Pick of the Decade 1995-2005:
3rd Grade

Picture Books for Older Readers

Bunting, Eve. Gleam and Glow , 2001.

Eight-year-old Viktor flees his home with his family when war ravages the countryside. When they return home, they find it destroyed, but the fish Viktor put in their pond have survived (based on a true story of Bosnian refugees).

Cheng, Andrea. Anna, the Bookbinder , 2003.

Anna's father is a bookbinder in the early 1900s, but when he is called away, it is Anna who carefully stitches the binding on the special order her father has received.

Cherry, Lynne. The Dragon and the Unicorn , 1995.

The dragon and the unicorn morn the king's destruction of the forest and turn to the princess for help. (See also: The Great Kapok Tree .)

Gerrard, Roy. Wagons West! , 1996.

Buckskin Dan leads a family West along the Oregon Trail where rollicking adventures await. (See also: Sir Cedric ; Sir Cedric Rides Again ; Sir Francis Drake and His Daring Deeds ; Rosie and the Rustlers ; and Roman Twins .)

Hamilton , Virginia . The People Could Fly: The Picture Book , 2004.

In this retelling of a folktale, a group of slaves, unable to bear their sadness and starvation any longer, calls upon the African magic that allows them to fly away.

Hesse, Karen. The Cats in Kransinksi Square , 2004.

Two Jewish sisters, escapees of the infamous Warsaw ghetto, devise a plan to thwart an attempt by the Gestapo to intercept food bound for starving people behind the dark Wall .

Hoffman, Mary. The Color of Home , 2002.

Hassan has recently moved from Somalia to America and although his new classmates are friendly he his homesick. When the teacher hands out art supplies, Hassan discovers he can communicate through his pictures.

Hopkinson, Deborah. Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings , 2003.

In the early 1900s, Alta Wiess loves to play baseball and must find a way to prove that she can play professionally, even though she is a girl (based on a true story).

Hughes, Shirley. Ella's Big Chance , 2004.

In this version of the Cinderella tale set in the 1920s, Ella has two men courting her--the handsome Duke of Arc and Buttons the delivery boy.