The Wobbly Tooth by Nancy Evans Cooney

Illustrated by Marylin Hafner. 32 pages. Putnam, 1978.

It can be frustrating to wait for a loose tooth to come out. Elizabeth Ann has one that just won't come out, not matter what she does. Even when she tries to forget about it, she can't help thinking about it. Finally, during a baseball game with friends, she is able to forget about it - and it comes out. Children will feel reassured that even a stubborn loose tooth will come out eventually.

Ages: 4-7
Cultural Context: multicultural

Wobbly Tooth

When I Feel Good About Myself by Cornelia Maude Spelman

Illustrated by Kathy Parkinson. 24 pages. Whitman, 2003.

A little guinea pig says that she feels good about herself. She feels loved, and she knows that it's OK to be just the way she is. Realizing that some things will be easy for her to do and others will be more difficult, as they are for all of us, she understands that her unique contributions are valuable. The little guinea pig likes to learn, and can try again if she makes a mistake. A foreword for parents and teachers is included. This book gives young children a strong positive message about self-acceptance.

Ages: 2-5
Cultural Context: non-human

To Be a Drum by Evelyn Coleman

Illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. 32 pages. Whitman, 1998.

In this story, which is illustrated with vibrant multimedia images, a father poetically tells his son and daughter about the history of the African American people, including slavery, the civil rights movement, and accomplishments in the arts, sciences, and business. This story inspires pride in African American heritage.

Ages: 5-8
Cultural Context: multicultural

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. 32 pages. Atheneum, 2001.

Joe, who is European American, tells about his best friend, John Henry, who is African American, in this story of the South under Jim Crow laws. The two boys love to swim, and to eat ice pops in the summer - but John Henry isn't allowed in the town poor or through the front door of the general store. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, the boys are excited because they can swim together at the town pool. When they get there, on the very first day, a crew is filling the pool with asphalt. John Henry understands that this is about racism, and is enraged and hurt. Joe suddenly becomes aware of all the things he can't do with his best friend. As the story ends, the two boys bravely walk together through the front door of the general store to buy an ice pop. A foreword briefly explains the Civil Rights Act and summarizes the author's experience of growing up in the 1960s as a European American child in the South. This story offers children an understanding of how racism hurts both oppressor and oppressed, and a glimpse of the courage that's needed to work against it.

Ages: 4-8
Cultural Context: multicultural

A River Dream by Allen Say

32 pages. 1988.

Mark uses a dream of a fishing trip to help himself through a fever and to learn something about himself. His uncle sends him a box of fishing lures, which reminds him of a fishing trip they took together, and this inspires a dream that feels very real. In the dream, Mark imagines fishing with his uncle, very skillfully, and discovers that he wants to let fish go rather than kill them. After this dream, his fever breaks. This story offers children an example of how to use imagination to cope with being sick.

Ages: 5-8
Cultural Context: multicultural

Harry's Box by Angela McAllister

Illustrated by Jenny Jones. 32 pages. Bloomsbury, 2003.

After Harry has helped his mother shop, the grocery box becomes all kinds of things in Harry's imagination: a shop, a lion's den, a pirate ship, an undersea cave, and a castle. Harry and his dog inhabit these imaginary worlds as a shopkeeper and a customer, an octopus and a dog-fish, and other characters. When Harry's mother, the king's foe, arrives at the castle, he decides to be friends with her, and puts the box behind the couch. There it becomes a cozy bed where Harry and his dog can dream of past and future imaginary worlds. This story shows children how to imbue an ordinary object with imagination.

Ages: 3-7
Cultural Context: European

ABC I Like Me by Nancy Carlson

32 pages. Viking Penguin, 1997.

The little pig from Nancy Carlson's book I Like Me and her mouse and frog friends use the letters of the alphabet to celebrate their good feelings about themselves. Each letter is related to a positive attribute; for example, A for awesome, B for brave, and C for cheerful. Children can use the characters' examples to appreciate their own positive qualities.

Ages: 2-6
Cultural Context: non-human