Author: Stephanie Affinito

I’ve always known what I’ve wanted to be when I grew up since I was very small. I remember lining up my dolls to read to them and making my friends sit through hours of imaginary school lessons after our real day was complete. I didn’t know how or why, but I just knew I… Continue reading Dressing Up the Stars by Jeanne Walker Harvey

Notebooks have always been a part of my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a notepad close-by. My grandmother even had special notepads made for me with my name printed at the top. I treasured them.  At first, these notebooks were places to jot down ideas, make lists and doodle. But… Continue reading The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border by Stephen Briseño

I have a list of books tucked into my notebook that I keep close to my heart: books that I’ve hugged as soon as I’ve turned the last page. These books have touched me so viscerally and powerfully that I literally did not want to let them go and therefore, I hugged them.  This book… Continue reading The Road to After by Rebekah Lowell

Oh, this book will have your heart.  Every Little Kindness by Marta Bartolj is a strikingly beautiful book with a big message, all without a written word to be found on the page. This wordless picture book does not need text to take readers on a powerful journey of kindness. The beautiful images moving from… Continue reading Every Little Kindness by Marta Bartolj

I usually choose the next book I want to read and share with teachers and students, but this book chose me. I was leaving the Children’s Department of my local library where Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Troubles was on display. The brightly colored cover and spirited animals on the front caught my eye and… Continue reading Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Troubles by Ashlyn Anstee