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Dyamonde, a bright, articulate and confident 3rd grader, is entering the library’s poetry contest to win the prize money. Then Dyamonde and her friend, Free, learn that their new friend, Damaris, who is also the best poet in their class, lives in a homeless shelter. The duo of friends turns into a trio — who take a different look at what wealth really means.

When Dorothy and Henry see a notice that the city of Boston cannot afford to buy three trained elephants, they begin city-wide campaign to raise the needed $6,000. Working together, the children are successful and present the pachyderms to the mayor for the zoo. Inspired by actual events in 1914, this can-do tale will empower, engage and perhaps inspire.

This fictionalized story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana, who changes his world with a small loan and one hen, is based on a real person. Kwabena Darko lives in West Africa and started a system of micro-loans in villages that would not otherwise have access. Additional resources and sources for further information allow readers to find out more.

Harold the squirrel is living the life in New York City, feasting on nuts from a kind old man in the park. The old man never feeds, the rats, though. One rat, angry at this fact, tells Harold the only difference between himself and a rat is his fluffy tail. Determined to prove the rat wrong, Harold shaves his tail… only to be proven wrong himself.

If all of the 300 million people were simply one village of 100 people, its diversity is easier to understand. That’s just what the author has done to make the complex make-up of the U.S. residents (in terms of languages spoken, ages, and more). Colorful illustrations accompany the understandable text. Additional resources complete the book. If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World’s People (opens in a new window), also by Smith, looks at the inhabitants of the world as a village to allow its diversity to become more understandable for adults and children.

A boy and his father share the wonder of a visit to the sites of New York City, from the Empire State Building ending with a taxi ride to Grand Central (and a postcard to the reader) with lots in between. Energetic illustrations complement the informative text.

A girl and her mom want to have a sweet treat on a hot day but cannot sit at the soda fountain simply because they are “colored.” Impressionistic paintings soften the harshness of the story of segregation in the South during a turbulent time.

Liam discovers that he can help his dreary city blossom into a green place that draws everyone out onto rooftops and beyond. Stylized illustrations depict the city’s gradual change from drab to lush and may encourage other young urban gardeners.

A boy named King Shabazz doesn’t believe in spring. With his friend, Tony Polito, King Shabazz explores their gritty city neighborhood and discovers that spring does exist even in an unlikely place.

Children often see what adults miss, and so it is when Will finds a pigeon with a broken wing on the sidewalk of a busy city. Will and his parents, help the bird recover over time then release it. Limited text and well paced and placed illustrations tell the affecting story.

Poems piece together the story of the quilters of Gee’s Bend in Wilcox County, Alabama. Though over a hundred years old, the art of quilting is alive and is now accessible through poetry and vivid illustration.

Ten-year old Lucky lives in a small California desert town with her guardian Brigitte, her father’s ex. Lucky’s “family” also includes the adults at the 12-Step meetings she eavesdrops on. When Lucky begins to worry that Brigitte will return to her native France, she searches for her own “higher power.” This title is a Newbery Award winner. (2007 Newbery Medal Winner)

When new neighbors move near Rabbit; he learns from a wise owl to “do unto otters as you would have otters do to you.” That includes saying please and thank you (in several languages), cooperating, and more. The humorous take on manners makes them fun to see in practice, in stylized, engaging illustrations.

CJ’s uncle, a well known jazz musician, has lost his signature hat and sends the boy out to locate it. CJ searches Harlem finding something better than the beret for the magazine photographer to snap. Animated illustrations and an author’s note take a memorable look at Harlem and musicians of the mid 1950s.

The significance and impact of Dr. King and why his birthday is celebrated is presented in a handsome package. Fluid text combines with stunning illustrations done in scratchboard and paint, to make a sometimes difficult subject accessible to younger children. Also available in Spanish.

Caroline doesn’t see much of the name of their new street, Meadowview, as she and her family move to their new suburban neighborhood. When she saves a single flower from the lawn mower, she starts to change not only her backyard but ultimately the entire neighborhood. Soft illustrations and understated text convey story and an important concept.

From “10 horns beeping” to “2 bikes growling” a baby sleeps on. But when “… 1 bird begins to twitter,” a smiling baby awakens! City sounds and sights abound in stylized illustrations and satisfying, rhythmic language of this cumulative rhyme.

Residents of the New York City apartment were divided when a red-tail hawk took up residence atop their building and started a family. Based on real events, the illustrated story of the hawk nicknamed Pale Male will inform and perhaps inspire urban dwellers to look up – and share space.

It’s Sunday and the family is on an outing in the car, when the mama hears the dreaded, “Oh no, gotta go” — and so begins the frantic search for a bathroom. The romp is funny and fast, with words in Spanish and English that turn a familiar experience into an introduction to another language.

Fifteen-year-old Luther’s mother, The Sarge, rules an empire of halfway houses and slums. Luther himself is a much more ordinary guy, though he is caught between being a typical teen and being the Sarge’s son. Luther’s peculiar problems are resolved in a way that is sure to satisfy readers.

Animals and people prepare for fall in different ways and at different times around the world. The season is often celebrated by harvests, introduced and illuminated in lyrical prose and restrained illustrations.

Celebrate city life, school, and family while sharing loss, earthquakes and even Ángeles del mar (sea angels) in vivid illustrations and short poems presented in both Spanish and English. Though some poems are distinctly southern Californian, all resonate with universally recognizable emotions.

The artist recalls growing up in south Texas in this celebration of family and cultural traditions presented in vivid paintings and short prose in Spanish and English. Garza’s pride in her Mexican-American heritage is evident and celebrated in this handsome book.

Jenna wants to dance in the powwow as her grandmother and other women in her family have. But she wonders: will she have enough jingles to make her dress sing? Traditional and contemporary activities come together in this appealing, clearly illustrated story of a modern girl and her background, based on the author’s Muscogee (Creek) heritage.