W--RC III Bibliography

1. *Yum! Yuck!: A Foldout Book of People Sounds

By: Linda Sue Park and Julia Durango, illustrated by Sue Rama
(Charlesbridge, 2005)
The varied way the same feelings are expressed around the world. (3-6)

2. Youre All My Favorites

By: Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram
(Candewick, 2004)
Cheerful, loving bear parents reassure their three cubs that each of them is special.
Soft watercolors

3. *The Blacker the Berry

By: Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
(HarperCollins, 2008)
Poems celebrate the wonder of our diversity with soft expressive illustrations

4. A Chair for My Mother

By: Vera B. Williams
(Greenwillow/ HarperCollins, 1982)
After a fire that destroys all of their possessions, a poor family works hard to buy a
wonder, beautiful, fat, soft armchair

5. Elmer and the Hippos

Written and illustrated by David Mckee (Andersen Press, 2010)
When hippos invade the elephants river because theirs has dried up, Elmer soothes
tempers and solves the problem. Colorful gouache illustrations.

6. I Like Myself!
By: Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow
(Harcourt/ HMM, 2004)
A youngerster expresses her feelings of strong self-esteem. Joyful text and
illustrations.

7. Mystery Bottle
Written by: Balouch, Kristen.
Hyperion, 2006. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
When a Brooklyn boy receives a bottle in the mail, it sends him on an imaginary
journey to visit his grandfather in Iran. The opened bottle emits a powerful wind that
sweeps the boy across the ocean, over the mountains, and through the city where
my father was born [] into the arms of my Baba Bozorg. There he shares tea and
conversation with his grandfather, who tells the boy that he can return anytime he
wants to visit. Just open the bottle, and the wind will bring you to me. A final note
and the jacket flap copy describe how the authors husband left Iran in 1978, a
month before the Iranian revolution began. Years later, his father sent a package to
his seven-year-old grandson in Brooklyn. Whimsical illustrations effectively use
collage and map backgrounds to track the boys journey to his distant relative.
Highly Commended, 2007 Charlotte Zolotow Award Cooperative Children's Book
Center

8. Oscars Half Birthday

Written by: by Bob Graham
Published by Candlewick Press, 2005. 32 pages. Ages 3-6
Oscars family celebrates his six-month birthday with a walk to their neighborhood
park, a rather lopsided cake, and a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, sung by
family members and the strangers who have gathered around to admire baby
Oscar. Although the birthday boy is the center of attention, the real star of the show
is his three-year-old sister, Millie, who wears coat-hanger fairy wings on her back
and a dinosaur puppet on her left hand, symbolic of her dual nature. A little more
fairy and a little less dinosaur, her mother chides her gently when Millies play is a
bit too vigorous for little Oscar. Bob Grahams depiction of a slightly offbeat,
interracial family is right on target: Millie, in her behavior and dialogue, is the
quintessential three year old, commanding the attention of both her parents and
the books readers, while Oscar remains, for the most part, completely oblivious to
the fuss being made over him. The parents, young and hip, are everything good
parents should be: caring, attentive, firm, and, above all, they seem to truly enjoy
both of their children. Grahams trademark pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings
show a diverse cast of characters living in a working class neighborhood.

9. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Written By: Lois Ehlert
Published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. 36 pages. Ages 3 5
Burst of brilliant red and yellow hues on the cover and end papers of this 10 1/4"
square volume celebrates the natural beauty of the sugar maple tree. Collages
incorporating a variety of materials including seeds, roots, fabric, ribbon, wire,
paper, plastic, cardboard, watercolors, crayons, pencils, pens, and oil pastels create
a strong textural sense, which is enhanced by the actual embossing of a leaf
pictured on the book jacket. The brief text, printed in large, bold typeface, traces
the growth of a sugar maple from seed to nursery to flourishing maturity in a child's
yard. An expanded glossary at the book's close provides additional information to
be shared with children. Thoughtfully planned and beautifully executed throughout,
no detail is omitted--even to directions for making a birdseed treat on the back
jacket flap. CCBC categories: The Natural World; Activities; Seasons and
Celebrations. Cooperative Children's Book Center

10.Snow Pumpkin
Written By: by Carole Lexa Schaefer, Illustrated by Pierr Morgan
Published by Crown, 2000. 32 pages. Ages 4 7
An early fall snowstorm provides Lily and her friend Jesse with the opportunity to
build a snowman in October. When they run short of snow for a head, a pumpkin is
the solution. Although she's disappointed when the snowman melts before her
grandmother can see it, Lily consoles herself by taking the Snow Pumpkin home,
where he sits on her windowsill right through Halloween. The biracial friendship
between a lively Asian American girl and an African American boy distinguishes this
story about the excitement that the first snowfall of the season generates,
especially when it comes in October! CCBC categories: Seasons and Celebrations;
Picture Books for Younger Children