Over 100 Picture Books
That Promote
Unitarian Universalist Values
Compiled by Scott Talbot Lewis
Dedicated to the many women and few men of
The First Unitarian Universalist
who read to our children on Sundays and showed me some of
these outstanding books.
A lonely shepherd sees a star floating on the surface of a
small pond, convinced that the star is really in the water, tries to make the
mountain beautiful for its new resident.
Allison, Beverley. Effie.
When Effie the ant's loud voice saves the day, the other
insects learn to appreciate her unique gift.
Archambault, John. Grandmother's
Garden.
This story-poem celebrates the magnificence and commonality
of life in all its diversity as flowers and children grow in Grandma Rose's
garden.
Anholt, Laurence. The Forgotten
The vast forests of a country are all cut down to make room
for development, until finally only one small wooded area remains like an
island in the endless noisy sea of the city.
Asch, Frank. The Earth and
A child explains how he and the Earth dance and sing
together and take turns listening to each other.
Bang, Molly. When Sophie Gets Angry…Really, Really Angry.
A young girl is upset, but manages her anger by taking the
time to cool off and gain her composure.
Baylor, Byrd. The Other Way to Listen.
After hoping and trying, a young girl is finally able to
hear the hills singing, the way her friend, the old man has taught her.
Bonning, Tony. Fox Tale Soup.
A clever re-telling of "Stone Soup" features farm
animals and a clever, but benign fox. *
Bradby, Marie. More Than Anything Else.
Nine-year-old Booker T. Washington works with his father and
brother at the salt works, but dreams of the day when he'll be able to read.
Brisson, Pat. The Summer My Father Was Ten.
A father tells his son the story of how he damaged a
neighbor's tomato garden when he was a boy and what he did to make amends.
Bunting, Eve. I Have an Olive Tree.
After her grandfather's death, eight-year-old Sophia
fulfills his last request and journey's to
Burningham, John. Whaddayamean.
When God sees the mess that has been made of the world, God
gets two children to convince everyone to help make it the lovely place it was
meant to be.
Camp, Lindsay. Why?
Lily's continual questioning sometimes annoys her father,
but one day it proves very useful.
Carlson,
By admiring her finer points and showing that she can take
care of herself and have fun even when there's no one else around, a charming
pig prove the best friend you can have is yourself.
Carlson,
A frog explains how smiling is a great way to get through
life's ups and downs.
Caseley, Judith. Harry and Willy and Carrothead.
Three boys overcome prejudicial ideas about appearances and
become friends.
Crebbin, June. Danny's
Duck.
Danny regularly visits a mother duck and her nest near his
school playground, and then one day something wonderful happens.
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.
When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they
start making demands and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what
they want.
de Paola, Tomie. Oliver Button Is a Sissy.
His classmate's taunts don't stop Oliver Button from doing
what he likes doing best.
Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. A Family Like Yours.
The diversity of human & animal families is celebrated
in this rollicking verse.
Dunrea, Olivier. Gossie & Gertie.
Gossie and Gertie are best friends and everywhere Gossie
goes, Gertie goes too – except when she doesn't and sometimes that's even
better.
Ehlert, Lois. In My World.
Fleischman, Paul. Weslandia.
Wesley's garden produces a crop of huge, strange plants
which provide him with clothing, shelter, food, and drink, thus helping him
create his own civilization and changing his life.
Fleming, Denise. Where
Once There Was a Wood.
Examines the many forms of wildlife that can be displaced if
their environment is destroyed by development.
Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are.
Fox, Mem. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.
A small boy tries to discover the meaning of
"memory" so he can restore that of an elderly friend.
Friedman, Ina R. How My Parents Learned to Eat.
An American Sailor courts a Japanese girl and each tries, in
secret, to learn the other's way of eating.
Gray, Libba Moore. Miss Tizzy.
The eccentric Miss Tizzy, a beloved friend of all the
children in her neighborhood, needs their help in remaining happy when she is
sick in bed.
Guthrie, Woody. This Land is Your Land.
This well-known folk-song is illustrated with painting in
the "American Primitive" style by Kathy Jakobsen and includes
biographical information and photographs.
Hamanaka, Sheila. Grandparents Song.
A rhyming celebration of ancestry and of the diversity that
flourishes in this country.
Henkes, Kevin. Wemberly
Worried.
A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds
that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day
of nursery school.
Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace.
Although classmates tell her she cannot play Peter Pan in
the school play because she is black and a girl, Grace discovers that she can
do anything she sets her mind to do.
Hooks, Bell. Homemade Love.
(0787686435)
"Girlpie" grows strong, confident, realistic, and
independent with the guidance of her two loving parents! Shane W. Evans
illustrations capture a young girl’s joy in life
Johnson, Angela. Down a
The annual summer visit to the county home of the Old Ones,
the uncles and aunts who raised Daddy, brings joy and good times.
Johnson, D. B. Henry
Builds a Cabin.
Young Henry Thoreau appears frugal to his friends as he sets
about building a cabin. Includes
biographical information about Thoreau.
Johnson, D. B. Henry
Hikes to
While his friend works hard to earn the train fare to
Johnson, James Weldon. Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing.
An illustrated version of the song that has come to be
considered the African-American national anthem.
Kasza, Keiko. A Mother for Choco.
A lonely little bird name Choco goes in search of a mother.
Keller, Holly. Island Baby.
Pops, a man who runs a bird hospital on an island, and his
young helper Simon nurse an injured bird back to health.
Kent, Jack. The
Caterpillar and the Polliwog.
Impressed by the proud caterpillar's boast that she will
turn into a butterfly when she grows up, polliwog determines to watch the
caterpillar very carefully and turn into a butterfly too.
Kimmel, Eric A. Gershon's Monster: A Story of the Jewish New
Year.
When his sins threaten the lives of his beloved twin
children, a Jewish man finally repents of his wicked ways. Retelling of a
Hasidic legend featuring Rabbi Israel Ben Elieser.
Kirk, Daniel. Bigger.
A little boy tells about how he began to grow [in his
mother's womb] even before he was born, and now as he continues to get bigger
and bigger so does his world.
Kushner, Lawrence & Karen Kushner. Because Nothing Looks Like
God.
"Where is God?" "What does God look
like?" and "How does God make things happen?" are the questions
answered in this simple, poetic text. *
Lionni, Leo. It's Mine!
Three selfish Frogs quarrel over who owns the pond and
island, until a storm makes them value the benefits of sharing.
Locker, Thomas. Water Dance.
Water speaks of its existence in such forms as storm clouds,
mist, rainbows and rivers. Includes factual information on the water cycle.
Lorbiecki, Marybeth. Sister Anne's Hands.
Seven year old Anna has her first encounter with racism in
the 1960's when an African-American nun comes to teach at her parochial school.
Lucado, Max. You Are Special.
[In this theist parable,] Punchinello's opinion of himself
changes after talking to his creator.
Lyon, George Ella, Who came Down That Road?
Mother and child ponder the past in discussing who might
have traveled down an old, old, road, looking backwards from pioneer settlers
all the way to prehistoric animals [and beyond].
McCain, Becky Ray. Nobody
Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying.
When bullies pick on a boy at school, a classmate is afraid,
but decides that he must do something.
McGill, Alice. Molly Bannaky.
Relates how Benjamin Baneker's grandmother journeyed from
McKee, David. Elmer.
All the elephants of the jungle were gray except Elmer, who
was a patchwork of brilliant colors until the day he got tired of being
different and making the others elephants laugh.
McKissack, Patricia C. The Honest-to-Goodness Truth.
After promising never to lie, Libby learns it's not always
necessary to blurt out the whole truth either.
McLerran, Alice. The Mountain that Loved a Bird.
A beautiful bird brings life to a lonely, barren mountain.
McPhail, David. The Teddy Bear.
A teddy bear lost by a little boy who loves him, still feels
loved after being rescued by a homeless man.
Martin, Bill Jr. & John Archambault. Listen
to the Rain.
Describes the changing sounds of the rain, the slow soft
sprinkle, the drip-drop tinkle, the sounding pounding roaring rain, and the
fresh wet silence after-time of rain.
Maloney, Peter. His Mother's Nose.
A young boy is told that he has his mother's nose, his
sister's eyes, his uncle's head for numbers, and other traits from different
family members, but he comes to realize that there is nobody quite like him.
Meddaugh, Susan. Tree of Birds.
The many friends of a wounded tropical bird Harry adopts
refuse to fly south without their companion and take up residence in the tree
outside Harry's bedroom window, refusing to budge even as the first snowstorm
of the season approaches.
Medina, Tony. Christmas Makes Me Think.
A Young African American boy reflects on the spirit of
Christmas and thinks of ways he can share what he has with other.
Merrill, Jean & Ronni Solbert. The Elephant Who Liked to Smash
Small Cars.
An elephant enjoys smashing small cars, but learns to
cooperate when faced with the prospect of being smashed himself. *
Miller, Phillip J. & Sheppard M. Green. We all Sing with the Same Voice.
This joyful Sesame Street song embraces the notion that no
matter where children live, what they look like, or what they do, they're all
the same where it counts - - at heart.
Mitchell, Lori. Different Just Like
While preparing for a visit to her grandmother, a young girl
notices that… people who are different from one another also share
similarities, and its okay to like them all the same.
Muth, John J. The Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo
Tolstoy.
Nikolai asks his animal friends to help him answer three
questions: "When is the best time to do things?" "Who is the
most important?" and "What is the right thing to do?"
Nikola-Lisa, W. Bein' With You this Way.
A chanting rhyme emphasizes the "perfectly, remarkably,
strange" differences among a group of friends on the playground! *
Oberman, Sheldon. The Always Prayer Shawl.
A payer shawl is handed down from grandfather to grandson in
this story of Jewish tradition and the passage of generations.
Pak, Soyung,
An immigrant father uses the plants in their garden as a
metaphor when he explains to his daughter why they left their home in
Pinkney, Sandra L. Shades of Black: a Celebration of Our
Children.
Skin tone, eye color, and the texture of their hair are all
things that make the children portrayed "unique." *
Polacco, Patricia. Chicken Sunday.
To thank old Eula for her wonderful Sunday chicken dinners
the children decorate eggs and buy her a beautiful Easter hat.
Perkins, Lynne Rae. Home Lovely.
Hoping for trees or a flower garden, Tiffany transplants and
cares for some seedlings that she finds and is surprised by what they become.
Pow, Tom. Who is the World for?
When asked by their young, various animal parents describe
the world from their own perspective – as does a father to his young son.
Psalm
Twenty-Three illustrated by Tim Ladwig.
Illlustrates the well know psalm with picture of an African
American brother and sister living in a dangerous inter-city neighborhood. *
Rappaport, Doreen.
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Appropriate quotations from Dr. King are interspersed with
the story of his remarkable life and tragic death. The compelling illustrations are by Bryan
Collier. *
Ray, Mary Lyn. Mud.
As winter melts away the frozen earth turns into magnificent
mud.
Rotner, Shelley & Sheila Kelly. Feeling Thankful.
Through words and pictures children are provided with gentle
prompting to help them reflect on the things for which they are thankful.
Rosen, Michael J. Elijah's Angel: a Story of Chanukah and
Christmas.
At Christmas-Chanukah time, a Christian woodcarver gives a
carved angel to a young Jewish friend, who struggles with accepting the
Christmas gift until her realizes that friendship means the same thing in any
religion.
Rogow, Zack.
Describes the long journey and the combined labor of many
people that it takes to bring a single orange from the tree to the table.
Root, Phyllis. Big Momma Makes the World.
Big Momma with a baby on her hip and laundry piling up,
makes the world and everything in it, and at the end of the sixth day, tells
the people she has made they must take care of her creation.
Rosen, Michael J. This is Our House.
George won't let the other children into his cardboard box
house, but when the tables are turned, he finds out how it feels to be
excluded.
Sadler, Marilyn. Elizabeth and Larry.
Elizabeth and Larry are content best friends until Larry is
scorned by neighbors for being an alligator.
Sasso, Sandy Eisenberg. God Said Amen.
Although each has what the other needs, the rulers of the
kingdoms of
Seuss, Dr. The Lorax.
The Once-ler describes the results of the local pollution
problem.
Seuss, Dr. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories.
Yertle, a tyrannical turtle, exploits his subjects in order
to aggrandize himself. The book includes two additional parables about vanity,
"Gertrude McFuzz" and "The Big Brag." *
Shannon, George. Lizard's Song.
Bear tries repeatedly to learn Lizard's song, until he
creates one of his own.
Standler, Alexander.
When she auditions for the school musical,
Taback, Simms. Joseph
Had a Little Overcoat.
A very old overcoat is recycled numerous times into a
variety of garments.
Tapio, Pat Decker. The
Lady Who Saw the Good Side of Everything.
A woman's blithe spirit never wavers, despite the growing
disasters that sweep her and her cat from their comfortable home and carry them
half-way around the world.
Tews, Susan. The Gingerbread Doll.
Although her family's prosperity brings her increasingly
nice dolls as Christmas gifts, Rebecca is most fond of her gingerbread doll
because it was made from love.
Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.
An altered retelling of the traditional tale about the
conflict between pig and wolf – with a surprise ending.
To
Every Thing There is a Season: Verses from Ecclesiastes
illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon.
The often-quoted verses are illustrated in 16 historical
styles from different times, cultures, and places. *
Varley, Susan. Badger's
Parting Gifts.
Badger's friends are sad when he dies, but they treasure the
legacies he left them.
Waddell, Martin. Farmer Duck.
When kind and hardworking duck nearly collapses while taking
care of the farm because the owner is too lazy to do so, the rest of the
animals get together and chase the farmer out of town.
Walsh, Ellen Stoll. Hop Jump.
Bored with hopping and jumping a frog discovers dancing.
Wells, Rosemary. Hazel's Amazing Mother.
When bullies set upon Hazel and her beloved doll Eleanor,
Hazel's mother comes to the rescue in a surprising way.
Wells, Rosemary. Yoko. Hyperion Books. 1998. (0786803959)
When Yoko brings Sushi to school for lunch, her classmates
make fun of what she eats until one of them tries it for himself.
Williams, Vera B. More, More, More, Said the Baby.
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving
attention by a father, grandmother, and a mother.
Wilson, Jude. Whatever Wanda Wanted.
(0803726937)
Wanda's World is full of objects rather than people, but her
perspective changes after a magic kite drops her on a desert island.
Whitcomb, Mary E. Odd Velvet.
Although she dresses differently from the other girls and
does things that are unusual, Velvet eventually teaches her classmates that
even an outsider has something to offer.
Wilhelm, Hans. I'll Always Love You.
A child's sadness at the death of his beloved dog is
tempered by the remembrance of saying every nigh, "I'll always love
you."
Woodson, Jacqueline. Visiting
Day.
A little girl and her grandmother visit the girl's father in
prison.
Yashima, Taro. Crow Boy.
Concern and understanding on the part of his teacher and popularity he had never known.
Yolen, Jane. Harvest
Home.
A young farm girl and her family bring in the new harvest
and celebrate with prayers, songs and a festive meal.
Young, Ed. Seven
Blind Mice.
Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind men
discovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance.
Ziefert, Harriet. Sarah's Questions.
A little girl asks many questions about the world while
talking with her mother.
Obviously, any list compiled by an individual can not claim
to be all encompassing of the values of Unitarian Universalism. As a lover of our movement, children, and picture
books, I have made my best effort to include books that illustrate what I
believe are a representation the values we share. This list is also not intended to be limited
to UUs, but may be useful to many parents, religious educators, teachers, and
liberal people who love to share books with children. I've chosen books that are great read alouds
and can easily be finished in one sitting. Many have been used during worship
at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, Ohio during our Sunday
morning worship. It should go without saying, but for the record the list is
culturally diverse.
What qualifies me to compile such a list? After 16 years as a Children's Services
Librarian, I am currently a second student year at
Suggestions for additional titles are welcome.
Scott Talbot Lewis
April 1, 2005
* Annotated by the compiler.