The Empty Lot

David H. Fife

Place, Relationships

The book's main character, Harry Hale wants to sell a small piece of land that had once been a part of his grandfather's farm. However, when he visits the lot he discovers that the overgrown land is home to many animals, and he has a change of heart.

Time To Go

Beverly and David Fiday

Place, Relationships, Movement, Region

Although this book does not contain a lot of text, there are many good vocabulary words. The story illustrates a young boy's final trek around his family's farm on the day they move to a new home.

**Tar Beach

Faith Ringgold

Place, Movement

As Cassie lies on the roof of her apartment building, which is known as Tar Beach, she imagines herself flying over famous New York City landmarks. In her daydream the beautiful sites belong to her, a reward for the injustices her family has suffered.

*Mojave

Diane Siebert

Place, Relationships, Region

This epic poem is great for reading out loud. The author uses the text and illustrations to describe the beauty of the Mojave desert and the story of its people's history.

My Grandmother's Journey

John Cech

Movement

At bedtime, Grandmother tells Korie stories of growing up in Russia. She describes encounters with gypsies and the hardships brought on by the Russian Revolution. She explains the difficulties her family faced when trying to flee the USSR for the United States during the Second World War.

Stop the Presses! Nellie's Got a Scoop: A Story of Nellie Bly

Robert Quackenbush

Movement

This biography written for children tells the life story of one of America's first female reporters, Nellie Bly. The story details Nellie's childhood, her early days as a reporter, her life as a businesswoman, and her return to the career that made her famous.

Trucker

Hope Herman Wurmfeld

Location, Movement

Phil Marcum loves his family and wants to be present for all of the special events in their lives, but he is a trucker and spends many of his days hauling goods up and down the east coast. Still, he squeezes in as much time for his family as he can, including a trip to his daughter's school to share stories about his life as a trucker.

*Go Fish

Mary Stolz

Place, Relationships

A young boy named Thomas talks his grandfather into going on a fishing trip to the Gulf of Mexico. They see a variety of wildlife, catch many fish, and have a wonderful dinner. At bedtime, grandfather tells Thomas an African folktale that has been passed down through their family.

**Morning Girl

Michael Dorris

Location, Place, Relationships, Movement

Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy narrate this story of Taino life in 1492. Although the families living on their island face many hardships, they benefit from the help the give one another. Towards the end of the story Morning Girl stumbles upon a group of strangers and invites them to come ashore. One of the strangers goes by the name Christopher Columbus.

**Brother Eagle, 

Sister Sky

Chief Seattle

Relationships

This story is adapted from a speech given by Chief Seattle in the 1850s. During negotiations with the United States government he urged those around him to protect and preserve the natural environment. The illustrated paintings accompanying the story depict Native American interacting with the environment.