations and text his hiding in France during World War II and his search for his family and friends after the war.
Author: Millman, Isaac |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hitler Youth
By following a dozen German youth, the author examines the attraction and occasionally the resistance of the role of the Hitler youth movement in Nazi Germany. The author includes additional material for further exploration.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
Home of the Brave
In a dream-like story and illustrations, Allen Say captures the infamy, dislocation, and loss experienced by Japanese Americans in the internment camps during World War II.
Author: Say, Allen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Remember Korea
This collection of poignant and gripping memories of Korean War veterans includes archival photographs, a timeline, and Internet sites.
Author: Granfield, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
In the Shadow of No Towers
Part personal reaction to 9/11 and part history of newspaper comics, this book is a bit like a graphic novel. It is raw in tone and difficult to follow at spots.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The
This book is a wonderfully retold version of the classic story by Washington Irving. The illustrations contribute to the mysterious mood.
Author: Irving, Washington |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
In this single poem, Angelou celebrates courage to face internal and external fears, the courage that grows out of a belief in ourselves. The contemporary art is bold and child-like but may have the power to scare children. The text is repetitive and ea
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
The author reminisces indirectly by depicting and describing outfits she wore at times of loss in her life. This clever book has a limited audience: urban (especially New York), women, and people interested in fashion design.
Memories of Survival
A mother and daughter create a narrative in stitchery and text of the mother's life in Poland during the Nazi occupation.This collection of memories of the holocaust provides a first hand account of danger, despair and hope. The detailed tapestries provid
Author: Krinitz, Esther Nisenthal & Steinhardt, Bernice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memory Coat, The
In order to flee persecution as Jews in Russia, Rachel and her cousin Griska emigrate with their extended family to America where they encounter difficulty at Ellis Island. The author provides additional information on immigration from Russia in the endm
Author: Woodruff, Elvira |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moby-Dick
Melville's classic tale of Ahab's obsessive hunt for the great white whale Moby Dick is retold in a format that includes excerpts from the original, summarized passages (each in a different type face), a very helpful glossary, a labeled cross-section of t
Author: Melville, Herman/Needle, Jan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War
A touching recounting of a Jewish child's survival in Nazi Poland. Hidden with her Catholic nanny, Anita and her younger brother are hidden for years but are eventually caught and imprisoned. After freedom, they are both sent to a sanatorium for tubercul
Author: Lobel, Anita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Picture Book of Anne Frank, A
This picture book retells the familiar story made famous by the The Diary of Anne Frank of a young Jewish girl who goes into hiding with her family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Although the book includes a few quotati
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Rescued Images
The author contributes a moving and strikingly illustrated memoir of her experience of being a "hidden child" in Holland during World War II and its far-reaching effect.
Author: Jacobsen, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Selvakumar Knew Better
Based on a true story, the book tells of a dog named Selvakumar who saved a South Indian boy from drowning during the tsunami of 2004.
Author: Kroll, Virginia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
September 11, 2001
A New York Times journalist has chosen to tell the chronology of September 11, 2001, through personal stories. Photographs, maps and diagrams, and a bibliography provide additional resources.
Author: Hampton, Wilborn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sigmund Freud
This biography introduces the history of the study of the physical and emotional aspects of the mind as well as the colorful life of Sigmund Freud. Additional resources include an appendix, a bibliography, web sites, and an index.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Speak
This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
Trapped:How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
An in-depth recounting of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine in 2010 that entombed 33 miners for 69 days, their heroic struggle to survive and the efforts of those who saved them. The book is riveting in detail and even inspirational. Book contains ex
Author: Aronson, Marc |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | science
|
Unexplained
The author explores several categories of unexplained phenomena from Stonehenge to Roswell, N. M. UFO sightings, suggesting origins of superstitions and possible explanations. Sidebar information, photographs, and paintings illustrate the text and back m
Author: Allen, Judy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
War and the Pity of War
This large collection of powerful poems and very moving illustrations on war ranges over time and place and level of difficulty. The editor includes an index of writers, and index of poems, and an introduction thate gives his reasons for selecting partic
Author: Philip, Neil |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Wolf of Gubbio, The
A legend tells the story of a wolf who terriorizes a community until the boy who became St.Francis of Assisi, negotates an agreement.
Zlata's Diary
Eleven-year old Zlata keeps a diary during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992-93. The first part of the diary has insights about a child living her life in war torn Sarajevo, the second part becomes tedious and repetitive.
Author: Filipovic, Zlata |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > giving/generosity
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Christmas Gift, The
This beautifully illustrated bilingual story tells of the Christmas of a migrant family in California, which first appeared as a chapter in The Circuit. His family has to move again a few days before Christmas in order to find work, and Panchito
Author: Jimenez, Francisco |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Confucius
The author has demythologized the figure of Confucius, depicting him as a very human, vulnerable and wise man. In a postscript, the author explains the origin and process of the book, providing resources and an index of Confucian sayings. The illustrati
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dear Mr. Rosenwald
This is a fictionalized story of one community's efforts to build a school based on the historical Rosenwald schools. These schools in the American South were financed by Julius Rosenwald of Sears Roebuck and required collaboration of black and white com
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gold Coin, The
A thief follows an old woman and learns a lesson about giving.
Great Stone Face, The
The author retells a famous Hawthorne story about how a New England village interprets a mountain's "face" over the years as fulfilling the prophecy of revealing the noblest person of the time.
Author: Schmidt, Gary/Hawthorne Nathaniel |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Heroes and She-roes
Twenty-one poems celebrate and chronicle the actions of real-life persons (and one dog) who have performed heroic acts in service to others.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
|
Heroes and She-roes
Twenty-one poems celebrate and chronicle the actions of real-life persons (and one dog) who have performed heroic acts in service to others.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
|
Importance of Oskar Schindler, The
This biography of Oskar Schindler focuses on his heroic actions to save Jews from persecution and death. A great deal of general information about WW II in Europe is also provided. (Note: This is a violent book because of the subject matter.)
Author: Roberts, Jack L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Josepha
A boy narrates the story of his friend and protector, the immigrant young man Josepha, who had to leave school to work.
Author: McGugan, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Kamishibai Man
The award-winning author/illustrator introduces the reader to the street storytelling tradition of the "paper-theater man" from his Japanese childhood.
Let the Celebrations Begin!
During WW II, in the concentration camps, women hoarded buttons and odds and ends in order to make the children dolls and presents for the day they would be released. Although the art has been criticized for being too whimsical for its grim subject matte
Author: Wild, Margaret |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Library, The
A delightfully illustrated story in verse about a shy, avid reader who gave her books to form a town library.
Mei Ling in China City
Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
Author: Smith, Icy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mei Ling in China City
Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
Author: Smith, Icy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot
During the occupation of Germany after WW II, a young girl writes a letter to an American airlift pilot who drops chocolates to children. The author includes a biography of Col. Halvorsen, "the chocolate pilot" of the title.
Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season, A
Twelve modern-day stories focus on the "true meaning" of Christmas. Each addresses the tenacity of the human spirit; all are engaging stories.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Mud City
Shauzia, with her dog, has fled Afghanistan and survives on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, and in a refugee camp. This is the second part of a trilogy.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Great Aunt Arizona
Based on the author's great aunt, Arizona was born in a log cabin. All her life she dreamed of visiting far-away places. She became a teacher and never left the area, but taught several generations of children to share her dreams.
Author: Houston, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One City, Two Brothers
Wonderfully illustrated retelling of the Jewish and Arabic folktale about the founding of Jerusalem. The tale is story of King Solomon and his attempt to mediate a dispute between two brothers squabbling over an inheritance. Simple, but powerful themes d
Author: Smith, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River of Words, A: The Story of William Carlos Williams
This relatively easy-reading biography of the American poet and doctor, William Carlos Williams, includes lovely collage illustrations of a few short simple poems, a timeline, and helpful notes from the author and illustrator.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > gratitude
Picnic in October, A
At the insistence of the immigrant grandparents, a family celebrates coming to America and the October birthday of the Statue of Liberty.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
Way to Start the Day, The
This is a hard book to categorize. The simple text is written like blank verse. The content is basically true. The text focuses on how people around the world celebrate or acknowledge the sunrise.
Author: Baylor, Bryd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Widow's Broom, The
A widow helps a witch recover from a fall, and in gratitude the witch leaves behind her broom to help the woman do her work. Suspicious neighbors try to burn the broom, but in the end the broom settles in with the woman.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > grief
At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir
What happens "at the end of words"? The author faced this difficult question as a teenager. Through alternating narration and poetry, she shares her anger, sorrow, confusion, and healing after her mother's death from breast cancer.
Baby
A family finds a baby on its doorstep with a note asking them to care for the baby indefinitely. They begin to love the baby, even though they know they will have to say goodbye, and through the process of becoming attached to the child they are able to
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts
"Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews of people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines... death and burial across cultures and societies" (dust jacket). Appendices include a chron
Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ghost Train
Choon-yi is a painter. Her father leaves China for North America to find work. He asks her to join him, but when she arrives, she discovers that he has been killed on the job. As Choon-yi tries to paint the train, a ghostly presence beckons her.
Hitler Youth
By following a dozen German youth, the author examines the attraction and occasionally the resistance of the role of the Hitler youth movement in Nazi Germany. The author includes additional material for further exploration.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
In the Shadow of No Towers
Part personal reaction to 9/11 and part history of newspaper comics, this book is a bit like a graphic novel. It is raw in tone and difficult to follow at spots.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Islander, The
An orphaned boy, who grows up with his grandfather on an island off the coast of British Columbia, finds a key-literally--that helps him overcome his loneliness and loss.
Letting Swift River Go
This book tells the story of a community's act of selling up the houses and land to the government so that a water reservoir can be built. It is told from the view point of a woman who felt as though she lost her childhood because all her landmarks had
Love You, Soldier
This touching story about the effects of WW II on one family is told through the eyes of seven-year-old Katie. (NOTE: This is a short chapter book that will be very easy for students to read.)
Author: Hest, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
The author reminisces indirectly by depicting and describing outfits she wore at times of loss in her life. This clever book has a limited audience: urban (especially New York), women, and people interested in fashion design.
Missing May
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.
Out of the Dust
Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Peace, Locomotion
This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing
|
Peace, Locomotion
This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing
|
Sarah's Key
The story of the roundup of the Jews in France during WWII. A heart-wrenching look at the infamous collaboration of French officials with the Nazis It is told through two people: a 10-year-old Jewish girl and an American journalist 60 years later.
Author: de Rosnay, Tatiana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
September 11, 2001
A New York Times journalist has chosen to tell the chronology of September 11, 2001, through personal stories. Photographs, maps and diagrams, and a bibliography provide additional resources.
Author: Hampton, Wilborn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
That Summer
A boy looks back on the summer that his brother became ill and died.
Through the Mickle Woods
The king is grieving for his dead wife, but with the help of a wise bear and a young boy learns the three lessons about living and loving.
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Very Best of Friends, The
When a farmer dies, his wife deals with her grief by ignoring (hating) his favorite cat, until she finally realizes that they could find companionship with each other.
Wall, The
In this emotionally charged book told from the point of view of the child, a boy and his dad look for the grandfather's name on the Vietnam Memorial.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > group
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > honesty
Day's Work, A
When a Mexican-American boy tries to help his Spanish-speaking grandfather find a day's work, he lies about what the man is qualified to do. After a full day, the lie is exposed, and the grandfather teaches the boy a lesson about honesty.
Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extrordinary Life
A loosely organized series of chapters/essays about the rise of photography in Lincoln's lifetime and how it shaped the way we view his Presidency. Many photographs from the period are included.
Author: Sandler, Martin |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
River of Words, A: The Story of William Carlos Williams
This relatively easy-reading biography of the American poet and doctor, William Carlos Williams, includes lovely collage illustrations of a few short simple poems, a timeline, and helpful notes from the author and illustrator.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > humor
Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extrordinary Life
A loosely organized series of chapters/essays about the rise of photography in Lincoln's lifetime and how it shaped the way we view his Presidency. Many photographs from the period are included.
Author: Sandler, Martin |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Science Verse
Repeating the success of Math Curse, the author and illustrator describe the "poetry of science" through parodies of famous poems. A CD is included.
Author: Scieszka, John |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Swan Song
The poet and artist collaborated to create poetic, humorous post-mortems for extinct creatures. A timeline crawls across the bottom margin and back matter provides more information about the creatures and their habitats.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Twelfth Night
This is a narrative retelling of Shakespeare's play. Many of the famous lines are embedded in the narrative.
Author: Shakespeare, William (retold B. Coville) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > imagination
Action Jackson
Watercolors and text invite the reader to accompany Jackson Pollock as he creates his famous 1950 action painting, "Lavender Mist." A biography and bibliography expand information about the artist.
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
All I See
Shy Charlie admires the painter Gregory's work from afar. The child and adult become friends, and Gregory teaches Charlie about painting, senses, imagination, and friendship.
American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain
This biography of Sam Clemens focuses primarily on his childhood. Readers will see many parallels between young Sam's adventures and those of his famous characters Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Artist in Overalls
Born into a poor farming family in Iowa, Grant Wood struggled to study art and earn a living. He chose to paint simple people and scenes with a classical feel, a style that became known as Regionalism.
Author: Duggleby, John |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Ben Franklin's Almanac
The "scrapbook" format of this biography, explores Ben Franklin's life thematically rather than chronologically, allowing the reader to grasp what a multi-talented person he was. The author includes extensive back matter for further research.
Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Berenice Abbott, Photographer
The biography's subtitle "An Independent Vision" suggests the creativity, innovation, perservance that Berenice Abbot exhibited as she pursued the newly emerging field of photography and associated with the leading photographers of the 1920's and 1930's.
Author: Sullivan, George |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Big Talk
Three poems are presented graphically with four color-coded bars to represent four voices for choral reading. The rhythms of the poems progress from easy to more difficult. The author provides a section on "How to read this book" and "Helpful hints."
Boy Named Giotto, A
This exquisitely illustrated biography portrays the early years of the Renaissance painter, Giotto, who lived in Italy from 1267-1337.
Author: Guarnieri, Paolo |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Bud, Not Buddy
It's 1936, Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud (not Buddy) has run away from foster care to search for his father. (Newbery winner)
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Butterfly, The
During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique discovers that her mother is a member of the Resistance, and that a secret trap door conceals a Jewish family in hiding. Monique and the secret "guest" become nighttime playmates until terror threatens.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Charlie Chaplin
This interesting biography of Charlie Chaplin discusses his life and work from his impoverished boyhood in London through his Hollywood film career to exile in Europe, ending with knighthood in England. The author expands the use of the book with a bibli
Author: Turk, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Chuck Close Up Close
This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Cool Moonlight, A
Lila, who has an allergy to sunlight, lives with her disability helped by her family and friends, real and imaginary. The author uses lyrical language deftly to tell the story with great sensitivity and lightness.
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Diego Bigger Than Life
These short poems tell about the life of the artist Diego Rivera, his various loves, his life as an artist, and his unusual and intense life. It ends with a one paragraph comment by his last wife, Frida Kahlo. Back matter includes a wealth of information
Author: Bernier-Grand |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Don Quixote and the Windmills
This retelling of the famous Spanish novel by Cervantes recounts Don Quixote's first adventure as a knight. An Author's Note contributes historical information about Cervantes.
Author: Kimmel, Eric |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Edna St. Vincent Millay
This beautifully illustrated collection of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay includes an introductory biography and an index of the poems.
Author: Schoonmaker, Frances (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow
Illustrated with beautifully reproduced paintings in chronological order, this biography of the American artist Edward Hopper recounts his long, productive life, his marriage to artist Josephine Nivison, and his friendships with fellow artists Guy Pene du
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
First Impressions: Andrew Wyeth
This biography of Andrew Wyeth is the result of a friendship between the artist and the author. The book focuses on Wyeth's early years, his relationship with his father, and his development as an artist. One reader felt that the vocabulary might be diff
Author: Meryman, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Genius of Leonardo, The
Giacomo, a servant of Leonardo da Vinci, recounts the later life of the famous Italian Renaissance painter and inventor. The magnificent illustrations capture sketches, works of art, and daily life and the text includes quotation in italics from the note
Author: Visconti, Guido |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Georgia's Bones
A biography of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe's early years "celebrates her fascination with natural shapes and 'common objects'" with rich text and color-saturated illustrations. The text explores themes including creativity, diversity (in ways of being in
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
This 'slice of life' biography describes the weeks surrounding Gershwin's composing and premiering Rhapsody in Blue. A CD of the music is included. The illustrations, which look very Noel Coward, capture the 20's look.
Grandmothers
In the introduction, the editor, after describing her own strong grandmother, says that grandmothers help us make the transition from childhood to adulthood and "civilize" us. The essays, poems and short stories that follow introduce us to a wide cultura
Author: Giovanni, Nikki (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Heart to Heart
Contemporary poets create poems in response to works of modern American art. The reproductions are very good. An introduction, index, and biographical notes of poets and artists extend the scope of the book. The poems are uneven in quality.
Author: Greenberg, Jan (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Home Place
While on a hike, a family discovers the site of a ruined house. They find a few abandoned objects and, through terse and poetic words, imagine the family who once lived there. Through superior illustrations Pinkney evokes a world that is part dream and
Author: Dragonwagon, Cresent |
|
I Dream of Trains
This is the story of an African-American boy who lives in the South before the Great Migration, who loves trains, and who stands in awe of Casey Jones.
Author: Johnson, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In Memory's Kitchen
While prisoners in Teresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp, Jewish women created a book of recipes of foods remembered. The introduction relates the fascinating history of this unique cookbook.
Author: De Silva, Cara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Leonardo daVinci
This fascinating biography of Leonardo daVinci emphasizes his scientific curiosity and observation of the natural world that he recorded in his illustrated notebooks. The author has included very helpful resources: location of the notebooks today; books
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Library for Juana, A
This beautifully illustrated imaginative biography (little is known) focuses on the early life of Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, who became the first and one of the greatest Mexican poets known as Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The author includes a glossary, furt
Author: Mora, Pat |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lost: A Story in String
Using string figures, a grandmother tells a story of the uses of imagination and resourcefulness. Beautiful black-and-white clayboard and ink illustrations and clear diagrams and resources encourage readers to try the string figures.
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Michelangelo
Diane Stanley has added to her work another stunningly visual biography filled with details of the painter, sculptor, and poet Michelangelo Buonarroti. The beautiful illustrations refer to famous works and people of the times. The book includes a useful
Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Momma, Where Are You From?
When a young girl asks her mother where she comes from, she receives a loving description of her hard-working childhood in the segregated South told in rich, rhythmic language with lush illustrations.
Author: Bradby, Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Brothers' Flying Machine
This biography of Wilber and Orville Wright is told by their younger sister.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
My Great Aunt Arizona
Based on the author's great aunt, Arizona was born in a log cabin. All her life she dreamed of visiting far-away places. She became a teacher and never left the area, but taught several generations of children to share her dreams.
Author: Houston, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Name is Georgia
This simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe describes how she was true to her life-long goal of being an artist and how she gained inspiration for her paintings from the natural world around her.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
My Own True Name
This partially bilingual collection of uniformly thoughtful and accessible poems includes many verse forms.
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, The
Margaret Rose Kane, 12 years old, escapes oppressive summer camp with the help of her great-uncles and then helps them rescue from urban renewal the sculptural "towers" that they have been creating for 45 years.
Author: Konigsburg, E. L. |
|
Painting the Wind
This "is a beautiful story about holding on to perfect moments that only a summer in a place that you love can offer" (dust jacket).
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia & MacLachlan, Emily |
|
Picasso and the Girl With a Ponytail
The cubist artist Picasso met his model Sylvette when he was in his 70's. The book chronicles how they met and how she gained confidence to become an artist herself. The author includes a biography of Picasso and photographs of his paintings and sculptu
Author: Anholt, Laurence |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Picture Book of Anne Frank, A
This picture book retells the familiar story made famous by the The Diary of Anne Frank of a young Jewish girl who goes into hiding with her family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Although the book includes a few quotati
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Poet Slave of Cuba, The: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
This true story of 19th Century Cuban poet Juan Francisco Manzano, who was born a slave, is told in free verse from various points of view--the boy, his mother, his father, and his owners.
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, The
The story of Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget's Thesaurus complete with his biography, time line of current events and wonderful illustrations. Both Robert F Sibert medal and Caldecott Honor Book.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing | science
|
River of Words, A: The Story of William Carlos Williams
This relatively easy-reading biography of the American poet and doctor, William Carlos Williams, includes lovely collage illustrations of a few short simple poems, a timeline, and helpful notes from the author and illustrator.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Romare Bearden
This biography of the multi-talented artist Romare Bearden is vibrantly illustrated with reproductions of his work. An author's note, a timeline, a bibliography, a glossary, and a list of the locations of art works make the book as useful in the classroo
Author: Greenberg, Jan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois
This biography of Louise Bourgeois traces the influences of her childhood in France and her independent development as a woman artist later in the U.S. The book includes beautiful reproductions of her work and numerous back pages for further exploration.
Author: Greenberg & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | social studies
|
Second Mrs. Gioconda
In this fictionalized story of real people, Salai, servant of Leonardo da Vinci, tells how the painting of Mrs. Gioconda known as the Mona Lisa came to be painted.
Author: Konigsburg, E. L. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Seek
For a senior class autobiography assignment, Robbie creates "a sound portrait" in a radio script format, which includes his extended family and his search for his long-absent father. One reviewer thought that the text is too disjointed and confusing for
Steam, Steel, and Stars
In 1955, the photographer O.W. Link captured the last steam railroad on its last runs in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.
Author: Link, O. W. and Hensley, F. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence
This biography of the African American painter Jacob Lawrence, known for his series Migration and Toussaint L'Ouverture, is illustrated by the painter's works.
Author: Duggleby, John |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tin Forest, The
An old man living in a wasteland of scrap metal dreams of a green forest full of birds and animals. This charming, beautifully illustrated modern legend extolls the benefits of dreaming and ideas in accomplishing change.
To Fly
In short 2-3 page chapers with delightful watercolor illustrations, the narrative traces the Wright bothers' step-by-step evolution as aviation engineers. The author provides a timeline, a bibliography, notes, and an index.
Author: Old, Wendie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
To Go Singing Through the World
The childhood of one of Chile's most famous poets is told through a juxtaposition of the author's narrative and Neruda's own words. This beautifully illustrated biography includes excerpts of poems, maps, a time line, and a concise full-life biography.
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Unlikely Pairs
Contrasting works of art are juxtaposed on facing pages to stimulate thought and discussion. The author includes brief biographies of the artists.
Author: Raczka, Bob |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Voice of Her Own, A
This biography of Phillis Wheatley, a American Revolution era slave who became the first Black woman poet, includes excerpts of her poetry, an epilogue, and notes by the author and illustrator.
Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wonderful Towers of Watts, The
Throughout his life, Old Sam collects bits and pieces of glass, tiles, and discarded objects that he uses to build structures in his backyard in Watts.
Words with Wings
This riveting collection of paintings, prints, and sculpture by African-American artists enrich poems by outstanding African-American poets. The book includes a beautifully written introduction about the role of art and poetry and brief biographies of th
Author: Rochelle, Belinda ed. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Yellow House, The
During a brief few months of their productive artistic years, the painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in Arles, in southern France. The book is illustrated with their works of art and the illustrator's researched depiction of
Author: Rubin, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > independence
Action Jackson
Watercolors and text invite the reader to accompany Jackson Pollock as he creates his famous 1950 action painting, "Lavender Mist." A biography and bibliography expand information about the artist.
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Berenice Abbott, Photographer
The biography's subtitle "An Independent Vision" suggests the creativity, innovation, perservance that Berenice Abbot exhibited as she pursued the newly emerging field of photography and associated with the leading photographers of the 1920's and 1930's.
Author: Sullivan, George |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Days of Jubilee
Subtitled "The End of Slavery in the United States," this book chronicles the U.S. Civil War with particular attention to the different times and circumstances in which slaves were freed. The text is sprinkled with excerpts from slave narratives, letters,
Author: McKissack, Patricia, & McKissack, Frederick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Ellen Foster
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
First Part Last, The
[revised from dust jacket] Bobby is a classic urban teenaged boy-- impulsive, eager, restless. On his 16th birthday, he learns that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Their lives change dramatically, both during the pregnancy and after baby Feather is born.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Me, All Alone, at the End of the World
A boy enjoys living quietly by himself at the End of the World until Constantine Shimmer arrives and begins to "improve" the area with an inn and amusement park, demanding that tourists come and have "fun without end.
Author: Anderson, M.T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Ray Charles
In a beautiful reprint of a 1973 book, the author tells the story of the legendary blind musician Ray Charles. An Afterword updates the earlier version.
Author: Mathis, Sharon |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Rich Man and the Parrot, The
This Persian folktale by 13th century poet Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi tells how a merchant provides his talking parrot with everything the parrot could have but not the one thing that the parrot wanted--his freedom.
Author: Nadimi, Suzan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois
This biography of Louise Bourgeois traces the influences of her childhood in France and her independent development as a woman artist later in the U.S. The book includes beautiful reproductions of her work and numerous back pages for further exploration.
Author: Greenberg & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | social studies
|
Sweethearts of Rhythm: The story of the greatest all-girl swing band in the world
The 16-member, all-woman, racially diverse swing band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm from the war years of the 1940's are brought to life by the idiomatic speech and rhythms of Nelson's poetry and by Pinkney's vibrant illlustrations. The individ
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Woman for President, A: The Story of Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Woodhull, a little-know women's rights activist, overcame many obstacles to become a financial adviser, a newspaper publisher, and an Equal Rights Party candidate for President--in 1872. Check out the end papers and the web site for the Woodhull
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > individual Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > individual > outsider
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
This is an informative account of a child left behind when his American soldier father left Vietnam and his mother died. It traces his journey to America, his adopted family and his eventual return to his homeland to help orphans.
Author: Warren, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Hoot
This charming and funny young adult mystery by the well-known adult mystery writer, Carl Hiassen, involves corporate greed, suburban expansion, environmental protection, child abuse and neglect, bullying, and social protest.
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Isaac Newton
This is a biography of Isaac Newton. It is interesting and full of personal anecdotes as well as clear descriptions of important scientific discoveries. It makes Newton "come alive" as a person.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
math | science
|
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
Memories of Sun
This is a collection of modern day short stories and poems about Africa. It has three divisions: 1) Africa 2) Americans in Africa 3) Africans in America. Although most of the 12 stories are engaging, teachers will want to read beforehand since some may
Author: Kurtz, Jane (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Persepolis 2
This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois
This biography of Louise Bourgeois traces the influences of her childhood in France and her independent development as a woman artist later in the U.S. The book includes beautiful reproductions of her work and numerous back pages for further exploration.
Author: Greenberg & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > jealousy
Aida
The opera diva Leontyne Price retells this classic operatic tale made famous by the 19th century composer Giuseppi Verdi. The princess Aida is captured and forced into slavery by Egyptian soldiers, but she and rival army leader Radames fall in love. The
Author: Price, Leontyne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Jim the Boy
In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
Longitude Prize, The
This history documents the competition between "ocean clocks" and "lunars" to win the 20,000 pound prize (about $12 million today) from the British Parliament for a replicable and simple way to determine longitude at sea. The story follows John Harrison,
Author: Dash, Joan |
HSE Descriptors:
math | science
|
Othello, A Novel
The author retells Shakespeare's play Othello as a novel, relocating the setting to late 15th century England and changing the racial identities of Iago and Emilia to African. Boldface type calls attention to passages from Shakespeare. Iago manipulates
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Secret Room, The
A king is impressed with a man's wisdom and appoints him to the court, but his chief counselor becomes jealous.
Sundiata
With roots in the 13th Century history of Mali in West Central Africa, the legend of Sundiata and how he gains the kingship prophesied at his birth is illustrated with exquisite cut paper artwork. Historical facts are included in the endmatter and a beau
Author: Wisniewski, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tale of Paradise Lost, The
An exquisitly illustrated prose retelling of John Milton's famous poem Paradise Lost.
Author: Willard, Nancy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > joy
Angel to Angel
The author-poet celebrates mothers in this collection of poems illustrated by archival photographs of African American families.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Baby
A family finds a baby on its doorstep with a note asking them to care for the baby indefinitely. They begin to love the baby, even though they know they will have to say goodbye, and through the process of becoming attached to the child they are able to
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
God Went to Beauty School
An unusually humorous and poignant collection of poems places God in everyday situations as suggested by the title. Some devout Christians may find this book offensive for the light-hearted portrayal of God; some non-Christians may find it annoying.
Happy Feet
This very easy, lyrical text with gorgeous illustrations tells the story of the opening of the Savoy in Harlem, which is of special interest to the narrator "Happy Feet" because he was born on that night. The book not only educates the reader about the S
Author: Richard Michelson |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart
In simple poetic language, a ballet dancer recalls how she and her mother welcomed the seasons by dancing outdoors and being together.
Author: Gray, Libba Moore |
|
River of Words, A: The Story of William Carlos Williams
This relatively easy-reading biography of the American poet and doctor, William Carlos Williams, includes lovely collage illustrations of a few short simple poems, a timeline, and helpful notes from the author and illustrator.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
What to Do about Alice?
This fun to read story of Alice Roosevelt provides a great introduction to childhood life in the White House.
Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
What to Do about Alice?
This fun to read story of Alice Roosevelt provides a great introduction to childhood life in the White House.
Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
World According to Dog, The
This is a charming collection of the author's poems and short essays about dogs written by teens.
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > kindness
Bird House, The
This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
Butterfly House
A girl and her grandfather care for a larvae through the stages of becoming a butterfly and then set it free. The story is told in rhythmic prose with occasional rhyme. The author includes information on How to Raise a Butterfly.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Christmas Menorahs, The
This picture book recreates the true story of how families and a community decided to stand together to combat bigotry and acts of hatred.
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Cool Moonlight, A
Lila, who has an allergy to sunlight, lives with her disability helped by her family and friends, real and imaginary. The author uses lyrical language deftly to tell the story with great sensitivity and lightness.
Danger Along the Ohio
The Dunn family is traveling down the Ohio River in 1793. The children become separated from their father and must fend for themselves while heading toward Marietta.
Author: Willis, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
December
Simon and his mother celebrate Christmas in the cardboard house they built for themselves. They offer to share the little they have with an old woman. Later, Simon sees a miracle.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Great Stone Face, The
The author retells a famous Hawthorne story about how a New England village interprets a mountain's "face" over the years as fulfilling the prophecy of revealing the noblest person of the time.
Author: Schmidt, Gary/Hawthorne Nathaniel |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hammerin' Hank Grenberg: Baseball Pioneer
The story of Hank Greenberg, first Jewish ballplayer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sommer explores the world of baseball as it became more inclusive and gives details of how Greenberg was an exceptional player.
Author: Sommer, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Home Lovely
Janelle and Tiffany move to a trailer, where Tiffany is alone after school while Janelle works. Tiffany finds some plants, makes a garden, and becomes friends with the mailman. (NOTE: Teachers may want to be aware that the child, clearly elementary-scho
Author: Perkins, Lynne Rae |
|
Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon, The
This book, written almost in a scrapbook format, tells about Michael Collins, who stayed with the spacecraft while fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. The book contains diagrams, charts, and black and white and colored ph
Author: Schyffert, Bea Uusma |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot
During the occupation of Germany after WW II, a young girl writes a letter to an American airlift pilot who drops chocolates to children. The author includes a biography of Col. Halvorsen, "the chocolate pilot" of the title.
Mother Teresa
This is a beautifully illustrated biography of the woman who became Mother Teresa.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story
Morris Kaplan, a Holocaust survivor, owns a flower shop that two children visit each Friday to buy Sabbath flowers. The children are surprised to learn that their friend Morris hasn't celebrated Hanukkah since his childhood. They insist that he join the
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Picnic in October, A
At the insistence of the immigrant grandparents, a family celebrates coming to America and the October birthday of the Statue of Liberty.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Royal Bee, The
A poor boy from Korea desperately wants an education. He listens outside the school door for awhile and is eventually allowed to attend school to prepare for The Royal Bee, a national test of students' knowledge.
Author: Park, Frances, & Park, Ginger |
|
Silent Boy, The
Katy,the young and curious daughter of a small-town doctor living in 1908, learns about life, death, and social distinctions from her family and her friend, Jacob, who is "touched."
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Two Brothers, The
King Solomon observes a miracle that results from the love and concern that two brothers have for each other. This helps him decide on the site for his great temple.
White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Wild Boy, The
The author tells a very sympathetic account of the wild child of Aveyron, France, who was captured and studied in the early 1800's. Dr. Itard and his housekeeper become the family of this boy who never acquired all the traits of a "civilized" person.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Witness
Structured as a play with characters, acts, and text, this story depicts a small Vermont town facing issues of racism and bigotry introduced by the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920's. The courage of two young girls and the adults who support them leads the way t
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > loneliness
Angel for Solomon Singer, An
In this urban story, a transplanted Hoosier lives a lonely life in New York City and looks for warmth and companionship.
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Because of Winn-Dixie
10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Bird House, The
This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
Blues Journey
Father and son team up to celebrate the blues in beautiful illustrations and lyrics. A short essay introduces the reader to the history and structure of blues. A timeline and glossary enable the reader to immerse himself in the form.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-with" (Auschwitz) in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence. Bruno climbs into the camp to spend more time with hi
Author: Boyne, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chance of Sunshine, A
The pictures tell most of the story in this almost-wordless book. Two people chance to meet, become separated, and eventually find their way back together.
Children of Christmas
This collection of short stories celebrates the spirit of giving at Christmas.
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Coming On Home Soon
A kitten comforts a young African American girl as she and her grandmother wait for the mother's return from working in Chicago during World War II.
Author: Woodson, Jaqueline |
|
Dog Lost
An eleven-year old boy and pit bull terrier become best of friends. In an angry rage, the father throws the dog out into the street and the dog is forced to survive. Eventually the boy and his dog are reunited but not before the dog becomes a local hero
Author: Lee, Ingrid |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Eleanor
This biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life conveys the emotionally impoverished childhood amid wealth and power. The book captures the indomitable spirit of the woman who would become the greatest and most beloved First Lady and a leader in her own
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Every Living Thing
Each story in this collection features an animal, and in every case the existence of the animal helps to foster the feelings of love or compassion in the people. The stories touch upon topics such as alcoholism, aging, loneliness, and foster parenting.
Home of the Brave
An African refuge lives with his aunt and cousin in Minneapolis. He has problems adjusting and misses his mother (no one knows where she is). He finds comfort in an older lady and her cow whose name means family in his native language.
Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
I'm in Charge of Celebrations
A desert (Native American?) woman is asked if she is lonely and replies by telling about all the natural wonders she witnesses. The title comes from her idea of marking the calendar for the following year to celebrate whatever she saw. The illustrations
Islander, The
An orphaned boy, who grows up with his grandfather on an island off the coast of British Columbia, finds a key-literally--that helps him overcome his loneliness and loss.
Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone
Well-known children's author Joyce Carol Thomas has collected pieces by 12 writers to commemorate the Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education. The reading level varies significantly from piece to piece.
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
Matilda Bone
Sometime in medieval Europe, a sombre-minded priest leaves a 14-year-old orphaned girl to be a bonesetter's apprentice. She reads and writes Latin but knows very little about the world and the people in it.
Author: Cushman, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season, A
Twelve modern-day stories focus on the "true meaning" of Christmas. Each addresses the tenacity of the human spirit; all are engaging stories.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Mud City
Shauzia, with her dog, has fled Afghanistan and survives on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, and in a refugee camp. This is the second part of a trilogy.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One and Only Ivan, The
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall,he decides that he must find them a better life. Although a work of fiction, this story comes from a true story
Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Pond God and Other Stories, The
This unusual book of one-page pourquoi stories--of how things came to be--follows the tradition of Rudyard Kiplilng's Just So Stories and Aesop's Fables.
Author: Keyser, Samuel J. |
|
Rescued Images
The author contributes a moving and strikingly illustrated memoir of her experience of being a "hidden child" in Holland during World War II and its far-reaching effect.
Author: Jacobsen, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Shin-chi's Canoe
Shin-chi's toy canoe, given to him by his father, sustains him during his first year at an Indian residential school. This story occurs when Native Americans were forced to attend Indian residential schools where they were made to learn the white man's w
Author: Campbell, Nicola I. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
Author: Kent, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Speak
This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
Stitches: A Memoir
An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
Author: Small, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Very Best of Friends, The
When a farmer dies, his wife deals with her grief by ignoring (hating) his favorite cat, until she finally realizes that they could find companionship with each other.
White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Yellow House, The
During a brief few months of their productive artistic years, the painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in Arles, in southern France. The book is illustrated with their works of art and the illustrator's researched depiction of
Author: Rubin, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > loss
9-11 Artists Respond: Volume One
Over 100 graphic artists draw their reactions to the 9-ll attack on the World Trade Center. There are as many styles and points-of-view as artists. Although graphic in nature, some texts would be difficult for beginning readers due to size and type face
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ajeemah and His Son
This very powerful, short chapter book (83 pages) is set first in Africa, then on a slave ship, and then in Jamaica where Ajeemah and his son are taken. It tells the story of a father and son who are captured outside of their village and torn from their
Author: Berry, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Ashfall
Alex, fifteen, was left alone in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the weekend while his father, mother and sister, traveled to Illinois to visit an uncle. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash and violenc
Author: Mullin, Mike |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science | language arts - reading
|
At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir
What happens "at the end of words"? The author faced this difficult question as a teenager. Through alternating narration and poetry, she shares her anger, sorrow, confusion, and healing after her mother's death from breast cancer.
Baby
A family finds a baby on its doorstep with a note asking them to care for the baby indefinitely. They begin to love the baby, even though they know they will have to say goodbye, and through the process of becoming attached to the child they are able to
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Bearing Witness
This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Because of Winn-Dixie
10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
Becoming Billie Holiday
Weatherford uses the titles of Billie Holiday songs as titles for poems that tell the story of Billie's life and road to fame.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bee & Jacky
A brother and sister suffer the effects of their father's Vietnam trauma and their mother's ineffectualness by resuming a physical relationship. This moving, psychologically honest book is difficult to read because the real or imagined incest is portraye
Blues Journey
Father and son team up to celebrate the blues in beautiful illustrations and lyrics. A short essay introduces the reader to the history and structure of blues. A timeline and glossary enable the reader to immerse himself in the form.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Brothers In Hope
The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
Author: Williams, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bud, Not Buddy
It's 1936, Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud (not Buddy) has run away from foster care to search for his father. (Newbery winner)
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Charlotte
When 10-year-old Charlotte's father forbids her to associate with her cousins because her uncle was a royalist in the American Revolution, she disobeys with lifelong consequences. The book includes an Afterword about Charlotte's later life.
Author: Lunn, Janet |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts
"Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews of people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines... death and burial across cultures and societies" (dust jacket). Appendices include a chron
Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor
This biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life conveys the emotionally impoverished childhood amid wealth and power. The book captures the indomitable spirit of the woman who would become the greatest and most beloved First Lady and a leader in her own
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Escaping into the Night
Thirteen year old Halina escapes from a Polish ghetto to a forest community of Jews where she and her friends Batya and Reuven learn to survive despite brutality, extreme hardship, and loss of family. Although this book is fiction, there were real commu
Author: Friedman, D. Dina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fever 1793
This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Fish
This is the autobiography of Antwone Fisher (basis for a movie made by Denzel Washington). Antwone's childhood was filled with emotional and physical abuse. He found a way to overcome this difficult beginning.
Ghost Train
Choon-yi is a painter. Her father leaves China for North America to find work. He asks her to join him, but when she arrives, she discovers that he has been killed on the job. As Choon-yi tries to paint the train, a ghostly presence beckons her.
Gifts from the Sea
The lives of a lighthousekeeper and his daughter are changed by the discovery of a baby washed ashore after a shipwreck on the coast of Maine in the 1850's.
Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Gratefully Yours
Orphaned by a New York tenement fire in 1920, Hattie rides an orphan train to Nebraska where she joins the Jansen household, Henry and his wife Elizabeth. The story relates the loss and healing process that both Hattie and Elizabeth experience. The stor
Author: Buchanan, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Home of the Brave
In a dream-like story and illustrations, Allen Say captures the infamy, dislocation, and loss experienced by Japanese Americans in the internment camps during World War II.
Author: Say, Allen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
In the Shadow of No Towers
Part personal reaction to 9/11 and part history of newspaper comics, this book is a bit like a graphic novel. It is raw in tone and difficult to follow at spots.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Islander, The
An orphaned boy, who grows up with his grandfather on an island off the coast of British Columbia, finds a key-literally--that helps him overcome his loneliness and loss.
Journey
Journey, an eleven-year-old boy whose Mom has left him and his sister to live with her parents, feels angry and betrayed. He spends the summer looking at family photos, learning to recognize the sustaining love of his grandparents, and letting go of his
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Kamishibai Man
The award-winning author/illustrator introduces the reader to the street storytelling tradition of the "paper-theater man" from his Japanese childhood.
Language of Doves, The
On her sixth birthday, Julietta's grandfather gives her one of his homing pigeons and tells her about his experiences raising and training doves for military use in Italy during WWI.
Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Last Princess, The
This biography recounts the history of Hawaii at the end of the 19th century and the life of the last Hawaiian heir, Princess Ka'iulani, who was denied the throne when the monarchy was abolished.
Author: Stanley, Fay |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Leaving and Other Stories, The
The nine short stories in this collection all feature young people on the brink of adulthood. Although themes vary according to story, most are written as reminiscences. Since the author is Canadian, readers will learn about Canadian culture.
Letting Swift River Go
This book tells the story of a community's act of selling up the houses and land to the government so that a water reservoir can be built. It is told from the view point of a woman who felt as though she lost her childhood because all her landmarks had
Locomotion
Lonnie, a.k.a. Locomotion, is encouraged by his teacher Ms. Marcus to write poetry. His poems, in many, many forms but all accessible, tell his story of losing parents in a fire, separation from his sister, group homes, and foster care.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Log Cabin Quilt, The
Elvirey, her brother, grandmother, and father move to a log cabin in the Michigan woods after her mother dies. Granny's quilting scraps serve a greater purpose during a winter storm.
Author: Howard, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Love You, Soldier
This touching story about the effects of WW II on one family is told through the eyes of seven-year-old Katie. (NOTE: This is a short chapter book that will be very easy for students to read.)
Author: Hest, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memories of Survival
A mother and daughter create a narrative in stitchery and text of the mother's life in Poland during the Nazi occupation.This collection of memories of the holocaust provides a first hand account of danger, despair and hope. The detailed tapestries provid
Author: Krinitz, Esther Nisenthal & Steinhardt, Bernice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memory Coat, The
In order to flee persecution as Jews in Russia, Rachel and her cousin Griska emigrate with their extended family to America where they encounter difficulty at Ellis Island. The author provides additional information on immigration from Russia in the endm
Author: Woodruff, Elvira |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mermaid Summer, The
Jon and Ana, brother and sister, display intelligence and courage as they break a mermaid's curse on their grandfather and the fishing community.
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moving Mama to Town
Enterprising Freddy James moves his mother and younger brother to town after his father leaves and the farm fails. He works at the local saloon where he learns from everyone he meets.
Author: Young, Ronder Thomas |
|
Music of Dolphins, The
Mila, a feral child raised by dolphins after her parents' death, is rescued, studied and taught human behavior and language at a research center. Different type face and size convey Mila's language development.
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
My Secret Camera
As a young man in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, Mendel Grossman, secretly took hundreds of photographs to document the miserable life of the people in the ghetto and their struggles for survival. Simple text accompanies the photographs.
Author: Smith, Frank Dabba |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Our Eleanor
Organized like a scrapbook with themed chronological divisions that contain short texts, this very personable and balanced biography of Eleanor Roosevelt emphasizes her complexity and self-growth and her evolution as a political activist. The author incl
Author: Fleming, Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Peace, Locomotion
This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing
|
Peace, Locomotion
This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - writing
|
Real Time
A gripping story told in real time (hence the title)from the viewpoints of several characters involved in the bombing of an Israeli bus.
Author: Kass, Pnina Moed |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Rescued Images
The author contributes a moving and strikingly illustrated memoir of her experience of being a "hidden child" in Holland during World War II and its far-reaching effect.
Author: Jacobsen, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sarah, Plain and Tall
A mail-order bride comes from Maine to the midwest; the children (who have lost their mother) desperately hope she'll stay.
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
September 11, 2001
A New York Times journalist has chosen to tell the chronology of September 11, 2001, through personal stories. Photographs, maps and diagrams, and a bibliography provide additional resources.
Author: Hampton, Wilborn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shattered
This collection contains twelve stories about the impact of war on children and teenagers, some fictional, some personal experiences. A trailer with historical background crawls across the bottom of the page. Biographies of the authors are included.
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tale of Paradise Lost, The
An exquisitly illustrated prose retelling of John Milton's famous poem Paradise Lost.
Author: Willard, Nancy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
That Summer
A boy looks back on the summer that his brother became ill and died.
Through the Mickle Woods
The king is grieving for his dead wife, but with the help of a wise bear and a young boy learns the three lessons about living and loving.
To Be a Slave
Reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves report their experiences of being owned and sold as property in the United States during the 19th Century. Many accounts of brutality are unsettling. This is a reprint of a 1968 edition with new introductory materia
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Traveling Cat, The
A young girl takes in a stray cat who stays long enough to have kittens before traveling on.
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
War and the Pity of War
This large collection of powerful poems and very moving illustrations on war ranges over time and place and level of difficulty. The editor includes an index of writers, and index of poems, and an introduction thate gives his reasons for selecting partic
Author: Philip, Neil |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Way a Door Closes, The
Told in a poetry format, a teenage boy describes his reaction to his father's leaving the family, and then to his return.
Author: Smith, Hope Anita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Wild Boy, The
The author tells a very sympathetic account of the wild child of Aveyron, France, who was captured and studied in the early 1800's. Dr. Itard and his housekeeper become the family of this boy who never acquired all the traits of a "civilized" person.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > love
Aida
The opera diva Leontyne Price retells this classic operatic tale made famous by the 19th century composer Giuseppi Verdi. The princess Aida is captured and forced into slavery by Egyptian soldiers, but she and rival army leader Radames fall in love. The
Author: Price, Leontyne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir
What happens "at the end of words"? The author faced this difficult question as a teenager. Through alternating narration and poetry, she shares her anger, sorrow, confusion, and healing after her mother's death from breast cancer.
Baby
A family finds a baby on its doorstep with a note asking them to care for the baby indefinitely. They begin to love the baby, even though they know they will have to say goodbye, and through the process of becoming attached to the child they are able to
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Block, The
This collection of Langston Hughes poems is complemented by the illustrations of Romare Beardon. An introduction by Bill Cosby precedes the collection, and biographies of the poet and artist conclude it.
Author: Hughes, Langston |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Buried Alive
This collection of linked poems explores the rich, puzzling and painful experiences of love from teenagers' points of view.
Author: Fletcher, Ralph |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Chance of Sunshine, A
The pictures tell most of the story in this almost-wordless book. Two people chance to meet, become separated, and eventually find their way back together.
Charlie Chaplin
This interesting biography of Charlie Chaplin discusses his life and work from his impoverished boyhood in London through his Hollywood film career to exile in Europe, ending with knighthood in England. The author expands the use of the book with a bibli
Author: Turk, Ruth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chicken Sunday
Two African-American boys and their white friend, a girl, try to earn enough money to buy Miss Eula Mae the Easter bonnet she's been longing for. The children befriend a Jewish shopkeeper who helps them succeed.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Cool Moonlight, A
Lila, who has an allergy to sunlight, lives with her disability helped by her family and friends, real and imaginary. The author uses lyrical language deftly to tell the story with great sensitivity and lightness.
Couple of Kooks and Other Stories About Love, A
All of these eight short stories are appropriate for ABE or ESL classes, and some will work well in Family Literacy settings as well. The focus of the stories is on the small details of being in love, of the wonder and delight that love can bring. Some
Cupid and Psyche
This is a retelling of the classic Greek myth.
Author: Craft, M. Charlotte |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dawn
In this adaptation of a traditional tale, a wounded Canada goose takes on the shape of a woman. An island man, a sailmaker, loves her and she him. But when he demands that she help him make an intricate sail, she plucks out all her feathers and kills he
Every Living Thing
Each story in this collection features an animal, and in every case the existence of the animal helps to foster the feelings of love or compassion in the people. The stories touch upon topics such as alcoholism, aging, loneliness, and foster parenting.
First Part Last, The
[revised from dust jacket] Bobby is a classic urban teenaged boy-- impulsive, eager, restless. On his 16th birthday, he learns that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Their lives change dramatically, both during the pregnancy and after baby Feather is born.
First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story, The
A quarrel between husband and wife is resolved when strawberries begin to grow.
Freedom's Fruit
Mama Marina, a conjure woman in the Low Country of the Carolinas in the time of slavery, uses a magic spell to free her daughter and the man she loves. The book includes an Author's Note that compares the American folktale with the Greek myth of Persepho
Heart is Big Enough, The
Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
I Have Seen Castles
A 67-year-old man remembers growing up in Pittsburgh and falling in love with a young woman pacifist who couldn't understand why he would want to go overseas to fight.
Journey
Journey, an eleven-year-old boy whose Mom has left him and his sister to live with her parents, feels angry and betrayed. He spends the summer looking at family photos, learning to recognize the sustaining love of his grandparents, and letting go of his
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Just the Two of Us
Lyrics from the song put in illustrated book form. Father reminisces about raising his son incorporating themes about good decision making, love, and respect. A love song of a father to his son. The illustrations by Kadir Nelson really amplify the message
Author: Smith, Will |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Language of Doves, The
On her sixth birthday, Julietta's grandfather gives her one of his homing pigeons and tells her about his experiences raising and training doves for military use in Italy during WWI.
Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Library, The
A delightfully illustrated story in verse about a shy, avid reader who gave her books to form a town library.
Lost Lake, The
A boy and his dad go out trekking, looking for a private lake, and in the process they grow closer.
Love Letters
This small, unusual book, which defies categorization, contains illustrations of postage stamps depicting famous people that are accompanied by memorable quotations. Readers commented on the poor binding.
Author: Poehlmann, JoAnna |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Memories of Summer
The novel is set in 1955. A father and 2 daughters (Lyric, the narrator, is 13 and sister Summer is 16) move from rural Kentucky to Flint, MI. The story is about the move, about Lyric's adjustment, but mostly about Summer's descent into mental illness and
Mermaid Summer, The
Jon and Ana, brother and sister, display intelligence and courage as they break a mermaid's curse on their grandfather and the fishing community.
Morning Girl
In alternating chapters, Morning Girl (age 12) and her brother describe life on a Bahamian island in 1492. (Note: this book won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.)
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Life in Dog Years
Each chapter describes one of the amazing and unforgettable dogs Gary Paulsen has owned. As we read his dogs' stories, we also learn a great deal about the author.
Ninth Ward
This is a powerful reenactment of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and how it affected the poor section of the ninth ward. The hurricane and subsequent levee failure come to life through the eyes of a twelve year old special girl. The voi
Author: Rhodes, Jewell Parker |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | science
|
Once Upon Ice
The author and 16 other poets respond in a variety of poetic forms to beautiful photographs of patterns created by ice.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Orville: A Dog Story
Chained alone in a barn by the couple he thought might give him a good home, a very ugly stray dog is miserable until a new neighbor moves in and he falls in love.
Persephone and the Pomegranate
The Persephone myth explains the seasons. The daughter is kidnapped by the ruler of the underworld, Pluto, who makes her his queen. But Persephone's mother, Demeter, grieving, refuses to let Spring return until she is again with her daughter. In the en
Author: Waldherr, Kris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers
Paulsen shares his love of the Iditarod and especially of Cookie, his primary lead dog, and her pups. Descriptions of how the pups learn are alternately amazing, touching, and hilarious.
Romeo and Juliet, (The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of)
This lively, clear, prose retelling of
Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet follows the original story very closely.
Author: Shakespeare, William |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sarah, Plain and Tall
A mail-order bride comes from Maine to the midwest; the children (who have lost their mother) desperately hope she'll stay.
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story
The book is set on a Virginia plantation in 1862. Eleven-year-old Summer and her older brother Rosco live with their mother on the Parnell Plantation as talk of President Lincoln's coming proclamation to free slaves reaches the community. Each of the mai
Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Song of the Chirimia
This story includes both the English and the Spanish text on each page. It begins with a map and a note about the ancient Mayans. In this tale, the king wants to find the right husband for his daughter. The illustrations are colorful and folk baroque i
Author: Volkmer, Jane Ann |
|
Swan Lake
An expanded retelling of the story of Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.The author retells the story of Swan Lake within his narrative of the Damavand empire. Van Allsburg's illustrations highlight the events of the story.
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tempest, The
This is a prose retelling of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, a story of an exiled Duke and his daughter during their stay on an enchanted island. The book ends with an author's note.
Author: Shakespeare, William (retold by Coville, Brice) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Time to Love, A
Beautifully illustrated and ably introduced by sons of the author, this book retells six Bible stories from different perspectives, all revealing aspects of love--father/son, friends, brothers, lovers, and daughters-in-law. Teachers can promote religious
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
To Hell with Dying
Because of the controversial subject matter and the language of the title, this book would have to be introduced carefully and treated sensitively. The author tells the story of growing up down the road from old alcoholic Mr. Sweet, who would fall on his
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Twelfth Night
This is a narrative retelling of Shakespeare's play. Many of the famous lines are embedded in the narrative.
Author: Shakespeare, William (retold B. Coville) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Two Brothers, The
King Solomon observes a miracle that results from the love and concern that two brothers have for each other. This helps him decide on the site for his great temple.
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Weave of Words, A
A young king uses his literacy and weaving skills to send a message to the queen who frees him from his captors. The copyright page contains information on the origins of this Armenian tale.
Author: San Souci, Robert |
|
Weddings
The book explores weddings around the world through photographs and simple text. An index identifies the geographic location and the religious custom involved.
Welcome to the World
This poetry book also includes stunning photos from all over the world, from a Seminole poem written in the U.S. to poetry from Southeast Asia. It ends with two pages of information on birthing traditions.
Author: Siegen-Smith, Nikki (compiled by) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
World According to Dog, The
This is a charming collection of the author's poems and short essays about dogs written by teens.
Year Down Yonder, A
This is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. Both books have won awards, the Newbery Medal for this one. Mary Alice goes to live with her spunky, trouble-making grandma in rural Illinois because the Depression has torn her family apart.
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > patriotism
9-11 Artists Respond: Volume One
Over 100 graphic artists draw their reactions to the 9-ll attack on the World Trade Center. There are as many styles and points-of-view as artists. Although graphic in nature, some texts would be difficult for beginning readers due to size and type face
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin, The
This Franklin biography also includes details about important historical events of his time, e.g., events leading to Revolutionary War. Franklin's family and scientific interests are also explored.
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
America's White Table
A simple story about a family's Veterans' Day dinner preparation is used to tell the true story of the white tables set for POWs/MIAs.
Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Subtitled "The true story of the day America entered World War II," this book describes the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspectives of four people, both Japanese and American. Excerpts about others who were influenced by the attack are also provided,
Author: Tanaka, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Code Talkers
After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
Author: Bruchac, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Flag Maker, The
This is the story of the flag that prompted Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner. Events surrounding the attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore are also chronicled.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Harlem Hellfighters, The
This book is mostly about the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th Infantry Regiment in WWI. This story is set in the larger context of the role of African American men in war prior to WWI.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hitler Youth
By following a dozen German youth, the author examines the attraction and occasionally the resistance of the role of the Hitler youth movement in Nazi Germany. The author includes additional material for further exploration.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II
This amazing book takes the reader inside the internment camps and shows the fortitude of the people who survived and thrived despite the hardships imposed on them. An amazing book for readers of all ages. Beautiful photos add to the text.
Author: Sandler, Martin W. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution
Brief biographies of women who played key roles in the Revolutionary War. Makes the facts of Early American history come alive with lives of women who don't usually get mentioned in history books. Below each illustration is a time line of events.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution
Brief biographies of women who played key roles in the Revolutionary War. Makes the facts of Early American history come alive with lives of women who don't usually get mentioned in history books. Below each illustration is a time line of events.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concord First Battles of the American Revolution
The events during the 24 hours that led up to the Revolutionary War, including Paul Revere's ride and capture by the British.
Author: Fradin, Dennis Brindell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concord First Battles of the American Revolution
The events during the 24 hours that led up to the Revolutionary War, including Paul Revere's ride and capture by the British.
Author: Fradin, Dennis Brindell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, The
The book provides an insightful and well written biography of Adolf Hitler. The book gives an historical prospective of the time in which Hitler lived to add to the understanding of the biography. The book is well written and gives interesting details abo
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nation's Hope, A
An "elegant and powerful picture book biography which centers around the historic fight" of Joe Louis during WWII, where prejudice was set aside. The illustrations and historical tidbits add to this story of an unforgettable legend.
Author: De La Pena, Matt |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Number the Stars
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. It is about the power of the Danish Resistance, heroes of a nation, the power of human decency over th
Author: Lowry, Lois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Pledge of Allegiance, The
This book illustrates the phrases in the Pledge of Allegiance with photographs. Included is a description of what the pledge means (literally), dates to diplay the flag, and some basic flag history.
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Remembering Manzanar
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered forced evacuation of Japanese Americans who lived in the western U.S. This is the story of one relocation camp, Manzanar. The text is supported with archival photographs, end notes, Int
Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Stolen Smile, The
This somewhat fictionalized account recounts the stealing of Leonardi da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia. End notes provide additional cultural and historical information.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Surrender Tree, The
Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not free. Acclaimed poet, Margarita Engle has created a lyrical, powerful portrait of Cuba. The main character is a healer who treats anyone in need. Initially a slave, Rosa becomes a free person w
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
They Called Her Molly Pitcher
This is an historical/legendary account of Molly "Pitcher" Hays McCauly, who followed her husband to fight in the Revolutionary War and was made a sergeant by General Washington for her courage and bravery. A biography and timeline accompany the colorful
Author: Rockwell, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt
The book depicts T. Roosevelt's life from youth to death. It explains his marriages, children, passions and accomplishments as a politician and conservationist. Full color illustrations and direct quotes help bring the story of Teddy Roosevelt to life.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
War and the Pity of War
This large collection of powerful poems and very moving illustrations on war ranges over time and place and level of difficulty. The editor includes an index of writers, and index of poems, and an introduction thate gives his reasons for selecting partic
Author: Philip, Neil |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Washington at Valley Forge
In Freedman's inimitable style, he captures the grit and triumphs over the lack of provisions for General Washington's winter encampment at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Excellent and unfamiliar paintings of Washington accompany the text. Th
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We The People
American history from Colonial times to the present is presented through 65 poems about individuals--some real and some imaginary. A timeline of historic events runs across the lower part of the page and a note about writing the book appears at the end.
Author: Katz, Bobbi |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > quarrel
First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story, The
A quarrel between husband and wife is resolved when strawberries begin to grow.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Yellow House, The
During a brief few months of their productive artistic years, the painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in Arles, in southern France. The book is illustrated with their works of art and the illustrator's researched depiction of
Author: Rubin, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > reflection
Action Jackson
Watercolors and text invite the reader to accompany Jackson Pollock as he creates his famous 1950 action painting, "Lavender Mist." A biography and bibliography expand information about the artist.
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Big Talk
Three poems are presented graphically with four color-coded bars to represent four voices for choral reading. The rhythms of the poems progress from easy to more difficult. The author provides a section on "How to read this book" and "Helpful hints."
Confucius
The author has demythologized the figure of Confucius, depicting him as a very human, vulnerable and wise man. In a postscript, the author explains the origin and process of the book, providing resources and an index of Confucian sayings. The illustrati
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Henry David's House
These seamlessly woven excerpts from Thoreau's Walden and the beautiful watercolor illustrations together describe constructing and living in the house at Walden Pond.
Author: Schnur, Steven (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Home
Beautifully illustrated by Thomas Locker, the book contains poems and prose excerpts by well-known writers with a thumbnail sketch about each writer and his home. Endmatter includes a map of the U.S. with dates and locations of the writers.
Author: Locker, Thomas & Christiansen, Candice |
|
Stolen Smile, The
This somewhat fictionalized account recounts the stealing of Leonardi da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia. End notes provide additional cultural and historical information.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Way to Start the Day, The
This is a hard book to categorize. The simple text is written like blank verse. The content is basically true. The text focuses on how people around the world celebrate or acknowledge the sunrise.
Author: Baylor, Bryd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > regrets
Monster
16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
More Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers
These three stories fit with George Ella Lyon's collection Choices, but were not included in the original collection because some readers found them too controversial. Our readers found them powerful and moving, addressing life situations that m
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Secret-Keeper, The
This is a fairy tale about Kalli, the secret-keeper, who takes others' secrets on so that they can be released from them. All the bad secrets threaten to make her ill until the townspeople come to her rescue.
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > relocation, personal
A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
Author: Neufeld, Josh |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
Author: Neufeld, Josh |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Arrival, The
An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
Author: Tan, Shaun |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Arrival, The
An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
Author: Tan, Shaun |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Auction, The
In this sad intergenerational story, a boy and his grandfather reminisce the night before their farm is put up for sale.
Because of Winn-Dixie
10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya
Story of how a Kenyan boy sets a goal of becoming a doctor after his baby sister dies. He succeeds and is now a physician in Akron Ohio.
Author: Oelschlager, Vanita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies | science
|
Boy Who Saved Cleveland, The
During a malarial epidemic in the late 18th century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bread and Roses, Too.
This is a fictionalized history of the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts, factory strike. The main characters are two children, a girl whose family is active in the strike, and a homeless boy. Aspects of the strike itself and of outsiders' attempts to help the
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Cat with the Yellow Star, The: Coming of Age in Terezin
Ela Weissberger's life before, during, and after she and her family were forced to live in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin during WWII. Photographs reinforce Ela's memories of survival and hope.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Charlotte
When 10-year-old Charlotte's father forbids her to associate with her cousins because her uncle was a royalist in the American Revolution, she disobeys with lifelong consequences. The book includes an Afterword about Charlotte's later life.
Author: Lunn, Janet |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Children of the Great Depression
With the aid of archival photographs from The Farm Security Administration, Freedman tells the poignant story of the humiliation, poverty, migration, lack of schooling, and back-breaking work faced by children during the Great Depression of the 1930's in
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Dandelions
As her family struggles to establish a sod home on the Nebraska prairie, Emma finds a way to cheer up her mother.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Darkness over Denmark
Written in the form of snippets of interviews, this book tells the stories of the Danish Resistance and the rescue of Jews in WW II. This is an important and inspiring story, which may be unknown to many.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Divide, The
As a young girl in 1893, Willa Cather journeys with her extended family to relocate on the Nebraska prairie. Although unhappy at first, she learns to enjoy her new home as the seasons unfold. The beautiful illustrations are particularly well linked to t
Author: Bedard, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Ellen Foster
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
This is an informative account of a child left behind when his American soldier father left Vietnam and his mother died. It traces his journey to America, his adopted family and his eventual return to his homeland to help orphans.
Author: Warren, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Fly Away Home
A homeless boy and his dad live at the airport while the father tries to find an apartment and a job. They hide out from airport officials but receive support from another down-on-their-luck family.
Going West
Seven-year-old Hannah recalls her family's journey west in a covered wagon and relocation on the prairie.
Author: Van Leeuwen, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grandfather's Journey
This book shows through its photographic-like illustrations and through its minimal text the displacement people feel when they immigrate, the longing they have for the old country and old ways, and the confusion that new loyalties bring.
Author: Say, Allen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gratefully Yours
Orphaned by a New York tenement fire in 1920, Hattie rides an orphan train to Nebraska where she joins the Jansen household, Henry and his wife Elizabeth. The story relates the loss and healing process that both Hattie and Elizabeth experience. The stor
Author: Buchanan, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Great Migration, The
This book consists of reprints of a series of sixty paintings, by Jacob Lawrence, depicting the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North. In search of a better life, people moved by the thousands, from rural lifestyles to urban poverty.
Author: Lawrence, Jacob |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Henry's Freedom Box
This simply written picture book tells the true story of Henry Brown, a runaway slave who escaped to freedom by mailing himself in a crate.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Home Lovely
Janelle and Tiffany move to a trailer, where Tiffany is alone after school while Janelle works. Tiffany finds some plants, makes a garden, and becomes friends with the mailman. (NOTE: Teachers may want to be aware that the child, clearly elementary-scho
Author: Perkins, Lynne Rae |
|
Home of the Brave
An African refuge lives with his aunt and cousin in Minneapolis. He has problems adjusting and misses his mother (no one knows where she is). He finds comfort in an older lady and her cow whose name means family in his native language.
Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Home of the Brave
In a dream-like story and illustrations, Allen Say captures the infamy, dislocation, and loss experienced by Japanese Americans in the internment camps during World War II.
Author: Say, Allen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
How I Discovered Poetry
Marilyn Nelson describes her childhood in America in the 1950s, as the daughter of an African American Army officer. The poems span from her fourth to fourteenth year and touch aspects of civil rights, "Red Scare," atom bomb and the stirrings of the femin
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
I Have an Olive Tree
Colorful, stylized illustrations depict a girl and her mother as they travel back to Greece to see the olive tree her granfather left her when he died, a gift that grows in value as the story progresses.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Have Heard of a Land
A hardworking African American woman stakes a homestead claim in the Oklahoma Territory in the period after the Civil War. Told in rich, lyrical language, the beautifully illustrated story reminds us that African Americans were a part of the settlement o
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Indian School
Subtitled "Teaching the White Man's Way," this book chronicles efforts to "civilize" Native American children and youth in the late 19th and early 20th century. Archival photographs, an index, a reading list, a bibliography, and a list of web sites comple
Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Josepha
A boy narrates the story of his friend and protector, the immigrant young man Josepha, who had to leave school to work.
Author: McGugan, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lily Cupboard, The
A Dutch farm family hides a Jewish girl, who in turn wants to protect a rabbit.
Author: Oppenheim, Shulamith L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Log Cabin Quilt, The
Elvirey, her brother, grandmother, and father move to a log cabin in the Michigan woods after her mother dies. Granny's quilting scraps serve a greater purpose during a winter storm.
Author: Howard, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Way Gone, A: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The story of a Sierra Leonian boy who at age 12 was recruited and forced into being a gun toting, drug crazed soldier and then learned how to live with what he had done after going through a UNICEF rehabilitation program.
Author: Beah, Ishmael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lyddie
Lyddie tells the story of a 19th century farm girl who, because of financial worries, moves to Massachusetts to work in a garment factory. She endures various hardships but does not lose her spunk or integrity.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Me, All Alone, at the End of the World
A boy enjoys living quietly by himself at the End of the World until Constantine Shimmer arrives and begins to "improve" the area with an inn and amusement park, demanding that tourists come and have "fun without end.
Author: Anderson, M.T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memories of Summer
The novel is set in 1955. A father and 2 daughters (Lyric, the narrator, is 13 and sister Summer is 16) move from rural Kentucky to Flint, MI. The story is about the move, about Lyric's adjustment, but mostly about Summer's descent into mental illness and
Memories of Sun
This is a collection of modern day short stories and poems about Africa. It has three divisions: 1) Africa 2) Americans in Africa 3) Africans in America. Although most of the 12 stories are engaging, teachers will want to read beforehand since some may
Author: Kurtz, Jane (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Memories of Survival
A mother and daughter create a narrative in stitchery and text of the mother's life in Poland during the Nazi occupation.This collection of memories of the holocaust provides a first hand account of danger, despair and hope. The detailed tapestries provid
Author: Krinitz, Esther Nisenthal & Steinhardt, Bernice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Memory Coat, The
In order to flee persecution as Jews in Russia, Rachel and her cousin Griska emigrate with their extended family to America where they encounter difficulty at Ellis Island. The author provides additional information on immigration from Russia in the endm
Author: Woodruff, Elvira |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Midnight Zoo, The
When their Gypsy encampment is attacked by Germans during WWII, three Romanian children flee. In an abandoned town, they find a zoo where the animals tell their stories as everyone seeks to reclaim their lives and freedom.
Author: Harnett, Sonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Moving Mama to Town
Enterprising Freddy James moves his mother and younger brother to town after his father leaves and the farm fails. He works at the local saloon where he learns from everyone he meets.
Author: Young, Ronder Thomas |
|
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
My Secret Camera
As a young man in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, Mendel Grossman, secretly took hundreds of photographs to document the miserable life of the people in the ghetto and their struggles for survival. Simple text accompanies the photographs.
Author: Smith, Frank Dabba |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One More Border
Illustrated with paintings, documents, and photos, this is the true story of a family's escape from war-torn Europe during WW II.
Author: Kaplan, William |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Other Side, The
Spurred by a letter from her grandmother saying that "they're pulling Shorter down," the poet returns to the people and places of her childhood in Shorter, Alabama. The poems are accessible and concise but filled with powerful feeling. Photographs from
Roses in My Carpet, The
This story of a young refugee boy from Afghanistan was inspired by a real child. The boy lives in a refugee camp and weaves rugs.
Author: Khan, Rukhsana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Same Stuff as Stars, The
Angel and her little brother Bernie are dropped off at their great-grandma's house. Dad is in jail, and mom is an alcoholic and selfishly unable to be a mother. Together, the new family learns to live together in the crumbling Vermont farmhouse.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
|
Sarah, Plain and Tall
A mail-order bride comes from Maine to the midwest; the children (who have lost their mother) desperately hope she'll stay.
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shin-chi's Canoe
Shin-chi's toy canoe, given to him by his father, sustains him during his first year at an Indian residential school. This story occurs when Native Americans were forced to attend Indian residential schools where they were made to learn the white man's w
Author: Campbell, Nicola I. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Skylark
This is the sequel to the award-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. When a drought forces Sarah and the children to leave the farm, leaving Jacob behind, everyone wonders if they will ever be a family again.
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
So Far From the Sea
A Japanese American visits Manazar, a Japanese relocation camp in World War II, to visit the grave of a grandfather.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Step Toward Heaven, A
When Young Ju emigrates with her immediate family to America from Korea, she misses her grandparents. As she grows older, she finds a refuge from her father's physical abuse in school achievement. The author mimics the style of narration with the age of
Streets of Gold
This story of a Russian family's life in Russia and then in the U.S. is based on an actual immigrant's journals.
Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tea With Milk
May (the author's mother) is learning American ways when her family moves back to Japan. When her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a husband, May moves to Osaka, begins a career, and finds her own happiness.
Train to Somewhere
Marianne heads west with 14 other children on an Orphan Train, certain that her mother will be waiting for her at one of the stops. No one shows interest in adopting Marianne until the train arrives at a place called Somewhere, where Marianne meets her n
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tree Girl
Based on true experiences that were shared with the author, Gabriela, a Guatemalan girl who loves to climb trees, escapes a massacre, eventually reaching a refugee camp where she is reunited with her little sister, both of whom must overcome the trauma an
Unbreakable Code, The
A young Navajo boy, who must leave his Southwest home, draws courage from his grandfather's story about being a "Code Talker" during WWII.
Author: Hunter, Sara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wake Up Our Souls
Well-written biographies and stunning reproductions of the work of approximately 30 African American artists introduce us to painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists born between 1830 and the present. The design makes the book beautiful and the e
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
What You Know First
A young girl does not want to leave the family farm that is being sold. She resolves her feelings realistically. The woodcut illustrations that look like old color-tinted photographs add veracity to the text.
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
When Jessie Came Across the Sea
Jesse leaves her village for America where she earns money to bring her grandmother to America in time for her wedding.
Author: Hest, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wild Boy, The
The author tells a very sympathetic account of the wild child of Aveyron, France, who was captured and studied in the early 1800's. Dr. Itard and his housekeeper become the family of this boy who never acquired all the traits of a "civilized" person.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > romance
Chance of Sunshine, A
The pictures tell most of the story in this almost-wordless book. Two people chance to meet, become separated, and eventually find their way back together.
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Cupid and Psyche
This is a retelling of the classic Greek myth.
Author: Craft, M. Charlotte |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tempest, The
This is a prose retelling of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, a story of an exiled Duke and his daughter during their stay on an enchanted island. The book ends with an author's note.
Author: Shakespeare, William (retold by Coville, Brice) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > shyness
To Go Singing Through the World
The childhood of one of Chile's most famous poets is told through a juxtaposition of the author's narrative and Neruda's own words. This beautifully illustrated biography includes excerpts of poems, maps, a time line, and a concise full-life biography.
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > spirituality
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Code Talkers
After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
Author: Bruchac, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moses
The author's note describes this book on Harriet Tubman as a "fictionalized spiritual journey" comparing her answering the call of God to lead her people out of slavery to Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. The author includes a forewo
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Walking the Choctaw Road
A collection of twelve stories from the Mississippi and Oklahoma branches of the Choctaw People, including traditional lore arising from beliefs and myths, historical tales pased down through generations, and personal stories of contemporary life.
Author: Tingle, Tim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > suspicion
Blanche on the Lam
A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
Author: Neely, B. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Widow's Broom, The
A widow helps a witch recover from a fall, and in gratitude the witch leaves behind her broom to help the woman do her work. Suspicious neighbors try to burn the broom, but in the end the broom settles in with the woman.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
|
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > tolerance
Martin Luther King
Folk art paintings accompany this biography of Dr. King. A timeline of important events in his life concludes the book.
Author: Bray, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Martin's Big Words
Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miz Berlin Walks
A little African American girl learns to love the old white lady who walks by her home every day.
Other Side, The
Spurred by a letter from her grandmother saying that "they're pulling Shorter down," the poet returns to the people and places of her childhood in Shorter, Alabama. The poems are accessible and concise but filled with powerful feeling. Photographs from
Rio Grande Stories
In Albuquerque, 7th grade students decide to write a book on their diverse heritage to raise money for the school. As they research traditions and family stories, they learn unexpected things about themselves. Chapters alternate between stories about th
Sanctuary, The
Little Man, age 10, thinks that Tico and Aaron should let him join their gang. But first he must retrieve a piece of junk from the altar "sanctuary" that "crazy" Lucy Johnson built in her backyard. Little Man gets caught and comes to know and love the o
Author: Eskridge, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Silent Boy, The
Katy,the young and curious daughter of a small-town doctor living in 1908, learns about life, death, and social distinctions from her family and her friend, Jacob, who is "touched."
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
Witness
Structured as a play with characters, acts, and text, this story depicts a small Vermont town facing issues of racism and bigotry introduced by the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920's. The courage of two young girls and the adults who support them leads the way t
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > trust
Here in Harlem
Walter Dean Myers recreates the Harlem of his youth in poetry and populates it with colorful characters through their voices.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Nikola Tesla
This biography of little-known scientist Nikola Tesla recounts his life and work on harnessing and advocating for alternating-current electricity with its many engineering applications that we take for granted. Archival photographs illustrate the text.
Author: Dommermuth-Costa, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Wolf of Gubbio, The
A legend tells the story of a wolf who terriorizes a community until the boy who became St.Francis of Assisi, negotates an agreement.
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues
Sigmund Freud
This biography introduces the history of the study of the physical and emotional aspects of the mind as well as the colorful life of Sigmund Freud. Additional resources include an appendix, a bibliography, web sites, and an index.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > leadership
African Princess
Illustrated with paintings, photographs, and artifacts, six biographies tell us about royal African women from Ancient Eygpt to the present: Hatshepsut of Egypt; Njinga of Matamba; Taytu Tetal of Ethiopia; Amina of Zaria; Tata Ajache of Dahomey; and Eliz
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
When slaves on the ship Amistad rebelled and tried to return home to Africa, they were captured and embroiled in legal battles of slavery and abolition in the U.S. The book includes sections on Further Reading, Bibliography, Epilogue, and endpaper courtr
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
As Good as Anybody
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who had both experienced discrimination, joined forces in the Civil Rights Movement.
Author: Michelson, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope
Framed by the story of an African American mother and her son, who keeps interjecting questions and comments, the narrative tells the story of Barack Obama around the theme of hope and the importance of education. Both the words of Nikki Grimes and the ar
Author: Grimes, Nikki |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Black Ships Before Troy
This beautifully illustrated book retells Homer's epic poem The Iliad about the Trojan War. A glossary of names is included.
Author: Sutcliff, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Bobbin Girl, The
Rebecca, a 10-year-old "bobbin girl" working in the textile factories in Lowell, Massachuesetts in the 1830's must decide if she will participate in the first workers' strike.
Author: McCully, Emily Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brothers In Hope
The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
Author: Williams, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Carver
Personal and professional details of the life of George Washington Carver are told in poems from the perspectives of many people.
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Chanda's Secrets
Sixteen-year-old Chanda, who lives in a fictional sub-Saharan
country that is feeling the impact of HIV/AIDS psychologically(fears, lies, and sundered relationships)and socially (ostracism of tainted people, necessity of hiding), takes a courageous stand
Author: Stratton, Allan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Confucius
The author has demythologized the figure of Confucius, depicting him as a very human, vulnerable and wise man. In a postscript, the author explains the origin and process of the book, providing resources and an index of Confucian sayings. The illustrati
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader
Although she is best known for shepherding the "Little Rock Nine" through the dangers and stresses of the first school integration test, Daisy Bates pursued a life of community crusading despite obstacles and personal difficulties before and after Little
Author: Polakow, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Declaring Independence
The events large and small surrounding the struggle for independence of the American colonies from England are told with a wealth of detail and with archival material. Source notes, bibliography, further reading and websites, and an index make the inte
Author: Miller, Brandon Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dream of Freedom, A
This well written and comprehensive documentation of the Civil Rights Movement, its background, issues, and confrontations is told by a white Southern woman of privilege who grew up during that period. Photographs and fact boxes, index, bibliography, and
Author: McWhorter, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor
This biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life conveys the emotionally impoverished childhood amid wealth and power. The book captures the indomitable spirit of the woman who would become the greatest and most beloved First Lady and a leader in her own
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedman relates this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with the interest of suspense fiction which is accompanied by extensive archival photographs. The book traces her evolution from a shy young girl from an unhappy home to America's most acclaimed First
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words
This edited and illustrated book provides generous excerpts from Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. No textbook description of slavery could have even a tiny portion of the power of this chilling account.
Author: McCurdy, Michael (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eyes of the Dragon
A Chinese magistrate commissions a famous painter of dragons to paint one on the protective walls of the village. This tale relates what happens when the magistrate fails to keep his agreement.
Find Where the Wind Goes
This is an autobiography of Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to become an astronaut. She uses the metaphor of "wind" to describe events from her life.
Author: Jemison, Mae |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Peg Leg Joe travels from plantation to plantation teaching slaves the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd," which conceals directions for the route north to freedom. The book follows one slave family as they are directed north to the Underground Railroad and
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Forbidden Schoolhouse
With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
Author: Jurmain, Suzanne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Founders, The
Brief biographies of the people who signed the Constitution are accompanied by brief descriptions of the 13 colonies at the time of signing. The Constitution is printed at end of the book.
Author: Fradin, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom Walkers
This detailed account of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the Civil Rights Movement includes material on the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, but also focuses on other heroes like Rev. Robert Graetz, Joanne Robinson and
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom's Children
Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gandhi
The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England
This is a biography of Elizabeth I of England, a queen whose strong will, shrewd diplomacy, tolerance, and concern for her subjects make her one of the best known British monarchs.
Author: Stanley, Diane & Vennema, Peter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Great Race, The
A grandmother helps her granddaughter arrange paper cutouts of the Chinese zodiac by telling her a story of how 12 animals race to reach the Jade City. The author includes an appendix with information about the Chinese zodiac.
Great Stone Face, The
The author retells a famous Hawthorne story about how a New England village interprets a mountain's "face" over the years as fulfilling the prophecy of revealing the noblest person of the time.
Author: Schmidt, Gary/Hawthorne Nathaniel |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
This is a picture biography of Cesar Chavez. It focuses on his childhood and initial efforts at organizing farm workers in the mid-60s, creating The National Form Workers Association.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hero Beowulf, The
This prose retelling of the first part of the earliest poem in English (Anglo Saxon, actually) has strong, vibrant illustrations and helpful supplementary material.
Author: Kimmel, Eric A. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Heroes and She-roes
Twenty-one poems celebrate and chronicle the actions of real-life persons (and one dog) who have performed heroic acts in service to others.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
|
Heroes and She-roes
Twenty-one poems celebrate and chronicle the actions of real-life persons (and one dog) who have performed heroic acts in service to others.
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
|
In the Promised Land
From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
It Is a Good Day to Die
A brief introduction explains why the account of Custer's battle at Little Bighorn is told through individual recollections long after the encounter. In addition to the personal accounts, the book includes a helpful chronology of events, short biographie
Author: Viola, Herman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jack
This is a biography of JFK, from birth through HS graduation. A bit of his parents' backgrounds is also provided. Primary documents, letters and school reports, are sprinkled throughout the text.
Author: Cooper, Ilene |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Librarian of Basra, The
A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.
Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, The
The book provides an insightful and well written biography of Adolf Hitler. The book gives an historical prospective of the time in which Hitler lived to add to the understanding of the biography. The book is well written and gives interesting details abo
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extrordinary Life
A loosely organized series of chapters/essays about the rise of photography in Lincoln's lifetime and how it shaped the way we view his Presidency. Many photographs from the period are included.
Author: Sandler, Martin |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lincolns, The
Using a scrapbook format with blocks of stories and archival photographs, the author provides a chatty, up-close biography of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Since the book is in a scrapbook format, students can start reading anywhere in the book or read in the
Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Walk to Water, A
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva D
Author: Park, Linda Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Madam President
Short biographies of some of the powerful and influential women who have been involved in politics. The biographies are woven into a simple story about a girl who wants to be president when she "grows up" despite the people around her who try to tell her
Author: Thimmesh, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Martin's Big Words
Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Our Eleanor
Organized like a scrapbook with themed chronological divisions that contain short texts, this very personable and balanced biography of Eleanor Roosevelt emphasizes her complexity and self-growth and her evolution as a political activist. The author incl
Author: Fleming, Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Princess of the Press
This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
Author: Medearis, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saladin
This beautifully illustrated biography of the revered Islamic hero, Saladin, provides a balanced view of the Crusades. The book includes a map, historical context, a postscript of history post-Saladin, a glossary, and a bibliography.
Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
September 11, 2001
A New York Times journalist has chosen to tell the chronology of September 11, 2001, through personal stories. Photographs, maps and diagrams, and a bibliography provide additional resources.
Author: Hampton, Wilborn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
On an expedition to cross Antarctica, Ernest Shackleton and his crew lost their ship in the ice flow. Shackleton and five others left in small boats to get help. This is a higher reading level version of Spirit of Endurance by the same author.
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Si, Se Puede (Yes, We Can!)
Text in both English and Spanish on each page tells the story of a mother who becomes active in union organization. This story is based on the 2000 janitors' strike in Los Angeles. An essay by Luis J. Rodriguez describes a real-life activist whose goals a
Author: Cohn, Diana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
So You Want to Be President
Presidents of the U. S. are grouped by what they had in common and what was unusual--names, states of origin, pets, size, etc. The book contains brief biographies of all U. S. Presidents in chronological order. The book does not discuss the duties of th
Author: St. George, Judith |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sound the Jubilee
During the Civil War, Maddie, an eleven-year-old house slave, journeys with her mistress to Nags Head near Roanoke Island which has become a Yankee-protected community for run-away slaves. Maddie grows up there with her family and finds a place for herse
Author: Forrester, Saundra |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Spirit of Endurance
The book employs maps, archival photographs, blueprints, and paintings to tell the exciting story of Ernest Shackleton's rescue of his men on his expedition in Antarctica when their boat, The Endurance, was destroyed in an ice floe. The author includes a
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sundiata
With roots in the 13th Century history of Mali in West Central Africa, the legend of Sundiata and how he gains the kingship prophesied at his birth is illustrated with exquisite cut paper artwork. Historical facts are included in the endmatter and a beau
Author: Wisniewski, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sweet Smell of Roses, A
The book jacket says it all: "There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice?--with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Author: Johnson, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
There Comes a Time
This book, winner of the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, chronicles the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. The book begins with slave trading and ends with the "Black Power" movement of the late 1960's. A timeline, bibliography, and index are included.
Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
This Vast Land
A fictional account of a young man on the real Lewis and Clark Expedition emphasizes and personalizes the confrontation of races and the conflict between civilization and the wilderness. There are allusions to sex, though minimal.
Author: Ambrose, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt
The book depicts T. Roosevelt's life from youth to death. It explains his marriages, children, passions and accomplishments as a politician and conservationist. Full color illustrations and direct quotes help bring the story of Teddy Roosevelt to life.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Toussaint L'Ouverture
The author wrote the biography of Haiti's hero, Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the fight for liberation from France and Spain, to accompany Jacob Lawrence's paintings.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trapped:How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
An in-depth recounting of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine in 2010 that entombed 33 miners for 69 days, their heroic struggle to survive and the efforts of those who saved them. The book is riveting in detail and even inspirational. Book contains ex
Author: Aronson, Marc |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | science
|
Tree Girl
Based on true experiences that were shared with the author, Gabriela, a Guatemalan girl who loves to climb trees, escapes a massacre, eventually reaching a refugee camp where she is reunited with her little sister, both of whom must overcome the trauma an
Trial By Ice
Illustrated by archival photographs, this biography recounts the life and expeditions of Ernest Shackleton in his attempts to reach the South Pole (he never did). He is nonetheless revered for his leadership, optimism, and courage. Teachers will find th
Author: Kostyal, K. M. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
War, The
A young prince, who dislikes war, cleverly provides an alternative to fighting.
Washington at Valley Forge
In Freedman's inimitable style, he captures the grit and triumphs over the lack of provisions for General Washington's winter encampment at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Excellent and unfamiliar paintings of Washington accompany the text. Th
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin's biography not only emphasizes his well-known role as advisor and organizer to leadership in the Civil Rights Movement but expands our view with his activities as speaker, singer, actor, artist, and non-violent activist. This biography pro
Author: Brimner, Larry Dane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
When Harriet Met Sojourner
The author imagines the meeting of two brave activists for the freeing of slaves --Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman when they were in Boston in 1864. The story is told with the aid of very powerful artwork.
Author: Clinton, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wolf of Gubbio, The
A legend tells the story of a wolf who terriorizes a community until the boy who became St.Francis of Assisi, negotates an agreement.
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships
Armageddon Summer
Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Big Talk
Three poems are presented graphically with four color-coded bars to represent four voices for choral reading. The rhythms of the poems progress from easy to more difficult. The author provides a section on "How to read this book" and "Helpful hints."
Buried Alive
This collection of linked poems explores the rich, puzzling and painful experiences of love from teenagers' points of view.
Author: Fletcher, Ralph |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Charlotte
When 10-year-old Charlotte's father forbids her to associate with her cousins because her uncle was a royalist in the American Revolution, she disobeys with lifelong consequences. The book includes an Afterword about Charlotte's later life.
Author: Lunn, Janet |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
First Impressions: Andrew Wyeth
This biography of Andrew Wyeth is the result of a friendship between the artist and the author. The book focuses on Wyeth's early years, his relationship with his father, and his development as an artist. One reader felt that the vocabulary might be diff
Author: Meryman, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
My Sister's Keeper
Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
One Kingdom: Our Lives with Animals
Subtitled "the human-animal bond in history, science, and story," this fascinating book focuses on animals, real and not real, throughout history, particularly as they have interacted with humans.
Author: Noyes, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Perfect Shot, The
Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Anne Frank, A
This picture book retells the familiar story made famous by the The Diary of Anne Frank of a young Jewish girl who goes into hiding with her family in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Although the book includes a few quotati
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Raisin in the Sun, A
When an African-American family chooses to integrate an all-white neighborhood, all of their value systems and relationships come under pressure.
Author: Hansberry, Lorraine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Rio Grande Stories
In Albuquerque, 7th grade students decide to write a book on their diverse heritage to raise money for the school. As they research traditions and family stories, they learn unexpected things about themselves. Chapters alternate between stories about th
Twelfth Night
This is a narrative retelling of Shakespeare's play. Many of the famous lines are embedded in the narrative.
Author: Shakespeare, William (retold B. Coville) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Wright Sister, The,
Often portrayed through letters, this biography, of Katherine Wright, the sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright, is told against the historical background of the restrictions on women.
Author: Maurer, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > friendships
145th Street: Short Stories
Engaging short stories written in Myers' natural writing styles that contain serious side plots and portray some of the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Characters are portrayed honestly and jump off the page to keep the reader enga
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, The
When Junior (Arnold) Spirit chooses to go to school off his North Dakota reservation to attend an all white farm school, he encounters a few new friends and loses an old one as he navigates the worlds of whites and Native Americans.
Author: Alexie, Sherman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
All I See
Shy Charlie admires the painter Gregory's work from afar. The child and adult become friends, and Gregory teaches Charlie about painting, senses, imagination, and friendship.
Androcles and the Lion
This book retells the fable of Androcles, a runaway Roman slave, who befriends a wounded lion.
Author: Nolan, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Armageddon Summer
Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
At Gleason's Gym
The story of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn NY, and the many people who use it. It includes a brief story of Sugar Boy Younan, National Silver Gloves Champion 2006. The words and pictures tap into the senses. The illustrations demonstrate the rhythm to the mus
Author: Lewin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Bird House, The
This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
Black and White Airmen: Their True Story
The history of airmen in WWII is told through the experiences of two men from Cincinnati, one African American and one Caucasian. Information about race relations at the time is woven throughout the narrative.
Author: Fleischman, John |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bluish
This is a warm, easy to read story of three young girls and their developing friendship. Natalie, whom the children call Bluish, suffers from leukemia.
Author: Hamilton, Virginia |
|
Butterfly, The
During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique discovers that her mother is a member of the Resistance, and that a secret trap door conceals a Jewish family in hiding. Monique and the secret "guest" become nighttime playmates until terror threatens.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chance of Sunshine, A
The pictures tell most of the story in this almost-wordless book. Two people chance to meet, become separated, and eventually find their way back together.
Chicken Sunday
Two African-American boys and their white friend, a girl, try to earn enough money to buy Miss Eula Mae the Easter bonnet she's been longing for. The children befriend a Jewish shopkeeper who helps them succeed.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Chuck Close Up Close
This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dear One, The
15-year-old, pregnant Rebecca arrives at her mother's college friend's house to await the birth of her baby. She and others in the house learn to embrace differences and develop friendships.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Ellen Foster
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
Emily
This book tells the story of a young girl's encounter with the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson and of her friendship with the author. Although the picture book is a fictional account, Cooney's oil paintings and the afterword with biographical information
Author: Bedard, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Faithful Friend, The
This is a retelling of the traditional tale from the French West Indies in which two friends, Clement and Hippolyte, encounter love, zombies, danger, and adventure on the island of Martinique.
Author: San Souci, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Francie
This engaging novel shows a slice of life in small-town Alabama in the 1940s, as told from the perspective of 13-year-old Francie. Francie, her mother, and her brother anxiously await a chance to join her father in Chicago. In the meantime, Francie comes
Garden of Happiness, The
A young girl cares for a seed that she plants near a community garden in New York City.
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Great Race, The
A grandmother helps her granddaughter arrange paper cutouts of the Chinese zodiac by telling her a story of how 12 animals race to reach the Jade City. The author includes an appendix with information about the Chinese zodiac.
Heart is Big Enough, The
Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
Home Lovely
Janelle and Tiffany move to a trailer, where Tiffany is alone after school while Janelle works. Tiffany finds some plants, makes a garden, and becomes friends with the mailman. (NOTE: Teachers may want to be aware that the child, clearly elementary-scho
Author: Perkins, Lynne Rae |
|
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Jip: His Story
Jip, a young orphan in the mid-1850s, lives on a farm, interacts with Put "the lunatic," and wonders about his past. Eventually he attends school and, with the help of Teacher (Lyddie from the Paterson book by the same name) and her Quaker friend, discov
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Josepha
A boy narrates the story of his friend and protector, the immigrant young man Josepha, who had to leave school to work.
Author: McGugan, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Like Sisters on the Homefront
When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
Matchbox Diary, The
An Italian immigrant grandfather uses objects he's preserved in matchboxes to tell his granddaughter the story of his life. He created this unique diary because he could not read or write.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Matilda Bone
Sometime in medieval Europe, a sombre-minded priest leaves a 14-year-old orphaned girl to be a bonesetter's apprentice. She reads and writes Latin but knows very little about the world and the people in it.
Author: Cushman, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season, A
Twelve modern-day stories focus on the "true meaning" of Christmas. Each addresses the tenacity of the human spirit; all are engaging stories.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Missing May
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.
My Life in Dog Years
Each chapter describes one of the amazing and unforgettable dogs Gary Paulsen has owned. As we read his dogs' stories, we also learn a great deal about the author.
Number the Stars
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. It is about the power of the Danish Resistance, heroes of a nation, the power of human decency over th
Author: Lowry, Lois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
One and Only Ivan, The
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall,he decides that he must find them a better life. Although a work of fiction, this story comes from a true story
Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Picasso and the Girl With a Ponytail
The cubist artist Picasso met his model Sylvette when he was in his 70's. The book chronicles how they met and how she gained confidence to become an artist herself. The author includes a biography of Picasso and photographs of his paintings and sculptu
Author: Anholt, Laurence |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Pink and Say
This long picture book tells the story of Pinkus Aylee, an African-American soldier in the Civil War, and of his mother, Moe Bay and of his friendship with a young White boy. A moving book that may be more appropriate for adults than for children, it cel
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers
Paulsen shares his love of the Iditarod and especially of Cookie, his primary lead dog, and her pups. Descriptions of how the pups learn are alternately amazing, touching, and hilarious.
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
School for Pompey Walker, A
At the dedication of a school named for him, Pompey Walker tells how he and a white friend, Jeremiah, raised money to build a school for ex-slave children. With the help of his friend, Pompey allows himself to be sold over and over again, escaping each t
Author: Rosen, Michael J. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Star of Fear, Star of Hope
As a young girl living in France during the Nazi occupation, Helen can't understand why her best friend Lydia must wear a yellow star. The friends part when Lydia leaves a birthday party to warn her family that the Nazis are rounding up Jews. The friend
Author: Hoestlandt, Jo |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Time to Love, A
Beautifully illustrated and ably introduced by sons of the author, this book retells six Bible stories from different perspectives, all revealing aspects of love--father/son, friends, brothers, lovers, and daughters-in-law. Teachers can promote religious
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
True Believer
This is not exactly a sequel to Make Lemonade, but the style is similar and many of the characters are the same-- LaVaughn, her mother, Jolly and her children [they have a minor role in this book]. LaVaughn is 15, lives in the inner city, and str
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
Wake Up Our Souls
Well-written biographies and stunning reproductions of the work of approximately 30 African American artists introduce us to painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists born between 1830 and the present. The design makes the book beautiful and the e
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Yellow House, The
During a brief few months of their productive artistic years, the painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in Arles, in southern France. The book is illustrated with their works of art and the illustrator's researched depiction of
Author: Rubin, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > intergenerational
145th Street: Short Stories
Engaging short stories written in Myers' natural writing styles that contain serious side plots and portray some of the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Characters are portrayed honestly and jump off the page to keep the reader enga
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
All I See
Shy Charlie admires the painter Gregory's work from afar. The child and adult become friends, and Gregory teaches Charlie about painting, senses, imagination, and friendship.
At Gleason's Gym
The story of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn NY, and the many people who use it. It includes a brief story of Sugar Boy Younan, National Silver Gloves Champion 2006. The words and pictures tap into the senses. The illustrations demonstrate the rhythm to the mus
Author: Lewin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Because of Winn-Dixie
10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Childtimes
Three African American women, grandmother, mother, and daughter, reminisce about their childhoods.
Author: Greenfield, Eloise & Little, Lessive Jones |
|
Coming On Home Soon
A kitten comforts a young African American girl as she and her grandmother wait for the mother's return from working in Chicago during World War II.
Author: Woodson, Jaqueline |
|
Day Before Christmas, The
Four years after the death of her mother, seven-year-old Allie goes with her grandfather to a performance of the ballet "The Nutcracker" on Christmas Eve. Warned by her father before leaving that Grandpa may be a little sad, Allie learns that Grandpa had
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dear Willie Rudd
Miss Elizabeth, thinking 50 years back, remembers Willie Rudd, the African American housekeeper who raised her, her mother, and her grandmother. She writes a letter to the long-dead Willie Rudd in which she explains the past and expresses her feelings.
Author: Gray, Libba Moore |
|
Deep Blues
Bill Traylor, who worked as a farm laborer before and after the Civil War, was "discovered" as a folk artist at the age of 85.
Dogsong
14-year-old Russel, an Eskimo, feels assailed by the modernity of his life. With the help of a wise elder, Russel learns how (and why) to make a 1400-mile dog run across his country. (Newbery Honor Book)
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
Heart is Big Enough, The
Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
Hundred Penny Box, A
A young boy loves his Great Aunt Dew, her stories, and her box of one hundred pennies, one for each of her birthdays. But Michael's mother is impatient with them both and wants to throw the box out.
I Have an Olive Tree
Colorful, stylized illustrations depict a girl and her mother as they travel back to Greece to see the olive tree her granfather left her when he died, a gift that grows in value as the story progresses.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jim the Boy
In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
Language of Doves, The
On her sixth birthday, Julietta's grandfather gives her one of his homing pigeons and tells her about his experiences raising and training doves for military use in Italy during WWI.
Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Like Sisters on the Homefront
When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Love You, Soldier
This touching story about the effects of WW II on one family is told through the eyes of seven-year-old Katie. (NOTE: This is a short chapter book that will be very easy for students to read.)
Author: Hest, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Marven of the Great North Woods
Marven's immigrant Russian Jewish family sends him alone by train and by ski to a logging camp in Minnesota to escape the diphtheria epidemic in the city of Duluth. He finds a niche for himself in very different cultural surroundings through the friendsh
Midnight Clear: Stories for the Christmas Season, A
Twelve modern-day stories focus on the "true meaning" of Christmas. Each addresses the tenacity of the human spirit; all are engaging stories.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Missing May
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.
Miz Berlin Walks
A little African American girl learns to love the old white lady who walks by her home every day.
Old Musician, The
A little girl hears an old man playing a flute and initiates his journey as an ever more popular musician of increasing number of instruments until his celebrity invades his private life.
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Sanctuary, The
Little Man, age 10, thinks that Tico and Aaron should let him join their gang. But first he must retrieve a piece of junk from the altar "sanctuary" that "crazy" Lucy Johnson built in her backyard. Little Man gets caught and comes to know and love the o
Author: Eskridge, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Show Way
Simple text and stunning illustrations tell the intergenerational story of Woodson's ancestors.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Stone Water
Grant, a 15-year-old boy, grapples with his grandfather's request to remove him from life support systems. This is a realistic and emotionally riveting portrayal of issues surrounding death.
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
To Hell with Dying
Because of the controversial subject matter and the language of the title, this book would have to be introduced carefully and treated sensitively. The author tells the story of growing up down the road from old alcoholic Mr. Sweet, who would fall on his
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Wall, The
In this emotionally charged book told from the point of view of the child, a boy and his dad look for the grandfather's name on the Vietnam Memorial.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Winter Room, The
This book tells the story of Eldon, a boy growing up in the mid-20th century in rural Minnesota. He and his brother Wayne work hard to help out on the farm, but have time for fun and adventures too. After a short introduction, the book is structured in
Wreck of the Zanzibar, The
When Laura Perryman dies, her great-nephew Michael gets her diary. The diary reveals remarkable stories about a time when people lived off the bounty (and at the mercy) of the ocean. This story "of a family bound by respect for nature seamlessly blends
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > values
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Freedom's Children
Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gandhi
The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
Henry David's House
These seamlessly woven excerpts from Thoreau's Walden and the beautiful watercolor illustrations together describe constructing and living in the house at Walden Pond.
Author: Schnur, Steven (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
If: A Fathers Advice to His Son
Sports themed photographs accompany Kiplings poem about the qualities that make up a mature person.
Author: Kipling, Rudyard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Like Sisters on the Homefront
When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Music of Dolphins, The
Mila, a feral child raised by dolphins after her parents' death, is rescued, studied and taught human behavior and language at a research center. Different type face and size convey Mila's language development.
Oh, Freedom!
Most of the book is transcripts of interviews children conducted with people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Several essays that provide a chronology of African-American life and a foreword by Rosa Parks complement the interviews.
Author: King, Casey, & Osborne, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pledge of Allegiance, The
This book illustrates the phrases in the Pledge of Allegiance with photographs. Included is a description of what the pledge means (literally), dates to diplay the flag, and some basic flag history.
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Raisin in the Sun, A
When an African-American family chooses to integrate an all-white neighborhood, all of their value systems and relationships come under pressure.
Author: Hansberry, Lorraine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
To Every Thing There Is a Season
The extraordinarily beautiful art from different cultural and historic periods illustrates a Bible passage from Ecclesiastes. An end section describes the historical/geographical information about the art work.
Author: Dillon, Leo and Dianne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > values > humanity
And the Soldiers Sang
A fictional story about the 1914 Christmas Truce of WW I when Allied and German soldiers came together in friendship on the battle field. Illustrated in graphic novel style haunting artwork, the writing cuts through the gloomy circumstances with examples
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
As Good as Anybody
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who had both experienced discrimination, joined forces in the Civil Rights Movement.
Author: Michelson, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Because of Winn-Dixie
10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
Christmas Menorahs, The
This picture book recreates the true story of how families and a community decided to stand together to combat bigotry and acts of hatred.
Fish
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Author: Matthews, L. S. |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Friend on Freedom River
This is the story of young Louis, who decides to do what his father would do and help runaway slaves make it across the Detroit River to Canada.
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II
This amazing book takes the reader inside the internment camps and shows the fortitude of the people who survived and thrived despite the hardships imposed on them. An amazing book for readers of all ages. Beautiful photos add to the text.
Author: Sandler, Martin W. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
On the Wings of Peace
This is a collection of illustrations and various types of text, all provided by noted authors and illustrators, that focus on issues related to peace. Many cultures are represented among characters and in illustrations.
Author: Hamanaka, Sheila (comp.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pond God and Other Stories, The
This unusual book of one-page pourquoi stories--of how things came to be--follows the tradition of Rudyard Kiplilng's Just So Stories and Aesop's Fables.
Author: Keyser, Samuel J. |
|
Rose Blanche
A young girl shares her food with those behind barbed wire in Nazi Germany. The title was the name of the German resistance movement during Hitler's regime.
Author: Innocenti, Roberto |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saladin
This beautifully illustrated biography of the revered Islamic hero, Saladin, provides a balanced view of the Crusades. The book includes a map, historical context, a postscript of history post-Saladin, a glossary, and a bibliography.
Author: Stanley, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt
The book depicts T. Roosevelt's life from youth to death. It explains his marriages, children, passions and accomplishments as a politician and conservationist. Full color illustrations and direct quotes help bring the story of Teddy Roosevelt to life.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Trouble Don't Last
This is the story of 11-year-old Samuel and "cranky old Harrison," who leave the Kentucky farm where they are slaves and head north to freedom, encountering non-stereotypical members of trhe Underground Railroad. The author is the historian at Hale Farm a
Author: Pearsall, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > values > inhumanity
47
In this part fictional slave narrative and part science fiction story, 47, a young slave without a name, learns from mysterious Tall John how to "neither a master nor a nigger be".
Author: Mosley, Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
And the Soldiers Sang
A fictional story about the 1914 Christmas Truce of WW I when Allied and German soldiers came together in friendship on the battle field. Illustrated in graphic novel style haunting artwork, the writing cuts through the gloomy circumstances with examples
Author: Lewis, J. Patrick |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Bearing Witness
This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Birmingham, 1963
A fictional narrator tells, in poetry, about the day she turned 10, which was also the day of the church bombing in Birmingham
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice
These are stories about the Freedom Riders during the early years of the Civil Rights movement. The detail and "human" perspective provided goes well beyond most written descriptions. This is an engaging account of the actions of incredibly brave heroes.
Author: Haskins, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
Old African, The
a beautifully told and illustrated story that, according to the dust jacket, is "based on legend." The Old African has magical powers. This is the story of his capture and enslavement as a young man and ultimately, his plan to free his fellow slaves.
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Poet Slave of Cuba, The: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
This true story of 19th Century Cuban poet Juan Francisco Manzano, who was born a slave, is told in free verse from various points of view--the boy, his mother, his father, and his owners.
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
Begins with a prologue in which the authors each address their research process on this topic. A detailed history of sugar and the effects of its production on the world. Sugar cane drove the Atlantic slave which is explained in this book using songs, or
Author: Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
To Be a Slave
Reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves report their experiences of being owned and sold as property in the United States during the 19th Century. Many accounts of brutality are unsettling. This is a reprint of a 1968 edition with new introductory materia
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
Wreath for Emmett Till, A
Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > collaboration
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon, The
This book, written almost in a scrapbook format, tells about Michael Collins, who stayed with the spacecraft while fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. The book contains diagrams, charts, and black and white and colored ph
Author: Schyffert, Bea Uusma |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Perfect Shot, The
Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sweethearts of Rhythm: The story of the greatest all-girl swing band in the world
The 16-member, all-woman, racially diverse swing band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm from the war years of the 1940's are brought to life by the idiomatic speech and rhythms of Nelson's poetry and by Pinkney's vibrant illlustrations. The individ
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Team Moon
This fact-filled book commemorates the achievement of 400,00 people of "team moon" who were responsible for the first walk in space in July, 1969. Color photographs, biographies, annotated source material, websites for further information, a glossary, a
Author: Thimmesh, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Yellowstone Moran:Painting the American West
A true story of how Tom Moran traded his city environs for a chance to join a scientific expedition to Yellowstone and record the wonders in his paintings. The author researched letters and journals of the famous Hayden expedition into Yellowstone Nationa
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > coming-of-age
After the War Was Over
In this charming book, Michael Foreman describes growing up in post-World War II England and preparing to be an artist. His text, watercolors, and illustrated memorabilia evoke innocence and pleasure in a world recovering from war.
Author: Foreman, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Armageddon Summer
Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Ashanti to Zulu
Each letter of this alphabet book describes a different African culture. It is meant as a reference or resource book, but the fabulous illustrations create a lively African world.
Author: Musgrove, Margaret |
|
At Her Majesty's Request
Queen Victoria oversees the education and upbringing of an African princess after she was rescued from execution by a ship captain who brought her to England.
Author: Myers, Walter Den |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bee & Jacky
A brother and sister suffer the effects of their father's Vietnam trauma and their mother's ineffectualness by resuming a physical relationship. This moving, psychologically honest book is difficult to read because the real or imagined incest is portraye
Black Star, Bright Dawn
Bright Dawn, a teenaged Eskimo girl, takes her father's place in the grueling Iditarod, the 1000-mile dogsled race through the cold wilds of Alaska. In the process, she learns about herself, her family, and her culture.
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Buried Alive
This collection of linked poems explores the rich, puzzling and painful experiences of love from teenagers' points of view.
Author: Fletcher, Ralph |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page
Tobias, an 11-year-old boy, goes to serve as a page for a year in his uncle's castle in 13th Century England. Notes for the Reader contains additional historical information.
Author: Platt, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Color of My Words, The
This is an easy-reading novel, part poetry and part prose, about Ana Rosa, a young writer who is growing up poor in a seaside village in the Dominican Republic where she learns about family community, the merengue, and the power of words.
Author: Joseph, Lynn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dogsong
14-year-old Russel, an Eskimo, feels assailed by the modernity of his life. With the help of a wise elder, Russel learns how (and why) to make a 1400-mile dog run across his country. (Newbery Honor Book)
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Edna St. Vincent Millay
This beautifully illustrated collection of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay includes an introductory biography and an index of the poems.
Author: Schoonmaker, Frances (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Elijah of Buxton
Eleven-year-old Elijah, the first to be born free in a Canadian settlement for runaway slaves at the end of the Underground Railroad, though considered "fra-gile" and talkative by adults, performs an heroic feat with his chucking stones.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Ellen Foster
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
Escaping into the Night
Thirteen year old Halina escapes from a Polish ghetto to a forest community of Jews where she and her friends Batya and Reuven learn to survive despite brutality, extreme hardship, and loss of family. Although this book is fiction, there were real commu
Author: Friedman, D. Dina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Facing the Lion
Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
Author: Lekuton, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fever 1793
This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
First Part Last, The
[revised from dust jacket] Bobby is a classic urban teenaged boy-- impulsive, eager, restless. On his 16th birthday, he learns that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Their lives change dramatically, both during the pregnancy and after baby Feather is born.
Fish
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Author: Matthews, L. S. |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Francie
This engaging novel shows a slice of life in small-town Alabama in the 1940s, as told from the perspective of 13-year-old Francie. Francie, her mother, and her brother anxiously await a chance to join her father in Chicago. In the meantime, Francie comes
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
Growing Up in Revolution and the New Nation
"Studying history is a way of snooping into the past." So begins this interesting book that focuses on childhood and adolescence in 1775--1800. Illustrated with paintings from the Revolutionary War period, the book describes education, work and leisure, d
Author: Miller, Brandon Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Heart is Big Enough, The
Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly
Patsy, a 12-year-old slave girl, keeps a diary during 1865, describing the changes in the plantation that come with the Emancipation Proclamation. The author appends historical notes, archival photographs, the wording of Constitutional Amendments 13,14,
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Islander, The
An orphaned boy, who grows up with his grandfather on an island off the coast of British Columbia, finds a key-literally--that helps him overcome his loneliness and loss.
Jack
This is a biography of JFK, from birth through HS graduation. A bit of his parents' backgrounds is also provided. Primary documents, letters and school reports, are sprinkled throughout the text.
Author: Cooper, Ilene |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jayhawker
With the U.S. on the verge of civil war, Elijah Tully and his father ride out of Kansas as Jayhawkers, guerrilla fighters against slavery. After his father is killed, Lije goes undercover among the proslavery bushwhackers to help the abolitionists and t
Author: Beatty, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jim the Boy
In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
Journey
Journey, an eleven-year-old boy whose Mom has left him and his sister to live with her parents, feels angry and betrayed. He spends the summer looking at family photos, learning to recognize the sustaining love of his grandparents, and letting go of his
Author: MacLachlan, Patricia |
|
Leaving and Other Stories, The
The nine short stories in this collection all feature young people on the brink of adulthood. Although themes vary according to story, most are written as reminiscences. Since the author is Canadian, readers will learn about Canadian culture.
Light in the Forest, The
At 15, true son John Butler is returned to his biological white family by his Native American adoptive father. After he escapes with his friend and rescuer Halt Arrow, he is caught between two families and two cultures.
Author: Richter, Conrad |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
This coming-of-age novel is a Newbery Honor Book. It tells the story of people in Maine in the early 1900s, a friendship between a minister's son and an island girl, and the ways greed and prejudice change all their lives.
Long Way From Chicago, A
Subtitled "A Novel in Stories," this is a book about Joey and Mary Alice, who leave their home in Chicago each summer during the Depression to spend a week with Grandma Dowdel, who lives in a very small downstate town and who is, to say the least, an unfo
Long Way Gone, A: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The story of a Sierra Leonian boy who at age 12 was recruited and forced into being a gun toting, drug crazed soldier and then learned how to live with what he had done after going through a UNICEF rehabilitation program.
Author: Beah, Ishmael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
The author reminisces indirectly by depicting and describing outfits she wore at times of loss in her life. This clever book has a limited audience: urban (especially New York), women, and people interested in fashion design.
Lugalbanda
This retelling of the oldest recorded story ever found from Sumer (now Iraq) recounts the journey of a young prince as he crosses the mountains to join a war and find his brothers, overcoming obstacles on his way. The book includes interesting historical
Author: Henderson, Kathy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Moon Over Tennessee
A boy accompanies his father into the Confederate Army in the Civil War, eventually arriving at the battle of Gettysburg. The story-poem is told in a format of journal entries. Somber black and white woodcuts contribute to the tragic tone. A map and an
Author: Crist-Evans, Craig |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Morning Girl
In alternating chapters, Morning Girl (age 12) and her brother describe life on a Bahamian island in 1492. (Note: this book won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.)
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moving Mama to Town
Enterprising Freddy James moves his mother and younger brother to town after his father leaves and the farm fails. He works at the local saloon where he learns from everyone he meets.
Author: Young, Ronder Thomas |
|
Night the Bells Rang, The
This short novel (76 pages), told from the point of view of a farm boy, tells the story of Mason's struggles with a bully, and of his growing up. Although the book has the feel of a reminiscence, the emotions are complex and the characters ring true.
Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Persepolis 2
This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Persepolis I: The Story of a Childhood
In this first of two volumes about the author's life, Satrapi tells of her childhood and coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran/Iraq war.
Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Poetry for Young People: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Beautifully illustrated collection of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry. The volume also includes a sketch of the poet's life.
Author: Francis Schoonmaker |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Remember the Bridge
Illustrated by prints and black-and-white photographs and bracketed by two "bridge" poems, the poetry relates the experience of African Americans from Africa to the Civil Rights Movement.
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rite of Passage
The book is set in Harlem in the late 1940s. Protagonist Johnny Gibbs, 15, is a model child and student until he learns that he is a foster child who must go to live with another family. Johnny feels betrayed and reacts by running away. What follows pu
Author: Wright, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Same Stuff as Stars, The
Angel and her little brother Bernie are dropped off at their great-grandma's house. Dad is in jail, and mom is an alcoholic and selfishly unable to be a mother. Together, the new family learns to live together in the crumbling Vermont farmhouse.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
Secret Life of Bees, The
Fourteen-year-old Lily and Rosaleen, the black servant who has look after her since her mother died 10 years earlier, run from Lily's abusive father and the brutality and racism of the police. Against the historical events of 1964 in South Carolina, they
Seek
For a senior class autobiography assignment, Robbie creates "a sound portrait" in a radio script format, which includes his extended family and his search for his long-absent father. One reviewer thought that the text is too disjointed and confusing for
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Seventeenth Child, The
The author writes the oral history of her mother, who is the seventeenth child in her family growing up in the South during the Depression.
Author: Rice, Dorothy & Payne, Lucille |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
shadow spinner
1
Author: fletcher, susan |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Song of Be
When Be was a child, she and her mother left their people--the Namibian Bushmen--to work on a white man's plantation. Spending time with her grandfather helps her forget how much she misses others. With Namibia on the verge of freedom, Be finds the cour
Author: Beake, Lesley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sound the Jubilee
During the Civil War, Maddie, an eleven-year-old house slave, journeys with her mistress to Nags Head near Roanoke Island which has become a Yankee-protected community for run-away slaves. Maddie grows up there with her family and finds a place for herse
Author: Forrester, Saundra |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Speak
This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
Step Toward Heaven, A
When Young Ju emigrates with her immediate family to America from Korea, she misses her grandparents. As she grows older, she finds a refuge from her father's physical abuse in school achievement. The author mimics the style of narration with the age of
Stone Water
Grant, a 15-year-old boy, grapples with his grandfather's request to remove him from life support systems. This is a realistic and emotionally riveting portrayal of issues surrounding death.
Tale of Paradise Lost, The
An exquisitly illustrated prose retelling of John Milton's famous poem Paradise Lost.
Author: Willard, Nancy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
To Kill A Mockingbird
In this classic American novel set in the 30s, Lee tells the story of two children growing up in the South with their lawyer father who represents an African-American man accused of raping a white woman. The novel is rich and complex in plot and theme.
Author: Lee, Harper |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Toning the Sweep
Emily goes to the desert with her mother to help her dying grandmother Ola pack up her house and move. She slowly comes to terms with her family history and her coming loss.
Touching Spirit Bear
Cole, a juvenile "delinquent," is offered jail or "circle justice," a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal, his victim, and the community. Cole's time at a remote Alaskan island and his interactions
Waiting for the Evening Star
This beautifully illustrated book is about Berty, a small boy who lives a happy life in a Vermont farming community. Berty's life changes when his older brother, Luke, decides to leave the family farm to become a soldier in WWI.
Author: Wells, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, The
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family from Flint, Michigan are drastically changed after a trip to Alabama in 1963. This is a powerful book, sometimes powerfully funny and sometimes powerfully touching
Author: Curtis, Christopher P. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
Author: Levinson, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers
Diary and journal excerpts and archival photographs enliven a well-written text about the Westward Movement as seen from the perspective of children. The book includes short biographies of the children who are quoted often as well as a chronology, furthe
Author: Wadsworth, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Year Down Yonder, A
This is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. Both books have won awards, the Newbery Medal for this one. Mary Alice goes to live with her spunky, trouble-making grandma in rural Illinois because the Depression has torn her family apart.
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > curiosity
Ben Franklin's Almanac
The "scrapbook" format of this biography, explores Ben Franklin's life thematically rather than chronologically, allowing the reader to grasp what a multi-talented person he was. The author includes extensive back matter for further research.
Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Confucius
The author has demythologized the figure of Confucius, depicting him as a very human, vulnerable and wise man. In a postscript, the author explains the origin and process of the book, providing resources and an index of Confucian sayings. The illustrati
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
This photobiography of Albert Einstein documents his celebrated scientific achievements and his lesser-known stands for freedom and opposition of tyrants from Hitler to McCarthy. The story of his family life gives insights into his pursuit of questioning
Author: Delano, Marfe Ferguson |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Hana's Suitcase
When a suitcase with Hana Brady's name on it arrives at the Toyko Children's Holocaust Education Center, the children have many question about who Hana might have been. In an effort to answer those questions, Fumiko Ishioka, the center's curator, begins a
Author: Levine, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Librarian Who Measured the Earth, The
A "responsibly imagined" biography of Eratosthenes, the librarian of the great library in Alexandria, Egypt,in the 3rd Century B. C., describes how he measured the circumference of the earth.
Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
math
|
Library for Juana, A
This beautifully illustrated imaginative biography (little is known) focuses on the early life of Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, who became the first and one of the greatest Mexican poets known as Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The author includes a glossary, furt
Author: Mora, Pat |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein
This picture book biography of Albert Einstein focuses on his early years when he did not fit in--anywhere. Don Brown illustrates his book in delightful ink and watercolor and includes a biographical note updating the events of the book.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Silent Boy, The
Katy,the young and curious daughter of a small-town doctor living in 1908, learns about life, death, and social distinctions from her family and her friend, Jacob, who is "touched."
Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
Author: McClafferty, Carla |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > depression
Can't Get There from Here
This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Speak
This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > endurance
47
In this part fictional slave narrative and part science fiction story, 47, a young slave without a name, learns from mysterious Tall John how to "neither a master nor a nigger be".
Author: Mosley, Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ajeemah and His Son
This very powerful, short chapter book (83 pages) is set first in Africa, then on a slave ship, and then in Jamaica where Ajeemah and his son are taken. It tells the story of a father and son who are captured outside of their village and torn from their
Author: Berry, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Angel Island
An historical account of the discrimination against the Asian immigrants in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Angel Island, located near Alcatraz Island, was the Ellis Island of the west coast of the U.S. but was more of a prison than a welcoming center. Drawi
Author: Russell Freedman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya
Story of how a Kenyan boy sets a goal of becoming a doctor after his baby sister dies. He succeeds and is now a physician in Akron Ohio.
Author: Oelschlager, Vanita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies | science
|
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe:
Charlise Lyles grew up in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s. This memoir focuses on life in the projects, her family's struggle to survive, her mother's relentless work to provide opportunities for children. Mostly, though, it's about Charlise-- her though
Dog Lost
An eleven-year old boy and pit bull terrier become best of friends. In an angry rage, the father throws the dog out into the street and the dog is forced to survive. Eventually the boy and his dog are reunited but not before the dog becomes a local hero
Author: Lee, Ingrid |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dogsong
14-year-old Russel, an Eskimo, feels assailed by the modernity of his life. With the help of a wise elder, Russel learns how (and why) to make a 1400-mile dog run across his country. (Newbery Honor Book)
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Escaping into the Night
Thirteen year old Halina escapes from a Polish ghetto to a forest community of Jews where she and her friends Batya and Reuven learn to survive despite brutality, extreme hardship, and loss of family. Although this book is fiction, there were real commu
Author: Friedman, D. Dina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gleam and Glow
The story of a family who fled from the Bosnian-Serb forces to a refugee camp in 1990. When they returned to their home in 1995 they found everything destroyed except 2 pet fish.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gleam and Glow
The story of a family who fled from the Bosnian-Serb forces to a refugee camp in 1990. When they returned to their home in 1995 they found everything destroyed except 2 pet fish.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In Memory's Kitchen
While prisoners in Teresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp, Jewish women created a book of recipes of foods remembered. The introduction relates the fascinating history of this unique cookbook.
Author: De Silva, Cara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Letters from a Slave Girl
Drawn from her 1861 autobiography, these fictionalized letters tell the story of Harriet Jacobs, a slave from North Carolina who went through great struggles to escape slavery. The book ends with two family trees, one a Black family and one White, a glos
Author: Lyons, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
This is the first of two volumes about the experiences of the author's parents in the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The author depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats in his illustrations.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale
A powerful graphic novel about a father who survived the Nazi concentration camps and his son in which Jews are depicted as mice and Nazis as cats. The story jumps back and forth between the present life in the Catskills and the past life in the camps.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was perpetual motion and perpetual trouble until mentors helped her channel her energy into tennis where she became a champion, and the first African American to win the Wimbledon. The colorful illustrations capture her boundless energy.
Author: Stauffacher, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was perpetual motion and perpetual trouble until mentors helped her channel her energy into tennis where she became a champion, and the first African American to win the Wimbledon. The colorful illustrations capture her boundless energy.
Author: Stauffacher, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sarah's Key
The story of the roundup of the Jews in France during WWII. A heart-wrenching look at the infamous collaboration of French officials with the Nazis It is told through two people: a 10-year-old Jewish girl and an American journalist 60 years later.
Author: de Rosnay, Tatiana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Stone Lamp, The
This book of poems and accounts gives a personal and historical perspective of the meaning of lighting the Menorah lamps representing the eight nights of Hanukkah. The author tells in prose and poetry of real events from 1190 to 1995. Brian Pinkney's vi
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Surrender Tree, The
Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not free. Acclaimed poet, Margarita Engle has created a lyrical, powerful portrait of Cuba. The main character is a healer who treats anyone in need. Initially a slave, Rosa becomes a free person w
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt
The book depicts T. Roosevelt's life from youth to death. It explains his marriages, children, passions and accomplishments as a politician and conservationist. Full color illustrations and direct quotes help bring the story of Teddy Roosevelt to life.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > faith/beliefs
Anno's Medieval World
In Anno's beautifully illustrated medieval world, superstitions rather than science explain natural phenomena, especially the shape and movement of the earth. Anno uses medieval styled illustrations to share these beliefs of the Middle Ages up to the Age
Author: Anno, Mitsumasa |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Joan of Arc
The author weaves together historical fact and fiction in the story of a modern French girl who idolizes Joan of Arc. An historical map and beautiful illustrations enhance the stories.
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Unexplained
The author explores several categories of unexplained phenomena from Stonehenge to Roswell, N. M. UFO sightings, suggesting origins of superstitions and possible explanations. Sidebar information, photographs, and paintings illustrate the text and back m
Author: Allen, Judy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > fate
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Black Pioneers
This well-researched history of African American pioneers, freedom fighters, and participants in the Underground Railroad tells little known stories of brave people who settled the midwest against great odds. The book contains archival photographs, a map
Author: Katz, William Loren |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Have an Olive Tree
Colorful, stylized illustrations depict a girl and her mother as they travel back to Greece to see the olive tree her granfather left her when he died, a gift that grows in value as the story progresses.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Heard the Owl Call my Name
Although this book is not universally appealing, some readers respond emotionally and deeply to this story of a young priest's year with the Native American people of British Columbia, his illness, and his acceptance of his fate. The book does not provid
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
To Be a Slave
Reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves report their experiences of being owned and sold as property in the United States during the 19th Century. Many accounts of brutality are unsettling. This is a reprint of a 1968 edition with new introductory materia
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > freedom
47
In this part fictional slave narrative and part science fiction story, 47, a young slave without a name, learns from mysterious Tall John how to "neither a master nor a nigger be".
Author: Mosley, Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Carver
Personal and professional details of the life of George Washington Carver are told in poems from the perspectives of many people.
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Coretta Scott
Coretta is a poetic tribute to the life of Coretta Scott King and the Civil Rights movement. This is an amazing biographical tribute in poetry which is most readable and offers all kinds of teaching opportunities.
The art work by Kadir Nelson really make
Author: Shange, Ntozake |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Days of Jubilee
Subtitled "The End of Slavery in the United States," this book chronicles the U.S. Civil War with particular attention to the different times and circumstances in which slaves were freed. The text is sprinkled with excerpts from slave narratives, letters,
Author: McKissack, Patricia, & McKissack, Frederick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dear Mr. President: Abraham Lincoln Letters from a Slave Girl
Fictional correspondences between President Lincoln and a 12-year-old slave girl that discuss his decision to write the Emancipation Proclamation. The author includes a supporting website, index, other recommended books, and photographs.
Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dream of Freedom, A
This well written and comprehensive documentation of the Civil Rights Movement, its background, issues, and confrontations is told by a white Southern woman of privilege who grew up during that period. Photographs and fact boxes, index, bibliography, and
Author: McWhorter, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
This is an informative account of a child left behind when his American soldier father left Vietnam and his mother died. It traces his journey to America, his adopted family and his eventual return to his homeland to help orphans.
Author: Warren, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Freedom Riders
This book, illustrated with historical photographs, tells the story of two young men, one white and one black, whose common goal in life is to bring equality between the races. Their story is set during the historic freedom rides of the Civil Rights Move
Author: Bausum, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom River
In this true story, John Parker, an ex-slave in Ripley, Ohio, helps a family on the Underground Railroad. Beautiful watercolor collages illustrate the story. Historical notes, additional books, suggested websites, and maps make this useful in the classr
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom's Children
Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Friend on Freedom River
This is the story of young Louis, who decides to do what his father would do and help runaway slaves make it across the Detroit River to Canada.
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gandhi
The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
Grab Hands and Run
Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
Author: Temple, Frances |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Harriet and the Promised Land
The text, consisting of a single rhyming poem, is an accompaniment to Lawrence's contemporary and vivid paintings. The poem tells the story of Harriet Tubman, a slave who led other slaves to freedom.
Author: Lawrence, Jacob |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Henry's Freedom Box
This simply written picture book tells the true story of Henry Brown, a runaway slave who escaped to freedom by mailing himself in a crate.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
It Is a Good Day to Die
A brief introduction explains why the account of Custer's battle at Little Bighorn is told through individual recollections long after the encounter. In addition to the personal accounts, the book includes a helpful chronology of events, short biographie
Author: Viola, Herman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
January's Sparrow
After a fellow slave is beaten to death, Sadie and her family flee the plantation for freedom through the Underground Railroad. As they make a new life in Michigan, they must remain alert for the slave catchers.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
January's Sparrow
After a fellow slave is beaten to death, Sadie and her family flee the plantation for freedom through the Underground Railroad. As they make a new life in Michigan, they must remain alert for the slave catchers.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moses
The author's note describes this book on Harriet Tubman as a "fictionalized spiritual journey" comparing her answering the call of God to lead her people out of slavery to Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. The author includes a forewo
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Music of Dolphins, The
Mila, a feral child raised by dolphins after her parents' death, is rescued, studied and taught human behavior and language at a research center. Different type face and size convey Mila's language development.
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Now Is Your Time! the African-American Stuggle for Freedom
The subtitle of this book is The African-American Struggle for Freedom. The book contains 23 chapters on topics such as the Dred Scott Case and Brown v. Board of Education, an afterword, an author's note, a bibliography, and an index.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Now Let Me Fly
This book gives a fictional account of Minna, a young African girl, taken from her homeland and sold into slavery. The epilogue carries the story forward to the Emancipation Declaration.
Author: Johnson, Dolores |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Frederick Douglass, A
This engaging biography tells the life story of the civil rights leader Frederick Douglass and the role he played in a turbulent time of the United States. The book ends with author's notes and a timeline. The Adler biographies are well written and acce
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pledge of Allegiance, The
This book illustrates the phrases in the Pledge of Allegiance with photographs. Included is a description of what the pledge means (literally), dates to diplay the flag, and some basic flag history.
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pride of Baghdad
This graphic novel of a family of lions liberated from the Baghdad zoo by U.S. bombing raids provides a symbolic understanding of the war from the dangers they encounter.
Author: Vaughan, Brian K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rabbits, The
A myth/allegory about rabbits who take over a country and destroy the environment. The illustrations are simultaneously thought-provoking, beautiful, and ominous. The type face may confuse new readers although it is large and easy to read.
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Remember the Bridge
Illustrated by prints and black-and-white photographs and bracketed by two "bridge" poems, the poetry relates the experience of African Americans from Africa to the Civil Rights Movement.
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sarney
A sequel to Nightjohn, the book follows the life of Sarny, the slave girl that Nightjohn taught to read, as she travels to New Orleans in the aftermath of the Civil War to find her children who had been sold into slavery.
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
So Far From the Sea
A Japanese American visits Manazar, a Japanese relocation camp in World War II, to visit the grave of a grandfather.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sweet Smell of Roses, A
The book jacket says it all: "There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice?--with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Author: Johnson, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
This Is the Dream
Accessible poetry and vivid illustrations portray the dreams and accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The illustrator uses interesting collages for some borders and the endpapers.
Author: Shore, Diane & Alexander, Jessica |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
To Be a Slave
Reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves report their experiences of being owned and sold as property in the United States during the 19th Century. Many accounts of brutality are unsettling. This is a reprint of a 1968 edition with new introductory materia
Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Voice of Her Own, A
This biography of Phillis Wheatley, a American Revolution era slave who became the first Black woman poet, includes excerpts of her poetry, an epilogue, and notes by the author and illustrator.
Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Wall, The: Growing up behind the iron curtain
Author-illustrator Peter Sis documents his growing up in Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, using extraordinary drawings in black, white, and red that precede two-page spreads of journal entries. Because the running text at the b
Author: Sis, Peter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
When Harriet Met Sojourner
The author imagines the meeting of two brave activists for the freeing of slaves --Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman when they were in Boston in 1864. The story is told with the aid of very powerful artwork.
Author: Clinton, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > hopes/dreams
145th Street: Short Stories
Engaging short stories written in Myers' natural writing styles that contain serious side plots and portray some of the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Characters are portrayed honestly and jump off the page to keep the reader enga
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Angel Island
An historical account of the discrimination against the Asian immigrants in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Angel Island, located near Alcatraz Island, was the Ellis Island of the west coast of the U.S. but was more of a prison than a welcoming center. Drawi
Author: Russell Freedman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
At Gleason's Gym
The story of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn NY, and the many people who use it. It includes a brief story of Sugar Boy Younan, National Silver Gloves Champion 2006. The words and pictures tap into the senses. The illustrations demonstrate the rhythm to the mus
Author: Lewin, Ted |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope
Framed by the story of an African American mother and her son, who keeps interjecting questions and comments, the narrative tells the story of Barack Obama around the theme of hope and the importance of education. Both the words of Nikki Grimes and the ar
Author: Grimes, Nikki |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Block, The
This collection of Langston Hughes poems is complemented by the illustrations of Romare Beardon. An introduction by Bill Cosby precedes the collection, and biographies of the poet and artist conclude it.
Author: Hughes, Langston |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Boy Named Giotto, A
This exquisitely illustrated biography portrays the early years of the Renaissance painter, Giotto, who lived in Italy from 1267-1337.
Author: Guarnieri, Paolo |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chanda's Secrets
Sixteen-year-old Chanda, who lives in a fictional sub-Saharan
country that is feeling the impact of HIV/AIDS psychologically(fears, lies, and sundered relationships)and socially (ostracism of tainted people, necessity of hiding), takes a courageous stand
Author: Stratton, Allan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Choices
George Ella Lyon, an accomplished writer of children's books, wrote this collection of stories (and its accompanying text, More Choices) specifically for adult new readers; in fact, she conferred with ABE students from Kentucky while creating the
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
This story describes the customs used in both the plantation house and the slave quarters during the Christmas season during slavery years. The amount of detail--even recipes and songs are included--is unusual, and yet the book flows well and makes compe
Author: McKissack, Patricia & McKissack, Frederick |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Circuit, The
The author tells the heartbreaking story of a young boy growing up as an undocumented migrant whose family traveled the crop circuit in California in the 1930's. The narrative is told as linked stories. At least two of the chapters have been published a
Author: Jimenez, Francisco |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Don Quixote and the Windmills
This retelling of the famous Spanish novel by Cervantes recounts Don Quixote's first adventure as a knight. An Author's Note contributes historical information about Cervantes.
Author: Kimmel, Eric |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Drawing in the Sand, A
In words and illustrations, Jerry Butler tells his story of becoming an artist--the people who encouraged him and the African American artists who established a tradition for him to join. Some students may find the uses of different type face distracting
Author: Butler, Jerry |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Dream Keeper and Other Poems, The
A reissue of Hughes' poetry book with seven additional poems (total of 66). The poems are short and make appropriate reading for all levels of learners. Many of the poems deal with issues of the African-American experience.
Author: Hughes, Langston |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Drylongso
Drylongso, which takes place west of the Mississippi in 1975, is the story of a poor farming family's battle with a drought. Drylongso, "a youth imbued with simple human kindness . . . a folk hero" (author's notes) arrives, and with him comes ho
Author: Hamilton, Viginia |
|
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
This is an informative account of a child left behind when his American soldier father left Vietnam and his mother died. It traces his journey to America, his adopted family and his eventual return to his homeland to help orphans.
Author: Warren, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave Enslaved Potter and Poet
This imaginative volume of poetry is both a tribute to Dave the Potter and a positive biography of a potter who worked his artistic magic despite being a slave. It is poetic in style, autobiographical, written in more than one voice and each entry is jour
Author: Cheng, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Fanny's Dream
A retelling of the Cinderella story, the book depicts the choices of Fanny Agnes, providing a humorous portrait of a strong woman.
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
Gwendolyn Brooks
This biography describes the influences and hardships of the early years and the political activism of the later years of the African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The book includes a chronology, archival photos, an index, a list of published works and
Author: Hill, Christine M. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Hand in Hand
The collection of poems is organized by American historical themes rather than by chronology. There are many poems that are familiar patriotic songs.
Author: Hopkins, Lee (Ed.) |
|
Heart of a Champion, The
These are short biographies of sports figures who have been featured on Wheaties boxes over the years. Subsections, organized by traits that contribute to success (commitment, grace, courage, team effort, and perseverance) are preceded by short essays abo
Here in Harlem
Walter Dean Myers recreates the Harlem of his youth in poetry and populates it with colorful characters through their voices.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
I Dream of Trains
This is the story of an African-American boy who lives in the South before the Great Migration, who loves trains, and who stands in awe of Casey Jones.
Author: Johnson, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Have Heard of a Land
A hardworking African American woman stakes a homestead claim in the Oklahoma Territory in the period after the Civil War. Told in rich, lyrical language, the beautifully illustrated story reminds us that African Americans were a part of the settlement o
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In the Promised Land
From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Indigo and Moonlight Gold
A little girl looks at the stars and dreams.
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow
Told in vivid language and stunningly illustrated, this is a story of a talented child who discovers his love of music and learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way.
Author: Golio, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Let the Celebrations Begin!
During WW II, in the concentration camps, women hoarded buttons and odds and ends in order to make the children dolls and presents for the day they would be released. Although the art has been criticized for being too whimsical for its grim subject matte
Author: Wild, Margaret |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Let Them Play
This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of the 1955 state champion little league team from South Carolina, who were all African-American and who encountered segregation problems as they continued to win.
Author: Raven, Margot |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Letters from a Slave Girl
Drawn from her 1861 autobiography, these fictionalized letters tell the story of Harriet Jacobs, a slave from North Carolina who went through great struggles to escape slavery. The book ends with two family trees, one a Black family and one White, a glos
Author: Lyons, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Long Walk to Water, A
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva D
Author: Park, Linda Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lotus Seed, The
A young girl tells her grandmother's story of carrying a lotus seed with her from Vietnam, losing it, and then regaining it. The author wants to share "how a family's heritage is passed from one generation to the next and how hope, like the lotus seed, ca
Author: Garland, Sherry |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Make Lemonade
When fourteen-year-old LaVaughn takes a job baby-sitting for seventeen-year-old Jolly's two children, neither girl realizes how much she'll learn from the other. Despite no job, a lousy apartment, and a bleak future, Jolly, with the help of LaVaughn and
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Mandela
This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
Author: Cooper, Floyd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Minty
Long before her years as leader in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, nicknamed Minty, was a strong-willed child who dreamed of running away while suffering the brutalities of slavery. Old Ben taught her survival skills that she would need later.
Author: Schroeder, Alan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miss Crandall's School
In innovative sonnet form, the authors tell the story of Prudence Crandall who ran a school for "young ladies and little misses of color" in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1831 until boycotts, vandalism and persecution forced the school to close. An introdu
Author: Alexander, Elizabeth & Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
More Than Anything Else
Few people around young Booker T. Washington are able to read. But Booker, age 9, finds a chance and takes it. This biography, which also shows life in post-Civil War West Virginia, is full of eloquent language and dramatic, lantern-lit paintings.
Author: Bradby, Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Ol' Man
Patricia Polacco once again uses her rich family background to tell the story of her father, a traveling salesman, and the magic, hope, and dreams he inspired. (Photos of the author and her family adorn the inside covers.)
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Now Let Me Fly
This book gives a fictional account of Minna, a young African girl, taken from her homeland and sold into slavery. The epilogue carries the story forward to the Emancipation Declaration.
Author: Johnson, Dolores |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One and Only Ivan, The
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall,he decides that he must find them a better life. Although a work of fiction, this story comes from a true story
Author: Applegate, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Parvana's Journey
Disguised as a boy, Parvana rescues a baby and joins with a young boy as she travels through war-torn Afghanistan searching for her family. The telling of the story through the child's perspective allows the reader to approach a sensitive current event an
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Perilous Journey of The Donner Party, The
The Donner Party, consisting of 81 people who set out for a new life in California in the mid 1850's, got trapped in the mountain snows with diminishing supplies. Harrowing tales of survival followed the few who made it out alive. The book includes archi
Author: Calabro, Marian |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Pick and Shovel Poet
This moving biography recounts the life of Italian immigrant poet Pascal D'Angelo. The author includes some of D'Angelo's poems as well as archival photos of immigrant life, an extensive bibliography and an index.
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Raisin in the Sun, A
When an African-American family chooses to integrate an all-white neighborhood, all of their value systems and relationships come under pressure.
Author: Hansberry, Lorraine |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
School for Pompey Walker, A
At the dedication of a school named for him, Pompey Walker tells how he and a white friend, Jeremiah, raised money to build a school for ex-slave children. With the help of his friend, Pompey allows himself to be sold over and over again, escaping each t
Author: Rosen, Michael J. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Seventeenth Child, The
The author writes the oral history of her mother, who is the seventeenth child in her family growing up in the South during the Depression.
Author: Rice, Dorothy & Payne, Lucille |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Something Permanent
Walker Evans' photographs of southern United States during the Depression years are stark and haunting, and Cynthia Rylant's short poems describe their stories beautifully.
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Based on a true incident, this story tells of a young slave girl's brainstorm of sewing a map of the Underground Railroad onto a quilt so that others could find their way to freedom.
Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sweet Music in Harlem
Inspired by a real photograph of jazz musicians taken in 1958, the fictional story recounts young C. J.'s search through Harlem for his uncle's hat, a hat his uncle wants to wear in a photograph. Included is the historical photograph with the identities
Author: Taylor, Debbie |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
This account of Olympics and Olympians through the years is stunningly illustrated with photographs that capture the action and emotion of the events. An appendix of rich detail includes a map and statistics.
Author: Macy, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Taste of Salt
This gripping novel tells the story of two teenagers in Haiti, Djo, one of Aristides' orphaned boys who is hospitalized with terrible injuries, and Jeremie, a convent-educated girl who visits Djo to hear his stories and who begins to fall in love with him
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
This Is the Dream
Accessible poetry and vivid illustrations portray the dreams and accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The illustrator uses interesting collages for some borders and the endpapers.
Author: Shore, Diane & Alexander, Jessica |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Tin Forest, The
An old man living in a wasteland of scrap metal dreams of a green forest full of birds and animals. This charming, beautifully illustrated modern legend extolls the benefits of dreaming and ideas in accomplishing change.
True Believer
This is not exactly a sequel to Make Lemonade, but the style is similar and many of the characters are the same-- LaVaughn, her mother, Jolly and her children [they have a minor role in this book]. LaVaughn is 15, lives in the inner city, and str
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
Uncle Jed's Barbershop
A woman tells the story of her Uncle Jed, an African-American barber who traveled a regular route, saving his money for his own shop. When she became sick, he gave up his money for her operation, and when the Depression came, he lost everything again. F
Author: Mitchell, Margaree K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Voice That Challenged a Nation, The
A detailed biography of Marian Anderson, an exceedingly talented woman who overcame some racial barriers and tolerated others in order to do what she loved best, recounts how she became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to wonderful arch
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Waiting for the Owl's Call
This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We The People
American history from Colonial times to the present is presented through 65 poems about individuals--some real and some imaginary. A timeline of historic events runs across the lower part of the page and a note about writing the book appears at the end.
Author: Katz, Bobbi |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
When Marian Sang
This book is an introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, depicting her music, her inspiration, and her struggles as a singer against segregation .
Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Words with Wings
This riveting collection of paintings, prints, and sculpture by African-American artists enrich poems by outstanding African-American poets. The book includes a beautifully written introduction about the role of art and poetry and brief biographies of th
Author: Rochelle, Belinda ed. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > human strength
Ann and Seamus
This story of a real event in 1828 alternates chapters in free verse of the two characters of the title. Ann, a real teenager, wants to experience the world beyond Newfoundland, and Seamus, a fictional Irish immigrant, wants to find fortune and a wife.
Author: Major, Kevin |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Bearing Witness
This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brothers In Hope
The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
Author: Williams, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Cat with the Yellow Star, The: Coming of Age in Terezin
Ela Weissberger's life before, during, and after she and her family were forced to live in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin during WWII. Photographs reinforce Ela's memories of survival and hope.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Danger Along the Ohio
The Dunn family is traveling down the Ohio River in 1793. The children become separated from their father and must fend for themselves while heading toward Marietta.
Author: Willis, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fever 1793
This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
First in the Field: Baseball Hero Jackie Robinson
This biography of Jackie Robinson, which focuses on his life until he retired from professional baseball, is accompanied by photographs. A timeline that notes African American sports milestones concludes the book.
Author: Dingle, Derek T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
Great Depression, The
This reference book covers the period of the Great Depression told with highlighted examples of the many ways Americans kept a positive outlook as they faced an uncertain future.
Author: Fremon, David K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Heart of a Champion, The
These are short biographies of sports figures who have been featured on Wheaties boxes over the years. Subsections, organized by traits that contribute to success (commitment, grace, courage, team effort, and perseverance) are preceded by short essays abo
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
John Henry
This beautifully illustrated, award-winning book tells the tale of the ex-slave John Henry who outraced the steam engine in digging a tunnel through the side of the Allegheny Mountains. The book begins with introductory notes from both Julius Lester and
Leon's Story
A custodian at a Maryland school tells his own story of growing up poor in North Carolina, of racism, of hatred, of resilience, of Martin Luther King, and of the things that matter in life.
Author: Tillage, Leon Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mandela
This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
Author: Cooper, Floyd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Martin Luther King
Folk art paintings accompany this biography of Dr. King. A timeline of important events in his life concludes the book.
Author: Bray, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
This is the first of two volumes about the experiences of the author's parents in the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The author depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats in his illustrations.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale
A powerful graphic novel about a father who survived the Nazi concentration camps and his son in which Jews are depicted as mice and Nazis as cats. The story jumps back and forth between the present life in the Catskills and the past life in the camps.
Author: Spiegelman, Art |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Mother Teresa
This is a beautifully illustrated biography of the woman who became Mother Teresa.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nikola Tesla
This biography of little-known scientist Nikola Tesla recounts his life and work on harnessing and advocating for alternating-current electricity with its many engineering applications that we take for granted. Archival photographs illustrate the text.
Author: Dommermuth-Costa, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
North Star to Freedom
This book is subtitled "The Story of the Underground Railroad," and it is that, but it's also more-- the history of slavery is presented, biographies of key figures are provided, lesislation is discussed. The author is Canadian, so this provides an intere
Author: Gorrell, Gena K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Oh, Freedom!
Most of the book is transcripts of interviews children conducted with people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Several essays that provide a chronology of African-American life and a foreword by Rosa Parks complement the interviews.
Author: King, Casey, & Osborne, Linda |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Out of the Dump: Writings and Photogrpahs by Children from Guatemala
Approximately 1500 people, most children, live in a dump at the center of Guatemala City. In 1991 Nancy McGirr began a photography project with about 2 dozen children. She provided cameras; the children photographed their world. In 1993 Kris Franklin bega
Author: Franklin, Kristine, & McGirr, Nancy (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Out of the Dust
Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Rosa
Giovanni tells the story of Rosa Parks' infamous bus ride. In the telling, the author speaks to the strength of the African-American community in their struggle for equal rights. The author weaves other tales (Emmett Till) into the story to give the rea
Author: Giovanni, Nikki |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Show Way
Simple text and stunning illustrations tell the intergenerational story of Woodson's ancestors.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
This account of Olympics and Olympians through the years is stunningly illustrated with photographs that capture the action and emotion of the events. An appendix of rich detail includes a map and statistics.
Author: Macy, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
There Comes a Time
This book, winner of the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, chronicles the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. The book begins with slave trading and ends with the "Black Power" movement of the late 1960's. A timeline, bibliography, and index are included.
Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
With Courage and Cloth
This story of women's suffrage in the U.S. concentrates on the early 20th century, although previous activities serve as a context. Illustrated with archival photos from the time,the book includes a chronology, bibliography, profiles, and other sources.
Author: Bausum, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > isolation
Black Book of Colors, The
This book is written in Braille alphabet so the sighted reader can share the reading experience with the blind reader. The books is printed in black pages to further simulate the reading experience of the blind reader. This books has been printed around
Author: Cottin, Menena |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Gifts from the Sea
The lives of a lighthousekeeper and his daughter are changed by the discovery of a baby washed ashore after a shipwreck on the coast of Maine in the 1850's.
Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Gold Coin, The
A thief follows an old woman and learns a lesson about giving.
Henry David's House
These seamlessly woven excerpts from Thoreau's Walden and the beautiful watercolor illustrations together describe constructing and living in the house at Walden Pond.
Author: Schnur, Steven (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
In the Days of the Vaqueros
Russell Freedman has created another interesting non-fiction book, this time on the vaqueros, who were the forerunners of cowboys. As usual, the author illustrates his essays with paintings, archival photographs and includes useful resources in a bibliog
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Log Cabin Quilt, The
Elvirey, her brother, grandmother, and father move to a log cabin in the Michigan woods after her mother dies. Granny's quilting scraps serve a greater purpose during a winter storm.
Author: Howard, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Music of Dolphins, The
Mila, a feral child raised by dolphins after her parents' death, is rescued, studied and taught human behavior and language at a research center. Different type face and size convey Mila's language development.
Nikola Tesla
This biography of little-known scientist Nikola Tesla recounts his life and work on harnessing and advocating for alternating-current electricity with its many engineering applications that we take for granted. Archival photographs illustrate the text.
Author: Dommermuth-Costa, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Poet Slave of Cuba, The: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
This true story of 19th Century Cuban poet Juan Francisco Manzano, who was born a slave, is told in free verse from various points of view--the boy, his mother, his father, and his owners.
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Printer, The
A son retells the story of his father, a deaf printer working in a newspaper plant in the 1940's who used sugn language to save his co-workers from a fire. In addition, the author gives biographical information about his father who was the model for the
Remembering Manzanar
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered forced evacuation of Japanese Americans who lived in the western U.S. This is the story of one relocation camp, Manzanar. The text is supported with archival photographs, end notes, Int
Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Shake Rag
As a boy, Elvis Presley discovers "good news" music at a traveling church that gives his guitar playing a distinctive sound when he records later in 1954.
Shin-chi's Canoe
Shin-chi's toy canoe, given to him by his father, sustains him during his first year at an Indian residential school. This story occurs when Native Americans were forced to attend Indian residential schools where they were made to learn the white man's w
Author: Campbell, Nicola I. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Talking With Adventurers
Several National Geographic scientists/explorers are interviewed in a Q & A format. What makes the book such an interesting read is how they see themselves and their work. The book offers maps, fabulous photographs, and contact information for particip
Author: Cummings, Pat and Linda, (compilers) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Wild Boy, The
The author tells a very sympathetic account of the wild child of Aveyron, France, who was captured and studied in the early 1800's. Dr. Itard and his housekeeper become the family of this boy who never acquired all the traits of a "civilized" person.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > laziness
Hired Hand, The
When Old Sam hires a new hand to work at the sawmill, the hired hand teaches Sam's lazy son a lesson when the son tries to con an old man. Retold from an oral African American tale, the story is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Author: San Souci, R. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Choices
George Ella Lyon, an accomplished writer of children's books, wrote this collection of stories (and its accompanying text, More Choices) specifically for adult new readers; in fact, she conferred with ABE students from Kentucky while creating the
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe:
Charlise Lyles grew up in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s. This memoir focuses on life in the projects, her family's struggle to survive, her mother's relentless work to provide opportunities for children. Mostly, though, it's about Charlise-- her though
Fanny's Dream
A retelling of the Cinderella story, the book depicts the choices of Fanny Agnes, providing a humorous portrait of a strong woman.
First Part Last, The
[revised from dust jacket] Bobby is a classic urban teenaged boy-- impulsive, eager, restless. On his 16th birthday, he learns that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant. Their lives change dramatically, both during the pregnancy and after baby Feather is born.
Giver, The
This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
If: A Fathers Advice to His Son
Sports themed photographs accompany Kiplings poem about the qualities that make up a mature person.
Author: Kipling, Rudyard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
In Our Mothers' House
Marmee and Meema, two wonderfully innovative, creative mothers, provide a loving home for adopted children and are the glue for a community-oriented neighborhood, except for one family who snubs them for being different.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In Our Mothers' House
Marmee and Meema, two wonderfully innovative, creative mothers, provide a loving home for adopted children and are the glue for a community-oriented neighborhood, except for one family who snubs them for being different.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Library, The
A delightfully illustrated story in verse about a shy, avid reader who gave her books to form a town library.
Like Sisters on the Homefront
When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
More Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers
These three stories fit with George Ella Lyon's collection Choices, but were not included in the original collection because some readers found them too controversial. Our readers found them powerful and moving, addressing life situations that m
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
My Name is Georgia
This simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe describes how she was true to her life-long goal of being an artist and how she gained inspiration for her paintings from the natural world around her.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange
This biography of photographer Dorthea Lange contains many of her photographs. Lange photographed and helped raise awareness of the poor conditions of the migrant workers during the Depression.
Author: Partridge, Ellizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Rich Man and the Parrot, The
This Persian folktale by 13th century poet Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi tells how a merchant provides his talking parrot with everything the parrot could have but not the one thing that the parrot wanted--his freedom.
Author: Nadimi, Suzan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Riding the Tiger
This is an allegory that features a bored, lonely 10-year-old's who is offered a ride by an exciting and somewhat scary tiger and discovers that it is easier to get on the tiger than to get off.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Sound the Jubilee
During the Civil War, Maddie, an eleven-year-old house slave, journeys with her mistress to Nags Head near Roanoke Island which has become a Yankee-protected community for run-away slaves. Maddie grows up there with her family and finds a place for herse
Author: Forrester, Saundra |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Strongest Man in the World, The: Louis Cyr
The text of this book goes far beyond just being the biography of a famous 20th century strong man, Louis Cyr. It is a description of early health mores and an evolution of the circus concept. Additionally, we learn a little about the other famous circus
Author: Debon, Nicolas |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Swan Lake
An expanded retelling of the story of Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.The author retells the story of Swan Lake within his narrative of the Damavand empire. Van Allsburg's illustrations highlight the events of the story.
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Tea With Milk
May (the author's mother) is learning American ways when her family moves back to Japan. When her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a husband, May moves to Osaka, begins a career, and finds her own happiness.
Time to Love, A
Beautifully illustrated and ably introduced by sons of the author, this book retells six Bible stories from different perspectives, all revealing aspects of love--father/son, friends, brothers, lovers, and daughters-in-law. Teachers can promote religious
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
Author: Levinson, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > goal setting
Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure
Alice Ramsey and three other women face floods, mud, and travel without maps as they drive from New York to San Francisco--in 1909. The charming watercolors add realistic humor to the narrative.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya
Story of how a Kenyan boy sets a goal of becoming a doctor after his baby sister dies. He succeeds and is now a physician in Akron Ohio.
Author: Oelschlager, Vanita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies | science
|
Clara Schumann
This biography chronicles the life of Clara Schumann, child prodigy and wife of composer Robert Schumann and mother of eight children. The book is illustrated with portraits and diary excerpts. A preface, an epilogue, a timeline, and an index make the b
Author: Reich, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Delicious: The Life & Art of Wayne Thiebaud
Illustrated with lush reproductions of his paintings, this biography of painter Wayne Theibaud recounting his long career and late fame, is a story of perseverance from outside the mainstream. Thiebaud paints "things that have been overlooked," like food,
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Facing the Lion
Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
Author: Lekuton, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, The
Whimsical biography of Henri Rousseau illustrated in his style of artwork. This book recounts the life of Henri Rousseau who began painting at the age of 41. Spare text written in lovely figurative language - "the flowers open their hearts" and "He holds
Author: Markel, Michelle |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Find Where the Wind Goes
This is an autobiography of Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to become an astronaut. She uses the metaphor of "wind" to describe events from her life.
Author: Jemison, Mae |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
In the Promised Land
From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Make Lemonade
When fourteen-year-old LaVaughn takes a job baby-sitting for seventeen-year-old Jolly's two children, neither girl realizes how much she'll learn from the other. Despite no job, a lousy apartment, and a bleak future, Jolly, with the help of LaVaughn and
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American GIrl
Based on an unpublished memoir, this picture book tells the story of daily life for a middle-class African American girl in New York in the 19th century. Maps and photographs illustrate the story.
Author: Bolden, Tonya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nikola Tesla
This biography of little-known scientist Nikola Tesla recounts his life and work on harnessing and advocating for alternating-current electricity with its many engineering applications that we take for granted. Archival photographs illustrate the text.
Author: Dommermuth-Costa, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, The
The story of Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget's Thesaurus complete with his biography, time line of current events and wonderful illustrations. Both Robert F Sibert medal and Caldecott Honor Book.
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing | science
|
Sea Clocks
The true story of Englishman John Harrison's life-long struggle to win the Longitude Prize is told in a free-verse format. An author's note and a facts page contribute further information.
Author: Borden, Louise |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
Author: Yoo, Paula |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
This account of Olympics and Olympians through the years is stunningly illustrated with photographs that capture the action and emotion of the events. An appendix of rich detail includes a map and statistics.
Author: Macy, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
After years of lobbying, Sarah Hale, an editor and writer, won the battle to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Back matter includes historical and biographical information. Adults may find the tone of voice and some illustrations childish a
Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Voice That Challenged a Nation, The
A detailed biography of Marian Anderson, an exceedingly talented woman who overcame some racial barriers and tolerated others in order to do what she loved best, recounts how she became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to wonderful arch
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Woman for President, A: The Story of Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Woodhull, a little-know women's rights activist, overcame many obstacles to become a financial adviser, a newspaper publisher, and an Equal Rights Party candidate for President--in 1872. Check out the end papers and the web site for the Woodhull
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > problem solving
African Princess
Illustrated with paintings, photographs, and artifacts, six biographies tell us about royal African women from Ancient Eygpt to the present: Hatshepsut of Egypt; Njinga of Matamba; Taytu Tetal of Ethiopia; Amina of Zaria; Tata Ajache of Dahomey; and Eliz
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Angels in the Dust
A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
Author: Raven, Margot Theis |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Ben Franklin's Almanac
The "scrapbook" format of this biography, explores Ben Franklin's life thematically rather than chronologically, allowing the reader to grasp what a multi-talented person he was. The author includes extensive back matter for further research.
Author: Fleming, Candice |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black Ships Before Troy
This beautifully illustrated book retells Homer's epic poem The Iliad about the Trojan War. A glossary of names is included.
Author: Sutcliff, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Black Star, Bright Dawn
Bright Dawn, a teenaged Eskimo girl, takes her father's place in the grueling Iditarod, the 1000-mile dogsled race through the cold wilds of Alaska. In the process, she learns about herself, her family, and her culture.
Blanche on the Lam
A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
Author: Neely, B. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Boss of the Plains
The illustrations and text tell how and why the cowboy hat, called the Boss of the Plains, was created by John B. Stetson in 1859. A bibliography and biography extend the usefulness of the book.
Brooklyn Bridge, The
This award winner tells the history of an unusual American family, the history of an important U.S. bridge, and the story of how that bridge was crafted and designed. It ends with a list of statistics and an index.
Author: Mann, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
science | math
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Can't Get There from Here
This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chess Rumble
Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Chuck Close Up Close
This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Cloudmakers, The
In A.D. 751 during a time of war, a Chinese grandfather and grandson have 7 days to prove that they can "make clouds" or risk being sold into slavery. The result is Chinese paper, which earns them their freedom and marks a turning point in human history.
Author: Rumford, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dear Mr. President: Abraham Lincoln Letters from a Slave Girl
Fictional correspondences between President Lincoln and a 12-year-old slave girl that discuss his decision to write the Emancipation Proclamation. The author includes a supporting website, index, other recommended books, and photographs.
Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Dogsong
14-year-old Russel, an Eskimo, feels assailed by the modernity of his life. With the help of a wise elder, Russel learns how (and why) to make a 1400-mile dog run across his country. (Newbery Honor Book)
Author: Paulsen, Gary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dragon New Year, The
A beautifully illustrated, imaginative tale about why the Chinese celebrate New Year with firecrackers. A bereaved mother is helped by Buddah to thwart the New Year dragon. The author includes the background information for his created myth.
Family Farm
Two children learn that their family is in danger of losing its farm. They devise a plan for saving it.
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fish
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Author: Matthews, L. S. |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Fly Away Home
A homeless boy and his dad live at the airport while the father tries to find an apartment and a job. They hide out from airport officials but receive support from another down-on-their-luck family.
Forbidden Schoolhouse
With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
Author: Jurmain, Suzanne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom Walkers
This detailed account of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the Civil Rights Movement includes material on the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, but also focuses on other heroes like Rev. Robert Graetz, Joanne Robinson and
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Genius of Leonardo, The
Giacomo, a servant of Leonardo da Vinci, recounts the later life of the famous Italian Renaissance painter and inventor. The magnificent illustrations capture sketches, works of art, and daily life and the text includes quotation in italics from the note
Author: Visconti, Guido |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Gutenberg
This black and white picture book tells the story of Johann Gutenberg, creator of the printing press. It includes a map, time line, and afterword.
Author: Fisher, Leonard Everett |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hero and the Minotaur, The
This retelling of the Greek hero Theseus' journey to the island of Crete to slay the minotaur and his return to become King of Athens is magnificently illustrated in the style and colors that recall Greek pottery designs. Stylized maps decorate the end
Author: Byrd, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Invisible Allies
Subtitled "Microbes that Shape our Lives," this book uses cheese, chocolate, and bread to explain what microbes are, how they work, and their roles in our lives. The book includes clear photos and a complete glossary of terms.
Author: Farrell, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Invisible Enemies
This well-written but long book describes seven deadly diseases--Small Pox, Leprosy, Plague, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cholera, and AIDS--the epidemics they caused, and the treatments developed by courageous scientists. The author includes a glossary, a bib
Author: Farrell, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Journey of the Red Wolf
The author-photographer traces the red wolf from near extinction in 1971 to their current reintroduction into their native habitat. The book includes and Afterword, a list of Where to See Red Wolves, and an Index.
Author: Smith, Roland |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Kid Who Invented the Trampoline, The
Here are 50 short expository pieces about inventions. The selections are interesting and easy to read.
Author: Wulffson, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Leonardo daVinci
This fascinating biography of Leonardo daVinci emphasizes his scientific curiosity and observation of the natural world that he recorded in his illustrated notebooks. The author has included very helpful resources: location of the notebooks today; books
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Librarian of Basra, The
A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.
Longitude Prize, The
This history documents the competition between "ocean clocks" and "lunars" to win the 20,000 pound prize (about $12 million today) from the British Parliament for a replicable and simple way to determine longitude at sea. The story follows John Harrison,
Author: Dash, Joan |
HSE Descriptors:
math | science
|
Luba, the Angel of Bergen-Belsen
This is the story of Luba Tryszynska, a prisoner at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp who hid 52 abandoned Jewish children until the camp was liberated. Front and back matter establish the historical context with a map and a bibliography. An epilogue tel
Author: McCann, Michelle R. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Marvelous Mattie
Based on the life of Margaret E. Knight, the book portrays an imaginative girl who overcomes the barriers of poverty and sexism to become an inventor of over 90 inventions with 22 patents. The author's note gives more biographical information while paten
Author: McCully, Emily |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Marven of the Great North Woods
Marven's immigrant Russian Jewish family sends him alone by train and by ski to a logging camp in Minnesota to escape the diphtheria epidemic in the city of Duluth. He finds a niche for himself in very different cultural surroundings through the friendsh
Memory Coat, The
In order to flee persecution as Jews in Russia, Rachel and her cousin Griska emigrate with their extended family to America where they encounter difficulty at Ellis Island. The author provides additional information on immigration from Russia in the endm
Author: Woodruff, Elvira |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
When offered a choice between a ceramic clock and a shovel as a gift before leaving for America, Bridie chooses the latter and uses it throughout her resourceful life.
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females
All the poems in this collection are about women and girls, some famous and some not. The three sections of the book are "When I Am Me," "She's a Winner" (about sports), and "Against the Odds." Work from some famous poets is included.
Author: Morrison, Lillian (comp.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
My Brothers' Flying Machine
This biography of Wilber and Orville Wright is told by their younger sister.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Nobody Particular
A graphic novel format depicts the activist Diane Wilson and her fight against water pollution along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The illustrations contain diagrams to explain problems of pollution.
Author: Bang, Molly |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
North by Night
Lucy Spencer and her Ohio farm family are involved in the Underground Railroad in 1851, a time when The Fugitive Slave Act levied severe punishment and fines for harboring runaway slaves. Lucy makes a courageous decision that changes her life and that of
Author: Ayres, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Number the Stars
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. It is about the power of the Danish Resistance, heroes of a nation, the power of human decency over th
Author: Lowry, Lois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, The
Margaret Rose Kane, 12 years old, escapes oppressive summer camp with the help of her great-uncles and then helps them rescue from urban renewal the sculptural "towers" that they have been creating for 45 years.
Author: Konigsburg, E. L. |
|
Queen of the Falls
An engaging story about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - a 63 year old school teacher. Van Allsburg combines sepia toned illustrations with a smooth and flowing text while using tension to hold the reader's interest.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Roanoke
Based on extensive research, this book explores the political intrigue surrounding the disappearance of the first American colony at Roanoke, in what is now North Carolina. The suspenseful text is supplemented with archival photographs and paintings, a t
Author: Miller, Lee |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ruth and the Green Book
An easy narrative about travel in this country by car for African Americans in the 50s and 60s. Ruth's story is fiction, but the "The Negro Motorist Green Book" and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indigniti
Author: Ramsey, Calvin A. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Same Stuff as Stars, The
Angel and her little brother Bernie are dropped off at their great-grandma's house. Dad is in jail, and mom is an alcoholic and selfishly unable to be a mother. Together, the new family learns to live together in the crumbling Vermont farmhouse.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
|
Sea Clocks
The true story of Englishman John Harrison's life-long struggle to win the Longitude Prize is told in a free-verse format. An author's note and a facts page contribute further information.
Author: Borden, Louise |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
shadow spinner
1
Author: fletcher, susan |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts
|
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
On an expedition to cross Antarctica, Ernest Shackleton and his crew lost their ship in the ice flow. Shackleton and five others left in small boats to get help. This is a higher reading level version of Spirit of Endurance by the same author.
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sigmund Freud
This biography introduces the history of the study of the physical and emotional aspects of the mind as well as the colorful life of Sigmund Freud. Additional resources include an appendix, a bibliography, web sites, and an index.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Snowflake Bentley
This is a biography of Wilson Bentley, a scientist who photographed thousands of snowflakes in order to study their formations. Additional information is presented in sidebars throughout the book.
Author: Martin, Jacqueline Briggs |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
Author: McClafferty, Carla |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Spirit of Endurance
The book employs maps, archival photographs, blueprints, and paintings to tell the exciting story of Ernest Shackleton's rescue of his men on his expedition in Antarctica when their boat, The Endurance, was destroyed in an ice floe. The author includes a
Author: Armstrong, Jennifer |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Talking With Adventurers
Several National Geographic scientists/explorers are interviewed in a Q & A format. What makes the book such an interesting read is how they see themselves and their work. The book offers maps, fabulous photographs, and contact information for particip
Author: Cummings, Pat and Linda, (compilers) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Team Moon
This fact-filled book commemorates the achievement of 400,00 people of "team moon" who were responsible for the first walk in space in July, 1969. Color photographs, biographies, annotated source material, websites for further information, a glossary, a
Author: Thimmesh, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
To Fly
In short 2-3 page chapers with delightful watercolor illustrations, the narrative traces the Wright bothers' step-by-step evolution as aviation engineers. The author provides a timeline, a bibliography, notes, and an index.
Author: Old, Wendie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
War, The
A young prince, who dislikes war, cleverly provides an alternative to fighting.
Washington at Valley Forge
In Freedman's inimitable style, he captures the grit and triumphs over the lack of provisions for General Washington's winter encampment at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Excellent and unfamiliar paintings of Washington accompany the text. Th
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin's biography not only emphasizes his well-known role as advisor and organizer to leadership in the Civil Rights Movement but expands our view with his activities as speaker, singer, actor, artist, and non-violent activist. This biography pro
Author: Brimner, Larry Dane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Weave of Words, A
A young king uses his literacy and weaving skills to send a message to the queen who frees him from his captors. The copyright page contains information on the origins of this Armenian tale.
Author: San Souci, Robert |
|
Well, The
Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
What Jamie Saw
The power and lyricism of this remarkable book is evident in the opening sentence. "When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved." Jam
Wolf of Gubbio, The
A legend tells the story of a wolf who terriorizes a community until the boy who became St.Francis of Assisi, negotates an agreement.
Wolf on the Fold
Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers
Diary and journal excerpts and archival photographs enliven a well-written text about the Westward Movement as seen from the perspective of children. The book includes short biographies of the children who are quoted often as well as a chronology, furthe
Author: Wadsworth, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Written in Bones
This thoroughly researched book explores human history through the study of bones. Maps, photographs, and archival materials illustrate the text. The text is complex and the print small.
Author: Bahn, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Young Man and the Sea, The
In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
Author: Philbrick, Rodman |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > regret
Leonardo's Horse
Contemporary sculptors completed the horse that Leonardo da Vinci began but never finished.
Author: Fritz, Jean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Nellie Bly
This biography recounts the life of the woman who opened up the field of journalism to women through her undercover investigative reporting during the turn of the century through WW I.
Author: Fredeen, Charles |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sarah's Key
The story of the roundup of the Jews in France during WWII. A heart-wrenching look at the infamous collaboration of French officials with the Nazis It is told through two people: a 10-year-old Jewish girl and an American journalist 60 years later.
Author: de Rosnay, Tatiana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Wolf on the Fold
Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > righting wrongs
Alia's Mission
This graphic storybook/graphic novel is based on the true story of the chief librarian at the Central Library in Basra, Iraq. It tells the story of how she tried to save the books from destruction during the Iraq War.
Author: Stamaty, Mark Alan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
As Good as Anybody
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who had both experienced discrimination, joined forces in the Civil Rights Movement.
Author: Michelson, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
The life of Bass Reeves, from slavery to US marshal, the most feared and respected lawman in the territories. This is a story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West. Actual photos, western vocabulary, timeline,further reading/websites, res
Author: Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
The life of Bass Reeves, from slavery to US marshal, the most feared and respected lawman in the territories. This is a story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West. Actual photos, western vocabulary, timeline,further reading/websites, res
Author: Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black Pioneers
This well-researched history of African American pioneers, freedom fighters, and participants in the Underground Railroad tells little known stories of brave people who settled the midwest against great odds. The book contains archival photographs, a map
Author: Katz, William Loren |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bread and Roses, Too.
This is a fictionalized history of the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts, factory strike. The main characters are two children, a girl whose family is active in the strike, and a homeless boy. Aspects of the strike itself and of outsiders' attempts to help the
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Dear One, The
15-year-old, pregnant Rebecca arrives at her mother's college friend's house to await the birth of her baby. She and others in the house learn to embrace differences and develop friendships.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Dream of Freedom, A
This well written and comprehensive documentation of the Civil Rights Movement, its background, issues, and confrontations is told by a white Southern woman of privilege who grew up during that period. Photographs and fact boxes, index, bibliography, and
Author: McWhorter, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor
This biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's early life conveys the emotionally impoverished childhood amid wealth and power. The book captures the indomitable spirit of the woman who would become the greatest and most beloved First Lady and a leader in her own
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedman relates this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with the interest of suspense fiction which is accompanied by extensive archival photographs. The book traces her evolution from a shy young girl from an unhappy home to America's most acclaimed First
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fiery Vision: The Life and Death of John Brown
Brown is one of the controversial figures in American history who continues today to evoke both anger and admiration. This gripping biography of John Brown, abolitionist and crusader for equality of races, describes the events of his life that led to Har
Author: Cox, Clinton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fiery Vision: The Life and Death of John Brown
Brown is one of the controversial figures in American history who continues today to evoke both anger and admiration. This gripping biography of John Brown, abolitionist and crusader for equality of races, describes the events of his life that led to Har
Author: Cox, Clinton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba, The
This powerful book shares the plight of women and slavery in Cuba, a beautiful, lush island with many ugly truths. The early feminist, Fredrika Bremer, travels from Denmark to record life in this society and finds a great deal of prejudice and wrongs. Dur
Author: Engle, Margarita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Francie
This engaging novel shows a slice of life in small-town Alabama in the 1940s, as told from the perspective of 13-year-old Francie. Francie, her mother, and her brother anxiously await a chance to join her father in Chicago. In the meantime, Francie comes
Freedom Riders
This book, illustrated with historical photographs, tells the story of two young men, one white and one black, whose common goal in life is to bring equality between the races. Their story is set during the historic freedom rides of the Civil Rights Move
Author: Bausum, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Friend on Freedom River
This is the story of young Louis, who decides to do what his father would do and help runaway slaves make it across the Detroit River to Canada.
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
This is a picture biography of Cesar Chavez. It focuses on his childhood and initial efforts at organizing farm workers in the mid-60s, creating The National Form Workers Association.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Heavenly Village, The
This is subtitled "A Novel," but it's really more a loosely connected set of short stories, all of which take place in the "Heavenly Village," a place for those who have died but are not quite yet ready to leave earth behind. (Note: religious overtones, i
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hero Beowulf, The
This prose retelling of the first part of the earliest poem in English (Anglo Saxon, actually) has strong, vibrant illustrations and helpful supplementary material.
Author: Kimmel, Eric A. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Martin's Big Words
Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Monster
16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Nobody Particular
A graphic novel format depicts the activist Diane Wilson and her fight against water pollution along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The illustrations contain diagrams to explain problems of pollution.
Author: Bang, Molly |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Number the Stars
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. It is about the power of the Danish Resistance, heroes of a nation, the power of human decency over th
Author: Lowry, Lois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Only Passing Through
Strong illustrations help tell this biography of Sojourner Truth. An Author's Note updates the relevance of Sojourner Truth and provides a helpful timeline.
Author: Rockwell, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rosa
Giovanni tells the story of Rosa Parks' infamous bus ride. In the telling, the author speaks to the strength of the African-American community in their struggle for equal rights. The author weaves other tales (Emmett Till) into the story to give the rea
Author: Giovanni, Nikki |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Si, Se Puede (Yes, We Can!)
Text in both English and Spanish on each page tells the story of a mother who becomes active in union organization. This story is based on the 2000 janitors' strike in Los Angeles. An essay by Luis J. Rodriguez describes a real-life activist whose goals a
Author: Cohn, Diana |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Somewhere In the Darkness
Jimmy, a teenager, lives in the city with Mama Jean. Then he meets Crab, a "man with something to prove. Maybe Crab's not sure what it is; maybe Jimmy's not sure he wants to know. But it may be the last chance Crab has to tell Jimmy who he was, and who
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sundiata
With roots in the 13th Century history of Mali in West Central Africa, the legend of Sundiata and how he gains the kingship prophesied at his birth is illustrated with exquisite cut paper artwork. Historical facts are included in the endmatter and a beau
Author: Wisniewski, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Touching Spirit Bear
Cole, a juvenile "delinquent," is offered jail or "circle justice," a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal, his victim, and the community. Cole's time at a remote Alaskan island and his interactions
When Harriet Met Sojourner
The author imagines the meeting of two brave activists for the freeing of slaves --Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman when they were in Boston in 1864. The story is told with the aid of very powerful artwork.
Author: Clinton, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Women of Hope
The author wrote essays on thirteen African American women to accompany photographs of the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. The essays feature inspiring women who exhibited courage in overcoming barriers of race and gender in fighting for rights we all
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wreath for Emmett Till, A
Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
Author: Nelson, Marilyn |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > sacrifice
9-11 Artists Respond: Volume One
Over 100 graphic artists draw their reactions to the 9-ll attack on the World Trade Center. There are as many styles and points-of-view as artists. Although graphic in nature, some texts would be difficult for beginning readers due to size and type face
Author: No author cited |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Buddha
The beautifully illustrated story of how the young prince Siddhartha became a Buddha.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coal Miner's Bride, A: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska
In journal format, the life of a thirteen year old girl in 1896 comes to life. Anetra Kaminska is sold to an older widower of three children in a mining town, for the price of her and her brother's tickets from Poland to America. Her life is extremely ha
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Hitler Youth
By following a dozen German youth, the author examines the attraction and occasionally the resistance of the role of the Hitler youth movement in Nazi Germany. The author includes additional material for further exploration.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | science
|
Joan of Arc
The author weaves together historical fact and fiction in the story of a modern French girl who idolizes Joan of Arc. An historical map and beautiful illustrations enhance the stories.
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Sister's Keeper
Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
Nazi Olympics, The
Published by the U. S. National Holocaust Museum, this history documents the manipulation of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin by Hitler and the Nazi party and presents the controversy of whether to participate or not on the part of nations and individuals. Ar
Author: Bachrach, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
Author: Judge, Lita |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rose Blanche
A young girl shares her food with those behind barbed wire in Nazi Germany. The title was the name of the German resistance movement during Hitler's regime.
Author: Innocenti, Roberto |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Truce
Ostensibly writing about the real "Christmas truce" of Dec. 25, 1914, the author provides excellent historical material about the origins and maneuvers of this period of World War I. Photographs give immediacy to the text and back pages and maps provide
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > second chances
Birches
On each page Ed Young illustrates trees and forests and the countryside, in browns and sepia tones, and presents them along with several lines of Robert Frost's well-known poem, "Birches." The poem is printed in its entirety again on the last two pages.
Author: Frost, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Chance of Sunshine, A
The pictures tell most of the story in this almost-wordless book. Two people chance to meet, become separated, and eventually find their way back together.
Dear One, The
15-year-old, pregnant Rebecca arrives at her mother's college friend's house to await the birth of her baby. She and others in the house learn to embrace differences and develop friendships.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Dog Lost
An eleven-year old boy and pit bull terrier become best of friends. In an angry rage, the father throws the dog out into the street and the dog is forced to survive. Eventually the boy and his dog are reunited but not before the dog becomes a local hero
Author: Lee, Ingrid |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Hammerin' Hank Grenberg: Baseball Pioneer
The story of Hank Greenberg, first Jewish ballplayer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sommer explores the world of baseball as it became more inclusive and gives details of how Greenberg was an exceptional player.
Author: Sommer, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Heavenly Village, The
This is subtitled "A Novel," but it's really more a loosely connected set of short stories, all of which take place in the "Heavenly Village," a place for those who have died but are not quite yet ready to leave earth behind. (Note: religious overtones, i
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hired Hand, The
When Old Sam hires a new hand to work at the sawmill, the hired hand teaches Sam's lazy son a lesson when the son tries to con an old man. Retold from an oral African American tale, the story is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Author: San Souci, R. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Noah's Ark
Well-known author-illustrator Jerry Pinkney retells the story of Noah and the ark that survives the flooding of the earth in a simple narrative and wonderfully detailed pictures.
Reappearance of Sam Webber, The
With the help of adult friends, eleven-year-old Sam Webber adjusts to the disappearance of his father and the reduced circumstances of life in Baltimore. Although the story is told from Sam's perspective, every reader can identify with the ultimately upb
Author: Fuqua, Jonathon Scott |
|
Riding the Tiger
This is an allegory that features a bored, lonely 10-year-old's who is offered a ride by an exciting and somewhat scary tiger and discovers that it is easier to get on the tiger than to get off.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Same Stuff as Stars, The
Angel and her little brother Bernie are dropped off at their great-grandma's house. Dad is in jail, and mom is an alcoholic and selfishly unable to be a mother. Together, the new family learns to live together in the crumbling Vermont farmhouse.
Author: Paterson, Katherine |
|
Touching Spirit Bear
Cole, a juvenile "delinquent," is offered jail or "circle justice," a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal, his victim, and the community. Cole's time at a remote Alaskan island and his interactions
What Jamie Saw
The power and lyricism of this remarkable book is evident in the opening sentence. "When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved." Jam
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices > taking risks
Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure
Alice Ramsey and three other women face floods, mud, and travel without maps as they drive from New York to San Francisco--in 1909. The charming watercolors add realistic humor to the narrative.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Informative account of Amelia Earhart's life and death, separating fact from fiction. A leader in women's rights, Amelia was an independent woman who proved women could fly! But, could she have done it without male support? Bibliography and source notes
Author: Fleming,Candace |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Ann and Seamus
This story of a real event in 1828 alternates chapters in free verse of the two characters of the title. Ann, a real teenager, wants to experience the world beyond Newfoundland, and Seamus, a fictional Irish immigrant, wants to find fortune and a wife.
Author: Major, Kevin |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Anne Frank
If you wonder why read another book on Anne Frank, look at this beautifully and realistically illustrated story that simply relates the political situation and gives the characters more three-dimensional personalities. A chronology in the end papers adds
Author: Poole, Josephine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole
This non-fiction, photographic picture book tells the history of the Antarctic. The pictures are all accompanied by true stories of heroism and adventure.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing | language arts - reading
|
Bearing Witness
This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
Author: Oates, Joyce Carol |
|
Black Pioneers
This well-researched history of African American pioneers, freedom fighters, and participants in the Underground Railroad tells little known stories of brave people who settled the midwest against great odds. The book contains archival photographs, a map
Author: Katz, William Loren |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Blanche on the Lam
A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
Author: Neely, B. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chuck Close Up Close
This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader
Although she is best known for shepherding the "Little Rock Nine" through the dangers and stresses of the first school integration test, Daisy Bates pursued a life of community crusading despite obstacles and personal difficulties before and after Little
Author: Polakow, Amy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words
This edited and illustrated book provides generous excerpts from Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. No textbook description of slavery could have even a tiny portion of the power of this chilling account.
Author: McCurdy, Michael (Ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Finding Lincoln
Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
Author: Malaspina, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fire in Their Eyes
Color photographs and lively text follow a group of special wildfire firefighters called "hotshots" through training to their drop by parachute into wildfire zones.
Author: Biel, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Flight
This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Lindbergh's daring flight over the Atlantic in 1927. It opens with a brief historical note by author Jean Fritz.
Author: Burleigh, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Forbidden Schoolhouse
With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
Author: Jurmain, Suzanne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom on the Menu
The author portrays the 1960's Civil Rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina through the eyes of a young Southern black girls. Richly muted paintings illustrate the story.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom Riders
This book, illustrated with historical photographs, tells the story of two young men, one white and one black, whose common goal in life is to bring equality between the races. Their story is set during the historic freedom rides of the Civil Rights Move
Author: Bausum, Ann |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Freedom River
In this true story, John Parker, an ex-slave in Ripley, Ohio, helps a family on the Underground Railroad. Beautiful watercolor collages illustrate the story. Historical notes, additional books, suggested websites, and maps make this useful in the classr
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Friend on Freedom River
This is the story of young Louis, who decides to do what his father would do and help runaway slaves make it across the Detroit River to Canada.
Author: Whelan, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gandhi
The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
Author: Demi |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hero and the Minotaur, The
This retelling of the Greek hero Theseus' journey to the island of Crete to slay the minotaur and his return to become King of Athens is magnificently illustrated in the style and colors that recall Greek pottery designs. Stylized maps decorate the end
Author: Byrd, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hoot
This charming and funny young adult mystery by the well-known adult mystery writer, Carl Hiassen, involves corporate greed, suburban expansion, environmental protection, child abuse and neglect, bullying, and social protest.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Into the Volcano
Two brothers face an erupting volcano and a variety of other troubles in their search for their mother.
Invisible Enemies
This well-written but long book describes seven deadly diseases--Small Pox, Leprosy, Plague, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cholera, and AIDS--the epidemics they caused, and the treatments developed by courageous scientists. The author includes a glossary, a bib
Author: Farrell, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Let It Shine
These ten essays on African American women introduce well-know and some lesser known freedom fighters. The colorful illustrations, the informative text, and the chatty tone will attract readers. The author's introducation and suggestions for further read
Author: Pinkney, Andrea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Librarian of Basra, The
A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.
Lily Cupboard, The
A Dutch farm family hides a Jewish girl, who in turn wants to protect a rabbit.
Author: Oppenheim, Shulamith L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Luba, the Angel of Bergen-Belsen
This is the story of Luba Tryszynska, a prisoner at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp who hid 52 abandoned Jewish children until the camp was liberated. Front and back matter establish the historical context with a map and a bibliography. An epilogue tel
Author: McCann, Michelle R. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, The
The book celebrates in pictures and text Philippe Petit's highwire walk between the Trade Center Towers on Aug. 7, 1974.
Author: Gerstein, Mordicai |
|
Moses
The author's note describes this book on Harriet Tubman as a "fictionalized spiritual journey" comparing her answering the call of God to lead her people out of slavery to Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. The author includes a forewo
Author: Weatherford, Carole |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea
This story describes the flight of a young girl from North to South Korea just before the outbreak of the Korean War. The story is told simply with superb illustrations.
Author: Park, Frances and Park, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Nellie Bly
This biography recounts the life of the woman who opened up the field of journalism to women through her undercover investigative reporting during the turn of the century through WW I.
Author: Fredeen, Charles |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
North by Night
Lucy Spencer and her Ohio farm family are involved in the Underground Railroad in 1851, a time when The Fugitive Slave Act levied severe punishment and fines for harboring runaway slaves. Lucy makes a courageous decision that changes her life and that of
Author: Ayres, Katherine |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
North Star to Freedom
This book is subtitled "The Story of the Underground Railroad," and it is that, but it's also more-- the history of slavery is presented, biographies of key figures are provided, lesislation is discussed. The author is Canadian, so this provides an intere
Author: Gorrell, Gena K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Only Passing Through
Strong illustrations help tell this biography of Sojourner Truth. An Author's Note updates the relevance of Sojourner Truth and provides a helpful timeline.
Author: Rockwell, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Parvana's Journey
Disguised as a boy, Parvana rescues a baby and joins with a young boy as she travels through war-torn Afghanistan searching for her family. The telling of the story through the child's perspective allows the reader to approach a sensitive current event an
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Picture Book of Jesse Owens, A
This very readable biography tells the life story of Jesse Owens, the 1936 Olympic star, and the prejudice he combated throughout his life. The book ends with a page of notes and a page of dates.
Author: Adler, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Queen of the Falls
An engaging story about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - a 63 year old school teacher. Van Allsburg combines sepia toned illustrations with a smooth and flowing text while using tension to hold the reader's interest.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Real Benedict Arnold, The
This well-researched biography examines the facts and rumors of the life of the hero, then traitor, Benedict Arnold against the background of the Continental Congress and the Revolutionary War. Maps and portraits illustrate the text. End notes, sources,
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Riding the Tiger
This is an allegory that features a bored, lonely 10-year-old's who is offered a ride by an exciting and somewhat scary tiger and discovers that it is easier to get on the tiger than to get off.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Rosa
Giovanni tells the story of Rosa Parks' infamous bus ride. In the telling, the author speaks to the strength of the African-American community in their struggle for equal rights. The author weaves other tales (Emmett Till) into the story to give the rea
Author: Giovanni, Nikki |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ruth Law Thrills a Nation
The author recounts in easy text and wondrful watercolor illustrations the 1919 flight of Ruth Law from Chicago to New York.
Author: Don Brown |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
School for Pompey Walker, A
At the dedication of a school named for him, Pompey Walker tells how he and a white friend, Jeremiah, raised money to build a school for ex-slave children. With the help of his friend, Pompey allows himself to be sold over and over again, escaping each t
Author: Rosen, Michael J. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
She Would Not Be Moved
Kohl tells the historically correct version of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Park's role in it. This revised biography of Rosa Parks stresses her activist background and the violent environment of racism to counter the prevailing picture of her as a
Author: Kohl, Herbert |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sky Pioneer
This biography of American aviatrix Amelia Earhart traces her interest in aviation from childhood to her disappearance on a round-the-world flight in 1937. Photographs, journal entries, maps, a chronology, an afterword, a bibliography, and an index sugge
Author: Szabo, Corinne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sold
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
Author: McCormick, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Speak
This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Team Moon
This fact-filled book commemorates the achievement of 400,00 people of "team moon" who were responsible for the first walk in space in July, 1969. Color photographs, biographies, annotated source material, websites for further information, a glossary, a
Author: Thimmesh, Catherine |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
They Called Her Molly Pitcher
This is an historical/legendary account of Molly "Pitcher" Hays McCauly, who followed her husband to fight in the Revolutionary War and was made a sergeant by General Washington for her courage and bravery. A biography and timeline accompany the colorful
Author: Rockwell, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
Author: Levinson, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O'Keeffe
Factual, informative account of Georgia O'Keeffe's interesting journey from farm girl to artist and her stubborn dedication to making art her own way. Illustrated with her works and Alfred Stieglitz's photographs of her. Excellent reference for artists.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
Women of Hope
The author wrote essays on thirteen African American women to accompany photographs of the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. The essays feature inspiring women who exhibited courage in overcoming barriers of race and gender in fighting for rights we all
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > morality
Borning Room, The
The narrator remembers growing up in southern Ohio in the 19th century, remembers farm life, celebrates her relatives with their varying ideas about slavery and religion, remembers her part in hiding slaves.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Heavenly Village, The
This is subtitled "A Novel," but it's really more a loosely connected set of short stories, all of which take place in the "Heavenly Village," a place for those who have died but are not quite yet ready to leave earth behind. (Note: religious overtones, i
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Houdini: The Handcuff King
This graphic novel presents a possible explanation for the success of one of Houdini's famous escapes.
Author: Lutes, Jason & Bertozzi, Nick |
|
Stone-Cutter, The
A man gets what he wishes for, but then oversteps his bounds because of his desire to show off his power. Illustrations are bold color collages.
Author: McDermott, Gerald |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues
Heart is Big Enough, The
Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
Piano Starts Here
This wonderfully illustrated picture book reads in the first person like a reminiscence, but actually was written long after jazz pianist Art Tatum died. It tells the story of his childhood, his family,his terrible eyesight, and his journey to success. T
Author: Parker, Robert Andrew |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Strongest Man in the World, The: Louis Cyr
The text of this book goes far beyond just being the biography of a famous 20th century strong man, Louis Cyr. It is a description of early health mores and an evolution of the circus concept. Additionally, we learn a little about the other famous circus
Author: Debon, Nicolas |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > gender
Brave Harriet
The story of Harriet Quimby, the first woman to earn a pilot's license and the first woman to fly across the English Channel, is told in the first person. An author's note adds historical facts.
Author: Moss, Marissa |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coast to Coast with Alice
A fictionalized account of the real 1909 journey of four women who crossed the country in a Maxwell car becoming the first women to do so. Written as a journal by Minna Jahns, the 15-year-old friend of Alice Ramsey, the narrative includes the physical dif
Author: Hyatt, Patricia Rusch |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Girls
The subtitle, A History of Growing Up Female in America, tells it all. The 10 chapters cover history from colonial America to the Millennium. A good index and Selections for Further Reading make this a good reference text. The author selects girls from
Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Library for Juana, A
This beautifully illustrated imaginative biography (little is known) focuses on the early life of Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, who became the first and one of the greatest Mexican poets known as Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The author includes a glossary, furt
Author: Mora, Pat |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females
All the poems in this collection are about women and girls, some famous and some not. The three sections of the book are "When I Am Me," "She's a Winner" (about sports), and "Against the Odds." Work from some famous poets is included.
Author: Morrison, Lillian (comp.) |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
Author: Newman, Leslea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Rosie the Riveter
This carefully researched book tells the story of the millions of women who worked in factories during WW II, how they got there, and how they were persuaded to return home after the war was over. The volume is illustrated with archival photographs and c
Author: Colman, Penny |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Ruby's Wish
The author tells the story of her Chinese grandmother, Ruby, who yearned for learning and the opportunity to attend the university, which was against custom.
Author: Bridges, Shirin Yim |
|
Separate Battle, A: Women and the Civil War
This must-have addition to a Civil War collection weaves together stories of slave women, abolitionists, women's rights leaders, and famous and not-so-famous women to offer a look at women's experiences during the Civil War. Diaries and letters are frequ
Author: Chang, Ina |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wreck of the Zanzibar, The
When Laura Perryman dies, her great-nephew Michael gets her diary. The diary reveals remarkable stories about a time when people lived off the bounty (and at the mercy) of the ocean. This story "of a family bound by respect for nature seamlessly blends
Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > health
American Plague, An
Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bluish
This is a warm, easy to read story of three young girls and their developing friendship. Natalie, whom the children call Bluish, suffers from leukemia.
Author: Hamilton, Virginia |
|
Can't Get There from Here
This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Charles and Emma
Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
Author: Heligman, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Growing Up in Coal Country
Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
Author: Bartoletti, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Invisible Enemies
This well-written but long book describes seven deadly diseases--Small Pox, Leprosy, Plague, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cholera, and AIDS--the epidemics they caused, and the treatments developed by courageous scientists. The author includes a glossary, a bib
Author: Farrell, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Jim the Boy
In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Run Far, Run Fast
When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
Author: Decker, Timothy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
Author: Kent, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
That Summer
A boy looks back on the summer that his brother became ill and died.
Working Children
The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
Author: Saller, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > physical disability
Bells of Christmas, The
This long picture book may be read slowly, although it is not broken into chapters. It is a reminiscence of an African-American family's celebration of Christmas in the 1890s and is set in the farmlands of Ohio.
Author: Hamilton, Virginia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black Book of Colors, The
This book is written in Braille alphabet so the sighted reader can share the reading experience with the blind reader. The books is printed in black pages to further simulate the reading experience of the blind reader. This books has been printed around
Author: Cottin, Menena |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Chuck Close Up Close
This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Cool Moonlight, A
Lila, who has an allergy to sunlight, lives with her disability helped by her family and friends, real and imaginary. The author uses lyrical language deftly to tell the story with great sensitivity and lightness.
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly
Patsy, a 12-year-old slave girl, keeps a diary during 1865, describing the changes in the plantation that come with the Emancipation Proclamation. The author appends historical notes, archival photographs, the wording of Constitutional Amendments 13,14,
Author: Hansen, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy
This biography of John Kennedy follows his life from his childhood to his White House years. The book is laced with many eloquent quotations from Kennedy and those close to him to craft a lyrical portrait of JFK. Vivid artwork.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Mind's Eye
This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Miss Spitfire
Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
Out of the Dust
Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science
As the result of a bizarre mining accident in 1848 in which a metal rod ran through his brain, Phineas Gage provided scientists an opportunity to study the brain and the biological basis of behavior. Photographs, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index
Author: Fleischman, John |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Printer, The
A son retells the story of his father, a deaf printer working in a newspaper plant in the 1940's who used sugn language to save his co-workers from a fire. In addition, the author gives biographical information about his father who was the model for the
Ray Charles
In a beautiful reprint of a 1973 book, the author tells the story of the legendary blind musician Ray Charles. An Afterword updates the earlier version.
Author: Mathis, Sharon |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Sees Behind Trees
A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
Author: Dorris, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Thank you, Mr. Falker
While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Under the Shadow of Wings
Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
Young Teddy Roosevelt
A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
Author: Harness, Cheryl |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > safety
Boy of the Deeps
On his first day in the coal mines, a boy with his father survive an accident.
Author: Wallace, Ian |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Can't Get There from Here
This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
Cheap Raw Material: How Our Youngest Workers Are Exploited and Abused
This book is a chronological nonfiction account of children as laborers. Child labor in the U.S. is the focus, but historical background (e.g., Rome, England) is also provided. This history is chronicled through quotations from primary sources, stories
Author: Meltzer, Milton |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Just One Flick of the Finger
Young Jack brings his father's gun to school hoping to scare a bully, but events take an unexpected and violent turn.
Author: Lorbiecki, Marybeth |
|
Librarian of Basra, The
A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.
Monster
16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Printer, The
A son retells the story of his father, a deaf printer working in a newspaper plant in the 1940's who used sugn language to save his co-workers from a fire. In addition, the author gives biographical information about his father who was the model for the
Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
Author: McClafferty, Carla |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Stitches: A Memoir
An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
Author: Small, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Stolen Dreams
This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
Author: Parker, David |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Under the Shadow of Wings
Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
Wolf on the Fold
Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
Working Children
The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
Author: Saller, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Your Move
When gang initiation threatens his younger brother, James summons the courage to make up his own mind.
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > sexuality
Bee & Jacky
A brother and sister suffer the effects of their father's Vietnam trauma and their mother's ineffectualness by resuming a physical relationship. This moving, psychologically honest book is difficult to read because the real or imagined incest is portraye
Buried Alive
This collection of linked poems explores the rich, puzzling and painful experiences of love from teenagers' points of view.
Author: Fletcher, Ralph |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
|
Like Sisters on the Homefront
When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Now Sheba Sings the Song
This book consists of one long poem and dozens of sketches of African-American women. It is a sensuous book that celebrates the sexuality, the history, and the strength of Black women.
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
Author: Newman, Leslea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Perfect Shot, The
Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Persepolis 2
This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
Author: Satrapi, Marjane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Sigmund Freud
This biography introduces the history of the study of the physical and emotional aspects of the mind as well as the colorful life of Sigmund Freud. Additional resources include an appendix, a bibliography, web sites, and an index.
Author: Krull, Kathleen |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
True Believer
This is not exactly a sequel to Make Lemonade, but the style is similar and many of the characters are the same-- LaVaughn, her mother, Jolly and her children [they have a minor role in this book]. LaVaughn is 15, lives in the inner city, and str
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
With a Hammer for My Heart
When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
Author: Lyon, George Ella |
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues >individual> physical issues > sexuality > homosexuality
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
Author: Newman, Leslea |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > resourcefulness
Adventures of Marco Polo, The
The author recounts the 13th Century life and exploration of the famous Venetian, Marco Polo. The fascinating illustrations reflect the style of the time and place of each segment of the story. The author includes ample supplemental information on the a
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
The life of Bass Reeves, from slavery to US marshal, the most feared and respected lawman in the territories. This is a story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West. Actual photos, western vocabulary, timeline,further reading/websites, res
Author: Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
The life of Bass Reeves, from slavery to US marshal, the most feared and respected lawman in the territories. This is a story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West. Actual photos, western vocabulary, timeline,further reading/websites, res
Author: Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Blanche on the Lam
A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
Author: Neely, B. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Breadwinner, The
This coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of a young Afghan girl left to fend for her family in the times of repressive Taliban influence is both moving and suspenseful.
Author: Ellis, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Bucking the Sarge
Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Cat with the Yellow Star, The: Coming of Age in Terezin
Ela Weissberger's life before, during, and after she and her family were forced to live in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin during WWII. Photographs reinforce Ela's memories of survival and hope.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Chicken Sunday
Two African-American boys and their white friend, a girl, try to earn enough money to buy Miss Eula Mae the Easter bonnet she's been longing for. The children befriend a Jewish shopkeeper who helps them succeed.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
|
Children of the Dust Bowl
The book recounts the migration of the "Okies" during the Great Depression to the camps in California. School Superintendent Leo Hart began the Weedpatch School where children of the migrants escaped the ostracism of the locals in a model learn-by-doing
Author: Stanley, Jerry |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coast to Coast with Alice
A fictionalized account of the real 1909 journey of four women who crossed the country in a Maxwell car becoming the first women to do so. Written as a journal by Minna Jahns, the 15-year-old friend of Alice Ramsey, the narrative includes the physical dif
Author: Hyatt, Patricia Rusch |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Danger Along the Ohio
The Dunn family is traveling down the Ohio River in 1793. The children become separated from their father and must fend for themselves while heading toward Marietta.
Author: Willis, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Elijah of Buxton
Eleven-year-old Elijah, the first to be born free in a Canadian settlement for runaway slaves at the end of the Underground Railroad, though considered "fra-gile" and talkative by adults, performs an heroic feat with his chucking stones.
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul |
|
Fannie in the Kitchen
Accompanied by delightful Victorian-style illustrations, this biography of Fannie Farmer, the cookbook writer, is told in a storybook format with a recipe and cooking tips thrown in for good measure.
Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
|
Far Beyond the Garden Gate
Don Brown has written another intriguing book about an extraordinary woman, one who perservered in her desire to explore Tibet never seen by a Western woman. An author's note, a bibliography, and a map extend the possibilities of this beautifully illustr
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
George Washington Carver
This biography of George Washington Carver, known as the "peanut man," is illustrated with his art work and archival photographs and includes notes, bibliographical resources and an afterword.
Author: Bolden, Tanya |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, The
Although the authors found little documentary evidence to substantiate the oral stories of how Jews were sheltered in the Grand Mosque and given Arab identity cards during the Nazi occupation of Paris in WW II, they tell an important story with excellent
Author: Ruelle, Karen Gray |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Houdini: The Handcuff King
This graphic novel presents a possible explanation for the success of one of Houdini's famous escapes.
Author: Lutes, Jason & Bertozzi, Nick |
|
In Our Mothers' House
Marmee and Meema, two wonderfully innovative, creative mothers, provide a loving home for adopted children and are the glue for a community-oriented neighborhood, except for one family who snubs them for being different.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In Our Mothers' House
Marmee and Meema, two wonderfully innovative, creative mothers, provide a loving home for adopted children and are the glue for a community-oriented neighborhood, except for one family who snubs them for being different.
Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In the Days of the Vaqueros
Russell Freedman has created another interesting non-fiction book, this time on the vaqueros, who were the forerunners of cowboys. As usual, the author illustrates his essays with paintings, archival photographs and includes useful resources in a bibliog
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
In the Promised Land
From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
Author: Rappaport, Doreen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Invention of Hugo Cabret, The
Part fiction, part graphic novel, this winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal tells the story of an orphaned boy who maintains and repairs clocks in a Paris train station and discovers the history of an automaton and its maker. When he meets a mysterious toy
Author: Selznick, Brian |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Lost: A Story in String
Using string figures, a grandmother tells a story of the uses of imagination and resourcefulness. Beautiful black-and-white clayboard and ink illustrations and clear diagrams and resources encourage readers to try the string figures.
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
The author reminisces indirectly by depicting and describing outfits she wore at times of loss in her life. This clever book has a limited audience: urban (especially New York), women, and people interested in fashion design.
Lugalbanda
This retelling of the oldest recorded story ever found from Sumer (now Iraq) recounts the journey of a young prince as he crosses the mountains to join a war and find his brothers, overcoming obstacles on his way. The book includes interesting historical
Author: Henderson, Kathy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Make Lemonade
When fourteen-year-old LaVaughn takes a job baby-sitting for seventeen-year-old Jolly's two children, neither girl realizes how much she'll learn from the other. Despite no job, a lousy apartment, and a bleak future, Jolly, with the help of LaVaughn and
Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer |
|
Mary Smith
Before the advent of alarm clocks, Mary Smith's job was to wake the workers of her village with her trusty peashooter.
Mermaid Summer, The
Jon and Ana, brother and sister, display intelligence and courage as they break a mermaid's curse on their grandfather and the fishing community.
My Brothers' Flying Machine
This biography of Wilber and Orville Wright is told by their younger sister.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Ninth Ward
This is a powerful reenactment of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and how it affected the poor section of the ninth ward. The hurricane and subsequent levee failure come to life through the eyes of a twelve year old special girl. The voi
Author: Rhodes, Jewell Parker |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies | science
|
Queen of the Falls
An engaging story about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - a 63 year old school teacher. Van Allsburg combines sepia toned illustrations with a smooth and flowing text while using tension to hold the reader's interest.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Remembering Manzanar
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered forced evacuation of Japanese Americans who lived in the western U.S. This is the story of one relocation camp, Manzanar. The text is supported with archival photographs, end notes, Int
Author: Cooper, Michael L. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Safekeeping
Radley returns home to Vermont from a volunteer stay in Haiti to complete chaos. She begins a long trek to try to find her parents and some sense of normalcy in a country becoming completely dysfunctional.The underling message is articulated, as a vision
Author: Hesse, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Shooting for the Moon
This beautifully illustrated biography of Annie Mozee, known to the world as the sharpshooter, Annie Oakley, describes her impoverished childhood as well as her career as a performer.
Story in String, A
When their apartment loses power, Grandma tells the story of a little girl who gets lost in the snow looking for her dog. To illustrate the story, Grandma uses a piece of her knitting yarn to make string figures.
Story of the Three Kingdoms, The
This colorfully illustrated fable celebrates the gift of storytelling.
Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
|
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Based on a true incident, this story tells of a young slave girl's brainstorm of sewing a map of the Underground Railroad onto a quilt so that others could find their way to freedom.
Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Symphony of Whales, A
This book is based on the true story of a "whale rescue" by a group of Siberian villagers in the mid-1980s.
Author: Schuch, Steve |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
This Vast Land
A fictional account of a young man on the real Lewis and Clark Expedition emphasizes and personalizes the confrontation of races and the conflict between civilization and the wilderness. There are allusions to sex, though minimal.
Author: Ambrose, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Trapped:How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert
An in-depth recounting of the collapse of a Chilean copper mine in 2010 that entombed 33 miners for 69 days, their heroic struggle to survive and the efforts of those who saved them. The book is riveting in detail and even inspirational. Book contains ex
Author: Aronson, Marc |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | science
|
Uncommon Traveler
Mary Kingsley, who grew up in Victorian England, isolated, without formal education but with her Father's library, made trips to explore West Africa, where she accomplished many firsts and survived many adventures. The beautiful watercolor illustrations,
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Under the Sun
After his father sends him and his mother to relatives outside Sarajevo to escape the perils of the war in the former Yugoslavia, 13-year-old Ehmet must find the way through land mines, burned villages, and hostile bands of armed men to his grandparents i
Author: Dorros, Arthur |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa
The true story of how Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan educated in the USA, started a movement to replant trees in Kenya, one seedling at a time. Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize for replenishing of the forests in her country.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Weave of Words, A
A young king uses his literacy and weaving skills to send a message to the queen who frees him from his captors. The copyright page contains information on the origins of this Armenian tale.
Author: San Souci, Robert |
|
Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers
Diary and journal excerpts and archival photographs enliven a well-written text about the Westward Movement as seen from the perspective of children. The book includes short biographies of the children who are quoted often as well as a chronology, furthe
Author: Wadsworth, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > responsibilities
Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure
Alice Ramsey and three other women face floods, mud, and travel without maps as they drive from New York to San Francisco--in 1909. The charming watercolors add realistic humor to the narrative.
Author: Brown, Don |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Black Ships Before Troy
This beautifully illustrated book retells Homer's epic poem The Iliad about the Trojan War. A glossary of names is included.
Author: Sutcliff, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Boy Who Saved Cleveland, The
During a malarial epidemic in the late 18th century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.
Author: Giblin, James Cross |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page
Tobias, an 11-year-old boy, goes to serve as a page for a year in his uncle's castle in 13th Century England. Notes for the Reader contains additional historical information.
Author: Platt, Richard |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - writing
|
Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedman relates this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with the interest of suspense fiction which is accompanied by extensive archival photographs. The book traces her evolution from a shy young girl from an unhappy home to America's most acclaimed First
Author: Freedman, Russell |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fish
The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
Author: Matthews, L. S. |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Gowanus Dogs
A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
Miss Rumphius
The Lupine Lady, the great-aunt of the narrator, travels around the world but returns to Maine to plant lupines and make her world a better place.
Author: Cooney, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moon Over Tennessee
A boy accompanies his father into the Confederate Army in the Civil War, eventually arriving at the battle of Gettysburg. The story-poem is told in a format of journal entries. Somber black and white woodcuts contribute to the tragic tone. A map and an
Author: Crist-Evans, Craig |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Moving Mama to Town
Enterprising Freddy James moves his mother and younger brother to town after his father leaves and the farm fails. He works at the local saloon where he learns from everyone he meets.
Author: Young, Ronder Thomas |
|
My Sister's Keeper
Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
Night the Bells Rang, The
This short novel (76 pages), told from the point of view of a farm boy, tells the story of Mason's struggles with a bully, and of his growing up. Although the book has the feel of a reminiscence, the emotions are complex and the characters ring true.
Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
|
Princess of the Press
This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
Author: Medearis, Angela |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Relatively Speaking
Centered around a family reunion, a boy speaks about his older brother, his parents, grandparents, and extended family in short, easily accessible free verse.
Saying It Out Loud
Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
Under the Shadow of Wings
Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > self-esteem
Blacker the Berry, The
The author explores all the warm colors of skin tones in delicious to the tongue words and images.
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
|
Blacker the Berry, The
The author explores all the warm colors of skin tones in delicious to the tongue words and images.
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
|
Bobbin Girl, The
Rebecca, a 10-year-old "bobbin girl" working in the textile factories in Lowell, Massachuesetts in the 1830's must decide if she will participate in the first workers' strike.
Author: McCully, Emily Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea
This well illustrated book of poetry uses the metaphor of nurturing tea for the extended family.
Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Code Talkers
After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
Author: Bruchac, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Fannie in the Kitchen
Accompanied by delightful Victorian-style illustrations, this biography of Fannie Farmer, the cookbook writer, is told in a storybook format with a recipe and cooking tips thrown in for good measure.
Author: Hopkinson, Deborah |
|
Fanny's Dream
A retelling of the Cinderella story, the book depicts the choices of Fanny Agnes, providing a humorous portrait of a strong woman.
Finding Fish
This is the autobiography of Antwone Fisher (basis for a movie made by Denzel Washington). Antwone's childhood was filled with emotional and physical abuse. He found a way to overcome this difficult beginning.
Freedom's Children
Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
Author: Levine, Ellen |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hammerin' Hank Grenberg: Baseball Pioneer
The story of Hank Greenberg, first Jewish ballplayer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sommer explores the world of baseball as it became more inclusive and gives details of how Greenberg was an exceptional player.
Author: Sommer, Shelley |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Holes
This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
If: A Fathers Advice to His Son
Sports themed photographs accompany Kiplings poem about the qualities that make up a mature person.
Author: Kipling, Rudyard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Jump at de Sun
This interesting biography of the author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston emphasizes her unique celebration of black life and language at the turn of the century when such topics were unpopular. Her niece wrote the introduction.
Author: Porter, A. P. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Marvelous Mattie
Based on the life of Margaret E. Knight, the book portrays an imaginative girl who overcomes the barriers of poverty and sexism to become an inventor of over 90 inventions with 22 patents. The author's note gives more biographical information while paten
Author: McCully, Emily |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Midwife's Apprentice, The
This award-winning novel, set in 14th century England, tells the story of Brat/Beetle/Alyce, a "homeless waif who became the midwife's apprentice-a person with a name and a place in the world" (book jacket).
Author: Cushman, Karen |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
My Name is Georgia
This simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe describes how she was true to her life-long goal of being an artist and how she gained inspiration for her paintings from the natural world around her.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Nellie Bly
This biography recounts the life of the woman who opened up the field of journalism to women through her undercover investigative reporting during the turn of the century through WW I.
Author: Fredeen, Charles |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Razia's Ray of Hope
This is a fictional story about the a young girl in Afghanistan who wants to attend school and the building of the first school for girls in that country.Tolerance and determination are key themes.
Author: Suneby, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Rio Grande Stories
In Albuquerque, 7th grade students decide to write a book on their diverse heritage to raise money for the school. As they research traditions and family stories, they learn unexpected things about themselves. Chapters alternate between stories about th
Ruby's Wish
The author tells the story of her Chinese grandmother, Ruby, who yearned for learning and the opportunity to attend the university, which was against custom.
Author: Bridges, Shirin Yim |
|
Stitches: A Memoir
An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
Author: Small, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > solitude
I'm in Charge of Celebrations
A desert (Native American?) woman is asked if she is lonely and replies by telling about all the natural wonders she witnesses. The title comes from her idea of marking the calendar for the following year to celebrate whatever she saw. The illustrations
Me, All Alone, at the End of the World
A boy enjoys living quietly by himself at the End of the World until Constantine Shimmer arrives and begins to "improve" the area with an inn and amusement park, demanding that tourists come and have "fun without end.
Author: Anderson, M.T. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Touching Spirit Bear
Cole, a juvenile "delinquent," is offered jail or "circle justice," a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal, his victim, and the community. Cole's time at a remote Alaskan island and his interactions
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > success
Becoming Billie Holiday
Weatherford uses the titles of Billie Holiday songs as titles for poems that tell the story of Billie's life and road to fame.
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Come See the Earth Turn: The Story of Leon Foucault
A sickly child, a poor student and a medical school dropout, Leon Foucault proved that the world rotated by designed the pendulum that proves that the earth moves on its axis, a puzzle that had eluded more learned scientists for decades.
Author: Mortensen, Lori |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science | social studies
|
Houdini: The Handcuff King
This graphic novel presents a possible explanation for the success of one of Houdini's famous escapes.
Author: Lutes, Jason & Bertozzi, Nick |
|
If: A Fathers Advice to His Son
Sports themed photographs accompany Kiplings poem about the qualities that make up a mature person.
Author: Kipling, Rudyard |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Jabberwocky
With his wonderfully bright, energetic illustrations, Myers gives an Mezo-American and African American spin to the famous poem by Lewis Carroll.
Myer's "reimagined" famous poem by Carroll is unique in its contemporary setting of an urban street basket
Author: Carroll, Lewis |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
|
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was perpetual motion and perpetual trouble until mentors helped her channel her energy into tennis where she became a champion, and the first African American to win the Wimbledon. The colorful illustrations capture her boundless energy.
Author: Stauffacher, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was perpetual motion and perpetual trouble until mentors helped her channel her energy into tennis where she became a champion, and the first African American to win the Wimbledon. The colorful illustrations capture her boundless energy.
Author: Stauffacher, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Old Musician, The
A little girl hears an old man playing a flute and initiates his journey as an ever more popular musician of increasing number of instruments until his celebrity invades his private life.
Queen of the Falls
An engaging story about the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel - a 63 year old school teacher. Van Allsburg combines sepia toned illustrations with a smooth and flowing text while using tension to hold the reader's interest.
Author: Van Allsburg, Chris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange
This biography of photographer Dorthea Lange contains many of her photographs. Lange photographed and helped raise awareness of the poor conditions of the migrant workers during the Depression.
Author: Partridge, Ellizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts | social studies
|
Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Strongest Man in the World, The: Louis Cyr
The text of this book goes far beyond just being the biography of a famous 20th century strong man, Louis Cyr. It is a description of early health mores and an evolution of the circus concept. Additionally, we learn a little about the other famous circus
Author: Debon, Nicolas |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Uncle Jed's Barbershop
A woman tells the story of her Uncle Jed, an African-American barber who traveled a regular route, saving his money for his own shop. When she became sick, he gave up his money for her operation, and when the Depression came, he lost everything again. F
Author: Mitchell, Margaree K. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom
This is an enlightening text illustrating the importance of the bicycle as a way to change the world by cultivating independence. The photographs, newspaper articles, advertisements, etc., beautifully depict the history, ending with a timeline comparing w
Author: Macy, Sue |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O'Keeffe
Factual, informative account of Georgia O'Keeffe's interesting journey from farm girl to artist and her stubborn dedication to making art her own way. Illustrated with her works and Alfred Stieglitz's photographs of her. Excellent reference for artists.
Author: Rubin, Susan Goldman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing | social studies
|
|