Kids Book Index
Bao Phi
A boy and his father rise early to fish at a small pond before the father’s long workday. They are fishing to provide food for their family, not for recreation. Between casts, the father tells his son about a pond in Vietnam, their homeland. The story centers on their time together beside the water and connects the family’s present life with memories of another place.
This book appears on 6 reading lists across 2 editions from 6 organizations.
Pattan’s Pumpkin: A Traditional Flood Story from Southern IndiaChitra SoundarThis retelling draws on a flood story of the Irular tribe in southern India. Pattan finds a wilting vine with yellow flowers in his valley and replants it with care. A pumpkin grows from the vine, rising beyond goats and elephants until it is as high as the mountains. During floodwaters, Pattan and the giant pumpkin carry local animals and plants as they float.Five to NineOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Revolutionary Rogues: John André and Benedict ArnoldSelene CastrovillaDuring the Revolutionary War, American Major General Benedict Arnold seeks reward and recognition and plots with British Major John André to help Britain win the war. This nonfiction picture book presents their story from American history in a play-like form. It follows the betrayal that threatened George Washington’s army and includes pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations as well as back matter.Five to NineOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee!Andrea J. LoneyJames VanDerZee saves for his first camera as a boy and begins by photographing family members, classmates, and anyone willing to pose. By fifth grade, he is taking pictures for his school and town. After moving to New York City, he works in a portrait studio but is initially kept in the darkroom because he is Black. He carefully retouches portraits, later opening his own Harlem studio. His work records decades of Harlem history, including portraits of middle-class African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance.Five to NineOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details