Here is a list of some great books to use in the classroom!

Bourgois, P. (2000). Fire fighters. New York: Kids Can Press, Limited.

Students are introduced to the important jobs done by community workers, like fire fighters.  This book is full of facts; however, the facts are made into a story which provides a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of fire fighters.  This book is part of a series and it very informative.

Bourgois, P. (2000). Garbage collectors. New York: Kids Can Press, Limited.

Sam and Mabel are garbage collectors for the neighborhood. Sam picks up the garbage from the curb while Mabel drives the truck. While on their garbage collection route they run into many people and they teach them how to recycle and reuse items that normally they would just throw away.  This book works great if you are discussing recycling and responsibility in the community.

Bourgois, P. (2000). Police officers. New York: Kids Can Press, Limited.

What happens after the police dispatcher gets the call?. The book lets students follow the officers as they investigate a crime, make an arrest, and appear in court. They will learn many things police officers do, from undercover work to FBI investigations across states, and that they do not just arrest people. This book even has a section that informs students of important tips about how to keep alert and stay safe.

Bourgois, P. (2000). Postal workers. New York: Kids Can Press, Limited.

This story describes what goes on behind-the-scenes at a post office.  I thought the book was very informative; it made me realize how much time and effort goes into the mail getting into my mailbox.  I really liked the fact that you could follow a team of postal workers as they process a birthday card, traveling from a mailbox in New York to a doorstep in Oregon. I thought that was neat. 

  Casely, J. (2002). On the town: a community adventure. New York: Harper Collins.

Charlie and his mother walk around the neighborhood doing errands so that Charlie can write in his notebook about the people and places that make up his community.  This book would be good to use to teach students about their surroundings because, the students could go on a neighborhood adventure like Charlie in the book, and find out what makes up their community.

Cronin, D. (2004). Duck for president. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s.

In this book, Duck gets tired of working for Farmer Brown.  Duck is a very ambitious, so ambitious in fact, he is elected President.  This book would be a very neat one to teach civics and government with. 

Decapua, S. (2001). Becoming a citizen. New York: Scholastic Library Publishing.

This book serves as a reminder of everything that is involved in becoming a legal member of a country.  Many of us were born in the United States and have never wanted citizenship in another country, but sometimes we forget that there are people who want to become citizens of our country everyday. This book carefully and clearly guides students through the naturalization process. Some topics covered include responsibilities and privileges of being a U.S. citizen, requirements that must be met, applying for naturalization and a brief overview of the citizenship test people have to take to become a citizen of our country.

Ehlert, L. (2002). Mole's hill: a woodland story. New York: Harcourt.

When Fox tells Mole she must move out of her tunnel to make way for a new path, Mole finds a very unique way to save her home.  Mole loves her burrow near the pond. It's safe and cozy underground, but Fox wants Mole has to move her home to make room for a new path.  Mole had to do some quick thinking and had to do a lot of digging to save it. This book is about a wildlife community; it’s an awesome book.

 Heath, D. (1998). Elections in the united states. New York: Capstone Press.

The fundamentals of the American government are explained in this book. The book covers the history of the group or party, the participants in the process, and the way the system works. This book is very informative.

Kalman, B. (1999). What is a community? from a to z. New York: Crabtree

          Publishing Company.

This informative book discusses the common aspects shared by most communities such as people, culture, government, economy, buildings, services and transportation. It also looks at how communities depend on each other.  This book also reminds children that planet Earth is their most important community, by reminding them to take care of Earth.

Kindersley, B. (1995). Children just like me. Boston: DK Publishing, Inc..

In this book, there are many pictures and wonderful descriptions of homes, schools, family life, and culture of young people around the world.  This book really gives children a chance to see how children live and how life is different around the world.

Rylant, C. (1985). When i was young in the mountains. New York: E.P. Dutton, Inc.

 This book is about a child's life in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. The young girl is living with her grandparents; the grandfather is a coal miner. The story is based on the author's own life and memories of her own happy childhood. It shows what life was like for a child in that environment and the ways of life, such as pumping water from a well.  This book is great for discussing other communities.

Schwartz, D. (1994). If you made a million. New York: Morrow, Williams, & Co.

This book is a must have for teaching economics.  In the book, there are great description of the various forms which money can take, including coins, paper money, and personal checks, and how it can be used to make purchases, pay off loans, or build interest in the bank. The book is really good in the descriptions of how your money grows with interest.

Treays, R. (1999). My street. Boston: Usborne Book.

This book was selected by The Children's Book Council as a 1999 Notable Children's Trade Book. One thing I really like about the book was the fold-out flaps reveal colorful scenes and neat cross-sections of buildings.  There were also maps in front and the back of the book, which would enhance teaching map skills or geography.
 

Yolen, J. (2003). Roanoke: the lost colony. New York: Simon and Schuster

          Children’s.

        This book is really neat because it invites readers to use their detective skills to solve a puzzle from the past. In this book, English colonists at Roanoke vanish sometime between 1587 and 1590, and it’s a mystery of a community that students can have fun figuring out.