Junkyard Wonders

by Patricia Polacco

Trisha finds out that her special education class is known as "the junkyard" by the rest of the school.  Their quirky, unpredictable
teacher takes them on a trip to the junkyard to show them that's where real treasure is found.

Audience: 2nd grade to be read to, 5th grade to read independently

What I Love:
1. An excellent teacher
2. Positive portrayal of disabilities
3. Positive role models
4. Based on a true story

Cautions:
I'd recommend some discussion with this one on what it means to be disabled

Thank You Mr. Falker

by Patricia Pollaco

This story warms my teacher's heart.  It's about a girl who excitedly begins school, anxious for the learning and wonder she's been told books will bring her.  At first she struggles with reading, and eventually she falls behind completely.  By 5th grade she thinks of herself as stupid for not knowing what the others grasp so easily.  She doesn't want her new teacher to know she can't read, but Mr. Falker figures it out anyway.  He proves to her that she is smart, and with the proper help she can read just as well as anyone else.

Audience:
Can be read to someone as young as 3rd grade, written at 5th grade reading level.

What I Love:
1. The illustrations are beautiful
2. It's heartwarming
3. Positive view of disabilities
4. Based on a true story

Cautions:
I would hesitate to read this to struggling readers for fear they would think they have dyslexia too.  If the student does have dyslexia, this is one of the first stories I would share.

Chicken Sunday

by Patricia Polacco

This sweet story is about a young Jewish girl growing up in the South.  When her own grandmother dies she is initiated into a black family.  She goes to church each Sunday with her new grandmother and brothers, then they come home for "Chicken Sunday."  The kids decide they want to ask  Mr. Kozinski for the the hat, but are accused of vandalism.  The children work to earn the full price and learn more about life from Mr. Kozinski than they ever realized they didn't know, and watch his heart soften in the process.

Audience:Anyone around 7 should enjoy the story, and I used it with my 3rd graders for independent reading

What I Love:

This is a real life story.  Good intentions go awry, and sometimes people aren't nice.  This is a story of persevering in spite of that.  This is also a beautiful family story about self-less love.

Cautions:

Nazi death camps are alluded to, but never explicitly stated. The tatoo is visible on Mr. Kozinski's arm

Pink and Say

by Patricia Polacco

This is the story of a young soldier (Say) who is shot in the stomach and saved by a black soldier his own age days later.  The black soldier Pinkus, or Pink, takes Say to his own home to recover.  Say recovers physically, he is terrified to go into battle again.  Moe, Pink's mom, assures Say that this is natural and he is not a coward.  Before he is faced with the final choice the house is attacked.  Say is wounded again, though not as bad this time, and Pink is taken to a POW camp, supposedly as he is never heard from after that.  The author's note at the end says that Say was her own great-great-grandfather.  The book is dedicated to Pink for his selfless sacrifice.

Audience
Not for little kids.  I would only read this with my 3rd graders if I was there to talk to them about it and help them understand.  Palacco writes for older children, more of the 5th grade and up variety.

What I Love About This Book
It shows two people bonding over shared pain.  Though the boys are from opposing sides of a war, we get to see that they are both good

Cautions
Again, not for young children.  This book has violence, and even though it is not graphic I think some aspects of war would need to be explained