Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China


Joanna Cole - 2005
    Full of historical and cultural facts, the book is a learning adventure - and a lot of fun.Is it magic? Ms. Frizzle, Wanda, and Arnold simply duck under the dragon at the local Chinese New Year's parade, and they are mysteriously whisked back in time to ancient China! They arrive in a village where the farmers are in trouble. The Friz and friends vow to go to the capital to get the emperor's help. As they journey, they learn how silk is made, travel on the Grand Canal, and see the Great Wall under construction, but will they fulfill their mission to help the farmers?Cole and Degen relay a bounty of facts with charm and humor as they bring the majesty of imperial China to life.

The Story of Chopsticks: Amazing Chinese Inventions


Ying Chang Compestine - 2001
    When his family attends a wedding banquet, Kùai brings his chopsticks... to everyone's great surprise!Ying Chang Compestine lives near San Francisco, California.YongSheng Xuan, a graduate of Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution


Rob Sanders - 2019
    In the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was raided by police in New York City. Though the inn had been raided before, that night would be different. It would be the night when empowered members of the LGBTQ+ community--in and around the Stonewall Inn--began to protest and demand their equal rights as citizens of the United States. Movingly narrated by the Stonewall Inn itself, and featuring stirring and dynamic illustrations, Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution is an essential and empowering civil rights story that every child deserves to hear.

The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank's Window


Jeff Gottesfeld - 2016
     The tree in the courtyard was a horse chestnut. Her leaves were green stars; her flowers foaming cones of white and pink. Seagulls flocked to her shade. She spread roots and reached skyward in peace. The tree watched a little girl, who played and laughed and wrote in a diary. When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the girl peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away—and when her father returned after the war, alone. The tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace.

People


Peter Spier - 1979
    Detailed facts and figures as well as a focus on the issue of diversity make this a great book for reference and a basis for discussion, both at home and in the classroom.

Jazz On A Saturday Night


Leo Dillon - 2007
    Leo and Diane Dillon use bright colors and musical patterns that make music skip off the page in this toe-tapping homage to many jazz greats. From Miles Davis and Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald, here is a dream team sure to knock your socks off. Learn about this popular music form and read a biography of each player pictured-and then hear each instrument play on a specially produced CD. What's the featured song? "Jazz on a Saturday Night," written and recorded to accompany this book.

Meerkat Mail


Emily Gravett - 2006
    One day Sunny goes to visit his mongoose cousins. But from the watery world of the Marsh Mongoose to the nocturnal lifestyle of the Malagasy Mongoose, Sunny just doesn't fit in. And what's that shadowy figure that seems to be following him around?

Daisy Comes Home


Jan Brett - 2002
    Inspired by a favorite childhood story, The Story of Ping, Brett writes of six hens in China. Cared for by the young Mei Mei, the hens lay eggs for selling at the market. But one hen, Daisy, is not so happy. Picked at and plucked by the others, she is ousted from the clan and often sleeps alone on the cold damp floor. Eager for a good night's rest, she retires to a basket on the edge of the river. But the river rises and takes Daisy with it! She awakes surrounded by water and soon fends off a frightful dog, a terrifying buffalo, and a clan of squawking monkeys. But Daisy stands up to every one of these creatures and survives the wild waters. However, when a fisherman captures her and plans to eat her for dinner, there is nothing she can do. Meanwhile, Mei Mei's unsuccessful search for Daisy ends as she tearfully packs up the eggs and heads to market. Luckily, she finds Daisy there, and with a little call of "Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!" Daisy comes running.Back at the henhouse, Daisy uses her newly learned skills to stave off the mean hens and gain a rightful spot on the perch. Brett's illustrations truly amaze. Her well-known eye for detail flourishes in the beautiful land of China. From exquisite landscapes to the fine features of all the animals, Brett lets her imagination and her wondrous skill take hold. Mountains become animals upon closer investigation, and the market will entice readers with its color and the bustling activity of the many people selling their wares. Brett traveled to China for inspiration and it shows in every page. The layouts are framed with bamboo and feature mini-scenes from the story in the corners. This tale of empowerment will appeal to young readers as Daisy stands on her own and doesn't run away. Rather, she returns to face her foes and holds her ground. An important lesson and a beautiful tale. (Amy Barkat)

Hello Lighthouse


Sophie Blackall - 2018
    Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War


Yukio Tsuchiya - 1982
    A zookeeper recounts the story of John, Tonky, and Wanly, three performing elephants at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, whose turn it is to die, and of their keepers, who weep and pray that World War II will end so their beloved elephants might be saved.

The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks


Barb Rosenstock - 2012
    In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt joined naturalist John Muir on a trip to Yosemite. Camping by themselves in the uncharted woods, the two men saw sights and held discussions that would ultimately lead to the establishment of our National Parks.

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II


Lita Judge - 2007
    Full color.

The Lotus Seed


Sherry Garland - 1993
    “Exquisite artwork fuses with a compelling narrative--a concise endnote places the story effectively within a historical context--to produce a moving and polished offering.”--Publishers Weekly

Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains


Deborah Hopkinson - 2004
    Or his peaches, plums, grapes, cherries, and pears. Oh, and he takes his family along too. But the trail is cruel. First there’s a river to cross that’s wider than Texas, then there are hailstones as big as plums, and then there’s even a drought, sure to crisp the cherries. Luckily Delicious (the nonedible apple of Daddy’s eye) won’t let anything stop her father’s darling saps from tasting the sweet Oregon soil. A hilarious tall tale from the team that brought you Fannie in the Kitchen that’s loosely based on the life of a real fruiting pioneer.

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea


Greg Mortenson - 2009
    The villagers saved his life, and he vowed to return and build them a school. The remarkable story of his promise kept is now perfect for reading aloud. Told in the voice of Korphe’s children, this story illuminates the humanity and culture of a relevant and distant part of the world in gorgeous collage, while sharing a riveting example of how one person can change thousands of lives.