Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

Aardema, Verna, and Beatriz Vidal. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: a Nandi Tale. New York: Dial, 1981. Print. 32 pages.

• ISBN-10: 0140546162
• ISBN-13: 978-0140546163

This is an old African folktale about a herdsman named Ki-pat. Ki-pat needs rain for the grass to grow, so his cows do not die. Ki-pat makes a bow and arrow and shoots the arrow into the black rain cloud. The arrow helps to change the weather so the grass can grow and the cows can live.

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-literature/SECurtis.html


This book would be a good introduction to students about some of the different cultures in Africa.  It also using repetition and rhyming techniques.  Something the students could do for this would be to write something about an unfamiliar culture they are learning about and use some of the techniques shown in this story.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb, 2009. Print. 208 pages.

• ISBN-10: 0385737424
• ISBN-13: 978-0385737425

When You Reach Me, a young adult novel that was a winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal, was written by Rebecca Stead. Set in New York City in the late 1970s, it's an engrossing story about a young girl, her relationships with her friends, her single mother and her mother's boyfriend, and a mystery. 

Miranda is in the sixth grade when she begins to receive a series of notes that indicate knowledge about Miranda's life that is seemingly impossible for anyone to have. Miranda's attempts to understand why she is receiving these notes and what they mean are beautifully illustrated through Miranda's interior monologues about growing up on the upper west side of Manhattan in 1979 and the trials and joys of sixth grade.

The story raises philosophical questions about the nature of time, the nature of friendship, courage and trust,  and the meaning of life and death. It would be a marvelous book to read along with a middle-school-aged child (I read it along with my twelve-year-old son) or to read to a class of upper elementary school students. I couldn't put it down!

What Mary Jo Shared by Janice May Udry

Udry, Janice May., and Eleanor Mill. What Mary Jo Shared. Chicago: Albert Whitman, 1966. Print.
32 pages.

• ISBN-10: 0590437577
• ISBN-13: 978-0590437578

This book tells the story of a young girl who is afraid to share during show and tell at her school. She anticipates things that she could share with her class, but she often gets discouraged because the things are not spectacular enough. Each day at school, her teacher asks her if she would like to share anything, and she declines. Eventually, the young girl decides to bring her father to share with the class. She is happy when she is accepted by her fellow students in the class. Sharing her father with the class happened to be the best choice that she could have made.
-Robin Simmons
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/422825.What_Mary_Jo_Shared


This was a fun read!  It was a cute little book and I loved the positivity.  This would be good in the classroom to encourage students to participate.  Mary Jo was very shy until she worked up the courage to bring her dad in for show and tell.  This could help the shy students see that speaking up and actively participating in class is a good thing and not actually that bad once you get over the fear of it.

Runaway Dreidel by Leslea Newman

Newman, Lesléa, and Kyrsten Brooker. Runaway Dreidel! New York: Henry Holt, 2002. Print. 32 pages.

• ISBN-10: 031237142X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312371425
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Set to the cadences of "The Night Before Christmas" ("Twas the first night of Chanukah and on the fifth floor/ There was holiday bustling and bustling galore"), Newman's (Matzo Ball Moon) verse narrative describes a runaway dreidel that finds a home in the night sky. The chief virtue of this forgettable tale may be its having occasioned more of Brooker's (Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street) idiosyncratic mixed-media art, oil paintings into which she seamlessly applies cut-paper photo elements. Everything in these illustrations is affectionately skewed, from the slightly oversize heads of the characters to the Brooklynesque street scenes occasioned by the boy narrator's pursuit of the toy. The dynamically dizzy world happily challenges readers to stay on their toes.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Runaway-Dreidel/Leslea-Newman/e/9780312371425


This is a fun book to read and a great way for children to learn a little bit about Jewish culture.  It could be great around the holidays, especially since Christmas is typically what is talked about, and not everyone celebrates Christmas.  It is always good to make sure none of  your students are excluded, and this book is a fun way to bring a little bit of a different culture into your classroom.

All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome by Kathy Hoopmann

Hoopmann, Kathy. All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2007. Print. 72 pages.

• ISBN-10: 1843104814
• ISBN-13: 978-1843104810

This book provides information about Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) by comparing cats to children with this high-functioning form of autism. The information is presented with accompanying pictures and helps ease the child into an understanding of his differences from his peers.

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-best-autism-childrens-books-a51081


First of all I love cats, so I thought this was pretty cute and creative.  I think that Asperger Syndrome is something that students really need to be familiar with because it is pretty likely that they will encounter a peer at some point who is diagnosed with this syndrome.  I remember a student at my high school with Asperger's who was ridiculed a lot, and I don't think most people knew that he had been diagnosed.  This book would be an easy way to explain Asperger's to students to give them an idea of what others are going through.

A is for Amazing Moments by Brad Herzog

Herzog, Brad, and Melanie Rose. A Is for Amazing Moments: a Sports Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear, 2008. Print. 36 pages.

• ISBN-10: 158536360X
• ISBN-13: 978-1585363605

From the first woman to swim the English Channel to the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, there have been some incredible and amazing events and milestones in the world of sports. Now in A is for Amazing Moments: A Sports Alphabet, sportswriter Brad Herzog showcases those events that set sports records while impacting American history and world views.

http://www4.shopping.com/A-is-for-Amazing-Moments:/hDpuOef_2FPZMNL1jzDxeg==/info


This is a sports highlights book with great illustrations.  It shows some of the great moments and records set in sports.  It has people of various races that have made these accomplishments and I think that is very important.  It is good to show the students that all kinds of people make these achievements, and it doesn't matter what race you are, you can still excel at what you want to.

Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna by Jerry Pinkney

Carlstrom, Nancy White., and Jerry Pinkney. Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna. New York: Aladdin, 1991. Print. 32 pages.

• ISBN-10: 0689714459
• ISBN-13: 978-0689714450

Rhyming verse tells of the summertime adventures of a young girl as she romps through the countryside. Watercolor, gouache, and color pencil illustrations accompany the text.
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/7225989/used/Wild%20Wild%20Sunflower%20Child%20Anna


The illustrations in this book were beautiful and I loved the rhyming verse technique Pinkney used.  I liked that it showed a girl living in the countryside because I think it is a beautiful place that not a lot of people see.  Students living in urban and suburban areas may enjoy seeing this different side that they are unfamiliar with.

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Katcher, Brian. Almost Perfect. New York: Delacorte, 2009. Print. 368 pages.

• ISBN-10: 0385736649
• ISBN-13: 978-0385736640

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher centres around Logan Witherspoon, a track star who is disillusioned with life after he learns that his girlfriend of three years has cheated on him. His best friends tell him it's time to move on but Logan is unable to get over her until Sage Hendricks enters his life. A new student in Boyer, small town where every one has known each other since diapers, Sage instantly catches Logan's attention. Although Sage and Logan quickly become close friends, she maintains an air of mystery to Logan when he learns she's been homeschooled for years, forbidden to date or participate in extracurricular activities while her younger sister is able to roam free living a normal teenage life. It is only when Logan finally acts on his feelings for Sage that he learns the full truth- Sage is biologically a boy. Scared and angry Logan lashes out at Sage, but when he finally takes the time to understand her and what she is going through, it may be too late to save their friendship.

http://inthenextroom.blogspot.com/2010/09/almost-perfect-by-brian-katcher.html


This was an awesome book!  I couldn't put it down!  I am pretty unfamiliar with the transgendered culture, and this gave me a little insight.  Although the language and topics may be a little controversial for a middle school classroom, I definitely think it is something they can handle.  The can relate to the students and I think that the emotions of the characters involving the topic of transgender are very real.  It really shows the idea of transgender in a different light and removes all stereotypes.  My favorite part was probably that the story seemed so plausible and so real.  I strongly recommend this read!