
A farmer dreams that his farm and his five animals get covered by a fresh blanket of Christmas snow. But when he awakens, he discovers that real snow – not dream snow – has fallen, making his Christmas dream come true.
Dream Snow

Realistic watercolors present the summer celebration a boy shares with his family on the 4th of July. The day’s activities range from a pet parade and games to a barbeque and concert. The patriotic performance concludes with fireworks, after which the family returns home, tired but happy. The story is inspired by an actual community gala.
Happy Birthday, America

Jen helps her Chinese-American family get ready for the traditional celebration of her brother Henry’s one-month birthday. Lively, stylized illustrations move the story at a quick pace to its satisfying conclusion.
Henry’s First Moon Birthday

When the winter settles on Saranac Lake in New York state, the community comes together to prepare for the winter carnival. A ten-year old girl narrates this fictionalized account of the annual two-week celebration that she and her father help plan and her uncle (as well as other prisoners from a nearby correctional facility) help build. Highly realistic, full-color watercolors depict the excitement and activity, which is further explained in an endnote.
Ice Palace

Jubilant illustrations show how a father supports his son as he grows into a man and eventually becomes a father himself. The text is from Will Smith’s popular song of the same name, and is distinguished by luminous, full-color paintings that make the words sing.
Just the Two of Us

The American flag, known as the Stars and Stripes, is seen everywhere. In this book, lifelike paintings from different perspectives show many landscapes with the flag. Readers learn how the flag came to be the way it is known today, and an afterword dispels the myth that Betsy Ross made the first American flag.
Stars and Stripes: The Story of the American Flag

Bright, child-like illustrations and a straightforward text invite readers to take a look at what daddies do. They work, they teach their children different things, and they love to “hug and kiss you!” Its companion, The Mommy Book (opens in a new window), is equally appealing.
The Daddy Book

A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus. This holiday classic earned a Caldecott Medal.
The Polar Express

Stella and her brothers speak Spanish at home but English at school. Being different is both scary and exciting. Stella learns this when she prepares for the school’s celebration of May Day. She finds a way to honor her Mexican background by wearing a special skirt that is both alike yet different from the other girls’. Stella, like many children, can take pride in being part of two cultures. (In English sprinkled with Spanish).
The Rainbow Tulip

José lives in a diverse neighborhood where he’s just as likely to hear Spanish, English, or Chinese. The appealing photographs in this book document José’s life at home, at school, and on the streets of his colorful barrio in San Francisco, a city that is a dynamic mosaic of different cultures. Available in a Spanish.
Barrio: José’s Neighborhood / Barrio: El barrio de José

Share the five days of Carnaval revelry — beginning with the lengthy preparations in Olinda, a northeastern Brazilian city. The book features stunning photographs and crisp text, handsomely formatted.
Carnaval

Caren and her family prepare for the festival of San Juan de Dios in Tultepec, a Mexican town noted for its fireworks. Full color photographs and lively text capture many aspects of this exciting tradition.
Fiesta Fireworks

Full color photographs and informative text introduce four Hispanic holidays that are celebrated in the United States, including the Day of the Dead and Las Posadas. Each celebration is photographed in a different U.S. city.
Fiesta U.S.A.

After the soldiers come, Papa tells his family that they must leave everything behind and set sail for America. The journey across the Caribbean is dangerous and long, and our narrator and his little sister keep asking — just how many days is it to America? Prolific children’s author Eve Bunting, herself an immigrant from Ireland, shares the story of a new generation of pilgrims who are willing to risk their lives to look for freedom in America.
How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story

What do the colors, sights, and spectacle of a powwow mean to a present-day boy? A contemporary powwow transforms Anthony Standing Rock from a modern kid in a t-shirt to a powerful dancer at this Crow gathering in Montana.
Powwow

Mr. and Mrs. Moose invite all their animal friends for Thanksgiving dinner. The only one missing is Turkey. They set out to find him, not realizing that Turkey is quaking with fear because he thinks his hosts want him on their table, not at it.
A Turkey for Thanksgiving

Something peculiar is going on in the village of Mud Flat today. Mr. Duffy has disappeared in a puff of green smoke, and Brian woke up with his head on backward. Doris is greeted by a singing tree, and poor Lila sniffs a rose that promptly squirts her in the eye. What is this strange brand of spring fever?