Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey

Chee-Lin: A Giraffe's Journey

Written and Illustrated by: James Rumford

Elementary Grades

"Linking the Chinese mythological creature, the Chee-Lin, to a 1414 Chinese portrait of a giraffe, Rumford imagines how a giraffe may have journeyed to China. From his birth and capture in East Africa to a short stay in Bengal and a stay in Nanjing and finally landing in Peking, lonely Tweega (Swahili for giraffe) survives frightening voyages, cruel and tender caretakers, and cramped quarters, ending up in the emperor’s spacious grounds. Tweega inspires awe everywhere and stirs optimism among the Chinese, who believe the Chee-Lin to be an omen of good fortune."

Booklist Review

The Butter Man

The Butter Man

Written by: Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou
Illustrated by: Julie Klear Essakali

"Every Saturday night, Nora watches her Moroccan-born baba (father) prepare a couscous meal in a special pot that he carried with him to the U.S. in his suitcase. One evening, Baba shares a story about how he coped with a famine during his childhood, spent in the mountains of Morocco. The authors, a married couple who drew on Ali’s personal experience, write in descriptive language that speaks directly to children. Baba says that hunger, for example, feels like “a little mouse gnawing on my insides.” The folk-art paintings, created by a textile designer, feature whimsical characters and cozy domestic scenes, while the ochre, gold, and rust palette evokes the feeling of the dusty, sunlit landscape. An authors’ note adds cultural context, and an appended glossary defines the Berber words used in the text. This warm family story about a rarely viewed culture will have particular appeal among children of immigrants, who, like Nora, wonder about their parents’ mysterious, former lives in another land."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.elizabethletts.com/butter.php

The Wolves Are Back

The Wolves Are Back

Written by: Jean Craighead George
Illustrated by: Wendell Minor

"The wolves are back!" So begins this poignant and thought-provoking tale tracing the interconnectedness of nature and the far-reaching effects that occur when one aspect of a particular ecosystem is disrupted, in this case, the wolf population. By 1926, there were no more wolves in the 48 states—"rangers, hunters, and ranchers were told to shoot every wolf they saw. They did and the ecological balance was disrupted. Wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and as their numbers grew, balance returned. Moving deftly between the past and present, and set against the backdrop of Wendell Minor's wonderful panoramic paintings, Jean Craighead George's text beautifully demonstrates the effects of the presence and absence of wolves on the delicate ecosystem."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.texaslibrarian.com/genres/picture-books/the-wolves-are-back-by-jean-craighead-george/
http://www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com/index.html

Give a Goat

Give a Goat

Written by: Jan West Schrock
Illustrated by: Aileen Darragh

Pair this book with Page McBrier's book "Beatrice's Goat"

"Page McBrier’s Beatrice’s Goat (2001) introduced the work of Heifer International in a picture-book story about a girl whose family is changed by the gift of a goat. Illustrated in whimsical ink-and-watercolor artwork, this message-driven title by the daughter of the organization’s founder shows kids how to get involved in Heifer’s mission. After a teacher reads Beatrice’s Goat to her fifth-grade class, her students work together to buy a goat for a needy family through Heifer’s program. With an initial loan from their teacher, they prepare and sell healthy snacks, eventually earning more than enough to buy the animal, educating their school about Heifer’s work in the process.

The story, which includes interesting details of project management, is a clear advertisement for both Heifer and the rewards of community service. Still, teachers seeking portrayals of kids cooperating to make a difference, both in their communities and beyond, will find this book a welcome resource."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/
http://www.papertigers.org/interviews/archived_interviews/jschrock.html

Beatrice's Goat

Beatrice's Goat

Written by: Page McBrier
Illustrated by: Lori Lohstoeter

Pair this book with "Give a Goat" by Jan West Schrock

"More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor. But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away -- a goat! Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (which means "luck") gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa's help, it looks as if Beatrice's dream may come true after all.

Page McBrier and Lori Lohstoeter beautifully recount this true story about how one child, given the right tools, is able to lift her family out of poverty. Thanks to Heifer Project International -- a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world -- other families like Beatrice's will also have a chance to change their lives."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.pagemcbrier.com/picturebooks_Beatrice.html
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Written by: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrated by: Bryan Collier

Elementary Grades

**2011 Coretta Scott King Award**

"To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago.

Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.labanhill.com/dave_the_potter_53284.htm

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin

Written and Illustrated by: Duncan Tonatiuh

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book**

"From first-time Mexican author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Charlie takes the subway to school; Carlitos rides his bike. Charlie plays in fallen leaves; Carlitos plays among the local cacti. Dear Primo covers the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart. Spanish words are scattered among the English text, providing a wonderful way to introduce the language and culture of Mexico to young children. Inspired by the ancient art of the Mixtecs and other cultures of Mexico, Tonatiuh incorporates their stylized forms into his own artwork."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://duncantonatiuh.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/dear-primo/

What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!

What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!

Written by: Barbara Kerley
Illustrated by: Edwin Fotheringham

"Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. Her name was Alice. Alice Lee Roosevelt was hungry to go places, meet people, do things. Father called it running riot. Alice called it eating up the world. Whether she was entertaining important White House visitors with her pet snake or traveling the globe, Alice bucked convention and turned every new experience into an adventure! Brimming with affection and wit, this spirited biography gives readers a peek family life inside the White House. Prose and pictures spring, gambol, and two-step across the pages to celebrate a maverick American heroine."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.barbarakerley.com/TRAlice.html

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World

Written and Illustrated by: Melanie Walsh

"A thoroughly successful presentation on how even small changes in lifestyle can make a big difference. On each spread, a large and colorful acrylic painting is accompanied by a sturdy die-cut flap and eco-friendly tips. Each suggestion opens with "I," followed by a verb, such as "remember," "try," and "always." The sentence is completed under the flap, along with a reason why the tip is conservation friendly. The recommendations are those that children can easily relate to, such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth (which can save 18 glasses of water), using both sides of the paper, recycling, etc. Visually appealing and effective in its presentation, this title will serve as an introduction to environmental studies. Its appealing visuals and large size make it perfect for group sharing."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/09/16/eco-kids-books-10-things-i-can-do-to-help-my-world/

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote

Written by: Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrated by: Rebecca Gibbon

"Meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a woman who stood up and fought for what she believed in. In nineteenth-century America, women were not allowed to go to college, own property, or vote. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote. Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn’t take no for an answer."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
*download reading guide here*
http://www.tanyastone.com/index.php?id=25

Go, Go America

Go, Go America

Written and Illustrated by: Dan Yaccarino

"What state’s official cookie is the chocolate chip cookie? What state hosts the International Rotten Sneaker Contest? Which state is it illegal to enter with a chicken on your head? To find the answers to these questions and hundreds more, just hitch a ride with the fabulous Farley family--Mom, Dad, Freddie, Fran, and Fido--as they travel state to state and discover far-out festivals, kooky contests, ludicrous laws, peculiar people, and oodles of oddities across America. So fasten your seat belt and get ready to go, go through fifty states of fun!"

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.yaccarinostudio.com/ys/books/go_go_america.html

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Written by: Joseph Bruchac
Illustrated by: Greg Shed

"Squanto, friend of the Pilgrims, who taught them how to survive in the New World, has been remembered every November in classrooms across America. Little is known, by most children or adults, of his life and sacrifice. Now Joseph Bruchac tells us the whole story in a beautifully illustrated picture book. He sets the record straight about those hats and the food we continue to eat on Thanksgiving Day, but, more importantly, he makes us aware of how close we came to losing the colony."

Children's Literature Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=757

The First Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving

Written by: Jean Craighead George
Illustrated by: Thomas Locker

"George's consummate skill as a storyteller takes what could have been "just another" Thanksgiving book and raises it above the mundane. Beginning "in a time so long ago that only the rocks remember," she focuses on Plymouth Rock, a 200-ton boulder of Dedham granite, as the loom upon which to weave the heroic and tragic tales of the people who settled this land. The storytelling is direct, filled with details, and firmly grounded in place and time. Quickly drawn but very effective portraits of the times and the people heighten the presentation. Squanto's tragedy is movingly sketched. Readers will not miss the ironic contrast between the fate of the native population and those who came seeking a freer, more tolerant life, but George does not belabor the point, letting the events of history subtly underscore the irony."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.visit-plymouth.com/plymouthrock.htm
http://plimoth.org/kids/stories.php

Thank you, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Thank you, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Written by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrated by: Matt Faulkner

"We the people of the United States… almost lost Thanksgiving? Yes. That’s right!
Way back when “skirts were long and hats were tall” Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care! Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?

Join Laurie on a journey of a woman and a pen that spanned four decades, the Civil War, and five presidents, all so you could have your turkey and eat it too!"
1s
Product Description

Online Resources:
http://madwomanintheforest.com/youngreaders-thank-you-sarah/

When Clay Sings

When Clay Sings

Written by: Byrd Baylor
Illustrated by: Tom Bahti

"Pieces of broken pots are scattered over the desert hillsides of the Southwest. The Indians there treat them with respect -- "Every piece of clay is a piece of someone's life," they say. And the children try to imagine those lives that took place in the desert they think of as their own.

Clay has its own small voice, and sings. Its song has lasted for thousands of years. And Byrd Baylor's prose-poem as simple and powerful as the clay pots, sings too."

Publisher's Review - Simon and Schuster

Awards:
Caldecott Honor Book, 1973

The Desert is Theirs

The Desert Is Theirs
Written by: Byrd Baylor
Illustrated by: Peter Parnall

"You may think of the desert as a harsh, dry place where no one would ever want to live -- but think again. The Desert People know, and so do the animals. Both love the land and, "share the feeling of being brothers in the desert, of being desert creatures together." Byrd Baylor's spare, poetic text and Peter Parnall's striking illustrations lime the sky, stone and sand of the desert in this haunting book"

Publishers Review - Aladdin Books

Awards:
Caldecott Honor Book, 1988

Web Resources:
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/desert/deserttg.html

Raven: A Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest

Raven: A Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest

Written and Illustrated by: Gerald McDermott

"All the world is in darkness at the beginning of this traditional tale from the Indian cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Raven feels sorry for the people living in the gloomy cold, so he flies to the house of the Sky Chief in search of light and warmth. To get inside, Raven pulls a shape-shifting trick that allows him to be born to the god's daughter. As a spoiled and comic infant, Raven demands and gets the shiny ball that the gods have hidden away. The art and text capture the spirit of the Native American trickster hero; benevolent, clever, magical, unscrupulous, and ultimately triumphant, Raven acts out human virtues and foibles on a cosmic scale. The book invites comparisons with other trickster heroes like Africa's Anansi and the Native American Coyote, as well as with stories of fire bringers like Prometheus. The physical environment, oral literature, and traditional life of the Pacific Coast Indians come alive in this amusing and well-conceived picture book."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/raven-the-trickster-puppet-tales-lesson-plan/

Coyote: A Trickster Tale From the American Southwest

Coyote: A Trickster Tale From the American Southwest

Written and Illustrated by: Gerald McDermott

"Coyote is a big, bumbling, interfering copycat; he's rude, boastful, vain, and always in trouble. The storytelling is simple, with the casual, direct tone and satisfying repetition of the oral tradition ("He was going along, following his nose. He had a nose for trouble . . . Coyote was always in trouble"). The art combines traditional geometric design with the jagged figure of Coyote, all exaggerated pointed shapes in brilliant blue with a lolling red tongue. He cavorts against a background of warm rust-brown desert; he tries to fly with the beautifully synchronized black-and-purple crows who circle the canyon and soar in the sky. Of course, he falls ignominiously into the dust. And to this day, "He has a nose for trouble. He always finds it." This is great for storytelling: kids will love the slapstick action and the bright, comic art about this gawky fool. As McDermott points out in the lively source note, Coyote is very foolish--and very human."

Booklist Review

How My Parents Learned to Eat

How My Parents Learned to Eat

Written by: Ina Friedman
Illustrated by: Allen Say

"A bi-racial child tells the story of how her Japanese mother and American father met, fell in love, struggled to understand each other's ways, and finally married. It's a wonderful portrait of diversity, showing children that superficial differences in cultures don't really mean much and shouldn't get in the way of people appreciating each other."

Amazon.com Review

Web Resources:
http://stancock.iweb.bsu.edu/cyberlessons/Eat.html

My Chinatown: One Year in Poems

My Chinatown: One Year in Poems

Written and Illustrated by: Kam Mak

"Chinatown -- a place of dragons
and dreams; fireflies
and memories

Chinatown -- full of wonder
and magic; fireworks
on New Year's Day and a delicious
smell on every corner

Chinatown -- where every day
brings something familiar
and something wondrously new
to a small boy

Chinatown -- home?

Kam Mak grew up in a place of two cultures, one existing within the other. Using extraordinarily beautiful paintings and moving poems, he shares a year of growing up in this small city within a city, which is called Chinatown."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://free-reading.net/index.php?title=Introduce_Vocabulary:_My_Chinatown:_One_Year_in_Poems_%28Mak%29