Annotated Bibliography of Books:

Apelfeld, A., & Dumas, P. (2017). Adam & Thomas. (J. Green, Trans.). Seven Stories Press.

This book tells the story of two Jewish boys who leave a Ghetto to hide in the woods and

wait for their mothers to return to them. Throughout their time, the boys grow in friendship and

help others escape through the woods. According to ASLC, this book is recommended for

students in middle grades. This book could be implemented in a social studies unit on the

Holocaust, or it could be read in a thematic unit focused on friendship.

Archer, M. (2016). Daniel finds a poem. Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random

House LLC.

This book tells the story of Daniel who is trying to discover what poetry is. As he walks

through the park, he discovers that poetry is all around him. This book would be an excellent

resource for language arts when introducing poetry to students, especially to elementary and

even middle school students. This book could be shared with students prior to them studying

poetry. Students could then brainstorm ways poetry is present in their everyday lives as well and

compare that to what Daniel discovers.

Bailey, L., & Sardà Júlia. (2018). Mary who wrote Frankenstein. Tundra Books, an imprint of

Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers.

This book tells the story of Mary Shelley, the author of the novel Frankenstein. This book

would be valuable in the classroom as an informational text. This book could be incorporated
around Halloween and paired with a story about the commonly known “Frankenstein.” Students

have likely heard about Frankenstein (as in the creature), but they may not know the actual story

it is based on. This book would allow students to learn about the novel and its author. It could

also be implemented in high school classes reading Frankenstein.

Brown. (2015). Drowned city: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This book is a graphic novel that details the tragic event of Hurricane Katrina. The book

focuses on the devastation of the event, but also highlights the resiliency of the community. This

book could be implemented in the language arts classroom in middle school or even freshmen in

high school as a read alone book. This book could also be implemented in the science classroom

as part of a study on natural disasters. It could also be used in a social studies classroom focusing

on United States history.

Coelho, J. (2018). Luna loves library day. Andersen Press.

Luna is a character who enjoys going to the library because she can read about various

topics and spend time with her family. This book would be best fitting in the lower elementary

grades. It could be read before taking students to the library at school because it allows students

to see what you can learn at the library through books. It could also be used to encourage

students to develop a love for reading like the character in the book.

Guiberson, B. Z. (2015). Most amazing creature in the sea. Henry Holt & Company Inc.

This book provides facts about different sea creatures and asks readers to consider what

creature they think is the most amazing. This book could be implemented in several ways,

including when studying the ocean habitat. However, I think one of the most meaningful ways to
implement this book would be to have students write an opinion essay after reading the book in

which they would explain why the creature they selected is the most amazing. They could even

conduct further research about that animal to include in their writing.

Hare, J. (2019). Field trip to the Moon. Holiday House.

This book relies on pictures to tell the story of a student who gets left behind after their

class took a field trip to the moon. This book has no text, but students can envision the story

based on the illustrations. This book would work well in elementary grades in several ways. One

would be to have older students write sentences about what they think is happening in each of

the pictures. Another way this could be implemented in the classroom is if students are studying

space in a science unit. The images in the book could help them visualize what it may look like

in space.

Jenkins, M., & Hopgood, T. (2016). Fabulous frogs. Candlewick Press.

This is a nonfiction picture book. The book has information and images about different

types of frogs, detailing characteristics such as size and color. This book would work perfectly in

a science unit where students are studying different types of animals (amphibians, reptiles,

mammals, etc.). This book could be used to help students develop a better understanding about

how most animals can be different even though they are the same animal. This book would be

best for elementary students.

Johnson, D., & Harrison, A. (2022). H is for Harlem. Christy Ottaviano Books, Little, Brown and

Company.
 This book provides information about Harlem, New York, focusing on historical figures,

buildings, artwork, and more. Each letter of the alphabet provides information on something

related to Harlem. This book would be great to include during Black History Month for any

grade level. This book could also be implemented in music or art classes when studying music or

art from the Harlem Renaissance or in language arts when studying a writer from the Harlem

Renaissance.

Kessler, L. (2022). When the World Was Ours. Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Children's Publishing Division.

This book is based on a true story of three friends who become separated due to the

Holocaust. This book is a novel, and it could be implemented in middle or high school. This

book could be used in the language arts classroom as a cross-curricular unit studying history and

literature. Students could learn about the Holocaust while exploring the novel and its themes.

Lindstrom, C., & Goade, M. (2021). We are water protectors. Weston Woods Studios, Inc.

This book tells the story of a girl standing up for the protection of water by challenging

pipelines that could destroy the earth. This book could be implemented in a science unit where

students research actions that could affect water and the landscape in their own communities,

such as pollution, oil and gas industries, etc., and design an activism project to explain why

things should change. These projects could be shared with the school and the community.

Luby, B., Pawis-Steckley, J. M., Corbiere, A. T., Corbiere, A. O., Luby, B., & Luby, B. (2021).

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh/ This is How I Know: A Book About the Seasons.

Groundwood Books.
 This book is a lyrical-story poem that follows a grandmother and her granddaughter

through an exploration of the four seasons. This book could be incorporated when students are

studying the four seasons. Students could compare their own experiences with the four seasons

and compare them to the ones described in the book.

Luqman-Dawson, A. (2022). Freewater. Little, Brown and Company.

This book tells the story of children who escaped slavery. These children go to live in a

community called Freewater, which is made up of former slaves. This book would work well

with upper elementary grades and up. It could be meaningfully implemented in a study about

slavery and how slaves escaped, such as the Underground Railroad. This book could be a starting

point for a research project where students research ways in which slaves escaped to freedom.

McCarthy, M. (2018). All that trash: The story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and our problem with

stuff. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

This book is a nonfiction text about a barge that was adrift in the Atlantic Ocean in 1987

looking for a place to dump the garbage that was on it. This book could be incorporated in a

science unit that focuses on pollution or reducing, reusing, and recycling. This book would likely

best be suited for elementary to middle grade students, but could also be incorporated at the high

school level. The book could even spark project ideas where students have to brainstorm

solutions for ways to reduce waste in their communities.

Motum, M. (2022). Ducks overboard! Walker Books.

This book tells a true story about plastic toy ducks that spilled into the ocean. The book

provides facts about ocean pollution. This book could be implemented in a science unit that is
focused on climate or pollution. Students could read this book as an example of ways the oceans

have been impacted by human behavior.

Sheinkin, S. (2021). Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the ultimate cold war showdown. Roaring

Brook Press.

This book is another nonfiction text. It details events related to the Cold War, including

the events that led to it and who was involved. This book would best be suited for middle and

high school students. It would be beneficial in a history classroom focusing on the Cold War.

This book is longer, so excerpts could be used from the book, or the teacher could have students

read the entire book.

Vermette, K., & Flett, J. (2019). The girl and the Wolf. Theytus Books.

After a little girl gets lost in the woods, a wolf helps her find her way back home. As he

does this, the girl realizes she had the abilities she needed to get back on her own. This book

could be implemented in the classroom through a social-emotional lesson as students could

discuss their own abilities to be independent, but they may need reminded of what they are

capable of doing.

Wenzel, B. (2016). They all saw a cat. Chronicle Books, LLC.

This book shows how various characters and people see the same cat. This book could be

used to teach students about how everyone has their own unique perspective and experience.

After reading the book, students could complete a response—whether written or a drawing—

about how their perspective of the same thing could be different from someone else’s.

Wheeler, L., Long, L., & Edwards, J. (2021). Someone builds the dream. Dial Books for Young
 Readers.

This book describes the many careers and jobs that go into making things that exist in our

world. This book focuses on skilled laborers and what they do. This book could be read by

elementary students exploring careers. Students could read this book then have guests come in to

describe their careers, like a career day. Then, students could complete a project about what they

want to be when they grow up, whether that is a writing project or creating a poster or digital

presentation that describes their goals.

Yage, W. (2022). Playing with lanterns. Amazon Crossing Kids.

This book tells the story of uncles who gift their nieces and nephews lanterns for Chinese

New Year. They celebrate the holiday together. This book could be used in a unit where students

are learning about holidays from around the world. Students could use this book as a way to

compare holidays they celebrate to holidays they don’t celebrate to find differences and

similarities.
 References

ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf. (n.d.). ALSC Book & Media Awards Shelf. Retrieved April

14, 2023, from https://alsc-awards-shelf.org/directory/results?booklist=14&page=1

Outstanding international books list. USBBY. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2023, from

https://www.usbby.org/outstanding-international-books-list.html