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2006-07 Life Skills Bibliography
Life Skills: Books to Reinforce the Concepts
Life Skills Categories
Picture Books:
- Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope : the Story of Cesar Chavez. 921 Cha
A biography of Cesar Chavez, from age ten when he and his family lived happily on their Arizona ranch, to age thirty-eight when he led a peaceful protest against California migrant workers' miserable working conditions.
- Teague, Mark. Pigsty. E Tea
When Wendell doesn't clean up his room, a whole herd of pigs comes to live with him.
- Tucker, Kathy. The Seven Chinese Sisters. E Tuc
When a dragon snatches the youngest of seven talented Chinese sisters, the other six come to her rescue.
- Viorst, Judith. Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. E Vio
Although Alexander and his money are quickly parted, he comes to realize all the things that can be done with a dollar.
- Young, Ed (reteller). Seven Blind Mice. E You
Retells the Indian fable of the blind men, now mice, discovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance. It is only when they organize all of their information that they know what the mysterious “thing” is.
Novels:
- Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. F Cur
A motherless boy living during the Great Depression sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father. Bud tries to make sense of a disorganized life by making endless hilarious lists of "rules and things to remember."
- Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. F Kon
A sister and brother run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Can they solve an art mystery which fits together like a jigsaw puzzle? And can they understand Mrs. Frankweiler’s unique filing system?
- Tolan, Stephanie. Surviving the Applewhites. F Tol
Twelve-year-old E.D. Applewhite is the sensible, organized sister in a free-wheeling family of artists and writers.
Picture Books:
- Burningham, John. Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car. E Bur
Mr. Gumpy's human and animal friends squash into his old car and go for a drive -- until it starts to rain.
- Grimm Brothers. The Bremen Town Musicians. 398.2 Bre
A retelling of the Grimm tale in which an old donkey, dog, cat, and rooster, no longer wanted by their masters, set out for Bremen to become musicians. They’ll have to work together to thwart some robbers and find a home.
- Henkes, Kevin. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. E Hen
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.
- Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Are Friends. E Lob
Classic stories of two best friends.
- Sturges, Philemon (reteller). The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza). 398.2 Stu
In this version of the traditional tale, the duck, the dog, and the cat refuse to help the Little Red Hen make a pizza but do get to participate when the time comes to eat it.
Novels:
- Fleischman, Sid. The Whipping Boy. F Fle
A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.
- Klise, Kate. Letters from Camp. F Kli
Sent to Camp Happy Harmony to learn how to get along with each other, pairs of brothers and sisters chronicle in letters home how they come to suspect the intentions of the singing family running the camp.
- Park, Linda Sue. The Kite Fighters. F Par
In Korea in 1473, Young-sup overcomes his rivalry with his older brother Kee-sup, who as the first-born son receives special treatment from their father, and combines his kite-flying skill with Kee-sup's kite-making skill in an attempt to win the New Year kite-fighting competition.
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Picture Books:
- Aardema, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears : a West African Tale. ---Aar
Reveals the meaning of the mosquito's buzz.
- De Paola, Tomie. Now One Foot, Now the Other. E Dep
Bobby's grandfather, Bob, taught him how to walk. When Bob suffers a stroke, he can't speak or move. Over time and with Bobby's help, Bob learns how to talk and walk again.
- Roop, Peter. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie. E Roo
In the winter of 1856, a storm delays the lighthouse keeper's return to an island off the coast of Maine, and his daughter Abbie must keep the lights burning by herself.
- San Souci, Robert. Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend. 921 She
A biography of the fifteen-year-old Iowa teenager who helped to avert a train disaster in 1881 and became a national heroine.
Novels:
- Banks, Lynn Reid. The Indian in the Cupboard. F Ban
A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life in the cupboard and becomes his responsibility.
- Hurwitz, Johanna. Aldo Ice Cream. F Hur
Aldo Sossi is an eccentric third-grader who gets very involved in everything he does. He's so busy all summer that he needs a vacation when it's over.
- Lowry, Lois. The Giver. F Low
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
- Sachar, Louis. Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher’s House. F Sac
Marvin is pleased when his teacher asks him to take care of her dog while she's away, but he soon finds that there's more pressure involved than he likes.
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Picture Books:
- Buehner, Caralyn. Fanny’s Dream. E Bue
Fanny Agnes is a sturdy farm girl who dreams of marrying a prince, but when her fairy godmother doesn't show up, she decides on a local farmer instead.
- Duvoisin, Roger. Petunia. E Duv
Petunia, the goose, learns that possessing knowledge involves more than just carrying a book around under her wing.
- Enright, Elizabeth. The Saturdays. --- Enr
The Four-Story Mistake. Four New York City siblings decide to pool their resources so that each can do a special thing on the Saturday that is his turn to receive the combined allowance.
- Kellogg, Steven (reteller). The Three Sillies. 398.2 Thr
A young man believes his sweetheart and her family are the three silliest people in the world until he meets three others who are even sillier.
- Salley, Coleen (reteller). Epossumondas. 398.2 Sal
A retelling of a classic tale in which a well-intentioned young possum continually takes his mother's instructions much too literally.
Novels:
- Blume, Judy. Freckle Juice. F Blu
Sharon has a secret recipe that will give Andrew all the freckles he could ever want. However, it will cost him five weeks of allowance. Are freckles worth that much to Andrew? Will the Freckle Juice actually work?
- Brittain, Bill. The Wish Giver. F Bri
What if you could have any wish in the world for just fifty cents? Be careful what you wish for!
- Karr, Kathleen. The Great Turkey Walk. F Kar
Fifteen-year-old Simon, who has lots of common sense but little book learning, narrates the story of how he makes his fortune by walking a huge flock of turkeys over a thousand miles from Missouri to Denver in 1860.
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Picture Books:
- Aliki. We are Best Friends. E Ali
When Robert's best friend Peter moves away, both are unhappy, but they learn that they can make new friends and still remain best friends.
- Cooney, Barbara. Miss Rumphius. E Coo
Great-aunt Alice Rumphius was once a little girl who longed to visit faraway places and wished to do something to make the world more beautiful.
- Crews, Donald. Bigmama’s. E Cre
Children's author Donald Crews recalls a childhood visit to Bigmama's house in the country, where he finds his relatives full of news and the old place and its surroundings just the same as the year before.
- Fox, Mem. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. E Fox
A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore that of an elderly friend.
- Gammel, Steven. Song and Dance Man. E Gam
Grandpa demonstrates for his visiting grandchildren some of the songs, dances, and jokes he performed when he was a vaudeville entertainer.
- Woodson, Jacqueline. The Other Side. E Woo
Two girls, one white and one African-American, gradually get to know each other as they sit on the fence that divides their town.
Novels:
- Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Shiloh. F Nay
Marty finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, and tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.
- Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. F Pat
Jess and Leslie discover the undying bonds of friendship.
- Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. F Spi
Stargirl, a teen who animates quiet Mica High with her colorful personality and acts of kindness, suddenly finds herself shunned for her refusal to conform.
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Picture Books
- Kasza, Keiko. The Wolf’s Chicken Stew. E Kas
A hungry wolf's attempts to fatten a chicken for his stewpot have unexpected results.
- Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman. 921 Rud
A biography of the African-American woman who overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympics.
- Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. E Lio
Swimmy, a small black fish, finds a way to protect a school of small red fish from their natural enemies.
Novels:
- Park, Linda Sue. Project Mulberry. F Par
While working on a project for an after-school club, Julia, a Korean American girl, and her friend Patrick learn not just about silkworms, but also about tolerance, prejudice, effort, friendship, patience, and more.
- Williams, Margery. The Velveteen Rabbit; How Toys Became Real. F Mar
By the time the velveteen rabbit is dirty, worn out, and about to be burned, he has almost given up hope of ever finding the magic called Real.
- Winter, Jeanette. The Librarian of Basra: a True Story from Iraq. 921 Bak
Alia Muhammad Baker secretly moves thirty thousand books into the safety of friends' homes when her government refuses to help get them out of the war zone.
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Picture books:
- Cannon, Janell. Verdi. E Can
A young python does not want to grow slow and boring like the older snakes he sees in the tropical jungle where he lives.
- Cuyler, Margery. The Biggest, Best Snowman. E Cuy
Nell is told by her BIG sisters and her mother that she is too small to help out, but everyone, including Nell, feels differently after her forest friends give her the confidence to build a large snowman.
- Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace. E Hof
Though schoolmates tell Grace that she can't be Peter Pan in the upcoming play because she is a girl and black, her mother and grandmother lovingly reaffirm all possibilities.
- San Souci, Robert D. The Talking Eggs. --san
A Southern folktale in which kind Blanche, following the instructions of an old witch, gains riches, while her greedy sister makes fun of the old woman and is duly rewarded.
- Yashima, Taro. Crow Boy. E Yas
The story of a different, shy little boy in a Japanese village school who was ignored by his classmates until suddenly, and almost too late, a new teacher showed them that Crow Boy had much to offer.
Novels:
- Burch, Robert. Ida Early Comes Over the Mountain. F Bur
Tough times in rural Georgia during the Depression take a lively turn when spirited Ida Early arrives to keep house for the Suttons.
- Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach. F Dah
A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach.
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Picture books:
- Baker, Leslie. The Third-Story Cat. E Bak
A house cat with a longing to visit the park across the street "escapes" her comfortable apartment, meets a streetwise cat, and is given a tour that results in a hair-raising encounter that sends her rushing home to stay--at least until tomorrow.
- Cherry, Lynne. The Great Kapok Tree. ___Che
The many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rain forest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.
- Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. ___Jef
A Suquamish Indian chief describes his people's respect and love for the earth, and concern for its destruction.
- Martin, Bill. Knots On a Counting Rope. E Mar
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.
- Showers, Paul. The Listening Walk. E Sho
A little girl and her father take a quiet walk and identify the sounds around them.
Novels
- Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer. F Bal
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.
Picture books:
- Carle, Eric. The Mixed-Up Chameleon. E Car
A chameleon wishes he could be like each of the animals he sees in the zoo.
- Heide, Florence Parry. The Day of Ahmed’s Secret. E Hei
Young Ahmed guards a secret as he goes about his work delivering tanks of butane gas through the streets and bazaars of Cairo. At the end of the day Ahmed shyly divulges his secret: he has learned to write his name.
- Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. E Hen
Chrysanthemum loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.
- Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. E Pol
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
Novels:
- Konigsburg, E. L. The View from Saturday. F Kon
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.
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