Something Beautiful

Author	Juana Martinez-Neal
ISBN	0763693553

What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be.

If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for...

Author	Barb Rosenstock
ISBN	0307978486

I started regularly going to art museums by the time I was 8 years old and Kandinsky was my first favorite painter, and even though I no longer consider him a favorite, I do appreciate his art and I still have interest in him and his work. I never knew about his synesthesia until recently, and while I’ve...

Author	Patricia Polacco
ISBN	0399226710

3.5 stars. Such a sad story. As you might expect from a Patricia Polacco book, this is uplifting and gives you hope in human nature and it is heartbreakingly sad and makes you despair too.

The American Civil war is something I know very little about, this gives you a taste of what it was like for young...

Author	Matt de la Pena
ISBN	0399257748

Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2015
A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of 2015

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the...

Author	Calvin Alexander Ramsey
ISBN	0761352554

In the not so distant past, traveling America's highways was not easy for the black motorist. Many restaurants, hotels, and even gas stations refused service to African Americans. In 1936, Victor Green, an African American from New York, listed all the businesses that would serve black travelers...

Author	Tomie dePaola
ISBN	0156681404

Oliver likes to partake in activities that the other boys don't like to do. His parents decide that he needs to get some type of exercise, so Oliver decides that he wants to take dance classes. He really likes it, but the boys at school tease him for it; they tease him even more when some female classmates...

Author	Trudy Ludwig
ISBN	1582464502

A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a friend…

Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party... until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian...

Author	Ashley Spires
ISBN	1554537045

Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work....

Author	Bill Cotter
ISBN	1402287461

This fun, interactive book stars Larry, the purple monster. He is friendly, happy and completely non-threatening. He is having a meltdown because he has privy to a red button and he knows you are not to push it. He agonizes over the fact that that button is off limits...but oh he wants you to push it sooooooo...

Author	Istvan Banyai
ISBN	0140557741

As seen on the SERIAL podcast, season 2, episode 1 ("Dustwun")!

Open this wordless book and zoom from a farm to a ship to a city street to a desert island. But if you think you know where you are, guess again. For nothing is ever as it seems in Istvan Banyai's sleek, mysterious landscapes of pictures...

Author	Arthur Dorros
ISBN	0140562257

I found this book at a thrift store the other day, and as soon as I saw it a memory was triggered: my own Abuela (aka Grammie) would read stacks of books to us grandchildren and this was one of them. I had forgotten all about it! I didn't buy it, but it was nice to glance through it and have some good memories. It...

Author	Mem Fox
ISBN	0152060308

Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. They may not speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different. But inside, they are all alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our...

Author	Todd Parr
ISBN	0316155624

It's Okay to be Different is such a bright and cheerful picture book. See those quirky DayGlo illustrations on the front cover? That is the kind of smiley fun you're in for throughout the book. At once a self esteem booster and a celebration of individuality, kids young and young at heart will love this...

Author	Eve Bunting
ISBN	0618434771

Farah feels alone, even when surrounded by her classmates. She listens and nods but doesn’t speak. It’s hard being the new kid in school, especially when you’re from another country and don’t know the language. Then, on a field trip to an apple orchard, Farah discovers there are lots of things...

Author

Deborah Wiles

John Henry swims better than anyone I know.
He crawls like a catfish,
blows bubbles like a swamp monster,
but he doesn't swim in the town pool with me.
He's not allowed.
Joe and John Henry are a lot alike. They both like shooting marbles, they both want to be firemen, and they both love...

Author	Karen Katz
ISBN	0805071636

A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective.

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Through...

Author	Jacqueline Woodson
ISBN	0399239863

The story of one family’s journey north during the Great Migration starts with a little girl in South Carolina who finds a rope under a tree one summer. She has no idea the rope will become part of her family’s history. But for three generations, that rope is passed down, used for everything from jump...

Author	Robert Coles
ISBN	0439598443

"Please, God, try to forgive those people. Because even if they say those bad things, They don't know what they're doing."

This is the true story of an extraordinary 6-year-old who helped shape history when she became the first African-American sent to first grade in an all white school. This...

Author	Jacqueline Woodson
ISBN	0399231161

Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.

With the addition of a brand-new author's...

Author	Alexandra Penfold
ISBN	0525579656

A warm, welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids.

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yamulkes play side-by-side with friends...