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Title:  Boats for Papa
Author: Jessixa Bagley
Illustrator: Jessixa Bagley
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Date: June 30, 2015
Number of Pages: 40
Awards: Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text
Synopsis: This book starts off with a boy named Buckley and his mom. His dad is no longer with them. In the story, Buckley starts making boats to put in the ocean to send them to his papa. Throughout the book, it shows the time and effort he puts into each one. He says he'll know if papa will get them if they don't end up in the sand. Little does he know his mom is making sure they don't because he wants them to believe they are making it.
Genre: Children's literature, Fiction
Theme: Parental loss, coping, emotions
Artistic Media: watercolor
Curricular Connections: Emotional, trauma, relationships, appreciation, coping
Personal Response: This book would be great to share with students who have lost a parent. The book shows how much the other parent does in order to make up for their loss. It shows the importance of appreciation for both parents and all they do to protect their children.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbRkHvu3Pb

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Title: The Bear in my Family
Author: Maya Tatsukawa
Illustrator: Maya Tatsukawa
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: March 10, 2020
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: CCBC Choices, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, ALSC Notable Children's Books
Synopsis: The child believes that his older sibling is a bear. He thinks this because his sibling is overbearing, loud, messy, strong, and eats everything. In the middle of the book, he is at the playground alone and these other kids come and try to kick him out. His older sibling comes and scares the kids away. This is when he realizes that having a "bear" in the family has its advantages.
Genre: Children's literature, Fiction
Theme: Family conflict, resolutions, younger siblings, relationships
Artistic Media: Digital Art
Curricular Connections: Relationships, bullying, emotional
Personal Response: This story shows how older siblings just want to look after their younger siblings. While it might be a lot at times, they're always there when you really need them. This book would be great to share with students who are struggling with sibling rivalries. It would help show that their "big, scary" isn't so "big and scary" after all.
Teacher Resources: https://www.bookconnections.org/clp.cgi?master_id=73814&lf_id=9&level=1
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+bear+in+my+family+read+aloud&oq=the+bear+in+my+family+read+&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j0i390l3j69i60.6944j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4b9f80b4,vid:et28uOoVK

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Title: The Leak
Author: Kate Reed Petty
Illustrator: Andrea Bell
Publisher: First Second
Date: March 16, 2021
Number of Pages: 240
Awards: Bram Stoker Award
Synopsis: This book is about a little girl named Ruth who starts off by having her own blog. One day is at the lake with one of her friends and she discovers that there is something that is being put in the water that could potentially be polluting her whole town. She decides to take matters into her own hands and confront the people who are doing this. They tell her she is a liar. She then writes an article and posts it and it soon receives hundreds of views from people all over town. Her discovery potentially saved a lot of people.
Genre: Graphic novel, comics, fiction, mystery
Theme: Problem-solving, mystery, danger
Artistic Media: digital media
Curricular Connections: corruption, pollution, freedom of press
Personal Response: I think that this book would be a great addition to the classroom because it teaches not only about pollution but also about the freedom of press. This little girl's bravery is a great role model for all young students.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT0WMA8JslE

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Author: Christian Robinson
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
Date: June 2, 2020
# of pages: 40
Grade level: Preschool - 3rd
Awards: Kansas NEA Reading Circle List PrimaryTitle, Texas 2x2 Reading List, Northern California Book Award Nominee, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Reading List (PA), Picture This Recommendation Lost, Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. List, Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee
Genre: Fiction
Theme: No matter what, you matter
Synopsis: It doesn't matter how old you are, what your race is, how you identify, if you have a disability, what your religion is, who you love, etc., you are who you are and what makes you different is why you matter.
Curricular Connections: This book connects to social-emotional learning and art. With the amount of detail, there is throughout all of the illustrations you can see how it connects to the beauty of art. The illustrator uses markers and pastels in color in order to capture these images. This book connects to social-emotional learning because of the theme of "you matter" this is a great message for students of all ages and would work for any subject.
Teaching Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltOaIsWXpHA

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Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M Draper
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
Date: March 9, 2010
Number of Pages: 320
Awards: Idaho kids award, Coretta Scott King Award, Charlotte Huck award
Synopsis: This story follows the life of Melody Brooks. Melody suffers from cerebral palsy which limits her ability to speak, move, or communicate. The people around her believe that she cannot understand or comprehend anything going on around her, but to their dismay, she can understand every single thing that is happening. She is beyond frustrated because she wishes there was some type of way she could prove them all wrong. This story continues to show the improvement of Melody’s ways of communicating through learning and technology. Through the struggles of her disability and the doubts of others, Melody perseveres and proves to everyone that she is more than just her disability.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Disabilities, overcoming, education
Artistic Media: N/A
Curricular Connections: Disabilities, education, bullying, learning
Personal Response: I believe that this story is very important for young readers and even future educators to take the time to read. After reading this story I had so many questions and viewed things in so many different ways. As a future educator, I believe that this story is important because it shows that students are not defined by their disabilities or even their differences. Their brains are so much more capable than we think. They can adapt faster than we can and they can understand more than we could imagine. As long as we give them the chance to do so, they can do great things. We need to hold all of our students to standards in order to see a difference in our education system.

Teacher Resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Unit-2-Novel-Study-Edition-Out-of-My-Mind-3326929?st=27068e951c5639cc74e0806bfa25062e
https://www.bookconnections.org/clp.cgi?master_id=18265&lf_id=10&level=1

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Title: The Three Little Pigs
Author: James Marshall
Illustrator: James Marshall
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: September 29, 1989
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: Caldecott Honor
Synopsis: This book follows three little pigs while they build their houses out of straw, sticks, and bricks. The pig who builds with the bricks outsmarts the wolf and is able to live.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Trial and error, outsmarting, multiple solutions
Plot: This book follows three brother pigs who move out of their house with their mother to live on their own. Each pig chooses a different material to build their house out of. One pig picks straw, another pig sticks, and the last pig picks bricks. Each pig is faced with a challenge from the big bad wolf who tries to blow down their houses. He was successful up until he tried to blow down the house of the pig who build it with bricks. He finally outsmarted the fox and instead of the fox eating the pig, the pig ate the fox.
Artistic Media: Pen and watercolors
Curricular Connections: This book connects to the subject of social adaptability
Personal Response: I don't know if I would choose to have this book in my classroom because of the message it might send to younger students and because of the ending. I think that there are other versions of this story that might be more age-appropriate.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-22Y6Wg60

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Title: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: 1989
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: American Library Association: Notable Book
Synopsis: This book goes a little differently than most versions of how this story is usually told. Instead of the perspective of the three little pigs, the wolf is now telling his tales of events in order to convince everyone that he is actually innocent.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: criminal justice, prejudice, truth, perspectives
Plot: This story is told by the one and only fox himself while he is defending his name in trying to tell the events that occurred while he was "just trying to get some sugar to make his grandmother a cake for her birthday". He goes on to explain how he had no ill intentions when it came to visiting the three pigs, it just so happened that he sneezed and that is what truly caused their houses to blow down. He then goes on to say that it would have been wasteful to just leave them and that is why he had to eat them. Except for the last pig, the last pig was being disrespectful and wouldn't lend him any sugar. The cops then show up and arrest the wolf.
Artistic Media: Colored pens and pencils, shading tools
Curricular Connections: Social adaptability, how we determine the truth, social justice
Personal Response: This book was very different from the normal story that I grew up hearing but that is what made it so intriguing. I loved seeing the book from a different perspective and I really liked how it highlighted the importance of hearing multiple sides of the story because I feel like this is a very valuable lesson to learn in life.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw6fHKFxx1

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Title: Ducks Overboard!
Author: Markus Motum
Illustrator: Markus Motum
Publisher: Candlewick
Date: September 28, 2021
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: Throughout the story, you follow along with a plastic duck that got lost at sea. Along his journey, he not only shares what he sees in the ocean but also facts about plastic that pollutes the ocean. He also shares the harm it brings to sea creatures and the environment.
Genre: Creative nonfiction
Theme: Trash, the importance of taking care of our environment, where trash goes
Artistic Media: digital media
Curricular Connections: Teaching about recycling, no littering, science, nature
Personal Response: Ducks Overboard is a great story to use to educate in the classroom about the use of plastic. This would be a significant share when trying to teach students about the importance of recycling and picking up trash. You could also connect this book to a lesson or an activity where after you read it, you go around the school and pick up trash that you find outside and then have the students reflect on the experience.
Teacher Resources: https://www.google.com/search?q=ducks+overboard&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKlK6rpp39AhWGCTQIHXEgD84Q_AUoBHoECAEQBg&biw=619&bih=710&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:dab4c0c3,vid:fjxLIMF2Fq0

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Title: I Am Every Good Thing
Author: Derrick Barnes
Illustrator: Gordon C James
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Date: September 1, 2020
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: Kirkus Prize, Charlotte Huck Award, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor
Synopsis: This book follows the life of an African American little boy. Every illustration is accompanied by strong words and quotes that the little boy is saying about himself. He talks about how strong he is, how independent he is, how intelligent he is, how imaginative he is, and most importantly how good he is. The author uses similes to have the reader connect the little boy to how good he is. For example, “I am good to the core, like the center of a cinnamon roll”.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Confidence, culture, life, relationships
Artistic Media: watercolor, paintings
Curricular Connections: Social, emotional
Personal Response: This would be a great book to have in the classroom because not only does it show confidence and a child’s ability to be strong within themselves but also shows representation. This book shows how children can believe in themselves and they can do anything that they set their minds to. I believe that this book has a very powerful message and is also illustrated beautifully.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2YGzxzF-0

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Title: El Deafo
Author: Cece Bell
Illustrator: Cece Bell and David Lasky
Publisher: Amulet Books
Date: September 2, 2014
Number of Pages: 242
Awards: John Newbery Medal
Synopsis: This book is based on the true story of what Cece Bell went through as a child and grew up deaf after she had an illness. We follow along and watch as Cece has to learn how to adapt to her new school, find friendships, and also balance her at home life with her family and siblings. This book focuses on how having a disability doesn't limit what you can do but highlights these differences and shows them as "super powers".
Genre: Graphic Novel
Theme: Overcoming a disability, difference, building relationships, struggles of growing up
Artistic Media: Digital design
Curricular Connections: Health, disabilities, overcoming, friendships, bullying
Personal Response: I thought that the graphic novel El Deafo was a very inspirational book and one that would be a great addition to any classroom. I also believe that the video that the author made went made this novel even more motivating. After watching her reflection on her life and growing up, I had a better understanding of the book and its true meaning. Cece Bell showed her vulnerable story in such an inspiring way and can be used to help show other students with disabilities not only the good times but the hard times. As a future educator, I now have a bettering understanding of how I can possibly help my future students who might have this same disability. This graphic novel represented a specific community by following the story of Cece’s journey through school. Even with her discomfort with her phonic ear, while also shows her struggles with finding friends. Cece was able to overcome all of this and turned it into her own superpower. She identified herself as El Deafo and with this identity, she was able to overcome anything that came her way. She learned how to manage school, family, friendships, and even life.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnpGDjfyTiM

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Title: Where Wonder Grows
Author: Xelena Gonzalez
Illustrator: Adriana M. Garcia
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Date:
Number of Pages: 40
Awards: Pura Belpre Youth Illustration Award
Synopsis: The book Where Wonder Grows written by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M. Garica was given the Pura Belpre Youth Award. This book follows along from the view of the granddaughters on their adventures and stories of their walks with their grandma to her special garden. In this garden, there are magical rocks, seashells, crystals, and meteorites that their grandma has a story to go along with each one. They each have different powers and uses and some are even used for healing. Grandma’s special garden is a place where wonder grows and stories blossom.
Genre: children's literature, fiction
Theme: Imagination, family, relationships
Artistic Media: watercolor
Curricular Connections: Family traditions, nature
Personal Response: Where Wonder Grows would be a great addition to any classroom because of the representation it brings and because of the creativity that is presented through its illustrations. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and have so much detail that it captives the reader and allow them to imagine what Grandma’s special place is actually like. From the reviews that I read a lot of them reflect on the beauty in the “colorful, dreamy illustrations surrounding the story of a grandmother and her grandchildren”.  In the back of the book, the author provides an overview of the rocks and crystals mentioned in the story which I think would be great to share with students so that they have a better understanding.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzh_6u9cFcE

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Title: Frizzy
Author: Claribel A. Ortega
Illustrator: Rose Bousamra
Publisher: First Second, a division of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Date: October 18, 2022
Number of Pages: 224
Awards: 2023 Pura Belpre Children's Author Award
Synopsis: This book follows the main character Marianne and her discovery of figuring out her love for her natural hair. Throughout her life, she has always been told that she would be so much prettier if she had straight hair, so that is what she and her mom make sure to do every Sunday. They go to the salon and get their hair done in order to fit into the stereotypes of society. Marianne wants nothing more than to love her naturally curly hair but every time she tries to do it she gets bullied. It isn’t until she spends the weekend with her aunt and is taught how to properly do her curly hair that she learns to love it.
Genre: Graphic Novel
Theme: self-love
Artistic Media: Digital media
Curricular Connections: Self-love, celebration of differences, family, bullying
Personal Response: This book shows a young girl's journey to self-love and that beauty does not matter about what is on the outside but also what is on the inside. The only thing that should matter when it comes to looks is how you feel. This graphic novel is filled with beautiful illustrations and also reminded me a lot of the story El Deafo with the concept of developing self-love and motivation while dealing with the everyday struggles of being a kid and being different.
Teacher Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWFA5aFUUWc

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Title: Forever Cousins
Author: Laurel Goodluck
Illustrator: Jonathan Nelson
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Date: October 4, 2022
Number of pages: 32
Awards: Charlotte Huck Award
Synopsis: Amanda and Kara are two cousins who do everything together until one day Kara and her family move back to the reservation and Amanda stays in the city. Adjusting without each other at first was difficult but they soon got used to it and were excited about the upcoming family reunion. When it comes the day of the reunion, they both are super nervous and then it's like nothing changed.
Genre: Fiction, Children's Literature
Theme: Friendship, moving, love
Artistic media: watercolor
Curricular connections: Moving, relationships, emotions
Personal response:  I personally think that this book would be great for any classroom and is perfect for not only students who have experienced moving but also to expose students to different cultures. This book also highlights the importance of family and the love that is behind a family.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TXPRfzHCn0

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Title: Love, Violet
Author: Charlotte Sullivan Wild
Illustrator: Charlene Chua
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux New York
Date: November 16, 2021
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Charlotte Huck Award
Synopsis: This story begins with Violet talking about her love for a girl in her class and her desire to be her friend. The problem is that Violet believes that this girl is too cool to be friends with her. One day she finally decides to take her chance and stop being shy so she makes her a valentine. The only problem is that she doesn't know when to give it to her. She finally does and both of them become the best of friends.
Genre:  Fiction, Children's Literature
Theme: Friendship, love
Artistic media: watercolor
Curricular connections: Friendship, emotions
Personal response: This book highlights the growth of friendship and how important it is to be nice to everyone. I think that this book would be great for students around Valentine's day and shows how there is love in friendships.
Teacher resources: https://charlotteswild.com/books/love-violet/

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Title: Stolen Words
Author: Melanie Florence
Illustrator: Gabrielle Grimard
Publisher: Second Story Press
Date: September 2017
Number of pages: 24
Awards: 2018 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award in the Children's Picture Book Category
Synopsis: Stolen Words represents a Cree grandfather who feels lost without knowing his Native Language anymore. His language was stolen away from him and as he shares his story with his granddaughter she finds a way to help him find what he has lost. His granddaughter helps him find his old book of Cree which has all of his "stolen words". Through this, they are brought closer together and the grandfather is able to share his culture while the granddaughter learns about her ancestry.
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Theme: Culture, language
Artistic media: colored pencils
Curricular connections: social justice, history
Personal response: I really enjoyed reading this book and thought that it showed how many emotions are tied to culture. I think that a lot of people don't realize how much culture is a part of someone and this book shows how when the grandfather lost his words of the Cree language, he lost a part of himself. It wasn't until he found those words again that he felt like himself.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJxpzyVRc7w

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Title: Goldilocks and The Three Bears
Author: James Marshall
Illustrator:
Publisher:
Date:
Number of pages:
Awards: Charlotte
Synopsis: This story is about a little girl named Goldilocks and her discovery of a home in the woods. She came upon this house and decides to “explore” what is inside. While doing this she tries three different porridges until she eats the right one. She sits in three different chairs until she finds the right one. And then she sleeps in three different beds until she finds the right one. It isn’t until the three bears come back home that to realize that this little girl had broken into their house and used all of their things.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: actions affect others, mindfulness, feelings
Artistic media: watercolor
Curricular connections: To show how our actions, even if done with good intentions, affect others. We always need to show respect to others especially when it comes to their things
Personal response: I personally have always loved this book and have read a variety of versions of the folktale. I think that this story has a great message for younger kids because it is something that children struggle with. A lot of children are not mindful of how their actions might impact others and also how when we use other people’s items, we need to also treat them with respect.
Teacher resources:

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Title: Room for Everyone
Author: Naaz Khan
Illustrator: Merce Lopez
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Date: November 9, 2021
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Award for Excellence in Poetry
Synopsis: A young boy is on a ride of a lifetime on his local bus which is very quickly becoming overcrowded. Even though the bus has a lot of people on it, the bus driver stops at every person and asks "do you need a ride?" The little boy then realizes that life is more fun with all of the wiggles and giggles.
Genre: Children's Literature
Theme: Making room for everyone
Artistic media: Pastels
Curricular connections: acceptance, inclusion
Personal response: This picture book is an amazing addition for young students because it teaches them the importance of including everyone and no matter how many people you have in a game or activity, there is also room for more.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFriQcIUheA

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Title: The 1619 Project: Born on the Water
Author: Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson
Illustrator: Nikkolas Smith
Publisher: Kokila
Date: November 16, 2021
Number of pages: 48
Awards: Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Synopsis: A little girl is at school and is assigned the project of creating a family tree. The problem is that she doesn't know much about her family's history. She then goes to her grandma, and her grandma shares the stories of their family in 1619. She shares the hardships of what they had to go through and the history behind slave trading and then also about their lives before that time.
Genre: Historical fiction, interconnected free verse poetry
Theme: culture, bravery, culture, history
Artistic media: watercolors
Curricular connections: History and culture
Personal response: Just like the book titled Stolen Words, I believe that this book is an amazing learning tool for teaching students about the importance of one's culture. Culture is what makes an individual, along with their morals and beliefs.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT2Jg8tzacM

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Title: Hot Dog
Author: Doug Salati
Illustrator: Doug Salati
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date: May 24, 2022
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal
Synopsis: This book follows a weiner do living in the city with his owner. The day begins to get really hot and he can't take it anymore so he decided to lay down. That is when his owner decides to take him to the beach where there is plenty of fresh air and room for him to run.
Genre: fiction
Theme: Pets, adventure, social
Artistic media: Water color and colored pencils
Curricular connections: Self care, friendships, getting outside
Personal response: This book was an excellent easy read and was filled with beautiful illustrations. The author did an amazing job providing a story that is easy for students to follow along with and also has images that match the words perfectly.

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Title: Baby dragon, baby dragon!
Author: Melissa Marr
Illustrator: Lena Podesta
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Date: March 26, 2019
Number of Pages: 32
Awards: RWA RITA award, Red Maple finalist, Good Morning America Summer Pick for Teens
Synopsis: This book starts off with a baby dragon who loves adventure and soaring around the castle, but the problem is, is that not a lot of people enjoy his disruptions. Until a little girl is up for the challenge. The baby dragon and the little girl then go on an adventure around the Kingdom. They find many different things and "spread their wings and explore".
Genre: Children's literature, fantasy fiction, adventure fiction
Theme: Friendship, adventure
Artistic Media: watercolor
Curricular Connections: Fantasy, relationships, bravery
Personal Response: I think that this book would be a great way to introduce fantasy into a younger classroom because this book has so much depth with friendship and bravery. It is also a great read and has great illustrations that make it very engaging for any age of the reader.
Teacher Resources: https://www.google.com/search?q=baby+dragon+baby+dragon&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0y5iV0sr9AhWeAzQIHdC_AA8Q0pQJegQIBxAG&biw=1440&bih=789&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:835d57a6,vid:xMFgAjG9kfQ

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Title: Contagion
Author: Teri Terry
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Charlesbridge Teen
Date: July 9, 2019
Number of Pages: 416
Awards: SCBWI Crystal Kite award for the British Isles, the Leeds Book Award, the Rib Valley Book Award
Synopsis: In this book, an epidemic has swept across the country, infecting almost everyone and the hard part is, this sickness will kill. This book focuses on the character of a young teenager named Callie who was one of the few to survive. She was taken away and then had experiments run on her in order for them to see if the treatment could fight off the disease. On the other side of the story, Callie's brother, Kai, is looking for her along with his friend Shay. They fight to sneak past soldiers and the quarantine zone boundaries while trying to rescue Callie.
Genre: Young adult fiction, science fiction, dystopian fiction
Theme: Disease, science fiction, mystery
Artistic Media: N/A
Curricular Connections: Bravery, science, relationships
Personal Response: I think that this book is a great addition to a classroom consisting of 5th-6th graders. It is for a more mature audience because of the storyline and the concepts portrayed throughout the story. This book is a great adventure book but will also have students sitting on the edge of their seats while trying to see if Kai will be able to save his sister Callie.
Teacher Resources: I think that a good activity that students could pair with this book is an escape plan but connect it to the book.

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Title: The City of Ember
Author: Jeanne DuPRAU
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Yearling
Date: May 25, 2004
Number of pages: 270
Awards: Dorothy Canfield Fish Children's Book Award
Synopsis: It starts with an image of the city of Ember. Ember is beneath the ground and has been there for nearly two centuries. The people that live there fled from above when dangers from above forced them down there, so they restarted life and everything has been working until now. The energy is starting to run out. The second image shown is the empty food storage because the city is starting to run out of resources but the mayor is not letting the people of the city know and is keeping them in the "dark". Lina is the main character of the story and she knows that time is running out. She knows that she needs to figure out what is above in order to save herself and her sister Poppy. Lina's grandmother, who is very forgetful and old, one day pulls down a box that was from her late grandfather who used to be a mayor but has since passed. Lina discovers in the box a note with a message on it and begins to decode the message. Lina then reaches out to her friend Doon who starts to help her uncover how they will find their way out without getting caught. Lina and Doon find an underground river and take Poppy with them to find the way to the above. That is where they find a secret door that leads them out. There they find that everything that they had been told for the past years had been a lie...
Genre:  Science fiction, young adult fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, fantasy fiction, children's literature
Theme: bravery, science, world ending, defiance, scarce resources
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: science, bravery
Personal response: I personally love this book, I think that all students will also enjoy it because of its twists and turn and it offers so many connections to our government.
Teacher resources: For this book, I would have the students create their own escape plan from the city of Ember and then have them reflect on the similarities to the book and the differences.

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Title: For The Right To Learn
Author: Rebecca Langston-George
Illustrator: Janna Bock
Publisher: Capstone Press
Date: July 1, 2016
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Ally for Equality Award
Synopsis: Malala Yousafzai is a young girl who is an activist for girls in education. Many people know her story but this book gives a better look at what happened to her and her life story, along with the lead-up to the shooting. It describes in detail the struggles that not only Malala had to face with the Taliban but also what her friends and family had to go through. The book explains how the Taliban wanted to ban girls from going to school because they believed that they should be learning how to do things at home and that only boys should get an education. Despite these commands, Malala and her father, who was an educator, chose to continue to send Malala to school. They received many threats from this but that did not stop them, it only made Malala want to fight back. She started a blog that spoke out about the truths of the Taliban, from her point of view. The Taliban then planned on shooting Malala because she was betraying what they wanted. What they didn't plan for was for Malala to survive the shooting. This survival, while hard, only made Malala stronger, she is now one of the strongest women alive and continues to fight for women's education.
Genre: Biography
Theme: Defiance, education, bravery
Artistic media: digital media
Curricular connections: education, biography, activist
Personal response: This book is an amazing read for young students and also educates them about education in other parts of the world. I feel like a lot of young minds don't understand that not a lot of other places offer free education and some places only allow boys to go to school. Malala's story is so powerful, I would love to have this book in my classroom.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T29zY7fYKQo

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Title: Red
Author: Michael Hall
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: February 3, 2015
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Rainbow Project Book List
Synopsis: Red is the main character of the story and while the label says that Red is red, Red doesn't feel like he really is. Anytime someone asks Red to draw something, he tries but then fails because his color shows up blue instead of red like they had wanted. Many people judge Red for this and Red is confused. He wants everyone to see him for who he really is, and that is Blue. At student-parent conferences, all the parents start showing concern and saying what a disappointment he is for being unable to be red. It is until one day, Purple asks Red to draw water for the boat in her picture. He tells her that he can't because he is red. She tells him to try. So he does, and he is amazed. He was able to draw the water and that is when he realized that he is not Red, HE IS BLUE. He then drew everything that he knew just now in blue. Everyone was accepting of this and was now proud of him.
Genre: Fiction, children's picture book
Theme: Identity crisis, self-discovery, defiance
Artistic media: Digital art
Curricular connections: social, emotional, self-discovery, fears
Personal response: This book would be great for the classroom because it teaches students to be accepting of everyone and also shows that anyone can be what they want to be. As young students, a lot of them are on the road to self-discovery so it is important to encourage this.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytZ2fhuj6kA

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Title: The Thing About Jellyfish
Author: Ali Benjamin
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date: September 22, 2015
Number of pages: 352
Awards: Goodreads Choice Award
Synopsis: In this book, the story is about the main character named Suzy Swanson. It follows Suzy and her story after she suddenly loses her best friend, Franny Jackson. Suzy convinces herself that her friend's death was a result of a jellyfish sting and she becomes obsessed with this idea. Despite being told that this wasn't the case, Suzy is determined to prove it, so she sets off on an adventure. During this adventure, Suzy copes with her grief of losing her best friend and her isolation. No one understands how she is feeling, not her peers nor her family because they didn't lose Franky as she did. At the end of the book, Suzy has to confront her feelings of grief and her fear of losing loved ones.
Genre: Fictional novel
Theme: Overcoming loss, emotional connections
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: emotions, bravery, overcoming loss
Personal response: I personally thought that this was a very well-written book and had such a powerful message in teaching young readers about not only grief but survivals guilt and what our minds might trick us into thinking in order to cope with the loss of losing a loved one.
Teacher resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv-crdqnurc

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Title: Nina: A Story of Nina Simone
Author: Traci N. Todd
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Date: September 28, 2021
Number of pages: 56
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Title: Jack (Not Jackie)
Author: Erica Silverman
Illustrator: Holly Hatam
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Date: May 2009
Number of pages: 40
Awards:
Synopsis: Jack is a young transgender boy who shares what his life is like and his relationship with his sister while he goes through this change. This book focuses on how a transition can impact a young child and how they might not understand but with explaining and understanding they will grow to accept what is going on
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Bravery, understanding, Transition, LGBTQ+
Artistic media: Digital media
Curricular connections: LGBTQ+ education, growth, transition
Personal response: This book shares what gender identity might look like for some kids that might not understand what is going on. I believe that this would be good in the classroom for students that might be experiencing a sibling that is transitioning or has the same feelings that Jack experienced.

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Title: Mario and the Hole in the Sky
Author: Elizabeth Rusch
Illustrator: Teresa Martinez
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Date: November 5, 2019
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers
Synopsis: Mario Molina's story starts off with him as a young boy discovering his love for science with the gift he got for his birthday, a microscope. After that day, he dedicated everything to learning more about the world. Mario Molina discovered how chemicals that were in our everyday products were harming our Ozone and we needed to make a change or we were going to hurt our world.
Genre: Biography
Theme: Science
Artistic media: graphic art
Curricular connections: Science, discovery, chemicals
Personal response: This book is an amazing story to educate children on science and how chemicals can be bad for us and our planet.

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Title: Black Boy Joy
Author: Kwame Mbalia
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Date: August 3, 2021
Number of pages: 320
Awards: New York State Three Apples Award, Cooperative Children's Book Center choices, Notable Books for a Global Society Award
Synopsis: This book follows the stories of 17 young Black boys and their endeavors. It shares the joys of their lives in a variety of stories, comics, and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.
Genre: Biography
Theme: Independence, Joy, childhood, bravery, wonder, experience
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: childhood, struggle, life
Personal response: This book is an amazing addition to any classroom because of the rawness of each story. It shares a realness of what life is like for a young Black boy and what wonders they can experience. It would be great for students to have this book to either relate too or to make cultural connections too.

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Title: We Are One
Author: Susan Hood
Illustrator: Linda Yan
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Title: Blue
Author: Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
Illustrator: Daniel Minter
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date: February 15, 2022
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction For Children
Synopsis: This book is a story about how the color blue was first discovered and used throughout time. It shares how there was also an evil side to trading blue, such as human trafficking and slavery.
Genre: Children's literature, creative nonfiction, children's non-fiction literature
Theme: History of Blue Dye
Artistic media: Watercolors and pastels
Curricular connections: History
Personal response: This book is great for a history lesson about how blue dye was discovered and used. It also is great for educating students about other things that happened during and after the discovery.

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Title: Again, Essie?
Author: Jenny Lacika
Illustrator: Teresa Martinez
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Date: May 3, 2022
Number of pages: 32
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: Essie is a destructive child who tends to knock down her older brother's toys like his forts and building blocks. She always finds a way to tear things down no matter what. He is frustrated and doesn't understand why she keeps doing this. Until he sits down and thinks about it and realizes that his sister, Essie, just wants to play with him. They then find new ways to play together.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Building and playing
Artistic media: Colored pencils
Curricular connections: Math, friendship, relationships, building, motor skills
Personal response: This book is great for siblings who are struggling to see why their younger sibling is always tagging along. I would love to have this in my classroom as to their was also Spanish presented through the book which allows more students to feel included.

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Title: The Imagination Box
Author: Martyn Ford
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Date: August 2, 2016
Number of pages: 240
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: This book is about a young boy named Tim and he is able to create anything he imagines. Throughout this book he discovers the difference between being selfish and selfless. He does this through his creations.
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Imagination
Artistic media: Digitial design
Curricular connections: Engineering, imagination, friendship, science,
Personal response: This book is great to show students that is it okay to use their imagination and with their imagination they can create amazing things.

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Title: Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Illustrator: Thanhha Lai
Publisher: Harper Collins e-books
Date: February 22, 2011
Number of pages: 288
Awards: Newbery Honor books, National Book Award
Synopsis: A young girl named Ha who lives in Vietnam with a father who is missing in action during the Vietnam War. Her mother, Ha, and her three brothers flee across the sea to Alabama after the fall of Saigon.
Genre: Novel, historical fiction
Theme: culture, war, bravery, friendship, loss
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: History
Personal response: This book was very eye opening to read and because it was based on the authors true experiences it made it even more moving. It allowed an outsider to see what it truly means to be a refugee in another country and I think that it would be great for all students to read.

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Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: 2015
Number of pages: 336
Awards: 2013 Newberry Award
Synopsis: Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.
Genre: Fiction, novel biographical fiction
Theme: Friendship
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: Literary devices and story elements
Personal response:

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Title: Starfish
Author: Lisa Fipps
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Date: March 2021
Number of pages: 256
Awards: Printz Honor Winner
Synopsis: This book follows along the life of an 11 year old teenage girl named Ellie. it shares her struggles with self-love, body image and bullying. Ellie has always struggled with her weight and she is tired of being fat shamed. She has created set rules in order to not "be fat". In the water is where she feels the most safe, she can spread out, get away from everyone, including her mother, and she can't hear all of the criticism around her.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: bullying, bravery, self-love, escape
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: Social-emotional learning
Personal response: I personally have always struggled with my own body image and how I feel about myself so I connected to this at a whole different level. For young girls, I believe that this is a great read and allows other who are feeling or experiencing these same things.

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Title: After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back up Again
Author/Illustrator: Dan Santat
Published: October 3, 2017, from Roaring Brook Press
Page Count: 40
Age: 4+
Genre: Children/ Fantasy/ Fiction/ Humor
Theme: Don't be afraid to overcome your fears.
Synopsis: The familiar nursery rhyme character paralyzed by anxiety and afraid to climb the ladder to the top of the wall he famously fell off of. He lost his courage and his spirit of adventure after he cracked up. His bummed-out mood improves when he successfully makes a paper airplane, but when it gets stuck on the top of the wall, he must face his fear or lose it forever.
Curricular Connections: Social Emotional Learning
Personal Connections: After the Fall, I thought that this book was a wonderful one about how humpty gets stuck in the shadows of the wall but decides he misses the top of the wall. The artwork was amazing and is a great after story of Humpty Dumpty.

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Title: Bodies are cool
Author: Tyler Feder
Illustrator: Tyler Feder
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Date: June 1, 2021
Number of pages: 32
Awards: Noteable Children's Books 2022
Synopsis: This book is about the celebration of all different types of bodies that exist in our world. From different skin tones, to shapes, and even hair types. This an inclusive book that highlights how differences are beautiful.
Genre: Children's literature, children's non fiction literature
Theme: Self-love, inclusion
Artistic media: Pastels
Curricular connections: inclusion, love
Personal response: This book was so enlightening to read. It was full of body positive illustrations and highlighted all of the different types of bodies that we see all around us and focused on the true beauty of someone is based on who they are and not what they look like. This is a great book to share with your class to teach them about inclusion and about body positivity.

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Title: Don't Hug Doug (He Doesn't Like It)
Author: Carrie Finison
Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Date: January 26, 2021
Number of pages: 32
Awards: ALSC Notable Children's Books, Anna Dewdney Read Together Award
Synopsis: This book follows along Doug who is a child who doesn't like hugs. He doesn't like them for a various of reasons and throughout this story we learn why he doesn't and why other people might not like hugs either. This story teaches us that we need to ask permission to give people hugs because not everyone likes them.
Genre: Fiction, Children's literature
Theme: Personal space, saying no, asking permission
Artistic media: Digitial Media
Curricular connections: Asking permission
Personal response: I think that this book is a great share for the classroom because it focuses on how not everyone likes to share hugs and some people like their personal space. If you want to give someone a hug you need to ask for their permission first.

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Title: Bear Came Along
Author: Richard T. Morris
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date: June 1, 2019
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Notable Children's Books 2020, Randolph Caldecott Medal 2020
Synopsis: This book starts by following bear and his adventure once he is swept into the river. Soon after, froggy, turtles, beaver, racoons, and duck join bear in the river for an adventure altogether. They discover that together they can have an amazing time.
Genre: Fiction, General Fiction, humor
Theme: Friendship, adventure
Artistic media: Pastels
Curricular connections: working together, friendship
Personal response: This book is filled with humor and shares a story of how when you come together you can have more fun than just working by yourself.

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Title: Ban This Book
Author: Alan Gratz
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Starscape Books
Date: August 29 2017
Number of pages: 256
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: An inspiring tale of a fourth grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library--by starting her own illegal locker library!
Genre: Realistic Fiction, children's literature
Theme: control and power over others
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: English and social emotional learning
Personal response: I found this book very inspiring and would make a great read aloud book in the classroom. It shows how a student can stand up for what the believe is right and it also highlights an event that is occurring in our schools and libraries right now with certain books being banned from the shelves.

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Title: Black is a Rainbow Color
Author: Angela Joy
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Date: January 14, 2020
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Notable Children's Books 2021
Synopsis: A child reflects on the meaning of being Black. This book shares the power behind the people, culture, history, and legacy that lives on.
Genre: Fiction, general fiction, children's literature
Theme: Culture, beauty, history
Artistic media: watercolors
Curricular connections: History of Black culture,
Personal response: This book was an amazing read and I think that it would be very valuable to have in the classroom. It shares the beauty in Black culture and shares the depth of how Black is a color that is all around us. I think a lot of students would benefit from having this book in the classroom.

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Title: Go With The Flow
Author: Lily Williams
Illustrator: Karen Schneemann
Publisher: First Second
Date: January 14, 2020
Number of pages: 336
Awards: Notable Children's Books 2021
Synopsis: This book follows high school students and their crash course of friendship, female empowerment, and women's health issues. The girls are tired of men's athletics are put before the education of the female body so they make a point to have a menstruation revolution.
Genre: Fiction, Graphic Novels
Theme: Female body, women empowerment
Artistic media: Graphic media
Curricular connections: Womens Health
Personal response: I think that this book is a great addition to older students' personal libraries. It is a book that shares information about the female body while also allowing the student to connect with the characters.

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Title: If You Take Away the Otter
Author: Susannah Buhrman-Deever
Illustrator: Matthew Trueman
Publisher: Candlewick
Date: May 26, 2020
Number of pages: 32
Awards: Notable Children's Books 2021
Synopsis: This book shares the history of Sea Otters and how they were almost hunted to the point of extinction. When the number of Sea Otter decreased the number of sea urchins increased because there was no one left to hunt them. In this story, we see how the new laws were put in place to protect different parts of the sea, we saw a repopulation of sea otters.
Genre: Nonfiction, science, Animals, Nature
Theme: extinction, new laws, element affects
Artistic media: watercolor
Curricular connections: Science, animal study, history
Personal response: This book is a great tool to use to teach student about how our actions can impact the world around us and how we need to be careful.

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Title: Me & Mama
Author: Cozbi A. Cabrera
Illustrator: Cozbi A. Cabera
Publisher: Denene Millner Books
Date: August 25, 2020
Number of pages: 40
Awards: Notable Children's Books 2021, Randolph Caldecott Medal 2021
Synopsis: This book highlights the power of a mother daughter relationship. They show their care and love for each other during their every day lives.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Family relationships, love
Artistic media: pastels and watercolors
Curricular connections: relationship connections
Personal response: This book is an amazing read for the younger students because it shares the value of the relationship with their mothers. I was truly inspired by this book not only by the message but also by the illustrations and the lyrical writing that shows the appreciation of African American culture.

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Title: The Day You Begin
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Date: August 28th, 2018
Number of pages: 32
Awards: #1 New York Times Best Seller, American Library Association's 2020 Schneider Family Book Award
Synopsis: This book is about the day that you finally discover that what makes you different is what makes you beautiful. This day is when you finally start living. The world will create the space for you.
Genre: Fiction
Theme: Identity, culture, inclusion, friendship, new paths
Artistic media: Watercolor and colored pencils
Curricular connections: Finding yourself, friendships
Personal response: I believe that this book has such a powerful message about culture and identity and would allow my students to feel like all of their voices are heard. A lot of times children try to limit who they are in order to fit in but with this story, they are shown that it is beautiful to stand out.

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Title: La Princesa and the Pea
Author: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Date: September 5, 2017
Number of pages: 32
Awards: Notable children's books 2018, pura belpre youth illustrator award 2018
Synopsis: The prince is longing for a wife, but no woman is perfect enough for his mother's approval. When a maiden happens by, the prince is hopeful, but Mom decides to test her with the old pebble under the mattress(es) trick.
Genre: fiction, folklore and fairy tales
Theme: love, challenge
Artistic media: watercolor
Curricular connections: classic take on a fairy tale
Personal response: I loved this take on a classic fairytale. It would be a great addition to the classroom because it is more culturally diverse and would allow more students connect to the story.

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Title:  My Brother is Away
Author: Sara Greenwood
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Publisher: Random House Studio
Date: October 11, 2022
Number of pages: 40
Awards: NCTE Charlotte Huck Award and NPR Best Book of the Year
Synopsis: With her older brother in prison, a young girl copes with the confusing feelings his absence creates. At times she remembers the way her brother would carry her on his shoulders or how he would make up stories to tell her at bedtime. Other times she feels angry and wants to fly so far away that she can forget what happened.
Genre: Children's literature, realistic fiction
Theme: reassuring, family trouble, relationships
Artistic media: pastels
Curricular connections: social emotional literature
Personal response: I think that this book holds such a powerful message but it might be difficult for some students to read. For students who might have loved ones in prison it would help them understand a bit more about what is going on and it might allow other adults and kids to empathize with them.

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Title: Restart
Author: Gordon Korman
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date: May 30, 2017
Number of pages: 256
Awards: 2019 Buckeye children's book award winner, juniper book indian paintbrush book award 2018, 2019 colorado children's book award runner-up
Synopsis: This book is about Chase who fell off the roof of his house and loses his memory. He realizes that he was not one of the nicest people and tries to build better relationships with people. But many people are skeptical because of his actions before the accident. Chase tries to figure out what kind of life he wants to have now since he used to just only be friends with the football kids but now he wants to be a part of the video group. He has to complete community service because of a crime he completed before his accident. He becomes friends with one of the older people at the assisted living home he goes to. He has to go through many struggles with his friends that he has now and from his past before his accident.
Genre: Novel, Fiction
Theme: Kindness
Artistic media: N/A
Curricular connections: Social Emotional learning
Personal response: I thought that this book was a great read. It also received an award for the Idaho Youth and I think that it is a very interesting story that shares a great lesson for young children.

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Title: Class Picture
Author: Noe Carlain
Illustrator: Herve Le Goff
Publisher: Kane Miller Books
Date: January 1, 2020
Number of pages: 32
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: This book is about in this humorous picture book, originally published in France, a frazzled photographer tries to organize groups of anthropomorphized animals as they pose for class pictures.
Genre: Children's fiction
Theme: Be kind and patient
Artistic media: Pastels and colored pencils
Curricular connections: Social emotional learning
Personal response: This book would be a great read right before your class picture day. It allows the students to see what picture day might be like and how they need to be patient. Picture day is hard for a lot of students because they have to sit still for a longer amount of time than what they are used to. Reading this book prior allows them to have an understanding.