KANSAS KIDS INITIATIVE PRESENTS

** As you share with children in reading experiences, note the list of relevant Developmental Assets following each book annotation.

26 Fairmont Avenue. Tomie DePaola. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999. Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy. (7-11 years) Newbery Honor. Key Words: family, neighborhood. Dev Assets: 1, 3, 4, 10, 11

All Alone after School. Muriel Stanek. A. Whitman, 1985. When his mother must take a job and can't afford a babysitter, a young boy gradually develops confidence about staying home alone after school. (5-9 years) Key words: family, self reliance. Dev Assets: 10, 11, 30.

Alistair in Outer Space. Marilyn Sadler. Prentice-Hall Books for Young Readers, 1984. When Alistair is kidnapped by a spaceship full of Goots from Gootula, his main concern is for his overdue library books. (4-8 years) Key Words: reading, library, responsibility, outer space. Dev. Assets: 25, 30.

Always My Dad. Sharon Dennis Wyeth. Scholastic, Inc., 1998. Although she doesn't get to see her father very often, a girl enjoys the time she and her brothers spend with him one summer while they are visiting their grandparents' farm. (5-10 years) Key Words: fathers, divorce. Dev. Assets: 1, 14, 20.

Amazing Grace. Mary Hoffman. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991. Although a classmate says that she cannot play Peter Pan in the school play because she is black, Grace discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to do. (4-9 years) Key Words: identity, racism, self esteem. Dev Assets: 1, 2, 6, 16, 17, 34, 37, 38, 40.

Anastasia Absolutely. Lois Lowry. Houghton Mifflin, 1995. More adventures of thirteen-year-old Anastasia Krupnick as she tries to deal with a new dog, her school values class, and a personal moral dilemma. (9-13 years) Key words: values, school, friendship. Dev Assets: 1, 12, 16, 27, 28, 29, 31.

Appelemando's Dreams. Patricia Polacco. Philomel Books, 1991. Because he spends his time dreaming, the villagers are convinced that Appelemando will never amount to much but in time his dreams change the village and all the people in it. (4-8 years) Key words: imagination, dreams. Dev. Assets: 7, 8, 17, 39.

Arthur and the True Francine. Marc Brown. Little, Brown & Company, 1998. Francine and Muffy are good friends until Muffy lets Francine take the blame for cheating on a test. (3-7 years) Key words: honesty, cheating, school. Dev Assets: 12, 15, 21, 29, 30.

Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club. Stephen Krensky. Little, Brown & Company, 1998. Arthur and his friends can hardly wait for the latest Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club book to arrive at the library, but when they find the popular series has been banned, they decide they have to take action to get their books back. (6-9 years) Key words: reading, book banning. Dev Assets: 5, 6, 11, 18, 25, 28, 37.

Arthur Writes a Story. Marc Brown. Little, Brown & Company, 1996. Arthur has to write a story as a homework assignment and keeps changing his idea of what to write as he talks to his friends. (4-7 years) Key words: homework, school, writing. Dev Assets: 5, 6, 15, 21, 22, 23, 24

Believing Sophie. H. J. Hutchins. Albert Whitman & Co., 1995. An obnoxious lady at the grocery store mistakenly accuses young Sophie of shoplifting, and Sophie must prove her innocence. (5-8 years.) Key words: honesty, shoplifting. Dev Assets: 13, 29.

The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare. Stan & Jan Berenstain. Random House, 1988. Too-Tall Grizzly and his gang dare Brother to steal a watermelon from Farmer Ben's patch, and when the gang runs away, Brother is caught. Fortunately, Farmer Ben is a good neighbor, and offers Brother advice about standing up for what is right. (4-7 years) Key words: peer pressure, stealing. Dev Assets: 4, 13, 14, 28, 29, 35

The Berenstain Bears and the In Crowd. Stan & Jan Berenstain. Random House, 1987. Queenie McBear, the new she-cub in town, tries to take over by putting other cubs down. Queenie is in for a lesson, however, when Sister Bear decides that no one can get the better of her. (4-7 years) Key words: peer pressure, teasing. Dev. Assets: 28, 35

The Berenstain Bears and the Homework Hassle. Stan & Jan Berenstain. Random House, 1997. Brother gets in trouble when he allows television, his boom box, the telephone, and other distractions to keep him from doing his homework. (5-8 years) Key words: family, homework. Dev Assets: 6, 11, 23

Building a Bridge. Lisa Shook Begaye. Northland Pub., 1993. On the first day of kindergarten, with the help of their teacher, a Navajo girl and a white girl learn to overlook their different appearances and become friends. (3-7 years.) Key words: school, friendship. Dev. Assets: 5, 12, 22, 33, 34, 36

Building Friends. Ronald Kidd. Habitat for Humanity, 1996. While watching the Habitat for Humanity volunteers build a house in the empty lot next to her house, Rosa and her new friend Matthew decide to fix up Rosa's tree house. (4-8 years) Key words: building, friendship, cooperation. Dev Assets: 4. 7, 8, 9, 27.

Buster Makes the Grade. Stephen Krensky. Little, Brown & Company, 1999. Arthur and his friends help Buster study for an important test so that he will be able to move on to the fourth grade with them. (6-9 years) Key words: school, friendship. Dev Assets: 15, 21, 22, 23.

A Chair for My Mother. Vera B. Williams. Mulberry Books, 1988. A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire. (4-8 years) Caldecott Honor book. Key words: family. saving/money. Dev Assets: 1, 2, 26, 30, 32.

Clifford and the Big Storm. Norman Bridwell. Scholastic, 1995. Clifford helps save Emily Elizabeth and her grandma, and some people of the community, during a storm. (7-10 years) Key words: cooperation, helping others. Dev Assets: 9, 30, 39.

Clifford's Good Deeds. Norman Bridwell. Scholastic, 1985. Clifford, Emily Elizabeth and their friend, Tim, do good deeds, except sometimes they don't turn out too well. (7-10 years) Key Words: helping others. Dev Assets: 9, 26, 39.

Cliques, Phonies, and Other Baloney. Trevor Romain. Free Spirit Pub, 1998. Written for every child who has ever felt shut out or trapped by a clique, this book blends humor with practical advice as it explains how to form positive, healthy relationships. (9-12 years) Key words: friendship, peer pressure. Dev Assets: 15, 33, 35.

Cold and Hot Winter. Johanna Hursitz. Morrow Junior Books, 1988. Fifth grader Derek and his best friend Rory are delighted when their neighbor's niece Bolivia comes to town for another visit, until a lot of missing objects make Derek begin to doubt Rory's honesty. (8-11 years) Key words: friendship, honesty. Dev Assets: 28, 29, 33.

Daring to Be Abigail. Rachel Vail. Puffin, 1997. A confused 11-year-old does something she knows is wrong because she thinks it's what's expected. Abigail is determined to "reinvent" herself during summer camp and become the bold, brave girl she thinks her father, whose death still haunts her, wanted her to be. (9-11 years) Key words: identity summer camp, peer pressure. Dev Assets: 18, 28, 33, 35.

A Day's Work. Eve Bunting. Clarion Books, 1997. A persuasive moral tale about a young Mexican boy in contemporary California who lies in order to help his family. (5-9 years) Key words: honesty, family. Dev Assets: 8, 14, 29, 30.

Five Finger Discount. Barthe DeClements. Delacorte Press, 1989. Ten-year-old Jerry's attempts to adjust to his new school and make new friends are complicated by his determination to keep secret the fact that his father is serving time in the local prison for being a thief. (9-11 years) Key words: honesty, family, schools. Dev. Assets: 29, 33.

Fly Away Home. Eve Bunting. Clarion Books, 1991. A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal and trying not to be noticed, is given hope when he sees a trapped bird find its freedom. (5-9 years.) Key Words: homelessness, fathers. Dev. Assets: 1, 27, 37, 40.

The Gardener. David Small. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1997. A series of letters relating what happens when, after her father loses his job, Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her. (4-7 years) Caldecott Honor book. Key words: family, gardening. Dev Assets: 1, 8, 20, 39. 

Grandfather's Journey. Allen Say. Houghton Mifflin, 1993. A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries. (4-8 years) Caldecott Honor book. Key words: grandfather, identity. Dev. Assets: 34.

The Honest to Goodness Truth. Patricia McKissack. Atheneum, 2000. When Libby is caught in her first lie to her mama, she makes a decision: "From now on, only the truth." Soon she's spreading the truth all over town. (3-7 years) Key words: honesty, family. Dev Assets: 1, 2, 11, 29.

Iceberg and Its Shadow. Jan Farrar Greenberg. Straus and Giroux, 1989. Anabeth's ideas about friendship begin to change shortly after Mindy Gottfried joins the sixth grade at Skokie Elementary School. (9-12 years) Key words: friendship, values. Dev Assets: 30, 31, 33.

If We Were All the Same. Fred Rogers. Random House, 1987. Tired of looking exactly alike, the people of the purple planet decide to become more colorful. (3-7 years) Key Words: individuality. Dev Assets: 27, 34, 38.

Imogene's Antlers. David Small. Crown, 1985. One Thursday Imogene wakes up with a pair of antlers growing out of her head and causes a sensation wherever she goes. (4-8 years) Key words: humor, differences. Dev Assets: 34, 38.

Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook. Barbara Park. Random House, 1997. Junie B. Jones is disappointed when she does not find her missing mittens in the Lost and Found, so she feels justified when she keeps a pen that she finds on the floor. (5-9 years.) Key words: school, stealing, honesty. Dev. Assets: 5, 12, 29, 30.

Just a Dream. Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton Mifflin, 1990. When he has a dream about a future Earth devastated by pollution, Walter begins to understand the importance of taking care of the environment. (6-10 years) Key words: pollution, environment. Dev Assets: 26, 27, 28.

Knots on a Counting Rope. Bill Martin, Jr. H. Holt, 1987. A grandfather and his blind grandson, Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses, reminisce about the young boy's birth, his first horse, and an exciting horse race. (4-8 years) Key words: grandfather, blindness, horses. Dev Assets: 1, 2, 4, 14, 16, 37.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books, 1996. Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later. Key words: school, teachers. Dev Assets: 5, 12, 14, 21, 22, 24, 30. 

Little Nino's Pizzeria. Karen Barbour. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987. Tony likes to help his father at their small family restaurant, but everything changes when Little Nino's Pizzeria becomes a fancier place. (3-7 years) Key Words: family. Dev Assets: 1, 8, 14.

Locked in the Library. Stephen Krensky. Little, Brown & Company, 1998. Arthur is snubbed by Francine after she hears he said she looked like a marshmallow in her fluffy sweater, but when the two are accidentally locked in the library, they remember why they are such good friends. (6-9 years) Key words: school, friendship. Dev Assets: 21, 23, 33, 36.

Miss Fannie's Hat. Jan Karan. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1998. At the ripe old age of 99, Miss Fannie donates her very favorite hat—the famous pink straw with roses—to help raise money in the church auction. (3-8 years) Key words: church, generosity. Dev Assets: 14, 19.

Miss Nelson Is Back. Harry Allard and James Marshall. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982. When their teacher has to go away for a week, the kids in room 207 plan to "really act up." (4-7 years) Key Words: school, teachers. Dev Assets: 5,12, 21, 22, 24.

Making Friends. Fred Rogers. Putnam, 1987. Explains what it means to be friends and some of the easy and difficult aspects of friendship. (3-7 years) Key Words: friendship. Mr. Rogers. Dev Assets: 15, 33.

Night on Neighborhood STreet. Eloise Greenfield. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991. A collection of poems exploring the sounds, sights, and emotions enlivening a black neighborhood during the course of one evening. (3-10 years) Coretta Scott King award. Key Words: poetry, neighborhood. Dev. Assets: 3, 4, 7, 13, 20.

Owen. Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, 1993. Owen's parents try to get him to give up his favorite blanket before he starts school. (3-6 years) Caldecott Honor book. Key Words: school, family, kindergarten. Dev. Assets: 1, 2, 5, 24.

Owen Foote: Soccer Star. Stephanie Greene. Clarion Books, 1998. When eight-year-old Owen and his best friend Joseph join a neighborhood soccer league, they not only face a test of their game skills but also of their friendship. (6-9 years) Key words: friendship, sports. Dev Assets: 15, 18, 33.

The Patchwork Quilt. Valerie Flourney. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1985. Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life. (4-8 years) Coretta Scott King award. Key Words: family, quilts. Dev Assets: 1, 14. PEOPLE. Peter Spier. Doubleday, 1980. Emphasizes the differences among the four billion people on earth. (4-8 years) Key words: individuality, cultures. Dev Assets: 34.

Regina's Big Mistake. Marissa Moss. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990. When told to draw a jungle in art class, Regina experiences feelings of failure and creative insecurity, but manages to create a beautiful picture that's all her own. (4-7 years) Key Words: school, self confidence. Dev. Assets: 5, 17, 21, 22, 38.

Uncle Jed's Barbershop. Margeree King Mitchell. Aladdin, 1993. Despite serious obstacles and setbacks Sarah Jean's Uncle Jed, the only black barber in the county, pursues his dream of saving enough money to open his own barbershop. (8-11 years) Key words: family, racism. Dev Assets: 14, 37.

View from Saturday. E.L. Konigsburg. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1996. Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition. (9-13 years) Key words: friendship, school. Dev Assets: 5, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23.

We Can Work It Out. Barbara K. Polland, PH.D. Tricycle Press, 2000. Fourteen common conflicts and fourteen possible solutions. (4-10 years) Key words: conflict resolution. Dev. Assets: 36.

When Aunt Lena Did the Rhumba. Eileen Kurtis-Kleinman. Hyperion, 1999. Every week, Aunt Lena goes to the matinee and returns home to perform what she saw for her niece, Sophia. One week while performing the rhumba, she hurts her back and is forced to stay in bed, so Sophia decides to put on her own show for her sickly aunt in place of her precious matinee. (4-10 years) Key Words: family, dance. Dev Assets: 1, 3. 14, 17. 26.

Why I Will Never Ever Ever Have Enough Time to Read this Book. Remy Charlip. Tricycle Press, 2000. The humorous plight of a young girl who is so over scheduled she does not have time to read. (6-10 years) Key words: reading. Dev. Assets: 25, 30.

The Wonderful Towers of Watts. Patricia Zelver. Mulberry Books, 1996. Simon Rodia didn't have any architectural training or any helpers, but he did have a dream. And, over the course of three decades, his neighbors saw that dream rise slowly but magnificently in his own backyard, taking the form of the improbable and delightful towers in the Watts section of L.A. (5-9 years) Key Words: dreams, neighborhood. Dev Assets: 4, 39.

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