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Our tree named Steve
Zweibel, Alan
In a letter to his children, a father reflects upon the importance of a good friend and the value of a place to feel safe and secure. The father recalls various memories of his family as it has grown in relationship to a favorite tree that had been part of their lives since they built their home. The tree seems to help the family through many events but does not withstand a huge storm. The father uses the wood to build a tree house to continue its importance to the family.

Bunny cakes
Wells, Rosemary
Young Max and his older sister Ruby are making cakes for their grandmother's birthday. Max adds ingredients for his cake to the shopping list, but the grocer doesn't know what it says until Max thinks to draw a picture of what he wants.

Zinnia's flower garden
Wellington, Monica
Zinnia plants nine different types of flowers seeds and waits for them to grow. Zinnia waters and cares for the garden each day and writes in her journal to document the progress. The garden blossoms into flowers. Zinnia sells her flowers before autumn and winter comes.

Sergio and the hurricane
Wallner, Alexandra
A young boyメs family prepares for a hurricane in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At first, Sergio is excited, but after a whole day of getting ready for the storm, he falls asleep exhausted. The hurricane hits in the middle of the night so Sergio joins his parents in their bed, Papa tells him a story to ease his fears. For many weeks after the storm, the San Juan community clears the damage left by the wind and flooding. When school resumes, Sergioメs teacher gives a science lesson on hurricanes.

I live with daddy
Vigna, Judith
Olivia lives with her father since her parents have divorced. For a school assignment she writes a book about her mother, but dedicates it to her father to show that she loves them both.

Annushka's voyage
Tarbescu, Edith
When Tanya and Annushka's mother dies, their father has no choice but to leave Russia for the streets paved with gold. Several years later, the girls' father sends two tickets for their own voyage to America. Before the girls leave, their grandmother gives them each a Sabbath candlestick which will light their way to the New World. Tanya and Annushka's voyage is filled with many sick and sleepless nights. The girls unite with their father by raising their candlesticks.

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.

Raising sweetness
Stanley, Diane
The town sheriff adopts eight orphans to save them from the mean Ms. Stump, but there are a few problems. Pa is not too good at cooking and his cleaning is quite shabby. The orphans one wish is for him to get married. One of the orphans, Sweetness, believes a letter that arrived in the mail is the answer.

Away
Sher, Emil
Even though they do not get to spend a lot of time together, a mom and her daughter write to communicate with each other using sticky notes left around their house. Right now, the girl does not want to go to sleepaway camp and she is trying to find every reason not to go. Whether it’s her cat, Lester, needing her too much or her short haircut, she really does not want to go camping. In the end, she finally does, and she loves it!

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.

The book that jack wrote
Scieszka, Jon
Jack writes about a series of events that occur in his book such as a cat eating a rat and a cow jumping over the moon.

Nothing ever happens on 90th street
Schotter, Roni
Eva sits on her building's steps to write about things she knows. She knows that nothing ever happens on 90th street, but her neighbors help her to write a wonderful story.

Anna's corn
Santucci, Barbara
Anna visits Grandpa's cornfield. She can hear the corn making beautiful music as the wind blows. Grandpa gets Anna corn kernels to plant next autumn, and the two agree that Anna will grow corn on her own. That winter, Grandpa dies. Anna wants to hold onto the seeds to remember Grandpa. She decides to plant them instead so she can hear the corn make music again. By next fall, the corn grows, Anna hears the music, and she collects kernels to plant corn for next year.

Tarzan
San Souci, Robert
Family is defined differently when Tarzan is raised by a group of apes. Tarzan grows into a curious being. Confused by what he knows and what he is finding out, his confusion builds to power as he rules the apes. Can he forget his past to pursue his future?

Only passing through: The story of Sojourner Truth
Rockwell, Anne
A young woman named Isabella leads a strong and courageous life after being sold three times as a slave girl in the northeastern United States. After she is given a freedom day by a couple living nearby who knew of the 1827 New York law to set adults free, Isabella felt the "power of a nation" in court to win back her son who was unlawfully sold out of state. Isabella later heard God calling her to be a sojourner and spread her message about the value of freedom and what it had been like to be a slave. She would ask people "Is this any way to treat a human being"? Sojourner told her truth so well that she took the name Sojourner Truth and carried a white silk banner with the words "Proclaim Liberty" wherever she went.

Complete adventures of curious george
Rey, Al//Rey, H.A.
A compilation of Curious George stories show his adventures which range from getting a job, riding a bike, getting a medal, flying a kite, learning the alphabet, and going to the hospital.

The promise quilt
Ransom, Candice
A little girl, living in the mountaintops of Virginia, wants to go to school. Her father promises to send her when she is old enough, but he goes off to fight in the civil war. During the war the school and books are burned. Find a special way to build a new 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.

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!

Still-life stew
Pittman, Helena Clare
Rosa picks vegetables from her garden. Rosa's garden has tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Don't forget to notice her spinach, green beans, and garlic too! Rosa outlines descriptive qualities of each vegetable. After Rosa gathers enough ingredients, she paints a picture of the vegetables and makes a stew. Also savor the colors of Rosa's still-life painting of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, leeks, and much more.

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.

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.

Do not open this book!
Muntean, Michaela
A pig tries to dissuade the readers from opening the book because it is not finished yet. However, as the reader turns the pages, a frustrated pig realizes the book is being written after all.

Home in a lunchbox
Mo, Cherry
Jun moves from Hong Kong to America and has to learn new words to start school. Her mother helps her write a few words on her hand each day so she can transition into a new life. The best moment of the day is when Jun eats her favorite meal from her lunch box, which her mother has prepared. By the end of the first week of school, Jun has lived through the terrifying moments of being alone, laughed at, and lost in school activities. The breakthrough moment is when Jun shares her food with girls at school then her Mom has Jun's new classmates come over to eat at their house.

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.

Once upon an ordinary school day
McNaughton, Colin
An ordinary boy has no idea what is in store for him one fateful, ordinary day. Everything appears to be normal until his new school teacher; Mr. Gee walks through the door. The once ordinary day turns into a whirlwind of adventures

A cake for herbie
Mathers, Petra
Lottie's friend Herbie loves to use words in a poetic and unique way, but it takes special friends to understand how special he is. Will Herbie come up with the prize winning poem in the contest in order to win a delicious cake?

Old mother hubbard and her dog
Martin, Sarah//Galdone, Paul
Old Mother Hubbard tries to get food for her dog, but he is always doing something else. The dog even learns to write and read.

Julia, child
Maclear, Kyo
Best friends, Julia and Simca, are little girls who love the art of French cooking. They wish to stay young with little worries and lots of marvelous times. They decide to share their recipes for growing young with grown-ups. These adults fear the youthful food will not last, so the girls must make a dessert and cookbook to remind the adults to enjoy life. Note: References to Julia Child are fictionalized even though she was a famous chef in France and the U.S.

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.

In the snow
Lee, Huy voun
A boy and his mother go into the woods during the first snow. The mother teaches her son about Chinese characters by drawing them in the snow and pointing out certain objects.

Running the road to abc
Lauture, Denize
The children rise early to begin their journey to school. They run over roads, through towns, and past people. The children do not care if they twist ankles or make their toes bleed; they just want to get to school to learn how to read.

Magic beach
Johnson, Crockett
Two children draw different words in the sand. As the tide washes over the word, the object written in the sand appears. They explore the land they created by writing in the sand.

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!

Abel's moon
Hughes, Shirley
Abel Grable returns from his work greeted by his family. When he tells them all about his adventures, his children only want to hear more. Before he sets out on his next outing for work, he writes his stories down. As he is away, his children take his writing table and create a certain machine that lets them be with their dad all the time while he's gone.

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.

Arthur's pen pal
Hoban, Lillian
Arthur longs to be his pen pal's big brother, so they can wrestle and do karate. He does not like having to jump rope with his little sister. But one day, he learns something very surprising about his pen pal.

Lilly's purple plastic purse
Henkes, Kevin
Lilly wants to be a teacher like Mr. Slinger. She always says wonderful things about him until one day he takes her purple plastic purse away. For revenge, Lilly draws a nasty picture of Mr. Slinger which makes her feel worse than before. This teaches Lilly that revenge is the wrong way to resolve conflict.

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.

Wee and the wright brothers
Gaffney, Timothy
An educational story told from Wee the mouse's point of view, of how the Wright brothers succeeded in flight. Wee, an ambitious mouse, tells the story in a humorous yet detailed way of the historical Wright brothers and their flying machine.

My best friend
Fogliano, Julie
Two girls become friends and realize that they are able to make each other smile and laugh. They both enjoy doing the same gardening and creative gardening and creative activities and, despite some of their differences, they value each other's company. They are best friends and their relationship will continue to grow for many years to come.

Meanwhile
Feiffer, Jules
Raymond is busy fighting pirates, cowboys, and martians, but MEANWHILE...mom wants his help time and time again. Will Raymond ever listen?

Letters to a soldier
Falvey, David// Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class
A collection of letters written by Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth grade class to 1st Lieutenant David Falvey during his tour in Iraq. Read the students' letter to Lieutenant Falvey and his responses back to each individual student. Pictures of the letters, students, and Lieutenant Falvey's safe arrival back to the states are included!

The secret friend
Dunbar, Joyce
Gander is writing a letter to his secret friend. As Gander adds special touches to the letter, Panda becomes jealous. He does not know this secret friend and he is worried it might be Gander's new best friend. Little does Panda know, he is Gander's only best friend.

Three names of me
Cummings, Mary
Ada is a Chinese American girl. Ada shares her experiences of being adopted and moving to a new country. She collects new names that melt into one compelling identity for her.

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!

A fine, fine school
Creech, Sharon
Mr. Keeene knows he has a fine school with great teachers and students. Since everyone is learning so much, he decides to have school on Saturdays, then Sundays, and then eventually all summer. Eventually, one student named Tillie tells Mr. Keene that they are not learning anything outside of school. Everyone is relieved when Mr. Keene announces the return of a normal school year.

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.

The story of paper
Compenstine, Ying Chang
Paper is invented by three boys who had the need to write something down. The boys use bugs to make symbols in the dirt. Combining different home techniques such as making rice cakes and scrapping clothes, paper was invented. The three boys are successful and praised.