Ava Lavender is born with a set of wings. This peculiar feature leads her to ponder her family roots. The is the premise of the magical and tragic story of Ava’s heritage. I loved the rich language and the odd events which marked each person’s life in the Lavender family. I am a lover of Seattle history and stories set in our rain soaked city. The story follows generations of Ava’s ancestors, and what lead them to carve out a living in early Seattle. Love lost and found is the thread that follows all of Ava’s ancestors through their lives. This book makes you feel the rich beauty of green mossy landscapes, seasons of bright daffodils, and the relentless Northwest grey sky. Ava’s story is sad, redemptive, and lovely. Its core message reflects upon what we do for love, the cage of heartache, and learning to fly free again. I loved this story, the magical realism is perfection, and the story is whimsically beautiful.
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If you add one book to your child’s library this year, add this one. The story is true; it is about the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh. It is magical. The story is told through the voice of a mother tucking her child in at night. It won the Caldecott Award for the illustrations, and they are unbelievable. My students loved this book.
This book is child approved; my class of Kindergarteners requested it be read twice. I love Sophie Blackall, her illustrations are incredible. This is the true story of her jet lagged sun keeping her awake all night…parents will relate as much as kids who cannot sleep.
Nina Laden is genius in composing magical picture books for children. She wrote this while walking on the beach and finding a feather. The simple poem teaches cause and effect. It offers the invitation to share happy memories before a child goes to sleep.
This lyrical book shows the seasons through bears waking and hibernation. This is a good choice for a child that loves wild animals or non-fiction. It has simple rhyme and lovely illustrations.
The illustrations are rich and vibrant with imagination. The simple text proposes there are sweet animals that take you off to dream land for big adventures. Short, sweet, and filled with eye catching creativity.
Horace Pippin was a talented artist from the time he was a child. Being shot in the shoulder in World War II injured his painting hand; he could not use it like he could before the war. He taught himself to paint all over again by using his good hand to steady the injured one. He went onto become a celebrated painter. The illustrations are exquisite in this book. A must read.
Wilma’s story of triumph is unmatched. Wilma was a 4 pound baby who contracted polio as a child. It crippled her leg, rendering it almost useless. She overcame polio, poverty, and went on to be the first person in her family to go to college, on an athletic scholarship for track and field. She went on be an Olympic gold medalist. Read this story to your children, it is incredible.
Don Tate wrote and illustrated this beautiful, powerful book. My class of Kindergarteners loved this book, and I loved reading it. George Moses Horton was a slave who taught himself to read and starting writing poems in his head while he worked. Through a twist of fate he had to bring fruits and vegetables to the campus of a University and sell them. He was teased, so he distracted them by reciting poetry, soon people began to pay him for his poems. His story is sad, and truly remarkable, with an incredible ending. This book is honest about the horrors of slavery without being scary for young children. The poetry infused in the story is lovely.
Bessie Coleman was the first black woman to earn a pilot’s license. She had to go to France to learn to fly; no one would teach her in the US. She is a woman to be admired for her courage and tenacity. She passed away in a plane crash; the book explains her death at the end. Preview it and decide if your children are ready for it. I loved how this book told her entire life, not just a light overview.
This book is incredible. A young boy is born in Ghana with one working leg. His mother teaches him to be self sufficient and loves hope into his very soul. He helps provide for his poor family, but he has one huge dream, to bike all the way around Ghana. He writes to the US and they give him a bike. He rides 400 miles in 10 days, completing his dream. It is such a powerful story.
Seeds of Change tells the story of Wangari Maathai, the first African American woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She was so brave and stood up for her homeland. I have a deep admiration for her accomplishments. It is a powerful example of fighting for good and making a difference.
This book if for anyone who has ever been their own worst enemy, or held themselves back when others are ready to let them fly. Dumplin’ captures small town Texas with perfection. The book’s heroin, Willowdean loves Dolly Parton, her best friend Ellen, and her wonderful Aunt Lucy. Willowdean is a self-proclaimed fat girl. Sometimes she handles it with confidence; sometimes she lets it put an enormous roadblock in her teenage life. When Ellen gets serious with her boyfriend and boys notice Willowdean for the first time, things begin to change. Ellen and Willowdean both sign up for the town’s beauty pageant and things come undone. Julie Murphy captures the joy and tumult of high school friendships with pitch perfect dialogue and plotting. I felt like I was back at my high school job, earning my freedom by working night shifts for gas money. I appreciated this book because it raised emotions and questions we all have about ourselves: Am I worthy as I am? Can our friendship change and still stay the same? Am I brave enough to let myself be loved? Willowdean has to face her fear of letting someone love her, when she is struggling to love herself. Appreciable YA, thank you Julie Murphy for writing about body image and writing it well.
Ruth and The Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey 
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt took a camping trip together after Mr.Roosevelt lost his wife and mother. John Muir wanted to preserve the Redwood Forest and great pieces of wilderness he loved, but he had no power to stop development. Theodore Roosevelt camped with John Muir and they cooked up the idea of the National Parks. They saved amazing land formations for future generations to enjoy. An inspiring story written with engaging light hearted text. I would use it as an introduction to a geography lesson on the US national parks, or during a unit on Presidents of the United States.
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Maker’s Strike of 1909 by Michelle Market 
Stone Angel by Jane Yolen 
Beginnings and Book Ends 