When Pequena is feeling ordinary and inadequate, a wise friend reminds her that being a burro is a gift. He recalls the strength, the steadfastness, the capacity for work that were the burro’s important contributions to the building of Mexico.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Emerald Blue
A young girl describes the life that she and her brother share with their grandmother in her Caribbean island home, until their mother comes to take them away.
Mama Rocks, Papa Sings
A little Haitian girl describes how her parents’ house fills up with babies as relatives drop off their children on their way to work.
The Face at the Window
Dora learns to overcome her fears of a mentally ill woman who lives in her community in this gentle and compassionate story set in contemporary Jamaica, West Indies.
The Three Golden Keys
A man in a hot-air ballon is thrown off course in a violent storm, landing him in the city of his youth. He finds the way to his old home, but the house is dark, with three rusty padlocks on the door. A black cat with eyes of fire appears and leads him through Prague’s silent streets and monuments in seach of the three golden keys that will open the door of his boyhood home and restore the city to life.
Pancakes for Supper
Anne Isaacs and Mark Teague transform Helen Bannerman’s classic story, Little Black Sambo, into an American tall tale set in the backwoods of New England. In the backwoods of New England, a young girl cleverly fends off the threats of wild animals by trading her clothes for her safety.
The Lord Is My Shepherd
The Twenty-third Psalm, one of the world’s most cherished prayers, is paired with some of the most exquisite illustrations in this inspirational picture book by New York Times Best Illustrator Gennady Spirin. This never-before-created format, made from one large, magnificent painting, gives parents and children an opportunity to share the experience, making prayer time even more profound.
Noah’s Ark
The New York Times Best- Illustrated book returns Lisbeth Zwerger, recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, employs her distintive style to breathe fresh life into this well-known Bible story. Her award-winning art uses clever vignettes and striking full pages to present the menagerie of animals sailing on this amazing voyage. With grace and economy, Heinz Janisch’s text tells the full story of the flood without glossing over details. It is in every way poignant and captivating.
I’m a Pill Bug
Pill bugs narrate how they spend their days, what they eat, where and when they sleep, and how they protect themselves. There are also tips on having a pill bug come to stay at your house but only for a while.
The River
A river takes a long and winding path on its way to the ocean. It begins as a humble trickle high in the moutains, and flows through a plethora of landscapes as it grows bigger. Here we witness this journey from the point of view of five little pinecones, who ride the current to find new homes. Along the way, they encounter a woodsy stream, a rushing waterfall, a marshy fork and a big-city delta. One by one, they choose to stop and stay in a particular spot, leaving the rest to continue the trip. Finally, one lone pinecone drifts out to sea, and washes up on another shore, where he begins to sprout. Perfect for introducing young children to ecology and geography, this book brings an original point of view to a little-studied subject.