Gerstein, M. (2003). The man who walked between the towers. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. This is the story of Philippe Petit's tight rope walk between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. The inventive foldout tracking Philippe's progress across the wire offers a view of the city below; the next page shows the aerialist from the street below. The artist's paintings give a breathtaking view of the memory of the towers on the final page. This book is great for all ages to show the towers before and after the 2001 disaster. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2004.
Martin, J. (1998). Snowflake Bentley. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Readers will be very interested in the life of Wilson Bentley who perfected the art of snowflake photography through amazing trial and error. They will marvel at his determination and hard work while hardly making enough money to continue his art--good lessons for today's children. A wonderful choice to study snowflakes in any grade.
Van Allsburg, C. (1985). The polar express. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. A classic for the ages, Polar Express tells the story of a young boy losing the enchantment of Christmas. One Christmas Eve he hears the hissing steam of a train right outside his window and he begins his adventure to find the magic of Christmas again. All ages know the story and love it. The luminous illustrations create the drama and it's still fun to try to find the white dog in his paintings. Caldecott winner in 1986. A "can't miss" choice to use during the holidays.
Yolen, J. (1987). Owl moon. New York, NY: Philomel Books. This is a charming tale of a girl and her father who go owling one night in the woods to locate the Great Horned Owl. It's a simple story of a simple activity, but it has been a favorite for many years. Children will enjoy the idea of a special time spent with a parent, and the illustrations by John Schoenherr, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1988, convey the cool, crisp feeling of the winter night. Read this book to study seasons and animal habitats.To learn more about the Caldecott Medal, click here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm
