Say, A. (1993). Grandfather’s journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

A Japanese American retells the story of his Grandfather who was born in Japan, and moved to the United States. His grandfather was able to make both countries his home, and love both lands. His grandson grows to be very much like his grandfather, who was also born in Japan. The end of the book ends with "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other”. This line is universally applicable to both children and adults. Grandfather’s Journey is a Caldecott Medal Book.

Recommended ***

McClellan, R. (2008). Supermoto. Minneapolis, MN: Bellweather Media.

Supermoto introduces the reader to the basic background of this extreme sport. You can find information about how the sport works, to the equipment that is needed, and basic safety information. Reluctant readers will be willing to pick up this book, and may get excited to share what they learned with others.

Recommended ***

Borden, L. (2002). America is… New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

This book is an illustrated poem, that explores the idea of what America is. This would be a great way to start teaching students about American history, or what it means to be an American. It explores concepts such as states, the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem. It shows the immense differences that are found in the United States, such as the large cities, or the small towns. This books is a good way to start conversations with students about poetry or US history.

Its alright **

Johnston, T. (1998). Bigfoot cinderrrrrella. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

The bigfoot prince is looking for his princess, but he needs someone who meets specific qualifications: she must be odoriferous, have lots of fur, and care about the environment. This clever twist on the classic story of Cinderella could be used to get students excited about comparing and contrasting stories, and even to get young boys interested in what may seem like “girls” literature.

Highly Recommended ****

Hopkinson, D. (2008). Abe Lincoln crosses a creek: A tall, thin tale (introducing his forgotten frontier friend). New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek is the story of young Abe Lincoln and his childhood friend, Austin Gollaher. Austin and Abe decide to cross a creek, when the water becomes turbulent, and in the end Austin saves the future 16th president of the United States from falling into the creek. The author cleverly invites the illustrator into the story, discusses the way history can be interpreted, and includes a thought provoking conversation on the moral of the story. Students are sure to love this story!

Highly Recommended *****

Winter, J. (2005). The librarian of basra: A true story from iraq. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

The Librarian of Basra is based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian in Basra, Iraq. When war seems to be coming, Alia works to hide her collection of books. When no one is looking, she hides these books in her home, and in a local restaurant. After her library is burned to the ground during the war, Alia is able to save more than 30,000 books of her collection. Every librarian, or other persons who sees values in books should read this story of courageous Alia Muhammad Baker.

Highly Recommended *****

LaRochelle, D. (2007). The end. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

This backwards fairytale, that begins with “They lived happily ever after”, will intrigue children as they find out how the end came to be. Children will laugh at loud and they discover a ticklish dragon, a hundred bunny rabbits, and a temper tantrum-throwing giant. There is repetition of the word “because” and as it is read aloud, younger children will be able to “read” with the story. The entire story is backwards, including the title pages, and the copyright pages. The End can be used as an interesting way to talk to students about the parts of a book, and even the parts of a story.

Highly Recommended ****