Coretta Scott King Awarded Books

	The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, &Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore Nelson, V. M., & Christie, R. G. (2015). The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. This story is about a boy and his father who open the first bookstore dedicated to educating African Americans. Mr. Michaux dedicated his time, money, and effort to buy a bookstore that could serve his Harlem community and his son, Lewis, helped his dad at the store. During the time of the equal rights movement Lewis meets Malcolm X and is inspired by his words and speeches. Lewis begins to understand that his father was right that books will allow people the freedom to understand and gain knowledge of the past to better their own lives.
	Black Cat Myers, C. (1999). Black Cat. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. This story is about a wondering black cat who walks all around the city streets. The cat goes to several places that most people don’t go and jumping on top of cars, walking on rooftops and signs, and cross across the concrete playgrounds. The cat isn’t afraid to walk down into the subway stations and hunts for mice and the giant rats. During the book the narrator keeps asking, “Is there a place of your own? Where’s your home?” The cat answers, “Anywhere I roam.” It’s a creative book with a mix of different medias used to present the book.
	Firebird Copeland, M., & Myers, C. (2014). Firebird. New York, NY: Penguin Group. The book is about a ballerina Misty Copeland, who shows a young girl how she can dance and transform herself from a fragile girl to a beautiful confident young woman. This young girl and Misty go through ballet lessons and which strengthens a young girls’ confidence which allows the her to rise for the ashes of self-pity and become a strong and beautiful phoenix flying and leaping through the air becoming a great ballerina.
	Duke Ellington Pinkney, A. D., & Pinkney, J. B. (1998). Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and his Orchestra. New York, NY: Scholastic. This story is about the life of Duke Ellington and how he became a talented master maestro. A young Duke began to play the piano at a young age but as child he wanted to do something else until he heard another piano player come up with a tune that sparked an interest in Duke. That spark ignited a musical talent which allowed him to form a band, and he started playing at hole in the one dives and high-end music joints. He was the first African American who played at the Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943. This story will offer a great insight in the life of Duke Ellington and the illustrations will capture the interests of every reader.
	Freedom Summer Wiles, D., & Lagarrigue, J. (2001). Freedom Summer. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. This story is about two boys of different races who are best friends regardless of race. The boys do everything together as much as they can, but unfortunately John Henry who is African American can’t do what Joe can do, because of his race and the segregation laws. Even though, the laws don’t allow them to do the same things it doesn’t stop them for being friends. Both boys see past their color and race and just enjoy each other’s company. The strength of their friendship helps them see past the hate and segregation.
	I Have a Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King, M. L., Jr. (2012). I Have a Dream. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books. This book illustrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream.” His speech dictates how he has a dream about black boys and girls will hold the hands with white boys and girls without hate or fear. How he believed the true meaning of the nations creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He dreams about a world where everyone can live in a nation where no one is judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. The story is created to allow young children to understand the true meaning of freedom and about Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech.
	Martin’s Big Words Rappaport, D., & Collier, B. (2001). Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. This story about a young Martin Luther King Jr. who learns that he is just as good as anyone. Through the teachings of the Bible and his father’s words he strove to minister his big words and tell everyone can be great. He followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi who said “love,” when others would say “hate.” King believed that the people of the world will have to find a way to live together peacefully. He would go around and walk, talk, sing, and pray for those who fought to get equal rights and banish segregation forever. Many people still remember Martin Luther King Jr’s words of hope and love for the people which ended segregation.
	The Patchwork Quilt Flournoy, V., & Pinkney, J. (1985). The Patchwork Quilt. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. This story is about a young girl, Tanya, who bonds with her grandmother and mother over a patchwork quilt. Tanya learns from her grandmother that the patchwork quilt tells a story about a person’s life. Tanya’s grandmother uses fabric from different family members’ clothing that they either tore or grew out of. Grandmother becomes ill and cannot sew, so Tanya began to learn how to cut fabric and sew patches to help complete her grandmother’s quilt. When grandmother gets better she finishes the quilt and gives the quilt to Tanya in honor of all the hard work.
	Uncle Jed’s Barbershop Mitchell, M. K., Ransome, J., & Chomowicz, L. (1993). Uncle Jed's Barbershop. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. This story is about a girl who has fond memories of her dear Uncle Jed who happened to be a barber. As she was growing up the young girl became very sick and needed an operation to make her feel better. Her dear uncle was the only one in the family who had enough money, because he was saving his money to achieve his dream of owning his own barbershop. Uncle Jed gladly gave the money to his favorite niece’s operation, because he felt family was more important than money and he could always save up again. Throughout the story Uncle Jed faced financial hardships but he eventually opened up his dream barbershop, and his dear niece was there for him. Uncle Jed’s dreaming and hard work inspired her to never stop dreaming.
	Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys Howard, E. F., & Lewis, E. B. (1999). Virgie Goes to school with Us Boys. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. This story is about a young girl, Virgie, who dreams about going to school with her brothers. She is eager to learn but everyone thinks she can’t walk 7 miles to school and be away from her mother and father for a week. The story takes place during the time of where slaves were released by Abraham Lincoln. Her parents thought about what they had to do and decided that it was Virgie’s time to get an education and learn for it’s a better place.

Newbury Awarded Books

	Island of the Blue Dolphins O'Dell, S. (1960). Island of the Blue Dolphin. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This is a story about a young girl, Karana, who survives by herself on an island for 18 years. She was a daughter of a chief who was slain by fur traders. As her people were leaving the island to seek a new place her brother, Ramo, was left behind accidently when the ships were sailing away, and she refused to leave her brother behind so she bravely dove into the sea to swim back to the island. Sadly, her brother didn’t survive long on the island and Karana was left alone. Karana developed her skills in hunting, weapon making, and much more to survive the wild and harsh elements. This is truly a well-written book and many could appreciate the dynamics of this book and character. I really enjoyed the story and watch Karana grow as a character. It's one of my favorite books to read.
	Hatchet Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Bradbury Press. This is a great story about a young boy, Brian Robeson, who crash lands in the middle of the Canadian wilderness on his way to see his father. Brian luckily survives a plane crash and he slowly swims to the shore to survey the area. During Brain’s time alone he uses his many skills that he read about to survive the harsh elements of the wilderness, and he even survived a twister. When the harsh storm was over he realizes that it somehow lifted the plane that had crashed into the water up, and Brian daringly worms his way into the plane to get the much-needed survival bag. Brain’s time there in the wilderness helped him grow in many ways. Find out what Brain went through in order to survive. Brain is a well-developed character and the mere thought of his trails, and some of the pain he went through made me love the character even more.
	The Sign of the Beaver Speare, E. G. (1998). The Sign of the Beaver. New York, NY: Random House. This is a great story of a young pioneer boy, Matt, who is left behind to tend to the house while his father goes and fetches the rest of the family. While Matt is left behind he falls prey to the theft and he almost dies from a severe reaction to bees. When he awakens, he finds an old Indian man and a young Indian boy tending to him and helping him get back onto his feet. While Matt regains his strength, he is asked to teach the young Indian boy, Attean, English. Matt does his best to teach Attean but it’s really Attean who is teaching Matt. Find out what Attean and Matt learned from each other and what each of them had to offer. Matt and Attean are two completely opposite characters who are both developed well. I enjoyed reading this story because of how opposite they were, and how they became friends at the end.
	The Witch of Blackbird Pond Speare, E. G. (2011). The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. This story is set in the colonial period where our young character Kit Taylor recently came from Barbados to come live with her aunt after her grandfather died. Kit is perceived to be unusual and many consider her odd because of the way she acts. Throughout the story these misunderstandings and misconceptions make Kit vulnerable to being accused of witchcraft. Through plain luck Kit is released and can go back home to her family, but sadly Kit decides after that event that she doesn’t belong with her family and she wishes to go back home to Barbados. Find out what if Kit makes it back home or not. This is another one of my favorites because of how Kit Taylor is written is just marvelous. I was rooting for Kit the whole time when I was reading this book and her story made me just want to cry for everything she went through.
	The One and Only Ivan Applegate, K. (2012). The One and Only Ivan. New York, NY: Harper Collins. This story is about a gorilla, Ivan, and his life at a shopping mall. Ivan no longer remembers his old life in the jungle and he merely observes the humans who are outside of his domain. Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has a couple of friends; like Stella the elephant and Bob the stray dog, and Ivan enjoys making art which he has learned to appreciate thanks to the caretaker’s young daughter. Ivan’s life is about to change when a new animal, Ruby, a baby elephant joins the gang. Ruby was taken from the wild and when she sees Ivan’s pictures she begins to share her memories with Ivan which triggers his own long ago memories. As the story continues Ivan decides that this isn’t the place for Ruby to live and begins to come up with a plan to free Ruby. Find out if Ivan succeeded with his plan or not. Ivan and his fellow characters were a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed what Ivan went through to get him and Ruby to be free.
	One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: Amistad/Harper Collins. This is a story is set during the late 1960’s, it’s about three sisters who travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California to stay the month with their mother who abandoned her children a long time ago. Delphine is the oldest sister and she’s overseen her younger sisters ever since their mother left. She’s is the only one who recalls what her mother, Cecile, was like when she was little. When they finally land in Oakland and meet their mother, they find out that she’s a poet and print-maker. Delphine learns that her mother prints out letters and other things to spread the Black panthers message. During their month long stay their mother is arrested, and it’s up to Delphine to take care of her sisters. Find out what happens to Delphine and her sisters. After reading this first book by Rita Williams-Garcia and these characters she created I knew I found another author who I enjoyed to read. This is truly a great book and author.
	Shiloh Naylor, P. R. (1991). Shiloh. New York, NY: Atheneum. This is a story about a young boy who does everything in his power to save a dog, Shiloh. Our young boy, Marty Preston, always wanted a dog of his own but his family couldn’t afford a dog. One day Marty happens to come across a little beagle in the woods and he decides he wants to keep the little dog, but he finds out the dog belongs to the crusty-old mean man, Judd Travers. It breaks his hurt to give the dog back to Judd, but Shiloh runs back to Marty. Even though, Marty hides Shiloh away from anyone it doesn’t stop Shiloh from getting hurt, and that’s when Judd finds out that Marty had been keeping him all along. Marty, who is determine to keep Shiloh at any cost decides to fight for Shiloh’s freedom. Find out if Marty got to keep Shiloh or if Shiloh had to return to his hateful owner, Judd. This is by far a tearing-jerking book but I'm glad to have read it and that it worked out for Marty in the end. This book reminded me of Where the Red Fern Grows and I'm glad this one had a better ending then the Red Fern.
	Because of Winn-Dixie DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. Because of Winn-Dixie is about a mother-less girl named, Opal Buloni, who finds a dog when she’s out grocery shopping. Opal is new to town and doesn’t have any friends so she takes the dog as a sign and decides to name the dog Winn-Dixie since she found the dog outside of the Winn-Dixie grocery store. With the help of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins meeting new people and starts to make new friends. It’s during this time that Opal with the help of Winn-Dixie’s support she decides to ask her Dad about her mother and why did she leave them. As the story continues Opal and her new friends are at a party when a terrible storm comes in and scares poor Winn-Dixie to the point the dog runs away. Read to find out if Opal finds Winn-Dixie and to see what happens next. They always say a book is different from the movie and I'm always happy to read a book then watch the movie. I find it funny that Opal's grocery store is the same one in Alabama when I visit my mother's side of the family. This book is similar to Shiloh and Where the Red Fern grows, so be prepared to cry if your the emotional type like me.
	Charlotte’s Web White, E. B. (2012). Charlotte's Web. New York, NY: Harper Collins. This enchanting tale is about a pig, Wilbur, who is a lonely little piglet in need of a friend. The farmer’s daughter saves Wilbur’s life and she provides him with enough love and care that helps Wilbur grow into a fine pig. During the story, Wilbur is sold to another farm which causes him to feel extremely lonely and sad until he meets Charlotte the spider that lives in the rafters above Wilbur’s pen. Charlotte becomes a great friend to Wilbur and she create marvelous signs that help save Wilbur’s life from ending too soon. Find out how Charlotte creates her signs and what happens to Wilbur. Even though, I've read and watch two different movies over this story I always find that I missed something or discovered something new when I read the book. What a good story to read to a little one.
	Like Jake and Me Jukes, M., & Bloom, L. (1984). Like Jake and Me. New York, NY: A.A. Knopf. This loving story is about a boy, Alex, who is always trying to be helpful now that his mother is about to have twins and his stepfather is always working hard on the farm. Alex feels that he and Jake aren’t quite alike, but Alex’s mother assures him that Jake and he are alike. During the story, a spider lends a helping hand to help the father and the son develop a sincere relationship. Alex learns that Jake does need his help to find the spider that is crawling around in Jake’s clothing. Find out if they found the spider and see how Jake and Alex are doing. This is a good book for parents of divorce and stepparents because it always the child and stepparent to bond which is always a big worry for some who remarry. I've never been in that situation but it was nice story to read and the illustrations really made the story come to life.

Caldecott Awarded Books

	The Hello, Goodbye Window Juster, N., & Raschka, C. (2005). The Hello, Goodbye Window. New York: Michael di Capua Books/Hyperion Books for Children. This is a great children’s book for those kids who love spending time with their grandparents. The young character comes to visit the grandparents and they have a special place they share in the house that involves a window. At the window they can see out to the garden or see inside the kitchen, and the young character likes to make faces at the grandparents as well. To the young character it a different way to see the world. Do you have a special place in your grandparents’ home?
	Henry’s Freedom Box Levine, E. (2007). Henry's Freedom Box. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. This story is about a young slave boy, Henry, who was born into slavery and continues living as a slave. He marries and has three children who end up being sold to another owner. Henry is heartbroken and misses his family dearly. Now that Henry is alone he begins to plan his escape to freedom. He and his helpful friends come up with a plan to ship him in a box to Philadelphia where he could be a freeman. His journey is long and tiring but he makes it to freedom.
	Smoky Night Diaz, D., & Bunting, E. (1994). Smoky Night. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harrcourt. The story was based on the race riots of Los Angeles, and the characters offer an insight as to how they felt when their apartment caught on fire. The story has a character named, Daniel, who lived in one of the apartments that caught on fire. As he and his mother rushed out of the burning building he realizes that his cat, Jasmine, is missing and he becomes worried for her. The apartment residents are then taken to a shelter where everyone can rest and be safe. Daniel finds relief when a fireman brings in two cats and one of them is Daniel’s and the other belongs to a woman Mrs. Kim. Both of these characters had different views of each other but when their cats bond over milk they realize race and color aren’t important enough to keep people strangers.
	Make Way My Ducklings McCloskey, R. (1999). Make Way For Ducklings. New York, NY: The Viking Press. This enchanting story is about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck who are seeking a place to live and raise their little ducklings. On their journey to find many places that Mr. Mallard thinks is perfect, but mother Mallard is insisting that they aren’t safe enough. They end up finding a safe pond in a Garden park, but the idea of raising little ducklings isn’t safe since bicycles are speeding by without stopping. The Mallards find a cozy spot in a channel with a small island where they have their little ducklings. As the ducklings get bigger the Mallards decide to move back to the Garden Park. As the ducklings and Mrs. Mallard make their way through the city they make friends who help them get to the safety of the park.
	John Henry Lester, J., & Pinkney, J. (1994). John Henry. New York, NY: Puffin Group. The story of John Henry is a classic folktale about a boy who magically turns into a grown man in less than a day. This magical man does great wonders such as repair his family’s home, and straightens out the town’s bully. As time passes John Henry decides to head out on his own and make something of himself. One of his journey’s takes him to the Chesapeake, Ohio where he helps the people there by using his sledgehammers to beat a mountain into a paved road. He continues on his way and runs into a railroad track being built, and decides to help out. He’s challenged by a machinist and he bets that he could defeat the rail machine. As they compete against one another, John Henry uses his magical hammers and pounds away through the mountain and beats the machine.
	Grandfather’s Journey Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. The story is about a young Japanese man who decides to leave Japan and travel the world. He dresses in European fashion and begins his journey on his steamship across the Pacific Ocean. On his travels across North America he meets new people and sees new places. He decides to live in California because of its scenery and sights. He leaves and returns back with his wife and they have a daughter together. As his daughter gets older he realizes that he misses his home country, so he takes his family back home where his daughter marries and has her own child, a son. The young grandson and grandfather talk about California and what it was like living there. Grandfather becomes homesick for California but sadly he never makes the trip back to California. The son is a full grown adult and he decides to visit and live in California reminiscing about his grandfather.
	Madeline’s Rescue Bemelmans, L. (1953). Madeline's rescue. New York: Viking Press. This story is about a young girl named Madeline who marches to her own beat. As Miss Clavel and the other 11 girls take their daily walk Madeline accidentally slips and falls into the river. A dog saves Madeline’s life and is brought into their home in Paris to stay with them. As the days go by the dog, Genevieve, who is smart, helpful, and cherishes the children is thrown out of the home due to the Trustees who don’t want a dog living there. Miss Clavel, Madeline and the other children want their Genevieve back, so they being searching for her everywhere. At last Genevieve comes home to Miss Clavel and the children, and begins to settle in for the night. During the night, Miss Clavel is awaked by news that their dear Genevieve gave birth to the right amount of puppies for each child to have. It’s an endearing tale of love and friendship.
	The Man Who Walked Between the Towers Gerstein, M., & Tuosto, F. (2003). The man who walked between the towers. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press.  This tale is about a man named, Philippe Petit who dared to walk on a tight rope that stretched across the two Twin Towers in New York city on August 7,1974. Philippe had done something similar back in his home country of Paris where he walked across the steeples of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Philippe knew it could be dangerous walking so high up, but when he was tight roping he felt free as bird feels when they fly. Philippe accomplished his task across the Twin Towers, and even though those two towers are not there people remember what Philippe Petit did and the memories will remain.
	Owl Moon Yolen, J., & Schoenherr, J. (1987). Owl Moon. Philomel Books. Owl Moon is a lovely poetic tale of a daughter and father who go owling in the middle of the night. As they travel through the snowy landscape with a giant moon in the sky they hear the stirrings of wildlife. They a fox, raccoon, a field mouse, and deer who are watching them pass through the snow to get the trees at the end of their farmland. Through the leafless trees they begin to hear hooting from an owl and they finally look up to see the barn owl take flight. The author uses great poetic imaginary which describes the great details of the journey the two take, and how they find their owl hooting is magical hoot.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters Steptoe, J., Steptoe, J., & Stevens, J. (1987). Mufaro's beautiful daughters: An African tale. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. This is an African tale about two daughters who have a chance to marry a king from another village. This tale is very much like Cinderella, but it doesn’t have a fairy godmother with a magic wand. Instead we have a kind sister, Nyasha, and a mean sister, Manyara, who must journey to the village where the King will decide which to marry. Along the journey each sister goes through unknown tasks set by the King to prove their worthiness. As Nyasha comes into the city, she is met by a hysterical Manyara who believes the king to be a monster, but with courage Nyasha goes into the great hall and finds a friend who turns out to be the King in disguise. The King tells Nyasha that through her journey and all those that she met where him, and she is the right sister to marry for her kind heart is what made him fall in love with her.