A Very Important Day

A Very Important Day

"Captures the excitement of immigrants who are becoming U.S. citizens. All across New York City, people are preparing for 'a very important day'...not the least bit daunted by a snowstorm....A tale told with vigor, exuberantly displayed in Stock's people-filled watercolor landscapes and cozy interior scenes of all the pre-oath preparations, this is a thoughtful celebration of one of this country's most meaningful ceremonies."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr082.shtml

America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful

Written by: Katharine Bates
Illustrated by: Neil Waldman

"The same country that inspired Katharine Lee Bates in 1893 to write "America the Beautiful" inspired Neil Waldman, one hundred years later, to illustrate Bates's poem with gorgeous acrylic paintings.

Waldman's stunning panoramas take us from coast-to-coast: from Niagara Falls to Napa's fruited plains, from Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty. In the back of the book, there is a glossary that provides readers with more information about each site. Also included is the sheet music for the song "America the Beautiful," combining Bates's poem with the music of Samuel A. Ward's hymn."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/america.htm

A Castle on Viola Street

A Castle on Viola Street

Written and Illustrated by: DyAnne Di Salvo-Ryan

"Andy is so used to his family's small, run-down apartment that he has never imagined living anywhere else--especially not in a new house with a garden and a porch. Such houses seem like castles to him.

But when he hears about an organization that turns abandoned houses into homes, he discovers that his castle isn't in the clouds--it's on Viola Street. And with some hard work and community caring, it could be his very own.

DyAnne DiSalvo combines new faces with familiar ones from earlier stories in this warm, vibrant tale about the good things that come when a whole family pitches in to make a better life for themselves."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/national/students/grade3/book2/unit6/a-castle-on-viola-street

City Green

City Green

Written and Illustrated by: DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

"Right in the middle of Marcy's city block is a littered vacant lot. Then one day she has a wonderful idea that not only improves the useless lot but her entire neighborhood as well."

Online Resources:
http://www.mhschool.com/reading/2005/student/activity.php3?story=98

The Meanest Thing to Say

The Meanest Thing to Say

Written by: Bill Cosby
Illustrated by: Varnette P. Hollywood

"When a new boy in his second grade class tries to get the other students to play a game that involves saying the meanest things possible to one another, Little Bill shows him a better way to make friends."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=853_type=Book_typeId=2757

The Wednesday Surprise

The Wednesday Surprise

Written by: Eve Bunting
Illustrated by: Donald Carrick

"A seven-year-old girl teaches her grandmother to read. This is a warm story about responsibility between the generations. The unusual twist shows that children can be very responsible and prove their own worth. Also available in Spanish as AQUÍ VIENE EL GATO."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/bunting/wednesday.shtml

Farmer Duck

Farmer Duck

Written by: Martin Waddell
Illustrated by: Helen Oxenbury

"In all kinds of weather, this downtrodden duck hauls in the sheep, tends the hens, and does the housework as well. "How goes the work?" the farmer repeatedly asks. "Quack," the duck constantly replies--until all the barnyard animals convene to help the exhausted servant exact revenge and oust the lazy lout."

School Library Journal Review