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A different pond
Phi, Bao
A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

My dentist, my friend
Hallinan, P.K.
Take a tour through the sights, sounds, and care of the friendly dentist's office! After spending time in the waiting room and visiting with the oral hygienist, the children are seen by the dentist. Some of their teeth may need to get some x-ray scans during the dental checkup. After a successful appointment, the children are given the knowledge and tools to practice oral health behaviors at home.

My doctor, my friend
Hallinan, P.K.
Explore the sights, sounds, and care that kids experience at the doctor's office. After explaining why they go to the doctor for a medical check-up, the children describe the different tests that are performed at every appointment to diagnose their illness. Afterwards, the children are much less afraid about going to the doctor. Kids want to feel better so they like going to their check-ups to see their doctor.

A day in the life of a dentist
Adamson, Heather
Dr. Fong provides readers with an outline of what she does in her job as a dentist. Starting at the beginning of her day, Dr. Fong describes the various articles of clothing that she and the other office staff wears. This includes office managers and hygienists, who help the dentist when she cares for her patients. After eating her lunch, Dr. Fong demonstrates various techniques, including x-ray imaging and models, that she uses to visualize a patient's mouth. Finally, Dr. Fong shows the tools she uses when examining a patient and describes the importance of visiting dentists, like her, regularly!

Summer Jackson: Grown up
Harris, Teresa, E.
Summer Jackson is seven years old, but she wants to be a grown-up. Her parents leave her with all the chores and duties of an adult. Summer realizes being an adult is hard work. She decides she can do some grown up things but she also wants to be a kid and play.

Henry's first-moon birthday
Look, Lenore
Jenny is in charge of helping her grandmother prepare for the one-month birthday party of her baby brother, Henry. Henry's party is a Chinese celebration! Food and decorations are made to bring good luck, health, and happiness to Jenny's mother and brother. Each member of the family attends in celebration of Henry's first month of life.

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.

Alejandro's gift
Albert, Richard
A lonely man plants a garden full of vegetables in the middle of the desert. A wide array of desert wildlife finds their way to his garden and watering hole. He wants to be friends with the animals and help them.

Daisy comes home
Brett, Jan
Daisy is one of six hens and is the outcast. After being pushed out of the henhouse, she takes a ride along the river. She meets various animals and instinctively uses her coping skills to survive. She returns home and uses those newly found skills and is no longer bullied by the rest of the hens.

Clarice Bean: That's me
Child, Lauren
A girl named Clarice is part of a typical modern family. She really wants peace and quiet but she has a peculiar sister who wears make-up and reads about boys and she has two brothers who hate and love being with her. Eventually, Clarice gets in big trouble and is sent to her room. At last! Peace and quiet.

Mr. Tanen's tie trouble
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann
The principal of Lynnhurst School, Mr. Tanen, is known for his unbelievable collection of 975 ties. He has a tie for every occasion! When the plan for the new playground falls through, everyone is shocked to see Mr. Tannen part with his beloved ties as he auctions them off so that the children at Lynnhurst School can enjoy their new playground.

What are you so grumpy about?
Lichtenheld, Tom
A little boy has the most horrible life that makes him grumpy. He gets weird food to eat, boring presents to open, and too many chores to do. He gets up on the wrong side of his bed, has to pick up his room, and go to somebody's house and listen to grown-up boring junk. His grumpy mood eventually is forgotten.

Rachel, a Hutterite girl
Maendel, Rachel
A young Hutterite girl named Rachel explores her farm home. On her journey, she learns facts about the natural world as well as the social traditions and cultural customs of her Hutterite family and community.

I was born to be a brother
Michels-Gualtieri, Zaydek G.
A big brother describes the duties he has when teaching his little sister. He has many responsibilities to uphold and for the most part gets along well with his baby sister. There are times, however, when siblings get in the way, but in the end a little sister is the best thing in the world. (With music CD)

Who wants to be a poodle I don't
Child, Lauren
Trixie Twinkle toes, a poodle, lives a very pampered life with Mademoiselle Verity Brulee. She has a maid, a cook, and a butler! No one understands that Trixie Twinkle Toes doesn't like any of the pampering and special treatment; she wanted to be like other dogs. She decides to act out, but every time she does Mademoiselle Brulee calls the vet, the pet psychic, or the pooch psychiatrist. no one can understand Trixie, until finally one rainy day, Trixie sees a dog drowning in a puddle and jumps in to save her. When Mademoiselle saw how daring her poodle was, she let her run with the other dogs. Trixie was finally happy, except for one small thing...

Wash, scrub, brush!
Manning, Mick
There is a party tonight so the animals take time to clean up for good hygiene. We don't want anyone to get sick!

Monster buys a pet
Blance, Ellen // Cook, Ann
A friendly monster and a little boy think it is lonely in their house. They decide that if they go to the pet store and buy an animal to keep them company, it will help. After picking out two dogs and two cats, the owner of the pet store coaxes monster and the little boy to give all the pets a home.

Big surprise in the bug tank
Horowitz, Ruth
Leo and his brother love their two giant pet cockroaches given to them by their mother. After the two cockroaches have babies, the boys try many different solutions to try to get rid of them. They finally find a solution after they receive help from their mom and local library.

The table where rich people sit
Baylor, Byrd
A young girl feels that her family is so poor that rich people wouldn't even sit at her family's table. She holds a meeting with her family to discuss the money her family has. During the meeting she discovers how rich her family really is. She also learns the important things in life such as, family is more valuable than money itself.

Earth day - hooray!
Murphy, Stuart J.
Ryan, Carly, and Luke set out to clean up Gilroy Park for an Earth Day celebration. They decide to plant flowers to beautify the park while collecting cans to raise money through recycling. The children use math and find school resources to help them with their project.

Messenger, messenger
Burleigh, Robert
Being a bicycle messenger in a big city is a rigorous job, but someone has to do it. The messenger wakes early and works late to deliver the proper messages to their appropriate places. Nothing can stop him, not rain, snow, or distractions of others.

A day's work
Bunting, Eve
Fransico takes his grandfather out to look for work. His grandfather does not speak English, so Fransico must translate. Fransico accepts a gardening job for his grandfather by telling the man he is a great gardener. When the man comes at the end of the day, he finds the job done incorrectly. Fransico's lie teaches him an invaluable lesson.

Have you seen wilhelmina krumph?
Chasek, Judith
Everyday, Wilhelmina Krumph disappears when she should be washing her windows like all the other housewives. They follow her one day and discover that she rides a motorcycle along a dirt road everyday. They see what fun it is and join her.

Ella takes the cake
D'Amico, Carmela & D'Amico, Steven
There's nothing more that Ella wants than to be a good helper. Ella can't help but feel inadequate when her mother won't let her help with a lot of the bakery chores because they're dangerous. When Mr. Banjo forgets an important delivery ,though, Ella proves herself by saving the day...and the cake.

Where am I sleeping tonight?
Ekster, Carol Gordon
Mark and Evan have a hard time keeping up with all the changes in their lives. Their parents are divorced and it's not easy remembering all the things they need to do. Mark's teacher, Mrs. Demott helps Mark, Evan and their parents get organized and also teaches them how to cope with divorce.

Leo in the library
Mkatshaw, Dumazile
Leo was in the class watching ants crawl on the wall when his teacher asked on what animal he would be doing his project. He could only think of ants, about which he knew nothing. Leo goes to the library looking for a book and causes a terrible mess. Leo must find his book about ants, but he doesnï¾’t know what it would look like.

I wanna iguana
Orloff, Karen Kaufman
A little boy wants an iguana, but first he has to convince his mother that he is responsible enough to have it. Through a series of letters written between the boy and his mother, they both provide reasons to support whether or not he should get the iguana. They decide that the boy may have the iguana on a trial basis to prove he will take care of it.

This is the matzah
Levine, Abby
A Jewish family shops, cooks, and prepares for Passover. The traditions and the meanings behind them are explained in a rhyme.

Baby danced the polka
Beaumont, Karen
While mom and dad are trying to do the chores, baby is supposed to be sleeping. However, baby canï¾’t sleep and is dancing with the farm animals.

John Philip Duck
Polacco, Patricia
Edward and his father work at a hotel and return home on the weekends. One weekend, Edward finds a motherless duckling near the pond. Edward is permitted by his father to take the duck to work, only if he keeps it out of the hotel managerï¾’s sight. When the manager discovers the duck, Edward saves the day by showing the manager how he has trained the duck to march to music by John Philip Sousa. Edward trains many more ducks to live in the hotel fountain.


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.

Always in trouble
Demas, Corinne
Emma's dog ,Toby, always seems to be in trouble. When Emma gives him more attention, he still gets into trouble. At dog training school, he is the best dog and receives a diploma after all the classes, but he still gets into trouble. So Emma takes him back to the school, and leaves Toby with the teacher for a week. When he comes back, Toby seems like the perfect dog, but Emma soon finds out, no dog is perfect.

Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem
Barnett, Mac
When Billy Twitters doesn't brush his teeth or finish his peas, his mother says we are going to buy you a whale. This does not worry Billy, because he knows how large blue whales are and he couldn't possibly have one delivered. To his surprise, one morning there is a blue whale sitting outside his house, and it is his responsibility. The whale causes problems at school because Billy's classmates pick him at gym. And it just gets worse: his parents give him the owner's manual for the whale. While feeding him, Billy realizes that when he's inside the whale, nobody's laughing and nobody's telling him what to do...so he decides to make himself at home!

Painted dreams
Williams, Karen Lynn
Ti Marie loves to paint, but her family is too poor to afford paint so she uses bricks, stones and charcoal. One day, as she is walking to the river, she sees Msie Antoine painting a snake and admires his art supplies. Later on in the night she decides to look through his trash to see if he has any left over supplies. She uses them to paint on the wall behind her family's place at the Haitian market. Find out how the people at the market react.

Oh, crumps! Ay, caramba!
Bock, Lee
One night, a sleepy farmer has a lot of chores to do and also has a hard time keeping his chore list straight. One mishap after another keeps him from getting sleep. As a result, he mixes up his tasks so that he plans to mow the cow, climb the fence, repair the hay, and milk the silo. Hopefully no one will disturb the farmer's sleep again before morning!

How sitali learned a lesson
Mashiri, Pascal
As the oldest in his family Sitali is supposed to hunt and provide for his younger sisters. He learns a lesson about self-control and hard work after being made chief and then losing it all.

Our community garden
Pollak, Barbara
Neighborhood children plant a garden together and each contribute by helping to take care of the garden. They set goals, work hard, and build healthy friendship. After harvesting their crops, everyone from the community comes together for a special meal made from vegetables grown in the garden. What a nutritious, heart-warming treat!

One big building
Dahl, Michael
Children learn about the importance of teamwork, cooperation, and goal-setting as an entire twelve-story building is constructed from an initial simple plan. Numbers one through twelve illustrate the entire building process in a fun and strategic way.

Get to work trucks!
Carter, Don
In the morning trucks, such as dump trucks, bulldozers, cement mixers, tow trucks, cranes, and rollers, go to work. Learn about types of machines, sizes, colors, and numbers. At night, the trucks are finished working for the day.

Bird, fly high.
Horacek, Petr
As the bird flies, flaps, hops, pecks, and tugs; she fetches food. For the bird and her little ones, it is breakfast time.

Little sister and the Month brothers
Schenk de Regniers, Beatrice
A retelling of the Slavic folktale in which the Month brothers' magic helps Little Sister fulfill seemingly impossible tasks. Little Sister's tasks prove the undoing of her greedy stepmother and stepsister.

Start saving Henry
Carlson, Nancy
Henry gets $5 every week for his allowance, but he spends it immediately on something that catches his eye. One day he sees Super Robot Dude, but his mother won't buy it for him and tells him he has to save his allowance. Whenever Henry is close to $30, something happens to make him lose his money again. One day, his grandma has a surprise for Henry, and he learns that working hard to save money will pay off in the end!

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.

Clean your room, harvey moon!
Cummings, Pat
Harvey Moon's room is a mess. His mother makes him clean it up all day on Saturday and he must miss his favorite television shows. Although he was upset he had to clean, he feels a sense of accomplishment in the end.

Daisy's taxi
Young, Ruth
Daisy ferries to and from the island all day in her water taxi. Throughout the day, Daisy takes passengers and their valuables to the island and back to shore no matter what kind of weather. After a long day, Daisy wants to go for a row with her husband.

The alligator's toothache
Dorian, Marguerite
Alli, the alligator has a toothache, but does not want to go to the dentist. His friends and the zoo director decide that his toothache will not go away with their home remedies, so he should see a dentist.

Let's play as a team!
Halliman, P. K.
Kids like to play as a team no matter what they do -- football, soccer, baseball and all kinds of sports. When they're done playing, it doesn't matter who wins or loses as long as they all had a great time while they were playing. Join these kids in their fun-filled day of teamwork.

Frank and ernest play ball
Day, Alexandra
Frank and Ernest are a bear and an elephant who need jobs. Mr. Palmer lets them manage his baseball team. They do not know very much about baseball so they are always looking up baseball terms in the baseball dictionary.

Don't forget the bacon
Hutchins, Pat
A boy is sent to the store for bacon and other items. As the boy walks to the store, he repeats over and over what he is supposed to get. He becomes thoroughly confused and forgets about the bacon. Once he gets home, he is sent back to the store for the bacon.