TOP 10

01

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday -- his first day of freedom.

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02

A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams

After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy.

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03

Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the other kids in her school don't like them. And Camilla Cream is very, very worried about what other people think of her. In fact, she's so worried that she's about to break out in...a bad case of stripes! 

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04

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.

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05

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (autobiography)

On November 14, 1960, a tiny six-year-old black child, surrounded by federal marshals, walked through a mob of screaming segregationists and into her school. From where she sat in the office, Ruby Bridges could see parents marching through the halls and taking their children out of classrooms.

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06

Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polaccio

It's the true story of how this award-winning author-illustrator learned to read. The book is a tribute to Mr. Falker, her teacher -- the one who FINALLY took the time to help a persecuted little Patricia overcome her dyslexia (or whatever it was that caused such tremendous reading difficulties.
 

07

Emmanuel's Dream by Laurie Thompson

This inspiring picture book by author Laurie Ann Thompson tells the moving true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a young man born with a severe disability in rural Ghana who nonetheless bicycled across the entire country, raising awareness for disabled people throughout Africa and around the world.

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08

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Cassie Louise Lightfoot has a dream: to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on "Tar Beach"  — the rooftop of her family's Harlem apartment building — her dream comes true. The stars lift her up, and Cassie Louise Lightfoot is flying over the city, claiming everything she sees as her own.

09

A Castle on Viola Street by anne Disalvo


A hardworking family gets their own house at last by joining a community program that restores old houses. Information about housing organizations such as Habitat for Humanity is included. A great story for a discussion on helping others.

10

Boxes For Katje by Candace Fleming

After World War II there is little left in Katje's town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom "thick and bright," Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje's street to deliver a mysterious box—a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What's inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks: beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.