We Belong
I've seen many questions on social media, asking which books teachers will read aloud to their classroom during the first week of school. I don't teach in a classroom but I've thought about this question anyway.
diversity
Good Luck Gold & more
This book will make you feel, many different feelings. It is filled with poetry and a short essay about the poem on the facing page. There are two or three questions at the bottom of each essay that encourage digging deeper ... into your own experience.
Peace Books
We're publishing a list of some of the more recent books about peace and conflict resolution, as annotated by Carol Spiegel, a long-time K-8 educator.
We Are the Future
We Are the Future: Poems with a Voice for Peace is impossible to read without being deeply moved by the open hearts and minds of refugee and immigrant youth in the Seattle area, guided by poets and teachers Merna Hecht and Carrie Stradley.
The Alchemy of Fry Bread
Bread brings people together. The ingredients in bread are so elemental. When combined with love, they nourish and sustain a people. At the center of a gathering, at the center of a culture is a foundational grain that sustains life—naan, tortilla, rice, ugali, injera, and fry bread to name a few. Food, then, is a bridge between worlds.
Yasmin
Once I finished reading Yasmin the Zookeeper, I was charmed. I wanted to find out more about this young Pakistani American girl who is curious about everything.
Native Realities
A literary superhero himself and an indigenous legendary comic creator, a proponent of Native Pop Culture, and creator of a new Native publishing venture, I am excited to introduce to you Dr. Lee Francis IV and his publishing house, Native Realities.
What kind of press is this? Think Comics, books, interactive. Native American authors and artists. Think Indigenous Comic Con.… more
Penny Candy Books
Imagine walking into an old-time dry-goods store. Hear the wooden floor squeak. Peer through the glass case at the wondrous display of penny candy. Close your eyes and taste your favorite … root beer barrels, red-wax lips, ropes of red licorice.
Instead of sugary sweets, Penny Candy Books offers a selection of books that delight, engage, and challenge. … more
Pie and Gratitude
November is a month of gratitude — and, for us, a month to celebrate Pie. We all have a favorite. Many of us have childhood memories of good times and pie. We all wait for the days when we can eat pie for breakfast. So we two thought this would be the perfect month to look at picture books about pie.… more
Do Over
The notion of a “do-over” is alive and well on school playgrounds across the country. Ask any recess supervisor and they will confirm this. You hear it being requested on four-square courts, under basketball hoops, and on football fields… “Awwww, that should be a do-over!” Kids know that sometimes you just need another chance to get it right.… more
Windows, Mirrors, Sliding Glass Doors, and Maps
“There seems little chance of developing the humility so urgently needed for world coöperation, instead of world conflict, as long as our children are brought up on gentle doses of racism through their books.” —Nancy Larrick
“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” —… more
Books for My Grandbaby and Me
It’s no secret that I am a big fan of books and reading. I am actually an even bigger fan of babies. I am instantly smitten. I can think of nothing better than cuddling an infant, blanketed by that new baby smell, reading to an audience of one. You can imagine how thrilled I am to announce that there’s a new baby in town!… more
Dear Peacemakers
In recent weeks, we’ve had many requests for books about anger and fear and conflict resolution.
I was immediately reminded of an excellent resource published in 2010 called Book by Book: an Annotated Guide to Young People’s Literature with Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Themes (Carol Spiegel, published by Educators for Social Responsibility, now called Engaging Schools).… more