February 15, 2002

Walter Hays School

Social/Emotional Learning

Reading List.*

--Students--

Justice

Preschool

Chicken Sunday, Pat Polacco WH E Pol / PACL PB Polacco

The author draws from a childhood experience as she recalls how she and two African-American friends create an ingenious plan to buy a special Easter hat for the boys' grandmother, a lady well known for her wonderful chicken dinners. Horn Book. (Ages: Preschool). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Ages 4-8

The Ballot Box Battle, Emily Arnold McCully WH E McC / PACL PB McCully

McCully creates a fictional neighbor for Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the person of young Cordelia, whose thoughts are almost entirely taken up by horses. Mrs. Stanton, who is age 65, tells Cordelia about her childhood and how she sought to assuage her father's grief over her brother Eleazur's death by learning and accomplishing as much as any boy. She also describes her father's reaction--"How I wish you were a boy" --which only made her more determined to fight for equality. Stanton then prods a reluctant Cordelia into accompanying her as she unsuccessfully tries to cast a ballot. . . An author's note gives further information about Stanton and women's fight for the vote. Booklist. (Ages 4-8),

Bee My Valentine, Marion Cohen WH E Coh / PACL PB Cohen

With some people getting lots of cards and others not, Jim and his friends set out to make Valentine's Day a wonderful holiday for everyone in the first grade. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Berenstain Bears and the Slumber Party, Stan & Jan Berenstain OL E Ber / PACL PB Berenstain

Brother and Sister Bear learn a valuable lesson in behaving away from home. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Berenstain Bears and the Truth, Stan & Jan Berenstain WH E Ber / PACL PB Berenstain

When Brother and Sister Bear accidentally break Mama's favorite lamp, their little lie grows bigger and bigger, until Papa Bear helps them find the words that set everything right again. Book Description. (Ages 4-8).

The Berenstain Bears Go out for the Team, Stan & Jan Berenstain WH E Ber / PACL PB Berenstain

When backyard sluggers Brother and Sister join the Bear Country Cub League, they get real uniforms and play on a baseball field. They also have pressure to win and competition from the other cubs. Mama's advice helps them prepare sensibly for team sports. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

Big Orange Splot, Daniel Pinkwater OL E Pin / PACL PB Pinkwater

When Mr. Plumbeans' house is splashed with bright orange paint, he decides a multi-colored house would be a nice change. . . [A] favorite story of creativity and individuality. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Biggest Bear, Lynd Ward WH E War / PACL PB Ward

Johnny Orchard brings home a playful bear cub that soon becomes a nuisance to the neighbors. Ingram. (Ages 4-8) (Caldecott Medal Winner 1953).

Dear Benjamin Banneker, Andrea Davis Pinkney WH 921 Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was born free when most blacks were still enslaved. A self-taught mathematician and astronomer, he was the author of the first published almanac written by a black man. Throughout his life Bannecker was troubled that all blacks were not free. So, in 1791, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Here is the extraordinary correspondence between the two men. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad, F. N. Monjo WH E Mon / PACL Juv Reader Fiction Monjo

[T]ale of a young boy, the son of an Underground Railroad conductor, whose quick thinking saves a family of runaway slaves one night. The suspenseful easy reader emphasizes the courage and conviction of both the escaping slaves and those who helped them to freedom. Horn Book. (Ages 4-8). Reader.

The Eggs: A Greek Folk Tale, Aliki WH E Aliki

A sea captain must depart in haste from the inn where he has eaten a meal of four fried eggs. He returns six years later to pay his debt and discovers that the innkeeper's prices have gone up considerably--500 gold pieces he demands--but a clever lawyer finds a way around the innkeeper's avarice. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Enchanted Book: A Tale from Krakow, Janina Proazinska OL 398.21 Pro / PACL 398 P832e

A retelling of the traditional Polish tale in which the youngest miller's daughter succeeds in outwitting an evil sorcerer. IPac. (Ages 4-8).

500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Dr. Seuss WH E Seu / PACL PB Seuss

When Bartholomew visits town one day, selling cranberries at the market for his parents, the King's procession screeches to a halt in front of him; King Derwin then leans out of his coach, demanding to know why Bartholomew hasn't respectfully removed his hat. "But, Sire, my hat is off." He shows the king the hat in his hands that he's just doffed, but sure enough, another identical one sits atop his head. He takes that hat off only to reveal another... and another, and another, and another. Amazon.com. (Ages 4 to 8). (Recommended in Valerie and Walter's Best Books for Children).

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jean Marzollo WH 921 King, M / PACL Juv Bio K35ma
Celebrating the birthday of the great civil rights leader, an illustrated biography of Martin Luther King offers young readers a moving tribute to King and his important life. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

I Am Your Misfortune, Marguerita Rudolph WH 398.2 Rud

When the poorer of two brothers captures his misfortune in a box, his luck changes, and so does that of his mean rich brother. IPac. (Ages 4-8).

King of Another Country, Fiona French PACL PB French

Preoccupied with his own pursuits- -hunting; playing drums while others sleep--Ojo refuses to help anyone until a tree spirit--roused to anger when Ojo takes his fruit--takes him to a kingdom within the tree, where he becomes king on condition that he sometimes says ``Yes'' instead of ``No.'' Ojo rules well, marries, and in time returns with his wife to his village, more accommodating and also happier because he's learned to say ``Yes.'' Kirkus Reviews. (Ages 4-8).

The King's Chessboard, David Birch WH E Bir / PACL PB Birch

When the wise man refuses to accept a reward for his service to the king, the king insists and so the wise man asks for a payment of rice for each square of the king's chessboard--the amount to be doubled each day. Soon the royal granaries are almost empty--will the proud king concede that he has been outwitted? Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Little Red Hen, Byron Barton OL 398.24 Lit / PACL Juv 398 L778rhb

The Little Red Hen, Janina Domanska

The Little Red Hen, Paul Galdone OL 398.24 Lit / PACL Juv 398 L778rhb

Other Authors: WH 398.24 Zie, Lit

Unaided by her three lazy animal companions, an industrious hen tends to all the chores on their New England farm. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Lorax, Dr. Seuss WH E Seu / PACL PB Seuss

In this cautionary tale of greed and environmental destruction, the lovable Lorax tries to save the Truffula Forest and its inhabitants from disaster at the hands of the cantankerous Once-ler. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Memory Coat, Elvira Woodruff PACL PB Woodruff

When the raids of the Cossacks drive the family to leave for America, Grandmother Bubba tries to get Grisha to leave his tattered coat: how will he pass the dreaded inspections at Ellis Island? If he looks too weak, the doctors might send him back to Russia. But the boy refuses to part with the coat because it is lined with the wool from his mother's coat, stitched by her for him before she died. When they get to Ellis Island . . . the doctor marks his coat with an "E." The family is frantic that he will be sent back to Russia, until Rachel has an idea: she turns the coat inside out, and Grisha gets through. In a long, interesting author's note, Woodruff discusses the shtetl and immigrant history, and also the true account she found in the Ellis Island museum of a child who got through the dreaded inspections after her family turned her coat inside out. Booklist. (Ages 4-8).

One Fine Day, Nonny Hogrogian WH E Hog / PACL 398 H716o

"One fine day a fox traveled through the great forest. When he reached the other side he was very thirsty." The jaunty red fox stole milk from an old farm woman, lost his tail under the annoyed woman's knife, and spent the day bargaining to get it back. Book Description. (Ages 4-8). (Caldecott Medal Winner 1972).

The Pain and the Great One, Judy Blume WH E Blu / PACL PB Blume

An eight-year-old girl, "The Great One," and her six-year-old brother, "The Pain," state their cases about each other and who is best loved by their parents. From the Publisher. (Ages 4-8).

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr., David Adler WH 921 King, M / PACL Juv Bio K53ap

A brief, illustrated, biography of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped American blacks win many battles for equal rights. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Rough-Face Girl, Rafe Martin OL 398.2 Mar / PACL 398M382r

In this powerful retelling of a Native-American Cinderella story, the Rough-Face Girl, the youngest of three daughers, is so named because years of tending the fire have scarred her face and arms. She earns the love of and the right to marry the powerful Invisible Being by seeing him in the beauty of the earth around her. Horn Book. (Ages 4-8).

The Secret Room, Uri Shulevitz OL 398.21 Shu / PACL 398 S562s
Envy and guile are punished and wisdom and humility rewarded in this plainly told picture-book parable. On a desert pilgrimage, a king encounters an old man whose beard is black but whose hair is gray. When the king demands to know why, the old man replies, "Because my head is older than my beard." Impressed by the answer and by the old man's clever outwitting of the king's chief counselor, the king rewards the old man with a position in his court and makes him a trusted adviser. The jealous chief counselor determines to undo the old man but instead undoes himself. Booklist. (Ages 4-8).

The Sign in Mendel's Window, Mildred Phillips OL E Phi / PACL PB Phillips

Mendel's sign has the whole town asking questions! Times are tough, so Mendel must rent out half his butcher shop. When a stranger arrives needing a room, he seems the answer to Mendel's prayers. But someone in the village is a thief, and only Mendel's wife can tell who the villain might be. Book Description. (Ages 4-8).

The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf WH E Lea / PACL PB Leaf

Published over 50 years ago, The Story of Ferdinand is one of the bestselling children's books of all time, and the bull who preferred sitting under the cork tree and smelling flowers to fighting has become a hero to generations of children. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

Strega Nona: An Old Tale, Tomie DePaola WH E De / PACL 398 D419s

Strega Nona -- "Grandma Witch" -- is the source for potions, cures, magic, and comfort in her Calabrian town. Her magical everfull pasta pot is especially intriguing to hungry Big Anthony. He is supposed to look after her house and tend her garden but one day, when she goes over the mountain to visit Strega Amelia, Big Anthony recites the magic verse over the pasta pot, with disastrous results. Book Description. (Ages 4-8). (Caldecott Honor Book 1976).

This Farm is a Mess, Leslie McGuire OL E McG

Unable to stand the mess on Farmer Wood's farm any longer, the animals decide to do something about it. Ipac. (Ages 4-8).

Three Gold Pieces: A Greek Folktale, Aliki

Yannis worked ten years to make enough money to take home to his family. After all that time and labor, he earns only three gold pieces--and now his master wants them back in return for three pieces of advice. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

The Three Little Javelinas, Susan Lowell WH E Low / PACL PB Lowell

Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs, but now you're going to meet the three little javelinas--lovable, wild, southwestern cousins of pigs--as they try to outsmart the coyote who had hoped to eat them with red chile sauce. Ingram. (Ages 4-8).

Tyrone the Horrible, Hans Wilhelm WH E Wil

This is a funny story about Tyrone, the dinosaur, who was the world's first bully. http://www.marshall-es.marshall.k12.tn.us/jobe/Read-Write/dinosaur/dinosaurs.html. (Ages 4-8).

White Socks Only, Evelyn Coleman WH E Col

On a hot Mississippi day, a young girl innocently drinks from the "whites only" fountain, thinking it meant only that she had to do so while standing in her white socks, only to come face to face with the harsh realities of racism. Ingram. (Ages 4-8). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Ages 9-12

The Cabin Faced West, Jean Fritz WH F Fri / PACL Juv Fiction Fritz

A satisfying story which conveys some of the loneliness, despair, and hardships of pioneer life. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

Call It Courage, Armstrong Sperry WH F Spe / PACL 398.2 S751c

A legendary adventure story of how Mafatu, the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a Polynesian race who worships courage, conquers his fear of the sea and proves he isn't a coward. Ingram. (Ages 9-12). (Newbery Medal Winner 1941).

The Day Gogo Went to Vote: South Africa, April 1994, Elinor Batezat Sisulu OL E Sis / PACL PB Sisulu
Thembi accompanies her elderly great-grandmother (her Gogo) to the polling station on April 26, 1994, the day that black South Africans were allowed to vote for the first time. The book quietly but purposefully introduces the injustice of apartheid and the joy felt by so many when it was legally abolished. www.Heartwoodethics.org. (Ages 9-12).

Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War, Yukio Tsuchiya OL F Tsu

The true story of the fate of three elephants at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo during World War II. When the bombs began falling, people feared the cages would be broken and dangerous animals would be loose, so an order was given to kill all the animals--even the gentle elephants. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

How to Eat Fried Worms and Other Plays, Thomas Rockwell WH 812.54 Roc / PACL Fiction Rockwell

By way of a bet, Billy gets into the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. Should he succeed, his friend Alan will have to pay him $50, enough to buy the minibike Billy pines for. The worms are readily supplied by his opponent, and Billy has a free choice of condiments, from peanut butter to horseradish. With his wavering courage bolstered by the moral suppport of his friends and family, Billy munches away courageously. But there is many a slip twixt the worm and the lip, and the outcome of the bet is continually in doubt. Alan's not giving up $50 for any old worms. What will Billy do? Book Description. (Ages 9-12).

I Have A Dream, Dr. Martin Luther King WH 305.89 Kin / PACL PB King

On August 28, 1963, Dr. King delivered a speech that moved and inspired America. This gloriously produced collectible book is the perfect way to remind everyone--young and old--that the dream must be kept alive. Ingram. (Ages 9-12). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folktale, Margot Zemach WH 398.2 Zem / PACL PB Zemach
A man who complains about living in a hut with his mother, wife and six children, doesn't realize how good he has it. The man's Rabbi suggests that moving the family's livestock indoors is the answer. The resulting chaos makes the man truly appreciate his family and their humble home. www.heartwoodethics.org. (Ages 9-12). (Caldecott Honor Book 1978).

John Brown: One Man Against Slavery, Gwen Everett OL 921 Brown / PACL PB Everett
Martyr or fanatic--who was John Brown? Author Gwen Everett explores the life of the legendary abolitionist who raided the U.S. Government Arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown's sincere belief that God created everyone equal drove him to challenge slavery at all costs--his own life, if necesarry. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

Kid Power, Susan Pfeffer OL F Pfe / PACL F Pfeffer

Eleven-year-old Janie advertises to do odd jobs in her neighborhood and receives so much business, she hires her friends and becomes manager of the Kid Power Agency. IPac. (Ages 9-12).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis WH F Lew / PACL F Lewis

Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they come to the aid of Aslan, the golden lion, in his battle against the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Walter Myers OL 921 Malcolm X / PACL Bio L778m

Myers has done a fine job of introducing the reader to Malcolm X and of detailing his life from childhood through his time in prison to his rise to leadership of the Nation of Islam. Historical information about civil rights in the United States clarifies Malcolm's choices. Horn Book. (Ages 9-12). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Mississippi Bridge, Mildred Taylor WH F Tay / PACL F Taylor

Jeremy Simms watches from the porch of the general store as the passengers board the weekly bus from Jackson. When several white passengers arrive late, the driver roughly orders the black passengers off to make room. Then, in the driving rain, disaster strikes, and Jeremy witnesses a shocking end to the day's drama. Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, this is a gripping story of racial injustice. Book Description. (Ages 9-12). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert O'Brian WH F O'Br / PACL Fiction O'Brian

When mouse widow Mrs. Frisby needs advice on how to move her children safely, she consults the rats who live under the rosebush. Not only do they help her, they tell her of their escape from a laboratory where experimentation had made them literate, and of the brave death of her husband. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

(Newbery Medal Winner 1972).

My Brother Stevie, Eleanor Clymer OL F Cly (Ages 9-12).

An unmanageable younger brother makes life difficult for his sister until a sympathetic school teacher befriends and helps them both. IPac. (Ages 9-12).

Salt: A Russian Folktale, retold by Jane Langton PACL 398 L286s

Believing one of his sons to be a useless dreamer, a merchant denies him the valuable cargo he gives the others, but through a boatload of salt the poorest son makes his fortune after all in this Russian folktale. Ingram. (Ages 9-12).

Soup, Robert Peck WH F Pec / PACL F Peck

When it came to getting the two of us in trouble, Soup was a regular genius....Soup was my best pal. Here are the stories of that friendship, and of the troubles--stories from a boyhood filled with barrels to roll in, apples to whip, windows to break, ropes to bind prisoners, acorn pepes, and ten-cent Saturday movies. But then as always nothing was quite as important as a best friend. From the Publisher. (Ages 9-12).

Soup and Me, Robert Peck WH F Pec / PACL F Peck

The further adventures and misadventures of Rob and Soup, two boys growing up in a small Vermont town. IPac. (Ages 9-12).

Watsons Go to Birmingham,Christopher Curtin WH F Cur / PACL F Curtis

[F]ourth-grader Kenny Watson tells about his African American family in Flint, Michigan, in 1963. We get to know his strict, loving parents and his tough older brother, who gets into so much trouble his parents decide to take him back "home" to Birmingham, Alabama, where maybe his strong grandmother will teach him some sense. . . Racism and the civil rights movement are like a soft rumble in the background, especially as the Watsons drive south. Then Kenny's cute little sister is in a Birmingham church when a bomb goes off. She escapes (Curtis doesn't exploit the horror), but we're with Kenny as he dreads that she's part of the rubble. . . [W]e see how racist terror can invade the shelter of home. Booklist. (Ages 9-12). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children). (Newbery Honor Book 1996).

When Stories Fell Like Shooting Stars, Valiska Gregory

Two original, allegorical tales demonstrate different options for action in the real world. In the first, the sun falls to earth, and Fox covers it with a cloth, announcing that from now on he will control day and night. Weasel and Crow dispute Fox's power, divide the animals into factions, and begin a war that ends with a scorched earth and a forgotten sun. In the second story, Bear finds the moon fallen to earth. He and the other animals work together to return it to the sky and, later, listen to the story of what they did. Book List. (Ages 9-12). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Witness, Karen Hesse OL F Hes / PACL Juv New F Hesse

Hesse tells a story of the Ku Klux Klan in a small town in Vermont in 1924 . . . [using] 11 different voices, each one distinct, including two kids who are new to town--Leonora Sutter, 12, who is black, and Esther Hirsh, 6, who is Jewish. Then there are various adult townspeople: the violent Klan bigots (who attack "those who are not like us" in the name of Protestantism and patriotism), the antiracist crusaders, and the bystanders. Most interesting is Merlin, 18, who starts off in flaming hatred but changes. Then there's the affectionate married couple--he's in the Klan; she's against it. Booklist. (Ages 9-12).

Ages 13 and up

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain WH F Twa / PACL Fiction Twain

The setting is a small Mississippi River town in the 1830s, and the characters are the grownups and the children of the town. The book's nostalgic attitude and its wistful re-creation of pre-Civil War life are humorously spiced by its main character, Tom Sawyer. Rather than the preternaturally "model boy" of Sunday-school stories, Tom is mischievous and irresponsible but goodhearted. Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature. (Ages: Young Adult).

Spite Fences, Trudy Krisher OL F Kri

While dealing with her dysfunctional family and racist neighbors, thirteen-year-old Maggie struggles with prejudice and injustice in her small Georgia town. Poor and white, Maggie develops friendships with two black activists, then witnesses the horrible beatings both receive. The suspenseful story of the civil-rights era provides a believable, courageous heroine. Horn Book. (Ages Young Adult). (Recommended in Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children).

Not Reviewed

Ages 4-8

Korean Cinderella, Edward Adams WH 398.21 Kor (Ages 4-8).

Sniffles, Stephen Cosgrove (Ages 4-8).

Ages Unspecified

Adventures of Nicolas, Helen Siiteri

The Green Thumb Thief, Mary Christian

How Do You Know Who's a Stranger? Margaret Holland

Moose, Michael Foreman

---

* We have not yet had the chance to read all the books recommended, so you might to pre-read the selections if you are concerned about content. Of those we have read, we added a notation if we thought the theme might pose some problems for you (such as death, capital punishment, or discussion of the topic in the context of a religious holiday).

Books marked WH are in our library, OL in other Palo Alto School District libraries, PACL at the Palo Alto Children's Library, PAMain at Palo Alto Main Library and PAMP at Palo Alto Mitchell Park Library.