Books of Common Thread Project 2
By Brandin Brett

Common Thread:  Life Challenges            

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	"Promises"	Author:  Elizabeth Winthrop Illustrator:  Betsy Lewin	Ages 4 to 8	April 2000 by Clarion Books	A young girl experiences a range of emotions when her mother undergoes treatment for cancer.
	"Good Luck, Mrs. K.!"	Author:  Louise Borden Illustrator:  Adam Gustavson	Ages 6 to 10	May 1999 by Margaret K. McElderry Books	A third grade classroom has to deal with the issue that their beloved teacher, Mrs. Kempczinski, is hospitalized with cancer.
	"Sophie's Summer Story"	Author:  Nancy Rue & Grace Chen	Ages 8 to 12	April 2005 by Zonderkidz	Sophie stays with Fiona's family and their nanny at Virginia Beach.  It is soon discovered that Kitty has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Sophie wants to shave her head in solidarity with Kitty, and soon learns that she must do what God calls her to do.
	"Chemo Girl"	Author:  Christina Richmond	Ages 5-10	January 1997 by Jones & Bartlett Publishers	Chemotherapy, also known as Chemo Girl, comes to the aid of a young girl with a cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma.
	"Babba and I Went Hunting Today"	Author:  Stacy Barton Illustrator:  Maureen O'Brien	Ages 5 to 8	May 2004 by Kregel Publications	Babba has cancer and she's loosing her hair.  But she's having a good day.  Babba and her grandchild hunt tigers and play pirates.  We are introduced to life at its fullest, introducing a God who's bigger than anything.

 

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	"The Tenth Good Thing about Barney"	Author:  Judith Viorst Illustrator:  Erik Blegvad	Ages 6 to 9	July 1971 by Atheneum Books	This is a story about a cat named Barney.  He dies on a Friday and the whole family is really upset.  They have a funeral for him and try to think of good memories of Barney.  This story shows that dying is not always such a terrible thing.
	"Old Yeller"	Author:  Fred Gipson	Ages 9 to 12	October 1990 by HarperTrophy	One day a stray, ugly dog comes up to a home on the wild Texas frontier.  His name is Old Yeller.  Yeller is a strong and courageous dog who proves that he will protect his family from anything.
	"I'll Always Love You"	Author:  Hans Wilhelm	Ages 4 to 8	December 1988 by Dragonfly Books	This is a very touching story about Elfie, a dachshund and her special boy as they progress through life.  One morning, Elfie does not wake up.  The family grieves and they bury her and give her a funeral.
	"Dog Heaven"	Author & Illustrator:  Cynthia Rylant	Ages 4 to 8	September 1995 by Scholastic	This is a book to help children deal with the loss of their pet dogs.  The author tells of a place where all dogs go for an endless supply of ham biscuits, good meals, and lots of petting.  This books is very useful for anyone who has ever lost a loved pet.
	"Cat Heaven"	Author & Illustrator:  Cynthia Rylant	Ages 4 to 8	September 1997 by Blue Sky Press	This book is just like "Dog Heaven".  This book tells of a place where there is an eternal supply of catnip, tuna, and warm laps to lay on.

 

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	"Bridge to Terabithia"	Katherine Paterson	Ages 8 to 12	June 1987 by HarperTrophy	This book is about a boy named Jess and a girl named Leslie.  Their friendship starts to grow when they continually go to their secret hiding place called Terabithia.  Tragically, one of the friends dies in the end, but the friendship lives on forever.
	"Rudi's Pond"	Author:  Eve Bunting Illustrator:  Ronald Himler	Ages 7 to 18	October 2004 by Clarion Books	This is a story of a little girl who has to come to terms that she has lost her best friend and classmate.  Her family and friends do all they can to support her through this hard time and show her the tremendous power of rememberance.
	"If Nathan Were Here"	Author:  Mary Bahr Illustrator:  Karen A. Jerome	Ages 4 to 8	April 2002 by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers	This is a story of a little boy who goes through grief and anguish as he looses his best friend.
	"Missing May"	Author:  Cynthia Rylant	Ages 9 to 12	June 2004 by Scholastic Paperback	This is a story about a little girl named Summer whose Aunt May dies suddenly.  Summer's uncle tells her that he got a message from the spirit world that Aunt May is coming back.  Summer is a little skeptical of the spirit world.  Summer,  Uncle Ob, and their friend Cletus search for Miriam B. Young, who can hopefully tell them about May's departure and if she'll return.
	"Grandad's Prayers of the Earth"	Author:  Douglas Wood Illustrator:  P.J. Lynch	Ages 6 to 9	October 1999 by Candlewick Press	This is a story about a Grandad who explained to his grandson that all things in the natural world pray and all things make a gift to the beauty of life.  When Grandad dies, his grandson is put at ease because of the lessons his grandfather has taught him.

 
 

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	"It's Not the End of the World"	Author:  Judy Blume	Ages 9 to 12	April 2002 by Atheneum Books	This is a story about a girl named Karen who feels like her world has come crashing down.  Her father just moved out of the house a few weeks ago and was on his way to Las Vegas to get divorced.  She can't believe her mother is happy about it!  Karen just feels that if she can gets her parents to forget about the divorce, everything will be alright.  But she soon figures out that sometimes people who shouldn't be apart are impossible together.
	"Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce"	Author:  Cornelia Maude Spelman Illustrator:  Kathy Parkinson	Ages 3 to 6	April 2001 by Albert Whitman & Company	This story is told from the perspective of a young bear who addresses the questions, emotions, and fears young children have during a divorce.
	"I Don't Want to Talk about It"	Author:  Jeanie Franz Ransom Illustrator:  Kathryn Kunz Finney	Ages 4 to 8	April 2000 by Magination Press	This is the story of a young girl who doesn't want to talk to her parents about their divorce.  She finally does talk though.  After her talk, she realizes that there will be some big changes but the one thing that will stay the same is the love her parents have for her.
	"The Days of Summer"	Author:  Eve Bunting Illustrator:  William Low	Ages 5 to 8	March 2001 by Harcourt Children's Books	Two young girls spend a carefree summer together.  As they are getting ready to go back to school, they learn that the grandparents that they love so dearly are getting a divorce.
	"With My Mom, with My Dad"	Author:  Maribeth Boelts Illustrator:  Cheri Bladholm	Ages 4 to 8	April 2004 by Zonderkidz	This book is designed to meet the needs of children who are experiencing their parents going through a divorce.  This book also serves as a guide for parents to figure out how to better deal with their child(ren) during such a difficult time.

 
 

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	"I Already Know I Love You"	Author:  Billy Crystal Illustrator:  Elizabeth Sayles	Ages 5 to 7	April 2004 by HarperCollins Publishers	This story is written by Billy Crystal and it is based on his own experience at becoming a grandfather.  This book helps describe the emotions experiences when becoming a first time grandparent.
	"I Loved You Before You Were Born"	Author:  Anne Bowen Illustrator:  Greg Shed	Ages 4 to 8	April 2001 by HarperCollins Publishers	This is a story told by a grandmother who talks about the thoughts she had about her grandchild before it was born.  This book conveys the timeless love a grandmother has for her grandchildren.
	"Peter's Chair"	Author & Illustrator:  Ezra Jack Keats	Ages 3 to 8	August 1998 by Puffin Books	This is a story about a boy named Peter.  There is a new baby sister in Peter's house and Peter has to get used to her being there.
	"God Gave Us Two"	Author:  Lisa Tawn Bergren Illustrator:  Laura J. Bryant	Ages 3 to 8	September 2001 by Waterbrook Press	This little story is about a polar bear family.  Mama Bear has a new baby in her tummy and Little Cub wants to know why they need a new baby.  She has a lot of curious questions about the baby.  Mama and Papa Bear explain to Little Cub that God gave them one baby and now he's given them another one!
	"Our Teacher's Having a Baby"	Author:  Eve Bunting Illustrator:  Diane de Groat	Ages 4 to 8	September 1992 by Clarion Books	First-grade teacher Mrs. Neal is having a baby.   As her pregnancy progresses, the class helps her prepare for her new arrival.  They write letters to the baby, help pick out names for it, and design how the nursery should look for the new baby.