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Author: Matt de la Peña ( ill. Christian Robinson)

Grade: 2nd

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Standard:

2.RL.KID.2: Recount stories and determine their central message or moral.

2.RL.KID.3: Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges.

2.RL.KID.7: Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of setting and plot.

Summary: CJ rides the bus every Sunday with his Nana after church. As they travel through the city, CJ begins to notice things he wishes he had, like a car or the gadgets other kids have. But Nana helps him see the beauty and richness in their world: the laughter of neighbors, the bright murals, and the kindness of strangers. By the end of their trip, CJ’s perspective changes, and he realizes that true happiness comes from appreciation and gratitude.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/last-stop-market-street

Activity: After reading the book aloud, I would guide a discussion about how CJ’s thinking changes throughout the story. Students would then create a “Kindness Map” of their community, drawing places where kindness can be shown or where they’ve seen others help. Afterward, they’d write a few sentences describing how they can be more like Nana by noticing good things in everyday moments.

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Author: Ezra Jack Keats

Grade:2nd

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Standard:

2.RL.KID.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of key details.

2.RL.KID.2: Determine the central message or lesson.

2.RL.IKI.7: Use illustrations to describe how they contribute to the story.

Summary: In this story, a little boy named Peter wakes up to find his city blanketed in fresh snow. He spends the day making footprints, snow angels, and exploring his neighborhood in wonder. When the snow begins to melt, Peter learns that some moments, though fleeting, stay with us through memory and imagination.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ejkf.org/awards-honors/

Activity: I’d begin by reading the story aloud and asking students to imagine themselves walking beside Peter. Afterward, we’d talk about what made his day special and how he explored with curiosity. Students would then sequence the events of the story and illustrate their favorite part, writing a few sentences to describe what Peter might have been feeling at that moment.

https://online.flipbuilder.com/rslc/rdsk/

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Ezra Jack Keats Foundation - Awards & Honors

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A list of all of Ezra’s book and personal awards and honors. Also all dedications and exhibitions.

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Author: Jane Yolen ( ill. John Schoenherr )

Grade:2nd

Genre: Poetry/ Realistic Fiction

Standard:

2.RL.KID.4: Describe how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning in a story.

2.RL.KID.5: Describe the overall structure of a story, including beginning, middle, and end.

2.RL.IKI.7: Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot.

Summary: A child and their father venture into the quiet, snowy woods to go owling at night. The lyrical language captures the beauty of nature and the strong bond between parent and child. Even though they don’t speak much, the story is filled with a deep sense of wonder and connection that only patience and stillness can bring.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.janeyolen.com/owl-moon/

Activity: After reading the story aloud, I’d ask students to close their eyes and imagine walking through the woods at night. We’d discuss what sounds, sights, and feelings they might experience. Then, students would create their own “sound maps” of the woods—drawing and labeling what they might hear. To finish, they’d write a short descriptive paragraph using sensory words inspired by Owl Moon.

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OWL MOON

Illustrated by John Schoenherr

Philomel 1987

This gentle tone poem about a father taking his daughter (yes-it's a girl!) out owling one cold wintry night is arguably my best book. Certainly it's my best known book. The 1988 Caldecott Medal winner for John Schoenherr's beautiful, frosty, tender, exacting pictures, the book has been translated into nine languages, been an ALA Notable Book, a Reading Rainbow book, a Junior Literary Guild selection, and on dozens of state award lists. Though I envisioned the book in the little woods near our house, Schoenherr used his own farm in New Jersey as the setting. The father is my husband David, the child our daughter Heidi. It's not an exact story of David taking Heidi out owling, but an amalgam of many such trips he did with all of our children. I purposefully didn't mention the child's gender, though the flap copy gives the secret away. Heidi is now an adult with her own daughters, Maddison Jane and Glendon Alexandria. Their grandfather-Pa-has already taken them out owling. The only paperback edition so far is the Scholastic Book Club edition, not sold in bookstores. Publishers like to keep books in hardcover as long as possible (read: as long as it's selling well). It will be some time by that measure before "Owl Moon" goes into paperback. There are over a dozen editions in foreign languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Korean. I wrote an article for the New Advocate magazine called "On Silent Wings" in the Fall 1989 edition that tells the complete story of the making of the book and what happened on the day the Caldecott was announced. The book was one of Yankee Magazine's 100 Classic New England Children's Books. It was also on the 1989 Kentucky Bluegrass Master List and a 1991 North Dakota Flickertail Award nominee.

1988 Caldecott Award Winner

#16 on School Library Journal's Top 100 Childrens Books List

One of Yankee Magazine's 100 Classic New England Children's Books

1990 Florida State Reading Award nominee

On the 1989 Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

1991 North Dakota Flickertail Award nominee

Around the web:
Recordings:

There is a video of OWL MOON from Weston Woods/Scholastic. John Schoenherr's Caldecott Acceptance speech can be found in the August 1988 issue of The Horn Book and on a Limited Edition tape made by Weston Woods/Scholastic.

"Owl Moon" song by Bruce O'Brien from his tape "Love is in the Middle".

The models for the Owl Moon characters:
What reviewers have said:

*"An exquisite mood piece...The elusive magic and gentle shivery excitement that accompany the twosome is felt by the reader...powerful and evocative watercolor illustrations" Starred Review - Booklist

*The play of shadows...perfectly match the mood and sensitivity...[which] seem to invite readers into this
special nighttime world." Starred review - School Library Journal

"This book has a magic that is extremely rare in books for any age." - The New York Times

"The shared experience of the mysterious, natural night-world seems the more important message of this lovely, quiet book." - Kirkus

"Owl Moon invests the sights and sounds of a moonlit forest with such mysterious presence as to reveal the sacred quality of natural things." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

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OWL MOON Illustrated by John Schoenherr Philomel 1987 This gentle tone poem about a father taking his daughter (yes-it's a girl!) out owling one cold wintry night is arguably my best book. Certainly it's my best known book.

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Author: Matthew Cordell

Grade:2nd

Genre: Wordless Picture Book

Standard:

2.RL.KID.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of key details.

2.RL.IKI.7: Use illustrations to show understanding of plot and character.

2.SL.CC.2: Recount or describe key ideas from a text read aloud or information presented orally.

Summary: This story follows a young girl and a lost wolf pup during a snowstorm. When they find each other, they must rely on courage and compassion to make it home safely. The book beautifully shows empathy and the power of helping others without using a single word.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/wolf-snow

Activity: After reading the book together and studying the illustrations, students would work as a class to orally retell the story in sequence. Then, they would choose one moment to focus on and write their own short sentences or captions describing what’s happening in that scene. This activity helps them connect visual storytelling with language development while practicing empathy and imagination.

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Awards, publishing, and conferences: ALA membership advocates to ensure access to information for all

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Author: Lindsay Mattrick (ill. Sophie Blackall )

Grade:2nd

Genre: Nonfiction/ Biography

Standard:

2.RI.KID.2: Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text.

2.RI.IKI.5: Know and use text features to locate key facts or information.

2.RI.IKI.7: Explain how specific images contribute to the text.

Summary: This story tells how a soldier named Harry Colebourn rescued a bear cub during World War I and named her Winnie. Winnie became the mascot for Harry’s regiment and later lived at the London Zoo, where she inspired the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh. The book celebrates compassion, storytelling, and how small acts of kindness can spark great adventures.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/finding-winnie-true-story-worlds-most-famous-bear

Activity: After reading the story aloud, I’d help students compare this real bear to the fictional Winnie-the-Pooh they may already know. As a group, we’d build a visual timeline of Winnie’s journey using key details from the text. Students would then write a short informational paragraph about why Winnie was so special, using both text and picture evidence.

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Awards Won

Title

Year

Randolph Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2016 - Winner(s)

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Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

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Title Year Randolph Caldecott Medal The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

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Author: Maurice Sendak

Grade:2nd

Genre: Fantasy

Standard:

2.RL.KID.2: Determine the central message, lesson, or moral.

2.RL.KID.3: Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges.

2.RL.IKI.7: Use illustrations and words to show understanding of characters or setting.

Summary: Max gets sent to his room after misbehaving and imagines sailing away to a land full of Wild Things. He becomes their king, but soon realizes he misses the love and warmth of home. The story reminds readers that while imagination is powerful, home is where we truly belong.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/where-wild-things-are

Activity: After reading aloud, I’d guide a conversation about how Max’s feelings change from anger to loneliness and finally to comfort. Students would create an emotion chart showing these changes and then write about a time when they felt “wild” but made a good choice in the end. This connects emotional awareness with comprehension.

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Awards, publishing, and conferences: ALA membership advocates to ensure access to information for all

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Author: Norton Juster ( ill. Chris Raschka)

Grade:2nd

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Standard:

2.RL.KID.1: Ask and answer questions about key details.

2.RL.KID.2: Recount stories and determine their central message.

2.W.TTP.3: Write narratives recounting well-elaborated events with details and sequence.

Summary: A little girl describes all the magical moments that happen at her grandparents’ house, especially around the “hello, goodbye window.” Through this window, she sees love, laughter, and the joy of family connections. The story highlights warmth, belonging, and traditions that make families special.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/hello-goodbye-window

Activity: After reading the story, I’d ask students to share what made the window so special to the girl. Then, they’d think of a place in their own home that holds special memories. Each student would draw that place and write a short paragraph describing what happens there and why it’s meaningful to them, connecting their personal lives to the story’s theme.

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Awards, publishing, and conferences: ALA membership advocates to ensure access to information for all

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Author: Kevin Henkes

Grade:2nd

Genre: Fantasy/ Realistic

Standard:

2.RL.KID.2: Determine the central message or lesson.

2.RL.KID.3: Describe how characters respond to challenges.

2.W.TTP.3: Write a narrative recounting an event with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Summary: A curious kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk in the sky. Determined to reach it, she jumps, climbs, and even tumbles, but never gives up. When she finally returns home, she finds a real bowl of milk waiting for her, showing that perseverance is always rewarded.

High-Quality Resource: https://www.ala.org/winner/kittens-first-full-moon-0

Activity: After reading the story aloud, I’d ask students to share times they’ve tried hard to reach a goal. We’d talk about how persistence helps the kitten keep trying even when she fails. Then, students would write a short imaginative story about another adventure the kitten could go on, focusing on how she might show determination again.

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Awards, publishing, and conferences: ALA membership advocates to ensure access to information for all