Birth and New Babies, Adoption 

Curtis, Jamie Lee, Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. A young girl asks her parents to retell the beloved story of her birth and adoption.

Fowler, Susi Gregg, When Joel Comes Home. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1993. A girl eagerly awaits the arrival of her parents’ best friends and their newly adopted son, Joel.

Frasier, Debra, On the Day You Were Born. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1991. The whole world rejoices at the birth of a new baby.

Knight, Margy Burns, Welcoming Babies. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, 1994. Families from different cultures around the world all welcome new babies in different ways.

Lewis, Deborah Shaw, When You Were a Baby. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1991. This book explains pregnancy, birth, and how a new baby becomes a part of a family.

Overend, Jenni, Welcome With Love. Brooklyn, NY: Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2000. Three siblings help their mother during the home birth of a new baby.

Say, Allen, Allison. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Allison, adopted from Asia, becomes upset and angry when she realizes that she doesn’t look like her white adoptive parents. Taking care of a stray cat helps her to understand the idea of adoption.

Winter, Susan. A Baby Just Like Me. New York: D. Kindersley, 1994. Martha is disappointed that her new baby sister is too young to play with her, but she eventually comes to appreciate this new addition to her family.

Barron, T. A., Where is Grandpa? New York: Philomel Books, 2000. When told that his grandfather has gone to heaven, a boy decides that heaven must be the natural world that his grandfather loved in life.

Brown, Margaret Wise, The Dead Bird. New York: Harper & Row, 1965. A group of young children find a dead bird and decide to give it a funeral; for some time afterward they continue to visit its grave.

Buscaglia, Leo F., The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: a story of life for all ages. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982. Freddie and the other leaves on his tree are born from buds in the spring and eventually fall to the ground in autumn. The small contributions that they make while alive add meaning to their lives and deaths.

Carson, Jo, You Hold Me and I’ll Hold You. New York: Orchard Books, 1992. A young girl and her father grieve together when her great-aunt dies. She also remembers her past grief when her mother left and when her hamster died.

Fassler, Joan, My Grandpa Died Today. New York: Behavioral Publications, 1971. David struggles to understand and accept the death of his beloved grandfather.

Fowler, Susi Gregg, Beautiful. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1998. While terminally ill, Uncle George shares his love of gardening with his nephew.

Gerstien, Mordicai, The Mountains of Tibet. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. When a Tibetan woodcutter dies, he is given the chance to choose his next reincarnation.

Goble, Paul, Beyond the Ridge. New York: Aladdin, 1993. An elderly Plains Indian woman moves on to the afterlife as her surviving relatives prepare her body according to their traditions.

Hanson, Warren, The Next Place. Minneapolis, MN: Waldman House Press, 1999. This book presents the comforting idea that those who have died have gone to a better place where they are loved and at peace.

Hathorn, Libby, Grandma’s Shoes. Boston: Little, Brown, 1994. Missing her dead grandmother, a young girl tries on her grandma’s shoes and is transported into a series of loving memories.

Lanton, Sandy, Daddy’s Chair. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben Copies, 1991. A Jewish boy sits shiva for his father, and defends his father’s chair from all encroachments.

London, Jonathan, Liplap’s Wish. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994. Liplap the rabbit misses his dead grandmother. His mother tells him the legend of how rabbits become stars when they die, and Liplap is comforted by the thought of his grandmother watching over him as a star.

Mellonie, Bryan, Lifetimes: a beautiful way to explain death to children. New York: Bantam Books, 1983. This book explains in a matter-of-fact way that every living thing has a different life cycle, and every living thing eventually dies.

Miles, Miska, Annie and the Old One. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971. A young Navajo girl learns about weaving, and also begins to deal with her fear of her grandmother’s coming death.

Mills, Joyce C., Gentle Willow: A Story for Children About Dying. Milwaukee: G. Stevens, 1994. A squirrel’s tree friend is dying. He is sad, afraid, and even a little angry, but he comes to understand death as a kind of metamorphosis rather than a final ending.

Miller, William, Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1994. African-American author Zora Neale Hurston’s mother died when she was nine years old. In this fictionalized account, Zora grieves the loss but is also inspired by her mother’s life.

Sanford, Doris, It Must Hurt A Lot: A Child’s Book About Death. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1985. When his dog dies, a young boy is both sad and angry, but eventually he comes to accept his loss.

Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg, For Heaven’s Sake. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Pub., 1999. Different people explain heaven to Isaiah in different ways, and he is confused. Finally, his grandmother helps him to understand that heaven can be found in unexpected places (such as a soup kitchen), and also in people’s hearts.

Simon, Norma, The Saddest Time. Niles, IL: A. Whitman, 1986. Three short stories which illustrate children’s strong feelings when dealing with a death from a terminal illness, a death from old age, and the accidental death of a young child.

Turner, Barbara J., A Little Bit of Rob. Morton Grove, IL: A. Whitman, 1996. A family’s overnight crabbing expedition brings back memories of Rob, the older brother who died the month before.

Varley, Susan, Badger’s Parting Gifts. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1984. Badger’s many friends are very sad when he dies, but they treasure their memories of him and the skills that he taught them.

Viorst, Judith, The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1971. When a young boy’s cat dies, his parents help him to deal with his grief by holding a funeral for the cat. They ask him to think of ten good things about his cat, and after talking about death with his father, the boy is finally able to think of the tenth good thing: his cat is in the ground helping to grow flowers.

White Deer of Autumn, The Great Change. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Pub., 1992. A Native American grandmother explains her tradition’s view of death to her granddaughter.

Wilhem, Hans, I’ll Always Love You. New York: Crown, 1985. To deal with the loss of his dog, a boy develops a nightly ritual of remembering his dog and saying, "I’ll always love you."

Wirth, Victoria, Whisper from the Woods. New York: Green Tiger Press, 1991. The life cycle of an oak tree illustrates how death is a part of life, and how different generations depend on each other.

Wittbold, Maureen, Mending Peter’s Heart. Santa Monica, CA: Portunus Pub. Co., 1995. A neighbor whose wife has died helps Peter to deal with the death of his dog.

Wood, Douglas, Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1999. Grandad uses a walk in the forest to explain prayer to his grandson. Later, when the grandfather dies, the boy finds comfort in prayer and in the natural world.

God

Bea, Holly, Where Does God Live? Tiburon, CA: Starseed Press, 1997. Young Hope wonders about God until her grandmother explains that God lives in everything.

Boritzer, Etan, What is God? Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd., 1990. Many different ideas about God are presented, emphasizing how any of us can connect with God.

Boroson, Martin, Becoming Me: A Story of Creation. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Pub., 2000. Feeling lonely, God begins to create the world. When God creates a human baby, the baby forgets that she or he is a part of God, but God’s love is always with the baby nonetheless.

Kushner, Karen and Lawrence, Because Nothing Looks Like God. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Pub., 2000. God’s actions and presence in the world are felt in many ways, especially in how people treat one another.

Matthews, Caitlin, The Blessing Seed: A Creation Myth for the New Millennium. London: Barefoot Books, 1999. A retelling of the Garden of Eden story with less emphasis on human sin and more emphasis on a loving and forgiving God.

Moore, Mary Ann, Hide-and-Seek With God. Boston: Skinner House, 1994. This longer collection contains twenty-nine stories about God, illustrating many different liberal perspectives: God as spiritual force, God as transcendent mystery, etc. Multicultural and nonsexist.

Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg, In God’s Name. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Pub., 1994. Different people have different names for God, and each thinks that his or her name is the best, until they finally realize that all names for God are good.

Wood, Douglas, Old Turtle. Duluth, MN: Pfeifer-Hamilton, 1992. Old Turtle teaches that God is in all living things, despite humans’ tendency to forget their connections to God and to each other.

Curtis, Chara M., All I See is Part of Me. Bellvue, WA: Illumination Arts Pub. Co., 1994. A child begins to discover the interconnectedness of all creation.

DeMunn, Michael, Places of Power. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1997. Places of power can be found everywhere in the natural world, even in one’s own backyard. Through places of power, we can find a direct connection to the earth.

Yolen, Jane, Owl Moon. New York: Philomel Books, 1987. A father and child take a nighttime walk in the woods to look for owls, and in the dark, snowy woods they find a sense of wonder.

Prayer

Brown, Susan Taylor, Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1999. A girl wonders if God will hear her praying during the normal activities of her life, and finally decides that any time or place is good for prayer.

De Gasztold, Carmen B., trans. Rumer Godden, Prayers From the Ark and Creatures’ Choir. New York: Viking Press, 1962. A longer collection of imagined prayers from different animals, both touching and humorous.

Hallinan, P.K., I’m Thankful Each Day. Nashville, TN: Ideals Children’s Books, 1989. A very simple book that illustrates how we can be thankful for every good thing in our lives every single day.

Lindberg, Reeve, ed., In Every Tiny Grain of Sand: a child’s book of prayer and praise. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2000. This book collects seventy-seven poems and prayers for children from all different cultures and religions.

O’Keefe, Susan Heyboer, Good Night, God Bless. New York: H. Holt, 1999. A rhyming bedtime prayer in which God is asked to bless different aspects of the nighttime world.

Wood, Douglas, Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1999. Grandad uses a walk in the forest to explain prayer to his grandson. Later, when the grandfather dies, the boy finds comfort in prayer and in the natural world.

2. "Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love." (These books focus on specific people working for justice, rather than on the principles of justice in general)

Disability Rights

Adler, David A., A Picture Book of Louis Braille. New York: Holiday House, 1997. The story of how Louis Braille invented the Braille writing system when he was still a child.

Graff, Stewart, Helen Keller: Crusader for the Blind and Deaf. New York: Chelsea Juniors, 1992. This biography of Helen Keller goes beyond her well-known childhood to tell the story of her lifelong advocacy for the rights and education of the blind and deaf.

Environmental Justice

Leger, Diane, Maxine’s Tree. Canada: Orca Book Publishers, 1990. A five-year-old girl visits the rainforest, and is worried when she sees an area that has been clearcut. She makes a sign to label and protect her favorite tree, inspiring many others to do the same.

Rose, Deborah Lee, The People Who Hugged the Trees: An Environmental Folktale. Niwot, CO: R. Rinehart, 1990. A village in India finds a way to protect their trees from being destroyed.

Sabin, Francine, Rachel Carson: Friend of the Earth. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1993. A biography of Rachel Carson, from her childhood love of nature to her career as an environmental activist.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights

Newman, Leslea, Gloria Goes to Gay Pride. Boston, MA: Alyson Wonderland, 1991. Gloria enjoys celebrating Gay Pride Day with her two mothers. Her mothers stress that love is the most important thing in a family, and that the parade is held to make sure everyone has a choice in who they love.

General

Kendrick, Stephen, A Faith People Make. Hartford, CT: Universalist Church of West Hartford, 1997. This longer collection by a UU minister profiles twenty Unitarian and Universalist forbears and their prophetic words and deeds.

Racial Justice

Adler, David A., A Picture Book of Sojourner Truth. New York: Holiday House, 1994. A simple retelling of the life of Sojourner Truth, a former slave who became a powerful anti-slavery activist.

Coleman, Evelyn, White Socks Only. Morton Grove, IL: A. Whitman, 1996. A young black girl misunderstands a "Whites Only" sign on a water fountain, and takes a drink. When a white man threatens violence, the love of the black community overcomes his hatred.

Coles, Robert, The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York: Scholastic, 1995. Six-year-old Ruby Bridges was the first black girl to go to a previously all-white school in 1960. Her faith and her community helped to sustain her through the fierce opposition that she faced.

Marzollo, Jean, Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1993. A simple biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mitchell, Margaree King, Granddaddy’s Gift. Mahwah, NJ: BridgeWater Books, 1996. A black man in the segregated American South faces and overcomes opposition when he registers to vote.

Parks, Rosa, I Am Rosa Parks. New York:Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997. Rosa Parks tells the story of her famous refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, and how this simple act brought about gains in civil rights for African Americans.

Roberts, Jack L., Nelson Mandela: Determined to Be Free. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1995. A straightforward biography of Nelson Mandela, illustrated with photographs.

Schroeder, Alan, Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman. New York: Puffin Books, 1996. This book tells the story of Harriet Tubman as a child, elaborated from the existing historical facts: how she longed for freedom, and how she learned the lessons of survival that would one day empower her to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Sisulu, Elinor Batezat, The Day Gogo Went to Vote: South Africa, 1994. Boston: Little, Brown, 1996. The story (I’m not sure whether true or fictionalized) of how one hundred- year old Gogo went to vote for the first time in South Africa.

Winter, Jeanette, Follow the Drinking Gourd. New York: Knopf, 1988. Peg-Leg Joe helps slaves to escape on the Underground Railroad.

Woodson, Jacqueline, Martin Luther King Jr. and His Birthday. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver Press, 1990. The life story of the famous civil rights activist.

Blumberg, Rhoda, Bloomers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. The true story of how some of our Unitarian foremothers used bloomers to change the way people felt about how women should dress and behave; these new ideas eventually led to women’s right to vote. Corey, Shana, You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer!: A Very Improper Story. New York: Scholastic Press, 2000. A humorous account of the many ways that Amelia Bloomer challenged societal restrictions on women.

McCully, Emily Arnold, The Ballot Box Battle. New York: Knopf, 1996. A fictionalized account of how Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked for women’s voting rights.

Nelson, Pamela, ed., Cool Women. Los Angeles, CA: Girl Press, Inc., 1998. Not a picture book, this longer collection for junior or senior high school audiences profiles many cool women and their contributions toward positive social change.

Parker, Barbara Keevil, Susan B. Anthony: Daring to Vote. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1998. Presents Susan B. Anthony’s achievements in the abolitionist, temperance, and women’s rights movements.

Swain, Gwenyth, The Road to Seneca Falls: A Story About Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1996. The true story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her achievements, including her associations with other activists of her time.

African Religions

Aardema, Verna, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale. New York: Dial Press, 1981. A cattle herdsman tries to bring rain to his arid homeland in Africa. Written in a cumulative rhyming text that is excellent for storytelling.

Haley, Gail E., A Story, A Story: An African Tale. New York: Aladdin Books, 1970. The African folktale of how Ananse the spider man obtained a golden box of stories from Nyame, the sky god.

Gerson, Mary Joan, Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale. Boston: Little, Brown, 1994. Long ago, the sky was close to the earth and provided food for the people, but human greed made the sky angry enough to move far up out of humans’ reach.

Maddern, Eric, The Fire Children; A West African Creation Tale. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993. A creation story that explains why the peoples of the earth come in many different colors.

McDermott, Gerald, Anansi the Spider : A Tale from the Ashanti. New York: Puffin Books, 1977. The collective efforts of six spider sons help to save father Anansi. Their reward, the moon, is placed in the sky where they all can enjoy it.

Riordan, James, The Coming of Night: A Yoruba Tale from West Africa. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1999. The Yoruba story of how night came to the world, which had previously existed in perpetual daylight.

Buddhism

Chodzin, Sherab, and Alexandra Kohn, The Wisdom of the Crows and Other Buddhist Tales. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 1997. An illustrated collection of Buddhist stories from many different countries.

Demi, Buddha. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1996. The illustrated life story of Buddha.

Demi, Buddha Stories. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1997. Ten classic stories of Buddha retold for children.

Gerstien, Mordicai, The Mountains of Tibet. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. When a Tibetan woodcutter dies, he is given the chance to choose his next reincarnation.

Hodges, Margaret, The Golden Deer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992. Based on a Jataka tale. An incarnation of the Buddha appears as a deer who protects his herd; he even offers his own life to save a pregnant doe.

Lee, Jeanne M., I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999. Six classic Jataka tales of Buddha’s incarnation as various animals, illustrating how we should live with compassion for our fellow beings.

Pandell, Karen, and Barry Bryant, Learning from the Dalai Lama : Secrets of the Wheel of Time. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1995. A brief introduction to Buddhism and the creation of sand mandalas, with instructions on how children can make their own mandalas.

Behrens, June, Gung Hay Fat Choy. Chicago: Children’s Press, 1982. A photographic explanation of many of the family and community traditions of the Chinese New Year.

Chinn, Karen, Sam and the Lucky Money. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1995. Sam thinks of many different things he could buy with his New Year’s money, but finally decides to give his money to a homeless man instead of spending it.

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane, Celebrating Chinese New Year. New York: Holiday House, 1998. Photographs illustrate how a Chinese-American boy celebrates the New Year, with an emphasis on family connections.

Sing, Rachel, Chinese New Year’s Dragon. Cleveland: Modern Curriculum Press, 1992. Preparations for the Chinese New Year spark a young girl’s imagination, making her feel like she is riding a dragon over ancient China. Vaughan, Marcia K., Dancing Dragon. Greenvale, NY: Mondo Pub., 1996. Colorfully illustrates many of the traditions of Chinese New Year.

Winters, Kate, and Marilyn Slovenz-Low, Lion Dancer, Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1990. The story of six-year-old Ernie Wan’s first participation in the Lion Dance, illustrated with photographs.

Wong, Janet S., This Next New Year. New York: Frances Foster Books, 2000. A Korean/Chinese boy has high hopes for the coming year, as he prepares for a multicultural celebration.

General

Fahs, Sophia Lyon, From Long Ago and Many Lands. Boston: Beacon Press, 1948. Another UU classic, this longer book includes stories for children from many cultures all over the world.

Jaffe, Nina, and Steve Zeitlin, The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the World. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998. This longer collection of short stories gives children questions to think about from many cultural perspectives.

Hinduism

English, Karen, Nadia’s Hands. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 1999. A Pakistani- American girl will have her hands decorated with henna for her aunt’s wedding. She looks forward to participating in the ceremony, but worries how her classmates will react to her decorated hands in school the next day.

Macmillan, Dianne M., Diwali : Hindu Festival of Lights. Springfield, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1997. Describes the origins and modern-day celebrations of the Hindu Diwali festival.

Murray, Chris, The Butter Thief. Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1991. A classic Hindu tale of how Krishna steals butter and is punished by his mother.

Islam

Ghazi, Suhaib Hamid, Ramadan. New York: Holiday House, 1996. A young American Muslim boy is shown following his family’s religious traditions during the holy month of Ramadan.

Heide, Florence Parry, House of Wisdom. New York: DK Ink, 1999. A boy grows up in the most important library of 9th century Baghdad, learning from his librarian father how books are collected and translated.

Shah, Idries, Tales of the Dervishes: Teaching-Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years. New York: Dutton, 1967. Not a picture book, but a longer collection of short stories of Sufi wisdom. Shah, Idries, The Boy Without A Name. Boston: Hoopoe Books, 2000. A retelling of a Sufi legend in which a boy grows up nameless, inspiring him to visit a wise man who collects and distributes dreams. There he trades an unwanted dream for a name, and also receives wonderful dreams for the rest of his life.

Native American Religions

Bierhorst, John, The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: The Iroquois Story of Creation. New York: W. Morrow, 1993. A retelling of the Iroquois story in which Sky Woman begins the creation of the earth after being pushed down from the heavens.

Bruchac, Joseph, Squanto’s Journey: the story of the first Thanksgiving. San Diego: Silver Whistle, 2000. A story about Thanksgiving from a Native American point of view, written by a Native American author.

Bruchac, Joseph, Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A Native American Year of Moons. New York : Philomel Books, 1992. A short Native American legend for each of the thirteen moons of the year.

Goble, Paul, Beyond the Ridge. New York: Aladdin, 1993. An elderly Plains Indian woman moves on to the afterlife as her surviving relatives prepare her body according to their traditions.

Goble, Paul, Buffalo Woman. Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury Press, 1984. The legend of a young man who makes many sacrifices to marry a mysterious woman.

Goble, Paul, The Gift of the Sacred Dog. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1980. Worried that his people are starving, a boy asks the Great Spirit for help. The Great Spirit introduces him to the horse, known as the Sacred Dog. The Sacred Dogs live in harmony with the people and help them to hunt buffalo.

Goble, Paul, The Lost Children: the boys who were neglected. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1993. Neglected by their tribe, six orphaned boys decide to leave the earth and live as stars instead. They are welcomed by Sun Man and Moon Woman. Based on a Blackfoot story.

Goble, Paul, Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America. New York: Orchard Books, 1996. Animals help the creator to remake the world after a massive flood.

Hobbs, Will, Bear Dream. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997. An Ute village worries when the bear doesn’t emerge from hibernation at the usual time, so a boy goes to wake him up. While looking for the bear, the boy falls asleep himself and dreams of a new dance for his people.

Jeffers, Susan, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message From Chief Seattle. New York: Dial Books, 1991. An illustrated and adapted version of Chief Seattle’s famous message about the interdependence of all life.

McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale. New York: Puffin Books, 1974. This book retells a Pueblo myth of how a boy becomes an arrow and passes through several trials to journey to the sun. He then returns to earth, bringing the spirit of the Lord of the Sun to humanity.

Medearis, Angela Shelf, Dancing with the Indians. New York: Holiday House, 1991. Explores the connections between an African-American family and a Native American family.

Miles, Miska, Annie and the Old One. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971. A young Navajo girl learns about weaving, and also begins to deal with her fear of her grandmother’s coming death.

Rucki, Ani, Turkey’s Gift to the People. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Pub., 1992. A Navajo folktale in which animals use ingenuity to save themselves from a destructive wall of water.

White Deer of Autumn, The Great Change. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Pub., 1992. A Native American grandmother explains her tradition’s view of death to her granddaughter.

Paganism

Hoffman, Mary, Earth, Fire, Water, Air. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1995. A multicultural exploration of the four elements, with an emphasis on our connectedness with the earth.

Jackson, Ellen, The Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2000. Jackson explains how many different cultural traditions have arisen from the celebration of the autumn equinox and harvest.

Jackson, Ellen, The Summer Solstice. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2001. Explains how many different cultures celebrate the longest day of the year.

Jackson, Ellen, The Winter Solstice. Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1997. An introduction to many different cultural beliefs and practices on the solstice, including a scientific explanation of what the solstice is.

Yolen, Jane, Child of Faerie, Child of Earth. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997. On Halloween, the boundary between the human and fairy worlds is thin. A human child meets a fairy child, and the two form a friendship and enjoy seeing each other’s worlds.

Shintoism, Taoism

Yep, Lawrence, Butterfly Boy. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1993. Based on the writings of the Chinese Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, the boy in this story sees the world from both human and butterfly perspectives.

Bible

Elkin, Benjamin, The Wisest Man in the World: a legend of ancient Israel. Tadworth, World's Work, 1971. King Solomon attempts to prove his wisdom to the Queen of Sheba, but finally proves his worthiness by showing compassion to a bee.

Gellman, Marc, Does God Have a Big Toe? Stories about stories in the Bible. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. A collection of Biblical Midrash for children.

Gelman, Rita Golden, Queen Esther Saves Her People. New York: Scholastic Press, 1998. The origin of the Purim holiday is traced to the Biblical story of Esther.

Hayward, Linda, Noah’s Ark. New York: Random House, 1993. A simple, illustrated retelling of the story of Noah and the ark.

Hoffman, Mary, Parables: Stories Jesus Told. New York: Phyllis Fogelman Books, 2000. Seven of Jesus’ parables, retold with illustrations and thought-provoking introductions.

Hutton, Warwick, Moses in the Bulrushes. New York: Aladdin Books, 1992. The story of how baby Moses was saved from death by the Pharaoh’s daughter.

Rounds, Glen, Washday on Noah's Ark : A Story of Noah's Ark According to Glen Rounds. New York: Holiday House, 1985. The author imagines how Noah’s wife might have solved the problem of hanging up laundry on the ark.

Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg. A Prayer for the Earth : The Story of Naamah, Noah's Wife. Woodstock, VT : Jewish Lights Pub., 1996. A retelling of the Noah story, focusing on how Noah’s wife Naamah was called by God to save specimens of every plant on earth.

Christian holidays Christmas

Allan, Nicholas, Jesus’ Christmas Party. London: Hutchinson, 1991. The innkeeper is cranky at being repeatedly waken up, but he soon becomes excited about the unusual birth of a new baby.

Bunting, Eve, December. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Simon and his mother live in a cardboard house, but they still show kindness and hospitality to an old homeless woman on Christmas Eve.

Bunting, Eve, Night Tree. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. A family celebrates Christmas by decorating a tree outside their house with food for the animals.

Chittenden, Penelope Beach, Camel for a King. New York: Paulist Press, 1996. A camel’s-eye view of the birth of Jesus.

dePaola, Tomie, The Legend of the Poinsettia. New York: Putnam, 1994. A Mexican legend of a little girl’s heartfelt gift for the baby Jesus.

Evans, Richard, The Christmas Candle. New York : Simon & Schuster, 1998. A mean-spirited man learns about charity on Christmas Eve.

Fox, Mem, Wombat Divine. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1996. Clumsy Wombat searches for his perfect role in the Nativity play.

Gertz, Susan Enid, Hanukkah and Christmas at My House. Middletown, OH: Willow & Laurel Press, 1991. A little girl loves the traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas that are celebrated in her family, just as her mother loved Hanukkah and her father loved Christmas when they were young.

Moore, Clement, The Night Before Christmas. New York: Little, Brown, & Co., 1999. This 1822 Christmas classic is available in many editions; this one has particularly detailed illustrations.

Polacco, Patricia, The Trees of the Dancing Goats. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. A Jewish family brings a Christmas celebration to Christian neighbors suffering from scarlet fever.

Rosen, Michael J., Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. An eighty-year-old African American Christian man and an eight-year-old white Jewish boy share the gifts of friendship and understanding in the holiday season.

Rylant, Cynthia, Silver Packages: an Appalachian Christmas story. New York: Orchard Books, 1997. The story of a poor boy’s Christmas in Appalachia-- he appreciates the gifts that others give him, and he returns as an adult to give back to his community.

Skocz, Anita Joyce, Crystal Star Angel. New York: Paulist Press, 1994. An angel searches for a truly good person, and finds a boy who shows genuine kindness by reaching out to others.

Waldron, Jan L., Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1997. Seven pigs despair that they don’t have the money to celebrate a materialistic Christmas, until they realize how much fun they can have making simple decorations together.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Ancona, George, Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1993. The festivities of the Day of the Dead help young Pablo to remember his grandmother.

Johnston, Tony, Day of the Dead. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. A colorfully illustrated depiction of one family’s celebrations in Mexico.

Lasky, Kathryn, Days of the Dead. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1994. A photographic description of how one poor Mexican family celebrates this holiday.

Easter

Gibbons, Gail, Easter. New York: Holiday House, 1989. Many Easter symbols and traditions are explained, as well as the reason for celebrating—the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Houselander, Caryll, Petook: An Easter Story. New York: Holiday House, 1988. Petook the rooster meets Jesus as a boy, and then many years later sees the cross where Jesus is crucified. On Easter morning, Petook becomes the parent of a brood of chicks, and he crows for joy. An oblique telling of the Easter story that stresses the joy of new life.

Kimmel, Eric A., The Birds’ Gift: A Ukrainian Easter Story. New York: Holiday House, 1999. Compassionate villagers shelter birds in their houses all winter; the birds reward them with beautifully decorated eggs on Easter morning.

Milhous, Katherine, The Egg Tree. New York: Aladdin Books, 1992. Katy finds her grandmother’s hand-painted Easter eggs in the attic, inspiring her family to renew their tradition of making an Easter egg tree.

Polacco, Patricia, Chicken Sunday. New York: Philomel Books, 1992. Three children make a great effort to acquire an Easter hat for the two boys’ grandmother. A storekeeper mistakes them for vandals; they stand up for the truth, and eventually he helps them in their cause.

Wildsmith, Brian, The Easter Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2000. A lavishly illustrated, straightforward retelling of the Passion narrative, including some relevant Bible verses.

Hatred, Loving Responses To

Cohn, Janice, The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 1995. Residents of Billings, Montana show their support for a Jewish family whose window is vandalized during Hanukkah. A true story.

Judaism Hanukkah

Adler, David, One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story. San Diego: Gulliver Books, 1995. Two children invite a Holocaust survivor to their family’s Hanukkah celebration.

Cohn, Janice, The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 1995. Residents of Billings, Montana show their support for a Jewish family whose window is vandalized during Hanukkah. A true story.

Gertz, Susan Enid, Hanukkah and Christmas at My House. Middletown, OH: Willow & Laurel Press, 1991. A little girl loves the traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas that are celebrated in her family, just as her mother loved Hanukkah and her father loved Christmas when they were young.

Goldin, Barbara Diamond, Just Enough is Plenty: A Hanukkah Tale. New York: Puffin Books, 1990. Malka’s family is poor, but they embrace a stranger on Hanukkah with kindness and hospitality.

Rosen, Michael J., Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. An eighty-year-old African American Christian man and an eight-year-old white Jewish boy share the gifts of friendship and understanding in the holiday season.

Schotter, Roni, Hanukkah!. Boston: Joy Street Books, 1990. A description of one family’s Hanukkah celebrations.

Singer, Isaac Bashevis, The Power of Light. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1980. Eight illustrated stories, one for each night of Hanukkah.

Stillerman, Marci, Nine Spoons: a Chanukah Story. Brooklyn, NY: Hachai Pub., 1998. Inmates of a concentration camp struggle to find nine spoons to create a menorah for Hanukkah.

Wikler, Madeline, All About Hanukkah. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben Copies, 1988. The story and traditions of Hanukkah are clearly explained. Includes ideas for family discussions for each of the eight nights of celebration.

Holidays, General

Jaffe, Nina, The Uninvited Guest and Other Jewish Holiday Tales. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1993. One story each for Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Sukkot, Passover, and Purim.

Holocaust

Bunting, Eve, Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. New York: Harper & Row, 1980. Terrible Things come to the forest and take the animals away in nets. This allegorical approach to the Holocaust may be gentler on younger readers.

Innocenti, Roberto, Rose Blanche. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1985. A young German girl secretly brings food from her own household to Jews in a concentration camp. In the end, the inmates are set free, but Rose Blanche is shot by a soldier.

Oppenheim, Shulamith Levey, The Lily Cupboard; A Story of the Holocaust. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. During the Nazi occupation of Holland, a young Jewish girl must leave her family to go into hiding in the country.

Stillerman, Marci, Nine Spoons: a Chanukah Story. Brooklyn, NY: Hachai Pub., 1998. Inmates of a concentration camp struggle to find nine spoons to create a menorah for Hanukkah.

Passover

Fishman, Cathy Goldberg, On Passover. Hong Kong: Simon and Schuster, 1997. A young girl thoroughly enjoys her family’s Passover celebrations.

Galdin, Barbara Diamond, The Magician’s Visit: A Passover Tale. New York,: Viking, 1993. A poor family gives generously to others who are even poorer, and Elijah visits them as a Passover guest.

Groner, Judyth Saypol, All About Passover. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben Copies, 2000. Explains the story and traditions of Passover, from the Exodus to the modern family’s rituals of helping the less fortunate, cleaning their house, and having a family Seder.

Manushkin, Fran, Miriam’s Cup. New York: Scholastic, 1998. The story of the Exodus is retold with an emphasis on the role of young Miriam. A modern family includes the story of Miriam in their Passover celebrations.

Silverman, Maida, Festival of Freedom: The Story of Passover. New York: Little Simon, 1988. A retelling of the Exodus and instructions for a traditional Seder.

Fishman, Cathy, On Purim. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. A young girl enjoys the story of Purim and her family’s traditional celebrations.

Geller, Beverly Mach, The Mitzvah Girl. Hewlett, NY: Gefen Pub. House, 1999. A modern story of Purim which emphasizes charity and kindness.

Gelman, Rita Golden, Queen Esther Saves Her People. New York: Scholastic Press, 1998. The origin of the Purim holiday is traced to the Biblical story of Esther.

Rosh Hashanah

Galdwin, Barbara Diamond, The World’s Birthday: A Rosh Hashanah Story. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1990. To celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Daniel decides to hold a birthday party for the world.

Hall, Melanie W., On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1997. A young girl describes her family’s observance of the Jewish High Holy Days.

Kimmel, Eric A., Gershon’s Monster: a story for the Jewish New Year. New York : Scholastic Press, 2000. Instead of repenting his sins, Gershon stuffs them in a bag and dumps them in the sea each year. It isn’t until he is confronted with his collected sins as a great big monster that he realizes the importance of facing and repenting for his shortcomings.

Kimmel, Eric A., Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: Puffin Books, 1993. Three stories for the High Holy Days, focusing on charity, prayer, and repentance.

Kimmelmann, Leslie, Sound the Shofar! A Story for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1998. An extended family observes the Days of Awe, beginning with Uncle Jake’s blowing of the shofar in synagogue.

Wilker, Madeline, All About Rosh Hashanah. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben Copies, 1997. Family and synagogue traditions of Rosh Hashanah are explained. Includes songs and blessings for the family table.

Cone, Molly, The Story of Shabbat. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. The origins of Shabbat in God’s seven-day creation are explained, as well as some modern-day traditions. Includes a recipe for making challah bread.

Fishman, Cathy Goldman, On Shabbat. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001. A young girl describes her family’s weekly Shabbat celebrations, both at home and in synagogue.

Nerlove, Miriam, Shabbat. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 1998. A simple rhyming explanation of Shabbat for very young audiences.

Schwartz, Amy, Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1983. Finding her old Sabbath candlesticks helps Mrs. Moskowitz turn her new apartment into a real home.

Groner, Judith Saypol, All About Sukkot. Rockville, MD:Kar-Ben Copies, 1998. The meanings and customs of Sukkot are explained.

Yom Kippur

Hall, Melanie W., On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1997. A young girl describes her family’s observance of the Jewish High Holy Days.

Kimmel, Eric A., Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: Puffin Books, 1993. Three stories for the High Holy Days, focusing on charity, prayer, and repentance.

Kimmelmann, Leslie, Sound the Shofar! A Story for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1998. An extended family observes the Days of Awe, beginning with Uncle Jake’s blowing of the shofar in synagogue.

Wikler, Madeline, All About Yom Kippur. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben Copies, 1997. An explanation of both family and synagogue traditions, interspersed with classic folktales of repentance and forgiveness.

Browner, David Ross, Reading the Earth: A Story of Wildness. California: Berkeley Hills Books, 2000. Three children hear an explanation of the origins of the earth and of the evolution of earth’s creatures.

Cowcher, Helen, Rainforest. London: Milet Limited-London, 1997. A brightly illustrated book introducing children to the many kinds of plants and animals living in the rainforest.

Frasier, Debra, Out of the Ocean. San Diego: Harcourt, 1998. A mother and daughter appreciate the many treasures of the ocean-- some that fit in the pocket, and some that do not.

Gibbons, Gail, Stargazers. New York: Holiday House, 1992. A simple introduction to astronomers and astronomy.

Jackson, Ellen, The Tree of Life: The Wonders of Evolution. Buffalo, NY : Prometheus Books, 1993. A simple story of evolution from the primordial seas to humanity. Locker, Thomas, Water Dance. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997. A poetic, first-person narrative of the water cycle.

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs, SnowFlake Bentley. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed snowflakes to study the tiny crystals and their unique structures.

McNulty, Faith, How Whales Walked into the Sea. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. Whales were originally land-dwelling mammals that evolved into sea animals-- this book explains how.

Patterson, Francine, Koko’s Kitten. New York: Scholastic, 1985. Koko is a real gorilla who communicates with humans through sign language. This is the story of how she asked for and received a pet cat, and how she cared for and loved her pet.

Pratt, Kristin Joy, A Swim Through the Sea. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1994. A seahorse discovers many of the other creatures who share the ocean with him.

Pratt, Kristen Joy, A Walk in the Rainforest. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1992. An ant journeys through the rainforest, discovering many wondrous plants and animals.

Simon, Seymour, Galaxies. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1988. Explains the shapes and origins of different kinds of galaxies, including our own Milky Way.

Simon, Seymour, The Universe. Singapore: Harper Collins Publishers, 1998. A scientific description of the universe, its origins, and many of its phenomena. Illustrated with beautiful photographs, many of which were taken with the Hubble telescope.

Thornhill, Jan, A Tree in a Forest. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. A sugar maple lives for more than two hundred years, and witnesses many changes during its lifetime. Both humans and animals interact with the tree during its lifecycle.

(See also the books listed for Prophetic Women and Men, all of whom showed the value of thinking for oneself and challenging prevailing ideas!) Andersen, Hans Christian, The Emperor’s New Clothes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1949. The classic story of thinking for oneself and being brave enough to speak one’s own truth, even when everyone else seems to disagree.

Calmenson, Stephanie, The Principal’s New Clothes. New York: Scholastic, 1989. A modern-day retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, "The Emperor’s New Clothes."

dePaola, Tomie, Oliver Button is a Sissy. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. Oliver doesn’t like to play the way the other boys do-- he prefers to dance. Despite being teased by other kids, Oliver does what he wants to do and eventually all of his practicing pays off.

Dr. Seuss, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. New York: Knopf, 1998. An unusual school that teaches its children how to think is celebrated with a unique holiday.

Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who! New York: Random House, 1954. Despite opposition from everyone, Horton the elephant trusts his own perceptions-- and saves the entire tiny community of Whoville.

Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! New York: Beginner Books, 1975. Encourages children to freely use their imaginations and natural creativity.

Jaffe, Nina, and Steve Zeitlin, The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the World. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998. This longer collection of short stories gives children questions to think about from many cultural perspectives.

Lasky, Kathryn, She’s Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1995. Disgusted by the fashion of dead birds adorning ladies’ hats, two compassionate women work to stop this trend, pass conservation laws, and found the Audubon Society. Based on a true story.

Martchenko, Michael, The Paper Bag Princess. Buffalo, NY: Discis Knowledge Research, 1993. When Prince Ronald is kidnapped by a dragon, Princess Elizabeth sets off to rescue him. She defeats the dragon by outsmarting him-- and then the ungrateful Ronald criticizes her scruffy appearance! Elizabeth stands up to him too, proving that marriage to a prince is not the only possible happy ending.

Thomas, Marlo, and friends, Free to Be... You and Me and Free to Be... A Family. Philadelphia: Running Press, 1997. This classic collection of stories, songs, and poems contains plenty of multicultural, nonsexist celebrations of people defying social stereotypes to find happiness and real friendship.

Andrews, Jan, Very Last First Time. New York: Atheneum, 1986. A young Inuit girl bravely goes on her first solo mussel-collecting expedition.

Brown, Marcia, Stone Soup: an old tale. New York: Aladdin Books, 1986. The classic story of how three hungry soldiers trick a village into pooling their resources to make a great feast.

Brumbeau, Jeff, The Quiltmaker’s Gift. Duluth, MN: Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers, 1999. A quiltmaker makes beautiful quilts, but only gives them to the poor. No amount of threatening or coercion from the king can persuade her to give him a quilt-- unless he gives away all of his possessions.

Cooney, Barbara, Miss Rumphius. New York: Puffin Books, 1985. Miss Rumphius lives an exciting life, and she is also determined to make the world more beautiful. She finds her own unique way to bring beauty to the world, and encourages her grand-niece and other children to do the same.

Demi, The Empty Pot. New York: H. Holt, 1990. The emperor of China decides to choose his successor by distributing seeds to children and seeing what they can grow. Unknown to the children, the seeds have been cooked and cannot germinate. Only one child has the courage to tell the truth and bring an empty pot to the emperor.

Fox, Mem, Whoever You Are. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Humans live differently all over the earth, but we also share many important things in common.

Havill, Juanita, Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Jamaica cheats on a spelling test, but then feels bad and confesses what she has done. Her teacher praises her courage in telling the truth.

Johnson, Donald B., Henry Hikes to Fitchburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. A bear version of Henry David Thoreau and his friend both decide to go to Fitchburg. His friend works at various jobs until he can afford a train ticket, and arrives in Fitchburg first. Henry walks the whole way and arrives a little later, having enjoyed every part of his journey.

Keller, Holly, That’s Mine, Horace. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2000. Horace can’t resist keeping a toy truck that he finds in the playground-- even when he finds out it really belongs to his friend. He finds himself caught in the consequences of his lie until his compassionate friend finds a solution.

McKissack, Patricia, The Honest-to-Goodness Truth. New York: Atheneum Books, 2000. Libby is caught in a lie, and determines to tell only the truth. Unfortunately, her too-thorough truth telling offends others. She gradually learns how to speak the truth with love.

Monk, Isabell, Hope. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1999. Young Hope is biracial; her aunt explains to her that her ancestry is "generations of faith mixed with lots of love." Both her black and white ancestors worked for and looked forward to a future of justice and freedom.

Peet, Bill, How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1971. Droofus the Dragon is a peaceful vegetarian who is kind to small animals. Nevertheless, the king wants Droofus’ head to decorate the palace wall. In the end the king has a wiser and more compassionate idea that makes everyone, including Droofus, very happy.

Small, David, Ruby Mae has Something to Say. New York: Crown Publishers, 1992. Ruby Mae has a message of peace for the world, but she has trouble speaking in public. She finds courage from a special hat, and is finally able to deliver her message.

Thomas, Jean Monrad, A Child’s Book of Hope. New York: Random House, 1999. Children find hope in the small miracles of the natural world.

Wyeth, Sharon Dennis, Something Beautiful. New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 1998. A young girl searches for something beautiful in her urban neighborhood. With advice from others, she finds beauty in the details of her life and is inspired to help change her neighborhood.

Aardema, Verna, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale. New York: Dial Press, 1981. A cattle herdsman tries to bring rain to his arid homeland in Africa. Written in a cumulative rhyming text that is excellent for storytelling.

Haley, Gail E., A Story, A Story: An African Tale. New York: Aladdin Books, 1970. The African folktale of how Ananse the spider man obtained a golden box of stories from Nyame, the sky god.

Gerson, Mary Joan, Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale. Boston: Little, Brown, 1994. Long ago, the sky was close to the earth and provided food for the people, but human greed made the sky angry enough to move far up out of humans’ reach.

Maddern, Eric, The Fire Children; A West African Creation Tale. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993. A creation story that explains why the peoples of the earth come in many different colors.

McDermott, Gerald, Anansi the Spider : A Tale from the Ashanti. New York: Puffin Books, 1977. The collective efforts of six spider sons help to save father Anansi. Their reward, the moon, is placed in the sky where they all can enjoy it.

Riordan, James, The Coming of Night: A Yoruba Tale from West Africa. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1999. The Yoruba story of how night came to the world, which had previously existed in perpetual daylight.

Bierhorst, John, The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: The Iroquois Story of Creation. New York: W. Morrow, 1993. A retelling of the Iroquois story in which Sky Woman begins the creation of the earth after being pushed down from the heavens. Bruchac, Joseph, Squanto’s Journey: the story of the first Thanksgiving. San Diego: Silver Whistle, 2000. A story about Thanksgiving from a Native American point of view, written by a Native American author.

Bruchac, Joseph, Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A Native American Year of Moons. New York : Philomel Books, 1992. A short Native American legend for each of the thirteen moons of the year.

Goble, Paul, Beyond the Ridge. New York: Aladdin, 1993. An elderly Plains Indian woman moves on to the afterlife as her surviving relatives prepare her body according to their traditions.

Goble, Paul, Buffalo Woman. Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury Press, 1984. The legend of a young man who makes many sacrifices to marry a mysterious woman.

Goble, Paul, The Gift of the Sacred Dog. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1980. Worried that his people are starving, a boy asks the Great Spirit for help. The Great Spirit introduces him to the horse, known as the Sacred Dog. The Sacred Dogs live in harmony with the people and help them to hunt buffalo.

Goble, Paul, The Lost Children: the boys who were neglected. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1993. Neglected by their tribe, six orphaned boys decide to leave the earth and live as stars instead. They are welcomed by Sun Man and Moon Woman. Based on a Blackfoot story.

Goble, Paul, Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America. New York: Orchard Books, 1996. Animals help the creator to remake the world after a massive flood.

Hobbs, Will, Bear Dream. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997. An Ute village worries when the bear doesn’t emerge from hibernation at the usual time, so a boy goes to wake him up. While looking for the bear, the boy falls asleep himself and dreams of a new dance for his people.

Jeffers, Susan, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message From Chief Seattle. New York: Dial Books, 1991. An illustrated and adapted version of Chief Seattle’s famous message about the interdependence of all life.

McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale. New York: Puffin Books, 1974. This book retells a Pueblo myth of how a boy becomes an arrow and passes through several trials to journey to the sun. He then returns to earth, bringing the spirit of the Lord of the Sun to humanity.

Medearis, Angela Shelf, Dancing with the Indians. New York: Holiday House, 1991. Explores the connections between an African-American family and a Native American family. Miles, Miska, Annie and the Old One. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971. A young Navajo girl learns about weaving, and also begins to deal with her fear of her grandmother’s coming death.

Rucki, Ani, Turkey’s Gift to the People. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Pub., 1992. A Navajo folktale in which animals use ingenuity to save themselves from a destructive wall of water.

White Deer of Autumn, The Great Change. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Pub., 1992. A Native American grandmother explains her tradition’s view of death to her granddaughter.

Paganism

Hoffman, Mary, Earth, Fire, Water, Air. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1995. A multicultural exploration of the four elements, with an emphasis on our connectedness with the earth.

Jackson, Ellen, The Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2000. Jackson explains how many different cultural traditions have arisen from the celebration of the autumn equinox and harvest.

Jackson, Ellen, The Summer Solstice. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2001. Explains how many different cultures celebrate the longest day of the year.

Jackson, Ellen, The Winter Solstice. Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1997. An introduction to many different cultural beliefs and practices on the solstice, including a scientific explanation of what the solstice is.

Yolen, Jane, Child of Faerie, Child of Earth. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997. On Halloween, the boundary between the human and fairy worlds is thin. A human child meets a fairy child, and the two form a friendship and enjoy seeing each other’s worlds. Sacred Circle of Life

Baylor, Byrd, Everybody Needs A Rock. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1974. A young rock-collecting enthusiast describes her ten rules for selecting the perfect rock of one’s own.

Cherry, Lynne, The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. Each creature of the rain forest has a reason to persuade a woodcutter why the great kapok tree should not be cut down.

Dr. Seuss, The Lorax. New York: Random House, 1971. An environmental classic. The Lorax tries to speak for the trees and animals, but most people think profit and development is more important. In the end the environment is very polluted, but there is still a small seed of hope.

Fernandes, Kim, Zebo and the Dirty Planet. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd., 1991. Zebo sees a dirty planet far off in space and launches a mission to rescue its creatures.

Leger, Diane, Maxine’s Tree. Canada: Orca Book Publishers, 1990. A five-year-old girl visits the rainforest, and is worried when she sees an area that has been clearcut. She makes a sign to label and protect her favorite tree, inspiring many others to do the same.

Luenn, Nancy, Mother Earth. New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1992. An extended metaphor which presents each part of the world as an aspect of Mother Earth. It ends by encouraging us to give something back to the planet.

McNulty, Faith, The Lady and the Spider. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. A spider makes a perfect home in a head of lettuce. When a woman harvests the lettuce, she shows compassion and returns the spider to the garden.

Peet, Bill, The Wump World. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1970. The wumps enjoy a peaceful existence until polluting aliens invade their planet. Over-development and pollution drive the wumps underground until the aliens finally decide to leave. The wumps know that their planet will recover, but it will never be quite the same.

Rand, Gloria, Prince William. New York: H. Holt, 1992. A child rescues a seal caught in the oil spill in Prince William Sound. The story follows the seal’s rehabilitation and other clean-up efforts.

Romanova, Natalia, Once There Was a Tree. New York: Dial Books, 1985. The stump of a tree attracts many different insects and worms, who live in an interdependent ecosystem.

Rose, Deborah Lee, The People Who Hugged the Trees: An Environmental Folktale. Niwot, CO: R. Rinehart, 1990. A village in India finds a way to protect their trees from being destroyed.

Ryder, Joanne, Earthdance. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1999. Readers are invited to imagine and themselves as the earth, experiencing its many natural wonders.

Schimmel, Schim, Children of the Earth... Remember. Minocqua, WI: NorthWord Press, 1997. Animals and humans work together to protect their environment.

Schimmel, Schim, Dear Children of the Earth: A Letter from Home. Minocqua, WI: NorthWord Press, 1994. Mother Earth writes a letter to children asking for their help.

Stern, Maggie, Acorn Magic. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1998. On his first camping trip, Simon spends most of his time collecting acorns until he suddenly meets a moose in the forest.

Udry, Janice May, A Tree is Nice. New York: Harper, 1956. A child explains the many reasons why a tree is nice, and also why it is nice to plant a tree.

Wells, Rosemary, Forest of Dreams. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1988. A young girl is happy to see the many signs of the beginning of springtime.

Wood, Douglas, Making the World. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998. Both natural and human actions help to remake the world every single day.

Zolotow, Charlotte, When The Wind Stops. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. A mother explains to her son that the forces of nature are cyclical and never ending.

To add to this list, please submit the book title, author, and a brief summary to
the Lifespan Learning Librarian at lifespanlibrary@cuc.ca