Embedded Files
Grades K-1 (24-25)
THE DEN THAT OCTOPUS BUILT
THE DEN THAT OCTOPUS BUILT
Randi Sonenshine
Summary: Following the popularity of several books, movies, and TV shows about octopuses for adults recently, this beautifully illustrated (by Anne Hunter) book introduces the younger crowd to these mysterious cephalopods in dreamy, flowing rhyme reminiscent of the ocean’s roll. We watch as a solitary female survives, hunts, and prepares for the birth of her offspring. The text is brief, but backmatter helps serve as a springboard to more exploration of the topic.
Curricular use: K-LS1-1; K-ESS2-2; 1-LS3-1; 1-LS1-2.
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN
Victor D.O. Santos
Summary: This UNESCO-sponsored book is quiet and contemplative, presented in the format of riddles hinting at the answer to the title question: What is it that makes us human? The answer is language and, as the book informs us, when a language disappears often a culture goes with it. Backmatter reveals that the world has over 7,000 living languages, half of which are expected to disappear by 2100!
Curricular use: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.4; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7
Grades 2-3 (24-25)
THEY HOLD THE LINE
THEY HOLD THE LINE
Dan Paley
Summary: Paley takes us on a journey through all aspects of wildfire management, from the lookout perched high in a watch tower to the medevac who rescues injured front line firefighters, to the base crew feeding and caring for the whole team. With the increase in devastating fires occurring worldwide this book provides important background detail for students to better understand these events. Backmatter addresses the history of fire management, firefighting gear, safety standards and more.
Curricular use: SS.2.7; SS.2.17; SS.2.18; K-2-ETS1-1; 3-LS4-3; 3-LS4-4
MY ANTARCTICA: TRUE ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF MUMMIFIED SEALS, SPACE ROBOTS, AND SO MUCH MORE
MY ANTARCTICA: TRUE ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF MUMMIFIED SEALS, SPACE ROBOTS, AND SO MUCH MORE
G. Neri
Summary: This lighthearted book is a blend of scientific fieldwork and travel memoir. Neri always wanted to travel to Antarctica and finally got the chance when he was invited to document the work of scientists in this remote environment. The artistic layering of photographs and comical illustrations takes kids right into the heart of the action, chronicling every aspect of Antarctic life, from clothing to using the bathroom to diving into holes through the thick ice to study sea life. A fascinating and fun journey!
Curricular use: 2-LS4-1; 2-ESS2-3; 3-LS2-1;3-LS3-2; 3-LS4-3; 3-ESS2-2
Grades 4-5 (24-25)
ONE LONG LINE
ONE LONG LINE
Lorre Griffin Burns
Summary: This book is as much about the scientific method as the processionary caterpillars highlighted. It profiles two biologists who, at different points in time, followed the “ask, test, repeat” pattern to learn about how and why these tiny caterpillars follow each other in long lines, like a freight train, to food and back to their nests. Is there a designated leader? How do they know who to follow? What happens when the line is interrupted? This fascinating and accessible look at animal behavior includes a glossary and suggestions for further reading.
Curricular use: 3-5-ETS1-1; 3-5-ETS1-2; 3-5-ETS1-3
THE DARK: WILDLIFE IN THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF CAVES
THE DARK: WILDLIFE IN THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF CAVES
Lindsey Leigh
Summary: If you like creepy-crawlies (or even if you don’t!), you will enjoy this brightly illustrated and compelling look at some of the weird and wonderful creatures inhabiting caves around the world. Presented in a comic book style, this high-interest offering highlights arcane troglobites (cave dwellers) like the waterfall-climbing fish and the tailless whip scorpion! Leigh also explores the topic of how caves are formed, the diversity of caves on earth, and humans’ effect on these fragile ecosystems.
Curricular use: 4-LS1-1; 4-LS1-2; 4-ESS1-1; 4-ESS2-1; 4-ESS2-2; 4-ESS3-2; 5-LS2-1
Grades K-2 (23-24)
WHEN MOON BECAME THE MOON
WHEN MOON BECAME THE MOON
Rob Hodgson
Summary: Meet Moon! Follow along as she guides us through her origin and her purpose in this charming and humorous nonfiction picture book. (from the publisher)
Curricular use: Space science, personification, use in connection or in compare/contrast with Stacy McAnulty’s Moon! Earth’s Best Friend
HOW THE SEA CAME TO BE AND ALL OF THE CREATURES IN IT
HOW THE SEA CAME TO BE AND ALL OF THE CREATURES IN IT
Jennifer Berne
Summary: Long, long ago, when the Earth was young and new, the world was a fiery place. Volcanoes exploded from deep down below, and steamy, hot clouds rose up high. Rain poured down for thousands of years, filling the world’s very first oceans.
Curricular use: Earth science, ocean studies, rhyme
Grades 3-4 (23-24)
HOW DO YOU SPELL UNFAIR?: MAGNOLIA COX AND THE NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
HOW DO YOU SPELL UNFAIR?: MAGNOLIA COX AND THE NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Carole Boxton Weathford
Summary: A deeply affecting portrait of determination against discrimination: the story of young spelling champion MacNolia Cox. MacNolia Cox was no ordinary kid. Her idea of fun was reading the dictionary. In 1936, eighth grader MacNolia Cox became the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee. And with that win, she was asked to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, where she and a girl from New Jersey were the first African Americans invited since its founding. (from the publisher)
Curricular use: Social studies- segregation/discrimination, civil rights, inspirational stories, themes of overcoming adversity and determination
GERTIE: THE DARLING DUCK OF WWII
GERTIE: THE DARLING DUCK OF WWII
Shari Swanson
Summary: In 1945, the attention of the United States, along with the rest of the world, was focused on World War II. After more than five years of fighting, downcast, war-weary people were looking for signs of hope of a better future. One April morning, a duck searching for a nesting spot lands on a tall post sticking out of the Milwaukee River. Situated near a busy drawbridge and the noisy city of Milwaukee, this was an unlikely, precarious spot for a soon-to-be-mama duck to build her nest. But that is exactly where Gertie (named by a local reporter) decides to make her home and lay her eggs. (from the publisher)
Curricular use: Community helpers, feel-good animal/human stories, WW2
Grades 5-6 (23-24)
A PLACE CALLED AMERICA: A STORY OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE
A PLACE CALLED AMERICA: A STORY OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE
Jennifer Thermes
Summary: Through the lens of the land that has come to be known as America, award-winning picture book creator Jennifer Thermes captures centuries of history. A Place Called America takes the long view of the land's history, from its earliest formation and inhabitants up through today, and challenges its readers to think critically about the stories we tend to take for granted about our own history. (from the publisher)
Curricular use: Highly recommended for library or classroom collections- covers major historical periods of the country, beginning with the arrival of indigenous people thousands of years ago all the way up through today. It’s rare and remarkable for a picture book to cover such a huge time span in a way that feels thorough enough to provide context, representation, and clarity but still be digestible and manageable for elementary understanding- this book does just that. Excellent teaching tool for social studies, helping students have a greater understanding of how various units of study fit together and where they fall in time.
Additional Titles (23-24)
THE BEES OF NOTRE DAME
THE BEES OF NOTRE DAME
Meghan P. Browne & E.B. Goodale
THE BONE WARS
THE BONE WARS
Jane Kurtz
STARS OF THE NIGHT
STARS OF THE NIGHT
Caren Stelson
NOT A MONSTER
NOT A MONSTER
Claudia Guadalupe Martínez
THE MOON TONIGHT
THE MOON TONIGHT
Jung Chang-hoon
STAND AS TALL AS THE TREES
STAND AS TALL AS THE TREES
Laura Resau and Patricia Gualinga
Grades K-2 (22-23)
OVER AND UNDER THE WAVES
Kate Messner
OVER AND UNDER THE WAVES
Kate Messner
The latest edition in the wonderful Over and Under series, this volume takes us into the sea in northern California with sea lions, anemones, otters, whales, and moon jellies. Each of these volumes feels like actually being a child on an adventure, so they are perfect for kids who do not have the opportunity to explore nature outside of books. Helpful notes at the back provide further details on the flora and fauna seen in the story, as well as helpful further reading recommendations.
Connects to K-2 science units on plants and animals.
PIZZA: A SLICE OF HISTORY
Greg Pizzoli
PIZZA: A SLICE OF HISTORY
Greg Pizzoli
This is a jaunty, colorful and silly look at the life and times of this ubiquitous and best-loved food. Pizzoli takes on a (brief) tour of the controversial roots of pizza as well as highlighting some of the more unusual topping choices available around the world today. This is sure to be a major hit in any library.
Curricular use: Useful for discussions of popular culture and the spread of ideas.
Grades 3-4 (2022-23)
JUST A GIRL: A TRUE STORY OF WWII
Lia Levi
JUST A GIRL: A TRUE STORY OF WWII
Lia Levi
Readers may be more familiar with events of World War II that took place in northern Europe,but Levi’s memoir of her girlhood experience in Italy offers a fascinating view of another locus of that terrible time. With great compassion and humor, Levi recalls how her family lost their happy lives bit by bit as the Italian fascists and finally the Nazis took over society. This is a gentler story than that of so many others who did not survive and Levi ends by sending the United States “a big hug” for its role in saving her life.
Curricular use: A child-friendly explanation of war, racism, and fascism.
CONCRETE: FROM THE GROUND UP
Larissa Theule
CONCRETE: FROM THE GROUND UP
Larissa Theule
One cannot be faulted for thinking the subject of concrete a mite...dry? But one would be wrong! Theule’s book traces the origins of this substance that has defined the man-made world through centuries of innovation and adaptation.
Curricular use: A useful addition to the 4th grade Soils, Rocks and Landforms unit.
Grades 5-6 (2022-23)
SEEN AND UNSEEN: WHAT DOROTHEA LANGE, TOTO MIYATAKE AND ANSEL ADAM'S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL ABOUT THE JAPANEST AMERICAN INCARCERATION
Elizabeth Partridge
SEEN AND UNSEEN: WHAT DOROTHEA LANGE, TOTO MIYATAKE AND ANSEL ADAM'S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL ABOUT THE JAPANEST AMERICAN INCARCERATION
Elizabeth Partridge
Elizabeth Partridge doesn’t disappoint. This meticulous, elegant book combines period photographs by the title photographers with dreamy watercolor and ink illustrations by illustrator Lauren Tamaki. It is a beautiful book chronicling an ugly topic, always focusing on the humanity and strength of everyday people thrust into a brutally cruel situation by their own country.
Curricular use: A great example of how primary sources enrich historical study.
FASHIONOPOLIS: THE SECRETS BEHIND THE CLOTHES WE WEAR
Dana Thomas
FASHIONOPOLIS: THE SECRETS BEHIND THE CLOTHES WE WEAR
Dana Thomas
Prepare to be shocked and appalled! Thomas, an editor for British Vogue, has written extensively on the topic. This book is the Young Readers Edition of her 2020 book for adults Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes. This engaging volume begins with the history of the textile industry and its influence on culture, then pivots to the state of current fast fashion as a destructive force both environmentally and socially. Did you know the average fast fashion top is worn seven times before being thrown away? Or that 20% fast fashion garments are never sold and wind up shredded or burned? This book can assist young people in making the decision of how and if they wish to participate in this global phenomenon.
Curricular use: Discussions of wants vs. needs; consumerism and its effects on the world.
Grades K-2 / Grades 3-4 (2021-22)
HOW TO FIND A FOX
Kate Gardner
This spare volume features beautiful photography of foxes that simulates coming face to face with these illusive and solitary creatures. The book highlights a fox’s ability to adapt to changing environments by showing them in a variety of settings. The simple text is fortified by short factual passages every few pages. There is also a meaningful statement from the photographer, Ossi Saarinen, about how to observe and photograph animals in the wild.
We are told “If you want to find a fox you must be as still as a pebble, and as quiet as the moon. You must be willing to wait…and wait.” This is a wonderful opportunity to discuss patience, quiet and gentleness as important social skills in dealing with animals and people.
BUTTERFLIES ARE PRETTY GROSS
Rosemary Mosco
This cheerful view of the less attractive aspects of creatures generally thought of as dainty and ethereal reminds us that all creatures, including ourselves, have behavioral quirks and perform metabolic functions that are just not pretty. This first volume of Mosco’s new Nature’s Top Secrets series examines feeding habits, odor, and butterflies whose bottoms look like a second head, all rendered in cheery panels featuring cheeky butterfly commentators. The endnotes contain info about seven species of butterflies.
This book would be a wonderful additional title for units on metamorphosis.
THE FLOATING FIELD: HOW A GROUP OF THAI BOYS BUILT THEIR OWN SOCCER FIELD
Scott Riley
Celebrating the democratizing effect of soccer, this book tells the story of a group of boys in Koh Panyee, Thailand, who in 1986 built themselves a playing field of floating planks to allow them to practice in their village built on stilts in the sea, where they previously had played on a shifting, oft-disappearing, sandbar.
This book would be a wonderful companion to 2020’s award-winning All Thirteen : The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team, by Christina Soontornvaat. Both stories highlight resilience and teamwork. In addition, the culture and geography of Thailand would make for a fascinating virtual field trip for all.
THE PIG WAR: HOW A PORCUPINE TRADEGY TAUGHT ENGLAND AND AMERICAN TO SHARE
Emma Bland Smith
This little-known tale of how a stray pig nearly caused an all-out war between England and America back in 1859 demonstrates how small conflicts can escalate quickly in the absence of cooler heads. When one farmer shot another’s pig on the small island of San Juan in the Pacific Northwest the resulting tensions nearly led to large scale conflict. This volume effectively uses folk-art style illustrations by Allison Jay and well-researched endnotes to convey the spirit and setting of a fascinating event.
This is a wonderful counterpoint to typical history lessons our students focus on, which usually emphasize events in the eastern U.S.
Grades 5-6 (2021-22)
Grades 5-6 (2021-22)
ESCAPE AT 10,000 FEET
ESCAPE AT 10,000 FEET
Tom Sullivan
In November, 1974, a man who identified himself as “D.B. Cooper” boarded a flight bound for Seattle in Portland, Oregon. During the flight he presented a hijack note to a flight attendant and, after having his demands met, leapt from the rear staircase of the plane at 10,000 feet and disappeared into the annals of history! This mind-boggling case is presented with diagrams, reproductions of artifacts, and typed up “case notes.”
This entertaining book presents a snapshot of a bygone era, in which anyone could buy a plane ticket and board a plane without being checked up on or searched. Skyjacking was a growing epidemic in the 1970s. The story would facilitate discussion of terrorism, security, and changes in laws and society that have improved saftey in some regards and failed in others.
BIG IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: A SHOT IN THE ARM
BIG IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: A SHOT IN THE ARM
Don Brown
Before vaccines, vast swathes of the population died of horrible diseases such as smallpox and polio. This timely entry from Don Brown’s series explores the history of vaccines and explains in graphic panels how brave and daring souls throughout history have explored the frontiers of microbiology to benefit humankind. It is important to note that the narrative of the book ends in pre-COVID19 vaccine 2020 because of the timing of it going to press.
The book's simple and straightforward treatment of viruses make it a useful companion to 5th and 6th grade biology units.
Grades K-2 / Grades 3-4 (2019-20)
YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Jason Chin
A perfect book for any young person who is trying to understand the vastness of our universe. It will most likely stimulate even more questions, but the words and drawings will help give readers a sense of scale to help their comprehension of a big subject.
HONEYBEE: THE BUSY LIFE OF APIS MELLIFERA
Candace Fleming
Candace Fleming, with her descriptions of a honeybee’s daily activities and life cycle, and Rohmann, with his very detailed and up-close illustrations of a honeybee, created the perfect book for kids who are interested in the creatures that make up our natural world.
HOW WOMEN WON THE VOTE
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Tells the story in illustrations, primary source photograph, letters, and by describing the key events and women that contributed to the first women's march in 1913, and the passage of the 19th Amendment.
GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE
Amy Novesky
Based on Anne-France Dautheville's solo ride around the world in the 1970s, this poetic journey follows an unnamed young Parisian of that era who makes good on her dream "to go Elsewhere." In two epic overland segments she travels across Canada, and then from Bombay to Paris—across vast prairies, deserts, and mountain ranges—stopping for warm encounters with local residents in many lands or (a realistic recurring theme) to repair her motorcycle, but mostly spending long hours alone. (from SLJ)
Grades 5-6 (2019-20)
BLACK HEROES OF THE WILD WEST
James Otis Smith
This graphic novel celebrates the story of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities in the Old West. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Mary Fields became famous as “Stagecoach Mary,” a cigar-chomping, cardplaying coach driver who never missed a delivery. Bass Reeves, the first black Deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi, was one of the wiliest lawmen in the territories, bringing thousands of outlaws to justice with his smarts. Bob Lemmons lived to be 99 years old and was so good with horses that the wild mustangs on the plains of Texas took him for one of their own. (adapted from Toon Books)
BOX
Carole Boston Weatherford
Lyrical text in poetic stanzas with illustrations recount the life of Henry Brown, a slave who escaped to freedom by nailing himself in a freight box. Concludes with a timeline and additional information about the writing of the book (from Mackin)
Page updated
Report abuse