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Wings of an eagle: The gold medal dreams of Billy Mills
Mills, Billy//Bowman, Donna Janell
Billy Mills tells his autobiographical story of being an Oglala Lakota from South Dakota and the different challenges he faced as a young boy. Billy's father tells him to dig deeper below the anger, the hurt, and self-pity after Billy's mother dies. Eventually Billy's father dies, but his father's words remain with him for the rest of his life during set backs that he experiences. After he is placed in a boarding school in Kansas, Billy takes up sports and works hard to make the track team. When Billy wins a scholarship to the University of Kansas, he faces segregation and racism as a Native American. When he joins the U.S. Marines, the doctor tells him he has borderline diabetes and hypoglycemia, but Billy perseveres and qualifies for the 1964 Olympics in the 10,000 meter race. Encouraged by what his father had once told him about having wings of an eagle, Billy goes on to win the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Billy Mills's courage and hard work continues to break barriers and to inspire others.

Jimmy's rhythm & blues: The extraordinary life of James Baldwin
Meadows, Michelle
James Baldwin, or "Jimmy" as his friends and family would call him, grows up in Harlem New York and graduates from a high school in the Bronx. He writes songs, poems, plays, and stories because writing flows freely out of him, just like the dreams he imagines for his future. Jimmy loves to read and goes to church, museums, movies, and plays --- and he enjoys the encouragement of many mentors. Through the power of his words and his stories, Jimmy moves to Paris, France, but he eventually returns to America to interview southerners about the changing times known as the civil rights movement. His book, The Fire Next Time, deepens American's understanding of racism, and then Jimmy moves back to France to serve as a haven for those of all backgrounds and experiences.

Coretta: The autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King
King, Coretta Scott//Reynolds, Barbara
Coretta Scott was born in Alabama but left in her college years to attend Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio after a stint at Lincoln Normal School. She wanted to teach in Yellow Springs but she was not given the right to do so since there were no black teachers in the schools. Later after marrying Martin Luther King, Coretta raised money for the civil rights movement by giving concerts and speaking about peace while their four children grew up in their close-knit family. Over the years as Martin came and went to lead protest marches of nonviolence, the political changes evolved - until one day, when Martin was shot and killed. Coretta continued the mutual work that she and Martin were doing - and Coretta broadened the message of nonviolence to include human rights across the world. Coretta and her staff trained 300,000 people in South Africa for the transition of Nelson Mandela out of prison. Coretta worked tirelessly to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a national holiday built on love with "a promise and power all its own".

Those shoes
Boelts, Maribeth
Jeremy 'wants' a new pair of shoes similar to the kids at school. His grandma takes him shopping but the costs are too high. Jeremy suggests that they could buy shoes at the thrift store. The shoes he buys are too small but he still wears them. One day, he gives the shoes to his classmate, Antonio, by leaving them on the front porch of his apartment. The next day Antonio is very proud of his new shoes. When it starts snowing, their teacher announces to the class "to get their boots on" so they can play outside. Now Jeremy is super happy because he puts on the new boots that his grandma bought him for winter - a pair of boots that he needs.

Kindergarten diary
Portis, Antoinette
It is September and time for Annalina to start school. On September 1, Annalina says she doesn't want to got to kindergarten. On September 2nd, Annalina has to look nice on her first day of school. On September, she meets her teacher Ms. Duffy. For each day of the month, Annalina experiences many new things in kindergarten. By September 30, the entry in Annalina's diary says "We are room 2K. We are fine!" --and too busy to write any more!

Alex and the Wednesday Chess Club
Wong, Janet S.
Alex likes chess so much that he is hungry to win. But the next-door neighbor has an Uncle Hooya who is starving to win at a game of chess. Alex learns Coach B's top 10 chess tips and becomes a chess maniac. What do you think happens when Alex gets to Step 8 Think ahead? Yes! He yells Checkmate! and Alex wins against Little Hooya!

Our children can soar: A celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the the pioneers of change
Cook, Michelle
African American history makers march across the pages as fighters, inventors, sprinters, singers, judges, and presidents. Each famous person is described by first name with their accomplishments in action. Each pioneer contributes to the higher movement of shaping the next generation of change.

Fall ball
McCarty, Peter
Bobby and his friends ride the school bus home with anticipation for playing football together at the park. The fall leaves set the tone for the girls and boys as they through, pass, and run with the ball. When it gets dark at 4:30 pm, the children go home to dinner. Because it had started snowing, they all snuggle in at their houses with good things to eat, cozy pajamas, and warm blankets to watch football on the television.

The hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher goes to school
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Zoe Fleefenbacher is a memorable girl with one blue eye and one green eye. Her most interesting characteristic is her red hair which is able to do many amazing things and surprises. In first grade, Zoe's teacher has lots of rules to learn but Zoe's hair does not listen and follow those rules. No one can tame Zoe's hair - not even Zoe herself. Zoe tries scrunchies, barrettes, headbands, to name a few! But one day, Zoe's hair finally helps her teacher and her classmates learn about all the planets in the solar system. Zoe becomes a star student in first grade which makes her teacher very happy!

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.

The smart cookie
John, Jory//Oswald, Pete
Learn how to become a smart cookie when given a chance to be creative and make something unique just like you. When the day came to share something original at school, smart cookie read her poem out loud and everybody clapped and cheered. Smart cookie learned that you can be smart in many different ways and there is always more to learn!

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.

Fighting for yes! The story of disability rights activist Judith Heumann
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann
Judy Heumann always hears NO from a young age. She is not allowed to attend public school because she is in a wheelchair. Then after she goes to a special school with special education students, she attends college to become a teacher. But even the New York Board of Education says NO to her becoming a teacher after she earns her teaching degree. Judy joins several other disability rights activists to ensure Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 could be signed into federal law. Their work lays the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a living advocate for herself and others, Judy tells her story of civil rights for which she fought tirelessly. By leading and working together with others to fix problems and make changes, disabled people now have less discrimination against them.

The grand old duke of york
Ian, Nicholas
The music and song lyrics of this children's march is a nursery rhyme from England where the Grand Old Duke of York once sent his solders off to battle. Sing along as you learn how ten thousand men marched up to the top of the hill and marched down the hill again.


My name is sangoel
Williams, Karen Lynn//Mohammed, Khadra
Sangoel feels homesick after leaving his Sudanese homeland where his father died in the war. With his mother and sister, Sangoel arrives to the United States to start a new life where they learn so many things about technology, escalators, cooking stoves, and televisions. With a clever use of writing in his new school classroom, Sangoel helps his teacher and classmates learn how to pronounce his name. He will always be a Sangoel just like "his father and grandfather and his father" before him in Africa.

New old shoes
Blessing, Charlotte
A brand-new pair of shoes begin on the playful feet of an American boy then his shoes are donated and worn on the feet of African children. The shoes are worn and used in many different ways for play and work.

Mary wears what she wants
Negley, Keith
One day, a young girl named Mary decided to wear pants instead of dresses at a time when girls always wore dresses. Mary took her very daring idea into town where she was challenged by people for wearing boys clothes. Mary reminded them that "Im wearing MY clothes".

All my stripes: A story for children with autism
Rudolph, Shaina & Royer, Danielle
Zane worries that his "autism stripes" makes him stand out from his peers. Zane's mom helps him understand the different ways that he unique from other kids his age. Whether it is art, math, or science class, Zane learns to do his best. And his mom reminds him to use his pilot stripe, caring stripe, honesty stripe, and curiosity stripe to be himself at school.

Nouns and verbs have a field day
Pulver, Robin
Mr. Wright’s class has a field day away from school! While the children are gone, the nouns and verbs want to play. At first, the nouns make teams with other nouns and the verbs make teams with other verbs. Both sides found out that they had to work together so the nouns formed teams with the verbs and the verbs formed teams with the nouns. They continued to play many games until Mr. Wright’s students came back from field day.

Santa from Cincinnati: How a little boy named Santa grew up to become the real thing
Barrett, Judi
Calus was born on Christmas Day at Cincinnati General Hospital, and as he grew up, he developed a love for toys. As a young boy, Calus began building toys with his dad and delivering them to other kids in his neighborhood on Christmas Eve. Soon, everyone wanted toys from Calus, and after going to college and meeting Claus, they moved to the North Pole and began manufacturing toys year-round.

What happens next
Hughes, Susan
Bully B. makes a student feel uncomfortable at school by making fun of him and calling him mean names. This student goes home and acts like he is fine, but his mother is able to tell that this is not true and she suggests that her son talks to the bully. With this advice, he talks to Bully B. and expresses how her behavior makes him feel and explains how similar they actually are, ending their negative relationship.

Silent days, silent dreams
Say, Allen
Bob shares the life story of his Uncle Jim, a deaf artist with immense talent and determination to find ways to communicate. During his childhood, Uncle Jim’s parents were unsupportive of his passion for art and they sent him to the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind with his sister. Bob never learned to speak, read, write, or use sign language. Ultimately, Bob went to art school where he shared his Uncle Jim’s work which was displayed in a gallery and sold to the public.

The Berenstain bears visit the dentist
Berenstain, Stan & Berenstain, Jan
Sister Bear wakes up to find that she has a loose tooth, and she tries to wiggle it out all day, but it won't budge! That afternoon, Brother Bear goes to see Dr. Bearson, the family dentist. After watching his checkup, Dr. Bearson gently pulls Sister Bear's tooth out, and she is no longer scared of the dentist.

The hard-times jar
Smothers, Ethel Footman
Emma is a book-loving girl whose parents are poor migrant workers. She decides to pick apples to add money to the hard-times jar. But this year, she attends school which happens to have a whole library of books. Emma's mom reminds her of something important when she eventually follows the rules.

Sweet tooth
Palatini, Margie
Stewart has a sweet tooth that repeatedly gets him into trouble. Stewart tells his sweet tooth that it is time for him to be healthy. Stewart eats healthy and practices oral hygiene. Stewart then pulls out the "sweet tooth" and the tooth fairy visits.

You and me and home sweet home
Lyon, George Ella
A young girl helps her family build a new home. The family celebrates the new milestone by sharing a meal together. The family then adjusts to the new house together.

Pastry school in Paris: An adventure in capacity
Neuschwander, Cindy
A family and their children travel to Paris and visit a pastry academy. The kids work with others to practice baking. When a situation arises, the kids are called to save the day by making brownies for the competition.

Jake goes peanuts
Wright, Michael
Jake refuses to eat anything his parents makes, except for things with peanut butter in it. He ate so much peanut butter in it. He ate so much peanut butter that he finally gets sick of it.

Sunday week
Johnson, Dinah
A community describes each day of their weekly routine. The community is constantly looking forward to their Sunday traditions. Sunday is rich with family time, the Lord, and storytelling.

Home for Navidad
Cohen, Santiago
Rosa has not seen her mother in three years. Rosa's mother works to save money in America until she is finally able to come home for Navidad. The whole family can now celebrate the Christmas holiday in the small town in Mexico.

Can you say peace?
Katz, Karen
All different in their own language kids from around the world say peace differently in their own language. The international day of peace is worldwide and all the children spread peace. At the end of the day peace is universal.

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.

Arturo escribe un cuento
Brown, Marc
A teacher gives Arthur and his class a writing assignment. Arthur goes from one topic to the next, thinking each one is not exciting enough. Each new topic becomes more funny than the last, until he writes his last copy.

Cassie's word quilt
Ringgold, Faith
Cassie, a young African American girl living in New York City, shares a few of her favorite things. She labels many things and gives words to the things she treasures most.

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.

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.

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.

Ruby's wish
Bridges, Shirin Yim
Ruby is known for wearing red and being an exceptionally bright student. Even during a time in China when ...most girls were never taught to read and write. However, Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to come to the house, making it possible for any grandchild living in the house to learn. This initiates a desire in Ruby to attend university, a place that women in China were not encouraged to go.\r\n*Based on a true story of the author's grandmother.


Sister Anne's hands
Lorbiecki, Mary Beth
Anna begins her second year of school in the early '60's. Her new teacher, Sister Anne, is different from other teachers because she has a different skin color. She inspires students all around her and overcomes challenges. Students learn what respect and tolerance are, and everyone learns from one another.

Stage struck
DePaola, Tomie
Tommy knows the story of Peter Rabbit by heart. When his class decides to put on the production he wants to be cast in the roll of Peter. Tommy is so excited he does not pay attention to his teacher and as a result gets cast as Mopsy. However, Tommy has a plan to keep him in the spotlight.

Oh, no! Where are my pants?
Hopkins, Lee Bennett
Fourteen poems about everyday life tell about friends moving away, forgetting your pants and the death of a class pet. Other poems include Winter Rabbit, Play Ball, Nightmare, and My Friend Is Gone.

I hate to be sick!
Bermiss, Aamir Lee
A young boy wakes up feeling ill with a sore throat, cough, fever, and aching body. He soon realizes that he will not be able to attend school that day and experiences feelings of disappointment, since he will miss his friends and school activities. However, after eating soup and reading a bood with his father, the boy realizes that although he hates to be sick, he can get well again and return to school by eating well and resting.

Molly's family
Garden, Nancy
When Molly draws a picture of her family, some students in her class say that her family is weird. They tell her she can't have two mommies. After talking to her teacher and her family, she realizes all families are different and that she is lucky to have two mommies.

Baby brains
James, Simon
Baby Brains is a child prodigy! As an infant, his intelligence is that of a brilliant adult. His infancy is occupied by going to school, being a doctor and travelling to space. One day, he realizes that he really just wants his mommy.

Bad dog school
Joosse, Barbara M.
Harris and his dog Zippy are the best of friends and enjoy spending time together. They dig for treasures, sleep in the same bed, and play on the couch. When Zippy's behaviors seem to be out of control, obedience school seems to be the perfect answer. However, the results are not what the family expected. Harris and his family decided Bad Dog school is the perfect solution.

A bad case of stripes
Shannon, David
Camilla Cream absolutely enjoys eating lima beans. She is afraid though that her friends will make fun of her for eating them. After getting dressed one morning, she looks in the mirror to find herself covered in stripes! If she thought eating lima beans was embarassing, what will her peers think of her stripes?

Mr. George Baker
Hest, Amy
Mr. George Baker is a 100 year old musician who lives next door to Harry, a young schoolboy. They wait for the school bus together each morning to take them to school. They are both learning to read, and helping each other along the way.

Alphabet adventure
Wood, Audrey
The little letters are going to school to help teach children their alphabet and how to write. Along the way little i loses her dot, and cannot go on to school without it. The letters go on an adventure as they look for little i's dot. They then decide that they must choose something to replace the dot so they can get to school to help the children. As i chooses a cherry and its about to leave, her dot comes out from a game of hide and seek just in time to find charley awaiting them at the school.