The Best Graduation Gifts

By Holly E. Newton

The end of the school year connotes graduation time, celebrating many different levels of school completions. Books, as always, are the perfect gift and help commemorate this important event in a young person¹s life. Here is a list of some outstanding picture books celebrating the graduate.

For the younger reader celebrating a change in schools, here is a simple tale about judgment.

Zen Shorts, by widely acclaimed author Jon J. Muth, is a story that involves three tales. Three children become friends with a giant panda. He imparts a clever story for each child. One of the tales expertly demonstrates how we need to forgive. A young monk criticizes an older monk for carrying an unappreciative traveler over rain puddles, as he says, "She didn't even thank you!" The wise older man replies, "I set the woman down hours ago." The older monk was able to forgive and forget, while the young monk was still learning this lesson of forgiveness.

Another perfect book for the younger child is This Little Light of Mine. This picture book is based on the familiar song of the same title and is illustrated beautifully by the acclaimed E. B. Lewis. The words of the song describe how the light from within will shine on and on. But, the pictures tell much, much more. A young boy sees another youngster sitting alone, appearing dejected as he is slumped with his head in his hands. As the song progresses throughout the book, the boy invites the sad fellow to join his friends and before long a smile shines through the sad face. This book will surely strike a chord with all ages!

Sometimes it's the wordless books that seem to have the greatest message. Home, by Jeannie Baker, shows the progress of life through an open window. Ms. Baker has small remnants of a girl's life on the windowsill, displaying her growth though the years. For instance, the book begins with congratulations for the birth of a baby girl. Through the window, you see the proud parents in their back yard holding this new baby. There are older looking vehicles on the street beyond the yard. Several pages later, there's the girl as a teen putting makeup on in a mirror that's sitting on the windowsill. Beyond the yard is a full garden and beyond that newer looking cars on the street. There's much to observe and reflect on one's own growth throughout the years.

Sometimes biographies are the perfect inspiration for graduates. Walt Whitman: Words for America, by Barbara Kerley, is a look into the life of one of America's best and most famous poets. His poetry reflected the feelings of our country during the tumultuous Civil War. I found it fascinating that when Walt was young, he loved words and loved to read. He was always writing down feelings and expressions in his little notebook. In the Author¹s Note located in the back of the book, he states that when he was eleven years old, he was given a library card. Later he added, it was ³...the signal event of my life up to that time." Brian Selznick beautifully illustrated the pictures throughout the book, and he studied many historical documents and locations to accurately reconstruct this amazing poet¹s life.

Here is a perfect companion to Walt Whitman¹s biography. When I Heard the Learn¹d Astronomer is a wonderfully illustrated book by Loren Long, based on Walt Whitman¹s famous poem. This poem celebrates the amazing imagination that is budding in all of us. The incredible pictures take you to a young boy's experience as he ponders life and the stars, ³In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.²

Mother Teresa, by award winning Demi, is an inspirational account of one humble woman serving those much less fortunate and extremely poor. This incredible woman gave all that she had throughout her life. Included here is wisdom that we can glean from her: ³Life Is An Opportunity --Avail It. Life Is Beautiful --Admire It. Life Is A Challenge --Meet It. Life Is Costly --Care For It. Life Is A Promise --Fulfill It. Life Is Sorrow --Overcome It. Life Is Too Precious --Do Not Destroy It.²

And lastly, here's a book celebrating and exploring the endless possibilities of life. Imagine a Day, by Sarah L. Thompson, and creatively illustrated by Rob Gonsalves, will spark your imagination --beyond imagination. ³Imagine a day Š when a book swings open on silent hinges, and a place you've never seen before welcomes you here.² Give a great gift to your graduate. Give a book to inspire, motivate and celebrate!

Visit Holly's Web Site!

Remember your Grad but don't forget Dad! One click gets you access to all the best Father's Day gift ideas on the web.
Click here for great Father's Day Gift Ideas!

1. Sandia — New Mexico Student Internship Programs
... Housing | Events Calendar | Symposium ... Form (Word doc) Sandia/NM Student Internship ... the summer (local high school and college ... students upon graduation. Graduate programs ...
http://www.sandia.gov/SIP/index.html

2. ASM Student News & Events
... to locate in NM in order to supply ... the flyer. High Desert Venture ... Services Anderson School of Management ... turned in your graduation application ... recruiting event calendar, interview ...
http://news.mgt.unm.edu/student/

3. Utah State University - Admissions Office
Index Directories Calendar Libraries ACCESS Webmail ... Student Life Graduation Guarantee Honors ... MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC ... Information Current High School * Year of High ...
http://www.usu.edu/admissions/request-info/

4. Eddie Mac RoadNotes
... I started teaching an after school band class for about 25 ... We were riding a termendous high but we agreed a break from the ... me crash on your couch. Hope graduation went well. Iowa city with ...
http://www.eddiemac.com/update.htm

5. Menaul School
... then select graduation. Welcome to ... Community! Calendar of Events View ... He is also the high school drama club ... attended Menaul School from 1997-2000 ... NE Albuquerque, NM 87107 Ph: 505-341 ...
http://alumni.menaulschool.com/

6. Fishing Report
... a regular part of my calendar. Anyway, I had to ... down on the SJ River in NM. Andy continued to ... fish again after my high school reunion but I ended ... and niece’s graduation in CA. The river ...
http://www.fly-fish.com/oldreport.html

7. MHS - Courses
... Aide Speech Calendar Course Listings ... is owed "NC" and "NM" GRADES need to be ... being truant on school grounds it is ... of Contents GRADUATION Students who ... for a Madison High diploma (50 ...
http://mhs.d321.k12.id.us/Courses.htm

8. Mission San Jose High School ::: Fremont, CA :: School Calendar 2005-2006
... Archives School Calendar 2005-2006 Highlights ... BB: MSJ @ NM TV: MSJ @ NM BT: MVAL 27 BV: AHS ... NCS BB: NCS 28 29 No School Memorial Day 30 BB ... 14 Finals 15 Finals Graduation @ TAK 16 17 18 ...
http://www.msjhs.org/calendar.html

9. Open Positions
ACLAM Home Bylaws Calendar Constitution Contacts Committee List ... VMD from an AVMA accredited school, licensure to practice ... to researchers to insure a high quality of animal care and use ...
http://www.aclam.org/gen_openings.html

10. NCCEP | News from the Field
... Albuquerque, NM - October 28, 2004), A ... required for high school graduation. Signs Point ... for Ashe middle-school, ASU students. To ... What's New(s) Calendar | Update Contact ...
http://www.edpartnerships ...5/News_from_Field.htm

11. College of Visual Arts : Admissions : Catalog Request
... News & Events Details Calendar Admissions Admissions ... MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD ... E-mail Address High School Year of Graduation Semester and Year ...
http://www.cva.edu/admissions/catalog_request.htm

12. OIT News
... accessing your calendar. If you still ... s Wharton School into oil ... Los Alamos, NM where he performed ... laptop computer), high speed Internet ... required for graduation or a major, or ...
http://www.umbc.edu/oit/news/archives/news/

13. Seagoat road show
... to find me, the following calendar may be helpful. I won't ... PA, XML 2003 Albuquerque, NM, DLF Forum Philadelphia, PA ... Tucson, AZ, Sabino High School graduation San Juan, PR, SSA ...
http://www.seagoat.net/Company/calendar.htm

14. ACTC
... on a quarter-system calendar). The rest of the ... the period of one school year, exclusive of ... UNIVERSITY Azusa, CA High Sierra Program began ... www.byu.edu/honors Graduation from the Honors ...
http://www.coretexts.org/great_books.htm

15. Welcome to the StarTalkers archive with StarIQ founders Rick Levine and Jeff...
... the rest of the calendar year, including ... the season with a high level of ... 30th in Santa Fe, NM. And, as usual ... Kepler College Graduation. Students will ... House Astrology School in Buenos Aires ...
http://www.stariq.com/sta ...tartalkers-listen.htm

16. Higher Education -activities_general
... State - LA State - NM State - OK State ... EE - Research Calendar EE-Link ... Masters provides high quality exam ... the 2002-2003 school year. http://www ... 3-19-2001 Graduation Pledge for ...
http://eelink.net/highere ...tivities_general.html

17. CILT - 21st Century Diverse Pathways to the High School Diploma News and Ove...
... LITES | Contact LITES | Calendar | Site Map News & Overview ... staff gather input on high school graduation requirement reform ... 476-0265 gcummings@ped.state.nm.us MENU ITEMS Resources ...
http://nmlites.org/info/21stcentury/index.html

18. Scholarship Programs for Entering Freshmen
... Calendar Scope ... NM resident graduated from a NM High School and enrolled at NMT ... immediately following High School Graduation or GED completion and ...
http://www.nmt.edu/prospective/admin/sch/gold.htm

19. Pomona College : Athletics : Prospective Athlete
... MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI ... Mater Occupation HS Graduation 2002 2003 2004 2005 ... and years played in high school: Event(s)/Positions ... Campus News Campus Calendar Admissions Explore ...
http://www.pe.pomona.edu/recruit.shtml

20. Brightwing RV
... Divide and arrived in Bloomfield NM exhausted at 4:30 p.m. and ... did not happen when the calendar said it should. We jumped ... Gregory Stone's high school graduation on the 28th. Grandpa ...
http://www.brightwingrv.com/blogger/blogger.html

21. Stay In Touch
... MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD ... High school Undergraduate Parent Graduate International Year of Graduation ... Arts Other: Comments: Calendar | Course Information ...
http://www.summer.ucla.edu/AboutSS/stayintouch.cfm

22. ABQjournal: Education
... Classified Ad| Want Ads| NM Jobs| Autos| Real ... APS 2005-2006 Calendar Aug. 9-10 ... 40M for New High School(Friday, August 5 ... August 5, 2005) APS Graduation Rate Up a Bit to 52 ...
http://www.abqjournal.com ...ation/default.htm?mdr

23. The Beverly Hills Courier, powered by LocalToolbox - Serving: Beverly Hills,...
... students achieve high school graduation and access to and ... November Events Click on the calendar above to view events. Hotel ... ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN ...
http://tbhc.ltbx.net/comm ...0ec08b600dc66633cb0e4

24. The BAAC education faculty
who we are calendar classes galleries giftshop ... on the wheel. After graduation, she apprenticed ... photography while in high school. He has taken ... Chicago, and Santa Fe NM. He is represented by ...
http://www.artlives.org/faculty.html

25. Service-Learning Colorado: Resources
... Service-Learning High School ... requirement for graduation (one state ... states -- MS, NJ, NM, VT) Training ... criteria for school-wide programs ... Partners | Calendar | National ...
http://www.cde.state.co.u ...earning/resources.htm

26. Education & Certification > Schools > Approved Schools > List
forum | store | calendar | classifieds ... leading to graduation. (EC)= Evening ... 200 Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 888 ... Iverson Business School & Court ... Longview 300 S. High Street Longview ...
http://www.ncraonline.org/pd/schools_listing.htm

27. FLTEACH FAQ - Classroom-Management
... a heart around the date of a calendar I have posted for each class ... of 5 hearts. This is for high school students who "love" it ... Jack Yerby <snjyerby@arriba.nm.org> Subject: BELL WORK ...
http://www.cortland.edu/f ...sroom-Management.html

28. What a Character! -- "Z" items in stock (page 1)
... almost like a high school yearbook's ... s pale blue-grey graduation gown. Overall, this item is in NM to NM+ condition. COST = $23 ... standing beside a calendar. The bubble caption ...
http://www.whatacharacter.com/t-z/z--page1.htm

29. FBA Leadership
... 1966. Following graduation from Frostburg ... Bar Association to high schools, colleges ... completing law school, Matthew served ... CIRCUIT CO, KS, NM OK, UT, WY D ... Welcome | Hot | Calendar | CLE | The ...
http://www.fedbar.org/leaders.html

30. E-News: Resources, News, and Information on Secondary Education and Transiti...
... October 19, 2005 Albuquerque, NM This day-long institute will ... students to graduate from high school, prepare for college, and ... and Accountability on Graduation Requirements and Diploma ...
http://www.ncset.org/brow ...from=other&overflow=0

31. 2005-2006 Calendar
... Council Seniors & Graduation Transcript Requests ... Members:If you have calendar events that you ... Staff Inservice - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS 10/11 ... Edwina Lieb 2595 10/26 NM High School Competency ...
http://www.lahs.laschools ...ars/0506calendar.html

32. NMRHS Project Graduation
... History Event Calendar Sponsors FAQs ... Middlesex Regional High School Project Graduation ... Support Project Graduation. . . you can order Clothing with an NM logo ! This Page Last ...
http://www.nmiddlesex.mec.edu/~projectgrad/

33. ENMU-R News Releases
... ENMU-Roswell after high school graduation. Players can call ... Relations PO Box 6000 Roswell, NM 88202-6000 (505) 624 - 7000 1 ... Phonebook | Future Students | University Calendar | Visitors
http://www.roswell.enmu.e ...ns/newsreleases.shtml

34. On-line Inquiry - Athletics - Southern Vermont College - Bennington Vermont
... Library Home > Library Calendar > Library Directory > ... MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD ... Female High School: *High School Graduation Year: *College ...
http://www.svc.edu/athletics/inquiry.html

35. Registrar - 2002 NMMI Catalog Intro
... Quick Links Master Calendar Admissions ViewBook ... entities. High school graduation ... elsewhere, meet NMMI graduation requirements or are ... College Blvd. ï Roswell, NM ï 88201-5173 ï 505-622 ...
http://www.nmmi.edu/reg/cat_start.html

36. The Mother Road: Historic Route 66: Guest Book 1997
... 12, 1997 Paul R. Couzens Gallup, NM USA I live in one of the many ... did Route 66 upon graduation from high school in 1928. He is 86 ... ESCAPE SITE. LOVED THE l996 CALENDAR--COOLEST CARS I'VE EVER SEEN ...
http://www.historic66.com ...book/guestbook97.html

37. McNeese State University
... MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI ... Name of High School: Year of Graduation: (yyyy ... Secondary Education School Counseling Sociology ... Blackboard | Calendar of Events Faculty & ...
http://www.mcneese.edu/infoform/

38. Watsonville Digital Bridge Academy: Next Steps
... CA Dept of Ed || Calendar of Education ... is in Albuquerque, NM, Mar 9-12, 05 ... Skills Seminar." High School Journal ... in Latino School Engagement ... A. Improving Graduation Outcomes for ...
http://www.topsy.org/WDBANextSteps.html

39. The Norwood Post - Local news
... exposure/experience in preparation for graduation, post-high school endeavors and ... ... Farmington High School Spanish teacher and head girlíÙs basketball coach in Farmington, NM. I ...
http://www.norwoodpost.com/

40. Homeschool Support Groups - Homeschooling on a Shoestring
... through high school graduation. Located in ... is an inclusive home school support group, open ... classes, event calendar, summer park days ... in New Jersey from NHEN. NM Information and ...
http://www.homeschoolingo ...om/supportgroups.html

41. Community Employment | Student Services| Prescott College
... Calendar Calendar of Events Check ... & Documents Graduation Information ... School and Mile High Middle School, on ... to and from work/school/ community ... SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. 505-262 ...
http://www.prescott.edu/s ...vices/employment.html

42. Education | www.azstarnet.com ®
... BUSINESS EVENT CALENDAR SPORTS UA SPORTS ... MI MN MS MO MT NE NH NJ NM NV NY NC ND OH OK OR PA ... mechanics won't help a high school senior pass the ... Tyler... School notes Guitar graduation The first ...
http://www.azstarnet.com/education/

43. Schedule a Visit
... Links---- Academic Calendar Catalogs & Schedules ... Services 2005-'06 Graduation Information ... MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI ... Male Female I am a: high school student college ...
http://www.umary.edu/UM/Admissions/ScheduleaVisit/

44. Pharmacy Alumni - College of Pharmacy - University of Arizona
... EMPLOYEES NEWS CALENDAR College of Pharmacy ... CA After my graduation in 1955, I worked ... moved to Santa Fe, NM. They ve been there ... Longview and teaches high school English at Kelso ...
http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/alumni/notes.php

45. HillZoo.com: On the Hill Jobs
... students receiving school credit as well as ... and long-term calendar. Responsibilities ... well as demonstrate a high degree of academic ... credit toward graduation for your service ...
http://www.hillzoo.com/?s=jobs

46. high school research papers -- high school research papers
... Public High School Graduation. Washington, DC ... com/ Amy Biehl High School: 3rd House ... In Depth Our New School Calendar Contact Us ... two ... http://abhs.k12.nm.us/stu ...ousehum ...
http://www.buyresearchpap ...schoolresearchpapers/

47. Crummer Alumni Search
... Events Calendar - Register to ... another 20 high-end luxury ... two weeks after graduation. Alyssa ... The Garvin School of International ... Corporation in NM. Scott Trombino ...
http://www.crummer.rollin ..._in_touch/notes.shtml

48. Promotional Items Imprinted, Custom Promotional Products, Personalized, Cust...
... Calculators, Calendars, Calendar Pads, Camcorders, Cameras ... college jewelry, signet rings, school jewelry, jewelry boxes ... new years decorations, graduation decorations, birthday ...
http://www.promotional-items-imprinted.com/

49. Presque Isle High School Class of 1985 :: PIHS Class of 85
... 26 PM Presque Isle High School Class of ... Gallery Event Calendar Class Registry ... I only went to school with you in 1985 ... of 1984). Since graduation I completed a ... in Albuquerque, NM. I have 2 horses ...
http://www.pihs85.com/

50. Schedule a Visit Online
... here to view the campus visit calendar. The earliest I can arrive ... NH NEW JERSEY - NJ NEW MEXICO - NM NEW YORK - NY NORTH CAROLINA ... High school name High school graduation year Select year 2009 ...
http://www.missouristate. ...sit/schedulevisit.asp

51. Internet Infidels News wire--stories for region Florida
... bibles 2004-05-12 FL: High school senior charged ... tries to secularize calendar 2003-10-26 FL ... court again upholds graduation prayer 2001-05-13 ... at school events (scroll down past NM story ...
http://www.infidels.org/wire/states/FL.html

52. Guest Book
... a junior at Crosby High School and I am searching ... You guys sent me a calendar for 2003 which was ... Well wish me luck on graduation as I wish you the ... visit campus, I live in NM. 1/9/2003 9:40:34 PM ...
http://www.newmanu.edu/guestbook.asp