Category: Empathy

Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali Italy’s Secret Hero

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Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested.

To the entire world, Gino Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But Gino’s greatest achievement was something he never told a soul—that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle.

This compelling nonfiction picture book for elementary-age readers offers a unique perspective on World War II history. It’s a strong choice for units on the war and for biographies of lesser-known heroes in history and in sports.

Nonfiction

AR Point .5

Word Count 1129

Reading Level 4.2

Empathy, Courage

The Eternal Soldier: The True Story of How a Dog Became a Civil War Hero

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During the Civil War, Sallie came to the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry as a gift from a townsperson, but she quickly became a favorite among her men. She marched with them from battle to battle, always guarding the unit’s colors, and even met President Lincoln. And over three long days at the battle of Gettysburg, Sallie stayed with the dead, guarded their bodies, and nearly died herself from hunger and thirst as the conflict raged on. Though she fell in battle, her loyalty was rewarded years later when her men met again on the battlefield at Gettysburg to erect her likeness in bronze so that she might eternally guard them. This beautiful story about a dog’s dedication and loyalty shows that bravery comes in all shapes and forms!

Effort, Courage, Kindness, Teamwork, Adaptability, Perseverance, Trustworthiness, Leadership, Responsibility, Patience

Nonfiction

New or Not Yet Leveled

The Lion and the Bird

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A lion finds a wounded bird in his garden and decides to care for it through the winter. When spring arrives, the bird’s flock returns and the bird goes off with them. Lion is sad, but autumn brings a wonderful surprise.

Kindness, Empathy

Fiction

AR Reading Level 1.1

AR Point .5

Word Count 142

My Rows and Piles of Coins

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The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins for a red and blue bicycle. How happy he will be when he can help his mother carry heavy loads to market on his very own bicycle–and how disappointed he is to discover that he hasn’t saved nearly enough! Determination and generosity are at the heart of this satisfying tale that captures the warmth of Saruni’s family and the excitement of market day.

 

Initiative, Critical Thinking-Problem Solving, Effort, Empathy, Patience, Responsibility, Self Control, Gratefulness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.8

AR Point .5

Word Count 1256

Boxes for Katje

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After World War II there is little left in Katje’s town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom “thick and bright,” Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje’s street to deliver a mysterious box – a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What’s inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks – beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.

This inspiring story, with strikingly original art, is based on the author’s mother’s childhood and will show young readers that they, too, can make a difference.

Empathy, Kindness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.5

AR Point .5

Word Count 1585

Leah’s Pony

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Leah’s pony was swift and strong. Together they would cross through cornfields and over pastures, chasing cattle as they galloped under summer skies. Then came the year the corn grew no taller than a man’s thumb. Locusts blackened the sky. The earth turned to dust. Gone were the cornfields and pastures where Leah and her pony once rode. It was the beginning of the great drought. Now Leah’s papa faced losing the family farm. Set in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, this deeply felt story, vividly portrayed through stunning oil paintings, tells of one child and what she would sacrifice for love of her family.

Courage, Critical Thinking-Problem Solving, Empathy, and Kindness

Fiction

AR Reading Level 3.3

AR Point .5

Word Count 1333

Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution

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Squirrel knows that New Year’s Day is a great day for making resolutions! But what does it mean to make a resolution, anyway? As she makes visits around the forest she learns about New Year’s resoltuions and helps her friends get started on theirs. If only she can think of a resolution of her very own…

Kindness, Empathy, Optimism, Excellent Attitude, Critical Thinking-Problem Solving

Fiction

AR Reading Level 2.5

AR Point .5

Word Count 802

George Washington and the General’s Dog

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Boom! Bang! Guns fire! Cannons roar! George Washington is fighting in the American Revolution. He sees a dog lost on the battlefield. Whose dog is it? How will it find its master? Early readers will be surprised to find out what happens in this little-known true story about America’s first president.

Empathy, Fairness, Kindness, Leadership, Responsibility, Trustworthiness

Nonfiction

AR Reading Level 2.5

AR Point .5

Word Count 719

A Hat for Mrs. Goldman – A Story About Knitting and Love

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Mrs. Goldman always knits hats for everyone in the neighborhood, and Sophia, who thinks knitting is too hard, helps by making the pom-poms. But now winter is here, and Mrs. Goldman herself doesn’t have a hat—she’s too busy making hats for everyone else!

It’s up to Sophia to buckle down and knit a hat for Mrs. Goldman. But try as Sophia might, the hat turns out lumpy, the stitches aren’t even, and there are holes where there shouldn’t be holes. Sophia is devastated until she gets an idea that will make Mrs. Goldman’s hat the most wonderful of all.

Readers both young and old will relate to Sophia’s frustrations, as well as her delight in making something special for someone she loves.

Empathy and Critical Thinking-Problem Solving

Fiction

AR Reading Level 2.7

AR Point .5

Word Count 794