CHARLIE MAY SIMON READING LIST The Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award for children's literature has been presented annually since 1971 to an author whose book has been selected through a vote taken by Arkansas school children in grades four, five and six. The purpose of the award is to promote better reading for children and to recognize Mrs. John Gould Fletcher, an outstanding Arkansas author who wrote under the pen name Charlie May Simon.

JACK PLANK TELLS TALES by: Natalie Babbitt Pirate Jack Plank is let go from the only job he's ever known. Left in Jamaica with a small bag of gold coins (so he can get a fresh start), Jack finds shelter in a boarding house, where he befriends owner Mrs. DelFresno, her daughter Nina, and the other boarders. Nina and the other boarders try to help Jack find a new profession, but each time someone suggests a job Jack responds with one of his many high-seas adventure stories. Jack's pirate stories whisk Mrs. DelFresno, Nina, and the other boarders away to exotic tropical beaches and dark angry seas -- places where magic is possible and danger lurks around every corner. Through a process of elimination and careful evaluation of Jack's talents, the group eventually comes up with the perfect job for their highly entertaining friend.

NO TALKING by: Andrew Clements Dave's fifth grade class is called "The Unshushables" by their teachers because of their constant talking. His grade is also unusually immature when it comes to boys and girls getting along with each other. When Dave reads that Gandhi didn't talk for one day each week, he is intrigued and decides to try it out himself. But he only makes it until lunch before getting into an argument with Lynsey, the leader of the girls, and they end up making a bet: two days of no talking, boys against girls. Whichever side talks less, wins. Not talking, though, is harder than it seems, and has all sorts of unintended consequences -- including a confrontation with the principal, who has been trying to get them to stop talking for years.

Many Rides of Paul Revere by: James Crossin Giblin Paul Revere is commonly remembered in the Longfellow legend of his Midnight Ride before the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. In this bright, informative biography, Giblin follows Revere's life from his humble beginnings as a French immigrant's son to his work as a silversmith and a horse messenger amid the mounting pressures of revolution. In precise, accessible prose, Giblin chronicles Revere's daring acts -- both the famous and the overlooked. Along the way, he portrays a brave, compassionate, multitalented American patriot. Paul Revere had a wide range of activities: Besides being a rider for the Revolution, he was a famed silversmith, engraved cartoons and paper money, and practiced dentistry. He was an early American manufacturer, and his silver business is still thriving today. Connections to contemporary times can be drawn from his being the son of a French immigrant, and from his activities in the American insurgency against Britain in the Revolution. James Cross Giblin's major awards include:

HOW TO SAVE YOUR TAIL by: Mary Hanson How does a cookie-baking Rat named Bob save his tail from being gobbled by two hungry cats? By serving them cookies and telling them fantastic fairy tales about his family, of course. There's the story about great-grand uncle Mustard who upgrades his family to a lovely three-bedroom brick house. (All's well until some wolves with snout- warts show up.) And there's the one about how starving Grandma Lois was forced to take a job spinning straw into gold. (Impossible to do... until a hairy chimney troll comes along.) With allusions to classic fairy tales, plus a storytelling rat to rival Scheherazade, this book—which also includes black-and-white illustrations, a family tree, and a map of Bob's neighborhood—is sure to hold both cats and kids captive.

EDWARD’S EYES by: Patricia MacLachlan Jake is a part of an extraordinary family. He has a life filled with art, music, and long summer nights on the Cape. He has hours and days and months of baseball. But, more than anything in this world, Jake knows he has Edward. From the moment he was born, Jake knew Edward was destined for something. Edward could make anyone laugh and everyone think. During one special year, he became the only one in the neighborhood who could throw a perfect knuckleball. It was a pitch you could not hit. That same year, Jake learned there are also some things you cannot hold.

A FRIENDSHIP FOR TODAY by: Patricia McKissack The year is 1954, the place is Missouri, and twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history. She is one of the first African American students to enter the white school in her town. Headstrong, smart Rosemary welcomes the challenge, but starting this new school gets more daunting when her best friend is hospitalized for polio. Suddenly, Rosemary must face all the stares and whispers alone. But when the girl who has shown her the most cruelty becomes an unlikely confidante, Rosemary learns important truths about the power of friendship to overcome prejudice.

LAWN BOY by: Gary Paulsen One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more.... One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold. If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.

RICKSHAW GIRL by:Mitali Perkins Naima excels at painting the traditional alpana patterns with which Bangladeshi women and girls decorate their homes for holiday celebrations. But she wishes she could help her father earn money like her best friend helps his family by driving his father's rickshaw. When Naima's rash efforts to help put the family in deeper debt, she draws on her resourceful nature to use her talents and follow the changing model of women's roles in Bangladesh.

THE WEDNESDAY WARS by: Gary D Schmidt Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood has a tough year ahead of him. First of all, his teacher Mrs. baker, keeps giving him the evil eye. Second of all, the class bully keeps threatening to do Number 167 (and you don't even want to know what Number 167 is). Third of all, his father keeps calling him the Son Who is Going to Inherit Hoodhood and Associates. But things are changing, and while reciting his favorite curses from Shakespear's plays, Holling might just find the true meaning of his own story.

EGGS by: Jerry Spinelli Eggs is a quirky and moving novel about two very complicated, damaged children. David has recently lost his mother to a freak accident, his salesman father is constantly on the road, and he is letting his anger out on his grandmother. Primrose lives with her unstable, childlike, fortuneteller mother, and the only evidence of the father she never knew is a framed picture. Despite their age difference (David is 9, Primrose is 13), they forge a tight yet tumultuous friendship, eventually helping each other deal with what is missing in their lives.

FEATHERS by:Jacqueline Woodson Nobody knows what to make of the new boy in Frannie's class. Not only does he look different, but he's kind to everyone, he refuses to fight, and he doesn't even seem to mind when the other kids nickname him Jesus Boy. But as winter progresses, Frannie realizes that she's starting to see a whole lot of things in a new light: her brother's deafness, her mother's fear, her friend Samantha's faith, their classmate Trevor's anger, and her own desire for hope—"the thing with feathers." And it's all because of Jesus Boy's differences... and his friendship.

Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Reading List Children in grades 4-6 should vote on these titles by April Children must have read or heard at least three of the books from this list in order to be eligible to vote. Babbitt, Natalie. JACK PLANK TELLS TALES. Scholastic, Gr.2-6. ISBN: $15.95 Clements, Andrew. NO TALKING. Simon & Schuster, Gr.3-6. ISBN: $16.99 Giblin, James Cross. THE MANY RIDES OF PAUL REVERE. Scholastic, Gr ISBN: $17.99 Hanson, Mary. HOW TO SAVE YOUR TAIL. Random House, Gr.2-5. ISBN: $15.99 MacLachlan, Patricia. EDWARD’S EYES. Atheneum, Gr.4-6. ISBN: $15.99 McKissack, Patricia. A FRIENDSHIP FOR TODAY. Scholastic, Gr.5-8. ISBN: $16.99 Paulsen, Gary. LAWN BOY. Random House, Gr.4-7. ISBN: $12.99 Perkins, Mitali. RICKSHAW GIRL. Charlesbridge, Gr.2-5. ISBN: $13.95 Schmidt, Gary D. THE WEDNESDAY WARS. Clarion, Gr.5-8. ISBN: $16.00 Spinelli, Jerry. EGGS. Little, Brown, Gr.4-8. ISBN: $15.99 Woodson, Jacqueline. FEATHERS. Putnam, Gr.4-7. ISBN: $15.99