Bluffton University

"Puppies for Sale" by Dan Clark

"That puppy is worth just as much as all the others." - abilities and disabilities

"Here We Are: Notes for living on planet earth" by Oliver Jeffers

"You're never alone on earth." - a glimpse of earth and the bonds that unite us together.

"All Are Welcome" by Alexandra Penfold

"We're part of a community. Our strength is our diversity." - diverse classroom of students and families

"The Undefeated" by Kwame Alexander

"This is for the ones who survived America by any means necessary. And the ones who didn't." - honoring African Americans

"What If the Zebras Lost Their Stripes?" by John Reitano

“ ... and some lost black and some lost white?” - ponder the concept of race and humanity

"Different Just Like Me" by Lori Mitchell

“I’m glad everyone is different... just like me!” - noticing and appreciating similarities and differences

"Come With Me" by Holly McGhee

“One step at a time, they understood what they could do to make the world a better place.” - your part matters

"A Family is a Family is a Family" by Sara O'Leary

“My family is not like everybody else’s.” - a whimsical glimpse of many types of families

"I Like, I Don't Like" by Anna Baccalliere

“...bricks ...popcorn ...soccer balls ...rugs ...” - different perspectives reflected by children experiencing poverty and child labor

"No Water No Bread" by Luis Amavisca Guridi

"Why are our parents like this?" - children’s perspectives of borders, limited resources and parents’ attitudes

"What We Wear: Dressing up around the world" by Maya Ajmera

“Dressing up means celebrating who we are...” - a global glimpse of people and clothing

"A Small Thing... But Big" by Tony Johnson

“Before today, I was afraid of dogs.” - courage and confidence to do tough things

"I'm New Here" by Anne Sibley O'Brien

“Here there are new beginnings.” - immigration, classroom experiences of three new students

"If Nathan Were Here" by Mary Bahr

“But Nathan’s not here. And nobody’s laughing.” - child’s perspective of loss and grief

"Teammates" by Peter Golenbock

“I want a man with the courage not to fight back.” - Jackie Robinson’s early baseball experience

"For Every Child, A Better World" by Louise Gikow, Ellen Weiss

“Every child needs... but sometimes...” - a global glimpse of resources and belonging

"A Chance to Shine" by Steven Seskin & Allen Shamblin

“Every heart needs a chance to shine” - music CD included, new perspective on stereotypes

"New Kid in Town" by Claire Freedman

“This is a very friendly place...
but beware of the horrible wolf” - dispelling stereotypes and first impressions

"Riding the Tiger" by Eve Bunting

“Why don’t you hop on my back and we’ll take a ride.” - consequences of making poor decisions

"Dear Willie Rudd" by Moore Gray

“Most of all, I’m writing to say I wish you could come see me once again.” - new understanding of early childhood experiences and racial inequality

"We're All Wonders" by R.J. Palacio

“I can’t change the way I look but just maybe, people can change the way they see.” - appreciating differences

"Voices in the Park" by Anthony Browne

"Four people enter a park, and through their eyes we see four different visions." - first impressions, stereotypes from different perspectives

"I am Enough" by Grace Byers

“Like the winner, I’m here to win, and if I don’t, get up again.” - loving yourself, respecting others and being kind to everyone

"Be Kind" by Pat Zietlow Miller

“Maybe I can only do small things.  But...” - being kind isn’t always easy but it’s important

"A Special Trade" by Sally Wittman

“Now it’s my turn...” - a changing friendship with older friend as child grows up

"Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge" by Mem Fox

“Poor old thing... she’s lost her memory.” - friendship between young boy and elderly friends

"A Terrible Thing Happened" by Margaret M. Holmes

“Sherman Smith saw the most terrible thing.” - resource for children who have witnessed traumatic incidents

"We Are All Different" by Rebecca Rissman

“Our difference make us special.” - disabilities and differences

"Willy & Max: a Holocaust story" by Amy Littlesugar

“Some things are as precious as friends.”
-unlikely friendship, returning stolen property to Jewish families

"Snow in Jerusalem" by Deborah da Costa

“You can’t prove it!” - unlikely friendship

"Pink and Say" by Patricia Polocco

"Four people enter a park, and through their eyes we see four different visions." - Unlikely friendship during the Civil War

"I Call My Hand Gentle" by Amanda Haan

“It can’t do things without me. It does what I want it to do.”

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"Can you Say Peace" by Karen Katz

“No matter how we say it, we all want peace.” - peace in many languages and homelands

"Boxes for Katje" by Candace Fleming

“You have brought us a miracle!” - care packages from America after World War II

"People" by Peter Spicer

“People everywhere.  And all different.” - celebration of uniqueness and similarities

"The Barefoot Book Children" by Tessa Strickland

“It’s easier to understand someone when you know their story.” - recognizing similarities, differences and all the possibilities

"William's Doll" by Charlotte Zolotow

“... so that when he’s a father like you, he knows how to take care of a baby...” - addressing gender norms 

"Hey, Little Ant" by Phillip & Hannah Hoose

“If you were me and I were you,
what would you want me to do?” - addresses power and vulnerability

"The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Coles

“Then Ruby stopped talking and walked into the school.” - true experience of desegregating schools in 1960

"Feathers and Fools" by Mem Fox

“... not one remained alive.  Silence hung over the gardens..." - fable about fearing differences

"Enemy Pie" by Derek Munson

“What kind of things - disgusting things - would I put into a pie for an enemy?” - a wise Dad provides an opportunity for friendship

"Cups Held Out" by Judith L. Roth

“[Dad] wants me to know the poor are part of this world.” - a child’s glimpse of poverty

"Don't Laugh at Me" by Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin

“Don’t get your pleasure from my pain.” - song on CD accompanies book with characters asking for tolerance, stops short of acceptance

"The Other Side" by Jacqueline Woodson  

“A fence like this was made for sitting on.” - racial segregation from a child’s perspective

"Each Kindness" by Jacqueline Woodson

“...my throat filled with all the things I wished I would have said to Maya.” - kindness matters

"One World, One Day" by Barbara Kerley

“Recess rocks!  And so does lunch.” - a global glimpse of a day in the life of children

"Unspoken: a story from the Underground Railroad" by Henry Cole

- wordless story, unspoken gifts unite girl and runaway slave

"Wangari’s Trees of Peace: a true story from Africa" by Jeanette Winter

“The earth was naked. For me, the mission was to try to cover it with green.” - environmentalist’s determination inspires great change

"Across the Alley" by Richard Michelson

“I take a break to practice my windup
so I pass my violin out the window to Willie.” - unlikely friendship

"Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss" by Pat Schwiebert & Chuck DeKlyen

"[Grandy] suffered a big loss in her life. Pops, her husband suffered the same loss, but in his own way." - helpful resource for loss and grief

"A Pen Pal for Max" by Gloria Rand

“These are all addressed to you and your classmates.” - children’s compassionate response to an earthquake in Chile

"One Green Apple" by Eve Bunting

“The students know each other but they don’t know me and I don’t know them.” - an empathetic glimpse at cultural differences

"I Walk with Vanessa: a story about a simple act of kindness" by Kerascoet

- wordless story how one person inspires an entire community

"Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed" by Emily Pearson

“... love was sent to every person everywhere.” - one good deed is multiplied by others

"Lend a Hand" by John Frank

“... but the spread of warmth should have no bounds.” - poems about giving

"Amazing Faces" by Lee Bennett Hopkins

“You made my unhappy thoughts scamper away.” - poems about relationships

"I Am Not a Number" by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer

“We don’t use names here. All students are known by numbers.” - Native American history, mandatory removal of Native children from their families to attend residential school

"All the Lost Things" by Kelly Canby

“... so that anyone who may have lost it might find it once again.” - a child’s search for hope

"Susan Laughs" by Jeanne Willis

“That is Susan Through and through – just like me, just like you.” - focus on abilities rather than dis-abilities

"The Enemy: a book about peace" by Davide Cali and Serge Bloch

“I wasn’t expecting him to have a family.” - reflects the pointlessness of war

"Cory & the Seventh Story" by Brian D. McLaren

“But the truth is, there is no them. We are all part of one great big beautiful wonderful us.” - an alternate view of power, greed, oppression, control over others and our global community

"Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tine Line" by Laura Rankin

“I have something to tell you...” - a lesson in telling the truth

"Stolen Words" by Melanie Florence

“... where they took all of us away from home and laughter and soft words.” - Native experience as a result of boarding schools

"Cheyenne Again" by Eve Bunting

“No more Cheyenne, they say.  You’ve lost nothing of value.  Now you will be like us.” - Native experience of boarding school

"A Fair Deal: Shopping for Social Justice" by Kari Jones

“Fair trade is about bringing justice to people around the world: people need to protect their environment, their families and their homes.”

"Poverty and Hunger" by Louise Spilsbury

“Poverty and hunger are caused by many things, which are often outside of people’s control.” - offers information, understanding and suggestions for action

"Not So Different: what you really want to ask about having a disability" by Shane Burcaw

“Go ahead and ask me!” - personal experience informs others

"What does it mean to be Kind?" by Rana DiOrio

“... seeing the best in people even when they are struggling to be their best.” - nurtures understanding and empathy

"Where Are You From?" by Yamile Saied Mendes

“I ask Abuelo because he knows everything, and like me, he looks like he doesn’t belong.”­ - embracing one’s rich heritage and culture

"The Errant Knight" by Ann Tompert

“The knight truly tried but always there was someone who needed his help.” - helping others as an act of faithful service

"The Tower" by Richard Paul Evans

“Now everyone must look up to me.  I am the greatest man in the land.” - a lesson in humility and generosity

"Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson saved Apollo 13" by Melanie Becker

“You can count on my, she said.” - integrity, dedication and compassion

"The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks" by Cynthia Levinson”

“If grown-ups won’t do it, fill the jails with children!” - a nine-year old civil rights activist