Illustrator: Serge Bloch

Media: Painting/ Realistic Images

Pages: 32

Genre/Grade Level: Fiction - 4th +

Theme: War

Topic: POV of Enemies

Publishing: 2007/Wilkins Farago

This story takes place inside two enemy holes in a desert. Both stay in the safety of their holes and their war appears to be at a stand still. The images of both enemies and their holes are indistinguishable, so as the story goes on, the reader isn't sure which enemy is narrating. (It begins to become clear that this is the point!) The soldier narrating is very human in expressing hunger, loneliness, fear, discomfort, a desire for the war to be over, and distaste for the savage enemy. The soldier speaking explains that a manual given to him by the men in charge tells of how the enemy kills animals, women, and children and must be killed before he kills first. However, when looking at the stars during the night, he wonders if the enemy looks up at them as well and also desires for the end of the war. Finally, the soldier hatches a plan to disguise himself and use a moonless night to sneak over and kill the enemy thus ending the war. He encounters a lion (the enemy with the same plan) on his way but uses stealth and darkness to escape. When he arrives, the soldier is gone, but left behind his manual and family photos just as he had done. The manual describes a savage enemy (him). He realizes he has been told lies and so has the enemy. He also realizes the enemy is now in his hole. In the end they both send each other a message of peace and surrender.

Thoughts: This story reminded me of a book I need to read, "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society" by Dave Grossman. One of the questions this book covers is how a person comes to being able to kill another human. It is said that to kill, you can't think of that person as a person. In the case of "The Enemy," the narrating soldier was able to justify killing the savage other out of self preservation as well as to end the war. It is heart warming because despite their training and what they've been told, they come to remember how human the other is.

This book is sweet as it goes on, but I struggle with this book because what about when the enemy does kill women, children, and animals? Does a conversation about the difference between terrorism/genocide/war crime and war need to happen?

Publisher: Red Comet Press 2022

Pages: 60

Genre/Grade Level: Wordless/ K+

Theme: Resilience and hope

Topic: Restoration after conflict

Media: Black, white, and yellow drawings

I was magnetized to this book when it was on the shelf and I've flipped through its pages three times since bringing it home. Our main character is a child. The story begins with black pages and barbed wire. Then, we meet the child standing in front of this fence. Two barbs align with where their eyes should be. The barbed wire begins to twist into a monster that chases the child until they fall. When they reopens their eyes, they see a yellow butterfly. This is the only color until the very end of the pages. The child follows this butterfly through scenes of weapons, victims, tank traps, and aftermath of violence. It begins to become clear that the butterfly represents restoration because one butterfly turns into many and they appear to be undoing and replacing these scenes.

This book gave me goosebumps to flip through not only because of the violence, but because of the strength of hope rallying healing and for things to be better one day. This books can be experienced by anyone, but being from the perspective of a child, it is wonderful for children. This book may be tied to Social Studies with a focus on current events.

Featuring Jayla Rose

Publisher: PBC 2021

Pages: 40

Genre/Grade Level: Nonfiction/3rd-5th

Theme: Self-Advocacy

Topic: Confidence and wellbeing

Media: Digital Art and images

The main character of this story is the reader! Each page is either an affirmation or a tip for staying positive and taking control of one's emotional wellbeing. In short, the book advises to believe in and think positively about yourself and if anything challenges that positivity, get rid of it! I love this simple message of self-advocacy/validation. It is a skill that takes practice even for adults and the sooner we plant the seed of being your own best friend the better.

Illustrator: Rafael Lopez

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group 2018

Pages: 32

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: K-5th

Theme: Social

Topic: Cultural Sensitivity

Media: Painting

Our main character is Angelina who has just moved to America from Venezuela. There are other characters in the story, one of whose name isn't mentioned. They feel different and on the outside of things because of physical and cultural differences at their new school. In the beginning, these students feel judgment and disapproval from their peers. This is magnified when peers share their experiences of travel over the summer while Angelina stayed home with her little sister reading stories and laughing together. Eventually, Angelina begins to sing her story with pride in a loud voice. She discovers that her own experiences matter too and that amongst wonderful differences, she also shares wonderful similarities with her peers. Angelina discovers connections and makes friends.

In this story, it is implied that the teacher helps these students by encouraging them to share their stories, showing curiosity and appreciation for their culture, as well as managing any insensitivity from the other students. While this is a much quieter message of the story, it still spoke volumes to me as a prospective teacher.

Read by: Pete Cross

Audiobook

Pages: 352

Publisher: Scholastic Incorporated 2022

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery

Theme: social reform, LGBTQ, grief, identity, apiculture

Mars is a gender-fluid 17-year-old whose struggle in the social navigation of "drifting in between" is compounded by the status of his well-known and politically influential family. While Mars revolts against the expectative mold impressed by his parents, his twin sister Caroline seems to go along with the act and it feels like betrayal. While the two had been close in earlier years, they had fallen apart in recent ones. One night, Caroline dies a frantic, horrific, and violent death. Caroline attends an elite summer camp, Aspen, and this is where she is leading up to the night of her death. At Caroline's celebration of life, Mars has a strange encounter with Caroline's cabin mates from camp and despite having run from the camp after an incident years before, Mars decides to go back to the seemingly out-of-touch camp in the clouds. Mars adventures into a social-status-performative-binary mine field and finds a path to self-discovery and actualization while also solving the mystery of his sister's death.

I enjoyed this book so much for the message, story, and narration. It is shocking, horrific, empowering, relatable, lovely, angering, and thought-provoking. This would be such a good book for a student who may need it at just the right time.

Pages: 29

Publisher: Cuento De Luz 2019

Genre: Children's Fiction, Picture Book

Topic: Animals, Opera, and Dessert

Media: Drawing and Painting

Theme: Staying true to oneself even when it isn't popular opinion to do so.

It is fun when a dog looks like their owner, but Leonora and her dog Fidelio are nothing alike and when they go out, others point, laugh, and say that they just aren't right to be together! One fateful day, the pair meet Carmelo and his dog Pistachia. Carmelo and Pistachia also appear to not belong and the illustrations show the reader that Fidelio looks much more like Carmelo and Pistachia looks like Leonora. So, the two exchange leashes and go on their way. Nobody points or laughs anymore, but no one is happy. On yet another fateful day, the pairs meet again! This time, instead of exchanging leashes, the four stay together and are happier then before because.. WHO CARES!

This book is quirky and I love that! The characters, illustrations, and narrative are not what you would expect and I think that goes with the message of "dancing to your own tune." Carmelo, Leonora, Fidelio, and Pistachia are happier different than when they try to align with the opinion of the majority.

Illustrator: David Litchfield

Pages: 117

Publisher: Candlewick Press 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction, War

Theme: Peace, Conflict, Relationships

Topic: A boy who has only known World War I dreams of it ending.

Grade Level: 4-7

Media: Painting

The theme begins with the title of this story. I noticed that it isn't THE War Is Over, instead it reads War Is over as in all war...forever. John is an English boy who has only ever known the war his father fights in and the Munitions factory that his mother works in to protect his father in the trenches. John is at war himself with classmates, his teacher and mother, the memory of his father, and the idea that he is at war as well. This haunts him because he is just a child, how can he be at war? The author skillfully uses contrast in this book to sew his message of peace. He compares the deadly shrapnel his mother packs into shells to the tiny seeds of life packed into rose hips he and his mother make into jam in the summer. Later he compares John's small hand warm with the life to the cold metal of a shell. Outside the munitions factory, John meets a man carrying pictures of German children. He stands on a crate and proclaims, "You are not at war. You are just children!" He is called a traitor and is carried off, but he leaves behind his pictures. Jon finds an image of Jan from Dusseldorf. John sees himself in this photo and begins to escape with his new German friend in his dreams. Together they play and plant seeds of life and peace.

John's teacher and town teach and impose on the children a hate for the enemy. Some children feed on this and even pretend to fight in the woods. Other children, like John, fight this idea instead. I love this message for educators because it reminds us that children are blank slates and can be pushed toward conflict or peace. It is almost as if the author believes in the hope that one day, enough children who want peace will grow up to build a world that really is without war forever. At the end, the author describes police officers who have grown fat. Butterflies rest on their bodies while they sleep in the park. I won't impose my own interpretation on that image.

Illustrator: Rafael Lopez

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Genre: Children's Fiction Picture Book

Topic: Perseverance, Music, Ability, Gender Equality

Theme: Pursuing one's dreams even when other's disagree. Striking your own path and staying true to self.

Pages: 48

Media: Painting

Drum Dream Girl lives on the island of music where only boys play the drums. Yet, she dreams of playing the drums in a starlit cafe for all to hear! Her friends and the town tell her how this could never be because only boys play drums! Her father reminds her of this as well but she continues to dream. Finally, her father gives in and takes her to a teacher. Drum Dream Girl practices and practices. One day, her teacher takes her to play in a star lit cafe. The town loves her skill and she plays on stage with her sisters!

It can be so hard to stick to what makes you happy in the face of adversity. Drum Dream Girl shows bravery and perseverance toward her dream for girls to play drums too!

Illustrator: Hoda Hadadi

Publisher: Daybreak Press, 2016

Pages: 42

Media: Painting

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book, Holidays/Observances, Gender Equality

Topic: Ramadan

Theme: Following one's dream in the face of adversity.

During Ramadan, a man, a Musaharati, walks the streets calling families by name, playing his drum, and singing to signal for everyone to awake and feast in preparation for the next day's long fast. Najma wants to be the Musaharati so badly, but a girl has never been the Musaharati before. One Ramadan night, the Musaharati is no longer able to go out. Najma begs her father to let her be the Musaharati in his place! Her father agrees but the town is less friendly about Najma taking on this role because after all, only men have ever done this! Najma and her father go out, drumming and singing. Najma does a wonderful job and shows the town that a girl can be a Musaharati.

This story supports gender equality and simultaneously teaches about the Muslim Observance, Ramadan.

Media: Watercolor 

Publisher: Norton Young Readers/2020

Pages: 64

Grade Level: 3-5

Genre: Biography, Non-Fiction

Topic: History, WWII, Immigration

Theme: Doing what is right simply because it is right, not for fame, recognition, and heroism.

This is a biography about Nicky and Vera simultaneously. Nicholas Winton grows up and finds his way to Prague, Czechoslovakia. Becoming increasingly aware of the danger posed by the German movement across Europe, Nicky begins helping children under 17 escape to England by finding foster families, and train connections to get them there. Vera is one of the children he helps escape. Vera's cousins are scheduled to leave on a later date, but this date was too late. Czechoslovakia became German occupied and the border was closed. Vera lost her parents and cousins to the Holocaust. She visited Prague later and found only the daughter of one of her beloved cats. Nicky's secret only came out when his wife found the records of his work in the attic many years later. Nicky was surprised by a reunion with some of the children he helped rescue including Vera! 

Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2018

Pages: 28

Genre: Children's Fiction, Picture Book, Animals

Theme: Every story has an Elephant of Surprise just waiting to be found!

Topic: Reading Together, Imagination

Media: Painting

Red Chicken comes home from school one day with the task to read three stories in search of their Elephants of Surprise that she persists are lonely and waiting to be found in every story! Papa attempts to prove to his daughter that her teacher surely meant an element of surprise, the part that makes you say, "Whoa, I didn't expect THAT to happen!" To her father's exhaustion, Red Chicken successfully locates the Elephant of Surprise in The Ugly Duckling, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, as well as in a story told by Papa and Illustrated by Red Chicken.

This story was so heart-warming! It tells of a child and their grown-up reading together and even collaborating on their own story. The illustrations are adorable and the story makes me smile! I think I'll read this to my 4 year-old niece before I return it.

Illustrator: Valeri Gorbachev

Media: Painting

Pages: 36

Grade Level: k-2

Publisher: Sterling Children's Books, 2015

Genre: Reading, Fiction, Picture Book, Animals, Word Play

Topic: Pirates, Pigs, Reading, Treasure

Theme: It isn't about your pirate costume, deck-swobbin', or potato-peelin', but can you read? That's how you find the real treasure!

Rufus Leroy Williams III loves school! But, one day he finds the school doors locked. It is summer vacation and he knows just what to do. Rufus Leroy Williams III is going to become a pirate! Captain Wibblyshins gives all the reasons why pigs aren't allowed to be pirates! Rufus Leroy Williams III has a pirate hat, lunchbox, and even an eye-patch! Captain Wibblyshins agrees that these are all very good things, but they aren't the things he needs. Until.. Rufus Leroy Williams III says, "I can read!" Captain Wibblyshins bellows, "A readin' pirate is just what we need!" Rufus Leroy Williams III reads their map and teaches the pirates to read on the way to finding the treasure, a chest full of books!

I love the message of this story. It promises adventure, magic, and treasure to be found in books!

Publisher: Neal Porter Books, 2018

Media: Mixed, Painting, Digital Art

Pages: 34

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography, Picture Book, Children's

Topic: Immigration, Language, Reading, Cultural Crossover

Theme: Reading can teach, inspire, show, and take you places you've never been before.

Yuyi and her 2-month-old immigrate from Mexico to the U.S. and became permanent residents despite the expectation of returning home. When she arrived in Texas and for a time after, she felt like what she said and did didn't matter because no one understood her and she couldn't understand them. She experienced some trouble as well when she discovered the hard way new rules and expectations. One day, Kelly's grandmother takes them to the library where books have pictures and can be taken off the shelf without permission. This was huge for Yuyi and her son Kelly. Yuyi realized she could understand the stories through pictures and eventually, they both learn to read and speak English! Yuyi begins to dream of writing and illustrating her own stories. This is just what she goes on to do!

Illustrator: Molly Idle 

Publisher: Philomel Books, 2021

 Pages: 40

Grade Level: k-3

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book

Theme: Friendship

Topic: Wishing on a star and a kid for a friend! 

Media: Colored Pencil

One night, Clyde makes a secret wish on a star. That night, the same star comes down to wish on a kid. Clyde wakes and is startled  by the star in his bedroom! Clyde is determined to find out what the star wished for. To do this, Clyde goes through things that he had wished for! A chess board, tent, and frisbee, but it is none of these. With each granted wish, Clyde adds how these things aren't much fun without someone to share them with. Finally they both discover, that they had wished for a friend... each other! 

Illustrator: Rafael Lopez

Publisher: Philomel Books, 2019

Media: Pencil, Watercolor, and Acrylic on Paper

Pages: 32

Grade Level: k-3

Genre: Non-Fiction, Children's Picture Book

Topic: Exceptionalities, Children with Disabilities, Differences, Nature

Theme: Just like plants growing in a garden need different things, so do friends! If we are curious about why someone does something differently, just ask!

This book is told from the perspective of a child with Diabetes. She explains that peers often stared at her when she needed to poke herself with a needle sometimes, but never asked why! So, she goes on an adventure to learn about the different special things other children need or do. These things include special medicine, ways of getting around, and ways of communicating! I love this book because it compares the beauty of differences in a garden to the differences among people. This is a concept I had just been wondering about!

Author: Angeline Boulley

Pages: 400

Publication: Simon and Schuster, 2023

Genre: Fiction, Action Adventure

Topic: Ojibwe, NAGPRA, MMIW, Friendship, Cultural Sensitivity

Theme: Discovering yourself by coming to know your ancestors and your cause.

During a summer internship, Pearl Firekeeper Birch, Perry, learns about how the ancestors have been dug up and taken to be studied or collected by museums, the black market, and collectors. To help the fight to get them back, she studies NAGPRA (Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act) and fights alongside friends and family to get the ancestors and sacred artifacts back. All the while, there is a wiindigoo on the loose kidnapping Native American women, never to be seen again, and Perry learns the hard way that she can't trust everyone she thought she could.

This book is an inspiring sliding glass door into Native American life, culture, and continuous suffering. This book teaches you about some of the real and current movements including the just (and unjust) enforcement of NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection  and Repatriation Act), as well as raises awareness for the MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). This book gifts appreciation, a fire to get involved, and a curiosity for more. Angeline tells a wonderful story to boot!

Author/Illustrator: Cece Bell

Publication: Harry N. Abrams, 2014

Pages: 248

Grade Level: 3-7

Genre: Graphic Novel, Children's Literature

Topic: Friendship, Deafness, Growing Up

Theme: Navigating friendships and the classroom after becoming profoundly deaf at the age of four.

El Deafo is a recounting by Cece Ball of her childhood after becoming profoundly deaf at the age of four. To cope with the insecurities and frustrations that came with her changed body, she created a super-hero image of herself that she named El Deafo. This persona helped her feel brave, in control, and important in times she needed it most. Cece recalls friendships, lessons, events, and feelings that shaped who she is today!

This story helped me understand that sometimes making too much of a big deal about an exceptionality or disability a student has can actually be damaging. Listening to what a student wants and needs from their teacher and peers is so important! This story gave great insight into some of the little things in school that really matter to a student experiencing deafness.

Author: Matt De La Pena

Illustrator: Christian Robinson

Publication: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2015

Media: Paint, Collage, Digital

Pages: 32

Genre: Children's Picture Book, Fiction

Topic: Community, City Life

Theme: Learning the importance of perspective and beauty.

On Sundays after church, CJ tags along with his grandmother on to a bus headed across town to volunteer at the soup kitchen. On the way, CJ asks about things like not having a car or music player, going to the soup kitchen every Sunday, and why a man can't see and why the city is dirty. His grandmother takes the opportunity to teach him the bright side of things for each of his questions! She points out that trees get thirsty too, that they get to ride a bus that breathes fire and meet the sunglass-man who sees with his ears and nose or listen to a guitar-playing man. She shows him that being surrounded by the dirty city makes you appreciate the beauty of the sky and people even more.

A Mesoamerican Creation Myth

Author/Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh

Publication: Abrams, 2020

Pages: 40

Level: K-5th

Media: Hand drawn and then digitally collaged.

Genre: Fiction, Legend, Myth

Topic: Traditional Legend of Creation

During each of the first four suns, the gods tried to make humans of different sizes with sacred bones covered in mud and then cornhusk. Each time, the humans weren't quite right, so the Gods turned each of them into mountains, fish, birds, and monkeys. The gods tired after this and gave the sacred bones to the God of the underworld, Mictlantecuhtli. One God, Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, did not give up and he traveled through the treacherous Underworld with the help of the black spirit dog to retrieve the sacred bones. He earns the bones but when he turns to escape, he is wounded and the bones are broken. When he finally gets back to the other Gods, he grinds the bones to powder and each God gives a little bit of blood to mix with the powder. They create humans from this mixture and it is said that we are descendants of these humans living under the fifth sun. 

Legends like these give meaning and reason to the human experience. This story in particular makes you feel valuable as a human being because of the things Feathered Serpent went through to continue trying to make humans. It also gives a sense of awe to being human because we were not made of just bones and mud or cornhusk but of bones mixed with the blood of the Gods themselves.

These notions are all very important to cultures and despite their impossibility, they still give perspective and teach a certain reverence for a culture's myths and legends about where and who they descend from. I think the key perspective from these kinds of legends is the sense of connection through time they imbue. It ties a reader to their ancient selves and I think that counts as one of the many ways we can open up a child's world to make it a little bit bigger.

Author/Illustrator: David Melling

Read by Storyline Online: Karan Brar

Pages: 32

Publication: Barron's Educational Series, 2002

Level: k-3rd

Genre: Children's Fiction, Picture Book, Fantasy

Topic: Goodnight Kisses, Quest

Theme: No matter how busy, some things are worth slowing down for.

This is a comedic book about a goodnight-kiss from the king that missed as he rushed by the princes room one night. Instead, it flew out the window! The king sends his knight out to find it in the deep dark forest. The knight faces spooky owls, hungry wolves, and angry bears. Before these animals can get to the knight, the kiss floats by and kisses them all goodnight, and they fall asleep! The kiss even changes the heart of a big hungry dragon. Together, they all walk back to the castle. This time, the king reads a story to the prince and makes sure his kiss does not miss.

This story demonstrates a lot of literary elements like rhyming and has many sight and decodable words. It is also a great book for practicing spelling patterns like -iss and -ight.

Illustrator: Dom Lee

Japanese Internment Camps after the Pearl Harbor attack during WWII was a topic that seemed to be covered briefly during my schooling, so I chose this story to read. This story is told from the perspective of a young boy whose father decided that their camp needed a Baseball field. Japanese settlers had been uprooted from their homes and put into fenced-in barracks watched by armed guards. There was no work to be done and the days were hot, so tensions began to rise among people. Games of baseball gave the people something to do and made a way for relationships to rebuild among them. It is a heartening tale of perseverance and overcoming despite so much hardship. Even after the war, when everyone is able to go home, Shorty is still mistreated and is referred to as, "The Jap." Once again, baseball allows him to break out of that "single-story."

The Internment camps would be an interesting topic to cover with students because it examines fear conjured by conflict and how it lead to perceived differences and hatred of a group of people.

While Baseball wasn't able to set them free physically, I believe the Author felt it set them free mentally. This is why I chose to draw my picture as an oasis inside the barbed wire. Our main character was called Shorty as an insult, until he became part of the team and it became more of a nickname. This is what his team mates chanted in a celebratory manner when he cracked his home runs! So, I put this inside the oasis as well.

Making visual representations specifically benefits EL students because it is a way for them to show the depth of what they know without the pressure of writing or speaking. For the rest of the students, VR provides insight into the emotional comprehension of a conflict in historical fiction.

Pages: 240

Publication: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2019

Grade: 3-7

Genre: Fiction

Topic: Gender Fluid, Teen, Family, Culture, Tradition, Friendship

Theme: Family traditions help Celi answer questions about navigating a changing body, peer pressures, conflicting friendships, and family dynamics.

Celi finds herself pulled in many directions. Her body is changing and her family is bent on making a scene about it and she is faced with an ultimatum between her best friend and the attention of a boy she likes. After suffering consequences that drive a wedge between herself and both her family and Magda, Celi finds her inner strength to stand up for her friend, Magda and gives in to the traditional Moon Ceremony. Celi learns the beauty of her body and finds support among the women that attend.

This was my first verse novel and I found it to be a lovely way to write because emotion and emphasis can be placed in lines, phrases, and even in the way a word is stretched out. Celi's inner struggles are very relatable and I think the theme of puberty appeals to the curiosity of coming-of-age girls.

Illustrator: Nora Twoney

Media: Aircraft Pictures, Melusine Productions

Level: 10-14 years

Pages: 80

Publication: Groundwood Books, 2018

Genre: Fiction, Comic, Graphic Novel

Topic: Conflict, Friendship, Resilience

Theme: There is strength in numbers and a people's culture. Loved ones will always be worth fighting for.

Parvana is growing up in a Taliban controlled Kabul when her father is falsely identified as an enemy of Islam and is taken to prison. Parvana and her family work to get him back. But, women and girls are oppressed and abused by the Taliban, so Parvana cuts her hair and gives herself a boy name, Aatish. She meets Deliwar, and together they work to raise money. Deliwar is saving to flee Kabul and live peacefully by the sea. Aatish is raising money for a bribe to set her father free and then join Deliwar by the sea.

Parvana's father teaches her the stories of their ancestors as well as the tragic procession of violence and conflict their land and people have witnessed. Not only is Parvana currently living through conflict and oppression, but she is also haunted by memories of a peaceful Kabul when she was allowed to play and go to school. There are times during this story that, as a reader, I felt a sense of hopelessness. The author doesn't explicitly describe the violence, but it lurks between the lines and between frames. Still, Parvana and her family derive incredible strength from each other and from their ancestors. They describe themselves as "..a land whose people are its greatest treasure."

I try to imagine what it is like to only know conflict or to live somewhere humans don't have basic human rights. It is easy to take the safety and assurances of where we live for granted. Stories like these offer a humbling perspective and teach the human capacity for resilience and compassion to anyone who reads.

Pages: 141

Level: 9-11 years

Publication: Roadrunner Press, 2015

Genre: Ghost Story, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Topic: Choctaw People, Trail of Tears

Theme: There is strength in a people's culture and history and ancestor's never leave us. Have compassion for others no matter how you are treated.

How i became a ghost by Tim Tingle was emotionally difficult to read. I wanted to go back in time and scream to "stop this!" To call out the inhumanity and absurdity. Tim Tingle wrote this tale with great care. While it was gruesome, wrenching, and heart breaking, he wrote with delicate consideration and humble strength in the the main character. This tale is a little bit of a window into Choctaw culture, resilience, and perseverance. For students, this tale has great historical value while also sharing the perspective of the Choctaw rather than just the facts of the Trail of Tears. By making a journey map, students can examine the timelines of events as well as closely examine the transformation of characters and what key events pushed the transformation along. I chose Isaac journey for my map. Isaac lives happily with his family until there is "Treaty Talk" in town. This means they will be forced from their home, but soldiers take things into their own hands and light their homes on fire in the night. They flee to the swamp. One day, they are surprised by the kindness of soldiers when they are given blankets to keep warm. These blankets were infected with Smallpox, and Isaac and his family flee once again to join the walkers. This includes both the living and the dead. One day, Isaac is attacked by a wolf and becomes a ghost himself. He teams up with councilmen, a panther-boy, and his dog jumper to set free a kidnapped Choctaw girl. Isaac faces devastating loss, crippling injury, the strength of the tribe, and power from the beyond

Illustrator: David Shannon

Publication: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1992

Pages: 32

Level: 3rd+

Genre: Folklore, Traditional, Fiction

Topic: Beauty

Theme: True beauty comes from a pure heart.

In the largest wigwam lives a handsome and rich Invisible Being that women in the village wish to marry. His sister who acts as a gatekeeper. Only the one who has truly seen him can marry him. Rough-Face girl's mean sisters dress their finest and lie that they have seen him, but are sent home. The third sister who is scarred from her sisters’ cruelty, Rough-Face Girl, has a good and observant heart. Her scars are healed and she marries the Invisible
Being. I loved Rough-Face for it's focus on inner beauty and Earth as a living being of beauty and richness that isn't visible to just anyone, but to those who look to appreciate and value it. 

Illustrated: Ed Young

Publication: Puffin Books, 1996

Pages: 32

Level: 4-8 years

Genre: Fiction, Folklore, Traditional

Topic: True Beauty

Theme: Gratitude, self-reliance, and kindness are all repaid greater.

Yeh-Shen’s father had two wives and when her mother died, he died as well leaving Yeh-Shen to be taken care of by the other wife. This wife was jealous of Yeh-Shen’s
beauty and left her to do heavy chores. Yeh-Shen’s only friend was a fish that she had caught and taken care of. When her stepmother discovered this, she killed the fish. As Yeh-Shen cried, an old sage came to her and told her about the power of the bones. Yeh-Shen mostly wished upon the bones for food. During a festival, Yeh-Shen was
ordered to stay home. Instead, she wished on the bones to borrow a dress to wear to the festival. The wish was
granted and she attended. But, her stepsister began to
notice her, so Yeh-Shen fled and lost her shoe. The king came across the show and waited for the owner to come back for it. Finally, Yeh-Shen came for her shoe late at
night. The shoes transformed her rags and the king saw her
true beauty.

Publication: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000

Media: Watercolor, Gouache, and Colored Pencil

Pages: 40

Genre: Fiction, Children's Lit.

Topic: Moon Pies, Aliens, Space Adventure, Friendship

Theme: "Never abandon Imagination

Jimmy Zangwow just wants a Moon Pie with a glass of milk, but he'll ruin his dinner! So, he's sent outside where he reveals his secret project... a spaceship the Jumbilee Jalopy! It takes off into the evening sky all the way to the moon! He asks the moon for pies and the moon gives him 1000. Jimmy is still missing milk and the moon explains that the cow delivering milk to the Milky Way hasn't jumped over in awhile because of the Grimble Grinder. On his way to the Milky Way, the Grimble Grinder finds Jimmy and knocks him down onto Mars where 999 Martians ask for a Moon Pie too. The feast begins, but before too long, the Grimble Grinder shows up! Turns out he is just hungry, so Jimmy gives him the last Moon-Pie. The Martians sew the Moon-Pie wrappers into a hot air balloon so that Jimmy makes it home in time for dinner! Jimmy finally gets his Moon-Pie and milk after eating every last bite of his dinner!

This book is so sweet and has beautiful illustrations! It features literary devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia, and even has some counting and mapping.

Publication: Harper Collins Publishers, 2023

Pages: 338

Genre: Fiction, Realistic, Youth

Topic: Grief from loss, Hate Crime, Prejudice, Family

Theme: Working for the kind of world that we want. Overcoming hardships that feel like the end of the world.

An asteroid has been knocked on course to make impact with Earth and wipe earthlings out in just four days. It is going to be the end of everything. Kemi and her family go to stay with her Aunt Miriam, cousins, and grandma for the rest of their days. During this time, Kemi uses her love of probability and science to come to terms with the end of the world. She realizes her biggest fear is the world ending with nothing left behind for her family to be remembered by. When the time comes, everyone has a memento except for her father. She needed to help her father discover the thing he loved most before it was too late. She visits the diner where her mother and father met, gathers little items with big meanings, and remembers when her dad pointed to stars with her. Still, the end of everything arrives, and she buries the box of mementos anyway. Except, the asteroid that ends everything.... isn't actually an asteroid. The "asteroid" that ends everything in four days is actually the day they bury her father who was murdered in their very own living room by a disgruntled neighbor... a neighbor who felt that Kemi and her family did not belong living in Pineview. Kemi's father Jared and mother Bim, decide to move to a nice neighborhood, but experience prejudice, strange looks, and unwelcoming neighbors. One day, one of the neighbors backs into Jared's car. The neighbor, Mr. Vance becomes angry and yells that Kemi's family doesn't belong in Pineview and that they should go back to eastside. A few days later, Mr. Vance claims his house was robbed and that Jared had done it. On that fateful Sunday morning, Mr. Vance walked into Kemi's home and shot her father. Protests erupt. Mr. Vance claims that he accidentally walked into the wrong house and was startled by a noise when he shot Jared.

Illustrator: Frane Lessac

Publication: Charlesbridge, 2018

Media: Gouache on Arches Paper

Pages: 32

Genre: Fiction, Children's Lit.,

Topic: Cherokee Indians, Gratitude, Religion, Cherokee Language

Theme: Cherokee way of life, celebrations, traditions, and practices.

Everyday, every season, Cherokee people express gratitude. When celebrating harvest, New Moon Ceremony, history, or time together, Cherokee express gratitude. This story tells of Cherokee traditions from food and games to songs and celebrations as well as teaches some Cherokee words along with their pronunciation and spelling in the Cherokee Syllabary. At the very end, this book explains some Cherokee artifacts like shell shakers, gigging, and Stickball.

Illustrator: Courtney Dawson

Publication: Sleeping Bear Press, 2021

Pages: 36

Level: 4-8 years

Genre: Children's Lit. Fiction

Topic: Friendship, Bilingual, Language, Translanguaging

Theme: Embrace all of your many colors!

Isabel's first day of school is difficult because she doesn't speak much English. Spanish is colorful, but English makes her think of stormy blues and whites. At school, she must watch what her classmates do to know what she needs to do herself. Because she feels that she cannot communicate, she struggles to make friends. But, when it is time to color, Isabel is able to draw a picture of herself next to a friend in order to communicate with Sarah that she does want to be friends! She points to her photo and says "Amigas!" Together, they learn the word for 'friends' in the other's language.

This story uses both English and Spanish text and includes some translations with pictures on the last page. It also exemplifies how helpful translanguaging and cognates are to ML students.

Illustrator: Frann Preston-Gannon

Publication: Chronicle Books, 2016

Media: Ink and Paint

Level: k-3rd

Pages: 29

Genre: Children's Lit.

Topic: Nature, Forest Ecology

Theme: Everything is connected and dependent on another.

This is a simple story with minimal sentences and mostly images. It begins with an acorn and follows the co-habitation of a forest ecology and how each living component contributes to the cycle. The book ends with an acorn again say, "Because of an acorn, a forest."

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Publication: HarperCollins, 2022

Pages: 48

Level: 4th+

Genre: Biography

Topic: Maya Angelou

Theme: The power of words.

This is a biographical fiction about Marguerite Annie Johnson's life from birth up until the description of her life's greatest achievements of singing, writing, and speaking. Her story seems to be written in verse. Each significant period in her life has it's own title, image and poem. I believe some of the pictures even have real photos mixed into the art. Maya learns the power of words at a young age and, for a time, is silent because of that power. Ms. Flowers introduces her to poetry and this begins Maya's rebirth. Maya becomes a mother, singer, and close friend of figures like Malcom X and Martin Luther King. Again, Maya witnesses the power of words and the consequences that can follow when her closest friends are assassinated. Maya spends a few days in silence again. This time when she finds her voice, her words are more powerful than ever before.

Publication: Booksmith Publishing, 2023

Media: Paper Quill

Pages: 63

Level: K-4th

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Children's Literature

Topic: Stress Management, Friendship

Theme: Normalizing feeling stressed and how to manage with calm spots and talking about it with friends.

Nova has been invited on a big unknown adventure that promises valuable lessons and experiences along the way. She joins Squeaks, N.O.V.A, and the mission engineer, Maya, on a spaceship that takes off into the great wide-open. Before too long, they face and defeat space pirates! Squeaks begins to feel unwell and shares a secret. When he begins to feel this way, it builds and builds until he burns bright as the sun and bursts! With the help of friends, Squeaks learns about stress and how to combat it. The crew encourages him to talk to them anytime he begins to feel this way and this alone helps Squeaks feel better.

Naming emotions and learning to manage them is an important skill for children! This book has beautiful illustrations and uses rhyming.

Illustrator: Peter Brown

Publication: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022

Level: Pre-K to 3rd

Pages: 48

Genre: Fiction, Children's Lit.

Topic: Crayons, Animals

Theme: You're own effort is the best effort!

Jasper Rabbit doesn't do very well in school. This makes sense, though, because instead of studying, Jasper plays games or watches T.V. instead. One day, he finds a purple crayon that looks happy to see him. With this purple crayon, Jasper gets A+ in spelling and math and does beautiful artwork! But, this comes at a price. The crayon stalks Jasper and writes all on its own. Jasper can't seem to get rid of him either. The school and his teacher recognize and award Jasper for all of his amazing work, but Jasper doesn't feel good about it because it isn't actually his work. He finally flushes the crayon down the toilet and is rid of it for good! He does his own studying and hard work and is proud when he gets a C+! It isn't perfect, but it is his own work!

Illustrator: Amy Husband

Publication: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2017

Media: Mixed, Collage

Pages: 40

Level: K-3

Genre: Nonfiction, Science

Topic: Space, Universe, Space Exploration

This is a wonderful book about Space! It begins with the Big-Bang and follows a timeline all the way through to the future of space exploration by humans. The Book includes labels, pictures, timestamps, and even a vocabulary list in the back. This book has wonderful academic value.

Illustrator: Estrela Lourenco

Publication: Flamingo Books, 2023

Media: Procreate and Photoshop

Pages: 32

Level: 3-6 years

Genre: Fiction, Children's Lit.

Topic: Letters of the Alphabet, Bananas, Bedtime

Banana does not want to go to bed! B is not for bedtime. It is for bananas! N is not for Night. It is for Ninja!! This book goes through each letter of the alphabet and has adorable illustrations. The story uses a lot of dialogue boxes to help children practice prosody as well. For vowels, the book gives examples of the different vowel sounds for each.

Illustrators: Various

Publication: Tundra Books, 2018

Pages: 40

Level: 1st-4th

Genre: Nonfiction, Children's Lit.

Topic: Maxims, Quotations, Sayings, Proverbs

Each page has a different quotation for things like navigating life, making decisions, or the importance of community. With each saying, there is an interpretation, origin, and unique illustration! Each Illustration is from a different artist. The pictures and artists are credited on the last pages.

Illustrator: Marieke Nellisen

Publication: Child's Play, 2016

Pages: 32

Level: 4-9 years

Genre: Children's Fiction, Traditional

Topic: Traveler Storytellers, Romani

Theme: Keep your imagination alive to spark creativity and hope even in the darkest times.

Yokkki travels with his Romani family to fix and sell things like crops, crafts, and livestock to Folki in different towns and villages on their path. One summer, the crops rot and machines begin to take the place of artisan work. Folki no longer need their services and buy their goods for less. Winter comes and Yokki's family struggle through hunger and cold. Yokki tells a story of a Parno Gry, a white horse that flies into camp and carries them away to a land where their crops will grow again, the air is warm, and the crafts can be sold. Grandfather Elijah becomes angry with him and says that he fills the family's heads with dreams. But, that night, just as Yokki had dreamed, Parno Gry came in the night and carried them on it's back to a new and plentiful land.

Publication: Candlewick Press, 2022

Pages: 32

Level: Pre-K to 3rd

Media: Mixed

Genre: Children's Lit., Fiction

Topic: Woodland Animals, Friendship, Community Action

Theme: If you see a need in your community, speak up!

Philippa Pheasant lives in Fairhurst and she is tired of almost getting smooshed pancake-flat when she crosses the road for blackberries! So, she writes a letter to the mayor for a call to action. Unfortunately, the mayor is confused by the paper with bird prints all over it and he doesn't respond. One day, Philippa sees a crossing guard helping humans cross the road and she gets the idea to take matters into her own hands! She makes her own crossing guard vest and sign! News about the pheasant crossing guard spreads. When the mayor finds out, he gifts her a real vest and sign and even paints her a crosswalk! Woodland creatures were never squished pancake-flat ever again!

This books uses consonant digraphs as well as alliteration in writing.

Pages: 56

Grade Level: Prek-3

Publication: Rocky Pond Books, 2017

Genre: Fiction, Children's picture book

Media: Colored Pencil, watercolor

Topic: Mistakes

Theme: Making mistakes is okay because they turn into so much more!

The author is our illustrator! But, she keeps making mistakes. So, she uses creativity and problem solving to turn those mistakes into something new and it transforms her drawing for the better! This story has such a great message that is reflected in the adorable progression of a single illustration that can be studied and looked at up close to find silly drawings within. It is hard to overcome making mistakes, but using flexible thinking is so important for students! This story is a wonderful example of this skill!

Publication: Tom Doherty, 2017

Pages: 243

Topic: Book Banning

Genre: Children's Literature, Fiction

Theme: If you can find a reason to ban some books, then you can find reasons to ban every book. It is subjective and everyone has a choice in what they do and don't read. For children, it is up to the parents.

Pages: 356

Publication: Levine Querido, 2020

Genre: Autobiography, Children's Book, Multicultural

Topic: Refugee, Culture, Friendship, Bullying, World History

Grade Level: 7-12

Khosrou retells his 'patchwrork memories' of a childhood as a double sayyed in Isfahan, Iran whose mother was a doctor and father a dentist. When his mother became a Christian, the Islamic Muslim Commitee found out and threatened her life as well as the life of her family. So, thanks to miracles, they flee, living for some time in Dubai, then Italy before finally finding refuge in Oklahoma. Khosrou and his family went from general comfort, rich culture and history, and wealth to anonymity and poverty. Khosrou writes heartening insight into what this is like for himself and his family. All the while, he tells rich cultural history, legends, and mixes in some humor to provide perspective on what it was like for him as a refugee in the United States with only a patchwork of memories from his first life.

Illustrator: Elise Hurst

Pages: 48

Grade Level: k-5

Publication: Compendium, 2020

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book

Topic: Trying, Emotions, Self-Esteem

Theme: Don't give up before you've even tried! Practice.

A child visits the studio of a master sculptor and is intimidated by his beautiful skill. The child feels that he will never be as good as the master sculptor and wonders about how the sculptor could possibly create such work. Upon hearing this, the sculptor invites the child to try! So, the child tries but keeps failing and he begins to give up. However, in the illustrations the reader can see that each failed sculpture is better than the last. To prevent the child from giving up, the master sculptor takes the young apprentice to the garden containing his own failed sculptures. So, the child continues practicing and the story comes full circle when the child has grown into a master sculptor themselves and another young child wanders into their studio.

The method and message of this story is wonderful, but what made this book so beautiful were the illustrations. They are simple in color but complex and elegant in every way. The sculptor is wise, the studio is huge, and the sculptures are grand in the illustrations. They are the kind of images that make you linger on a page after reading it!

Illustrator: Ned Bittinger

Pages: 32

Grade Level: 1-3

Publication: Scholastic Press, 2002

Media: Paint

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book

Topic: Four Seasons Cycle, Nature, Mother Earth

My Oma and Papa gifted this book to me when I was 9 years old and I have held it close all this time! When I was young, I stared at the illustrations because they are just so beautiful in this edition. This book tells the story of the seasons with personified characters, Mother Earth, Root Children, Aunt Spring, Jolly Cousin Summer, Studious Uncle Fall, and Old Grandfather Winter. When Old Grandfather Winter begins to retreat up the mountain, Mother Earth wakes the Root Children to begin the masquerade. Using bits of rainbow cut by Mother Earth, the children make their blossom costumes. We follow the Root Children through the seasons. Each personified season represents the mood and energy of each in the illustrations as well as the prose. This book is beautiful and a great way to study the seasons, personification, and how illustrations contribute to a story.

Illustrator: Marie Lafrance

Pages: 40

Publication: Groundwood Books, 2023

Media: Graphite Pencil, Digital Coloring

Grade Level: prek-1

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book, Emotion

Topic: Anxiety, Friendship, Strategies

Theme: You've been invited! And you'll never know until you GO.

Fern has just received a yellow envelop in the mail... and she is terrified. What if it's bad news!? A storm begins to rage in her fern leaves. Fern's friend, Fawn, comes to visit her and begins to swat the storm away by encouraging her to just open the envelop! It is an invitation to a very special exhibit at the museum. Fawn and Fern go together but Fern remains unsure about the whole thing. She worries about grumpy bears, blocked paths, cavities, and worst of all, Fern worries that she won't know anyone there! All the while, her friend Fawn counters each worry with a worthy solution and they finally make it the the super-special exhibit. Fern sees things she has never seen before and meets so many new friends!

I love this story. Whether intended by the author or not, the invitation seems to represent the beckoning possibilities that life and the world lay out before all of us! Anyone can admit that new things and places can be terrifying, but we don't know until we go and find out. Often, just as fern was surprised, we are also surprised by the road that rises to meet us when we go where we are invited.

Publication: Simply Read Books, 2013

Pages: 37

Grade Level: prek-3

Genre: Fiction, Chilren's Picture Book,

Topic: Multigenerational. Native American, Cree, Nature, Gratitude

Theme: Observing and showing gratitude for nature while picking wild blueberries.

Clarence has joined his grandma for picking wild blueberries since babyhood. Now he is a young boy and carries his own basket. His grandma likes the sweet ones. Clarence likes the bis sour ones that pop in his mouth. While he is out, he observes a fox, spider, and ant and leaves blueberries for the birds and other woodland creatures. Before they go, Clarence and his grandma say thank you for the gift of the berries and the safety from the bears during their visit to the clearing.

The books contains different key words like grandma, basket, and fox in Cree as well as pronunciations in the back of the book along with a blueberry jam recipe. Julie Flett painted beautiful illustrations and shares an important message of gratitude.

Illustrator: Dion MBD

Pages: 40

Grade Level: k-4

Publication: Carolrhoda Books, 2022

Genre: Fiction, Children's Picture Book, Biographies, Ancestry, History, Poetry

Topic: Ancestry, History, Multicultural

Theme: We all come from different stories, places, plants, and peoples.

This book is almost like an "I am From" poem, but each page is a different author from a different place and background. The book begins with broad things like "I am from stardust" and then individual authors take over sharing places, historical events, famine, war, and slavery. At the end, the authors describe where they are from in terms of the present and their personal experiences! The illustrations are beautiful and include quite the diversity of "I am From" stories. This book is a great place to start to engage students in different cultures and historical events experienced by ancestors that led us to where we are today.

Illustrator: Olivia Sua

Pages: 40

Grade Level: Prek-3

Publication: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023

Media: Painted cut paper

Genre: Children's Book, Fiction

Topic: Global Water Crisis, Climate, Community, Global Health, Vector-born disease

Theme: Water Crisis

Every five days, the water man visits her town in Cuba to bring them water for bathing, cooking, drinking, washing, and watering. When the fish lady comes on the same day, the town sings! The little silver fish eat the mosquito larvae to keep everyone safe Malaria. Her grandma sings to the trees that she will soon get their toes wet!

This is a firsthand account of what it is like in some parts of the world where clean water isn't readily accessible. This could be a great book to add to a unit focusing on global and environmental health.

Illustrator: Aaron Becker

Publication: Little, Brown and Company, 2021

Pages: 48

Grade Level: PreK-3

Genre: Children's Picture Book, Nonfiction, Nature

Topic: September 11, 2001, Grief, Resilience.

Theme: You are stronger than you know. Healing takes time.

This is the story of a pear tree that once grew between the Twin Towers in New York City, and still grows there today! Workers found a bit of green while sorting through the debris. To save the tree, they uprooted it and took it to place a peaceful place where it could rest. The pear tree did just that for quite some time. Until one day, white blooms appeared on its branches. Once the tree had time to heal, workers it moved it back to the 9/11 memorial sight where continues to survive and move through the seasons of healing.

I had yet to come across literature about 9/11 before this book! This book tells a true story about our own recent American history but also shares the message of healing, resilience, and community. The illustrations were beautiful and solemn and depict the 9/11 memorial. This is a wonderful story to read when observing 9/11 because it goes beyond simply telling the events of that day. At the end, an Author's Note, Artist's Note, and more information about the survivor are included accompanied by a picture of the Survivor Tree in Spring.

Illustrator: Sydney Smith

Publication: Neal Porter Books, 2023

Grade Level: k-1

Media: Watercolor and gouache

Pages: 40

Genre: Children's Picture Book, Fiction

Topic: Family, Garden, Respect, Earth Worms

Every morning, his dad drove him to his Baba's where she makes him oatmeal with butter and vegetables from her garden in a swimming-pool bowl before walking him to school every morning. When it rained she walked slow and put them into a jar with dirt. His Baba is from Poland and deosn't speak much English, so she sings song that he doesn't understand and traces lines in his palms withrain water when he asks why she collects worms. After school, they place each work into the soil of her garden and cover them with dirt. One day, his Baba moves in with him and his parents. Now, he brings her oatmeal every morning. They don't have a garden, but his Baba kept seeds! He plants them tomatoe seeds in a pot outside of her window and gathers worms just like she taught him. This story has a simple beauty to it but with a strong message of wisdom and knowledge passed down from grandparents to posterity.