Read Across America 2022



Click a book cover to hear the story read aloud.

Book summaries and extensions are listed below.

Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman 

As a young Black girl leads others on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to change the world, their communities, and themselves. 

 THEME: CREATE CHANGE

Encourage students to envision the world as the kind of place they want it to be with books that help them recognize their power to make a difference. 

El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba Higuera 

Ramón’s worries and fears about his new home, new school, and making new friends are bigger than his old fear of the Mexican Boogeyman El Cucuy, who confides in Ramón that he has similar fears of his own. 

THEME: EMBRACE NEW BEGINNINGS 

Offer lessons from characters who struggle with embarking on new beginnings and learn to face their fears. 

My First Day by Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien 

An, a young Vietnamese boy who lives on the Mekong Delta, has to paddle his small wooden boat to school all by himself for the very first time. 

THEME: SPREAD YOUR WINGS Explore titles that inspire students to confidently seek out new experiences and use their abilities to their full potential. 

All Around Us by Xelena González

Finding circles everywhere, a mestizo grandfather and his granddaughter contemplate the cycles of life and nature. (Also available in Spanish as Por todo nuestro alrededor).

THEME:  EXPLORE ANCESTRY AND IDENTITY

Reading and discussing books with characters that make connections with their ancestors and their identity can help students embrace their own identities and the identities of others.

The Lost Package by Richard Ho

A package that was packed with great care by an Asian American girl and mailed at the post office bounces off a truck, but is found on the street by a Black mother and child who deliver the package to its intended recipient.

THEME:  LEND A HAND

Help students see the value of helping others through characters that lend a hand to those who need it.

A Sled for Gabo by Emma Otheguy

With the help of welcoming neighbors in his new town, shy Gabo discovers the fun and excitement of his first snowy day. (Also available in Spanish as Un trineo para Gabo)

THEME: TRY SOMETHING NEW

Share titles with characters that get kids thinking about setting their own goals and seeing them through.

The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist

Eager to earn a cool dance nickname from his granddad, Kai enlists members of his Black family to teach him to dance before his Aunt Nina’s wedding.

THEME:  EXPLORE FAMILIES AND HISTORY

Students feel more comfortable sharing their own family stories when you look at books together to build awareness about the diversity of families that make up your community.

Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia Williams

This vibrant picture book biography follows Zora Neale Hurston’s life from her early fascination with stories, to her struggles to get an education, to her fieldwork in anthropology, to her, at last, reaching the sun, writing books, and sharing stories.

THEME: PLAY WITH STORIES

Inspire readers with all kinds of stories, the art of storytelling, and authors and poets who tell stories well.

Kiyoshi's Walk by Mark Karlins

When Kiyoshi, a young boy of Japanese heritage, asks his grandfather poet where poems come from, Grandfather Eto takes him for a walk where Kiyoshi finds both answers and inspiration to write a haiku of his own.

THEME: NURTURE A SENSE OF BELONGING

Use books and poetry to help students explore how people and places shapes their identity, their feelings about where they live, and how they connect with the world around them.

Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler

Bouncy verse celebrates the diverse workforce who brings big dreams to life when they pound nails, lay drains, and operate machines.

THEME: BUILD TOGETHER

Get students reading, talking, and sharing to build community together or build a movement to create change.

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles

A Latino boy and his father cross the United States-Mexico border to spend their Saturday, visiting with family and friends, running errands, and bringing much needed supplies to hopeful refugee families camping along the bridge. (Also available in Spanish as Mis Dos Pueblos Fronterizos)

THEME: GAIN PERSPECTIVE

Help readers better understand different points of view and appreciate the perspectives and experiences of others.

Zonia's Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal

Zonia, a young Asháninka girl whose home is with those she loves in the Peruvian Amazon, spends carefree time with her animal friends of the rain forest until one day she visits a place where the forest has been destroyed. (Also available in Spanish as La selva de Zonia.)

THEME: DETERMINE DESTINY

Share titles that inspire self-discovery and self-reliance to help students look at what shapes their own destinies.

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