English

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a world free of hate, prejudice, and violence. "I have a dream," he said in one of his speeches. "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they won't be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Eleanor Roosevelt went from being a sad, shy child to becoming an adult who reached out to people everywhere. She married Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1904. She became America's first lady, while he served as president from 1932-1945. During the years of the Great Depression, she visited towns, cities, and farms all over the country and brought hope to millions of people. She made many speeches, had a radio program, and wrote a newspaper column.

Clara is a cute cabbage Caterpillar. But to Catisha, who is catty and crimson, Clara is only a common caterpillar with no hope of becoming a colorful butterfly. Sure enough, Clara comes out cream colored. And during an encounter with a hungry crow, Clara proves that being colorful and conspicuous doesn't compare with being common, content, and courageous.

When Susan B. Anthony was young, white men had more rights than other people. Susan believed everyone should have equal rights. As an adult, she shared her ideas about equality. She gave many speeches. She started a newspaper. She worked to change laws. In doing so, Susan changed the lives of all Americans.

In 1770, the slave Esperança Garcia bravely penned a letter to the governor of Piauí state, in Brazil, describing how she and her children were being mistreated and requesting permission to return to the farm where the rest of her family was living. Before she wrote her letter, Esperança Garcia lived on a cotton farm run by Jesuit priests, where she learned to read and write — a rare opportunity for a woman, especially a slave.

Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were both orphaned at a young age, and they both became successful lawyers. They both fought in the Revolutionary War. But the politics of the young United States of America put these Founding Fathers in constant conflict. Theirs is a story of passion, patriotism, and pride, which culminates in the most famous duel in American history. Despite their similarities, it seemed the world was not big enough for both Aaron and Alexander, yet the outcome of their rivalry forever links their names.

In 1847, a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts was attending a school in Boston. Then one day she was told she could never come back. She didn't belong. The Otis School was for white children only.

Sarah deserved an equal education, and the Roberts family fought for change. They made history. Roberts v. City of Boston was the first case challenging our legal system to outlaw segregated schools. It was the first time an African American lawyer argued in a supreme court.

Acclaimed author/illustrator Vera Williams tells of a young girl, who along with her waitress mother, saves coins in a big jar in hopes that they can someday buy a big, new, comfortable chair for their apartment, the kind of chair her mother deserves after being on her feet all day in the Blue Tile Diner. Into the jar also goes the money Grandma saves whenever she gets a bargain at the market.

R. R. Pottle the Third has a truly wonderful, extra-extraordinary collection of hats. But happiness eludes him. He is lonely and dreams of meeting a perfect wife ' who will, of course, be wearing a perfect hat.

One day, a day so bad that R. R. Pottle wears not one, not two, but three hats at once, his dream comes true in the best possible way.

This warm, comical story by talented new author Laura Geringer is crowned with full-color illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Arnold Lobel.

Notable Children's Books of 1985 (ALA)
A Reading Rainbow Featured Selection

The corn is ripe...and the raccoons are hungry. As the moon rises a mother raccoon and her two young begin an all night feast in a cornfield. Acclaimed nature artist Jim Arnosky gives young children an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.

In this warm, poignant story, a little girl hears how, long ago, another little red-haired girl--her grandmother--sailed across the sea with her older brother to join their immigrant parents in a strange new land called America.

Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the famous romantic poet, Lord Byron, develops her creativity through science and math. When she meets Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first mechanical computer, Ada understands the machine better than anyone else and writes the world's first computer program in order to demonstrate its capabilities.