“If no one saw them, no one could help them. And maybe the world needed to see what was really happening here.”

This story would be good for older elementary or middle school students. The children in the stories are 11 and 12 so children will be able to relate their wants and interests but see how their environment makes their lives very different from what the students in the classroom look like. I think this story would be something we read as a class and would have a lot of talking points about different historical events.

Refugee is a historical fiction book published in 2017 that follows the stories of three children and what themselves and their families endure during three prominent times in history. The three eras are Nazi Germany, Cuba in 1990, and modern day Syria and what it looks like trying to reach safety. The details in this book give you true insights on what life is like for these children and the cruel truth about what they go through.

“All species depend on one another to survive.“

This book would be a great book to read when talking about animals in a unit or specifically an ocean unit. I also think this would be great for older grades too in a cause and effect lesson. In fourth grade we are doing cause and effect- what would happen in sharks disappeared? What would happen to the ocean? Humans?

If Sharks Disappeared is a nonfictions story that goes into detail about animals in the ocean and what the ocean environment looks like. It also talks about what the ocean needs to thrive and what that may look like. It has some charts to describes timelines and while sharks may be scary for young kids, it shares them beautiful illustrations that kids would enjoy.

“Humans have heads, most animals have heads. Let's give our insect a head!“

This book would be great to introduce both comparing and contrasting as well as a unit on insects. It gives vocabulary and lots of different examples of insects. I can also think of many ideas to branch off of this story like creating your own insect body or a venn diagram comparing the human body and insect body.

This nonfiction story shows each part that makes up an insect. It compares these parts to the makeup of a human body then shares the respective vocabulary that would be used when describing an insect. There is a fun aspect of this book that is almost like building your own insect and I think children would really enjoy this story. It also ties in compare and contrast conversations because we're looking at similarities and differences of the bodies

“Oh my, a baby dragonfly!“

This book has different components on each page to help readers improve. At the top it has a story that goes along with the illustration, then there are bolded words that show repetition or alliteration, then on the bottom there is a longer paragraph about dragonflies. Different things for different grades to enjoy!

Soar High, Dragonfly! follows the life of a dragonfly, how they are born and their life cycle. The illustrations are simple and look like paper cut outs or collage on each page. It gives developmentally appropriate information in a way that would be easy for early childhood students to understand

“Growing up, Roy loved his mom's food made the Korean way- by hand.“

The illustrations feel like they are tying together different cultures/ art styles/ ideas etc. It reminds me of graffiti almost and then adding in the speech bubbles and headings makes you excited to flip the page and see whats coming next.

A junior Library guild Selection Winner, Written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, June Jo Lee illustrated by Man One is about a man born in South Korea who moves to LA and brings Korean food and different flavors to the area. He is a chef and everyone loves it. the story has speech bubbles sharing different vocabulary words of Korean dishes/words and describes them

“The baby is here!'

The illustrations are amazing and really capture this family as the mom is going through her pregnancy and the parents are preparing as well as preparing their daughter to become a big sister. Im not sure if you would read this in a classroom but to have it at home to teach children about a new baby coming would be really helpful

Nine months written by Miranda Paul illustrated by jason Chin is a beautiful book about the process of being pregnant, the babies growth, and for young siblings. The illustrations are so detailed and realistic and followed a family (mom, dad and daughter) that are welcoming another baby into their family. The left pages show the growth of the baby in moms stomach each month and what is happening. At the end there is even more detailed information.

“Temple has made a lasting impact to the way that livestock are treated.”

This book does a great job with its illustrations. It provides an easy journey for children to learn about Temple‘s life. The way that the text is spread out makes it easy for children to read. This would be great for any grade level as a read aloud. This would be a great book to do a flip chart activity with.

Women In Science Temple Grandin was written by Ruby Cardona. Published in 2019. There are currently no awards. Based On Temple Grandin who was involved in progressing science and technology. She invented farm technology that has changed the way live stock was treated all over the world. Along side of changing the way live stock is treated, Temple also has autism. She supports autism awareness, she has impacted that community immensely.

“Unique from the start, an unusual girl, she loved spinning in circles and watching things twirl.”

This book is very child friendly and covers topics that may be hard to talk in the classroom about like disabilities. I think this book can be used to start that conversation in the classroom and share what autism is and what people who have autism may go through. This also helps to begin the conversation about never judging people based on our differences which is a very important topic at school especially starting in younger grades.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures about Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca was published in 2017. This biography was also turned into a movie. This book is about Temple Grandin, a girl who had autism, and how she conquered the world! This book has a riming flow and the illustrations are drawn in a childlike way.

“Nicky was the guest on a television show. He didn‘t know it, but the old friends he had been invited to meet were some of the children. Vera was one of them. She sat next to Nicky. When the host told her story, she stood up.”

This story is an amazing one to use with older grades, 3rd-5th. The Holocaust is a heavy topic to discuss, but this breaks down some of those who lived through it, and also has an ending that is so touching. The pictures are wonderful and they draw the reader in to get to know both Nicky and Vera, and all that they experienced during those years.

Published in 2021. At the end of 1938, when the Germans invaded the border region of Czechoslovakia, a young Englishman named Nicky arranged for the transport of 669 children from there to England. The author weaves Nicky‘s story with Vera‘s, a Czech child who was one of those Nicky saved. This is a story told with a powerful combination of words and pictures to engage both those who know some history of the Holocaust and those new to the topic.

“Eventually Frida decided to show everyone her work. Her pictures caused a great stir in New York City.”

This book would be great for the older grades. When the books start to become more informational and in depth, I think that it would be beneficial for the older grades. This would be a great book to highlight the importance of women. It can be entertaining, but also seen as controversial, so take caution while reading through it with children. It is an easy book for children to identify the characters.

Frida Kahlo by Isabel Sanchez Vegara. Published in 2015. Biography of Frida Kahlo. This book follows the life of Frida Kahlo from her as a child to the impacts she made through her paintings as an adult. It doesn‘t stray away from the hardships she went through and how she overcame them. The illustrations are vibrant like her paintings a tell a beautiful story.

“What do you hope to accomplish?”

This would be a great book for the older kids, such as third through fifth grade. This would be a great book to use to introduce the civil right movement. It can highlight separate ideas that might not always be talked about in the history books. I think that the images used were really empowering and would be beneficial for children to see.

Published in 2020. Has won many awards. Biography about Ella Baker. Ella Baker was an activist fighting for freedom for black people. Throughout the storyline, it talks about the way she grew up hearing the inequality she was faced to live with. She fought with major known people, like Martin Luther King. She worked from the bottom to the top to find people to support and join her in fighting for freedom.

“Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake-
Catch it if you can.”

The book starts with a poem about how to write a poem which would be a great introduction into learning how to write poems. Great for upper grades to use during a poetry unit or even for lower grade levels to learn about rhyming words and during units about animals. You can tie this into a lot of different units and grade levels!

The book starts with a poem about how to write a poem which would be a great introduction into learning how to write poems. Great for upper grades to use during a poetry unit or even for lower grade levels to learn about rhyming words and during units about animals. You can tie this into a lot of different units and grade levels!

“Im very, very smart and rather lucky, I would say”

This book would be great for younger readers as it uses rhyme and alliteration.

Cricket in the Thicket by Carol Murray contains a poem for every bug you can think of! It uses cute and inviting illustrations and fun poems that use fun rhymes that children will love. I would recommend this for the ages of 3-7.

“Sunlight and shadows danced through the leaves above them as they silently searched for the most marvelous words to describe it all.”

Great story for all grades! Can deep dive into nature and use this book to dive into any topic on weather/science. Would be a great introduction into Earth Day and the beauty around us and how nature can help fill a void you might be feeling.

Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds. Published in 2019. Sylvia celebrates spring by writing a poem, she decides to share it with the birch tree in the park, tying it around the trunk. The boom is about finding beauty in the world around you and finding new friends in unlikely places. Many people can find comfort in the natural world and embracing nature.

“She carried more than
twelve hundred men
on deck, or working down below.
We didn‘t look up. We didn‘t know.”

this was a great book, highlighting the importance that heroes can make in disastrous situations. One of the poems that resonated with me was “Aloha”. It talked about how a grandmother became a hero. This book highlights a tragedy, but it turns it into a way that we can make a difference. No matter how big or small. This would be a great book for older kids, not the younger kids.

On the Horizon by Lois Lowry. Was published in 2020. Won the Goodreads choice award. A memoir that looks back on the lives of people who were affected by the bombings of Pear Harbor and Hiroshima. The poems are separated into sections. Each sections is focused on the hero‘s of that day. No matter if the heroes were big or small they were highlighted and honored.

Additional symptoms, you ask? I dunno
I guess otherwise I feel fine
But if I showed up at school like this
My teacher will loose her mind

These are fun and have to do with things that children face in their daily lives- sports, bath time, homework, bedtime and more. They take these mundane tasks and turn it into a fun poem to read and relate to

This poetry book by Rhett Miller illustrated by Dan Santat has awesome poems that I know students of many different grades would find hilarious to hear/read. these poems are all about children and defy the rules of writing. There are some about tech devices and random events or things the children enjoy. The illustrations are amazing and elevate each poem and the feelings they convey.

“This is a story of quiet determination and triumph, with well-defined characters who push each other and are there for each other.”

This book illuminates problems faced by children, especially challenges having to do with making your voice heard about things you are passionate about. This book will help readers connect to their cultural identities as well as learn about indigenous cultures. The author does not stray away from awkward situations or real topics. I would use this as an independent reading book or read aloud.