Just Help! | The Ugly Five | This is How We Do It | Maddi’s Fridge | Sparkle Boy
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Every night when Sonia goes to bed, Mami asks her the same question: How did you help today? And since Sonia wants to help her community, just like her Mami does, she always makes sure she has a good answer to Mami’s question.
In a story inspired by her own family’s desire to help others, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor takes young readers on a journey through a neighborhood where kids and adults, activists and bus drivers, friends and strangers all help one another to build a better world for themselves and their community.
This book is the perfect book to teach your kids about helping in the community whether its donating toys or voting. I loved reading this to Maddie. We talked about how did she help today? And I plan to ask that question daily.
The Ugly Five by Julia Donaldson
A charming new picture book from the bestselling creators of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom!Meet Wildebeest, Warthog, Spotted Hyena, Lappet-Faced Vulture, and Marabou Stork. On the African savanna, they’re known as the Ugly Five, but for all their bumps and bristles, these animals are just as lovable and intriguing as their more celebrated counterparts.Told in Julia Donaldson’s signature rollicking rhymes, with Axel Scheffler’s rich and witty illustrations, this tale of taking pride in who you are shows that not every animal has to have a glorious mane or an impressive roar to win the hearts of readers everywhere.
While this book isn’t your typical book of life lessons, this book shows that no matter what you look like or do (even eating trash) you are still loved. These animals may stink but someone loves them and that is true for children as well.
This is How We Do It by Matt Lamothe
In Japan, Kei plays Freeze Tag, while in Uganda, Daphine likes to jump rope. While the way they play may differ, the shared rhythm of their days—and this one world we all share—unites them.
This genuine exchange provides a window into traditions that may be different from our own as well as mirrors reflecting our common experiences. Inspired by his own travels, Matt Lamonthe transports readers across the globe and back with this luminous and thoughtful picture book.
This book shows that although we may look different or live in different places across the road, we all do the same type of things. We play, we eat, we go to school. This book is perfect for kids learning about other cultures across the globe.
With humor and warmth, this children’s picture book raises awareness about poverty and hunger. Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park, but while Sofia’s fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi’s house is empty. Sofia learns that Maddi’s family doesn’t have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she’ll keep this discovery a secret. But because Sofia wants to help her friend, she’s faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi’s empty fridge. Filled with colorful artwork, this storybook addresses issues of poverty with honesty and sensitivity while instilling important lessons in friendship, empathy, trust, and helping others.
This book was perfect to show my girls that some people do not have as much as we do. We used what we learned from this book to fill a box of can goods for a food pantry.
Casey loves to play with his blocks, puzzles, and dump truck, but he also loves things that sparkle, shimmer, and glitter. When his older sister, Jessie, shows off her new shimmery skirt, Casey wants to wear a shimmery skirt too. When Jessie comes home from a party with glittery nails, Casey wants glittery nails too. And when Abuelita visits wearing an armful of sparkly bracelets, Casey gets one to wear, just like Jessie. The adults in Casey’s life embrace his interests, but Jessie isn’t so sure. Boys aren’t supposed to wear sparkly, shimmery, glittery things. Then, when older boys at the library tease Casey for wearing “girl” things, Jessie realizes that Casey has the right to be himself and wear whatever he wants. Why can’t both she and Casey love all things shimmery, glittery, and sparkly? Here is a sweet, heartwarming story about acceptance, respect, and the freedom to be yourself in a world where any gender expression should be celebrated. Sparkly things are for everyone to enjoy!
This is one of my favorite books that we own. I love that it shows acceptance and gender expression. We talk regularly in our home about it doesn’t matter what girls or boys wear or play with and I think Sparkle Boy helped with that conversation.
Have you read any of these books?
The Spinny Bookworm Mama 