Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

A Little Bitty Man: And Other Poems for the Very Young

Translated from the original works of beloved Danish poet Halfdan Rasmussen, this delightful collection of poems for young children will enthrall little ones with captivating rhyme, rhythm, humor, and charm.

 

The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi

A retelling of the story told to Marco Polo about the Magi of Saveh, three wise men from a town in Persia, who followed a strange star and find a special child.

I Will Make Miracles

Their little boy wants to make miracles: He would cure the sick, feed the hungry, jail the bad guys, and fill the world up with people who care and share. The story ends with a twist, bringing a very ambitious group of wishes back down to earth.

A Daisy Is a Daisy Is a Daisy (Except When It’s a Girl’s Name)

Many girls are named after flowers (or even forms of the word “flower,” such as Flora). Girls’ names in different languages accompany her imaginative illustrations of flowers, so that the reader discovers, for example, that Gul means rose in Turkish, but that it is Rosa in Spanish and Rodanthe in Greek. Flowers named in the book include rose, heather, buttercup, sunflower, lily of the valley, daisy, bluebell, snowdrop, hyacinth, myrtle, camomile, cherry blossom, jasmine, violet, tulip, poppy. This can be used in the classroom to talk about culture, language and botany.

Hound and Hare

Hounds and hares are like cats and mice. At least, that’s the way it is in Great Bone, a little village beside the river. Harley Hare and Hugo Hound see each other at school every day, and they’re interested in the same things. But they never talk to each other because the Hare and Hound families can’t stand one another. When the annual Big Race takes place on the meadow, Harley and Hugo find themselves racing neck to neck, until a terrible thunderstorm breaks out. Hugo is terrified of the storm and the lightning. Harley panics when they discover they are lost. It turns out that between them, they know just what to do. And, working together, they not only save themselves, but become heroes of the day as well.

Orani: My Father’s Village

As a child, Claire Nivola loved summers in Orani, the village where her father grew up and where her many aunts, uncles, and 50 cousins still lived. She ran freely through the town’s cobbled streets with packs of cousins, who quizzed her about America while she took in all the simple joys and pleasures of daily life in a village where surprises met them at every turn.

The Great Bear

Once there was a dancing circus bear who spent her days in a cold, hard cage. Each night she was led to the town square, where acrobats, trapeze artists, and clowns performed for a boisterous crowd. The bear performed, too, year in and year out, lifting her feet and swaying to the music of trumpets, drums, and cymbals. As she danced, some people clapped, and many poked her with sticks or threw stones. One night, however, the bear did not dance. She stood very still. She finally can no longer stand the torment and determines to set herself free.

Rubia and the Three Osos

Retells the story of Goldilocks and the three bears in rhyming text interspersed with Spanish words, which are defined in a glossary.

Fiesta!

Describes a festival or holiday celebrated in Latin America for each month of the year, from the feast of Saint Anthony in January through Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo, an Inca festival in Peru in June, and a ritual of African origin in Brazil in September.