Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

Young Trisha is excited when she goes to school. She is excited to learn how to read and to taste the sweetness of books. However, as she goes through school, she realizes that she isn’t able to keep up with the other kids. When she reads, the letters get jumbled, and it is hard for to see the words. She fakes her way through her classes, and is relentlessly teased by her classmates…that is until she gets a new teacher, Mr. Falker. Mr. Falker is able to build a relationship with Trisha, see her difficulty, and work with her until she is able to overcome her difficulties. This is a delightfully heartfelt story that every teacher should read.

Highly Recommended *****

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 ***

Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. Carmel, CA: Hampton-Brown.

On the eve of her thirteenth birthday, Esperanza has it all. She lives in a wealthy family, as her father owns a vineyard, and she has servants to care for her. When her father is killed, she quickly falls into poverty. Esperanza’s transition from a privileged girl, to a competent young woman, happens as she moves into California to work in the agricultural industry in the 1930’s. Winner of the Pura Belpré Award.

Highly Recommended ****

Blumberg, R. (1985). Commodore perry in the land of the shogun. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.

A Newberry awarded book, this is the story of Commodore Perry and how he worked to build diplomatic relations between America, and the then very secluded Japan. Does a great job describing the cultural differences between the two groups, which led to difficulty in building these relations. This book would be a great tool when instructing students about Japanese history.

Highly Recommended *****

Stanley, J. (1992). Children of the dust bowl: The true story of the school at weedpatch camp. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

The “Okies” face a difficult time. Their land is dry and wind storms plague them. They are unable to farm, and it is hard to support their families. With the temptation of work, many trek across the country to California. Once there however, they were treated as second class citizens by the native Californians. The “Okies” weren’t allowed in public places, and often were not even given the jobs that they came for. They lived in dire poverty, and their children too faced opposition. In an attempt to give the Okie children the education that they deserve, Leo Hart fights to have a school built for the Okie children. This amazing story of the school at Weedpatch Camp, will remind readers of the importance of hard work, and being willing to fight for what you believe in.

Highly Recommended *****

Macaulay, D. (1988). New way things work. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This book illustrates and explains in detail how things work. Interested in how pulleys work? How about flying? Perhaps you are more into string and percussion instruments? A wooley mammoth guides the reader through pages of explanation to those who simply do not seem to understand how things work. The illustrations are very clear, and there are a vast amount of topics to read about, at times the concepts are still difficult. As an adult, I still at times scratched my head and said “huh?”, but I’m sure that there are some children who would devour this book, and be excited to learn more about the world.

Highly 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 ***