Town Values | January | Equal Opportunity
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Plainfield, Indiana Community Values Awareness
Equal Opportunity is defined as "Permitting equal participation
and choice in employment and other areas regardless of race, religion,
sex,
age, or mental or physical disability if otherwise qualified."
Amazing Grace, Mary Hoffman. E FIC Hof
Grace ignores her classmates and gets the role of Peter Pan in the school
play, discovering that she can do anything she sets her mind to do.
Be What You Want to Be! The Complete Dress-Up and Pretend Craft Book,
Phyllis Fiarotta. J 745.5 Fia
More than 200 craft projects to make props for role playing many occupations.
Brand New Kid, Katie Couric. E FIC Cou
Lazlo, who has just moved to the United States from Hungary, is ostracized
at school until two girls have the courage to befriend him.
The Bully of Barkham Street, Mary Stolz. J FIC Sto
Martin Hastings, the bully of the block, didn't care if he had any friends.
Large, unattractive and mean, Martin was hateful, irresponsible, and very
lonely. Martin eventually knew his life had to change, and some of those
changes had to come from within himself.
A Century of Immigration, 1820-1924, Christopher Collier. J 304.87 Col
Discusses the economic, social, and religious reasons why immigrants,
predominantly from northern Europe, and then from eastern and southern
Europe, came to the United States. Considers incidents of prejudice experienced
by these immigrants as well as contributions made by those of immigrant
background.
The Chinese Helped Build America, Dorothy Dowdell. J 301.45 Dow
Describes the Chinese immigrants' efforts, from their arrival in the United
States during the 1850's gold rush, to overcome prejudice and hardship
to make valuable contributions to America's cultural heritage.
The Christmas Menorah: How a Town Fought Hate, Janice Cohn.
J 305.8 Coh
Describes how people in Billings, Montana joined together to fight a series
of hate crimes against a Jewish family.
The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the
World, Nina Jaffe. J FIC Jaf
Stories, collected from around the world, in which a character faces a
problem situation which requires that he make a decision about what is
fair or just.
A Different Kind of Sister, Pamela Reynolds. J FIC Rey
A thirteen-year-old girl discovers she can learn many things about life
from her retarded older sister, who she feared would alienate her friends
and ruin her chances to ride in the horse show.
Dulcie Dando, Soccer Star, Sue Stops. E FIC Sto
Dulcie, a talented soccer player, proves that girls are just as capable
as boys when she's given a chance to play on the school team during a
big game.
Ecidujerp Prejudice: Either Way It Doesn't Make Sense, Irene Fandel Gerston.
J301.45 Ger
Discusses the types of prejudice, their causes and effects, and methods
of combating them.
Fat Chance, Claude Joan Lowery Nixon. E FIC Nix
A zany Texas couple, Shirley and Claude, grow up and meet on the wagon
train to the gold mining hills of Colorado, where they choose the same
claim.
The Friendship, Mildred Taylor. J FIC Tay
Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly black man and
a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s.
The Frog Who Wanted to be a Singer , Linda Goss. E FIC Gos
The birds are the only animals who sing in the forest, but a frog with
a powerful desire to make music gets his chance.
The Great Debate, Thomas L. Tedrow. J FIC Ted
Laura Ingalls Wilder faces her husband's displeasure and the town's prejudices
when she advocates voting rights for women.
I am Rosa Parks, Rosa Parks. J 921 Parks
The black woman whose acts of civil disobedience led to the 1956 Supreme
Court order to desegregate buses in Montgomery, Alabama, explains what
she did and why.
Jackaroo, Cynthia Voigt. J FIC Voi
When hard times among the People revive the old stories of the hero Jackaroo,
an innkeeper's daughter follows her own quest to unlock the secret reality
behind the legend.
Just Like Everybody Else, Jim Pierson. E FIC Pie
Grandaddy teaches Derek how to act appropriately around disabled persons. Includes
sections entitled: For the adult using this book, and How to answer children's
questions.
The Long Red Scarf, Nette Hilton. E FIC Hil
After all his female relatives refuse to knit him a scarf as they go about
their business-- driving the cows, building a crib-- grandfather learns
to knit for himself.
The Land, Mildred Taylor. J FIC Tay
After the Civil War, Paul finds himself caught between the two worlds
of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land
of his own.
Life. Is. Not. Fair., Gary Barger. J FIC Bar
Louis and his aunt are startled and upset when a Black family moves next
door to their Kansas City home in 1958, but Louis soon recognizes that
his new neighbor is a more reliable friend than the group of junior high "cools" with
whom he had hoped to be friends.
Mary Church Terrell: Leader for Equality, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.
J 921 Terrell
Simple text and illustrations describe the life and accomplishments of
this civil rights activist.
Mayfield Crossing, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. J FIC Nel
When the school in Mayfield Crossing is closed, the students are sent
to larger schools, where the black children encounter racial prejudice
for the first time. Only baseball seems a possibility for drawing people
together.
Me Too, Vera Cleaver. J FIC Cle
Hoping to expunge neighborhood prejudice and to do something everyone
else has failed to do, a twelve-year-old desperately tries to teach her
handicapped twin.
Never Sell Yourself Short, Stephanie Riggs. J 618.92 Rig
Josh is much shorter than his friends - and always will be - but is still
a typical teenager who likes sports and can't wait to learn how to drive.
Rachel Parker, Kindergarten Show-Off, Ann Martin. E FIC Mar
Five-year-old Olivia's new neighbor Rachel is in her kindergarten class,
and they must overcome feelings of jealousy and competitiveness to be
friends.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor. J FIC Tay
A black family living in the South during the 1930's is faced with prejudice
and discrimination which their children don't understand.
Shoes for Everyone: A Story about Jan Matzeliger, Barbara. J 921 Matzeliger
A biography of the half-Dutch/half-black Surinamese man who, despite the
hardships and prejudice he found in his new Massachusetts home, invented
a shoe-lasting machine that revolutionized the shoe industry in the late
nineteenth century.
The Sneetches and Other Stories Dr. Seuss. E FIC Seu
The Sneetches with stars on their bellies consider themselves to be superior
to those without stars, and treat the non-star-Sneetches terribly. Then,
a fix-it-up chappie changes all the rules with a star-on/star-off contraption.
Some Kids Use Wheelchairs, Lola M. Schaefer. E REA FIC Sch
Simple text and illustrations discuss the challenges of being in a wheelchair,
why some children cannot walk, and how those who use a wheelchair are the same as everyone else at school and at play. Also Some Kids Are Deaf, Some Kids Wear Leg Braces, and Some Kids Are Blind.
Stephen Hawking, Harry Henderson. J 921 Hawking
Describes the life of the renowned theoretical physicist who has taken
the study of cosmology further than most in his field, despite his need
for wheelchair and computer to travel and communicate.
Teammates, Peter Golenbock. J 920 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.
The Three Brothers, Carolyn Croll. E FIC Cro
A farmer looks for a fair way to decide which of his sons should inherit
the family farm.
The Toothpaste Millionaire, Jean Merrill. J FIC Mer
Twelve-year old Rufus Mayflower did not start out to make a million dollars.
That just happened. It all began when he was in the sixth grade and met
Kate Mackinstry. Together with their math classmates, they developed a
cheaper toothpaste and a better understanding of the business world.
The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis. J FIC Cur
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, are drastically
changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
What If You Couldn't ... ?: A Book About Special Needs, Janet
Kamien. J 362.1 Kam
Considers physical, mental, and emotional handicaps and how people deal
with them.
Who Belongs Here?: An American Story, Margy Burns Knight. J 305.89 Kni
Describes the new life of Nary, a Cambodian refugee, in America, as well
as his encounters with prejudice. Includes some general history of U.S.
immigration.
Yo! Yes?, Christopher Raschka. E TOD FIC Ras
Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and
become friends.