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How do you spell unfair? MacNolia Cox and the national spelling bee
Weatherford, Carole Boston
In 1936, an eighth grader becomes the first African American to win the spelling bee in Akron, Ohio. MacNolia gets a military band send off to the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC with her mother. MacNolia learns about racism and discrimination when she crosses into Maryland and arrives in Washington. She and another black girl are seated away from the other spellers and their families. MacNolia spells word after word with a calm and focused performance. The judges throw a curveball to stump her and MacNolia is determined out. Her triumph is that folks now learn that African American students are as smart as anyone.

Lin's uncommon life
Shackelford, Scott//Castle, Emily
Elinor Ostrom, also known as Lin, worked "little by little, bit by bit, family by family" in order that the world could become a better place. Lin wanted to study the way that people could share resources because she believed that "so much good can be done on so many levels". Lin was discouraged from going to graduate school but she did and studied hard until she earned her PhD degree in political science. She wanted to create a research center where people could work together and ask hard questions. With her husband, they established the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at the University of Indiana. With their groundbreaking research, Elinor taught people how to share common resources around the world. She also earned the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences - the first woman to do so.


Voice of freedom Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the civil rights movement
Weatherford, Carole Boston
No woman could be braver and have more courage than Fannie Lou Hamer. For the fearless fight that Fannie demonstrated as the "the country's number one freedom-fighting woman", we learn how her story written in themed prose serves as a chronicle of her life of civil rights. From being the last born of a large Mississippi family to being a speaker at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Fannie went on to cofound the National Women's Political Caucus. By learning that she had a right to vote, Fannie used her voice to advocate for voting rights for others.

Women of hope: African Americans who made a difference
Hansen, Joyce
Twelve amazingly talented women of hope are highlighted for their creative and courageous contributions to American life. Their careers as African American women reflect and demonstrate a variety of social role models for all children - role models that these twelve women did not have for showing them the way when breaking through barriers.

Berry song
Goade, Michaela
As a young Tlingit girl collects a variety of wild berries over the seasons in Alaska, she sings with her grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back. Have you ever heard of dogberry, swamp berry, thimbleberry, lingonberry, or bunchberry?

Schomburg: The man who built a library
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk's life's passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and to bring light to the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg's collection became so big it began to overflow his house (and his wife threatened to mutiny), he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world.

The phone booth in Mr. Hirota's garden
Smith, Heather
Makio and his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, loved looking out at the ocean every morning while watching Makio’s father and Mr. Hirota’s daughter working. One day, a tsunami came and killed their family members, prompting Mr. Hirota to build a telephone booth as a way to cope with his grief. Soon after,  Makio and Mr. Hirota began speaking into a disconnected telephone while communicating with the loved ones they lost.

I am every good thing
Barnes, Derrick
Illustrations and easy-to-read text pay homage to the strength, character, and worth of a child.

Autism and me: Sibling stories
Shapiro, Ouisie
Publisher's Abstract: "If you see a kid with autism on the street, don't yell at her if she's doing something wrong. She can't help it. Autism is really challenging," explains Christian, who tells about life with his sister, Mary Gwen, a beautiful girl who loves to swim. In these moving photo essays, Christian and many other kids tell what it's like to live with siblings who have autism. Sometimes they can't talk much. Sometimes they have tantrums. It can be tough for a family, but there are happy surprises, too. "Autism has helped us to become a better family," adds Christian. "It teaches us patience and understanding."

Beatrice's goat
McBrier, Page
Beatrice lives in Uganda and helps her mother care for her younger siblings. Money is scarce until Mugisa, a goat arrives. Mugisa provides milk, and the family is nourished by it. Mugisa's milk and babies provide enough money so Beatrice and her family can live a better life. Beatrice can afford her dream of attending school. This story has an afterwords by Hillary Rodhman Clinton.

What planet are you from, Clarice Bean?
Child, Lauren
Clarice Bean is having a hard time coming up with an idea for her project on the environment. To make matters worse, she is paired up with her tag-along neighbor, Robert Granger. Her situation looks hopeless until her brother becomes an ecowarrior in an effort to free the tree from being cut down in their neighborhood. Robert and Clarice become ecowarriors themselves, saving the tree and their project.

I like me!
Carlson, Nancy
A very fine pig lists all the good qualities she sees in herself, along with what helps her cope when she's feeling low. She points out that nothing is better than being yourself. She paints, rides her bike, reads good books, and takes care of herself.

The goat lady
Bregoli, Jane
Two young children new to Lucy Little Road, help us reveal the simple yet important life of the goat lady; a life that many people in the town despise. Through the children's time spent helping the goat lady, they learn of her vast life experiences. It isn't until after the children's mother takes portraits of the goat lady, that the rest of the town see waht a truly wonderful person the goat lady is.

Why the chameleon had two toes
Mashiri, Pascal
An older woman, named Gogo Senne, tells interesting stories to the children of a small, quiet South African village. She weaves the mythical take of how the chameleon got his two toes and red eyes. Read about the value of strong friendships, the importance of trust, communication and respecting each other.

The baby beebbe bird
Massie, Diane Redfield
All day long, the zoo animals roar and make noise. When they lay down to go to sleep, something keeps them awake: a new baby beebee bird isn't tired and sings all night long. When morning comes, all the animals are still tired. To prove their point, the animals make noise all day, keeping the bird awake. The next night all the animals, including the baby beebee bird, are fast asleep.

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.

Join in and play
Meiners, Cheri
Learn how to develop the skills to make friend and play with others. Includes role-playing activities, as well as games to play with your child. Practice goal setting and decision making when playing and working with others.

Wash day
Cole, Barbara H.
Every wash day, Granpa plays his trumpet, keeping the children entertained while Miss. Ett does the wash. This music tradition stays strong until grandpa becomes ill and a tragedy occurs, causing grandpa to pass on his beloved trumpet to begin a new tradition.

Ogbo: Sharing life in an african village
Onyefulu, Ifeoma
Ogbo are a special part of village life in Nigeria, uniting children of the same age in a lifelong fellowship - a group with whom they celebrate festivals, share day-to-day chores, and face the challenges of growing up. A young girl named Obioma helps us understand what belonging to an ogbo means. Growing, working, and relaxing together, the ogbo weave the fabric of village life.


Arijole
Mashiri, Pascal
Arijole's stepsisters are envious of her beauty. They do not want Arijole to be chosen as a wife in a nearby village, so the stepsisters turn her into a dog. When only Arijole (the dog) is left, a mother takes her home for her son to hunt. Soon they realize that Arijole is not a dog but a beautiful woman. She and Obondo are then married.

Food and festivals: West Africa
Brownlie, Alison
Describes the West African culture of food, including the kinds of food grown and eaten, and various feast days like Ramadan, Easter, naming ceremonies, and yam festivals.

The village of round and square houses
Grifalconi, Ann
In a village in West Africa, women live in round houses and men live in square houses. After supper, grandmother tells a story about the origin of these houses aand how it is related to the rupturing of volcanic mountain, Naka.

Candy shop
Wahl, Jan
A young boy, Daniel, and his aunt Thelma take a trip to the market with money that he has earned. The boy is looking forward to visiting the candy shop but when they arrive they see a crowd and are faced with prejudice acts toward the owner of the store. Daniel and his aunt help comfort the owner and show true friendship.

Whatever
Bee, William
Billy is a very difficult child. Billy's father tries to please him by showing him the world's curliest trumpet, bounciest castle and smokiest train. He even takes Billy to the edge of outer space, but all Billy can say is whatever. In the end, Billy will get a taste of his own medicine.

The queen's progress: An Elizabethan alphabet
Mannis, Celeste Davidson
Queen Elizabeth I of England takes an alphabetical journey one letter at a time. Factual footnotes are written on each page. Learn how the queen travels, likes, and interacts with her people.

Making room
Taylor, Joanne
John William Smith dedicated his life to helping others, especially people in need by inviting them into his very own home! His dedication to family is heart-warming and his marriage is strong. Readers will find a unique meaning of home in this story.

For you are a Kenyan child
Cunnane, Kelly
Follow a little Kenyan boy through his village on a typical but eventful day in Kenya. He learns an important lesson about listening to his elders as he visits with the neighbors in his village.

Song and dance man
Ackerman, Karen
When the children go to visit their grandpa, he takes them to the attic to show his three grandchildren what he used to do for entertainment before television was invented. He dresses up in his hat, vest, and cane, then begins to dance and sing for his grandchildren. When they go downstairs, they wonder how much he misses the good old days.

A little house of your own
de Regniers, Beatrice Schenk
This book discusses the importance of one's own personal, private space. The book gave various examples of such space and emphasized the importance of respecting other's personal space.

Rain player
Wisniewski, David
A young boy must face repentance for disrespecting a god. The fate of the town lies in the young man's hands.

Zamani goes to market
Feelings, Murial L.
Zamani goes on his first trip to the city with his father. He is to take the cow into the market and sell it. His father allows him to buy something in the market with the profits from their day. He decides to buy his mother a necklace, instead of the white shirt he wanted for himself. While he is not looking his father buys him the shirt.

A sky full of dragons
Wright, Mildred Whatley
Lee Chow's grandfather shows him the wonderful items in the magic Chest of Dragons. What Lee Chow really wants is marbles and the Chest of Dragons cannot provide them. Fortunately, the Spring Festival creates good times, friends, and the beautiful marbles Lee Chow desires.

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.

Your own best secret place
Baylor, Byrd//Parnall, Peter
A young girl finds a secret hiding place that a boy found before her. She respects that it is his special place. Her friends are willing to share their hiding places with her as long as the boy finds them too.

Miss spider's tea party
Kirk, David
Miss Spider is planning to have eight for tea. But what is she to do when the bugs are too scared to eat her cake?Ask Miss Spider how she makes friends with every moth, tick, and flea -- just by having cake and tea.

The scarebird
Fleischman, Sid
A lonely man builds a scarecrow, puts clothes on him and plays chess with him. Eventually, a young man comes along and offers to be a hired hand. The old man gives the young man some clothes, a job, his friendship.

Gone is gone
Gag, Wanda
A man wishes to trade a days work with his wife who does nothing all day. He soon learns he was wrong.

Mr. grumpy's outing
Burningham, John
Mr. Grumpy allows all the neighborhood children and animals to go fishing with him, as long as they obey him. No one listens to Mr. Grumpy and the boat tips over. Mr. Grumpy laughs and invites everyone home for hot tea.

Merry christmas space face
Marshall, James
Buddy McGee eagerly awaits a promised Christmas visit from his friend, a thing from outer space. In the end, Buddy is satisfied, but Grannie's neighbors are not!

Belinda's bouquet
Newman, Leslea
A chubby little girl has difficulty understanding why all people have different shapes and sizes. Her friend's mom tells a story that helps Belinda understand how people are different. Belinda ends up feeling good about herself.

Cricket boy
Ziner, Feenie
Hu Sing's father is asked to come to the emperor's palace to fight his champion cricket against the emperor's own champion. In trying to protect the cricket, Hu Sing accidentally kills it, and then kills himself, until he has a strange dream.

The red comb
Pico, Fernando
Vitita discovers a runaway slave under her porch. Vitita is determined to save the slave woman from the slave catcher. Vitita and sina Rosa furnish the woman with supplies through a mango tree. Vitita and sina Rosa come up with a plan to get the slave catcher out of town. After the slave catcher leaves, Vitita and sina Rosa introduce their new friend to the neighbors.

Dealing with feelings: I'm furious
Crary, Elizabeth
When Matt sees his Reggie Jackson baseball card floating in the toilet, his jaw drops. He is furious that his little brother did that. One thing that will solve his problem is to hit his little brother, right?Wrong!His mother presents him with six ways to successfully handle his anger. After resolving his problems, Matt makes peace with his brother.

A hole is to dig
Krauss, Ruth
Look at definitions and observations from a child's perspective. Learn childlike explanations for what different things are.

Open house for butterflies
Krauss, Ruth
An easy to read children's how-to-book. Random definitions and observations from a child's perspective. This story promotes respect for the little everyday things and language development.

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.

A small tale from the far far north
Sis, Peter
An ambitious man travels to the Artic and becomes friends with the Eskimos. He learns how to survive in the harsh climate. He also is able to help solve some problems for them.

The earth and i
Asch, Frank
The child in the story describes the reciprocity between himself,herself and the earth using activities such as playing, listening and growing and emotions and relationships, such as sadness and friendship.