A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry – From the author of The Great Kapok Tree, this book follows the true story of the Nashua River over hundreds of years. It begins with the Native Americans and their careful conservation of the river and nature around them. Then begins the time of settlers taking over and of the progress that transforms the river into a polluted, stinky mess. Thankfully, the river is eventually restored to times past through the action and power of the community changing its ways and cleaning up its act. An especially great book to read on Earth Day or when talking about environmental issues, the book also offers historical information and wonderful illustrations to match the passing years that occur throughout the book.
Cheyenne Again by Eve Bunting – Eve Bunting is a great author and Cheyenne Again is one of my favorites. It depicts the hardship of Young Bull, a young Native American boy, taken from his family and forced to endure a boarding school where he must learn to become part of the white world. It’s a great look into the perspective of a culture not in power and while fiction, it is based on actual events as Native American children were once forced into these schools. However, this book also has a good lesson about being true to yourself when, at the end of the story, Young Bull reclaims his Native American heritage by not letting go of his memories.
The Empty Pot by Demi – Set long ago in China, the emperor announces he will choose his successor based on which child grows the most beautiful flower from a provided seed. Ping, a boy with a natural green thumb, tries everything to make the seed grow but is unsuccessful. He arrives at the palace with the only empty pot. It turns out that the emperor handed out cooked seeds that could not grow. Ping’s honesty and character is applauded and rewarded in this straightforward story.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein – This story tells of an apple tree that gives everything of itself in order to help the little boy she loves be happy. While it often makes the tree happy as well, we also see her lonely and sad when all the boy does is take. The pictures and words are quite simple, but it is quite a powerful story.
Web Resources I Recommend:
www.adl.org/bibliography
This website is from the World of Difference Institute, a section of the Anti-Defamation League. It offers recommendations for multicultural and anti-bias books. They feature different books each month but also have the following categories – Biography, Cultural & Religious Groups, Customs & Traditions, Families & Friends, Folktales, Legends, & Poems, and Prejudice & Discrimination - with lists of books associated with each. It also has related links and material such as information from the Anti-Defamation League.
www.bookhive.org
Associated with a North Carolina public library, this part of the website offers “Zinger Recommends,” which gives a book synopsis and a place to add reader’s comments about reviewed books. It also has a spot for children to listen to a storyteller and to make their own stories about Zinger the Bee.
http://readingbooklist.weebly.com/
I tried making a webpage so I hope it works! The Reading Coach at my school gave this list to me, but it was actually created by Chris Leland of Indiana University, IUPUI. It is a social issues booklist that is divided by topic and offers several books under each topic. The books are mostly picture books, but there are a few chapter books as well. I have found this list to be very convenient and helpful to use when I have a specific issue I want to talk about in my classroom.
Thanks for sharing the social issues booklist! It's helpful to have lists of books such as these related to social issues.
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