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PICTURE BOOKS FOR BIG KIDS

Teamwork and Point of View


Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams
Mutual support saves a group of boys as they walk hundreds of miles to safety through
war-torn Ethiopia and Kenya

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco


A black child and a white child, both young soldiers, befriend each other during the Civil
War. POWERFUL story of the Holocaust

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne


Four different voices tell their own versions of the same walk in the park, all from
radically different perspectives. Multiple themes emerge: friendship, alienation, life’s
small moments

Fables and Allegories


The Promise by Nicola Davies
A life-changing journey emerges when a young thief snatches a bag from an old woman

Fox by Margaret Wild


Fable about friendship: Who are our real friends, and who is just pretending to be our
friend? Interesting font/presentation on each page

Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox


An allegory about war—through the eyes of a swan and a peacock

The Three Questions by Jon Much (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy)


What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right
thing to do? Great conversation starter!

Poetry in a picture book


Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes by David Roessel
A great selection of poems by Langston Hughes, accompanied by thoughtful illustrations
(many other books in this Poetry for Young People series, too)

Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


The illustrations in this picture book version of this poem help students understand
language and concepts that would otherwise be difficult for them.

Science, sociology, geography


If the World Were a Village by David Smith
What if we imagine the world as a village of just 100 people: How many people would
speak various languages? What would their religions be? What about school and work?
The statistics on many different topics will easily capture the interest of students. Part of
the Citizen Kid collection
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
Interesting information about how every creature on earth essentially drinks from the
same well. Good resource for teaching the importance of clean water. Part of the Citizen
Kid collection

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors by Joyce Sidman


A poem and a short informational piece share a 2-page spread in this book that explains a
few of nature’s creatures that have not changed much over time—such as sharks and
beetles. Great for text-to-text lessons

History
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The arrival of Columbus from a Taino Indian boy’s point of view. Great message about
the meaning of “progress”

World War II
Luba, The Angel of Bergen-Belsen by Michelle McCann
A nurse in a concentration camp saves 44 children from starvation by outsmarting the
Nazis.

Rose Blanche by Roberto Innoenti


A young German girl follows a Nazi transport and discovers a concentration camp where
she tries to help a child inside. In the end she is mistaken for an enemy and shot.

Terrible Things by Eve Bunting


An allegory of the Holocaust with animals as the characters; combination of picture book
and mini-chapter book

My Secret Camera: Life in the Lodz Ghetto. Photographs by Mendel Grossman; Text by
Frank Smith
Photos taken secretly inside a Jewish ghetto by the photographer who hid the camera
inside his raincoat. A very emotional tribute to the people in that ghetto.

Faithful Elephants
Elephants are the unintended victims of war in this true story that takes place in Japan
during World War II

Civil Rights
Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison
Black and white photographs depicting segregation in the south have been captioned to
provide food for thought.
Recent History
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
A 9/11 tribute: “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a
people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.” Gorgeous illustrations

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