Kerascoët is a husband and wife team who created this powerful wordless picture book about a topic that can often be hard to discuss with children: bullying. I Walk With Vanessa became a fast favorite in my kindergarten class as soon as we started reading it together. Each illustration is packed with detail. Children notice… Continue reading I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët
Author: Becca Masse
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
"We listen to Enough again please Miss Masse?" One of my kindergarteners asks with eagerness in her eyes. We have taken to audio recording our read alouds to listen to them during transition times and other times during our day. This idea came at the suggestion of a friend and mentor, Audrey O'Clair, who was… Continue reading I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
"Miss Masse, in Somali, we say 'Kim-ar'." Anzal directs as I begin talking about today's read aloud, Mommy's Khimar. Books like this are a part of our culture in my small kindergarten class in semi-rural Maine. What's amazing about my class is that 11/14 kids speak English as a second language. There are 7 languages… Continue reading Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Ibtihaj Muhammad’s “The Proudest Blue”
"I'm just glad to know we're not the only ones." Abdirizak looked at me with his deep, contemplative eyes as he started to walk out of my classroom. The Proudest Blue, A Story of Hijab and Family speaks to the exciting first day of hijab for Asiya told through the eyes of her little sister… Continue reading Ibtihaj Muhammad’s “The Proudest Blue”
Under My Hijab by Hena Khan
“It’s her, it’s her!” the twins exclaim upon seeing the cover of Under My Hijab by Hena Khan. The girls make an instant connection to our helping buddy who wears a hijab. A seemingly simple moment, a real-life connection; but in reality, it was so much more. Later, after the twins had the book read… Continue reading Under My Hijab by Hena Khan