Tallahassee: A City That Reads - Book List
January - Martin Luther King, African Americans, Winter
Elementary
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
- Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
- Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo
- Dare to Dream by Angela Shelf Medearis
- A Picture Book of Martin Luther King by David A. Adler
- Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
Secondary
- A Dream of Freedom by Diane McWhorter
- Separate Fountains – Patti Wilson Byars
- Fredrick Douglass Fights for Freedom by Margaret Davidson and Douglas T. Miller
- I Have a Dream by Margaret Davidson
- Words that Built a Nation by Marilyn Miller
February - Black History, American Government and President's Day
Elementary
- Rosa by Bryan Collier
- The Trouble Begins by Linda Himelblau
- Dinosaurs: Encyclopedia Prehistorica by Robert Sabuda
- Abe Lincoln Remembers by Ann Turner
- A Friendship for Today by Joni R. Bodart
- Back to the Day Lincoln was Shot by Beatrice Gormley
- The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
- House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes
- Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray
- Teammates by Peter Golenbock
Secondary
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
- Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By by Sharon Robinson
- Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists by Tonya Bolden
- William Grant Still: African-American Composer by Catherine Reef
- The American Heritage Illustrated History of the Presidents by Michael R. Beschloss
- Crossing Jordan by Adrian Fogelin
- Photo by Brady: A Picture of the Civil War by Jennifer Armstrong
- The Color of Water (A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother) by James McBride
March - National Women's History Month, Read Across America
Elementary
- Babymouse: Queen of the World! By Jennifer L. Holm
- The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter
- Sensational Trials of the 20th Century by Betsy Harvey Kraft
- Marvin K, Mooney Will You Please Go Now! By Dr. Seuss
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
- Abigail Adams by Alexandra Wallner
Secondary
- Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made A Difference by Joyce Hansen
- Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX, the Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal
- Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America by Rebecca Carroll
- Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl by Tonya Bolden
- Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement by Zita Allen
- Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life by Candace Fleming
April - Tallahassee History Month to compliment Springtime Tallahassee, Relationships
Elementary
- Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman
- Images of America, Tallahassee by Erik T. Robinson
- Postcard History Series, Tallahassee by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly
- Crossing Jordan by Adrian Fogelin
- Anna Casey's Place in the World by Adrian Fogelin
Secondary
- Tales of Historic Tallahassee by Henry Cabbage
- Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth by James Cross Giblin
- The Live Oak Trail by Carolyde O'Bryan
- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
- African American Education in Leon County 1865-1968 by Althemese Barnes
May - Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, Older American Month
Elementary
- Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds by Julia Durango and Linda Sue Park
- Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein by Marfe Ferguson Delano
- Nicholas bye Rene Goscinny
- The Girl from Chimel by Rigoberta Menchu with Dante Liano
- Kamishibai Man by Allen Say
- Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems by Beckie Prange
- So Far From the Sea by Eve Bunting
Secondary
- Altogether, One at a Time by E. L. Konigsburg
- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
- Victory Garden by Lee Kochenderfer
June - Summer Vacation, Travel, Cities
Elementary
- Star Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust by April Pulley Sayre
- Walter Was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- Whales on Stilts by M.T.Anderson
- The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
- Swimmy by Leo Lionni
- Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
Secondary
- Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
- The Legend of the Wandering King by Laura Gallego Garcia
- Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
- You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day by Mo Willems
- Welcome to Wahoo by Dennis and Elise Carr
July - American History Month
Elementary
- Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day by Jean Van Leeuwen
- Whittington by Alan Armstrong
- The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden
- The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands by Sneed B. Collard
- The Game of Silence by Louise Erdich
- Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II by Marisabina Russo
- When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
- The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
Secondary
- I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African-American Poetry
- Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman
- Day of Tears: A Novel Dialogue by Julius Lester
- Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker
August - Florida History, Poetry
Elementary
- Queen Sophia Hartley by Stephanie Greene
- A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy
- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
- Florida Lighthouses for Kids by Elinore DeWire
- You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman
- S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet by Carol Crane
- The Real Mother Goose
Secondary
- A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
- A Maze for Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye
- Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
- Poetry for Young People: American Poetry by John Hollander and Sally Wern Comport
- An American Mosaic: Prose and Poetry for Everyday Folk edited by Robert Wolf
- The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury by Jack Prelutsky
September - National Hispanic-Latino Month, World Themes, Grandparent's Day
Elementary
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- Siesta by Ginger Foglesong Guy
- Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas by Cynthia Rylant
- Poems to Dream Together/Poemas para sonar juntos by Francisco X. Alarcon
- Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates by Jonah Winter
- The Hello, Goodbye Window by Chris Raschka
- Zen Shorts by Jason J. Muth
Secondary
- The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales
- Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
- Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
- Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher
- Hans Christian Andersen: his Fairy Tale Life by Hjordis Varmer
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
October - National Disability Employment Awareness, Fall, Halloween and Scary Novels
Elementary
- Clara and Asha by Eric Rohmann
- BFG by Rald Dahl
- Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
- Goha and the Wise Fool by Denys Johnson-Davies
- Precious and the Boo Hag by Patricia C. McKissack
- Poems about Fires and Warmth by Marilyn Singer
- A Girl Named Helen Keller by Margo Lundell
- What is Wrong with Timmy by Maria Shriver
Secondary
- Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach
- The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber
- The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson
- Off Track: When Poor Readers Become Learning Disabled by Louise Spear-Swerling and Robert J. Sternberg
- Animal Helpers for the Disabled by Deborah Kent
November - National American Indian Heritage Month, Children's Book Week, Thanksgiving
Elementary
- Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora
- Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman
- When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest
- Buffalo Hunt by Russell Freedman
- American Indian Families by Jay Miller
- Legend of the Indian Paintbrush – Tomie dePaola
- The Pilgirms First Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
- The Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Secondary
- Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
- Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell
- Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell
- American Indian Children at School, 1850-1930 by Michael C. Coleman
- 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neil Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac
December - Holiday/Seasonal Books, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah
Elementary
- The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
- Kibitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda Told Me by Simms Taback
- Let's Get Ready for Kwanzaa by Joanne Winne
- The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie DePaola
- Let's Get Ready for Hannukkah by Joanne Winne
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
- Arthur's Perfect Christmas by Marc Brown
- When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Joanne Rocklin
- I like Winter by Lara Artis
Secondary
- Kwanzaa by Dana Meachen Rau
- Diwali – Hindu Festival of Lights by Diane M. MacMillan
- The Seven Days of Kwanzaa by Angela Shelf Medearis
- Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
- An Early Winter by Marion Dane Bauer
- Eastern Sun, Winter Moon by Gary Paulsen