Discover 15 great books to read with kindergarten through second graders to explore social issues central to their lives. Thematic topics include the give and take of friendship; bullies, pests, and teasing; isolation and reaching out across generations; families, and working together.

Written by renowned experts on using children's literature in the classroom, this book features:

• Comprehensive summaries of the books
• A variety of group activities for increasing understanding
• Questions and topics for prompting good discussions
• Lists of thematically-related stories

Also included are general guidelines for using literature in the classroom, facilitating good book discussions, and choosing meaningful related activities.

"An extremely useful book! After 15 years in the classroom, I discovered lots of new books plus some great activities and ideas for sparking lively discussions."
— Terry Kayne, 1st/2nd Grade Teacher