Ada, Alma Flor.
My Name is Maria Isabel.
Atheneum, 1993.
4–5 CB

María Isabel reveals her true feelings to her classmates and to her teacher through an essay.

Lester, Helen.
Listen Buddy.
Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
K–1 PB

When a rabbit named Buddy doesn’t listen carefully, he finds himself in big trouble!

Lester, Helen.
Hooway for Wodney Wat.
Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
K–1 PB

Wodney Wat gains enough confidence to speak up so that his classmates can hear him.

Lobel, Arnold.
Frog and Toad Together.
HarperCollins, 1972.
2–3 PB

Two close friends use excellent speaking-up and listening skills to keep their relationship strong.

MacDonald, Alan.
Snarlyhissopus.
Tiger Tales, 2002.
K–1 PB

Pelican’s news gets misinterpreted as the message gets passed from animal to animal.

McCully, Emily Arnold.
The Bobbin Girl.
Dial Books for Young Readers, 1996.
4–5 PB

A young girl shows the courage to speak up for her beliefs while she works at a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830’s.

Medearis, Michael.
Daisy and the Doll.
Vermont Family Folklife Center, 2000.
3–5 PB

Daisy never paid attention to the fact that she looked different from the other children at school, until events unfold around a poetry contest. Daisy deals with reality in a courageous way and speaks her mind before an assembled audience.

O’Neill, Alexis.
Loud Emily.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998.
2–3 PB

Emily uses her talent for speaking loudly to shout out orders on a whaling ship.

Pinkwater, Daniel.
The Big Orange Splot.
Scholastic Inc., 1977.
2–5 PB

Mr. Plumbean paints his house to look like his dreams and convinces his neighbors to do the same.

Polacco, Patricia.
Mrs. Katz and Tush.
Bantam Doubleday, 1994.
2–5 PB

A young boy uses good listening skills to befriend an elderly woman.

Rathmann, Peggy.
Officer Buckle and Gloria.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995.
2–4 PB

Students don’t show their best listening skills during Officer Buckle’s safety talks, until Gloria, a police dog, joins the officer on stage.

Saltzberg, Barney.
What to Say to Clara.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1984.
K–2 PB

A boy wants to speak to a new girl in his class, but he can’t find the words. Finally he works up the courage to speak up.

Sharmat, Marjorie.
A Big Fat Enormous Lie.
Dutton Children’s Books, 1978.
K–5 PB

A boy’s lie becomes a huge monster and shrinks only when the boy tells the truth.