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Written by- Melissa Stewart
Illustrated by- Higgins Bond
Non-Fiction Book 1

Citation-Steward, Melissa & Bond, Higgins (2006) A Place for Butterflies, Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

Genre- Non-fiction (Expository).
Format- picture book
Themes- butterflies, biodiversity, environment.
Grade Level- Grades 1-2
Major Awards- Bank Street College Best Children’s Bk of the Year, Science, Green Earth Book Award, Izaak Walton League Conservation Book of the Year. And More.
Summary- This book contains facts about butterflies using images to help get the message across. The author also hopes to inspire readers to protect the butterflies.
My Response- I love the message to say the butterflies, and also the facts. Some of the facts I didn't even know as an adult. And also the pictures are extremely realistic and help back up the facts.
Connections- This would be a great opportunity to take students on a trip maybe to Hershey Gardens where there's a butterfly house. Or maybe get one for the classroom to study them in real time.

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Written by- Traci Sorell
Illustrated by- Frane Lessac
Non-Fiction Book 2
Citation- Sorell, Traci & Lessac, Frane (2021) We Are Still Here, Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.
Genre- Non-fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Native tribal relocation, termination, relocation, self-determination.
Grade Level- Grades 2-4
Major Awards- none yet
Summary- This book features different children who represent native american culture. Their laws, struggles and culture are discussed throughout the book.
My Response- I am glad I was able to read this book because we got an advanced PDF. It was insightful to learn more about the culture. I will most likely have native american children in my classroom at some point, so I am glad to know this stuff for the future.
Connections- It would be good to have a day where we discussed the culture, and this book would be a great addition to that.

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After reading The Season of Styx Malone I knew I wanted to read more children's books about foster care. I don't have any solid reasons why I picked the topic. When I was reading through some of the options the topic just picked me. I do believe this topic is important for the PreK-4 students. Its important for them to understand that foster care and adoption is a thing. And if there are any children in the classroom who are adopted or in the foster care system then they will feel represented.

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Written by- Megan Dowd Lambert
Illustrated by - Nicole Tadgell
Social Justice Set Book 1
Citation- Lambert D, Megan & Tadgell, Nicole (2016) Real Sisters Pretend, Thomaston, Maine: Tilbury House Publishers.
Genre- Realistic Fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Adoption, Non-traditional families.
Grade Level- Grades K-3
Major Awards- Massachusetts Book Award Must Read Picture Book/Early Reader and others.
Summary- This story follows two adopted sisters. They discuss what makes them real sisters even though they aren't actually related.
My Response- What I love most is that the author wrote this based off of her real adoptive daughters, and a real conversation she heard. Knowing the story is authentic makes it better for the classroom.
Connections- Its always good to have these kinds of books in the classroom. I would just like the share it in the classroom to read.

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Written by- Uma Krishnaswami
Illustrated by- Jamel Akib
Social Justice Set Book 2
Citation- Krishnaswami, Uma & Akib, Jamel (2006) Bringing Asha Home, New York, NY: Lee & Low Books.
Genre- Realistic Fiction
Format- Picture Books
Themes- Adoption, Interracial family.
Grade Level- Grades 1-2
Major Awards- Cybils Awards, 2006, Nominee, Fiction Picture Book
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People 2007, and many more.
Summary- Arun longs for a sister, and his parents are filling his wish by adopting Asha. Asha is from India, and it takes almost a year for Asha to arrive. Even though he is impatient he finds a way to bond with his new sister.
My Response- This is a light, and happy story about the love of family. This will give those children who are adopted more love, and know they are part of many families. I loved how excited Arun is to meet his new sister, and that he doesn't mind she's not blood related.
Connections- Just like the other books in my text set, this would be good to read to my class. It would get the topic of adoption to them, and develop their empathy.

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By - Jennifer Wilgocki, Marcia Kahn Wright
Social Justice Text Set Book 3
Citation- Wilgocki, Jannifer & Wright K. Marcia (2002) Maybe Days, Washington DC: APA Publications.
Genre- Nonfiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Foster Care, responsibilities of everyone involved.
Grade Level- Grades- PreK- 2
Major Awards- None, I really couldn't find any.
Summary- This book goes through the different procedures done in foster care. It also contains the feelings of foster children and also their guardians.
My Response- This book seems extremely realistic from reading and looking at reviews. I like that its very explanatory, I actually learned a lot!
Connections- I would love to include this to make any foster children in my class understand that their feelings are okay. Maybe we could even do a mini project on foster care based on this book.

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By- Yuyi Morales
Pura Belpre Book 2
Citation- Morales, Yuyi (2018) Dreamers, New York, NY: Neal Porter Books.
Genre- Realistic fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Family, resilience
Grade Level- PreK-3
Major Awards- Pura Belpre, Kirkus Prize, and more.
Summary- Yuyi left her home on Mexico and came to the US with her son. The story tells her journey to the US, and how she gained resilience through it.
My Response-I liked everything about the book. The illustrations were beautiful, and so were the words. When you know a story you are reading is true it hits differently. This story while a little sad, is also inspiring, and motivating. That's what I would want my students to gain from reading this book.
Connections- This would be a good book to have a class discussion on. We could talk about the morals/themes and what is happening. And of course talk about the things we always have with us even when we leave, resilience, dreams ect.

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By- Julie A. Nelson
Social Justice Text Set Book 4
Citation- Nelson, A. Julie (2006) Families Change, Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Genre- Non-fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Foster care/adoption, families
Grade Level- Grades PreK- 4
Major Awards- I can't find any.
Summary- The books concept is that families do change in many different ways, and in no way is it a child's fault. There are lots of resources and information in this book to help with the emotions a child may get when dealing with foster parents.
My Response- This is again another book with great resources, that will be able to help me in the classroom. Knowing some of these things will help me to plan out good lessons.
Connection- The connection for me could be using is as a guide to help my students. Knowing what they are going through will be a key in earning their trust.

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By- Charles Perrault
Traditional Literature Book 2
Citation- Perrault, Charles (17th Century).
Genre- Traditional literature.
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Listening to your parents, be careful with strangers, listen to yourself.
Grade Level- Grades Prek-2
Major awards- Caldecott honor book, ALSC
Summary- Little red riding hood is sent to take some food to her grandmother, but on the way becomes tired. When she wakes she goes the rest of the way but when she sees her grandmother, she doesn't look quite right.
My Response- I've always enjoyed old fairy tales that have good morals. This story is one of them, and one most of us know well.
Connections- After a read aloud, it would be good to discuss the moral of the story with students. And maybe compare it to experiences they've had.

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By- Janell Cannon
Social Justice Text Set Book 5
Citation- Cannon, Janell (1993) Stellaluna, Boston, MA: HMH Books for Younger Readers.
Genre- Fantasy
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Friendship, overlooking differences
Grade Level- Grades 1-2
Major Awards- 1994: American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Children's Winner. 1995: Delaware Diamonds Award—Grades K-2. And many more.
Summary- Stellaluna is a baby fruit bat who is separated from her mom. On this journey to find her mom, she finds a nest of different birds, but they take her in anyway. Stellaluna is "adopted" by this group of birds, and learns their ways.
My Response- This book was really good! I love animals, and I know most children also love animals. Even though it's not a human adoption story, it still conveys the right message.
Connections- An idea that popped in my head was to learn about bats, and their family dynamic and compare to our family dynamic.

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Written by- Hans Christian Andersen
Illustrated by- Vilhelm Pedersen
Traditional Literature Book 1
Citations- Andersen, H.C & Pedersen, Vilhelm (1843) The Ugly Duckling, Copenhagen, Denmark: C.A Reitzel.
Genre- Traditional Literature.
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Acceptance, Self-worth
Grade Level- Grades- 1-4
Major Awards- Randolph Caldecott Medal
Summary- A bird is hatched and ever since that day the poor bird has been made fun of for looking plain. Every new home he finds the others make fun of him, and he feels really sad. One day though a a group of swans finally accept him, and he realizes that he has matured into a beautiful swan.
My Response- In my opinion the best morals always happen in traditional literature. I love the message of this story, and its important for children to read this story so they can be proud of who they are.
Connections- This would be a great opportunity to let the children write about themselves and how they feel. they can write what they like most about themselves and their other classmates.

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By- Keith Baker
Alphabet Book
Citations- Baker, Keith (2010) LMNO Peas, New York, NY: Little Simon.
Genre- Fantasy
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Alphabet, First Words, Rhythm.
Grade Level- Grades Pre-K-K
Major Awards-  CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council), ALA Notable Book, and many more.
Summary- The peas of this book take the reader on a journey through their lives, their jobs and their identities.
My Response- I think this is a great book for leaning the alphabet. It uses real life examples, and keeps children engaged. The illustrations will also keep children loving this book.
Connections- I could use a read aloud to help teach them not just the alphabet but identities and jobs.

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Written By- Julie Fogliano
Illustrated by- Julie Morstad
Poem Book 2
Citation- Fogliano, Julie & Morstad Julie (2016) When Green Becomes Tomatoes, New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.
Genre- Poetry.
Format- Poem, Picture Book
Themes- The seasons, Friends
Grade Level- Grades 1-4
Major Awards- Claudia Lewis Award, 2017, Winner
Cybils Awards, 2016, Finalist, Poetry
E.B. White Read Aloud Award, 2017, Finalist, Picture Book and more.
Summary- This book of poems features all of the different seasons that happen during the year. Using beautiful words, and beautiful illustrations the seasons are told.
My Response- I picked this book in hopes that it wasn't as well known, and no one else would pick it. The illustrations were beautiful and described each season perfectly. The poems were also accurate and each one really focused on that specific date or season. Perfect for the classroom.
Connections- I could use this and correlate with the seasons. Read a poem for the upcoming season, and or date.

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By- Molly Idle
Wordless Picture Book
Citation- Idle, Molly (2014) Flora and the Penguin, San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.
Genre- Fantasy, (fiction).
Format- Wordless Picture book
Themes- animals, sports, overcoming discouragement.
Grade Level- PreK-K
Major Awards-  Parents' Choice Award, 2015, Silver, Picture Book.

Summary- Flora goes to the ice to learn how to ice skate. On her journey she meets a penguin who ice skates alongside her.
My Response- When I was looking for wordless picture books this one came up and I knew I had to use it. The illustrations are really good, and I love the color palette they choose. Its wintery, and makes the mood of the story happy. And of course being a figure skater I connected to the story.
Connections- I could show this story during the winter season, and create a list winter activities and themed items.

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By- Angela Dominguez
Pura Belpre Honor 1
Citation- Dominguez, Angela (2013) Maria Had a Little Llama. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Genre- Poetry (story in rhyme).
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Music, animals, Classrooms
Grade Level- Grades PreK-2
Major Awards- Pura Belpre Honor
Summary- Maria has a pet llama, and she loves to tell everyone how much she loves her llama. One day the llama follows her to school, and her classmates and her teacher also love her llama!
My Response- I thought this book was really good and great for the classroom. I liked the culture weaved through it, and I loved the musical element.
Connections- I would definitely sing this book, and have the students sing the parts in between. They can have fun singing, and learn about Maria culture.

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Written by- Matt De La Pena
Illustrated by- Christian Robinson
Coretta Scott King Award
Citation- Pena, M.D.L & Robinson, Christian (2015) Last Stop on Market Street. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Genre- Realistic Fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Family, Building Community, Friendships
Grade Level- Grades K-3
Major Awards- Caldecott Medal, John Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Award.
Summary- CJ and his grandmother take the bus all around town. During this time, CJ notices a lot of things about the people and the buildings of his town.
My Response- This book was interesting to me. I really like the concept, and the way it was presented. I think the illustrations go with the book really well with the story.
Connections- I liked the read aloud for this book, and I think I would open it up to questions. I could also do a social action project, and do some writing.

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By- Geoffrey Hayes
Geisel Award for Early Readers
Citation- Hayes, Geoffrey (2009) Benny and Penny in The Big No-No. New York, NY: Candlewick Press.
Genre- Fiction, Fantasy
Format- Graphic Novel
Themes- Brother/sister, Neighbors
Grade Level- Grade-1-2
Major Awards- Geisel Award
Summary- Benny and Penny have a new neighbor, and at first are excited. But then they worry that she is not so nice. However so they realize that she's not as mean as they think she is.
My Response- This graphic novel was really cute! The illustrations are adorable, and so good. And the story is also great! The message is great for children, the message of don't judge a book by its cover.
Connections- This could be a book I hand out to every student, and we read it together. We can discuss what a good friend is, and what they do in the book.

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Written by- Jeanne Walker Harvey
Illustrated by- Dow Phumiruk
Biography Book 2
Citation- Harvey, J.W & Phumiruk, Dow (2017)  Maya Lin Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Genre- Biography, Non-Fiction
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Art,
Grade Level- K-3
Major Awards- Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Elementary and Middle Grade(Nonfiction), Northern California Book Award, 2018, Finalist, Picture Book.

Summary- This story follows Maya Lin and how she got into art, starting with how her parents were both artists.
My Response- This book is really good. Her story to me is really powerful and told in a powerful way. Maya was never told how to act, even though in her culture she was supposed to act a certain way. It's a really good message for kids. I also loved the art, and how detailed it was. It was honestly beautiful.
Connections- Again I could try to find a read aloud on youtube with the illustrations, because the kids should see them. And we could talk about Maya Lin, and talk about what being an artist is really about.

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Written by- Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by- Floyd Cooper
Poetry Book 1
Citation- Grimes, Nikki & Cooper, Floyd (1994) Meet Danitra Brown. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Genre- Poetry
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Friendship, City/Town life
Grade Level- 2-4
Major Awards- Coretta Scott King Award
Summary- This story follows a young girl named Zuri as she goes through her daily life. We meet her best friend Danitra Brown, who is a really good friend. Throughout the different poems we learn about Danitra and Zuri's life.
My Response- I enjoyed this book of poems, despite not really liking poetry. However, it felt more like a complete picture book to me instead of poetry. I love the characters and I love seeing their point of view.
Connections- This could be one of those read alouds that makes a student feel included. It's a good representative for all children, because it has tales about friendship, and life. Everyone can relate to something in the book.

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By- Dan Santat
Caldecott Award Book 2
Citation- Santat, Dan (2014) The Adventures of Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Genre- Fiction, Fantasy
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Friendship, Belonging
Grade Level- K-3
Major Awards- Caldecott Medal
Summary- Beekle, an imaginary friend, just wants to find his child. He wants others to see him, and he wants a friend. After waiting forever, he goes into the world to find his friend. He discovers a lot in the world, but ultimately finds his friend.
My Response- We all had imaginary friends when we were younger, so I thought this was interesting read. I loved that Beekle wanted to make friends because that's a good quality to have. In also really loved the illustrations. I honestly loved every aspect of this book.
Connections- This would be a great read aloud. Or I can find a video online so they can really see the illustrations.

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Written by- Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by- Brian Pinkney
Biography Book 1
Citation - Pinkney, A. D & Pinkney, Brian (1998) Duke Ellington. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Genre- Biography
Format- Picture Book
Themes- Music, Jazz, Biography.
Grade Level- 3-4
Major Awards- Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award.
Summary- This book follows Duke Ellington's life with music. From the time he was a child first learning the piano to when he was famous, in a picture book format.
My Response- I enjoyed learning more about Duke, because even though I know who he is, I didn't know much about him. The pictures in this book really stood out to as well because of their color.
Connections- I could definitely read this one aloud, and have a discussion about Duke Ellington. I wish I would have had this book when I was a kid. Maybe students could create a jazz song.

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By- David Ezra Stein
Caldecott Award Book 1
Citation - Stein, D.E (2010) Interrupting Chicken. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Genre- Fiction, Fantasy
Format- Picture Book
Themes - Storytelling, Family, Bedtime, Humor.
Grade Level- K-3
Major Awards - Caldecott Medal
Summary- Little Red Chicken wants her dad to read her a bedtime story. However every time he starts she interrupts and finished the story in her own way. This leads her to creating her own bedtime story, and instead her papa falls asleep.
My Response- I enjoyed this read. I thought it was really cute, and had a good plot. Even though the chicken kept interrupting the story, the dad still read to him. And this led to the little chicken making its own story. Its good for children to read stories like this one.
Connections- I would love to read this one aloud, and listen to their reactions. From this I can have them create their own story.