Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins

Snap!

With their new cameras

Snap!

a brother and sister

Snap!

take pictures of their vacation.

But when they look at their photographs they see:


             1. The back of Dad's head
             2. Feet
             3. A container of noodles
That's it?
Does 1 + 2 + 3 = summer vacation?

What about how it felt to swim in the lake? What about the stories their cousins told and the taste of a just-invented strawberry and whipped cream dessert?

For those memories—the memories of summer and the memories of family that mean the most—they need to look someplace else. Someplace deep inside. Someplace permanent.

Author's site https://lynnerae.com/picture-books/pictures-from-our-vacation/

I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

Some books are about a single wish. Some books are about three wishes. The infallible team of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld have combined their extraordinary talents to create this exuberant book of endless good wishes. Wishes for curiosity and wonder, for friendship and strength, laughter and peace. Whether celebrating life's joyous milestones, sharing words of encouragement, or observing the wonder of everyday moments, this sweet and uplifting book is perfect for wishers of every age.

I Am Helen Keller by Brad Metzer

When Helen Keller was very young, she got a rare disease that made her deaf and blind. Suddenly, she couldn't see or hear at all, and it was hard for her to communicate with anyone. But when she was six years old, she met someone who change her life forever: her teacher, Annie Sullivan. With Miss Sullivan's help, Helen learned how to speak sign language and read Braille. Armed with the ability to express herself, Helen grew up to be come a social activist, leading the fight for people with disabilities and so many other causes.

For more books about Keller, visit our Helen Keller Collection.

Over the Ocean by Taro Gomi

2017 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner

Renowned children's book creator Taro Gomi has created another masterpiece. In this beautiful testament to wondering, a young girl gazes out to where the water meets the sky and wonders what lies beyond the waves. Boats filled with toys? Skyscrapers filled with people? Houses filled with families? Or, maybe, over the ocean stands someone not so different from the girl herself, returning her gaze. In this celebration of imagination's power, young readers will find joy in the mystery of the faraway, the unknown, and the just-beyond.

Two Blue Jays by Anne Rockwell and Megan Halsey

Miss Dana's class has front-row seats for one of nature's most awe-inspiring spring performances. In the branches of the fir tree outside their classroom, two blue jays build their nest. Shortly after the nest is completed, the female blue jay lays her eggs. The male brings her all kinds of food-an acorn, a worm, even a piece of a cookie! She guards her eggs closely, but the children are able to get a quick glimpse of them. Days later the children see the newly hatched baby blue jays huddled together in the nest. Three weeks later, the children say good-bye as the blue jays leave the nest for the first time. Without a single lesson, the birds spread their wings and take flight. This charming story with spectacular three-dimensional illustrations will bring out the nature observer in every child.

Here Come the Girl Scouts! The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventureby Shana Corey (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)

The amazing, all-true story of the first Girl Scouts and their visionary founder.

Juliette Gordon Low--Daisy to her friends and family--was not like most girls of the Victorian era. 

Prim and proper? 

BOSH! 

Dainty and delicate? 

HOW BORING!

She loved the outdoors, and she yearned for adventure! Born into a family of pathfinders and pioneers, she too wanted to make a difference in the world--and nothing would stop her. 

Combining her ancestors’ passion for service with her own adventurous spirit and her belief that girls could do anything, she founded the Girl Scouts. One hundred years later, they continue to have adventures, do good deeds, and make a difference!

THE WARDEN’S DAUGHTER By Jerry Spinelli

For ages 9-12  From goodreads

From Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee, Stargirl) comes the "moving and memorable" (Kirkus Reviews, starred) story of a girl searching for happiness inside the walls of a prison.

Cammie O'Reilly lives at the Hancock County Prison--not as a prisoner, she's the warden's daughter. She spends the mornings hanging out with shoplifters and reformed arsonists in the women's excercise yard, which gives Cammie a certain cache with her school friends.
But even though Cammie's free to leave the prison, she's still stuck. And sad, and really mad. Her mother died saving her from harm when she was just a baby. You wouldn't think you could miss something you never had, but on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, the thing Cammie most wants is a mom. A prison might not be the best place to search for a mother, but Cammie is determined and she's willing to work with what she's got.
"Jerry Spinelli again proves why he's the king of storytellers" (Shelf Awarenss, starred) in this tale of a girl who learns that heroes can come in surprising disguises, and that even if we don't always get what we want, sometimes we really do get what we need.
"This book is never boring and never predictable. Fame, good and bad fortune, friendship and mental illness all make their way into [Cammie's] narrative."--The New York Times Book Review
Praise for the works of Jerry Spinelli:
"Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent. . . . No writer guides his young characters, and his readers, past these pitfalls and challenges and toward their futures with more compassion." --The New York Times
"It's almost unreal how much the children's book still resonates." --Bustle.com on Maniac Magee (less)

Author's website - http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm

Buddy, The First Seeing Eye Dog

With inspiring and educational stories, Scholastic's Hello Reader series caters to the spectrum of reading abilities among beginning readers. My First Hello Readers use basic words to reinforce phonics and sight vocabulary. The books at this level offer punch-out flash cards plus six additional pages of skill-building activities. Levels 1 - 4 combine a greater vocabulary and longer sentence length. Each book has an introductory letter from an education specialist guiding parents on how to help their children learn to read. Grades 2 - Grades 4. 


http://www.seeingeye.org/about-us/history.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog by Becky Hall, Doris Ettlinger (Illustrator)

Morris Frank lost his sight in 1924, when he was only sixteen. One day, Morris's dad read him an article about an American dog trainer living in Switzerland. This is the story of his relationship with Buddy, his own seeing eye dog.

I am Jim Henson (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer

We can all be heroes. That’s the inspiring message of this New York Times bestselling picture book biography series from historian and author Brad Meltzer. This volume focuses on Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets and Sesame Street.
 
This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Jim Henson, for example, was always dreaming up something new, and always expressing his belief in the goodness of people. Henson was a born performer with a terrific sense of humor, and he used those talents to help create two of the most beloved programs in television history: The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Through his Muppets, Jim showed the world that there’s nothing more beautiful than imagination, especially when it’s accompanied by laughter and kindness.
 
Each book in this series tells the story of one inspiring individual through lively text and art that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.

We Can All Be Heroes site - http://www.ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/jim_henson.php