Amy Rust Marygrove College-RDG559 February 22, 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Allsburg, C. V. (1990). Just a dream. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Walter is a litterbug who does not appreciate the beauty of nature, or understand his role

in keeping the planet healthy . . . until he falls asleep one night and he travels into the

future. Here he sees what the world would be like if people didn’t take care of our planet.

This book is great to read for Earth Day and teaching students about how to take care of

the environment.

Boelts, M., & Jones, N. (2007). Those shoes. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Jeremy longs to have the white high top sneakers with the black stripes that everyone in

school is wearing but his grandmother can’t afford them. She tells him that there is no

room for “wants” only “needs”. He finds them in a thrift shop and buys them and wears

them despite them being too small.

Burton, V. L., & Hammond, L. L. (1969). The little house. New York: Houghton Mifflin

Harcourt.

This is the story of a little cottage in the country. Suddenly a city, with all its building

and traffic, grows around her. The house has an expressive face of windows and doors,

and even the feelings of a person. She becomes sad when she’s surrounded by the dirty

noisy city. This can be used for Social Studies when teaching how communities change.

This book won a Caldecott Medal.

Christelow, E. (2008). Vote! New York: Clarion Books.

This colorful picture book has two dogs take you through the voting process of the

town’s mayor. The book tells about how to get votes, who gets to vote, protesting,

registering to vote, campaign ads, candidate debates, and the financial cost for running a

campaign. This book is excellent in teaching that everyone has rights and that it is your

responsibility to vote.

Crews, D. (1992). Shortcut. New York: Greenwillow Books.

The children are warned to stay off the train tracks that run by Bigmama’s house in

Cottondale but they are late coming home one night and decide to take the “shortcut”.

When they realized there was no turning back, an unscheduled train appears in the

distance. This book is a great mentor text in writer’s workshop. It has great descriptive

language and is perfect for teaching personal narratives.

Falk, L. (2009). Meet President Barack Obama. New York: Children’s Press.

This is a short biography about our 44th president of the United States of America,

Barack Obama. This book discusses his family, where he grew up and what jobs he had

before he became the President. This is a kid-friendly book that you get to know the

president on a personal level.

Fox, M. (1985). Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. Brooklyn, N.Y. : Kane/Miller Book

Publishers.

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge lives next door to a nursing home in which several

of his good friends live. His favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because

she has four names just like he does. Unfortunately, Miss Nancy has “lost” her memory.

Wilfred brings her objects from his home to help her “find” it.

Gibbons, G. (1999). Bats. New York: Holiday House.

This is an informational picture book about bats. This book is about different types of

bats found across the world and what they do. The text provides information about what

they eat, where they live, and how they communicate. Readers can explore many facts

about bats. This book includes labeled diagrams, definitions, and pronunciation guides

that help young readers understand the text.

Graham, B. (2008). How to heal a broken wing. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Will finds a bird in the city with a broken wing that no one else seems to notice. He takes

the bird home and cares for it, hoping in time it will be able to fly.

Henkes, K. (2009). Chrysanthemum. New York: Scholastic.

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect until the first day of school. The

girls in her class make fun of her name and pretend to pick her and smell her. She thinks

her name is dreadful! Until one day, she has music class and her teacher, Mrs.

Delphinium, informs the class she is having a baby and is thinking of naming her

Chrysanthemum. This is a great book that addresses teasing and self-esteem.

Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. New York: Viking Press.

This is the delightful story of a boy named Peter who wakes up in Brooklyn and sees

snow for the very first time. Peter has a red snowsuit, a stick just right for knocking snow

off of trees, and a snowball in his pocket. The Snowy Day was "the very first full-color

picture book to feature a small black hero.” It was the 1963 Caldecott Medal winner.

King, M. L. (2012). I have a dream. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

This book was written by the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Bernice A.

King. It contains the powerful “I Have a Dream” speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King

Jr. This speech brings on an inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to all.

This book is an excellent introduction to our nation’s past. It won the Coretta Scott King

Award for illustrations.

Kulling, M. (1999). Escape north: the story of Harriet Tubman. New York: Random House.

This is the story of the life of Harriet Tubman, including her childhood in slavery and

then later helping slaves escape to freedom by looking to the sky and finding the star, the

North Star. Harriet is glad to see the star because it points the way to freedom. This easy-

reader chapter book briefly tells the story of Harriet Tubman's life and her heroic deeds.

Pena, M. D., & Robinson, C. (2015). Last stop on Market Street. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's

Sons.

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ

wonders why they don't own a car, and why he doesn’t have an iPod like the boys on the

bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is

met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty in the

world around them. This book won a Caldecott Honor and a John Newberry Medal.

Pilkey, D. (2016). The paperboy. New York: Orchard Books.

The story of a paperboy and his dog that are out delivering newspapers before the world

is awake. He and his dog know the route by heart and enjoy the silence of the world that

seems to only belong to them. This book is a Caldecott Honor-winning picture book.

Polacco, P. (1988). The keeping quilt. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

It all starts when the author’s great grandmother migrated to the United States from

Russia. The only thing that Anna had from Russia was her dress and the babushka.

Anna’s dress did not fit her anymore, so with different pieces of clothing from her family;

Anna’s mom decided to make a quilt that would be a reminder of their home, Russia. The

Keeping Quilt can be used in the classroom to teach the students about generations of

family and traditions that can be passed down from generation to generation. This book

won the 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award.

Prelutsky, J. (1984). The new kid on the block: poems. New York: Greenwillow Books.

This is a collection of 100 humorous poems accompanied by silly illustrations. These

poems capture the interest of the reader and get them to enjoy poetry. These poems let

children know they can write poetry too.

Rathmann, P. (1995). Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York: Putnam’s.

Officer Buckle is boring his students every day with his safety speeches. Teachers and

students are falling asleep in the auditorium. One day Officer Buckle gets a partner, a

dog named Gloria. Unsuspectingly, Gloria goes on stage with Officer Buckle and acts

out his speeches. Now everyone is paying attention. Until one day, Officer Buckles sees

Gloria on TV acting out his speeches behind his back. He gets mad and won’t give any

more speeches. Gloria goes by herself and everyone falls asleep again, even Gloria. It

won a Caldecott Medal in 1996. A winning story about friendship and teamwork.

Ringgold, F. (1991). Tar Beach. New York: Crown Publishers.

This is the story of an 8 year-old girl who lives in an apartment building in Harlem. It is

here that she imagines herself soaring high above New York City, above the George

Washington Bridge, which her father helped build.  She pictures flying above the

headquarters of the union building that denied her father membership because he is

“colored” or a “half-breed Indian”. It teaches that freedom is available to anyone who

dares to dream. This book won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration.

Santat, D. (2014). The adventures of Beekle: the unimaginary friend. New York: Little, Brown

and Company.

An imaginary friend waits a long time in the imaginary world to be chosen by a real

child. After being overlooked time and time again, he sets off on a journey to the real

world in hopes of being imagined. It is here he meets the perfect match and is given his

special name-Beekle.

Scieszka, J., & Smith, L. (2014). The true story of the 3 little pigs. NY, NY: Viking, an imprint

of Penguin Group (USA).

This is the story about the three little pigs but it is the wolf’s version of what really

happened. He claims he just went to the pigs’ houses to get a cup of sugar so he could

bake his grandmother a cake. The wolf sneezes and the houses blew down…not his fault.

He was framed! A hilarious version of the Three Little Pigs that teaches point of view.

Seuss, D. (1998). The sneetches: and other stories. London: Collins.

The star bellied Sneetches thought that they were better than the Sneetches with no stars.

They wouldn’t include them in anything. Along comes Sylvester McMonkey McBean

("the Fix-it-up Chappie") who puts stars on the ones who don’t have them. Now no one

can tell them apart. He takes all their money by putting on and taking off stars. This

story teaches a lesson about prejudice.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper and Row Pub.

Every day a boy would come to the tree and swing from her branches, eat her apples, or

slide down her trunk. But as the boy got older, he didn’t come around as much. When he

did, he wanted more and more from her until there was nothing left but a stump for him

to sit on. This story teaches about the gift of giving and not expecting anything in return

except love.

Viorst, J., & Cruz, R. (1987). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day. New

York: Aladdin Books.

Alexander is not having a good day. He fell asleep with gum in his mouth and woke up

with gum in his hair. He had to eat lima beans for supper and there was kissing on TV.

He could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. This is great

to use for small moment writing. It’s a story young children can relate to.

Yolen, J. (1987). Owl moon. New York: Philomel Books.

This picture book is about a girl and her father who go owling for the first time on a cold

winter’s night. Along the way, they encounter the Great Horned Owl. This very calming

and peaceful book is great for teaching setting and figurative language. It was awarded a

Caldecott Medal.