Books like The Junkyard Wonders
By Patricia Polacco
For the kid who's ever felt labeled or left out, this is a story about the teacher who looks past the label to the person underneath. Tender, autobiographical, quietly triumphant.
A rhyming, day-in-the-life look at a school where kids from every background arrive, share their traditions and talents, and are welcomed exactly as they are.
A spider too big to join the Itsy-Bitsy Spider's water spout games gets left out by his smaller friends — until a sudden rainstorm gives his huge size a purpose.
The true story of Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, who fought through Minnesota courts and the U.S. Supreme Court to become the first legally married same-sex couple in America, on September 3, 1971.
A boy named Dennis expresses everything through mime — silent, expressive, entirely his own way — until loneliness gives way to friendship when he meets a girl named Joy.
An introduction to gender identity for young readers, explaining that some people are boys, some are girls, and some are both, neither, or somewhere in between.
On Grandparents Day, a shy girl worries her classmates will stare at her West African grandmother's traditional facial markings, until Nana Akua finds a way to turn worry into wonder.
A girl teased for having big hair and unusual tastes gets the chance to embarrass the boy who bullies her when he's stuck on the playground — and has to decide what kind of person she wants to be.
A little mouse named Chrysanthemum loves her name until classmates like Victoria and Jo tease her for being named after a flower, leaving her wilted and unsure how to feel about herself again.
When a new girl is bullied and left in tears, another child feels helpless and upset — until a small act of kindness sparks a whole community to stand together against it.
A boy with an extraordinary face shares his world — one where he plays with his dog Daisy, uses his imagination, and wishes people would look past what they stare at and truly see him.
A skilled quiltmaker refuses to make a quilt for a rich, unhappy king unless he gives away everything he owns — and the more he gives, the happier he becomes.
A rat who can't pronounce his R's gets teased at school until a bigger, meaner, smarter capybara arrives — and his very speech impediment turns out to be exactly what saves the day.
