Month: February 2020

Sala’s book dedication reads, “For my mother, whose door is always open, whose table is always full.” This serves as the prelude to a beautiful book about bringing people together to share a meal. Lead by the smells of cooking wafting from the windows, the text offers a peek inside each inhabitant's unit of a… Continue reading What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street? by Felicita Sala

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story written by Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal is a book to love and read over and over again. This is the story of American Indians embracing not only the making of fry bread but all that it symbolizes. The first time I read this book… Continue reading Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

I’ve got my pencil,  I’ve got my paints, I’ve got my dreams.  I am a writer, a creator, A game changer, A wall changer. In their book, Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community, author, Susan Verde and illustrator, John Parra create a story that shows the power of art, and the power of… Continue reading Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community

by Kat Zhang & illustrated by Charlene Chua Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is a zesty story about the perfect recipe for perseverance. Chinese-American Amy Wu loves her family tradition of making bao together almost as much as she loves eating them. Amy becomes frustrated when she struggles to make bao that look as… Continue reading Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

Here in the midwest, we are anxiously awaiting spring and The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine is a great book to help us think about the possibilities of spring.  I was so excited to discover Randi Sonenshine is a middle school literacy coach and this is her first picture book.  Maybe this book… Continue reading The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine

Sports of the Paralympic Games by Aaron Derr was published in 2020 as the next installment of the Gold Medal nonfiction collection.  A Teacher's Thoughts: As an educator, especially one who offers access to the world through a classroom library, I know representation matters. Three years ago when I returned to the classroom I realized… Continue reading Sports of the Paralympic Games

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXRp2iQkG0o Skype Magic By Kate Narita As a teacher, my most memorable, pleasurable moments are when magic happens in the classroom. You know what I’m talking about. Those rare times when everything is in sync, and transcendence occurs in a roomful of people. Transcendence. That’s what happened when I read Bear Needs Help by Sarah… Continue reading Bear Needs Help by Sarah Brannen

Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson It's difficult to narrow my comments about Carter Reads the Newspaper to a short blog.  If you asked me  the title of my #1 coaching book,  this is it.  This book has a lot: picture book biography, amazing book for black history month, narrative arc, and author's craft. … Continue reading Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson

“Life at home was no bushel of peaches either.”  “It was plain as the ears on a mule that he was born to ride.” “He took flight and kissed the ground.” Filled with sayings and phrases from the Old West, Let ‘Er Buck! tells the true story of George Fletcher, a black cowboy in Pendleton,… Continue reading Let ‘Er Buck! George Fletcher, the People’s Champion

The pictures are really detailed and beautiful! - Third GraderYou can do anything if you put your mind to it - with a friend. - Third GraderWoah, can you collect sunset?! - Third Grader Deborah Marcero's In a Jar celebrates how we collect memories with those we love. What if you could capture a perfect… Continue reading In a Jar by Deborah Marcero

As soon as I read Melissa Quimby’s post on December 19th, I knew how I would organize my 10 for 10 Nonfiction Picture Book Collection. Each Monday in Melissa's class, she reads a picture book biography aloud for #MeetSomeoneNewMonday. Here are ten picture books of inspirational people I want students to meet: Hector: A Boy, A Protestor,… Continue reading The 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge #NF10for10

Written by Roda Ahmed Illustrated by Stasia Burrington In our classroom, every theme with space and planets is always successful. The children get very excited and we can keep them engaged. With Mae Among the Stars it was no different. This book teaches three important lessons: There is nothing wrong with daydreaming. Dream big and… Continue reading Mae Among The Stars

Second Graders loved the characters in this sequel to "I'm Bored", which included the same girl and beloved potato. The flamingo in "I'm Sad" allowed students to see that sometimes leaning into the sadness is the best way to navigate your feelings. Students responded to the text by writing about their favorite characters, the author's… Continue reading I’m Sad by Michael Ian Black

Like the roots of most trees, our roots are often invisible to those around us. Yet, they are the very core of our being. Diaz and Espinosa’s work capture this truth. The main character of Islandborn is Lola, a child of Dominican origin, who seeks to find out just where her roots are buried. Too… Continue reading Islandborn by Junot Diaz and Leo Espinosa

A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is a vivid and concise retelling of the events that led up to Dr. King’s momentous I Have A Dream speech. Wittenstein and Pinkney give the readers a behind the scenes look into the night before the big speech. The illustrations and time… Continue reading A Place to Land

Meet Norris and Elba. Maybe Tomorrow by author Charlotte Agell is one of my favorite titles of the year. You can imagine my delight when I learned that Charlotte was a Maine author and educator. Maybe Tomorrow is the story of Elba, a hippopotamus who carries around a heavy block. And it's the story of… Continue reading Maybe Tomorrow by Charlotte Agell