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Author: Oliver Jeffers
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date: March 2010
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-10+
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Grief

Summary: This book is about a little girl who is full of wonder and adventure, until she experiences a loss and decides that she wants to put her heart in a jar, just until it’s safe to take it out. But what she doesn’t realize was that she lost her sense of wonder along with it. She decides that it’s time to put her heart back in its place but needs some help to do so.

Personal Response: This book was so creative and artfully talked about grief. It talks about how important it is to feel things, and by closing yourself off from the rest of the world in order to avoid hurt, you also miss out on the amazing things in life that make the world go round.

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Author: Susan Varley
Illustrator: Susan Varley
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: July 1992
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Grief

Summary: This book is about an old badger who loves all his friends dearly and tries to ensure that they know that when he dies, that he loves them and will miss them. When he does pass his friends take turns sharing memories and leaning on each other for support and to remember badger how he would have wanted to be.

Personal Response: I loved this book because it didn't shy away from death. It talked about how sometimes friends get old and die, and it's sad, but it's something that happens. Sometimes certain friends take it harder than others, but by reaching out and talking with people who also cared about them, it hurts a little less.

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Author: Joanna Rowland
Illustrator: Thea Baker
Publisher: 1517 Media
Date: September 2017
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-10+
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Grief

Summary: This book is about a little girl who experiences a loss of someone who she loves. And her biggest fear is that she’s slowly going to forget that person. So, she creates a memory box where she can put memories with that person, and new memories that she would want to share with them

Personal Response: I loved this book, it showed children that it's okay to embrace the grief, not to shy away from it. Giving children the pathway needed to dive into how they feel, and the worry of forgetting someone. This book helped to solve a problem that many children feel when they lose someone they love.

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Author: Lauren H. Kerstein
Illustrator: Natalia Moore
Publisher: Magination Press
Date: February 2021
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Foster Home, Adoption

Summary: This book follows a little boy as he enters a new foster home and experiences the harmful thoughts that keep him from feeling safe and loved. He grows to know his foster mom and eventually accepts that he is safe and loved, even if it’s only his home for a while.

Personal Response: I loved this book because it showed how hard it is to monitor and control emotions when going through this. The little boy wanted to hate being there and felt very confused about whether or not he could call this place home. But the foster mom was nothing but supportive and gave him space when he needed it.

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Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care

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Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care

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Author: Jennifer Wilgocki
Illustrator: Alissa Imre Geis
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Date: February 2002
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction, Informational
Theme: Foster Home, Adoption

Summary: This book is all about the process that children go through when entering the foster care system. It helps to answer tough questions, and reiterate that each child is loved very much by many different people who want what’s best for them.

Personal Response: I liked this book because it was kept a very wide lens on each person's situation being different. However, it answered all the questions that a child going into foster care may ask.

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Speranza's Sweater: A Child's Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption

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Speranza's Sweater: A Child's Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption

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Author: Marcy Pusey
Illustrator: Beatriz Mello
Publisher: Miramare Ponte Press
Date: Mrch 2018
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Adoption, Foster Home

Summary: This book follows Speranza as she navigates the foster system with very few things to remind her of home besides her favorite sweater. Things are tough sometimes, but she’s always reminded of how loved she is, from both her adoptive family and her birth family.

Personal Response: I think this book covered a difficult topic very gracefully. A child going into a foster home is scared and confused, and by normalizing it and showing that her birth family is still by her side it can help some children who need to feel a little less alone.

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Author: Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
Illustrator: Marta Fabrega
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Date: March 2005
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-6
Genre: Informative, Informational, Realistic Fiction
Theme: Secrets, Safety

Summary: This book helps children differentiate a good secret (like a surprise party) and a bad secret (like someone hurting you). And goes into detail about who you should tell, and why.

Personal Response: I liked this book because it's really important for children to know when it's okay to keep a secret and when they need to share for their own safety. This book is a great informative book to keep in a class or as a parent.

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Brave Bart: A Story for Traumatized and Grieving Children

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Brave Bart: A Story for Traumatized and Grieving Children

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Author: Caroline H Sheppard
Illustrator: John Manikoff
Publisher: Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children
Date: January 1998
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3 - 8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Trauma

Summary: This books is about a kitten named Bart who sees a very sad and scary thing. He realizes that he’s changing, he’s scared, and tired, and never hungry. He doesn’t play with his friends the same. But with the help of Hannah, he sees that he’s a survivor and deserves to take control back.

Personal Response: This is another great book about trauma and how much it can impact someone's mood and capability to function through out the day. It normalizes how hard it is to move on like nothing happened, and again utilizes outreach and therapy.

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Author: Kyo Maclear
Illustrator: Nathalie Dion
Publisher: Tundra Books
Date: September 2022
# of Pages: 64
Age level: 3-6
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Courage

Summary: This book is about a little cloud who tries is afraid of being seen by others. One day all of her friends had to go elsewhere and she had to travel on her own. She sees lots that day, and realizes that it's okay to be seen, she was too busy looking at everything around her.

Personal Response: This book is about having courage when you are afraid. And realizing that being seen is okay, this book would be great in a class for teaching the lesson about being brave.

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Author: Riel Nason
Illustrator: Byron Eggenschwiler
Publisher: Tundra Publishing
Date: September 2020
# of Pages: 48
Age level: 3-10
Genre: Fiction
Theme: It's okay to be different

Summary: This book is about a little ghost who was a quilt instead of a sheet. All the other ghosts he knew were light and could float on a little breeze, but this ghost was heavy because of all his layers of fabric. On Halloween he decided to get closer to all the people but was picked up by a mother who needed to warm her daughter. The ghost was taken all the way home with them and he was surprisingly okay with it. He was so excited to be able to tell the story with his other ghosts, and was grateful to have been a quilt.

Personal Response: I loved this book because it shows that it's okay to be different. People might be mean because they don't understand why, but people get other opportunities because they're different and should cherish that.

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Author: Tom Percival
Illustrator: Tom Percival
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date: September 2019
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Anxiety and friendship

Summary: This book is about a little girl named ruby who finds a worry one day... she hopes that no once can see it, and maybe it would just go away on it's own. But Ruby's worry just kept growing and growing until it was impossible to ignore. She later meets a little boy who also has a worry, and by talking about it their worries slowly shrink until they almost don't exist.

Personal Response: This book is great to introduce the topic of anxiety in a way that kids can understand. And showing them that it's okay to have worries.

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Author: Viviane Elbee
Illustrator: Nicole Miles
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Date: March 2022
# of Pages: 31
Age level: 3-6
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Sharing

Summary: This book is about a little boy who loves his dinosaur book, and renewed it as often as possible... until it was put on hold and had to return it. He missed his book dearly, and devised a plan to get his book back. He then learned how great it was to share his book with all the other kids and opened his eyes to all the great adventures that other books had to offer.

Personal Response: This is a great book to teach kids about the importance of sharing and how it's okay to find newer and better books, it doesn't make your favorite book any less of your favorite.

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Author: Alan Gratz
Illustrator: Alan Grantz
Publisher: Starscape Publishing
Date: August 2017
# of Pages: 256
Age Level: 8-13
Genre: Fiction
Themes: Censorship, Freedom of Speech

Summary: Amy Anne is a fourth grader who loves reading and is shocked when one of her favorite books is taken out of her school library. After further investigation she comes to find that it was banned along with multiple other books. Amy Anne doesn't let this slide and chooses to make a secret library with her friends that contains all the banned books. After it gained traction, the other students at her school decided that they would request almost every book in the library be banned for ridiculous reasons and helped get all the books put back.

Personal Response: I loved this book, book censorship is at the forefront of everyone's mind in the valley, and it's unfair for students to be punished because adults aren't comfortable covering different topics that students need to hear about.

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Author: Sarah L Thomson
Illustrator: Keith Mallett
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Date: August 2022
# of Pages: 40
Age level: 4-8
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Being proud of your skin

Summary: This book is all about the colors brown and black, and is used to showcase how amazing the two colors are. And has an underlying theme that they are anything but dull and boring. It helps kids with darker skin appreciate the color of their skin and feel proud to say that their skin is brown or black.

Personal Response: This book was so sweet and so important for students who have skin that is black or brown. I remember being told that the color brown is boring and dull, and I couldn't imaging being told that if my skin was that same color.

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Author: Angela H Dale
Illustrator: Lala Watkins
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Date: 2022
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-6
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Excitement, Patience, School

Summary: This is a story about all the kids that make their way to the bus stop and how much they are enjoying the snow while waiting for the school bus. When a realization is made that it's a snow day!

Personal Response: This book uses so many great adjectives and would be great to open the door for new words for students to utilize. This book is for younger students, however if used in the right way could be taught to older students for the purpose of new words to use.

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Author: Jessica Love
Illustrator: Jessica Love
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date: April 2018
# of Pages: 41
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Identity, Support

Summary: This is a story of a little boy who dreams of being a mermaid, he wants to have a beautiful shimmering tail and long glowing hair. His grandmother helps him feel as beautiful on the outside as he does on this inside, and gives him the chance to show his stuff.

Personal Response: This books was a beautiful book about feeling comfortable in their own skin. And how important it is to show people the support that they both need and deserve in order to feel as beautiful on the outside as they do on the inside.

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Author: Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Ketura A. Bobo
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date: January 2022
# of Pages: 36
Age level: 4-10
Genre: Historical
Theme: Freedom, Juneteenth, History, Activism

Summary: This book is about the grandmother of Juneteenth and how much blood, sweat, and tears it took for Juneteenth to become a respected holiday and how important it is for African Americans to have the space to celebrate their freedom.

Personal Response: This book is so important for kids to be taught about. African American history is one that is not to be taken lightly. If the history is not taught, it will be repeated.

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Author: Dan Santat
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Date: 2017
# of Pages: 40
Age level: 4-8
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Getting back up, Courage, Accidents happen

Summary: This is the book of Humpty Dumpty and how much courage it took after he fell from the wall. How much time and effort it took for him to decide to climb back up on the wall.

Personal Response: This is a cute book that describes how hard it can be for those who have an accident and need to get back up to where they were, whether it may be falling from a bike, or getting back behind a wheel. This book shows how important it is to have courage and take the time to know when you are ready to get back up.

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Author: Steve Antony
Illustrator: Steve Antony
Publisher: Cartwheel Books
Date: November 2014
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-6
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Theme: Sharing, Manners

Summary: This book is about a panda who does not want to share his donuts with anyone who doesn't show proper manners. He searches and searches until he finds someone who will ask politely.

Personal Response: This is a very cute book about teaching kids about having proper manners and asking politely, even if someone is offering. It was lighthearted and a great book for some younger kids.

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Author: Scott Stuart
Illustrator: Scott Stuart
Publisher: Hardie Grant
Date: August 2022
# of Pages: 32
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: friendship, comradery

Summary: This book is about Earth trying to find the perfect friends and not feeling like she fit in with those around her. Until she met the moon who was completely new to her and became her forever friend.

Personal Response: This book was super cute and great for teaching kids about how you can find friends where you least expect them.

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Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date: June 2021
# of Pages: 274
Age level: 10+
Genre: Fantasy
Theme:

Summary: In a world where nothing is as it seems, Vicky lives a fairly ordinary life with the help of some Gargoyles. Vicky longs for a chance to train her knife and sword skills at Corvus (a school specifically for girls to perfect their gifts) but when tragedy strikes, Vicky jumps into action to help get justice, with the help of her new found friends.

Personal Response: This was a wonderful and fast paced fantasy book. This can definitely be a door opener for students who want to get into fantasy. It has one of my favorite tropes (being a morally grey character who decides to help the main character simply because they can) and was a great book for little girls who want a strong female main character who don't need help but choose to accept it.

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Author: Alysa Wishingrad
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: July 2021
# of Pages: 300
Age level: 10+
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Theme: Fighting for what's right

Summary: Beau never felt like he fit the role that his father laid out for him when he was to be heir. When Beau finds out that his father his almost everything from him he has to make the tough choice to do that is right for his future kingdom. Beau refuses to be a pawn in a game if it mean that those around him suffer.

Personal Response: This was another great fantasy book that I know I would have really enjoyed when I was a kid. This book really encapsulates the sacrifices that someone someone is willing to make in order to do the right thing.

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Author: J S Puller
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Date: 2021
# of Pages: 211
Age level: 8-12
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism
Theme: Grief, friendship, family

Summary: Leah never thought that something as horrible as a school shooting would ever effect her family until it did. She goes to stay with some family over the summer and discovers that her cousin TJ has gone mute after surviving a school shooting. When following TJ after sneaking out to the laundromat they discover the world "The Land of Lost Things" where TJ feels comfortable talking. Leah and her friend decide to try to bring this world to live in order to bring TJ back to who he used to be.

Personal Response: This book was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It's so hard to see the effects that school shootings have on kiddos and the long time consequences. This book combined the elements of child like magic and the real life horrors that many kids experience. I would love to introduce this to my kids.

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Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Date: July 2021
# of Pages: 216
Age level: 8-12
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Hate, Overcoming, Support, Community

Summary: This book is told from the viewpoint of Dana, Michael, and Caroline. These three grew up in a quiet Colorado town and not much happened in their lives that was deemed unusual or shocking. Until one day their school is vandalized with swastikas and shocks the town and it's residents. The story is filled with Jewish history. And in response the students decide that they are going to make a paper chain, six million links long in support of the Jewish community and those affected by the holocaust.

Personal Response: This was an absolutely amazing book. It took on the topic of hate with so much grace, and introduced students to the hate that is seen within this world, but overcame that with love and support and community. It was absolutely awesome and I can't wait to put it in a future classroom.

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The Wingfeather Saga: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

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The Wingfeather Saga: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

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Author: Andrew Peterson
Publisher: WaterBrook
Date: 2008
# of Pages: 306
Age level: 8+
Genre: Fantasy
Theme: Heroism, Adventure

Summary: Janner Igiby lives a fairly normal life, as normal as he can anyways. Him and his three siblings unfortunately have to live in terror of the Fangs of Dang who travel across the Sea of Darkness and have been kidnapping human children. When they find themselves in Fang jail they must do everything in their power to escape the Fangs of Dang and reverse the horrible effects that they've had on their land.

Personal Response: I personally didn't really like this book. Pretty hard to follow sometimes. And it's very possible that I didn't enjoy this simply because of the age level and vocabulary that was used, however it's not one that I plan on keeping in my class.

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Heartwood Hotel: A True Home (chapter book)

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Heartwood Hotel: A True Home (chapter book)

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Author: Kallie George
Illustrator: Stephanie Graegin
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Date: July 2017
# of Pages: 176
Age level: 7-10
Genre: Fiction, Chapter Book, Mystery
Theme: Friendship, Courage

Summary: When Mona the mouse gets lost in a storm the last thing she expects is to stumble across a secret door that would change her life. The Heartwood Hotel welcomes animals of all shapes and sizes to stay. Mona gets offered a job by Mr. Heartwood as a housekeeper. She uses this opportunity to try and change the lives of the different animals that stay at the Heartwood. She eventually has to think outside the box in order to keep the hotel safe and both the guests and Mr. Heartwood realize how important she is at the hotel.

Personal Response: This was such a cute book and is one that many kids would love. It's lighthearted and follows the life of Mona and her experience in the hotel. It makes me wish that I was a small animal getting to stay in the huge and cozy hotel.

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Author: Anna Humphrey
Illustrator: Kass Reich
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date: August 2018
# of Pages: 194
Age level: 7-10
Genre: Fantasy, Chapter Book
Theme: Friendship, Loneliness, Fitting In

Summary: Daniel has trouble making friends, house haunted, actually a bat, bat needs friends too.

When Daniel moved to a new house, new town and new state he realizes how hard it is to start over and make a whole new set of friends. Meanwhile, he's being terrorized at home because his house is actually haunted - or so he thought. Megabat was living his best life at home when he was shoved in a bag, after managing to escape he finds himself in the attic of Daniel's house; scared and lonely. When Daniel realizes that the house isn't actually haunted and instead is being occupied by Megabat the two bond over sweet food and the fear of being alone and embark on the adventure of friendship.

Personal Response: This was a cute and lighthearted book that would get young readers introduced with chapter books without overwhelming them with a huge book and lots of words. Definitely a book that I would use for an intro to chapter books.

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Author: Troy Cummings
Illustrator: Troy Cummings
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Date: 2018
# of Pages: 40
Age level: 3-7
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Belonging,

Summary: This book is about a little dog names Arfy who is looking for a home and writing letters to all the people living near him with no luck. Arfy starts to lose hope that he will ever find a home, when he receives a letter from the mail carrier who has been delivering for him asking if she can be his person.

Personal Response: This book was very cute and told a good story about how hard it can be to get on your feet, and even though you truly are good, it's hard to show other people that. This was an easy and sweet book with beautiful pictures.

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Author: Helen Yoon
Illustrator: Helen Yoon
Publisher: Candlewick
Date: 2022
# of Pages: 31
Age level: 3-8
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book
Theme: Belonging, Kindness, Self Doubt

Summary: This book is about a little bull with one horn who believes that they are a unicorn. Until they read a book about unicorns and they realize that they aren't as similar as they thought. They run into some real unicorns and apologizes for stating they they were a unicorn when they actually weren't. The unicorns give them a little advice and instill the belief back into the little bull, that they are in fact a unicorn.

Personal Response: This book was so cute, and I loved that instead when given the opportunity the unicorns didn't break the bull down and state that they were a bull, instead gave some advice to help the bull believe in themselves. And it all in all was a very very cute book.

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Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 2017
# of Pages: 40
Age level: 4-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Choosing happiness, prevailing

Summary: This book is about a seed who wasn't always bad but decided that it was easier to be bad. Until he realized that life was better when he wasn't. Sure, he wasn't always perfect, but no one is.

Personal Response: This was a cute book about how people can change and that it's okay to choose happiness. This is a great book to keep in class, sometimes people experience hardship that make them hardened, but it doesn't mean that they're bad people.

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Author: Margaret Holmes
Illustrator: Cary Pillo
Publisher: American Psychological Association
Date: January 2000
# of Pages: 31
Age level: 3 - 10+
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Trauma

Summary: This book is about a little racoon named Sherman who sees something terrible. He tries to forget, but the more he tries, the more he can’t stop thinking about it. Eventually Sherman goes to see Ms. Maple, who helps him talk about what he saw and how to feel better about it.

Personal Response: This book is so important to highlight why it's okay to reach out to grown ups, and ignoring what happened won't make it go away. Children don't have coping skills to help understand why something happened and I hope that future students feel like they can reach out to me.

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Author: Lybaina Banduwala
Illustrator: Allen Shaw
Publisher: Karadi Tales Company Pvt.
Date: 2021
# of Pages: 34
Age Level: 6-8
Genre: Picture book, fiction
Theme: Exploration, comedy, adapting

Summary: A leopard gets to spend the day exploring Mumbai, and seeing all the sights. his day ends being relocated back to his natural habitat, although he never forgets his adventure in Mumbai

Personal Response: This book was very cute and could be a great segway into the topic of habitats and the ways that animals need to adapt in order to survive.

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Author: Antionette Portis
Illustrator: Antionette Portis
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Date: April 7, 2020
# of Pages: 40
Age Level: 3-7 years
Genre: Informational fiction
Theme: Nature, exploration

Summary: This book is about exploring the natural world around you and what you may find while you're out there. Such as pebbles, tadpoles, and inchworms and the experience you may have when you stumble across them.

Personal Response: I thought this was a really great book, especially with how comfortable children have gotten with living inside. I would love keeping this book in my classroom.

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Unicornado: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

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Unicornado: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

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Author: Dana Simpson
Illustrator: Dana Simpson
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Date: October 2022
# of Pages: 176
Age Level: 7-12
Genre: Fiction, fantasy
Theme: Friendship, companionship, coming of age

Summary: This super cute graphic novel is about a nine year old girl named Phoebe and her best friend Marigold (who happens to be a unicorn). Together, they navigate life and meet new friends, both of natural and supernatural sorts.

Personal Response: I love this book, it was so cute and was a great fantasy book for kiddos. Phoebe has many great adventures and Marigold is a wonderful companion that helps her through the troubles of life and growing up. This is a great fantasy book for kiddos who are getting into graphic novels

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Author: Alexandra Penfold
Illustrator: Suzanne Kaufman
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Date: 2018
# of Pages: 45
Age Level: 4-8
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Kindness, inclusion, friendship

Summary: This sweet book talks about how each and every person has a place in this world, and in this case, in their classroom. Regardless of ability, race, or gender. Each student is loved and welcomed in their class.

Personal Response: This book opens the conversation of people being unique and different in their own ways, but it doesn't mean that they are any less deserving of an education. Helps children open their eyes and their hearts to inclusion and open mindedness.

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Author: Anoosha Syed
Illustrator:  Anoosha Syed
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: 2022
# of Pages: 40
Age Level: 3-12
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book, Informational
Theme: Respect, Inclusion

Summary: This book is about a young girl facing the challenges of getting people to say her name. Not nicknames, not shortening it, and definitely not giving her a completely new name. She loves her name and deserves to have it said right.

Personal Response: This book was amazing for teaching students the importance of giving everyone the same opportunities, and just because a name is a little different than what you're used to, doesn't mean that you get to opt out. It's so important to talk about this and acknowledge that this happens all the time.

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Author: Susan Hughes
Illustrator: Carey Sookocheff
Publisher: Owlkids
Date: 2018
# of Pages: 41
Age Level: 6-9
Genre: Fiction, Picture book
Theme: Bullying, perseverance, isolation

Summary: This book tells the story of a girl who is being bullied. She tells the reader how she feels, what she does and how those around her respond. She's taught by her mother that sometimes you have to take the first step to invoke kindness, and much to the little girl's surprise; it works.

Personal Response: This was a beautiful book and talked about the hard process of having to reach out to those who treat you badly and show them kindness even if they never did the same to you. As children get older, many are faced with bullying and this book shows that it's okay to ask for help from those around you and that in many cases, kindness wins.

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Author: Maya Myers
Illustrator: Hyewon Yum
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Date: 2021
# of Pages: 43
Age Level: 4-8
Genre: Children's literature, didactic fiction
Theme: empowerment, courage

Summary: This book is about a girl named Dot who is constantly reminded of how small she is. But Dot feels anything but small, she is mighty, strong, and smart. She is not little, but when she meets someone who is littler than she is, she realizes how easy it is to put someone in that box, because it makes her feel bigger. Dot becomes friends with them, and together they show everyone how strong they are.

Personal Response: This is a great book about empowerment, and that size does not make someone any less than anyone else. It's okay to be little, because it doesn't change who you are on the inside.

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Author: Peter H. Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Date: 2018
# of Pages: 40
Age Level: 3-7
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Sharing, kindness

Summary: Jerome is a little boy who loves words. He loves to find new words, intriguing words, big words. Words make the world go round, and he keeps all of his words safely tucked into his binders, where nothing bad can happen to them. Jerome eventually decides that it's his responsibility to share all of these amazing words with the rest of the world. So he climbs to the top of the tallest hill and releases all of his words so everyone can see how amazing they are.

Personal Response: I loved this book, it showcases sharing your passions with those around you and how valuable that can be. I read this book as a read along with Michelle and Barrack Obama and it was so sweet, I loved this book.

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Author: Shannon Doleski
Publisher: ABRAMS
Date: 2022
# of Pages: 240
Visual Elements: N/A
Grade level: 4th-8th
Genre: Fiction, romance
Theme: End of the world, perseverance, adventure
Setting: Post-apocalyptic world

Summary: Gabe is 14 and living in a world where little is the same as it was. Home is an island off of Maine where he works as a sort of doctor for the other children that live with him. Everything changes when Relle is found and his feelings are spending more time conflicting than not. This sets him on a journey to find more survivors and the adventures that follow.

Personal Response: This book was great, it's a cute romance and great for kids that are coming into their teens. But it doesn't only focus on the romance, it's also a great adventure book about hope and loss.

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Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier

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Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier

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Author: Michelle Cueves
Illustrator (Cover Art): Michelle Cueves
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Date: September 2015
# of Pages: 192
Age Level: 9-12 years
Genre: Fiction, fantasy
Theme: Self awareness, friendship, family, fitting in
Setting: Home, school, outside

Summary: Jacque Papier lives his life believing that he is Fleur's twin brother, until the day arrives that he is made aware that he is nothing more than an imaginary friend. He is invited to Imaginaries Anonymous and embarks on the adventure of finding himself while still trying to hang onto who he was before.

Personal Response: This book was so cute, but definitely had a deeper side to it that made you feel deep empathy for poor Jacque who's life was turned upside down. This book was a great read for both kids and adults, the author made sure to sprinkle bits of humor that most children wouldn't catch.

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Author: Joanna Ho
Illustrator: Dung Ho
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 2022
# of Pages: 40
Visual Elements: Picture book, bright colors
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Diversity, family, culture
Grade Level: K-3rd
Setting: New York

Summary: This book is about a little boy who struggles with his personal identity after a drawing was made that inaccurately depicted him. Through love and support from his family he leans into his Chinese heritage and finds that what makes him different is something to be proud of.

Personal Response: I thought this book was so empowering and I loved that it focused on paternal support, as sometimes it isn't depicted as often as it should. This is another book that is amazing for showing kids that their differences are empowering and something that they shouldn't be ashamed of.

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Author: Susan Hood
Illustrator: Christiane Engel

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Date: 2021

Award: 2022 Notable Books in Poetry

# of Pages: 48

Age Level: 4-8 Years

Genre: Children's literature, Poetry, Children's non-fiction literature

Theme: Environmental, Ocean Preservation, Coming together

Summary: This book is about raising awareness about the amount of plastic in the world and to praise those who are doing something about it. She highlights the dangers of plastic and what can be done to recycle and reduce the amount of plastic being used. She praises those who have been making changes on a governmental level to help save those who are most affected by the amount of plastic being thrown into the ocean and left in landfills.
Personal Response: I found this book to be great for raising awareness to the dangers that people are causing to the environment and would be a great segway into natural science and the importance of a balanced ecosystem. I can understand why this won an award, as it's a great way to introduce children to the importance of protecting their environment.

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Author: Gary Soto

Illustrator: Ed Martinez

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

Date : 1996

Number of pages: 32

Visual elements: Realistic oil painting, picture book, rich colors

Grade level: PreK - 3rd

Genre: Fiction/Realistic Fiction

Summary: This story takes place with a young girl named Maria. Her families tradition every year for Christmas is to make tamales. Her favorite cousins always got to come over to help. When her mother leaves the kitchen for a moment, Maria takes that moment to try on her diamond ring. Moments later she realizes the ring is gone and must have fallen into a tamale. With the help of her cousins, they decide that the only solution is to eat all of the tamales that were made in search of the ring. After finishing all of the tamales with no sign of the ring, Maria decides that she has to come clean and confess to her mother that she tried on the ring and lost it. To Maria's surprise her mother had the ring the whole time! Her entire family steps in to help make fresh batches of tamales to replace the ones eaten just in time for Christmas.

My Response: I thought that this was a very cute and wholesome book. Not only did it highlight the traditions of different cultures and families, but it highlights that all families are similar in the aspect of children always getting into some sort of mischief, regardless of the culture. I found this book to be very light hearted and fun, and I would love to read it in a future classroom.

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Author: Brian Young
Illustrator: Shonto Begay (Cover Art)
Publisher: Heartdrum, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
Date: 2021
# of Pages: 368
Visual Elements (cover art): Pastels, realistic
Genre: adventure fiction
Theme: Adventure, cultural
Grade Level: 5th-8th
Setting: New Mexico

Summary: Nathan is spending the summer with his grandfather on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. One night he stumbles upon a sick water monster and in exchange for helping Nathan out of the desert, Nathan promises to help save the water monster that is being struck by the drought. Nathan travels into the Third World to meet another Holy Being that knows how to save the water monster and learns more about his Navajo heritage and what can be done to save the Holy Beings and Earth around him.

Personal Response: This was a great book to introduce other cultures and taught me a lot about Navajo culture and what their beliefs are. I loved the different ways that it brought up so many different cultural practices and all around an easy read.

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Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope

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Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope

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Author: Jodie Patterson
Illustrator: Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Publisher: Penguin Random House/ Crown Books
Date: 2021
# of Pages:
Visual Elements: Picture book, realistic cartoon, colors
Grade level: K-3rd
Genre: Realistic fiction, picture book
Theme: Acceptance, inclusivity, self acceptance
Setting: Home, school, karate studio

Summary: This story is about a little boy named Penelope and his journey of finding himself and navigating home and school. Finding acceptance and finally feeling like himself.

Personal Response: This is an amazing book for both children and adults about what it means to be be transgender. It doesn't focus the entire book on Penelope's gender, but instead showcases how happy he is once he feels like people see him as he actually is. This is an amazing book and would be great to keep in a classroom.

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Author: Hiba Masood
Illustrator: Hoda Hadadi
Publisher: Daybreak Press
Date: 2016
# of Pages: 28
Visual Elements: Picture book, simplistic
Genre: fiction, religious
Theme: Empowerment, religious ceremony, music
Setting: Istanbul

Summary: During the blessed month of Ramadan a musaharati walks through the streets of Najma's neighborhood filling the streets with the sounds of his drums. Najma dreams of one day having the opportunity to be her communities masaharati. However, it's never been done by a girl. She speaks about it to her father, who decides that they will make it happen. Najma, with the help of her father plays her drums through the streets at the next Ramadan and continues to do so for years. Eventually passing the job down to her children and grandchildren.

Personal Response: This book was so sweet and taught me more about Ramadan than I ever did before. This book is a great way to teach children about different cultures while also empowering young girls that they can do anything they set their mind to.

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Author: Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 2015
# of Pages: 48
Visual Elements: Ethereal, vibrant colors, picture book
Genre: Poetry, true story
Theme: Empowerment, you can do anything you set your mind to
Setting: Dreams, outdoors

Summary: A young girl is living with the dream of becoming a drummer and filling the public spaces of her town with her music. However, only boys can be drummers according to most where she lives. So she practices and dreams about the day when she too can drum. Her father eventually lets her go to an instructor to see if she has what it takes. The teacher loves her drumming skills, and she is given the opportunity to drum in a cafe, helping to end the stigma that only boys can be drummers. Based on a true story.

Personal Response: I loved the empowerment of this book. It's far too often that girls aren't given the same opportunities even though they have all the same capabilities of their male counterparts. This book was beautifully done and spent very little time dwelling on the skills of the men in the town, and instead focused on her dreams and desires.

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Author: Nancy Shaw
Illustrator: Margot Apple
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 1986
# of Pages: 32
Visual Elements: Pencil drawings, picture book
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Fantasy, adventure
Reading Level: PreK-1st
Setting: Outside

Summary: This short picture book follows a jeep full of sheep as they try to navigate a small vehicle crash meet friends who can help them along the way.

Personal Response: This is a cute book and great for younger kids who are learning about spelling and rhyming. Great illustrations and keeps the attention of younger kiddos.

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Author: Anna Dewdney
Illustrator: Anna Dewdney
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: 5/5/2005
# of Pages: 31
Visual Elements: Paperback picture book, great contrasts in color, the red of the pajama is an important visual aspect in relation to the book
Grade Level: Pre K-K
Genre: Fiction
Literary Elements: A young llama wants a glass of water after mama llama puts him to bed and starts to panic when she doesn't come very quickly. This turns to a full panic, crying for mama llama, and when she arrives the little llama gets a scolding for his lack of patients.
Response to the Book: I loved this book, I was read it many times by my mom growing up, so getting to look into it with a bit of a deeper look was really great and I plan on keeping this book in my future classroom.