Give the kids who come to your center as many opportunities as
possible to pick up a book and read. Many of these books were originally
used by Eileen Wasow during our YDC Pilot staff
development program.
The books are listed alphabetically by author's last name.
Most of the books are widely available at traditional and online
bookstores and libraries. As a convenience for you, we've provided
a direct link for each book to a page that describes it more fully
and allows you to purchase it online at Amazon.com. At the bottom
of this page is also a list of places to find book recommendations.
Bond, Ruskin; Eitzen,
Allan
Cherry Tree
Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press, 1996
A generational story of a girl in northern India who grows a cherry
tree from seed is full of quiet wisdom and love of life.
Purchase.
Bunting, Eve; Allen, Thomas B.
Summer Wheels
San Diego: Voyager Books, Harcourt Brace and Company, 1996
The story of the relationship between the Bicycle Man, who fixes
old bikes, and the neighborhood kids who get to ride them for free.
Purchase.
Bunting, Eve; Himler,
Ronald
The Wall
New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1992
A father and his son have come to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
to find the name of the grandfather the little boy never knew.
Purchase.
Caines, Jeannette; Cummings,
Pat
I Need a Lunch Box
New York: Harper Trophy, 1993
The needs of being a younger brother, as explained in the language
of the young. Purchase.
Caines, Jeannette; Cummings,
Pat
Just Us Women
New York: Harper Trophy, 1984
"No boys and no men—just us women," Aunt Martha tells her niece.
And together they plan their trip to North Carolina in Aunt Martha's
brand new car. This is to be a very special outing—and with no
one to hurry them along, the two travelers can do exactly as they
please. Purchase.
Dooley, Norah; Thornton, Peter J.
Everybody Cooks Rice
Lemer Publishing Group, 1991
Carrie travels from one house to another, looking for her brother
at dinnertime. Each family invites her in for a taste of what they
are cooking.
Purchase.
Freeman, Don
A Pocket for Corduroy
New York: Viking Press, 1980
The adventures of Corduroy as he searches for a pocket to be sewed
to his clothes.
Purchase.
Freeman, Don
Corduroy
New York: Viking Press, 1976
The story of a teddy bear who searches for a missing button in order
to feel new, like the other stuffed animals.
Purchase.
Havill, Juanita; O'Brien,
Anne Sibley
Jamaica's Find
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987
The adventures of a young girl and her ability to find many things.
Purchase.
Havill, Junita; O'Brien,
Anne Sibley
Jamaica Tag-Along
Boston: Houston Mifflin Company, 1990
Jamaica's feelings are hurt when her older brother Ossie won't let
her tag along to his basketball game.
Purchase.
Hayes, Sarah; Ormerod,
Jan
Eat Up, Gemma
New York: Mulberry Paperback Books, 1994
"Eat up, Gemma!" That's what Mom, Dad and Grandma always say. But
baby Gemma has her own special notions about food. Purchase.
Herron, Carolivia; Cepeda,
Joe
Nappy Hair
New York: Random House, 1998
An interactive story about a little girl who has the curliest, twistiest
hair of the whole family, and how everyone is going to want hair
just like hers. Purchase.
Hest, Amy; Samton, Sheila
White
Jamaica Louise James
Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 1997
Jamaica Louise James, age eight, budding artist and storyteller,
narrates a tale of special birthday presents and family devotion.
Purchase.
Hill, Elizabeth Star;
Speidel, Sandra
Evan's Corner
New York: 1993
In his crowded apartment, Evan longs for a corner of his own. When
his mom finally grants him his own special place, Evan suddenly
feels something is missing.
Purchase.
Hoban, Russell; Hoban,
Lillian
A Baby Sister for Frances
New York: Harper Trophy, 1993
Frances Badger experiences emotional ups and downs as she learns
to love her new baby sister. Purchase.
Hoban, Russell; Williams,
Garth
Bedtime for Frances
Harper Trophy, 1995
It is bedtime for Frances the badger, but she fears there is a giant
in her room.
Purchase.
Hoban, Russell; Hoban,
Lillian
Bread and Jam for Frances
New York: Harper Trophy, 1993
Frances is a fussy eater. Unless Mother Badger can come up with
a plan, Frances just might go on eating bread and jam forever.
Purchase.
Keats, Ezra Jack
John Henry, An American Legend
New York: Knopf, 1987
A picture book that brings to life the steel-driving man who was
born and died with a hammer in his hand.
Purchase.
Lawrence, Jacob
The Great Migration, An American Story
New York: Harper Trophy, 1995
This is the story of an exodus of African-Americans who left their
homes and farms in the South around the time of World War I and
traveled to northern industrial cities in search of better lives.
Illustrated by the paintings of Jacob Lawrence with a poem by Walter
Dean Myers.
Purchase.
Lionni, Leo
Frederick
New York: Knopf, 1987
The fable of Frederick, who is a dreamer among the little field
mice, and how his dreams sustain them through tough times. Purchase.
Lionni, Leo
Swimmy
New York: Knopf, 1992
A little fish, the one survivor of a school of fish swallowed by
a tuna, devises a plan to camouflage himself and his new companions.
Purchase.
Lotz, Karen E.; Browning,
Colleen
Can't Sit Still
Puffin, 1998
Skipping, hopping, biking and dancing her way through the seasons
of the year, a young girl explores her big city neighborhood. Exuberant
text and art celebrate a child's relationship to her world.
Purchase.
McDermott, Gerald
Anansi the Spider, A Tale From the Ashanti
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1987
The author has merged the old and the new, adapting a popular folktale
to create a modern and colorful book. The story focuses on Anansi
the Spider and how he is saved from terrible fates by his sons,
creating a terrible predicament that is resolved in a touching fashion.
Purchase.
McDermott, Gerald
Arrow to the Sun
London: Puffin Books, Penguin Group, 1974
Purchase.
Myers, Walter Dean
Brown Angels, An Album of Pictures and Verse
New York: Harper Trophy, 1996
Walter Dean Myers has been collecting turn-of-the-century photographs
of African-American children for some time, and his fascination
with these intimate portraits compelled him to gather them into
an album. The photos are framed by this award-winning author's moving
poems. Purchase.
Rattigan, Jama Kim; Hsu-Flanders,
Lillian
Dumpling Soup
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1998
Set in the Hawaiian islands, where eating is a way of expressing
warmth and affection among family and friends, this story celebrates
the joyful mix of food, customs and languages from many cultures.
Purchase.
Ringgold, Faith
Tar Beach
New York:Dragonfly, 1996
Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she
wants for the rest of her life. One night... her dream comes true.
Purchase.
Ringgold, Faith.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1995
Cassie and BeBe continue their flight in this rich and deeply textured
book—learning of their grandparents' long journey from slavery
to freedom, guided by the voice of Harriet Tubman. Purchase.
Ringgold, Faith.
Dinner at Aunt Connie's House
New York: Hyperion Press, 1996
Hanging on the walls at Aunt Connie's house are twelve beautiful
portraits of famous African-American women—and the paintings
can speak! Two children are profoundly inspired as the women talk
to them about their courageous lives. Purchase.
Tom Snyder Productions,
Software for Teachers Who Love to Teach.
Catalog. http://www.tomsnyder.com.
Steig, William
Amos & Boris
New York: Sunburst Books, 1992
A simple matter-of-fact story about friendship between a whale and
a rat—told in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Purchase.
Steig, William
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1987
Sylvester the mule is missing, and his parents search everywhere
for him. Purchase.
Steptoe, John
Stevie
Hagerstown: Harper Trophy, 1986
The story of how Robert has to make room for another little boy,
Stevie, staying with the household, and the emotional ups and downs
this causes him. Purchase.
Waber, Bernard
Ira Sleeps Over
New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1975
The story of Ira getting ready for a sleep over and the adventures
that ensue once there. Purchase.
Williams, Vera B.
A Chair For My Mother
New York: Greenwillow, 1984
After a fire destroys their home and possessions, Rosa, her mother
and grandmother save and save until they can afford to buy one big,
comfortable chair that all three of them can enjoy.
Purchase.
Yarbrough, Camille; Byard,
Carole
Cornrows
Paper Star, 1997
Mama's and Great Grammaw's gentle fingers weave the design, and
their lulling voices weave the tale, as they braid their children's
hair into striking cornrow patterns of Africa. Purchase.
