"Books written for children are usually affirmative.
. . there is passionate concern for the broken, the lost, the hurt.
All my life through stories, those I read and those I write, I have
been building (intuitively, rather than consciously) a theology."
| Delton, Judy. I'll Never Love Anything
Ever Again A boy's allergies
force him to give away his beloved dog. |
0-8075-3521-4 |
Demi. The Empty Pot
A young boy in ancient China is rewarded for his
honesty. |
0-8050-4900-2 |
Girard, Linda Walvoord. Alex, the Kid with AIDS
A 4th grader with AIDS makes a new friend
and learns about being one of the group. |
0-8075-0247-2 |
Hesse, Karen.Out of the Dust
Free-verse poems tell a young girl's life
during the dust storms of the 1930's.
|
0-590-37125-8 |
| . . . about war |
|
Buntin, Eve.Terrible Things: An Allergy of the Holocaust
Animals in the forest are carried away perhaps because they did
not stick together. |
0-8276-0325-8 |
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily's Crossing
A young American girl and a Hungarian refugee
boy become friends during World War II.
|
0-440-41453-9 |
I Dream of Peace: Images of War by Children
of the Former Yugoslavia. Preface by Maurice Sendak.
UNICEF
Pictures and text by children who have experienced
the horros of war. |
0-06-251128-9 |
| . . . about death |
|
Jordan, Mary Kate. Losing Uncle Tim
When a beloved uncle dies of AIDS, Daniel struggles for reassurance
and discovers he's been left a legacy of joy and courage. |
0-8075-4758-1 |
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia.
New York: Avon Books, 1972
The story of a special friendship
between a boy and a girl. |
|
Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say
Two young soldiers captured by Southern troops during the Civil
War.
|
0-399-226-71-0 |
Simon, Norman. The Saddest Time
Explains death as the inevitable end of life and provides three
situations in which children experience the loss of someone close. |
0-8075-7204-7 |
| . . . living in hope |
|
Albert, Richard. Alejandro's Gift
Lonely in his house beside a road in the desert, Alejandro builds
an oasis to attract the many animals around him. |
0-8118-0436-4 |
Alberts, Nancy Markham. Elizabeth's Beauty
A young girl cares for an injured butterfly. |
0-8192-1677-1 |
Fox, Mem. Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge,
New York & California: Kane/Miller, Book Publishers, 1985.
A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory"
so he can restore that of an elderly friend.
|
0-916291-04-9 |
Henson, & United Nations. My Wish
for Tomorrow
Words and pictures from children around the world about their wishes
for things that would make the world a better place.
|
0-688-14455-1 |
Lentz, Alice Boggs. Mountain Magic
A family's legacy of faith. |
0-8499-5841-5 |
Wild, Margaret. Let the Celebrations Begin,
New York: Orchard Books, 1991.
A child, who remembers life
at home before life in a concentration camp, makes toys with the
women to give to the other children when liberation comes. |
|
Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon, New
York: Philomel Books, 1987
On a winter's night under a full
moon, father and child trek into the woods to see a great horned
owl.
|
|
| . . . building community with all God's children |
|
Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are
A book that acknowledges in the simplest of terms our common
humanity.
|
0-15-200787-3 |
Hamanaka, Sheila. All the Colors of the
Earth
Despite our outward differences children
everywhere are essentially the same and lovable. |
0-688-11131-9 |
Cowen-Fletcher, Jane. It Takes a Village
Yemi watchers her little brother, and finds the entire village
is watching him, too.
|
0-590-46573-2 |
Rabe, Berniece. Where's Chimpy?
Text and photographs show Misty, a little girl with Down Syndrome,
as she and her father search for her stuffed monkey. |
0-8075-8927-6 |
Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach
A young girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home. |
0-517-58030-6 |
Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg. In God's Name
n poetic text and vibrant illustrations, this modern fable celebrates
the diversity and, at the same time, the unity of all people. |
1-879045-26-5 |
Say, Allen. Emma's Rug
A young artist finds that her creativity comes from within. |
0-395-74294-3 |
Say, Allen. Grandfather's Journey
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to
America and the feelings of being torn between two countries. |
0-395-57035-2 |
Tan, Amy. The Moon Lady.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., 1992.
Nai-Nai
tells her granddaughters the story of her outing, as a seven-year
old girl in China, to see the Moon Lady and be granted a secret
wish. |
|
| . . . Bible study and prayer |
|
Cooper, Floyd, Cumbayah.
All over the world people laugh and pray and sing,
"Come by here, my Lord."
|
0-688-13543-9 |
Hague, Michael, illus. A Child's Book
of Prayers
A collection of short prayers and
devotions to share with young children. The illustrations
make this a keep-forever book. |
0-8050-0211-1 |
Le Tord, Bijou. Sing a New Song
Graceful watercolors accompany this book of Psalms for children. |
0-8028-5139-8 |
Nursery Bible, The
Captures
the essence of 45 Bible stories in forty words or less; ideal for
children 2 and under. |
0-88070-665-1 |
Wensell, Ulises. They Followed a Bright
Star
Retells the story of how an angel led
the shepherds and kings to Bethlehem. |
0-399-22706-7 |
Lindbergh, Reeve. The Circle of Days
From Canticle of the sun by Saint Francis. Rhyming text
gives praise and thanks for all of creation. |
0-7636-0357-0 |
Baynes, Pauline. Thanks Be to God: Prayers
from around the World
Prayers of praise and
thanksgiving have been collected and beautifully illustrated. |
0-02-708541-4 |
Wildsmith, Brian. Exodus
The story of Moses and his leadership of the people of Israel
toward the Promised Land. |
0-8028-5175-4 |
Wildsmith, Brian. Joseph
A retelling of the Old Testament story of Joseph. |
0-8028-5161-4 |