Can We Help?: Kids Volunteering to Help Their Communities

Gr 1–4—With service learning projects in elementary schools on the rise, this title would be a good one to share with children who are considering the options. Through beautifully crisp and colorful photographs and explanatory narrative, Ancona shares a variety of endeavors that children have undertaken in his Southwestern community, such as knitting hats for homeless people; sorting, packing, and delivering food for a food bank; picking up trash; and mentoring younger students. The kids' determination, passion, and commitment comes through in the photos, while the text explains what they are doing in accessible but not overly simple descriptions. Teachers looking to begin a service project might want to start here as a way to introduce the topic and inspire children to think of the possibilities. This title could also be used as a model/mentor text for creating a classroom book to document children's projects