The Libri Foundation

National Pig Day (March 1st)

Amanda Pig and Her Best Friend Lollipop, written by Jean Van Leeuwen, illus. by Ann Schweninger. Preschool-Grade 2.

Four short stories for beginning readers in which Amanda and her new friend from school enjoy each other's company while participating in everyday activities.

Dumpy La Rue, written by Elizabeth Winthrop, illus. by Betsy Lewin. Grades K-2.

Dumpy La Rue is a dancing pig, much to the chagrin of his staid piggy family. Fortunately, Dumpy's enthusiasm not only wins over his family, but also the whole barnyard. A joyful tale celebrating dance and the value of following one's own heart.

The Great Pig Search, written by Eileen Christelow. Preschool-Grade 3.

In this rollicking frolic, Bert's missing pigs send him a postcard from Florida. He's off on the chase, but can't see what's in plain sight. The pen-and-ink cartoon-like drawings double the delight for readers who will see pigs everywhere.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake, written by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond. Preschool-Grade 2.

If you give a pig a pancake, can a bath to wash off sticky syrup be far behind? Add tap shoes, stacks of mail, and a decorated tree house and you have another winner in this delightful series. (Available in Spanish as: Si le das un panqueque a una cerdita.)

The Old Woman and Her Pig: An Old English Tale, written by Rosanne Litzinger. Preschool-Grade 2.

An old woman and her reluctant helpers finally manage to get her newly purchased pig over the stile—and they did get home that night. With whimsical watercolor illustrations and a surprise ending.

Olivia, written by Ian Falconer. Preschool-Grade 3.

Although the illustrations are executed in charcoal and gouache, with splotches of red, Olivia is definitely not a boring black-and-white pig. Children everywhere will see themselves in Olivia as she dreams big dreams, endures a timeout for wall painting, and begs for one last bedtime story.

Dr. Seuss' Birthday (March 2, 1904)

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday and join Read Across America Day by reading The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who or one of your own family favorites.


Alexander Graham Bell's Birthday (March 3, 1847)

Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell, written by Tom L. Matthews. Grades 4-7.

An original member of the National Geographic Society, Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell began his career as an inventor at age 11 with a wheat-husking device and completed it 64 years later with the hydrofoil.

Gerhardus Mercator's Birthday (March 5, 1512)

Mapping the World, written by Sylvia A. Johnson. Grades 4-6.

An informative history of maps, from ancient ones drawn on clay tablets to modern ones drawn with the aid of satellites and computers. Also includes information on early mapmakers, including Gerhardus Mercator.

Michelangelo's Birthday (March 6, 1475)

Michelangelo, written by Diane Stanley. Grades 4-8.

A masterful picture-book biography of Michelangelo and his art for older students.

Fall of the Alamo (March 6, 1836)

Inside the Alamo, written by Jim Murphy. Grades 4-8.

An excellent account of the Alamo, which identifies the facts, rumors, myths, and conflicting testimonies surrounding the event, as well as the major personalities involved, including Santa Ana, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett.

Harriet Tubman's Death Anniversary (March 10, 1913)

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Stephen Alcorn. Grades 4-7.

Biographical sketches of ten noted African-American women who helped further the cause of civil rights. Included are: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethue, Rosa Parks, Biddy Mason, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm.

Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought), written by Kathleen Krull, illus. by Kathryn Hewitt. Grades 3-7.

Profiles the public and private lives of 20 influential women across the ages, including Harriet Tubman, Jeanette Rankin, Golda Meir, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie Antoinette, Queen Nzingha, Wilma Mankiller, and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Great Blizzard of 1888 (March 12th)

Blizzard!, written by Jim Murphy. Grades 5 up.

A riveting account, based on first-person narratives and primary sources, of the March 1888 blizzard that paralyzed the Northeast. The devastating effects of the storm are seen through the eyes of several people, of different ages and social status, some of whom survived and some who didn't.

Albert Einstein's Birthday (March 14, 1879)

Einstein: Visionary Scientist, written by John B. Severance. Grades 6 up.

With superb archival photos, including Einstein as a youth, the many historically important people who shaped his life, as well as photographic images from WWII that changed his vision, this well-written biography covers the personal life and professional career of one of the world's greatest geniuses.

Spring Begins (March 20th)

Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck, written by Linda Westberg Peters, illus. by Sam Williams. Preschool.

A little duck returns to her pond too soon and finds herself stuck to its frozen surface. As she dreams of wiggly worms, pink apple blossoms, and squishy mud, the ice begins to melt and spring fills the air.

In for Winter, Out for Spring, written by Arnold Adoff. Preschool-Grade 3.

A collection of poems celebrating the changing of the seasons and loving moments shared by an intergenerational African American family.

Mud Flat Spring, written by James Stevenson. Grades 2-4.

The animal citizens of Mud Flat all celebrate spring in their own special ways. When Mother Nature surprises them with a snowstorm, they have a great time and look forward to celebrating a second spring.

Poppleton in Spring, written by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Mark Teague. Preschool-Grade 2.

In these three stories for beginning readers, Poppleton spring cleans his house, tries to buy a bicycle, and revels in the simple pleasures when he tent camps in his own backyard.

Johann Sebastian Bach's Birthday (March 21, 1685)

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)., written by Kathleen Krull, illus. by Kathryn Hewitt. Grades 3-6.

Child-pleasing profiles of 20 diverse composers, beginning with Vivaldi and ending with Woody Guthrie. Profiles also include: Bach, Beethoven, Boulanger, Chopin, Gershwin, Gilbert and Sullivan, Joplin, Liszt, Prokofiev, Satie, Schumann, and Verdi.

Harry Houdini's Birthday (March 24, 1874)

Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini, written by Tom Lalicki. Grades 5-9.

An accessible introduction to the life and exploits of the famous escape artist.

John Wesley Powell's Birthday (March 24, 1834)

In Search of the Grand Canyon: Down the Colorado with John Wesley Powell, written by Mary Ann Fraser. Grades 3-6.

Recounts the excitement and dangers faced by Powell and his expedition as they explored the Grand Canyon in 1869. Includes quotes from Powell's diaries and period photographs.

Vincent Van Gogh's Birthday (March 30, 1853)

Vincent van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist, written by Jan Greenberg. Grades 5 up.

The compelling life story of the brilliant artist, who sacrificed everything for his art. Numerous excerpts from his letters help the reader understand the troubled man behind the art.

Cesar Estrada Chavez's Birthday (March 31, 1927)

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, written by Kathleen Krull, illus. by Yuyi Morales. Grades 3-6.

Until he was 10, Cesar Chavez had a happy homelife on the 80-acre farm his family owned in Arizona. Then, in 1937, a killing drought ruined the land, forcing them to sell and head to California as migrant workers. Here he and his family endured the inhumane conditions imposed on them by the agricultural owners. Taught by his mother to use non-violence to resolve conflicts, Chavez grew up to be one of the country's most inspiring civil rights leaders, leading a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California and winning major concessions from the growers, which improved the lives of millions of migrant farmworkers.

Women's History Month

America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, written by David A. Adler, illus. by Terry Widener. Grades K-4.

In 1926, Gertrude Ederle took the world by storm when she successfully swam the 21 miles across the English Channel and broke the men's record by two hours.

Angels of Mercy: The Army Nurses of World War II, written by Betsy Kuhn. Grades 6 up.

Dozens of interviews bring an immediacy to this remarkable account of the diversity of Army nurses' assignments and the breadth of their experiences during WWII. Among those profiled are women who walked 800 miles to freedom after being shot down in German-occupied Albania, those who were prisoners of war in Manila, and those who helped liberate the concentration camps at Dachau.

Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley, written by Sue Macy. Grades 3-6.

Annie Oakley honed her sharp-shooting skills as a young girl, not for pleasure, but out of dire necessity. It was her skill as a hunter that kept her extremely impoverished Quaker family feed.

Dear Ellen Bee: A Civil War Scrapbook of Two Union Spies, written by Mary E. Lyons. Grades 5-8.

The tempestuous, but loving relationship between aristocratic Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Elizabeth Bower, the daughter of Van Lew's freed slaves, is explored against the backdrop of the Civil War. Based on the real-life activities of these two head-strong, independent women who were dedicated to the abolitionists' cause and the preservation of the Union. Together, they used the code name Ellen Bee to pass information behind enemy lines.

Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championship, written by Doreen Rappaport, illus. by E. B. Lewis. Grades 1-4.

An account of the 1946 championship game of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League as seen through the eyes of a fictional young fan, who dreams of growing up to play second base.

Fannie in the Kitchen: The Whole Story from Soup to Nuts of How Fannie Farmer Invented Recipes with Precise Measurements, written by Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Grades 1-3.

A charming fictionalized account of one slice of Fanny Farmer's life.

Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktales, written by Mary-Joan Gerson. Grades 4-8.

A retelling of eight folktales, with Mayan, Aztec, Mixtec, Yaqui, and Euro-Mexican origins, featuring women who are strong, brave, and intelligent, as well as magical.

Fiesta femenina: Celebrando a las mujeres a través de historias tradicionales mexicanas, written by Mary-Joan Gerson, translated by Una Pérez Ruiz, illus. by Maya Christina González. Grades 4-8.

Spanish translation of Fiesta Femenina (see above entry).

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth, written by Anne Rockwell, illus. by Gregory Christie. Grades 3-5.

This picture-book biography covers Sojourner Truth's early life as a Dutch-speaking child named Isabella, the successful court case she waged as a freed slave against her former master for illegally selling her son, and the tireless crusade against slavery she began at age 46, when she renamed herself Sojourner Truth.

Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning, written by Lawrence Anholt, illus. by Sheila Moxley. Ages 5-8.

An illustrated biography of the 19th-century British fossil hunter, Mary Anning, who discovered a 165-million-year-old skeleton of an ichthyosaur.

Ten Queens: Portraits of Women of Power, written by Milton Meltzer, illus. by Bethanne Andersen. Grades 5-10.

An engaging political history and study of ten queens who "held power in their hands and used it." The queens are: Esther, Cleopatra, Boudicca of Britain, Zenobia of Palmyra, Maria Theresa, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of Spain, Elizabeth I, Christine of Sweden, and Catherine the Great.

Tomboy of the Air: Daredevil Pilot Blanche Stuart Scott, written by Julie Cummins. Grades 3-6.

A breezy, well-researched biography of the flamboyant Blanche Stuart Scott, who, in 1910, became the first woman to drive an automobile cross-country and the first woman pilot in the U.S. Her long list of accomplishments also include first woman test pilot, first woman stunt flyer, and perhaps even, first woman car dealer.

Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker, written by Kathryn Lasky, illus. by Nneka Bennett. Grades 2-5.

The first free-born child of former slaves, Walker was one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the United States. She used the profits from her beauty products company to help improve the lives of countless black women.

About the Booklist

The librarian of each library participating in the BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program selects the books her library will receive from a booklist provided by the Foundation. The 700-plus fiction and nonfiction titles on the list reflect the very best of children's literature published within the last three years, as well as a selection of classic favorites. Although the complete booklist is for the sole use of libraries participating in the BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program, the website features an ever-changing selection of books from current and past booklists.

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