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Core Books

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Building Respect for Ourselves and Others

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz.
A mother and daughter walk through their neighborhood to see the many colors that skin comes in—all very different, and all beautiful.

We Can Do It! by Laura Dwight.
Using vibrant photographs, this book depicts the everyday work and play of five pre-school children who also have significant physical disabilities. Children will recognize familiar activities and see how other children accommodate their disabilities.

Valuing All Our Families

Welcoming Babies Written by Margy Burns Knight. Illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien.
Tender illustrations show love given to babies all over the world, and the text describes different customs and ceremonies for welcoming the newborn child into the family and the community.

A Chair for My Mother Written and Illustrated by Vera Williams.
After a fire destroys their apartment house and all their possessions, a young girl, her waitress mother and her grandmother begin to save their change in a large glass jar to buy a comfortable chair. This story clearly illustrates the advantages of perseverance and cooperation in achieving family goals.

The Ugly Vegetables Written and Illustrated by Grace Lin.
In a friendly neighborhood filled with colorful gardens, a little girl and her mother plant a traditional Chinese vegetable garden. Before long the little girl begins to see that their garden looks very different from the neighbors' flower beds. When they harvest the vegetables and make a soup that entices the neighbors, the little girl realizes the value of her garden.

Night Shift Daddy Written by Eileen Spinelli. Illustrated by Melissa Iwai.
With warm intimate illustrations, and gentle rhyming words, Night Shift Daddy tells a story of one family's bedtime routines. At night, the father gets his daughter ready for bed; then, in the morning, it's the daughter's turn to get her dad ready for bed.

Our Maine: A Sense of Belonging, A Sense of Place

Houses and Homes Written by Ann Morris. Photographs by Ken Heyman.
People everywhere design and build homes that are both practical and artistic. Through photographs taken in a wide range of countries and regions, Houses and Homes shows how different homes makes sense in terms of available materials and space, lifestyle, and cultural values.

Here Comes Darrell Written by Leda Schubert. Illustrated by Mary Azarian.
Based on the author’s own community in Vermont, this book celebrates neighbors helping each other with the ordinary tasks of each season in rural Northern New England. Many of the activities will be familiar to Maine children or children who live in rural areas in the Northeast. Children will be able to talk about our shared climate and landscape, as well as the work and play we have in common.

ABC's of Maine Written and illustrated by Harry W. Smith.
Through clearly drawn illustrations coupled with a simple, alliterative text (e.g., "Kingly Katahdin"), Smith offers a variety of outdoor features, animals, plants, and pursuits found in Maine. Much of the book focuses on Maine's coast, but there are a few mountain, woodland, and field references.

A Somali Alphabet Written by Nadifo Ayanle. Illustrated by Rachel Chalila.
Published by the Maine Humanities Council and written by a Somali woman who lives in Portland, A Somali Alphabet uses everyday objects and activities, relationships, and plants and animals to illustrate an alphabet that has significant differences from the English alphabet.

Bringing Us All Together

What A Wonderful World Written by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan.
Ashley Bryan's vibrant illustrations depict a multicultural band of children at work staging the lyrics of the song in a puppet theatre. The simple words of the song and the colors of the pictures harmonize into a bright vision of the small good things that bring joy to young and old.

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Born to Read
Maine Humanities Council
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Phone: (207) 773-5051
Fax: (207) 773-2416

  The Maine Humanities Council
Home of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book

For additional information about the Council and its programs,
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