Skip to main content
  • Tags: american

A picnic in october
Bunting, Eve
Tony and his extended family celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty every October. They travel out to Libery Island to have a picnic and show their appreciation to the meaning the statue brings. Tony is embarrassed by his family's dedication, but in the end realizes the meaning of the statue.

A very important day
Herold, Maggie Rugg
A snowstorm adds to the wonder and excitement of this very important day during which 219 people become U.S. citizens.

Amelia to zora
Chin-Lee, Cynthia
Explore in an alphabet formula, biographies that examine different successes and triumphs of famous women in history from Amelia Earhart to Zora Neale.

Black cowboy, wild horses: A true story
Lester, Julius
Using his amazing tracking ability, black cowboy Bob Lemmons is accepted by a herd of wild horses allowing him to corral them. Based on a true story, the reader gets a glimpse of the struggles that faced the cowboys in the plains of the United States.

Cocoa ice
Appelbaum, Diana
A young girl from Maine and a young girl from Santa Domingo learn about each other's home through Jacob the Sailor. The girl from Santa Domingo describes how to make chocolate, and the girl from Maine tells about making ice.

Dangerous crossing
Krensky, Stephen
Showing no signs of fear, young Johnny Adams boards a ship with his father, the future second President of the United States, for a voyage from Massachusetts to Paris to gain support for the colonies. Their journey is depicted with vivid pictures and an exciting storyline portraying the battles, harsh weather and seasickness endured along the way by two key Presidents in U.S. history.

First pooch: The Obamas pick a pet
Boston Weatherford, Carole
Throughout their father's twenty-two month campaign for president, Malia and Sasha Obama beg their parents for a dog. Finally, when their father becomes the forty-fourth president of the United States, he rewards their patience and good behavior in his victory speech: Malia and Sasha will get their new puppy. What type of dog will they choose? Finally, on April 14th, 2009, a new puppy moves into the White House. It is a Portuguese water dog, and the girls name him Bo.

George did it
Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp
George Washington shows his leadership skills by leading the United States Army to victory to gain their independence. Although George is nervous and reluctant, he accepts the challenge to become the first President of the United States of America.

Going home, coming home
Tran, Truong
Ami Chi is going on a trip to Vietnam with her parents. Not very happy, Ami Chi sees her grandmother and her uncle. Along the way she meets a girl named Thao at the market. Thao shows Ami Chi all around the market. Ami Chi finally goes back to her grandmother's house, where her parents are worried. Now with an appreciation for her other home, Vietnam, she goes back home to America.

Grandmother and the runaway shadow
Rosenberg, Liz
A young girl escapes alone to America and finds companionship in a runaway shadow. They experience their new world together.

Grandpa takes me to the moon
Gaffney, Timothy R.
A young boy's grandfather sparks his imagination by telling him bedtime stories about what it is like to be an astronaut and travel to the moon.

Hopscotch around the world
Lankford, Mary D.
Nineteen different ways of playing hopscotch from around the world are presented along with directions, drawings of the different patterns, and a brief history of the game.

How my parents learned to eat
Friedman, Ina R.
An American sailor meets a Japanese school girl. Neither of them know how to eat in the same manner as the other.

Let's dance
Ancona, George
Children from all backgrounds move and dance to different rhythms of their culture. Dances range from tap to folk dances and from Native American dance to Tibetan dance. There are many forms, types, and styles of dance a person can do to express their emotions. There are different dances for men, women, animals, and puppets too!

Letters to a soldier
Falvey, David// Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class
A collection of letters written by Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth grade class to 1st Lieutenant David Falvey during his tour in Iraq. Read the students' letter to Lieutenant Falvey and his responses back to each individual student. Pictures of the letters, students, and Lieutenant Falvey's safe arrival back to the states are included!

March on! The day my brother Martin changed the world
Farris, Christine
Christine King Farris, the sister of Martin Luther King Jr., watched her brother during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She describes her brother’s journey from writing his “I Have a Dream” speech to joining the crowds in their demand for freedom. She was moved by her brother’s persistence and success in persuading millions to believe in and fight for a better tomorrow in which all men are created equal.

Marianthe's story one: Painted words. Marianthe's story two: Spoken memories
Aliki
When a child moves to a new school it can be frightening. Mari not only moved to a new school, but a new culture as well. Mari uses painted pictures to communicate her words and recalls her life through spoken memories.

Meet the gizmos
Tocco, John V.
Pong, a young Chinese Gizmo, journeys to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. She is welcomed by Gizmos from other parts of the world, such as Russia, Africa and America. The other Pong is given a tour of the station while sharing the creative and imaginary world of the other Gizmos. The Gizmos do a fabulous job in working as a team to welcome Pong into her new space.

Mommy far, mommy near: An adoption story
Peacock, Carol Antoinette
Elizabeth is a young Chinese girl who has been adopted by an American family. Elizabeth begins to question her adoption and wonders why her mommy in China did not keep her. Elizabeth's mother explains the adoption to her and loves that she has a mother who is far away and one who is close.

Old home day
Hall, Donald
From the time when only plants and animals lived there, to the modern bicentennial celebration, the people who called the fictional village of Blackwater home remember its history.

One million men and me
Lyons, Kelly Starling
A young high school girl goes with her father to a march on the United States capitol during a civil rights gathering. She is surrounded by "one million men" and she experiences pride as she and her father witness history in Washington, D.C.

Papa's mark
Battle-Lavert, Gwendolyn
Simms teaches his father how to write. For many years, Simm's father struggled when writing his own name. However, Papa learns just in time so he can vote in the first election which gave Blacks the right to vote.

Popcorn at the palace
McCully, Emily Arnold
Based on real events, Maisie Ferris, a girl from the mid-1800s, and her family don't really fit in with their neighbors in the small town of Galesburg, Illinois with their new ideas. They take one of their American creations, popcorn, to England and impress everyone with their corn that turns to snow.

Rip van winkle
Moses, Will
Could you sleep 20 years of your life away?Well, Rip Van Winkle didn't think he could. One day he was walking around his old familiar town, talking with his old familiar friends, and hunting with his old familar dog. The next day (or so Rip thinks) his old familiar town, friends, and dog are no longer famliar. Come find out what happens when Rip sleeps for 20 years.

Rosie's fiddle
Root, Phyllis
Rosie O'Grady loves being by herself, but people can't stay away when she plays her fiddle. She is so good that they say she could out-fiddle the devil himself!One day, the devil shows up to challenge Rosie to a contest, the devil's golden fiddle for Rosie's soul!

Sector 7
Wiesner, David
While on a school trip to the Empire State building, a boy is taken by a friendly cloud to visit Sector 7 Join in his adventure as he discovers how clouds are shaped and channeled throughout the country. (A Wordless Book).

Shoes, shoes, shoes
Morris, Ann
A rhyme about shoes from all over the world ranges from new shoes to work shoes, game shoes to fun shoes.

Sleds on boston common: A story from the american revolution
Borden, Louise
It's 1774 and British troops are occupying Boston. King George closes Boston Harbor to punish people who speak out against his laws. Henry, a young boy from Boston, hopes to try out his new sled on his birthday. But when he and his brothers and sister get to the hill they find that the troops have set up camp there. After building up enough courage, Henry asks General Gage to move his troops because Boston Common is for everyone. Being a kind man of his word, General Gage agrees and the children can once again sled.

So far from the sea
Bunting, Eve
Laura and her family are moving, so they are coming to visit the Manzanar War Relocation Center one last time. Years ago, this center was used to house anyone living in the United States that were of Japanese descent. These people were forced to leave their homes and come to the center because Japan bombed the United States. The center is bare now except for all of the memories and the cemetary, including her grandfather's grave.

Subway sparrow (Gorrion del metro)
Torres, Leyla
When a sparrow flies on the D train, four people help figure out a way to get the sparrow off the train. The problem is that the four people on the train speak different languages. The teens on the train speak English, a man speaks Spanish, and a woman speaks Polish. Through various forms of communicating, the four of them come up with a strategy to help the sparrow.

The key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and her music
Levy, Debbie
Just as her ancestors were forced to leave Spain during the Inquisition, Flory flees Europe for a new life in the United States, bringing with her a precious harmonica and a passion for Ladino music.

The littlest matryoshka
Bliss, Corinne Denias
Nikolai shipped his last carved matryoshka from Russia to a toy store in America. While on display, one of the six dolls gets bumped from the shelf and begins a great adventure away from her sisters. She survived the snow, the stream, a bird, and a cat before being found by the very girl who had bought her sisters, and they were all together once again.

The patchwork path: A quilt map to freedom
Stroud, Bettye
Hannah and her father are slaves who decide to escape to freedom. They use the patterns in the quilt made by her mother, who passed away, to follow the Underground Railroad.

The scrambled states of america
Keller, Laurie
The fifty states decide to hold a party so that they can meet the other states in the country. The states decide that they are bored with their places on the map and want to switch to new locations. At first, everything is new and exciting, but eventually the states realize where they really belong.

The tooth fairy meets El Raton Perez
Lainez, Rene Colato
The Tooth Fairy and El Raton Perez see their signal for a new tooth. When they get to the house, they meet each other for the first time. They start fighting over whose tooth it is which causes the tooth to fly across the room. The tooth lands in the bookshelf. El Raton Perez can't climb up and the Tooth Fairy can't fit in small places. They decide to work together and share the tooth.

This is the way we eat our lunch
Baer, Edith
Time for lunch! What will it be? Come along - let's taste and see! Journey across the world as children eat lunch. Discover many new foods and recipes you can make and eat.

This land is your land
Guthrie, Woody
The traditional lyrics of the popular song, This Land Is Your Land, are combined with painted illustrations that represent the words and meaning of the song. America and her countryside are portrayed in a positive light through the text and illustrations.

Three names of me
Cummings, Mary
Ada is a Chinese American girl. Ada shares her experiences of being adopted and moving to a new country. She collects new names that melt into one compelling identity for her.

Together in pinecone patch
Yezerski, Thomas
Keara and Stefan are from Ireland and Poland, respectively, and each tell the stories of their families. They meet in the United States in Pinecone Patch, PA. They overcome deep stereotypes and prejudices to be married and bring two families together.

When jessie came across the sea
Hest, Amy
Jessie and her Grandmother are very close family to each other because there are no other relatives. Grandmother teachers Jessie to sew and Jessie teaches Grandmother to read. One day, Jessie is requested to travel to America by the rabbi. Her journey by ship is hard, but she meets a young man, Low, who she finds again in America and marries. Grandmother travels to America on the money that Jessie earned sewing lace for three years.

White wash
Shange, Ntozake
Helene-Angel is the only person in her class to have to wait for her brother, Mauricio to walk her home. On their walk home, a group of boys decide to pick on her. Her brother is out-numbered so the boys paint her white. She is devastated and refuses to leave her room. Find out how her grandma helps her overcome her fears.

Window music
Suen, Anastasia
The train trip of a little girl and her family is described through colorful illustrations and rhyming words. She travels over streets, past horses at play, around growing fruit trees, and through a city to the final stop.