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  • Tags: growing up
A rose, a bridge, and wild black horse
Zolotow, C.
A small boy describes all the marvelous things he will do for his sister when he is grown up, such as bringing her coral from the bottom of the sea and building her the biggest bridge in the world.

The sky was blue
Zolotow, C.
As a little girl looks through old pictures in a photo album, her mom explains to her that the sky will always be blue, the grass will always be green, and everything will be just the same when she grows up.

Someone new
Zolotow, C.
A little boy grows up and begins to find out what is different in his life.

To hilda for helping
Zemach, Margot
Hilda's sister gets jealous when her father gives Hilda a medal for helping out around the house. She tells Hilda that she hopes she loses the medal. Hilda says that if she loses it and it gets buried, it will grow into a tree full of medals.

Greyling
Yolen, Jane
A fisherman and his wife want a child. The find a selchic (man on land and seal in sea) and raise him. At fifteen, he goes back to the sea to help his father and doesn't return to being a man.

Letting swift river go
Yolen, Jane
Boston needs water, so the Swift River is damned. Sally Jane's town is flooded so she rows out onto the lake and finds it hard to remember what her town looked like when she was young.

Umbrella
Yashima, Taro
A little girl named Momo impatiently waits for a rainy day to use her brand new umbrella. When she finally uses her umbrella, she stands tall and carries it with pride because she now feels grown up.

The village tree
Yashima, Taro
A person reflects on growing up in Japan and playing at the big tree in the center of the village. The games and quiet moments were what helped him grow up to be who he is now.

My wiggly smile
Woodruff, Amira
Olive wakes up one day and finds that she has a loose tooth! She runs downstairs to tell her parents and keeps wiggling it all day, but it won't come out! At school, Olive talks to a girl named Jordan who tells her about the "My Wiggly Smile" which says to keep track of the teeth she's lost. When Olive gets home, her dad surprises her with a "My Wiggly Smile" book of her own, and they leave for the dentist where Olive's tooth is finally pulled by the dentist. That night, while she is fast asleep, the Tooth Fairy comes to visit Olive, and she wakes up with a gift under her pillow!

Quick as a cricket
Wood, Audrey
A little boy shows how he can be as quick as a cricket, as slow as a snail, as small as an ant, and as large as a whale.

A special trade
Wittman, Sally
When Nelly was a baby, Bartholomew would push her in her stroller and tell her stories. Now that he is in a wheelchair and she is older, she pushes him around.

Little frightened tiger
Wisegard, Leonard//Mac Donald, Golden
A little tiger tries to deal with other animals in his habitat. His parents try to assure him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Eventually, he becomes a brave little tiger.

Tap-tap
Williams, Karen Lynn
After spending a long day selling oranges at the market, a Haitian mother and daughter earn enough money to ride the tap-tap home. The tap-tap is a vehicle that takes passengers where they need to go. It stops when a passenger taps on the side twice.

The talk
Williams, Alicia D.
Jay has many favorite things he likes to do with his friends and family. His mom measures him as he grows inch-by-inch which means he can do more and more as he gets older and older. Although his feet don't reach the gas pedal of his Daddy's car, he can skateboard up and down the street and and do flips with many friends. Jay's grandpa tells his grandchildren not to crowd in groups of four or more - which is only one of many unfortunate realities of African American families and parents when they have to say, "Jay, its time we had a talk" about racism.

Tom goes to kindergarten
Wild, Margaret//Tegge, David
Tom is anxious and excited for his first day of kindergarten. When he finally arrives, he does not want his family to leave and insists they stay with him. The next day, Tom feels grown up but now his parents do not want to leave kindergarten.

A beautiful pearl
Whitelaw, Nancy
The feelings of three generations are shared through the loving story of a girl and her grandmother who has Alzheimer's Disease.

Waiting for the evening star
Wells, Rosemary
As Berty grows up, life on the farm is full of simplicity, hardwork, and tradition. Berty's older brother, Luke, has aspirations of traveling to see the world. This makes life a little more complicated for Berty so he wishes upon an evening star.

The biggest bear
Ward, Leila
Johnny brings home a baby bear that eats everything and grows bigger and bigger. Johnny tries to take him back to the woods, but the bear keeps coming back. Finally, the bear finds a home in a zoo.

Goodbye, Mitch
Wallace-Brodeur, Ruth
Mitch has been Michael's pet for 15 years. He is an important part of the family, and Michael loves him very much. When Mitch becomes ill, Michael has a difficult time dealing with the fact that Mitch is dying.


A firefly named torchy
Waber, Bernard
A very special firefly deals with his uniqueness. It is not easy to be different, but this story shows it is okay to be different.

I'll fix Anthony
Viorst, Judith
Anthony is tired of being picked on by his brother. He decides that as soon as he turns six, he is going to be taller, smarter, and faster, and he will also fix his brother.

Amanda pig, schoolgirl
VanLeeuwen, J. Amanda
Amanda is very excited for her first day of school. She makes many new friends and tries to help a girl smile in her class. Amanda plays with toys, goes outside for recess, and realizes how much fun school really is.

Oliver pig at school
Van Leeuwen, Jean
Through four short stories, Oliver pig takes us along on his exciting first day of school and how he makes friends.

More tales of amanda pig
Van Leeuwen, Jean
Amanda pig and her family experience five short stories. One describes Amanda playing with her brother and another describes how she organized a birthday party for her dad.

Dentist
Unknown Author
Children go in and out of this dentist's office for checkups! First, a little boy gets his teeth examined by the dentist, and he finds out that they are a little dirty. Then, the dentist teaches the boy about how teeth develop over time and what he should do to take care of his teeth properly. Next, a little girl visits the dentist, and they find out that she has a hole in her tooth or a cavity. Finally, the little girl gets a filling, and her mouth is good as new!

Obadiah the bold
Turkle, Brinton
This is a story about a Quaker boy who wants to be a pirate. After learning about his grandfather, who was brave in an honest way, Obadiah changes his mind and wants to be a noble sailor.

Johnny maple-leaf
Tresselt, Alvin
Johnny Maple-Leaf begins his life as a small brown bud. As time passes and the seasons change, he grows and develops into a mature leaf. Throughout his life, he encounters many animals. The other leaves help to keep him company, whether in the trees or on the ground.

Willie blows a mean horn
Thomas, Ianthe//Toulimin-Rothe, Ann
Willie spends a night watching his father play jazz on his trumpet. Willie wants to be like his father and his appreciation for music causes him to dream to be a jazz player like his father

Owly
Thaler, Mike
Owly, a baby owl, asks his mother questions about the woods and she in turn helps him to discover the answers on his own.

Woodpecker forest
Tejima, Keizaburo
A young woodpecker hatches out of his egg and matures until he is ready for his first flight. He is frightened to fly, but the image of his father comforts him.

Little cliff and the porch people
Taulbert, Clifton
As Cliff grows up, he is entrusted more and more to do things on his own. Cliff's great-grandmother has him run an errand for her and along the way Cliff continually gets stopped by neighbors. Each of the neighbors assists Cliff in accomplishing his errand.

Mel fell
Tabor, Corey R.
Mel leaves the nest with a sense of adventure and finds that the animals and birds and insects on the way down on his flight are all there when flying back up the tree. The descending flight takes him into the water for a kingfish which he carries back to the nest to feed his siblings.

Gotta go!Gotta go!
Swope, Sam
A bug crawls all the way out of her skin! She sleeps then she blossoms into a beautiful butterfly. On her journey, she repeats her chant, Gotta Go! Gotta Go To Mexico! to all the insects and animals along her way. When her destination is reached, she flutters and dances around in the warm sky with her companion. A bug returns, lays her eggs, and the cycle of life is repeated again and again.

Higher on the door
Stevenson, James
A little boy dreams of what it will be like when he is older.

When I was nine
Stevenson, James
A man looks back and remembers when he was a young boy and the fun times he had.

Anna, grandpa, and the big storm
Stevens, Carla
Anna is annoyed with her grandfather who is staying with her family. He takes her to school one day in the midst of a big snow storm. They are standed and have a chance to get to know each other better.

Captain whiz-bang
Stanley, Diane
Annie and her cat Whiz-bang do everything together. Whiz-bang is lonely when Annie goes away, but he is happy to find a new friend.

All alone after school
Stanek, Muriel
Josh learns how to take care of himself after school when his mother takes a new job and cannot afford a babysitter. Josh learns how to be confident while he's alone by knowing important phone numbers, always keeping the door locked and staying away from the stove. After his mother gives him a lucky charm, Josh learns to overcome his fear of being alone after school.

Maybe tomorrow i'll have a good time
Soderstorm, Mary
Marsha Lou's mom decides to go back to work. This means the Marsha Lou will have to go to child care. She is very unhappy, but she soon adjusts.

Just the two of us
Smith, Will
A father talks of ongoing love for his son from the moment he is born. As his child grows, the father tries to teach him how to be a man and also tells him how he will always be there for him. Having this child is the father's proof that his dreams have come true.

Lenny's baby brother
Smith, Peter
At first, Lenny is unhappy because her brother is too young to play with, but soon he joins in the fun.

A trip to the dentist
Smith, Penny
Sarah and Josh go to see Dr. Richards, their local dentist, for routine checkups. Josh is examined first and, after the dentist checks his mouth for evidence of cavities, Dr. Richards shows Josh how he can do a better job of brushing teeth in the back of his mouth in order to prevent the buildup of plaque. Next, Dr. Richards examines Sarah's mouth and finds a cavity which he fixes by adding a filling to her infected tooth. After explaining how to maintain a healthy smile by avoiding sugary foods and beverages, Sarah and Josh are done with their appointments and ready to keep taking good care of their teeth!

Desser the best ever cat
Smith, Margaret
A little girl learns all about the hardships of losing a pet. However, her love for Desser is not lost in his death. Instead, she chooses to keep her memories of Desser alive. Even after Ginger, the new kitten, joins the family the little girl still chooses to remember Desser as the best ever cat

Billy, the condominium cat
Slobodkina, Esphyr
Billy, an old cat, retires with his owner to a condo in Florida. When they visit their former hometown, they reminise about when they were younger. In the end, they appreciate their present place in life.

Apple picking time
Slawson, Michele B.
A little girl goes with her family to pick apples at harvest time. After picking a long time, she finally fills her whole bin and gets a mark on a ticket that she accomplished her goal.

I was so mad
Simon, Norma
What makes you mad?Children are faced with emotions of anger, jealousy, and frustration. They must learn to control their feelings and work them out in ways that are acceptable to themselves and others. We need to understand and respect a person's feelings whatever they might be.

The giving tree
Silverstein, Shel
A tree and a boy become friends. The tree gives and gives to the boy, because when the boy is happy, the tree is happy. The boy grows and takes everything from the tree then deserts the tree. He finally comes back when he must replace the tree.

Nils all alone
Sigsgaard, Jens
A young boy wakes up to find that he is alone in the world. He wanders throughout his town, attempting to enjoy all of his favorite activites with his sudden independence, only to realize that he is lonely. In the end, he awakens to discover it is all a dream.

How many teeth?
Showers, Paul
Losing and growing teeth are events that all children experience as they grow up. Learning how this process occurs and learning about the functions of teeth can be interesting and fun.