M.L.K.: Journey of a King

Title: M.L.K.: Journey of a King
2008 NCTE Orbis Pictus Winner
Author: Tonya Bolden
Published: 2007
Interesting Facts: (1) "...there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression...we are not wrong in what we are doing. If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong" (pg 22). (2) In 1957 during MLK's participation in the Montgomery bus boycott MLK received an anonymous phone call, "Nigger, we are tired of you and your mess...we're going to blow your brains out and blow up your house" (pg 26). Martin prayed, "I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid...I am at the end of my powers." Martin listened to his inner voice, " 'Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth, and God will be at your side forever' " (pg 26). (3) "That night, ML. was at a mass meeting when told that his home had been bombed...he was 'on the verge of corroding hate...' He dug deep for the strength to love...he understood well what the love Jesus preached really meant. He knew that it was neither the love that he felt for...his friends, nor...for Coretta, but rather agape...a higher, harder love: a love that has nothing to do with liking a person, a love worthy of people who do you no good and even do you wrong. Agape says to see past a person's sins to the soul God loves" (pg 28-29). (4) "Nothing could tear M.L. away from the movement. Not defeat in Albany. Not the lure of a guaranteed annual inome of $100,000...Not nonstop death threats. Not a pummeling from a burly neo-Nazi, Roy James, during an address. M.L. made no attempt at self-defense. At one point, he even lowered his hands from his face. 'I'm not interested in pressing charges,' he later said. ' I'm interested in changing the kind of system that produces this kind of man...' " (pg 67) (5) MLK's letter to clergymen who felt that blacks fighting for the promises of democracy were being too impatient, "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights...Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, 'Wait...' when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous cloud of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people...when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of 'nobodiness--' then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait" (pg 74).
Curriculum/Pathfinder Suggestion:
US National History Standards, Grades K-4, Standard 4C: Describe how historical figures in the United States and other parts of the world have advanced the rights of individuals and promoted the common good, and identify character traits such as persistence, problem solving, moral responsibility, and respect for others that made them successful.

US National History Standards, Grades 5-12, Postwar United States, Standard 2C: Evaluate how Vietnamese and Americans experienced the war and how the war continued to affect postwar politics and culture.

Now Is Your Time: The African American Struggle for Freedom

Title: Now Is Your Time: The African American Struggle for Freedom
1992 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Published: 1991
Interesting Facts: (1) "Since no one had to hire a black person, whites...could refuse...jobs to young blacks; the law would declare them wards of the state and force them to apprentice for their former masters..." Black Codes "gave former owners of Africans the right to reclaim them as slaves" (pg. 197). (2) "...racism was not about white people liking or not liking black people. It was about controlling the economies of the country by keeping blacks dependent on whites." (3) As a writer for a newspaper called the New York Age, Ida Wells, "...delivered the message that black men and black women were as deserving of justice as whites" (pg. 213). Ida Wells, "did more to curtail the practice of lynching than any other person" (pg. 214). (4) Psychologist Dr. Kenneth B. Clark debunked the notion of separate but equal when he conducted a doll test which provided clear evidence that "African American children did not just feel separated from white children, they felt that the separation was based on their inferiority...Brown vs. Board of Education showed that children who felt inferior also performed poorly" (pg. 256-257). (5) The nature of the fight for democracy changed over time. Nat Turner organized revolts against his enslavers; the 54th fought in the Civil War; Ida B. Wells organized protest by publishing stories in newspapers; Lewis H. Latimer tried earn his way to equality by the works of his inventions; Brown vs. Board of Education ushered in a legal battle for equality (pg. 258).
Curriculum/Pathfinder Suggestion: National US History Standards, Grades 3-4, Standard 8C:
Explain the significance of the printing press, the computer, and electronic developments in communication, and describe their impact on the spread of ideas

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement

Title: Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement
2007 Sibert Honor Book
Author: Ann Bausum
Published: 2006
Interesting Facts: (1) "The Freedom Rides did not begin in 1961. They did not even begin in 1947 with the first organized test of interstate bus segregation. As far back as the 19th century African Americans had challenged segregated seating on public transportation (pg. 35). (2) "Perhaps Southern racists thought that the Freedom Riders--so beaten and scattered--had been defeated at last, but they were wrong again" (pg. 51). Citizens from around the country watched a battered and bruised Jim Zwerg on the evening news issue a statement from his hospital bed, "Segregation must be stopped...We're going on to New Orleans no matter what. We're dedicated to this...We're willing to accept death" (pg 51). (3) "Jim Zwerg's hospital bed statement, broadcast over national television served as a clarion cry for action...Individuals...headed off to join the Freedom Rides. Black and white, young and old, students, professors, members of the clergy, rabbis, Quakers, Northerners and Southerners, males and females alike, boarded trains, buses, and even airplanes bound for the segregated South--from Arkansas to Florida, from Georgia to Louisiana" (pg. 53). (4) Jim Zwerg reflected on his participation in freedom rides and the media attention that he received, " 'I'm nothing special. I'm a dentist's kid from Wisconsin who happened to get on a bus with some friends who got the hell beat out of him. Think of the hundreds of kids...especially black students, that put it on the line and nobody knows their names.' By being white-skinned, notes Zwerg, he drew extra attention among news reporters" (pg. 66-67). (5) "In 1963, just two years after the Freedom Rides, hundreds of thousands of Americans--black and white, young and old...gathered as one to champion equality and human rights during the August 28 March on Washington" (pg. 68).
Curriculum/Pathfinder Suggestion:
National US History Standards, Grades 3-4, Standard 4E: Analyze songs, symbols, and slogans that demonstrate freedom of expression and the role of protest in a democracy.

Through My Eyes: The Autobiography of Ruby Bridges

Title: Through My Eyes: The Autobiography of Ruby Bridges
2000 NCTE Orbis Pictus Winner
Author: Ruby Bridges/ edited by Margo Lundell
Published: 1999
Interesting Facts: (1) Mrs. Henry talks about her time as Ruby's first grade teacher, " To help Ruby, I tried to explain integration more than once...I didn't want to allow hate to enter her life and in any way diminish her beautiful spirit...I told her that the other children would come back to school eventually. When she asked how soon that would be, I had no answer. Ruby never complained, but I knew she was lonely (2) Ruby talks about an incident that happened on the playground at the end of her first year of school, "...a little white boy refused to play with me. 'I can't play with you...My mama said not to because you're a nigger...' I would have done the same thing. If my mama said not to do something, I didn't do it" (50). (3) Ruby talks about the impact that 1960 had on her family life, " I think the pressure my family was under in 1960 caused serious problems in the marriage...After my parents separated, my mother moved us children out of our house on France Street and into a housing project. Over the next few years, my mother had a rough time financially" (pg 56). (4) Ruby talks about her educational opportunities after high school. "After graduating from high school, I remember wanting to go to college. I regret not having that experience. My mother thought doors would automatically open for me as a result of what I had accomplished in 1960, but there was no one around to help lead me through those doors as I was led through the doors of William Frantz" (pg 56-57). (5) Ruby talks about her feelings regarding 1960, " For a long time, I was tempted to feel bitter about the school integration experience, not understanding why I had to go through it and go through it alone. Now I know it was meant to be that way. People are touched by the story of the black child who was so alone (pg 60).
Curriculum Suggestion:
US National History Standards, Grades K-4, Standard 4B: Identify ordinary people who have believed in the fundamental democratic values such as justice, truth, equality, the rights of the individual, and responsibility for the common good, and explain their significance.

US National History Standards, Grades 5-12, Postwar United States, Standard 4A: Explain the resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Title: Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
2007 Sibert Honor Book, 2oo7 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
Author: Russell Freedman
Published: 2006
Interesting Facts: (1) "...Women's Political Council...had been founded three years earlier when the local League of Women Voters refused to accept blacks...segregated seating on public buses became the group's most pressing issue..." (pg 10). (2) People said that Rosa Parks did not move from her seat on the bus because she was tired. Rosa Parks has said, " 'But that isn't true...I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day...No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.' She had made up her mind long before that if she was ever asked to give up her seat for a white person, she would refuse" (pg 27). (3) People that cared for Mrs. Parks warned her not to allow her case to be used in the courts to put an end to segregation laws, " '...the white folks will kill you, Rosa...Don't do anything to make trouble, Rosa.' Racially motivated killings were not uncommon in the Jim Crow South. Early that year, two black men had been shot dead in Mississippi while trying to register African Americans voters" (pg. 31). (4) ...two days after the boycott ended, a shotgun blast was fired into King's home...a car pulled up to a bust stop where a 15-year-old black girl was standing...men jumped out, beat her, and drove away...shotgun snipers began to fire at integrated buses,, sending a pregnant black woman to the hospital with bullet wounds..." (pg. 89-90). (5) "Rosa Parks never expected to make history. ' I had no idea when I refused to give up my seat on that Montgomery bus that my small action would help put an end to enforced segregation in the South...' the Montgomery bus boycott marked the beginning of what we now recognize as the modern civil rights movement" (pg 89).
Curriculum/Pathfinder Suggestion:
US National History Standards, Postwar, Grades 5-12, Standard 4c: Identify the major social, economic, and political issues affecting women and explain the conflicts these issues engendered.

Before We Were Free

Title: Before We Were Free
2004 Pura Belpre Winner
Author: Julia Alvarez
Published: 2002
Cultural Group Represented: Dominican
Examples of Dominican Republic culture: (1) During the 1960s a disenchanted segment of the Dominican Republican population ( the democratic Dominican Revolutionary party led by Bosch) grew disenchanted with what they perceived to be the oppressive regime of the conservative Social Christian Reform party led by authoritarian, General Trujillo. Before We Were Free is a historical novel based on a populist movement to overthrow General Trujillo which resulted in years of civil war and political unrest*. (2)With a tinge of resentment, Anita, the narrator of Before, comments on the dominance of American culture, "Although the Pilgrims never came to the Dominican Republic, we are attending the American school, so we have to celebrate American holidays." A picture of George Washington on the school walls and the Plymouth that Anita's dad drives are other examples of American influences. (3) Anita observes how identification of self as American is constructed by suppressing a non American's mother tongue, "`United Estates! United Estates!` somebody in the back row mimics. Lots of classmates snicker, even some Dominicans. I hate it when the American kids make fun of the way we speak English." (4) Anita's American teacher treats Anita and her Dominican classmates unfairly, "Mrs. Brown always gives the not-so-good parts to those of us in class who are Dominicans." (5) The environment at Anita's American school does not affirm her Dominican identity. At her American school Anita's personality is suppressed and she is withdrawn, "I feel lazy and bored...I talk too much, like a little parrot...But then at school, I'm the total opposite and Mrs Brown complains that i need to speak up more." (6) Dominican Republic celebrates its independence in February, Anita thinks back to the "...the recitation contest on Independence Day last February." (7) Ginger plants are widely grown in the Caribbeans. Outside Anita's home, "Porfirio is watering the ginger plants..." (8) In many cultures, an ancestor or elder is present and usually represents wisdom. Throughout the novel, Anita's family defer to her grandmother, Chucha, for wisdom: Chucha says, "No flies fly into a closed mouth" and "black moths are an omen of bad luck" and "Mundin discovered a carved stone Chucha said would bring rain." (9) The characters in this novel speak Spanish and English. Spanish is the official language in the Dominican Republic. (10) Anita's family includes her extended family. They all live together on a compound. "Mundin gets to drive the car up and down all the driveways that connect the houses in the compound." Extended families are characteristic of Caribbean families.
* http://kids.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=DominicanR

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Title: Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
2008 Pura Belpre' Honor Book
Author: Carmen Agra Deedy
Published: 2007
Group: Cuban

Cultural Indicators: (1) The species of cockroach called the Panclora nivea or the Cuban cockroach is thought to be beautiful by some for its iridescent green color. In this story, Martina is hailed as the beautiful cockroach. (2)Spanish is the official language of Cuba. Spanish words are diffused throughout the story: abuela, muchacha, senorita, cafe' cubano. (3) Black beans are a staple of the Cuban diet. The story features an illustration of a can of black beans being raided by cockroaches. (4) The tocororo is the Cuba's national bird. In the story, a parrot is the messenger. (5) The butterfly jasmine and mariposa are recognized as Cuba's national flowers. Illustrations of these flowers are intertwined throughout the book. (6) Coffee is the unofficial beverage of Cuba. Much of Cuban social activity is centered around enjoying a cup of coffee. In the story, Martina's suitors must undergo The Coffee Test. (7) The rooster and the pig represent the proud and chauvinistic male archetype. In the story the rooster and pig suitors represent the machismo type. The rooster condescendingly shouts at Martina, "Clumsy cockroach! I will teach you better manners when you are my wife." The pig boorishly shouts at Martina, "When you are my wife, there'll be no end to cleaning up after me." (8) Jose Marti is celebrated as a Cuban martyr during Cuba's fight against Spain for independence. There is photograph of Jose Marti in Martina's home. (9) El Morro castle is a fortress that originally guarded the entrance into Havana, Cuba. In the story, news of Martina's plans to marry was spread, "from the busy sidewalks of El Prado to El Morro castle." (10) Cuban families are traditionally extended and typically include the presence of a grandmother who is the voice of wisdom. The driving voice in this story is Martina's abuela.

The Friends

Title: The Friends
1997 Batchelder Honor Award
Author: Kazumi Yumoto (translated by: Cathy Hirano)
Published: 1992
Group: Japanese
Cultural Indicators: (1) In a traditional Buddhist Japanese funeral procession, the body is cremated. The Buddhist priest and/or family members chant a sacred mantra in unison. Family members pick the bones in unison from ashes of the cremated body and place them in an urn. In the novel, Yamashita explains the rituals that he witnessed at his grandmother's funeral, "Everyone wore black and the chanting was boring..." "When someone dies, they burn them. They take the body to what they call a crematorium, and the coffin is slipped into this great big oven..." "Everybody picks the bones out with chopsticks and puts them in an urn..." (2) Buddhism is a major religion in Japan. Yamashita is a Buddhist as evident by the rituals performed at his grandmother's funeral. (3) Japanese educational system is generally characterized by Juku or cram schools. The young boys in "The Friends" attend cram school. (4) Sushi is a staple of the Japanese diet. In the novel, references to sushi are made. (5) The characters in the story have traditional Japanese names: Yamashita, Kawabe, Kiyama (6) Stress induced incidents of suicide and work related deaths are cultural phenomena in Japan. The three young boys in this story are preoccupied with death. Kiyama's father works incessantly. (7) A kotatsu, a low table, is a traditional part of Japanese culture. Everyday the three young boys watch " the old man..sitting at the kotatsu watching TV." (8) Tatami mats are a type of traditional Japanese flooring. Kiyama observes, "The sound of footsteps moving across tatami floor mats." (9) Typhoons are specific to the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Kiyama learns a lesson in resilience when he discovers that "Despite the raging typhoon, our cosmos survived." (10) Originally relegated to Japanese warriors, suicide was a form of honor as opposed to falling in the hands of ones enemies. The old man that the boys befriend tells them a story about a warrior who was thought to have killed himself but had actually fled to another country. "

Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali

Title: Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali
2008 Corretta Scott King Honor Book
Author: Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Published: 2007
Group: African American

African American cultural examples in 12 Rounds: (1)12 Rounds is written in rhyme in the tradition of African American linguistic styles--a style that Muhammad Ali is renown for aptly delivering. Employing rhyme and rhythm when conversing is a unique African American linguistic style that can be traced backed to the oral storytelling traditions of West African griots . (2) Muhammad Ali is known for his verbal sparring and verbal agility. He makes herculean claims about his abilities "...I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick, I'm so mean I make medicine sick" This traditional African American linguistic style is known as rapping. (3) Ali verbally taunted his opponents "So deal with these fists smacking your ugly face; I'm taking you down for the crown to represent my black race." . In the African American oral tradition this is called playing the dozens and/or signifyin'. (4) Muhammad Ali won a 1960 Olympic gold medal, "To make America the greatest is my goal, so I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole, and for the USA won the medal of gold." During Jim Crow, in spite of their national and international cultural influences, Black athletes and entertainers were still subject to segregation and discrimination in America. After being embraced and hailed as a hero by the international community, Ali returned home from the 1960 Olympics and was dismissed by jeers such as "I don't care who you are boy; get out of here!" In 12 Rounds Smith writes, "...the country you fought for still put people, like laundry, in two separate piles..." (5) In 1967 Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War but Ali refused to report to duty. In 12 rounds Smith writes, "...you said no to the army refusing to fight an unknown enemy for a country that treated you with anger and hostility..." and "...eyes across the globe witnessed you take a stand when you said no to war for religious beliefs and defied your government by standing for peace." (6) Smith writes about Ali, "You shed your slave name of Cassius Clay, giving birth to a new belief in Islamic religion, reflected in your name when reborn as Muhammad Ali." As a testament to the positive affirmation of Black identity, self -expression, and African roots, some African Americans changed their names. Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali. (7) The political climate of the 1960s marked an increase in African American engagement in black nationalist movements that promoted political, social, and economic empowerment and spiritual growth for Black Americans. Malcolm X, was a friend and spiritual counselor to Ali. (8) In 12 rounds Smith writes about the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, "Elijah the messenger fed the teachings of the Nation to hungry black souls filled with years of frustration, souls stung by hate since the days of the plantation, souls beaten like animals in savage humiliation." Liberation from social oppression is often a part of African American theology. (9) The struggle for equality was given a platform and momentum through the careers of popular African American athletes and entertainers. In 12 rounds Smith writes of Ali, "The time is now to not think about you, but what the power of winning the title belt can do: uplift black people." (10) In the 1960s people that did not conform to mainstream American in terms of religion, support for the war, etc were dubbed anti American. The fight between Ali and Joe Frazier was coined "the fight of the century." Joe Frazier was coined the patriot, the baptist. Ali was dubbed the draft dodger, the Muslim.

A Wreath for Emmett Till

Title: A Wreath for Emmet Till
2006 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Marilyn Nelson/ Philippe Lardy
Published: 2005
Group: African Americans
Examples of African American culture in A Wreath: (1) A Wreath is a heroic crown of sonnets about the lynching of a 14 year old black boy named Emmett Till in 1955. Photos of Emmett's mutilated body catalyzed the civil rights movement. From the 1880s to the late 1960s (some isolated incidences of lynchings occurred as late as 1998) lynching was an act of terror used to control the political, social and economic behaviors of African Americans (2) In A Wreath Nelson writes, "If trees could speak, it could describe...the strange fruit that still ghosts its reverie..." Jazz is a music art form created by African Americans. Jazz has been used by African Americans as a medium to protest social injustices. In 1939 Jazz and Blues singer Billie Holiday recorded a rendition of "Strange Fruit" in response to the lynchings of Black Americans during Jim Crow. (3) Poetry has been used by African Americans as a medium to protest social injustices. African American poet, Paul Dunbar, wrote "The Haunted Oak" in response to the lynchings of Black Americans. In A Wreath Nelson signifies Dunbar's "Haunted Oak," " Though if I could, I would forget...No: I remember, like a haunted tree..." (4)Looking beyond the violence and brutality of lynchings, Nelson speaks of healing, "In my house, there is still something called grace, which melts ice shards of hate and makes hearts whole."Acts of forgiveness and reconciliation are persistent themes in the relationship between African Americans and the United States. (5) "I cling to the faith that innocence lives on...That miracles do exist." The tradition of African American struggles has been sustained by an unwavering faith that things will get better in spite of dire circumstances. (6) The sacredness of memory as a testament to the past is part of African American identity. A Wreath is largely about collective memory and forgetfulness, "...we must bear witness to atrocity." (7) Memory as a burden is part of African American identity, Nelson writes, "Though if I could, I would forget much of that racial memory." (8) Nelson writes that Emmett's mother had sent him to "the South to visit relatives and to be taught the family's ways." Modern day African American culture originated in the deep South. (9) The hypocrisy of America's democracy has been persistently critiqued and exposed through the African American experience. Nelson writes about the hypocrisy of American democracy, "One mouth speaks with forked tongue, the other reads the Constitution...(10) Nelson echoes Malcolm X when relating the ambivalent experiences of Blacks in America, "My country, 'tis of both thy nightmare history and thy grand dream..."

Run, Boy, Run

Title: Run, Boy, Run
2004 Batchelder Honor Book
Author: Uri Orlev (translated: Hillel Halkin)
Published: 2003
Group: Jewish
Cultural Indicators: (1)Srulik is the name of the main character. In Jewish culture the Srulik figure represents Israel and serves as an antithesis to antisemitic stereotypes. (2)Srulik is from the Warsaw ghetto. During World War I Nazis isolated and controlled Jews by confining them to segregated areas called ghettos which are characterized by poor living conditions. (3) This fiction novel is an historical account of a young Jewish boy's survival during the Holocaust under the Nazi Regime. (4)During WWI Jews were forced to wear the Star of David to indicate their Jewish identity. The Star of David is a symbol of Judiasm. Judiasm is customarily practiced by Jews. Yosele, Srulik's friend from Warsaw says that his mother, "made a living by sewing and selling the blue stars of David that Jews had to wear on their sleeves." (5) Traditionally, circumcision was a Jewish custom. Srulik is warned not to expose himself in the nude lest his Jewish identity be revealed by his circumcision. (6)Yiddish is a distinct Jewish language. Srulik is concerned that his accent might reveal that he is Jewish, "Srulik suddenly realized why Shleymi had told him not to talk to Poles. 'Do I talk Polish like a Jew too?' (7) Hebrew is traditionally spoken by the Jewish in prayer and in formal education. "When he was little, Srulik had gone to Hebrew school." (8) Under the Nazi regime, German government organized an internal police security known the gestapo to control the Jewish population. Srulik and his family try to escape the Warsaw ghetto but, "The Germans caught him and his mother...and brought them to the Gestapo. His mother was given a whipping and they were returned to the ghetto." (9) An influence of the Germans, sausage is a staple of the Jewish diet. "Run, Boy, Run" makes severals references to sausage. (10) The Nazis were thought to be very fund of vodka. In the novel, vodka is offered by the Jews to the gestapo as a bribe to avoid punishment.

Feathers

Title: Feathers
2008 Newbery Honor Book
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Published: 2007
Plot Summary: A white boy is the new kid at a predominately black school in Brooklyn during the 1970s. His classmates nickname him Jesus Boy. Fannie's contemplations of faith, hope, prejudices, etc are sparked by school events surrounding Jesus Boy and by family life.
Main Characters: Frannie, Jesus Boy, Sean, Samantha
Theme(s): the ways in which people find hope in the world
Reader's Response: Readers grapple with the things that give us hope and the things that threaten that same hope.
Teaching Idea: Students compare and contrast the ways in which the civil rights movement and the black panther movement worked to bring about change.
Grade Level: 4 - 7
Reading Level (Lexile): 760

The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963
1996 Newbery Honor Book
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Published: 1995
Plot Summary: This historical novel is based on the Birmingham Church bombing which resulted in the deaths of four African American girls. In this novel, 10 year old Kenny light heartedly describes his family's trip to a turbulent South during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Kenny is jarred by the events that take place in Birmingham. Kenny's brother Byron, his sibling rival, consoles Kenny and helps ease Kenny out of his troubled state.
Main Characters: Kenny, Byron, Wilona, Joetta, Daniel
Theme(s): the family as a shield against racism and discrimination
Reader's Response: Readers reflect on the ways in which people deal with trauma and how they acknowledge and manage their emotions during tough times.
Teaching Idea: Students create a photo gallery of pivotal moments during the 1960s civil rights movement. Students use voice over to provide commentary for each photo.
Grade Level: 6 - 8
Reading Level (Lexile): 1000

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights

Title: The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights
2005 Newbery Honor Book
Author: Russell Freedman
Published: 2004
Plot Summary: This biography celebrates the artistic accomplishments of world renown singer Marian Anderson. Her artistic achievements are place in a historical and political context highlighting the Jim Crow US through the civil rights movement. Anderson's performance at the Lincoln Memorial ushered in the desegregation of the arts.
Main Characters: Marian Anderson
Theme(s): defying discrimination
Readers Response: Readers will reflect on the rights of citizens and various groups fight against racial and gender discrimination by exploring the life of Marian Anderson
Teaching Idea: Using Windows Movie Maker (or media format of choice) juxapose images and text, past and present, of struggle against and victory over racial and/or gender discrimination from each era: 1920s - 1940s, 1950s - 1960s, 1970s - 1990s. Select a song that could represent each era.
Grade Level: 5 - 9
Reading Level (Lexile): 1180

Sounder

Title: Sounder
1970 Newbery Winner
Author: William H. Armstrong
Published: 1969
Plot Summary: This is a story about an African American sharecropper family living in the rural south during the Depression era. In response to the despair of their poverty, the father steals food to feed his family and is consequentially jailed. The boy, relying on the comfort of his dog, goes on a quest to find his father.
Main Characters: The boy, Sounder, mother, father
Theme(s): the importance of education for social mobility
Reader's Response: Readers will be forced to challenge notions of right and wrong and explore how external circumstances such as poverty and education may inform a person's decisions
Teaching Idea: Using different images (photos, music, text, art work) have students create a media presentation (PowerPoint, Flickr, Google) about what the boy learned from each character in the story eg mother, father, teacher, Sounder
Grade Level: 4 - 6
Reading Level (Lexile): 900

The Whipping Boy

Title: The Whipping Boy
1987 Newbery Winner
Author: Sid Fleischman
Published: 1986
Plot Summary: This adventure story of mistaken identity takes place in Medieval 19th century. In this tale, it is forbidden to whip a prince. Jemmy, a peasant, serves as a stand -in for the punishments dueled out to the spoiled and obnoxious Prince Brat. When Jemmy and Brat run away together they encounter numerous perils. Because of Jemmy's wit and Brat's dullness, Jemmy rescues them from kidnappers, Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutwater.
Main Characters: Jemmy, Prince Brat, Hold-Your-Nose-Billy, Cutwater
Theme(s): overcoming class discrimination to forge friendships
Reader's Response: Readers will be confronted with social disparities that exist between classes.
Teaching Idea: Have students view PBS's documentary People Like Us and discuss class inheritance and how class informs our lives, attitudes, expectations, etc.
Grade Level: 4 - 6
Reading Level (Lexile): 570

The Dark - Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

Title: The Dark - Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural
1993 Newbery Honor Book
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Published: 1992
Plot Summary: This is a collection of ten eerie and haunting supernatural tales. Each tale is preceded by a short excerpt that places it in a historical context from the pre-civil war era to modern day. Many of these tales highlight African American History and the tradition of oral storytelling.
Main Characters:
Theme(s): the use of the supernatural as a form of empowerment for an individual or a group of people seeking justice
Reader's Response: Readers will root for the heroes in this story and thus identify themselves with the African American protagonists in these tales that are historically rooted in experiences of slavery, segregation, and civil rights in America.
Teaching Idea: Have students look at folktales that feature supernatural powers used in fights for justice such as Golem. Using the graphic novel format, have students create a supernatural tale about a hero that fights for justice.
Grade Level: 4 - 7
Reading Level (Lexile): 730

The Hundred Dresses

Title: The Hundred Dresses
1945 Newbery Honor Book
Author: Eleanor Estes
Published: 1944
Plot Summary: This is the story of a poor Polish immigrant named Wanda Petronski who tells her well-off American classmates that she has 100 dresses. Wanda classmates, observing the shabby clothing that signifies poverty, deride and tease Wanda. Maddie realizes the brutality of her silence as she watched her friends tease Wanda day after day.
Main Characters: Wanda Petronski, Maddie, Peggy
Theme(s): the complicity of silence in carrying out injustices
Reader's Response: Readers will examine the process by which group identity is often formed and legitimized by marginalizing people from different backgrounds.
Teaching Idea: Discuss bullying. Have students create 2 to 3 minute short videos about bullying scenarios and how to deal with bullying.
Grade Level: 3 - 4
Reading Level (Lexile): 870

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
1977 Newbery Winner
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Published: 1976
Plot Summary: An African American family living in Mississippi during the Depression era is terrorized by racism and poverty. 9 year old Cassie tries to make sense of the violence of the KKK that she and her family endure. Ultimately, her family survives in tact and maintains their land.
Main Characters: Cassie Logan, The Logan Family, TJ, Miz Lillian Jean, Mr. Morrison
Theme(s): the survival of the family despite terrible circumstances
Reader Response: Through an examination of race relations, readers will explore the rights of citizens and citizen responsibility in combating injustice.
Teaching Idea: Students form groups and role play scenarios where they resolve and negotiate conflict caused by an injustice. Students discuss the perceived injustice and how they felt as the perpetrators and/or the victims.
Grade Level: Gr. 4 - 7
Reading Level (Lexile): 960

Snow

Title: Snow
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Uri Shulevitz
Published: 1998
Summary: This is a parallelism between the purity of snow and the simplistic views of a child's thoughts.
Memorable Quote: "But snowflakes don't listen to the radio"
Artistic Example: The illustrator gradually uses snowflakes to show the transformation of the city's imperfections of grey to the stainless, purities of the snow.
Teaching Idea: Have children make snowmen for each family member, with the snowmen's facial expressions depicting the attitude of that family member.
Grade Level:
Reading Level (Lexile): 220

Peppe the Lamplighter

Title: Peppe the Lamplighter
1994 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Elisa Bartone/ Ted Lewin
Published: 1993
Summary: The story summarizes the life of an Italian family during the early 20th century.
Memorable Quote: Please, Peppe, light the lamps. You will make me proud.”
Artistic Example: Illustrations cleverly projects the look of early 20th century. The dark background shows how important the "lamplight" is.
Teaching Idea: Have children write/draw feelings/reactions of children when first in the dark, then in the light.
Grade Level: K5 - 5
Reading Level (Lexile): 570

White Snow, Bright Snow

Title: White Snow, Bright Snow
1948 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Alvin Tresselt/ Roger Duvoisin
Published: 1947
Summary: The story of how the snow does not interrupt the adults' routines but to the children, the snow brings excitement and fun
Memorable Quote: Softly, gently in the secret night, down from the North came the quiet white
Artistic Example: The splash of yellow with blue on a white background emphasizes the humor and easy read of the story.
Teaching Idea: Children can draw the fun things of winter
Grade Level: K5 - 1
Reading Level (Lexile): 870

A Child's Calendar

Title: A Child's Calendar
2000 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: John Updike/ Trina Schart Hyman
Published: poems, 1965/ illustrations, 1999
Summary: The poetic celebration of children through the four seasons.
Memorable Quote: The live-long light/ Is like a dream,/ And freckles come/ Like flies to cream
Artistic Example: Illustrations brilliantly project the livelihood of children's activities
Teaching Idea: Let children match the activity with the season
Grade Level: K5 - 5
Reading Level (Lexile): N/A

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery

Title: Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
1994 Newbery Honor
Author: Russell Freedman
Published: 1993
Plot Summary: This biography portrays the life of Eleanor Rooselvelt. The biography chronicles her life from childhood through her adult life. Eleanor Rooselvelt defies traditional social and political conventions and is consequentially heralded as "First Lady of the World" and a very important humanitarian.
Main Characters: Eleanor Roosevelt
Themes: standing up for what you believe in while facing criticism and unpopularity
Reader's Response: Readers will explore citizen rights and the role of a citizen by questioning misconceptions about social norms concerning gender and race.
Teaching Idea: Using PowerPoint, have children do a comparison of a female activist/ humanitarian from the past and a present day female activist/ humanitarian.
Grade Level: 5 - 9
Reading Level (Lexile): 1100

Bud, Not Buddy

Title: Bud, Not Buddy
2000 Newbery Medal
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Published: 1999
Plot Summary: Set during the Depression -era, this story is about a 10 year old boy , Buddy Caldwell, who becomes an orphan after his mother dies. His mother leaves Buddy a suitcase filled with family memorabilia in which Buddy finds a possible clue in discovering who his father is. Buddy, in search of identity, hope, and survival, goes on a quest to find his father whom he believes to be a jazz musician in Grand Rapids Michigan.
Major Characters: Buddy Caldwell, Angela Caldwell, Todd Amos, Mr. Herman Calloway
Theme(s): Finding hope in bleak circumstances
Reader's Response: Readers are forced to explored the harsh conditions of American life during the depression era and how racism further complicated life for African Americans during that period.
Teaching Idea: Have students create their own historical graphic novel (3 or 4 slides using PowerPoint) of what life was like during the depression era as a member of a different ethnic group (Polish, German, Irish, African American, etc.) using primary documents such as photos, flyers, art work and music representing that time period. Students can explore economic status, religion, education, etc.
Grade Level: 4 - 6
Reading Level (Lexile): 950

April's Kittens

Title: April's Kittens
1941 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Clare Turlay Newberry
Published: 1940
Summary: The story of how a little girl, April, has to choose to keep one of her four cats; choosing between her beloved Sheba and one of her three kittens.
Memorable Quote: 'So April and her mother and father and Sheba lived all crowded up together in a very small apartment."
Artistic Example: Striking look of a single black cat on white background helps to keep the theme of the book.
Teaching Idea: Have children select four of their most favorite toys and then choosing only one to keep.
Grade Level: K5 - 2
Reading Level (Lexile):

The Ugly Duckling

Title: The Ugly Duckling
2000 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: adapted by Jerry Pinkney
Published: 1999
Summary: The journey of an awkard bird's survival as he endures redicule and criticism.
Memorable Quote: "Can he be a turkey chick?"
Artistic Example: Illustrations are keen and detailed.
Teaching Idea: Have children point out the different items from a list and then explain why.
Grade Level:
Reading Level (Lexile): 650

Martin's Big Words

Title: Martin's Big Words
2002 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Doreen Rappaport/ Bryan Collier
Published: 2001
Summary: The story of Martin Luther King, Jr
Memorable Quote: You are as good as anyone
Artistic Example: Beautiful, expressive, bold but yet age appropriate
Teaching Idea: Talk of the contributions of Martin Luther King
Grade Level: K5 - 3
Reading Level (Lexile): 410

Ten, Nine, Eight

Title: Ten, Nine, Eight
1984 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Molly Bang
Published: 1983
Summary: A loving bedtime countdown (from 10 to 1) featuring an African-American father and daughter.
Memorable Quote: "10 small toes all washed and warm.
Artistic Example: Illustrations are gentle and loving portraying a father's love for his daughter.
Teaching Idea: With the aid of various items, children could learn how to count forwards and backgrounds.
Grade Level: PreK - 1
Reading Level (Lexile):500

No, David

Title: No, David
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: David Shannon
Summary: David is constantly getting into trouble and constantly hearing "No, David!"
Memorable Quote: "No, David!"
Artistic Example: Illustrations are based on drawings done by the author when he was 5 years old.
Teaching Idea: Have the students make up their own stories, using their own names.
Grade Level: K - 2
Reading Level (Lexile): Beginner Reader

Freight Train

Title: Freight Train
1979 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Donald Crews
Published: 1978
Summary: Freight trains move across train tacks. There are 8 different colored cars; a red caboose, a Orange tank and so on until the black engine.
Memorable Quote: "Freight trains...moving in the darkness. Moving in the daylight. Going, going...gone."
Artistic Example: colorful freight trains.
Teaching Idea: basic colors
Grade Level: PreK - K5
Reading Level (Lexile): N/A

In the Small, Small Pond

Title: In the Small, Small Pond
1994 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Denise Fleming
Published: 1993
Plot Summary: This picture books introduce children to wildlife habitats and seasons from the perspective of a frog.
Memorable Quote: cold night, sleep tight, small, small pond
Artistic Example: The collage of colors depict the changing seasons, red and orange autumns, yellow summers.
Teaching Idea: Share more children books about habitats such as Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats by Jim Arnosky . Create a habitat for children to observe such as a bird feeder or an ant farm.
Grade Level: K5 - 2
Reading Level (Lexile): 770

Snowflake Bentley

Title: Snowflake Bentley
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Jacqueline B. Martin/ Mary Azarian
Published: 1998
Plot Summary: This is a true story about a self-taught scientist named Wilson Bentley whose life passion was photographing snowflakes.
Memorable Quote: Mistake by mistake, snowflake by snowflake, Willie worked through every storm.
Artistic Example: Each page is framed like a photo to compliment Bentley's interest in photography.
Teaching Idea: Students will be divided into partners. Partners will make a graphic biography of one another by using items that give insight into who they are such as the cover of their favorite cd, family pictures, tickets to a concert/play, etc. These items will serve as primary documents for crafting the graphic biography.
Grade Level: K5 - 3
Reading Level (Lexile): 830

Duke Ellington the Piano Prince and His Orchestra

Title: Duke Ellington the Piano Prince and His Orchestra
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: Andrea Davis Pinkney/ Brian Pinkney
Published: 1998
Summary: This is the life of legendary jazz pianist, Duke Ellington.
Memorable Quote: "Creole Love Call" was spicier than a pot of jambalaya.
Artistic Example: Like jazz music itself, the illustrations are bright, colorful and vibrant.
Teaching Idea: A lesson on the music and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance.
Grade Level: K5 - 5
Reading Level (Lexile): 800

Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of The First Hot-Air Baloon Ride

Title: Hot Air
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator:Marjorie Priceman
Published: 2007
Summary: The book uses humor and facts in describing the first (ever) hot air balloon ride with animals.
Memorable: Å cock-a-doodle-doos.
Artistic Example: The illustrations of pen, ink and watercolor contribute to the cheerful humor of this book. The ocassion full page art showns the elevation of the balloon.
Teaching Idea: Talk with children about experiencing hot air rides
Grade level:
Reading Level (Lexile): 690

Puss in Boots

Title: Puss in Boots
1991 Caldecott Honor Book
Published: 1990
Author/Illustrator: translated by Malcolm Arthur/ Fred Marcellino
Published: 1990
Summary: A clever cat makes a fortune for his master.
Memorable Quote: "If you don't, you'll be cut up into sausage meat."
Artistic Example: Muted colored illustrations with a hazy finish evoke nostalgia for the past.
Teaching Idea: Allow students to act out the order of events in the story. Stick puppets of the story's characters can be used or students can dress up in costume.
Grade Level: K5 - 3
Reading Level (Lexile): 790

Jambo Means Hello; A Swahili Alphabet Book

Title: Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book
1975 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/ Illustrator: Muriel Feelings/ Tom Feelings
Published: 1974
Summary: Introduces the language of Swahili. Each alphabet, 24 total, is illustrated in a two page spread, with pronunciations , sample words, and desciptions
Memorable Quote: "Parents teach their children the things they will need to know when they are grown."
Artistic Example: The pages are illustrated in black and white
artwork.
Teaching Idea: A lesson in the Swahili language.
Grade Level: k-4
Reading Level (Lexile): 640

The Graphic Alphabet

Title: The Graphic Alphabet
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
Author/Illustrator: David Pelletier
Published: 1996
Summary: This visually challenging graphic alphabet book is an intriguing departure from traditional alphabet books.
Memorable Quote: Pelletier, "the illustration of the letterform had to retain the natural shape of the letter as well as represent the meaning of the word."
Artistic Example: The illustration of the bold red rip down the page naturally represents the letter "r" as well as the meaning of rip.
Teaching Idea: Students create electronic alphabet book using PowerPoint or other programs adding photos, sounds, graphics, etc. Compare with other graphic books like Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg.
Grade Level: K5 - 3
Reading Level (Lexile): N/A

So You Want to Be President?

Title: So You Want to Be President?
2001 Caldecott Winner
Author/Illustrator: Judith St. George/ David Small
Published: 2000
Summary: This is a humorous account of the vices and virtues of the US Presidency from George Washington to Bill Clinton.
Memorable Quote: It's said that people who run for President have swelled heads.
Artistic Example: Comical caricatures help depict the personalities of the Presidents.
Teaching Idea: Define political cartoons and explore elements of cartoons such as caricature and symbolism by showing examples of current day political cartoons. As cartoonists, students will draw their own political cartoon based on a current event. Put together a class book of students' cartoons' and share collectively.
Grade Level: 3 - 6
Reading Level (Lexile): 730