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An American story
Alexander, Kwame
An African American story is an American story of slavery, brutal conditions, struggle, and oppression. Remember the American story of hard work, pride, and strength in the fight for liberty as Black people stand up and speak out while "holding history in one hand and clenching hope in the other".

Boycott blues: How Rosa Parks inspired a nation
Pinkney, Andrea Davis
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus because of her race, sparking a social movement to end segregation enforced by the Jim Crow laws.Following the arrest of Rosa Park, her supporters refused to ride the community bus system during the Montgomery bus boycott. Despite the struggles of this protest, the Jim Crow laws were eventually overturned due to the spark that Rosa Parks ignited to motivate a generation to stay resolute in their pursuit of justice.

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.

When I grow up, I will win the Nobel Peace Prize
Pin, Isabel
A young boy dreams and wishes to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He outlines the many things that he "will do" when he is older in order to win the prize and make the world a better place. He then realizes that he " better get started". Many recipients and dates of the Nobel Peace Prize and are listed in the Author's Note.

Loudmouth George and the sixth-grade bully
Carlson, Nancy
George's first day of school is ruined by Big Mike, who bullies George and steals his lunch. All week, George does everything he can to keep Big Mike happy. However, George can't live in fear forever! George and his friend Harriet spend the weekend devising a plan to stop Big Mike and his evil ways.

Sybil's night ride
Winnick, Karen B.
A brave girl takes a brave journey on a horse through the night. Find out how her brave actions helped America while at war with the British.

Night running: How James escaped with the help of his faithful dog based on a true story
Carbone, Elisa
It's 1838 and James plans to escape from Master Graham's farm where he is a slave. He tries to leave his dog, Zeus, at the farm because he believes he willbe too muchtrouble. Zeus refuses to tay behind though and ends up save James' life and dreams of freedom.

Oliver the mighty pig
Van Leeuwen, Jean
Oliver gets a new cape for his birthday and becomes Mighty Pig to the rescue in four short stories adout his adventures. Oliver fights fires and braves dragons during his quest to save everyone from danger until he has to conquer the hardest task of all which is to have patience while his cape is being washed.

Brave little monster
Baker, Ken
Little monster is unable to fall asleep, fearing little girls and boys hiding in his room. Overcoming his fears, little monster scares the girls and boys away and eventually goes to sleep peacefully.

Trudi & Pia
Hegi, Ursula
Trudi dreams of being tall and feels there are no other dwarfs like her until she meets Pia who teaches her to accept the way she is and that she is not alone. Pia talks about when other drawfs from around the world in Russia, Italy, France and Portugal, Trudi learns to feel normal and beautiful.

The spider who never gave up
Flores, Travis
Sparkey the spider tries hard to overcome his inability to spin a web. With encouragement from his mom and his friends and a strong will to never give up, Sparkey finally achieves his goal of spinning the perfect web. Read about the real life struggle of Sparky, as he tries one medicine after another in hope of beating Cystic Fibrosis.

Suddenly alligator: An adverbial tale
Walton, Rick
A young boy decides it is time to buy a new pair of socks to replace the smelly one's he's worn for three years. He travels to town via the swamp discovering items he's lots along the way. He encounters an alligator and a chase ensues. The alligator gets hold of the boys' shoe and when the shoe cocmes off, the odor from the socks, stuns the alligator. The boy continues on his way to buy new socks. With each step along his journey, he experiences an adverbial action.

Brave charlotte
Stohner, Anu
A sheep named Charlotte is very brave and loves adventures. Charlotte wanders off from the herd to go on her adventures. Since Charlotte is so brave she is able to get help for the shepherd when becomes hurt.

Lizzie nonsense
Ormerod, Jan
Living life in the Australian bush during the pioneer period proves rough for Papa, Mama, Lizzie and Baby. Lizzie transforms the daily routine tasks through her imagination. Her mother calls it nonsense: Lizzie nonsense. Family ties may not be the only thing an imagination of their own.

Leo: the little st. bernard
L'Hommediev, Dorthy K.
Leo wants to be a working dog for the monks at the Hospice. When they do not choose him, he decides to runaway to the Hospice. On his way up the mountain he encounters Angelena, a cashmere goat. Together they set out on a snowy and dangerous adventure.

Keep climbing, girls
Richards, Beah E.
Climb the highest tree possible with an ambitious young girl and learn never stop reaching for your hopes and dreams. Children are reminded that goal setting and perserverence are keys to success.

While the horses galloped to london
Watts, Mabel
Sherman is given a special pot for his grandmother in London. Everyone on the carriage to London thinks the pot is a nuisance. Only when Sherman saves the day was everyone proud to hold the pot.

Moonlight on the river
Kovacs, Deborah
Two brothers silently sneak out of their home late one night. They sail up the river and find themselves fighting a rough sea in order to make it home safely.

Freedom school, yes!
Littlesugar, Amy
Jolie shows courage in her community by protecting the school that will educate her and others. Jolie is afraid others will burn down the school. Jolie never gives up hope, and learns about famous African Americans who were brave and made a difference in their community, just like Jolie.

Cinnamon and the April shower
Crane Johnson, Amy
An April shower frightens Cinnamon Bear, her new cub, and their woodland friends. Solomon Raven explains the importance of rain for animal and forest survival.

Ella the elegant elephant
D'Amico, Carmela & D'Amica, Steven
Ella is the new elephant at school and is worried about fitting in. to feel more comfortable, Ella wears the lucky hat her grandmother gave her. Much to her dismay., Ella's lucky hat cause much teasing to come her way. In the end, through, it is Ella's lucky hat that saves the day when the bully gets into trouble and is forced to have a change of heart.

The village in the valley of darkness
Mashiri, Pascal
I want to see my people in the village. It is no fun to search alone. At last, I can see the light.ヤ During my travel, a dog at my side with brother and I. People in the village are thankful and at peace!

Not norman:  A goldfish story
Bennett, Kelly
When a boy gets Norman, a goldfish, for his birthday he is disappointed. He wants an energetic pet with which to run and play. He makes a plan to take Norman back to the pet store and get another pet. After show and tell at school, he decides to keep him. Norman likes his music and makes him laugh; besides any other pet just wouldnメt be the same, they would not be Norman.

The monster behind the wall
Herbert, Barbara N.
Danny moves to a new house and discovers a monster on the other side of their garden wall. The monster throws Dannyメs soccer ball back to him, talks, plays, and eats candy with Danny. At school the next day, Danny plays soccer and gets tripped. Both boys yell nasty names at each other. Then, Danny goes home to talk to the monster, Fred, but he wasnメt there. Later, a huge thunderstorm tears down the wall, and Danny sees that モFredヤ is the child that tripped him during soccer. They become fast friends, tear the wall down, and play soccer together

The balloon sailors
Swanson, Diana
When bickering princes take the throne, the kingdom is split in two by a wall so that each brother rules half. The kingdom is divided and it is illegal for people to cross the wall. Since Tamala and Abalon are forbidden to see their grandmother and cousin on the other side of the wall, they decide to float over it in a hot air balloon. They work with their parents to collect materials, build the balloon, and wait for the perfect weather conditions. The family departs during the night, escapes military fire from soldiers, and surprises their relatives in the morning. This adventure is loosely based on the true story of two East German families sailing over the Berlin Wall in their own hot air balloon in 1979.

Enemy pie
Munson, Derek
When confronted with his first enemy, a young boy seeks help from his father. He hopes that enemy pie will get rid of his enemy but instead he gains something he never expected.

Ruth and naomi
Marzollo, Jean
After their husbands sadly pass away, Ruth moves to Bethlehem with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. With no money and no sense of hope, the two women are unsure as to what will happen. A kind farmer known as Boaz, however shows his kindness and restores their happiness so that they can begin anew.

Gregory's shadow
Freeman, Don
Gregory needs his shadow in order for spring to come. He ends up losing his shadow for awhile; his shadow gets scared and hides in a barn. Gregory later adventured out and finds his shadow, causing spring to come.

Spaghetti eddie
SanAngelo, Ryan
Eddie loves spaghetti. He eats it all the time. While running an errand for his mother, Eddie helps several neighbors by using his spaghetti noodles as a shoestring, a fishing net, and guitar strings. Eddie even stops a robber with a meat ball.

Dona flor
Mora, Pat
A vicious animal is causing panic among the villagers. Done Flor, a giant woman with a heart of gold, helps find the reason behind the mysterious beast.

Henry & the crazed chicken pirates
Crimi, Carolyn
The Buccaneer Bunnies live a happy life until one day they receive a message in a bottle from the Crazed Chicken Pirates. Henry worries about the note and starts writing plans even through the other bunnies don't believe the note. The day the chickens invade, Henry has to be brave and think of a way to save the other bunnies!

Bessie Smith and the night riders
Stauffacher, Sue
Emmarene always loved to listen to Blues music. When Bessie Smith comes to town, Emmarene can't wait to hear Bessie sing. Not everyone likes Bessie though. Emmarene and Bessie Smith have to stand up against people who tried to destroy their nights. And boy, could Bessie sing on stage and off!

Hush harbor: Praying in secret
Evans, Freddi Williams
Simmy is both excited and nervous for his job as Scout during the community meeting. Simmy is excited because this means the elders trust him, but he is nervous because slaves are not supposed to gather and sing together. Simmy must be very careful and listen for the master during the meeting.

Panther's dream: A story of the African rainforest
Weir, Bob//Weir, Wendy
Lokuli lives in the rainforest. His village will soon starve if they do not find meat. Even though the rainforest is supposedly full of evil spirits, Lokuli is brave enough to go inside. Amidst the splendor of the jungle animals, he meets a panther who teaches him an important lesson.

The roman twins
Gerrard, Roy
Maximus and his twin sister Vanilla are slaves to the cruel master Slobbus Pompius. They run away when Slobbus buys Polydox the horse then quickly decides to kill him. Maximus and Vanilla go through a chariot race and an invasion of Rome before they finally gain their freedom.

Billy and the big new school
Anholt, Laurence
Billy is very nervous about starting at his new school. He wants to stay home with his mother. Then he meets a small bird who is hurt and cannot fly. Billy takes care of it until it is ready to fly again. Find out how Billy gets himself ready to go to school and how he uses his bird story to make a friend.

Heroes
Mochizuki, Ken
Donnie is always the bad guy when he plays war with his friends. They think because Donnie is Japanese American that he should be the enemy. When his father and uncle take a trip to school, they prove they can be heroes too.

My daddy
Paradis, Susan
A little boy observes his father crossing the street, running outside in the rain, mowing the grass, riding his bike and diving into the ocean. The boy has great admiration for his father and everything his father does seems extraordinary to him. When the boy's father hugs him and throws him in the air, the boy feels very special and loved.

Grandmother bryant's pocket
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs
Sarah's best friend is her dog Patches. Patches dies in a barn fire and every night after the fire, Sarah has nightmares and wakes up calling for Patches. Sarah goes to her Grandparent's house hoping to cure her from her nightmares. To comfort Sarah, Grandmother gives Sarah her old pocket filled with herbs, scissors, and gold buttons and embroidered with the words no fear, to wear under her skirt. In the meantime Sarah befriends a stray one-eyed cat. Sarah is not cured alone by the pocket full of herbs and the cat's friendship. It is only after a mean neighbor's accident that Sarah becomes more brave and confident and the nightmares stop.

No dinner! The story of the old woman and the pumpkin
Souhami, Jessica
An old woman is on her way to her granddaughter's house for dinner, but meets many animals on her way. In order to escape the animals, she promises to come back all fat and fed. The animals are outwitted when the old woman is disguised as a pumpkin.

The paper dragon
Davol, Margueritte W.
Sui-Jen, the dragon, is awakened and begins to destroy everything. Mi Fei is the only person brave and wise enough to put the dragon back to sleep. Mi Fei needs courage, heroism, and wisdom to save his village from the dragon.

Starring mirette and bellini
McCully, Emily Arnold
Young Mirette and the Great Bellini are high wire partners in Paris. While performing on a tour of Europe, they visit Russia where the people are not free. Bellini speaks to them about freedom during their act and is arrested. Then it is up to Mirette to be brave and rescue him from prison.

Pink and say
Polacco, Patricia
A wounded solider in the Civil War is nurtured back to health by an African American soldier and his mother. Together they return to the battlefield, but are destined to live different lives.

Casey jones's fireman: The story of sim webb
Farmer, Nancy
Sim Webb is finally getting his chance to work on a train for the famous Casey Jones. Casey is putting a brand new whistle on his train, but Casey knows it's a bad idea. He knows that something bad is about to happen.

The other side
Woodson, Jacqueline
A fence not only divides two properties -- it segregates two families because of their different cultures. Initial fears from the parents cause them to set rules that will forbid the friendship of their young daughters. Little did they know that their daughters would break the barrier as they climbed the fence together to see the world as it should be, not as it is.

All aboard!
Stevenson, James
Hubie and his family board a train to go to New York to see the World's Fair. At one of the train stops, Hubie gets off and mistakenly gets on another train going to California. During Hubie's attempt to get back on the train to New York, he meets some very helpful and interesting people. With their help, Hubie lands safely at the World's Fair.

Birdie's lighthouse
Hopkinson, Deborah
Ten year-old Bertha, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, receives a diary for her birthday. She records significant family events such as their relocation to rugged Turtle Island and the time when her brother went to sea for a long time.

Katie's trunk
Turner, Ann//Himler, R.
Katie hides in her mother's wedding trunk when the British rebels comes to search her house during the American Revolution. Katie gets scared because it is hard for her to breathe. Someone finally opens the trunk so she can breathe again.

Chess-dream in a garden
Sutcliff, Rosemary
After some laws and ways were disobeyed, the White-King along with his Queen, Knights, bishops, and pawns challenge the Red-Horde to a chess-like battle.

Where's the bear?
Barton, Byron
A girl finds a bear and tells her neighbors. Several people trudge through the woods asking, Where's the bear? They look for it in the woods and when they find it, it scares them. They run and the bear chases them. The bear is too scared to cross the bridge, so the people are safe.