Little Read Lakeshore

The Little Read Lakeshore  is connected to but separate from the Big Read Lakeshore program.

2019 Book

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!

by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Available in both English and Spanish

La Paz is a happy, but noisy village. A little peace and quiet would make it just right. So the villagers elect the bossy Don Pepe as their mayor. Before long, singing of any kind is outlawed. Even the teakettle is afraid to whistle! But there is one noisy rooster who doesn't give two mangos about this mayor's silly rules. Instead, he does what roosters were born to do. He sings: "Kee-kee-ree-KEE!"Find the Book

Previous Books

2018

Middle-Grade Book

The Giver

Lois Lowry

This 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.

Elementary School Book

Blackout

John Rocco

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

2017

 

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow

Amy Lee-Tai

Under the harsh summer sun, Mari’s art class has begun. But it’s hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows — especially a place like Topaz, the internment camp where Mari’s family and thousands of other Japanese Americans have been sent to live during World War II. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface — in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Mari’s parents, and in the smile of a new friend. Amy Lee-Tai’s sensitive prose and Felicia Hoshino’s stunning mixed-media images show that hope can survive alongside even the harshest injustice.

2016

 

I’m New Here

Anne Sibley O'Brien

Three students are immigrants from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia and have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English in their new American elementary school. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their home country, language, and identity.

2015

Tuesday Tucks Me In

Luis Carlos Montalván and Brett Witter

As narrated by Tuesday, Tuesday Tucks Me In is a day in the life of this service dog extraordinaire and tail-wagging ambassador for all things positive and uplifting in the world. The book takes us through a typical day of adventures, starting with Tuesday waking Luis in the morning and greeting him with dog breath in the face, and then ending with Tuesday cuddling up to Luis on their bed, the last moment they spend together before sleep.

About the Program

The Little Read Lakeshore program brings together young readers and their families, along with other adults invested in the literacy lives of children, around one book for the purposes of reading, discussing and exploring the humanities themes of the book. We actively work to offer a wide variety of programming during our focus month that will appeal to a diverse population and that will attract children, families and community members. Main events and book discussions take place in a variety of spaces and locations and are planned to engage the chosen book and its topics from a variety of perspectives, experiences and angles, including not only lectures by engaging speakers, but also featuring film, food, music and art. 

The Little Read Lakeshore also collaborates with area preschool and elementary schools along with the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District and Allegan Intermediate School District to engage students in the reading and discussing of the chosen book in classroom settings. We provide participating schools with a unique opportunity to interact with a world-renowned author and/or participate with guest speakers and performers to better understand the book and its humanities-based topics and themes. Specifically, the goal of our work with area schools is to promote and support the literate lives of young readers.