Grace Toulouse: Bibliography - Nonfiction

1. JAVAHERBIN, MINA. My Grandma and Me. CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2022.

● Age group: 4-8 years old
● Summary: A true tale of a young girl in Iran who idolizes and follows her grandmother
everywhere. The story focuses on Mina’s daily life with her grandma: from collecting
wonderful fresh bread from the delivery boy to fasting and feasting during Ramadan.
● Qualities: This is a beautiful ode to family and lifelong memories. This book is a great
pick for my classroom because it is intergenerational. It shows the bond between a
grandparent and a grandchild that shows cultural traditions that may be different from
other students that they get to learn about.

2. Fritsch, Kelly. We Move Together. AK Press, 2021.

● Age group: 6-9 years old
● Summary: This story follows a mixed-ability group of kids as they creatively negotiate
everyday barriers and find joy and connection in disability culture and community.
● Qualities: This book is a great tool to have in the classroom to facilitate conversations
about disability, accessibility, social justice and community building.

3. SORELL, TRACI. We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. CHARLESBRIDGE PUBLISHING,

2021.
● Age group: 6-9 years old
● Summary: Cherokee people say “otsaliheliga” to express gratitude. It is a reminder to
celebrate our blessings and reflect on struggles– daily, throughout the year, and across
the seasons.
● Qualities: This book focuses on being grateful for what you have, even if it isn’t as much
as someone else! It is important to teach gratitude and I think this book does a great job
at it.

4. Gibbons, Gail. The Fruits We Eat. Holiday House, 2015.

● Age group: 4-8 years old
● Summary: This story is about the parts of fruits, where and how they grow, harvesting,
processing, where to buy them, and how to enjoy them as part of a healthy diet.
● Qualities: This story is filled with beautiful illustrations and it will enrich any child’s
gardening and food preparation experiences. Some students might not learn this at
home, and as a teacher, we get to teach students important things!

5. SIBER, KATE. National Parks of the USA. WIDE EYED EDITIONS, 2024.
● Age group: 6-9 years old
● Summary: This book is packed with maps and facts about the flora and fauna unique to
each of the 21 parks portrayed. It also shows why they should be preserved for future
generations to enjoy.
● Qualities: This book serves to inspire the adventuring naturalist in students. It is full of
facts, activities, and beautiful illustrations.

6. Peterson, Ellie. It’s a Round, Round World! StarBerry Books, an Imprint of Kane Press,
Inc., 2019.
● Age group: 6-9 years old
● Summary: From jumping on board Columbus’s ship to planet-hopping in the outer
reaches of our solar system, Joulia explains with humor and with the ins and outs of how
we learned that the earth is round.
● Qualities: This book is a great pick to have to deepen not only reading knowledge but
scientific knowledge. It encourages children to question, hypothesize, experiment, and
observe. The young scientist in the book debunks the story that Columbus “proved the
Earth is round.”

7. Paul, Miranda, and Jason Chin. Water Is Water: A Book about the Water Cycle. Godwin
Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2017.
● Age group: 2-5 years old
● Summary: This is an engaging and lyrical look at the water cycle. A biracial brother and
sister explore the out-of-doors (and a bit of mischief) through the four seasons in this
poetic look at the many forms water takes on its trip through its cycle.
● Qualities: The author brings life to this simple, but clever explanation for very young
readers of the water cycle in its different forms. It’s also just super creative and a fun
read.

8. McDonnell, Patrick. Me-- Jane. CNIB, 2014.

● Age group: 4-8 years old
● Summary: This book tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood
toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As a young Jane observes the natural world around her
with wonder, she dreams of a life living with and helping all animals, until one day she
finds that her dream comes true.
● Qualities: This story shows how curiosity and passion can turn into you changing the
world. This well known story is told with such nice and beautiful imagery.

9. Ahmed, Roda, and Stasia Burrington. Mae among the Stars. Harper, an Imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018.
● Age group: pre k-3 years old
● Summary: Mae Jemison dreams about being an astronaut. Although her teacher tries to
deter her from pursuing this dream, Mae refuses to give up. Thanks to her determination
 dn parents’ reinforcement, she continues to work towards achieving her “impossible”
dream of seeing Earth from space.
● Qualities: This book illustrates the importance of encouraging and supporting children’s
dreams. The pictures in this book are so beautiful as they share the life of the first
African American woman to travel in space.

10. Keating, Jess, and Álvarez Marta Miguéns. Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie
Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist. Scholastic Inc., 2018.
● Age group: 3-8 years old
● Summary: This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover and inspire.
Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the
aquarium. She couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful
creatures.
● Qualities: Eugine taught the world to admire sharks instead of fearing them, like most
people do. This book helps students better understand sharks while being informative as
it highlights how she studies sharks.