Terri Kelley

Have you ever lived near a train crossing or railroad track? If you have, then you probably can relate very well to this story. A little girl tells about how bad it is to live near the train tracks especially when the government requires the train whistles to be blown at every crossing. Her family is upset over their beautiful home being polluted by the railroad. The only solution offered by the railroad and the government costs over a half-million dollars to make the necessary changes for a "quiet-zone", something that most small towns like hers cannot afford. This is a great book about the rights of citizens.

Sometimes, the things that a child hears about himself or herself is confusing to him or her. That is the case with the young boy in Almond Eyes. As a young child, he is constantly told that he has "beautiful Almond Eyes". He doesn't understand what this means until he asks his mother. She explains that his eyes are shaped like almonds because he is Korean. The boy then notices the different eye shapes of all of his friends. This is a wonderful book about celebrating the differences among friends.