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Illustrator: Shadra Strickland
Awards: Corretta Scott King Award, Ezra Keats Award, New Voices Award Honor
Copyright: 2008
Synopsis: Young Mehkai or "Bird" as his grandfather calls him. Before his grandpa passes Bird begins to grow close to his grandpa's friend Uncle Son. As their relationship grows, Bird notices his brother growing distant and colder. Bird does not understand this and his father tells him he is suffering from a sickness- or as we know, addiction. Soon his brother passes, as does his grandpa. He and Uncle Son begin to go to the park everyday where Bird learns to find peace after loss.
Uses: Classroom library, read aloud, life lesson
Age Group: 7-10
Rating: 4/5

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This is How We Do It by Matt Lamonthe (PB)

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This is How We Do It by Matt Lamonthe (PB)

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Illustrator: Matt Lamonthe
Copyright: 2017
Synopsis: Look into the daily lives of 7 children around the world. Learn about how they go about their day and how they live. This book gives a new perspective to the world.
Uses: Read aloud, classroom library, exposure to different cultures
Age Group: 5-8
Rating: 5/5

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The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy (PB)

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The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy (PB)

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Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Copyright: 1985
Synopsis: Tanya admires her grandmother and slowly noticed how her grandma would collect fabric scraps from old clothes. When her grandma explained it was for a quilt, Tanya set out on a mission to help her grandma sew this quilt. As the months passes they gathered fabrics from old clothes, costume and dresses making the quilt quietly grow bigger. It wasn't until her grandma fell ill and Tanya worked on it alone with her momma how special it was. When her grandma was well enough and finished the very last stitch, Tanya's family was able to remember and rejoice over the memories that quilt held.
Uses: Teaching of traditions and tying into the holidays as well as being used for short story lessons. Read aloud and discussion on family traditions students have or sentimental items.
Age Group: 4-8
Rating: 5/5

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Awards: Pura Belpré Award
Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Copyright: 2018
Synopsis: A mother's love is stronger than anything, and this short story of one mom's journey crossing the border proves just that
Uses: Read aloud, classroom library,
Age Group: 4-8
Rating: 4/5

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (CB)

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (CB)

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Awards: American Book Award
Copyright: 1984
Synopsis: In this coming-of-age story, young Esperanza tells of her experiences living in her house on Mango street. While it is not what she imagined her first house to be, there comes many new experiences with it. She endures a lot as she goes through her first year living there. But alas, would it not be a coming-of-age tale if there weren't triumphs and tribulations?
Uses: Classroom. library
Age Group: 14 and up
Rating: 4/5

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The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka (PB)

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The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka (PB)

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Illustrator: Lane Smith
Copyright: 1989
Synopsis: Has anyone ever asked the wolf how he felt about the three little pigs? Did you ever wonder if maybe he was not so bad, they were just very mean? In this cute tale, Alexander T. Wolf tells you his side of the story and how it all began with a cup of sugar and a horrible cold.
Uses: Lessons on two sides to a story, classroom library, read aloud
Age Group: 6-9
Rating: 5/5

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Illustrator: Blair Lent
Copyright: 1968
Synopsis: Oh no! Tikki Tikki Tembo fell down a well! But how can anyone get to him when his name is so long? This Chinese folktale gives the story behind why names in their culture are so short, and how it was all because Tikki Tikki Tembo fell down a well...
Uses: Classroom library, read aloud to give examples of different genres (folktale)
Age Group: 5 and up
Rating: 5/5

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If I Ran the School by Bruce Lansky (PB)

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If I Ran the School by Bruce Lansky (PB)

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Illustrator: Stephen Carpenter
Copyright: 2005
Synopsis: Have a good laugh with this silly collection of 24 school related poems with little stories behind the poems' creations!
Uses: First day read aloud, poetry unit, class library
Age Group: School age
Rating: 5/5

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (PB)

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (PB)

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Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Copyright: 1974
Synopsis: In a quirky collection of poems, View the  harsh adult world through the eyes of a child. With unique illustrations, take a break and relax with this book of poems.
Uses: Poetry unit introduction, read aloud, classroom library
Age Group: to enjoy-any, to read: 4-8
Rating: 5/5

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander (PB)

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander (PB)

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Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Award: Coretta Scott King Award
Copyright: 2017
Synopsis: Do you love a good class poem? This book celebrates those class poets like Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. Dive into an book of appreciation for the classic poets of before!
Uses: Poetry unit read aloud, class library, poetry examples
Age Group: 8-12
Rating: 4/5

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They're Poets and They Know It! A Collection of 30 Timeless Poems by Various Poets (PB)

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They're Poets and They Know It! A Collection of 30 Timeless Poems by Various Poets (PB)

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Illustrator: Meredith Hamilton
Copyright 2007
Synopsis: Dive into a variety of classic poems ranging from Maya
Angelou to Langston Hughes to Robert Forest. Rich in language, this book of poems gives readers a plethora of poems to enjoy!
Uses: Introducing a poetry unit for ELA, connecting to other texts, mixing genres
Age Group: 8-18
Rating: 5/5

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Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw(PB)

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Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw(PB)

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Illustrator: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Awards: Ezra Jack Keats Book Award
Copyright: 2011
Synopsis: When Elliot's class writes to students in another country, he meets Kailash who lives in India. As they write they learn how each other live and though they may live across the world from each other, their lives are quite similar in many ways.
Uses: Read aloud, class libary, short story unit
Age Group: 4-7
Rating: 5/5

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The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís (CB)

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The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís (CB)

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Illustrator: Peter Sís
Awards: Pura Belpré Award
Copyright: 2010
Synopsis: Growing up was rough for your Neftali as he was a dreamer and his father didn't like dreamers. His father believed men should be hard workers and do jobs like his- working the railroad. As he aged, he realized more and more the harshness of his father's words and began to come into his own. Eventually he was published in a college paper and when it enraged his father and found out a writer died from free speech, he created the pen name: Pablo Neruda. From then his stories touched the hearts of many.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 9-12
Rating: 3/5

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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (CB)

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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (CB)

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Awards: John Newbery
Copyright: 1977
Synopsis: When Jess moves to a new home, he meets his neighbor Leslie- a girl in the same grade level as him. The two spend time exploring the woods across the river by their homes. They create magical stories for the woods and build their own area to hang in. They call their land "Terabithia," but soon tragedy strikes when Leslie ventures to their land alone and the rope swing breaks. Jess learns to cope as the strength of their friendship gives him the strength to face his sadness.
Uses: Class novel to study, classroom library
Age Group: 10+
Rating: 4/5

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Copyright: 2016
Synopsis: 12 year-old Molly thinks nothing when her need for things to be perfect starts to come around. Be it a perfect pencil or perfect organization. But when her mother moves outside the country, her need for things to be perfect becomes an obsession. Molly must learn to navigate the cruel grip of obsessive-complusive disorder when her mother's promise to return after one year is broken. She thinks that by winning her school poetry contest, her mother may return. It proves harder than it looks as her OCD habits take over more and more.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 8-12
Rating: 4/5

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Awards: John Newbery Medal, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature
Copyright: 1989
Synopsis: Set in Denmark during the Holocaust, 10 year-old Annmarie learns the true power of friendship and bravery when she and her family must help her Jewish best friend, Ellen, and her family, escape the Nazis. Through her bravery and her family's secrecy, they are able to help Ellen and her family escape by boat to Sweden till the war could finally end.
Uses: Class novel, classroom library
Age Group: 9 and up
Rating: 5/5

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Benno and the Night of Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott (PB)

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Benno and the Night of Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott (PB)

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Illustrator: Josée Bisaillon
Copyright: 2010
Synopsis: Benno the cat lives in Berlin, Germany at Number 5 Rosenstrasse. Life for him is easy and he is welcomed everywhere. It wasn't the men in brown uniforms showed up and changed Benno's world. Set during the Holocaust, this book is a twist on the night of broken glass through the eyes of a simple cat.
Uses: Holocaust Unit read aloud, classroom library, short story unit
Age Group: 8-9
Rating: 5/5

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Finding Winnie: The True Story of The World's Most Famous by Lindsay Mattick (PB)

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Finding Winnie: The True Story of The World's Most Famous by Lindsay Mattick (PB)

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Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Copyright: 2015
Synopsis: Many children grow up hearing the tale of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. But what if you were told there was a real Winnie? A real bear! When young Harry Colebourn is shipped off during World War I, he stumbles upon a young bear cub he ends up rescuing. Winnie is taken to the London Zoo where young Christopher Robin sees Winnie and names his own stuffed bear after that very Winnie.
Uses: Classroom library, short stories, informational texts in a fun way
Age Group: 3-6
Rating: 4/5

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Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (PB)

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Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (PB)

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Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Awards: Caldecott
Copyright: 2007
Synopsis: What would you do to gain your freedom? Henry decided to mail himself to freedom. Based on a true story, this book tells how Henry Brown managed to escape slavery by climbing into a shipping crate.
Uses: Classroom library, mini history lesson, read aloud, short stories
Age Group: 4-8
Rating:

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The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy (PB)

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The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy (PB)

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Illustrator: Henri Sørensen
Awards: Parent's Choice Award, Christopher Award
Copyright: 2000
Synopsis: Follow the courageous tale of King Christian of Denmark during the Holocaust as his defiance against the Nazis saved thousands.
Uses: Holocaust unit read aloud, class library, different genre examples
Age Group: 8-12
Rating: 5/5

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Illustrator: Dave McKean
Awards: John Newberry Medal
Copyright: 2008
Synopsis: What would you do if you lived in a graveyard and were raised by ghosts? This is what happened to Nobody Owens after he was orphaned when his parents were killed as a toddler. This books follows his journey as he grows up living in a graveyard from learning different tricks to evading the man who murdered his parents.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 8-11
Rating: 5/5

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There's No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent (PB)

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There's No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent (PB)

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Illustrator: Jack Kent
Copyright: 1975
Synopsis: Would you believe your son if he told you there was a dragon in the house? Billy Bixbee's mother sure didn't! As the dragon Billy found grew, so did the problems as his mother ignored it! It wasn't until the dragon was noticed that he began to shrink and mother accepted it.
Uses: Lessons on emotions/mental health, classroom library
Age Group: 3-7
Rating:

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Copyright: 2008
Synopsis: In the dystopian world of North America, there lies the Capitol of Panem and the 12 Districts. Every year they hold the Hunger Games- a brutal competition where each district sends one male and one female youth to compete. Katniss Everdeen never thought she would be one.. tile her younger sister was called up and Katniss became the first ever tribute of the Hunger Games. It was Katniss who also, unknowingly, became a beacon of rebellion and hope for the Districts as the games commenced.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 11 and up
Rating: 5/5

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Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (PB)

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Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly (PB)

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Illustrator: Laura Freemam
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Copyright: 2018
Synopsis: Today we think of computers as technology..bit back in the 1940s.50s and 60s- computers were people. And during the space race between the United States and Russia to put the first man on the moon hit- computers were needed. This story illustrates the triumphs and tribulations four African American women faced to be part of that exact race. Dorothy Johnson Vaughan, Mary Winston Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dr. Christine Darden book barriers and made history as they worked to help put the first man on the moon.
Uses: Classroom library, read aloud for informational texts in a fun way
Age Group: 8-12
Rating: 5/5

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Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca(PB)

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Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca(PB)

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Illustrator: Michael McCartney
Copyright: 2009
Synopsis: We know that man has stepped foot on the moon. 12 of them in fact! But how did this come about? How did it all happen? Who was the first? This fun picture book tells the story of how three astronauts journeyed to reach the moon and take One Giant Leap for Mankind in the historic flight of Apollo 11.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group:4+
Rating: 5/5

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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy (PB)

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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy (PB)

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Illustrator: Elizabeth Baddeley
Copyright: 2016
Synopsis: Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed history in how she ruled while in the Supreme Court. She stood for her ideals and what was right. But how did this amazing woman come to be? This story tells of how a young Ruth grew to be one of the most inspiring and powerful women in history.
Uses: Read aloud, classroom library, comparing book genres
Age Group: 4-8
Rating: 5/5

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Thank You Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre (PB)

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Thank You Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre (PB)

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Copyright: 2018
Synopsis: In a stunning array of pictures from animals to nature, this book thanks our Earth for providing us a home, food, water and everything we need to survive.
Uses: Classroom library, Earth Day read aloud
Age Group: 4-8
Rating:b 5/5

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Copyright: 2010
Synopsis: Melody is nearly 11 and has a near perfect memory. Memories from the time she was a baby to her life now, memories of every commercial and TV show she's seen, every song she's heard, every word spoken to her. But she herself cannot speak. Or walk. Or run. Or even dress herself. This is because Melody has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound. While she wishes she could speak and let her thoughts be known, alas she cannot. It isn't until she get a new device that allows her to finally speak up...but the world wasn't ready for what she had to say.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 9-12
Rating: 5/5

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Conceal, Don't Feel: A Frozen Twisted Tale by Jen Calonita (CB)

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Conceal, Don't Feel: A Frozen Twisted Tale by Jen Calonita (CB)

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Copyright: 2019
Synopsis: What if Ana and Elsa never grew up together? Separated as babies, never knowing each other. Young Elsa was raised alone in the castle of Arendell, while young Ana grew up in a bakery. Both of them longing for someone to talk to, a sibling or a friend. When tragedy strikes and the Queen and King of Arendell die in a tragic sea accident, the true begins to unfurl. Soon Ana and Elsa learn they are not so alone. With cute tidbits from the movie, this novel takes a very interesting point of view of the two sisters' bond.
Uses: Classroom Library
Age Group: 11-18
Rating: 5/5

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Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders (PB)

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Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders (PB)

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Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Copyright: 2018
Synopsis: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple- everyone knows these colors. We all wear them. So what makes a flag with these color so special to some? Harvey Milk had a dream that one day people could love whoever they wanted and that society would accept it. And when he became the first gay elected politician- he thought that love needed a symbol. The Pride flag was born! Tragically Milk was assassinated but that did not mean the flag lost its meaning. Over the years the flag's popularity and symbol of hope only grew and grew to stand for exactly what Harvey stood for.
Uses: Classroom library, informational picture book
Age Group: 5-8
Rating: 5/5

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Rutherford B: Who was he? Poems about our presidents by Marilyn Singer (PB)

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Rutherford B: Who was he? Poems about our presidents by Marilyn Singer (PB)

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Illustrator: John Hendrix
Copyright: 2013
Synopsis: In 45 poems, learn about the U.S Presidents and their mark on history from George Washington to Barack Obama. This cute book of poems is not only a great English lesson but history lesson as well!
Uses: Poetry unit, President's Day read aloud, classroom library
Age Group: 4-8
Rating: 4/5

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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (PB)

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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (PB)

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Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Awards: Caldecott Award
Copyright: 1963
Synopsis: Life is not easy when you're young, so when Max escapes to the world of the wild things and becomes King, he feels free. But he soon finds that not all is right in the wild things world and learns how to overcome difficulty.
Uses: Classroom library, read aloud
Age Group:3-5
Rating: 4/5

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Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans and John Bemelmans Marciano (PB)

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Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans and John Bemelmans Marciano (PB)

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Illustrator: Ludwig Bemelmans
Awards: Caldecott
Copyright: 1998
Synopsis: Madeline was very small for her age, but very brave too. She was not afraid of a mouse nor a lion. So when Madame Clavel heard her crying, she knew it must be serious. Madeline was rushed to the hospital and had her appendix removed. When the other little girls found that she was showered in gift and attention- they all wanted their appendixes removed too!
Uses: Read aloud, classroom library
Age Group: 3-8
Rating: 5/5

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The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (CB)

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The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (CB)

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Copyright: 1950
Synopsis: When young Lucy Pevensie and her three older siblings are moved to the country during World War II, she discovers a magical wardrobe in the house they move to. This wardrobe leads to the world of Narnia where time works differently. When she finally gets her siblings to Narnia, they learn the evil White Queen is out to rule over Narnia. It is up to them with the guidance of Aslan the Lion to defeat her and save Narnia.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 9 and up
Rating: 4/5

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Zathura: A Space Adventure by Chris Van Allsburg (CB)

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Zathura: A Space Adventure by Chris Van Allsburg (CB)

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Copyright: 2002
Synopsis: What would happen if your board game took you to space? And aliens decided to board your house!? This is exactly what happens to Danny and Walter one afternoon. What went from playing to a simple space themed board game turned into a whole battle against the Zorgon in space! With the help of a stranded astronaut, the two brothers learn the power of teamwork and the bond between brothers.
Uses: Classroom library
Age Group: 4-7
Rating: 4/5