"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Political Pronouncement: Books for Kids

by Susan Ohanian


 Today I decided to make a political statement. I donated 100 NEW books to my town's Food Shelf.

This list is a combination of selections of middle-grade favorites compiled by my local children's bookstore and also some golden oldies for which I have fond kid connections. Kid stories travel with these books. I figure you can never go wrong with Junie B. Jones and Miss Nelson. And if you haven't read Owl in Love: Schoolgirl by day, owl by night, do it!

NOTE: None of these books appears in the Common Core retinue of sacred writings, but I'd testify that any one of them could help a child become college and career ready.

"New" is a critical element here. It does not refer to the date of publication but to the fact that these books are sparkling and shiny. Untrodden.  I set off on this effort when I heard that the Food Shelf does have a few volumes--tattered and torn. Leftovers.  I figure that making sure every local child has at least a handful of new books  is the best contribution I can make to the well-being of our country

Think about it: How many times have you heard "the needs of children" mentioned in the very noisy political campaign? I say "children's needs" start right here.

Right now.
  • War of the Werelords
  • The Wolf Princess
  • Phantom Tollbooth
  • How to Catch a Bogle
  • Beyonders 01: World Without Heroes
  • Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
  • UFiles #1: World without Heroes
  • Lionboy3: The Truth
  • Clementine01
  • The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans!
  • Where I Belong
  • Shug
  • Giver 1
  • Long Road to Freedom
  • Madman of Piney Woods
  • Secondhand Magic
  • Star Rise
  • Lemonade War 01
  • Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures: Great Egyptian Grave Robbery
  • A Hippopotamus Ate the Teacher
  • Encyclopedia Brown Carries On
  • Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon
  • Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
  • Wayside School: Sideways Stories
  • The Magic Finger
  • Koya Delaney and the Good Girl Blues
  • Punished!
  • 10 Turkeys in the Road
  • Mrs. Lane is a Pain
  • The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids: Skeletons Don't Play Tubas
  • Underpants for Ants
  • The Family Under the Bridge
  • Stone Fox (3 copies)
  • Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
  • Miss Nelson Has a Field Day
  • Horrible Harry Goes to Sea
  • National Geographic Readers: Trucks!
  • Black Lagoon Adventures: Back-to-School Fright from the Black Lagoon
  •  Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash
  •  Hatchet: Brian's Winter
  •  Silly Street: Selected Poems
  •  Radio Fifth Grade
  •  Cam Jansen Mysteries: The Scary Snake Myster7
  • Now Everybody Really Hate Me
  • The Truth About Cats
  • Wanted: Perfect Parents
  • Tarzan
  • Tarzan: Always in My Heart
  •  CrookJaw
  • Joe on Sunday
  • Mudigush
  • What If. . . .
  • Oh say can you Say?
  • Invitation
  • Chicken
  • Busy Buzzing Bumblebees
  • Night/Knight
  • On Grandpa's Farm
  • Twice Upon a Time: Rapunzel: The One with All the Hair
  • Fat Fanny, Beanpole Bertha, and the Boys
  • A Big Fish Story
  • The Clothes Horse and other stories
  • Belli's Deli 
  • Aesop's Fables
  • Cat Up a Tree
  • Ellsworth's Extraordinary Electric Ears and Other Amazing Alphabet Anecdotes
  • Frog in a Bog
  • Up in the Mountains and other poems of long ago
  • The Rainbow Hand
  • Hello Mr. Chips! computer Jokes and Riddles
  • The Good Little Girl
  • The Voyage of Odysseus 
  • Aesop's Fables
  • Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth Century Art
  • Pinocchio
  • Words with Wings:a Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art
  • Ride a Purple Pelican
  • A Chair for My Mother
  • Monday's Troll
  • Edna St. Vincent Millay: Poetry for young people
  • A Thousand Cousins
  • Something on my Mind
  • Chickens! Chickens! 
  • Tales of Tails
  • Peacock and Other Poems
  • Someone could win a polar bear
  • The Something
  • Daddy-Long-Legs
  • Noah's Ark
  • Bad Kitty
  • Red Dog Blue Fly: Football Poems
  • Owl in Love: Schoolgirl by day, owl by night
  • Are all the giants dead?
  • Library Lion
  • Baby See, Baby Do!
  • Fly with the Birds
  • I Spy on the Farm
  • What Will You Wear, Claude

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