"Tree of Cranes"

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say was an insightful book with beautiful watercolor pictures. This is a multicultural book that combines the Japanese and American culture. The little boy experiences his first Christmas in Japan, when his mother digs up a tree from the backyard. She places it in the house and decorates it with paper cranes and candles. She tells the her son about Christmas in America, where she grew up. His mother tells him that Christmas was a day of peace and love. That year their family celebrated their own peace and quiet Christmas in Japan. This is a great book to read to children because they can relate to the American culture and also learn about Japanese customs.

"The Feather-Bed Journey"

The Feather-Bed Journey, by Paula Kurzband Feder and illustrated by Stacey Schuet was a very touching book. It's a multicultural book about a girl who's grandma tells her the story of her special pillow that survived World War ll. The book tells of the destruction and devastation the grandma and many Jews faced during this time. The grandma' s pillow somehow survived after she escaped the ghetto the Nazi's placed her and her famiy in. She was lucky enough to be able to hid in a kind man's basement, while the rest of her family died in the ghetto, except for her mother. After much destruction and a fire, the man who hid the grandma in his basement sent what was left of the feather bed, now a pillow, to her and her mother after they escaped to America. This book lets the reader feel the pain and struggle the grandma went through during her younger year.

"Come On Home Soon"

"Come one Home Soon" by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis was a really good multicultural book. The pictures are just beautiful and the story line is emotionally. It'd about a little girl, Ada Ruth, who has to stay with her grandmother while her mom goes to look for a job cleaning trains. Times are hard, and the railroad are hiring African American women to work because the men are away away at war. The book takes place during the Civil War and Ada Ruth misses her mother terrabley. This book won the Caldecott award and i wou;d strongly recommend it.

"Wave" by Suzy Lee

"Wave" by Suzy Lee (copyrite 2008) is a picture book without any words. I was first attracted to this book because of the blue ocean on the front. Throughout the book, the black sketch of the girl makes the aqua blue waves stand out. The book tells a story of a little girl who goes to the beach with her mom. At first she's skeptic of the waves but ends up jumping in the water. The girl ends up playing in the water when a huge wave starts to come and she runs. She stands on shore and sticks her tongue out, and not long afterwards another wave wipes her out onto the ground. After the wave leaves and she gets up, she finds starfish and seashells left on the sand. The theme seems to be that there can be beautiful outcomes from dangerous and difficult situations. I found this book to be simple but complex. I love the ocean myself and thought the pictures reflected nature's mystery and beauty. This book could be read from 2 years to preschoolers, but could also be used in elementary school. Students could write or tell their own version of the pictures. I would definitely recommend this book!

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" By Crockett Johnson

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" is a book about a Harold creativity and imagination. He creates his world with his purple crayon; he starts off by deciding to go for a walk by drawing a moon in the sky. So this is where Harold's adventure begins and he continues through a one tree forest, ocean, and a city full of windows and buildings. This book shows kids that they can create whatever their imagination comes up with and adventure is at the tip of their fingers. Harold solves problems through his imagination, for example when he falls off a top of a mountain and draws a hot air balloon to save himself with. This is a fun book that would spark the imagination for younger children. I would recommend this book for preschoolers.