Books of Common Thread Project

Books of Common Thread Project
By: Melissa Rainey

Common Thread: Emotional Development

Sub-Category 1: Honesty

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	The Berenstain Bears and the Truth	Stan and Jan Berenstain	Ages 4-8	1983/ Random House	Brother and Sister Bear knock over Mama’s lamp and lie to their parents about it. Papa Bear finally helps them to find the way to be honest.
	A Promise is a Promise	Michael Kusugak and Robert Munsch/ Vladyana Krykorka	Ages 4-8	1992/ Annick Press	Allashua promises her mother she will go fishing in the lake so she won’t get caught by the bad Qallupilluits. She goes to the sea instead, and gets caught. Eventually, they let her go, and this helps her learn to be honest.
	The Boy Who Cried Wolf	Ellen Schecter/ Gary Chalk	Ages 4-8	1997/ Gareth Stevens	A little boy went around town playing a joke and yelling about a fake wolf, but when a real one came along, nobody believed him!
	I am Honest	Sarah Schuette	Ages 4-8	2002/ Pebble Books	Simple pictures and text show various ways children can be honest, such as following rules and not cheating.
	A Day’s Work	Eve Bunting/ Ronald Himler	Ages 4-8	1997/ Houghton Mifflin Company	Acting as a translator between his grandfather and Ben, Fransisco promises Ben his “abuelo” can garden, but they ruin Ben’s garden and his grandpa gets mad when he finds out Fransisco was dishonest. He learns to be honest.

Sub-Category 2: Responsibility

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Sam’s Rabbit	Nigel Snell	Preschool-Elementary	1989/ Barrons Juveniles	Sam gets a new rabbit named Bugsie, and learns how to take care of him to keep him healthy.
	Lazy Jack	Tony Ross	Ages 4-8	2003/ Andersen Press Ltd.	Lazy Jack learns responsibility by working and losing what he earns. He makes a princess laugh on the way home one day, and earns lots of gold. He then understands the value of being responsible.
	My Favorite Book: Lessons to Grow On	By: Good Will Inc. Sponsored by: Chic-Fil-A	Ages 4-8	1987/ Good Will Inc.	Timmy learns some life lessons by going to school, going downtown, and learning from his family.
	Just Me and My Dad	Mercer Mayer/ Grabbe	Ages 4-8	2001/ Golden Books	Little Critter learns responsibility by going camping with his dad. They pitch the tent, catch fish, and clean up after themselves.
	Come Back, Amelia Bedelia	Peggy Parrish/ Wallace Tripp	Ages 4-8	1995/ Harper Trophy	Amelia Bedelia learns to clean up and keep things tidy after she loses her job as a maid. She realizes that it is important to be neat.

Sub-Category 3: Love

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Love You Forever	Robert Munsch/ Sheila McGraw	Ages 4-8	1988/ Firefly Books	A little boy learns about a mother and father’s love as he develops through the stages of life. He realizes that his parents will always be there.
	Guess How Much I Love you	Sam McBratney/ Anita Jeram	Ages 4-8	1996/ Candlewick Press	Little Nutbrown Hare wants to compete with his daddy about who loves whom the most. But even as hard as he tries, his father is always ahead of him. Shows the true bond of a father and son.
	I Love You, Stinky Face	Lisa McCourt/ Cyd Moore	Ages 4-8	1997/ Bridgewater Books	A child wonders about his mother’s love. She assures him that no matter what, even if he turned into something else, she will always love him and be there no matter what.
	I Love You With all my Heart	Jean Baronian/ Noris Kern	Baby-Preschool	2002/ Chronicle Books	Polo the polar bear and his friends compare love by describing how much their mothers love them. They ask their moms to make sure.
	I Love You More	Laura Duksta/ Karen Keesler	Ages 4-8	2001/ I Shine, Inc.	Duksta’s past relationship with her mother shines as she tells this story of a mother and child’s love for each other.

Sub-Category 4: Sadness

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	When I Feel Sad	Cornelia Parkinson/ Kathy Parkinson	Ages 4-8	2002/ Albert Whitman and Company	A guinea pig describes situations that make him feel sad, which children can easily relate to.
	Sad Isn’t Bad	Michaelene Mundy/ R.W. Mundy	Ages 4-8	1998/ Abbey Press	This book helps a child cope with loss easily, and lets them know that there is more after grief.
	Let’s Talk About Feeling Sad	Joy Wilt Berry/ Maggie Smith	Baby-Preschool	1996/ Scholastic Inc.	Eliza has to say goodbye to a place and things she loves, and decides that being sad is okay, and that life goes on. This book will help children that have to move.
	Fear, Doubt, Blues, and Pouts	H. Norman Wright, Gary J. Oliver/ Sharon Dahl	Ages 4-8	1999/ Chariot Victor Pub	The woodland animals discover through this adventure that sadness feels better if you talk about it with your loved ones.
	What’s Heaven?	Maria Shriver/ Sandra Speidel	Ages 4-8	1999/ Golden Books Adult Publishing	Maria Shriver tells a story about a child's great-grandma dying that was very special to her. Through a child’s questions, this books shows that dealing with loss is not so bad.

Sub-Category 5: Recognizing Differences

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Friends at School	Rochelle Bunnet/ Matt Brown	Ages 4-8	1996/ Star Bright Books	This book shows that given the opportunity, children can recognize differences and readily work together. The true meaning of inclusion is displayed here.
	Quiet, Wyatt!	Bill Maynard/Frank Remkiewicz	Ages 4-8	1999/ Putnam Pub Group Juv.	No one believes in Wyatt, so he decides to stay quiet when it comes to important things. Finally, he decides to speak up to save a puppy, and everyone realizes that he can do anything.
	Special People, Special Ways	Arlene Maguire/ Sheila Bailey	Ages 4-8	2000/ Future Horizons	Maguire attempts to gain sympathy and understanding for people with special needs, and includes all kinds of different children. Students will recognize that it pays off to be nice.
	Different Just Like Me	Lori Mitchell	Ages 4-8	2001/ Charlesbridge Publishing	April sees many different people, and realizes from her grandma, that all different and special people are alike in many ways. This shows children that everyone deserves to be loved.
	Something Special	Nicola Moon/ Alex Ayliffe	Ages 4-8	1997/ Peachtree Publishers	Charlie cannot find anything special to share with his classmates on show-and-tell day, but after looking at his baby sister, he realizes coming from a different culture is something special.