All Kinds of Kindness by Judy Carey Nevin (ages birth-2)
This fun and inclusive board book gives many examples of how we can be kind every day. Colorful illustrations and rhyming text show children picking up litter, calming a friend, planting a seed, working together to make a difference and much more. An introductory book to share with little ones to teach them that showing kindness never ends.
The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear (ages 3-5)
Charles and his friend Boggan (a toboggan sled) are in search of a wish tree even though they have been told no such thing exists. On their journey through the snowy woods, they encounter many woodland creatures and help the animals transfer supplies to their homes. The animals return the kindness by leading Charles and Boggan to a beautiful snowy tree where Charles ties his wish. Some of the text is repeated throughout the story that can help young readers predict what will happen.
Opal Lee and What It Means to be Free by Alice Faye Duncan (grades K-3)
A biography about Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth.” The book relays the history of the holiday at a modern Juneteenth celebration that includes Opal’s great grandson and other children. She tells freedom stories of slavery, how the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 didn’t free Texas slaves until 1865, of Jim Crow laws that were still in place when she was a child and of an angry mob who burned her family’s house down in 1939. In addition to the stories, a popular Texas red punch recipe is included as well as a timeline and more information about Opal Lee and her contributions to making Juneteenth a national holiday.
Stay by Bobbie Pyron (grades 4-6)
Eleven-year-old Piper and her family have been moving around a lot looking for work and experiencing snow for the first time while living in a shelter in a new city in Idaho. This story is told from different perspectives throughout; mostly from Piper and a dog named Baby who belongs to an older homeless woman named Jewel. After Jewel catches pneumonia and goes to the hospital for an unknown amount of time, Piper, Jewel and Baby’s friends from the park where they all live with their pets, and some of Piper’s new friends from the shelter want to help Baby and to reunite him with his owner.
We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement that Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman (grades 7 and up)
This young adult non-fiction book chronicles the lives of German siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl before and during World War II. They were part of the Hitler youth but eventually left as it became more apparent what Hitler was trying to accomplish. Later, when they studied at Munich University, they met and befriended other like-minded students and professors who wrote, reproduced and distributed leaflets called the White Rose that called to overthrow Hitler and the Nazi regime. The book is filled with a lot of details and photographs. Reading this is sure to inspire discussion.
Bookmarks submitted by the Grandview Heights Public Library.
