| Books to Help Children Deal with Disasters, Trauma, Violence, War, Prejudice, and Death
The following titles have been selected by library staff. They are books
in Montgomery County Public Libraries collection. To check availability
of these books, please search the library
catalog.
Picture Books | Juvenile
Fiction | Juvenile Nonfiction | Young
Adult Fiction
Picture Books
Demas, Corinne. Hurricane!
Margo and her family prepare for and experience Hurricane Bob, which
makes the electricity go out for five days but leaves their house intact.
Drummond, Allan. Liberty.
Describes the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty and its importance as
a symbol of freedom.
Gralley, Jean. The Moon Came Down on Milk Street.
When the moon falls down in pieces from the sky, rescue workers, the fire chief, and other helpers come together to make it right again in this simple, reassuring story.
Hamilton, K.R. Firefighters to the Rescue.
How firefighters keep the community safe.
Heide, Florence Parry & Gilliland Judith Heide. Sami
and the time of troubles.
A ten-year-old Lebanese boy goes to school, helps his mother with chores,
plays with his friends, and lives with family in a basement shelter when
bombings occur and fighting begins on his street.
London, Jonathan. Ali, child of the desert.
On a trip to the Moroccan market town of Rissani, Ali becomes separated
from his father during a sandstorm.
Mora, Pat. The rainbow tulip.
A Mexican-American first grader experiences the difficulties and pleasures
of being different when she wears a tulip costume with all of the colors
of the rainbow for the school May Day parade.
Stevenson, James. Don't you know there's a war on.
The author recalls his efforts to win the Second World War, including
planting a victory garden, collecting tin foil, and looking for spies.
Zucher, Jonny. Fasting and Dates: A Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr Story.
Follow a family as they celebrate Islamic traditions.
Juvenile Fiction
Avi. Don't you know there's a war on?
In wartime Brooklyn in 1943, eleven year old Howie Crispers mounts a campaign
to save his favorite teacher from being fired.
Borden, Louise. The little ships: the heroic rescue
at Dunkirk in World War II.
A young English girl and her father take their sturdy fishing boat and
join the scores of other civilian vessels crossing the English Channel
in a daring attempt to rescue Allied and British troops trapped by Nazi
soldiers at Dunkirk.
Duble, Kathi Benner. Pilot Mom.
Jenny and her best friend K.C. accompany Jenny's mother, a tanker pilot
in the Air Force, to the air base, where they explore her plane, a
Kc-136, prior to her departure on a training mission to Europe.
Bunting, Eve. Smoky night.
When the Los Angeles riots break out in the streets of their neighborhood,
a young boy and his mother learn the values of getting along with others
no matter what their background or nationality.
Harshman, Marc. Storm.
Though confined to a wheelchair, Jonathan faces the terror of a tornado all by
himself and saves the lives of the horses on the family farm.
Kehret, Peg. Earthquake Terror.
When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where
his family had been camping, twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find
a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their
dog alive until help arrives.
Kehret, Peg. Escaping the Giant Wave.
When an earthquake creates a tsunami while thirteen-year-old Kyle is
babysitting his sister during a family vacation at a Pacific Coast
resort, he tries to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied
him for years.
Lasky, Kathryn. Broken Song.
In 1897, fifteen-year-old Reuven Bloom, a Russian Jew, must set aside his dreams of playing the violin in order to save himself and his baby sister after the rest of their family is murdered.
Lyon, George Ella. One Lucky Girl.
Even though their trailer is destroyed by a tornado, a young boy's family
is grateful because they find his baby sister alive.
Matthews, Mary. Magid fasts for Ramadan.
Magid, an eight-year-old Muslim boy in Cairo, is determined to celebrate
Ramadan by fasting, despite the opposition of family members who feel
that he is not yet old enough to fast.
Mead, Alice. Soldier mom.
Eleven year old Jasmyn gets a different perspective on life when her mohter
is sent to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War, leaving
and her baby half brother behind in Maine in the care of the mother's
boyfriend.
McDonough, Yona Zeldis. The Doll with the Yellow Star.
When France falls to Germany at the start of World War II, nine-year-old Claudine must leave her beloved parents and friends to stay with relatives in America, accompanied by her doll, Violette.
McElroy, Lisa Tucker. Love, Lizzie: Letters to a Military Mom.
Nine-year-old Lizzie writes to her mother, who is deployed overseas during wartime, and includes maps that show her mother what Lizzie has been thinking and doing. Includes nonfiction tips for helping children of military families.
Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball saved us.
A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family
are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his
ability to play helps him after the war is over.
Mobin-Uddin, Asma. My Name is Bilal.
When Bilal and his sister transfer to a school where they are the only Muslims, they must learn how to fit in while staying true to their beliefs and heritage.
Nye, Naomi Shihab. Sitti's Secrets.
A young girl describes a visit to see her grandmother in a Palestinian
village on the West Bank.
Osborne, Mary Pope. New York's Bravest.
The author has used the legendary 19th century New York City volunteer
firefighter Mose Humphreys as the center piece for this lavishly illustrated
tribute to the 343 firefighters who died on September 11.
Pelton, Mindy. When Dad's at Sea.
Emily's father, a Navy pilot, is on an aircraft carrier for six months.
She misses her father, but she learns how to deal with this necessary
separation.
Shriver, Maria. What's heaven?
After her great-grandmother's death, a young girl learns about heaven
by asking her mother all kinds of questions.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz.
Yuki’s Japanese-American family is sent to an internment camp during World War II even though they are loyal citizens.
Williams, Mary. Brothers in Hope.
Eight-year-old Garang, orphaned by a civil war in Sudan, finds the inner strength to help lead other boys as they trek hundreds of miles seeking safety in Ethiopia, then Kenya, and finally in the United States.
Yamate, Sandra S. Ashok by any other name.
An immigrant boy worries he won’t fit in without an “American” name.
Yep, Lawrence. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
Eight-year-old Henry and nine-year-old Chin love to read about heroes in popular "penny dreadful" novels, until they both witness real courage while trying to survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Juvenile Nonfiction
Aggerwal, Mangu. I am a Muslim. (J 297 AGG)
Brown, Laurene Krasny. When dinosaurs die: a guide
to understanding death. (J 155.937 BRO)
Explains in simple language the feelings people may have regarding the
death of a loved one and the ways to honor the memory of someone who has
died.
Crist, James. What to Do When You're Scared and Worried: A Guide for
Kids. (J 152.4 CRI)
A handbook for children to help them understand, confront, and master fears and anxiety. Includes information about problems that need adult intervention such as phobias, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Demarest Chris L. Firefighters A to Z. (J 363.378
DEM)
Dolphin, Laurie. Neveh shalom = Wahat al-salam.
(J 956.94 DOL)
Text and photos present the lives of two boys, one Jewish and one Arab,
who attend school in a unique community near Jerusalem where Jews and
Arabs live together in peace.
Donovan, Sandy. Protecting America : a look at the
people who keep our country safe. ( J 363.1 DON)
Foreman, Michael. War boy: a country childhood.
(J 940.548 FOR)
Gellman, Marc. And God Cried Too: A Kid's Book of Healing and Hope. (J
291.211 GEL)
The angel Gabriel helps Mikey, an angel-in-training, to understand why bad things happen for what seems to be no reason and how to hold on to hope and faith during difficult times.
Golenbock, Peter. Teammates. (J 796.357 GOL)
Describes the racial prejudice experienced by Jackie Robinson when he
joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black player in Major
League baseball and depicts the acceptance and support he received from
his white teammate Pee Wee Reese.
Heard, Georgia. This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort.
(J811.008 THI)
Holmes, Margaret M. A terrible thing happened.
(J 155.412 HOL)
After Sherman sees something terrible happen, he becomes anxious and then
angry, but when a counselor helps him talk about these emotions he feels
better.
Jackson, Ellen. Sometimes Bad Things Happen.
(J 155.9)
Kalman, Maira. Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of
John J. Harvey.
A fireboat, launched in 1931, is retired after many years of fighting
fires along the Hudson River, but is saved from being scrapped and then
called into service again on September 11, 2001.
Krensky, Stephen. Pearl Harbor. (J 940.54 KRE)
Bringing a dramatic moment of World War II to vivid life, author Stephen
Krensky answers questions about the historic importance of the military
action at Pearl Harbor. Written in simple yet clear language, the book
teaches readers about the political scene before and after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in December 1941, and how this event shaped
our country's place in the world.
Linda, George S. The golden age of Islam. (J
909.09767 GEO)
Covers the civilization of the Islamic Empire from the last years of the
eighth century to the thirteenth century.
Masoff, Joy. Fire! (J 363.37 MAS)
Presents the work done by fire fighters, including the equipment they
use, the fires they fight, the rescues and investigations they perform,
and the history and future of fire fighting.
Masoff, Joy. Emergency! (J 362.18 MAS)
Discusses all aspects of emergency medicine including the medical personnel
and equipment needed to successfully help the patient.
Masters of disaster. [Grade] K-2 [kit] (363.34 MAS GRADE K-2)
Ready-to-go
lesson plans for integrating disaster preparedness and safety instruction
into standard
academic classes: general preparedness, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes,
lightning, earthquakes.
Masters of disaster. [Grade] 3-5 [kit] (363.34 MAS GRADE 3-5)
Ready-to-go
lesson plans for integrating disaster preparedness and safety instruction
into standard
academic classes: general preparedness, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes,
lightning, earthquakes.
Masters of disaster. [Grade] 6-8 [kit] (363.34 MAS GRADE 6-8)
Ready-to-go
lesson plans for integrating disaster preparedness and safety instruction
into standard
academic classes: general preparedness, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes,
lightning, earthquakes.
Mochizuki, Ken. Passage to freedom: the Sugihara story.
(J940.5318 MOC)
A Japanese diplomat in Lithuania during World War II defies the government to help Jews escape the Nazis, risking his career and his life.
Nye, Naomi Shihab. The space between our footsteps:
poems and paintings from the Middle East. (J 808.81 SPA)
Stanley, Jerry. I am an American: a true story of
Japanese internment. (J 940.5317 STA)
Wilkinson, Philip. Islam. (J297 WIL)
Zalben, Jane Breskin. Let There Be Light: Poems and
Prayers For Repairing the World. (J242 LET)
Young Adult Fiction
Nye, Naomi Shihab. Habibi.
When fourteen year old Liyanne Abboud, her younger brother, and her parents
move from St. Louis to a new home between Jerusalem and the Palestinian
village where her father was born, they face many changes and must deal
with the tensions between Jews and Palestinians.
Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu, daughter of the
wind.
Shabanu and her older sister are promised as brides to two cousins, but the killing of the older cousin changes the wedding plans, forcing hard decisions for a young girl caught between the traditions of her Pakistani family and her own desires.
Note: Fantasy series,
such as Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander,
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, Harry
Potter by J.K. Rowling, or Redwall by
Brian Jacques, provide opportunities for children to experience the struggle
between good and evil. |
