For Parents and Teachers

For Educators

Are you looking for a selection of books on a topic to borrow for your classroom? Do you want help finding the perfect selection for a unit? We can help with that!

Fill out our Text Set Request Form!

Helpful Links for Parents & Teachers

Book Awards To Know

• Massachusetts Children’s Book Awards Winners
• Newbery Medal
  • Recognizes distinguished contribution to American children’s literature.
  • Recognizes distinguished art in an American picture book.
• Sibert Medal
  • Recognizes the most distinguished informational picture book published in English.
• Geisel Award
  • Recognizes authors for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading.

Educational Websites for Kids

• ABCMouse.com
  • The award-winning ABCmouse. com curriculum is designed to help young children (ages 2–7+) build a strong foundation for academic success. ABCmouse. com is 100% educational, with more than 4,000 learning activities across all major subject areas-reading, math, science, social studies, art, and music.
• NASA Kids’ Club
  • Are you a future astronaut? Or do you just want to have a little fun in space? Check out the Nasa Kids’ Club for some cool games, and fun facts about space.
• National Geographic Kids
  • Educational games for science explorers!
• PBS Cyberchase
  • Fun and educational games – math, sports, science, environment, geometry, and more. And it’s from PBS!

Homework Help for Families

• Family Education
  • This site is packed with ‘back-to-school’ information – and it goes beyond homework help (although there is a great homework section here…)
  • The main back-to-school page includes links on getting ready for school, back-to-school safety, ‘what parents need to know this school year’, and even breakfast and lunch ideas and recipes.
• TLS Books Free Worksheets
  • Need a little more help with school work? This site is full of free educational worksheets for PreK to Grade 5.
• Scholastic School Success
  • Tips from Scholastic to help your kids succeed in school from Pre-K to Grade 8

Internet Safety

• On Guard Online – this site from the federal government provides tips for parents for navigation online safety including talking with your kids.
• NetSmartz – this site created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has links for parents, educators, law enforcement to find information for internet safety. Each page provides presentations and links to more information. This site also has a link for parents with teens and a special section just for kids.
• Cybersmart – this website created by the Australian government is great for resources and advice about being online safely for all ages.
• FBI’s Parent Guide to Internet Safety – this is a direct link to the FBI’s informational pamphlet to online exploitation and the risks to your children.

Parenting Resources

• Health and Parenting Center
  • This site from WebMD covers popular hot topics in parenting and health, popular searches as well as access to their online parenting community.
• Planned Parenthood – Tools for Parents
  • Great source for tips on talking to children about growing up.

Looking for books to share with your child during a tough time or hoping to connect with your child about difficult topics? We have created some helpful book lists for you. All of the books listed here are either at the Ventress library or available from our library system to put on hold.

We are always happy to help find books that are perfect for your child. Stop by the children’s room and let us know what you are looking for. Click on a category to jump to a section.

• Adoption
• Black Lives Matter
• Death
• Dementia
• Diversity & Inclusivity
• Divorce
• Family Illness
• LGBTQIA
• Racism

Adoption

• I’ve Loved You Since Forever – Hoda Kotb
• Room For Bear – Ciara Gavin
• Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born – Jamie Lee Curtis
• We Belong Together: A book about adoption and families – Todd Parr
• My Family is Forever – Nancy L. Carlson
• Pablo’s Tree – Pat Mora
• Home At Last – Vera B. Williams
• I Wished For you: An adoption story – Marianne Richmond

Black Lives Matter

• Let the Children March – Monica Clark Robinson
• Not My Idea – Anastasia Higginbotham
• I am Enough – Grace Beyers
• Something Happened in Our Town: A child’s story about racial injustice – Marianne Celano
• Crown: An ode to the fresh cut – Derrick Barnes
• Can I Touch Your Hair – Irene latham
• Lulu the One and Only – Lunette Mawhinney
• Little Stevie Wonder – Quincy Troupe
• A Child’s Introduction to African American History – Jabari Asim
• Who Will You Be – Andrea Pippins
• Hair Love – Matthew A. Cherry
• The Roots of Rap: 16 bars on the 4 pillars of Hip-Hop – Carloe Boston Weatherford
• The Undefeated – Kwame Alexander
• Sulwe – Lupita Nyong’o
• Junteenth Jamboree – Carol Boston Weatherford
• Oh! The Things we’re for –  Innosanto Nagara
• Little Leaders: bold women in black history – Vashti Harrison
• My Hair is a Garden – Cozbi A. Cabrera
• Black is a Rainbow Color – Angela Joy
• Going Down Home With Daddy – Kelley Starling Lyons
• Hammering For Freedom – Rita Hubbard
• Saturday – Oge Mora
• Sometimes People March – Tessa Allen

Death

• Ida, Always – Caron Levis and Charles Santoso
• What Happens When a Loved One Dies – Dr.Jillian Roberts
• After Life: Ways We Think About Death – Merrie-Ellen Wilcox
• Death is Stupid – Anastasia Higginbotham
• Cry, Heart, But Never Break – Glenn Ringtved
• The Goodbye Book Todd Parr
• Gentle Willow: a story for children about dying – Joyce C. Mills
• Luna’s Red Hat: An Illustrated Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide – Emmi Smid
• The Next Place – Warren Hansen
• A Map of the World – Kao Kalia Yang
• When a Pet Dies – Fred Rodgers
• When People Die – Jane Lacey
• When Families Grieve – Sesame Workshop Christine Ferraro
• Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs – Caitlin Doughty

Dementia

• My Grandpa – Marta Altis
• Grandma – Jessica Shepherd
• The Tide – Clare Helen Welsh
• Really & Truly – Emilie Rivard
• What a Beautiful Morning – Arthur Levine

Diversity & Inclusivity

• The Name Jar – Yangsook Choi
• The Brand New Kid – Katie Couric
• My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay – Cari Best
• A Boy and a Jaguar – Alan Rabinowitz
• All are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold
• Special People, Special Ways – Arlene Maguire
• Sharing our Global Community – Steffi Cavell-Clark
• Islandborn – Junot Diaz
• Mirror – Jeannie Baker
• The Day you Begin – Jacqueline Woodson
• Separate is Never Equal: the story of Sylvia Mendez and her family – Duncan Tonaituh
• Same, Same but Different – Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
• Janine – Maryann Cocoa-Leffler
• Marisol MacDonald Doesn’t Match – Monica Brown
• Remarkably you – Pat Zietlow Miller
• Who Belongs Here – Margy Burns Knight
• All the Ways to be Smart – Davina Bell
• Moses goes to School – Isaac Millman
• Moses goes to a concert – Isaac Millman
• I believe I Can – Grace Byers
• Princess and the Fog – Lloyd Jones
• A Friend for Henry – Jenn Baily
• We’re all Wonders – R. J. Palacio
• Noah Chases the Wind – Michelle Worthington
• Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap – Clay Morton
• Skin Like Mine – LaTashia M. Perry
• Amazing Grace – Mary Hoffman
• A Girl Like Me – Angela Johnson
• We are Grateful – Traci Sorell
• We Are Water Protectors – Carole Lindstrom
• When Aidan Became a Brother – Kyle Lukoff
• You Hold Me Up – Monique Gray-Smith
• Your Name is a Song – Jamilah Thomkins- Bigelow

Divorce

• Monday, Wednesday and Every Other Weekend – Karen Stanton
• Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families – Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
• When my parents forgot to be friends (Let’s Talk About It!) – Jennifer Moore-Mallinos 
• Two homes – Claire Masurel
• Divorce is the worst – Anastasia Higginbotham
• It’s not your fault, KoKo Bear: a read-together book for parents & young children during divorce – Vicki Lansky

Family Illness

• The perfect Shelter – Clare Helen Walsh
• Big Tree Is Sick: A Story to Help Children Cope with the Serious Illness of a Loved One – Nathalie Slosse
• Sometimes – Rebecca Elliott
• Let My Colors Out – Courtney Fillganzi
• Why are you so scared? A child’s book about parents with PTSD – Beth Andrews
• Mom Has Cancer! – Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

LGBTQIA+

• It Feels Good to be Yourself –  A Book About Gender Identity- Theresa Thorn
• Who are you? The Kids Guide to Gender Identity – Brook Pessin-Whedbee
• Julian is a Mermaid – Jessica Love
• Queer Heroes – Arabelle Sicardi
• I Love My Colorful Nails – Alicia Acosta
• Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress – Christine Baldacchino
• Introducing Teddy: A gentle story about gender and friendship – Jess Walton
• 10,000 Dresses – Marcus Ewert
• Jacob’s Dress – Ian Hoffman and Sarah Hoffman
• Prince & Knight – Daniel Haack
• My Princess Boy – Cheryl Kilodavis
• I Am Jazz – Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

Racism

• Racism and intolerance (Children in our World) – Louise Spilsbury
• The Stone Thrower – Matt James
• Dealing with Racism – Jane Lacey
• More, More, More Said the Baby – Vera B. Williams
• Same, Same but different – Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
• Antiracist Baby – Ibram X. Kendi