Welcome!
Your email will not be shared with anyone. Please consider joining the discussion. I welcome your comments on my blog pages here or on Facebook (click button below)
-
Picture Books By Topic: making a difference
A Chair for My Mother
Description: Grandparents, families, cooperation, saving, goal-setting A girl, her mother, and grandmother all contribute coins to the coin jar that will buy a new chair for mama after a fire destroys their possessions.
Ages: 3-6
Topics: cities, extended family, fears, making a difference, perseverance, thankfulness, wisdom
Albert the Fix-It Man
Illustrated by: Julie Paschkis
Read a book review
Description: Elder valued in community, neighborliness, active older man
Ages: 3-6
Topics: community, intergenerational, making a difference, neighbors, older role model, retirement, volunteerism, work
A Map into the World
Illustrated by: Seo Kim
Read a book review
Description: Paj Ntaub, a young Hmong American girl, and her family reach out to an older grieving neighbor. Growth & aging & death are portrayed as normal and natural. Four generations are clearly delineated.
Ages: 3-6
Topics: community, extended family, family heritage, Grief, Hmong-American, intergenerational, late-life happiness, making a difference, neighbors
A Plan for the People: Nelson Mandela’s Hope for His Nation
Illustrated by: Charly Palmer
Description: Palmer’s powerful paintings complement this inspiring story of sacrifice and loss, devotion and learning, and patience and hard work. McDivitt and Palmer deftly chronicle the ongoing global fight against racism; Mandela’s journey makes for a powerful reminder of the ability to change. (Description from School Library Journal. Starred review)
Ages: 6-9
Topics: Activism, history, late-life career, legacy, making a difference, men, multicultural, older role model, perseverance, picture book bios, racism, using life experiences, wisdom, work
Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story
Illustrated by: Evan Turk
Read a book review
Description: t Grandfather Gandhi’s service village, each day is filled, from sunrise to sunset, with work that is done for the good of all. The villagers vow to live simply and non-violently. Arun Gandhi tries very hard to follow these vows, but he struggles with one of the most important rules: not to waste. (from website Grandfather Gandhi.)
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, community, family heritage, fears, grandfather/grandson, legacy, making a difference, multicultural, neighbors, older role model
Gabby and Grandma Go Green
Read a book review
Description: Grandparents, environment, recycling, activities, crafts.
Ages: 0-3, 3-6
Topics: creativity, grandmother, grandmother/granddaughter, making a difference, nature, older role model
Grandfather Gandhi
Illustrated by: Evan Turk
Read a book review
Description: Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson tells the story of how his grandfather taught him to turn darkness into light in this uniquely personal and vibrantly illustrated tale that carries a message of peace.
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, family heritage, fears, grandfather/grandson, legacy, making a difference, multicultural, older role model, picture book bios, using life experiences, wisdom
Grandmama’s Pride
Illustrated by: Colin Bootman
Read a book review
Description: Multi-cultural (Af.Am.) strong older role model, activism, human rights, racism, segregation Young African-American sisters visit their grandmother in 1950’s southern U.S. and encounter segregation. Along with many others Grandmama refuses to ride public buses in protest and they manage to effect change in the laws.
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, African-American, grandmother, grandmother/granddaughter, history, making a difference, multicultural, older role model, racism, slavery, wisdom
Grandpa’s Soup
Illustrated by: Satomi Ichikawa
Read a book review
Description: After the death of his wife, an old man gradually realizes that making the soup she used to cook and sharing it with friends eases his loneliness. His resilience and generosity are inspiring.
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: community, grandparents, intergenerational, making a difference, neighbors, resilience, traditions, volunteerism
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes her Mark
Illustrated by: Elizabeth Baddeley
Read a book review
Description: Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements. (from the publisher)
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, history, late-life career, making a difference, multicultural, older role model, perseverance, picture book bios, sexism, using life experiences, work
