1. Navajo Long Walk

by: Joseph Bruchac. Illustrated by: Shonto Begay

            This is a great step by step journey that includes important historical places, people, and dates that inform the reader about the Navajo Long Walk.  The writer and illustrator share emotion allowing the reader to obtain the information needed as well as make a personal connection.

18. The Good Luck Cat by: Joy Harjo & Illustrated by: Paul Lee

The story of a cat and all his nine lives. Great for animal lovers.

19. BOING! by Sean Taylor & Illustrated by: Bruce Ingman

The man with elastic legs gets into a dangerous predicamanet and gets himself out of danger with his elastic legs.

20. Some Things are Scary by: Florence Parry Heide & Illustrated by: Jules Feiffer

Really great book about things that may be scary to kids. Uses humour to make it silly and fun and okay to be afraid.

2. The Chimpanzee I Love By: Jane Goodall

Terrific informational book that takes you into the jungle and lives of chimpanzees. It talks about their habitat, communication, transportation, and lifestyle. Includes great photographs of chimps.

3. Wildfires by: Taylor Morrison

Inforamtional picture book with extensive text.  This book describes the reasons of controlled fire and dangers of unwanted fires and that fires are a part of nature.  It goes on the describe the plants and animals that need fire to survive. Good illustrations that hook the reader and help make connections to the text.

4. On Earth by: G.Brian Karas

Really terrific picture book that creativiely describes the earths movement around the sun and on its own axis explaining day to night and the seasons. Illustrations are also very good. This would be very good to use for an intro to a science lesson and have in the classroom library.

5. Memories of Anne Frank by: Alison Leslie Gold

In rememberance of Anne, her friend Hannah Goslar shares her own struggles and her memories of Anne who shared sleepovers and held onto hope when hope was no longer.  This book could be used in so many different ways. It is a step beyond The Dairy of Anne Frank.

FOLKTALE

1. Night Dancer

by: Marcia Vaughn. Illustrated by: Lisa Disimini

            Picture book folktale of the Kokopelli playing the flute while dancing to the moon with the animals.  The end of the book explains the different Kokopelli folktale according to the different tribe. 

2. The Old Man Who Made the Trees Bloom

by: Hanasaka Jijii. Illustrated by: Bunshu Iguchi

            Japanese folktale the depicts the ugliness of greed and the rewards of selflessness.

3. Brave Martha and the Dragon

by: Susan L.Roth

            Colorful folktale with many connections to the real world. The story reveals community problem solving to fight a dragon killing and eating all the towns’ farm animals and pets.

4. The Turkey Girl

by: Penny Pollack

            A Zuni Cinderella tale that is great for young girls in this area to relate to.  I really liked this book.

5. How the Rooster Got His Crown

 by: Amy Loury Poole

            Chinese folktale explaining why the rooster crows in the morning when the sun comes up.

6. The Love for Three Oranges

by: Sergei Prokofiev. Illustrated by: Elizabeth Gaudasinska

            Musical series of English folktales.  This particular story reveals inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.  It also has an underlying message that keeping promises is important.

7. Fabulous Beasts

 by: Monika Beisner

            This is a traditional folktale story book that explains all the extraordinary and magical beasts that are in the stories including half lions and half eagles, dragons, gulons, and big birds.  It was a cool book, that’s I’d just like to have.

8. Please, Malese!

By: Amy MacDonald. Illustrated by: Emily Lisker

            A tale of a trickster in African village.  He tricks his friends and neighbors into giving him free shoes, rum, and doing his yard work.

9. Cinderella

by: Barbara McClintock

            This is the English Cinderella story with a few different scenes and details.

10. Holy Mole

by: Caroline McAlister

            Mexican folktale of an orphan boy who makes everything yummy and good by his clumsiness.

POETRY

1. A Maze Me. Poems for Girls by: Naomi Shihab Nye

            Many sweet short poems about growing up a girl.  She reflects on big and small emotions and life changing actions or choices girls have to make as she also encourages the reader to write, write, write. I think this would be a great gift for a young girl who enjoys poetry or writing.

2. A Wreath for Emmett Till by: Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by: Philippe Lardy

            Very intense book of poetry that shares the emotions and images of racism. Emmett Till was a young boy who was lynched to death in 1955. This book of poems is dark and sad such as is racism.

3. Who Was the Woman Who Wore the Hat by: Nancy Patz

            Wonderment and curiosity that sparks the interest of the writer and reader about a hat that was in a Jewish museum. Who wore it and what did she does, is she a survivor of the Holocaust, was this her favorite hat? This would be a great addition to a unit about WWII or The Holocaust.

4. Butterfly Eyes & Other Secrets of the Meadow by: Joyce Sidman

            A collection of short fun poems that entertain the reader into science. They are great introductions to science lessons about plants and animals or the different climates in the world.  I thought it was fun!

5. Song of the Water Boatman by: Joyce Sidman

            Another collection by the same author as above. This collection of poetry for science is a little more advanced but just as entertaining.

Biography/Autobiography

1. Eleanor Roosevelt, The Lady of the World

By: The Editors if TIME for Kids with Dina El Nabli

     Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with simplified informationan and alot of photographs.  An easy read for information regarding Eleanor Roosevelt.

2. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography

By: Lemony Snicket, Introduced by Daniel Handler

     Interesting collection of letters and diary entries that describe Lemony Snicket to the readers. It is curious and creative and weird. 

3. When Abraham Talked to the Trees  By: Elizabeth Van Streenwyk & Illustrated by: Bill FArnsworth

A fantastic picture book biography detailing the life of Abraham Lincoln and how he became a sermon and president. Really good and very detailed illustrations.

4. The Soldier's Friend, A Life of Ernie Pyle. by:Ray Boomhower

Biography of the journalist that wrote about "Life in the Foxhole" to readers on the homefront during World War II.  His story reported about an officer was later made into a movie, The Story of G.I. Joe. Includes actaul writing samples and photographs taken.

Science Fiction

1. The Prometheus Project: Trapped by: Douglas E. Richards

Super interesting sci-fi book that connects with real factual science. The main characters are an older brother and younger sister whose parents are brilliant scientists working on a top-secret project exploring an alien underground city. The kids use their smarts to break into the city and with the help of the telepathic computer teacher in the city, saves their mother from a deadly accident.

2. An Audience for Einstein by: Mark Wakely

A scary look at the world of science when an intelligent doctor's morals become twisted.  This is a very good sci-fi that will leave you in deep thoughts long after you finish reading.

3. Uglies by:

Great sci-fi read for young ladies and adults.  This book challenges the idea of beauty and individuality with adventures and realtionships real-lie scenarios. Based in the future it also referrs to today and challenges our way of life.

Realistic Fiction

1. Billy the Kid Rides Again by: Jay Miller

It is a refreshing look at an old legend. The author shares his comprehensive knowledge of New Mexico politics to reveal that the legend of Billy the Kid is as much about the political motivations of Governor Lew Wallace and the presidential ambition of Governor Bill Richardson.

2. Summer Trouble by: Jonny Zucker

A new outlook on the neihborhood bully, this book celebrates clubhouses, forts and reflects on the outcome and troubles of bullies.

3. Hardships by: Jenna Skye

With these six compelling short stories, teenagers are confronted with problems or have had experiences that impacted their lives. The help of friends and self-determination encourage them to overcome the difficulties in life. Filled with real issues and interesting characters, this book reveals the truth that the human spirit can conquer anything!