This is a fun word problem book featuring birds with problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. This would be a fun book to use for the summer to sneak in a little math but in a really fun way. The sweet spot is 2nd to 3rd graders, but even my preschooler will enjoy this book if we do the problems together by drawing out rows of birds to solve multiplication and division which would be new for him.
Journey Home is an important Japanese American story about what happened after the Japanese Americans were released from internment camp and this is also Yoshiko Uchida’s own family story about overcoming barriers, perseverance, and ultimately, of forgiveness.
Lily’s Big Day by Kevin Henkes is the perfect book for any teacher getting married, particularly for a teacher in a younger grade such as preschool or elementary. And you don’t have to be a student in his or her class wishing to be the flower girl to give it!
This book was written in 1944 but it’s still so relevant today. The author’s daughter said that her mother, who grew up in West Haven, Connecticut where the story takes place was the girl (Maddie)who stood by while her friend (Peggy) led the girl bullying towards a girl who was Polish and claimed to have one hundred dresses in her closet while wearing just one shabby dress every day to school. Like the girl in the story (Wanda), this little girl moves to New York City, but the author never gets a chance to tell her how sorry she is. Instead, she writes this book.
Rose Kent writes Kimchi and Calamari with a clear eye and a loving heart much like the hero in her story. She is an expert on this topic of overseas adoption from Asia as she herself has four children of Korean descent, two of which are adopted.
This novel plays on theme of the stereotypical Asian geek/genius and Lisa Yee captures the voice of the Millicent Min, Girl Genius so perfectly that you cringe for her as much as you root for her.
Introducing…Sasha Abramowitz by Sue Halpern is such a great book on so many levels. The plot is tightly written with memorable characters that somehow all get interwoven into the final chapter. Sasha is also such a engaging and realistic character that you can’t help but sympathize with her point of view but also gain insight as she does as she starts to see her brother from other people’s point of view. I highly recommend this book for grades 4-6th.
