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Picture Books By Topic: making a difference
Grandpa’s Soup
Illustrated by: Satomi Ichikawa
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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
Hard Work, But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter
Illustrated by: Kyung Eun Han
Description: "The first picture book about the inspiring life of humanitarian Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States and a Nobel Prize winner. From the statehouse to the White House and beyond, Jimmy has worked to make change for all people, devoting decades to public service and becoming one of the most respected humanitarians of our time." (From publisher)
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, community, history, legacy, making a difference, men, older role model, perseverance, picture book bios, volunteerism, work
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes her Mark
Illustrated by: Elizabeth Baddeley
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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
Kiki’s Hats
Description: Joy of giving, creating a better world, leaving a legacy Kiki, an older woman, knits thousands of hats to give away and urges others to share them also.
Topics: community, intergenerational, late-life happiness, legacy, making a difference, older role model, thankfulness, wisdom
Margory Saves the Everglades: The Story of Margory Stoneman Douglas
Illustrated by: Rebecca Gibbon
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Description: Marjory Stoneman Douglas didn’t intend to write about the Everglades but when she returned to Florida from World War I, she hardly recognized the place that was her home. The Florida that Marjory knew was rapidly disappearing—the rare orchids, magnificent birds, and massive trees disappearing with it. Marjory couldn’t sit back and watch her home be destroyed—she had to do something. Thanks to Marjory, a part of the Everglades became a national park and the first park not created for sightseeing, but for the benefit of animals and plants. Without Marjory, the part of her home that she loved so much would have been destroyed instead of the protected wildlife reserve it has become today. (Publisher)
Ages: 3-6
Topics: Activism, making a difference, nature, older role model, perseverance, picture book bios, volunteerism, women
Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber
Illustrated by: C.F. Payne
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Description: Mary Garber was a pioneering female sportswriter in the 1940’s when it was definitely not a woman’s job. She persevered despite struggles to be accepted in a man’s world. She was a sportswriter for 56 years. Mary championed black children in sports in black schools—writing about them when no one else paid attention.
Ages: 6-9
Topics: history, late-life career, making a difference, perseverance, picture book bios, women, work
Miss Rumphius
Illustrated by: Barbara Cooney
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Description: Growing older, a lifetime, legacies, flowers, planting When still a little girl, Alice Rumphius decided that when she grew up she would visit faraway places, live by the sea and do something to make the world more beautiful–per her grandfather’s advice.
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: aging, community, disability, intergenerational, late-life happiness, legacy, making a difference, nature, neighbors, physical challenges, using life experiences, work
Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs
Illustrated by: Eileen Ryan Ewen
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Description: Mr. McGinty and his dog Sophie love checking in on the monarch caterpillars and butterflies on their walks. But one day Mr. McGinty they find all the milkweed in town has been mowed down! And monarch caterpillars can’t survive without milkweed. Can Mr. McGinty come up with a plan to save the monarchs?
Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: Activism, community, intergenerational, making a difference, men, nature, older role model, retirement, schools, volunteerism
My Teacher
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Ages: 3-6, 6-9
Topics: cities, making a difference, retirement, schools, using life experiences
My Hippie Grandmother
Illustrated by: Abby Carter
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Description: An enthusiastic ode to free spirits of all generations. A young girl describes all the things she likes about her grandmother, including growing vegetables, picketing City Hall, and playing the banjo. Who says grandmothers have to wear tidy buns and be relegated to rocking chairs? (World Cat)
Ages: 3-6
Topics: grandmother/granddaughter, late-life happiness, late-life romance, making a difference, women
