Author: Jessica Carey

This week, I had the pleasure of working in a kindergarten classroom as they launched their writing workshop. I observed them learn to think of ideas and then write their ideas using pictures and even some words. Their teacher taught them how to think about the just right shapes they would need to get their… Continue reading More Than Peach by Bellen Woodard

The Tale of the Mandarin DuckBy Bette MidlerPhotos by Michiko Kakutani The Tale of the Mandarin Duck by Bette Midler and Michiko Kakutani is a tale of modern society. It starts off describing the social beings in a time when "they looked each other in the eye, and pretty much liked what they saw." And… Continue reading The Tale of the Mandarin Duck By Bette Midler and Photos by Michiko Kakutani

In 2019, in a pre-pandemic world, I attended a TCRWP Saturday Reunion Session...in person. How I miss the anticipatory drive into the city, ready for a day of learning that always filled my professional bucket. It was during a session with the lovely and brilliant Shana Frazin that my literacy world kind of expanded. The… Continue reading Read Aloud With Graphic Novels

Not LittleBy: Maya MyersPictures By: Hyewon Yum Not Little, written by Maya Myers and illustrated by Hyewon Yum, is the story of Dot who is small, but mighty. When people around her underestimate her abilities, she likes to prove them wrong. Being small doesn't mean she can't do things like everyone else and she let's… Continue reading Not Little By Maya Myers Pictures By Hyewon Yum

Little People, Big Dreams: Greta Thunberg By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara March is Women's History Month. At our school, each class is choosing a woman that has made an impact on the world to research. They will then create a display to teach the rest of the school about that woman. Soon, our hallways will… Continue reading Little People, Big Dreams: Greta Thunberg By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Only My Dog Knows I Pick My NoseBy Lauren TarshisIllustrated By: Lisa Bronson Mezoff Last week, I attended a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion meeting that a group of parents, from the school that I work for, was holding. It was a lovely meeting and the best word I could use to describe it was human.… Continue reading Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose By Lauren Tarshis and Illustrated by Lisa Bronson Mezoff

Listen Written By Gabi SnyderIllustrated by Stephanie Graegin Close your eyes. Listen. What do you hear? At first, you might just hear noise. But, if you really focus, what sounds do you hear? As I sit here typing, I hear the whir of the refrigerator behind me, the clicking of keys as I type, and… Continue reading Listen Written by Gabi Synder and Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Written by Kobi YamadaIllustrated by Elise Hurst Trying, written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Elise Hurst, spoke to my teacher heart. It especially spoke to my teaching heart in these strange and unusual times, where the obstacles we are all facing sometimes feel insurmountable. ...disappointment hurts. But failure is temporary, and in many ways,… Continue reading Trying, Written by Kobi Yamada and Illustrated by Elise Hurst

Pip and EggBy Alex Latimer and David Litchfield Last month, I shared a vision of comprehension work I can imagine, spanning and strengthening readers across grade levels. Earlier this month, I was tasked with providing professional development for our district's first grade teachers. We have recently implemented an updated version of a popular reading assessment.… Continue reading Pip and Egg by Alex Latimer and David Litchfield

Mel FellBy Corey R. Tabor I've been thinking a lot about comprehension. As a K-5 literacy coach, I get a bird's eye view of our school and this view constantly has me wondering how we can all keep growing together. The last few years, I have noticed more and more kids in our upper grade… Continue reading Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

Our family has been going through a season of loss. I'm sure we aren't alone. Like any situation, happy or sad, we've turned to the world of children's literature to help us navigate tricky situations, big feelings, and to spark conversations. My nine year old daughter has been having a particularly hard time after we… Continue reading When Grandfather Flew by Patricia MacLachlan

Perfectly NormanBY Tom Percival I was first introduced to Perfectly Norman, by Tom Percival, during a demo lesson this summer. A candidate for a kindergarten position shared this story as an interactive read aloud with a group of rising first graders and as soon as the demo was over, I ordered a copy of this… Continue reading Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival

  Today, I found myself covering in a fifth grade classroom. It’s that time of year when the teacher absentee list on a Friday gets pretty long. Luckily, I had a copy of Someone Builds the Dream, written by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Loren Long, with me. When the kids got kind of antsy, I… Continue reading Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long

Starfish By Lisa Fipps Starfish by Lisa Fipps is a book I wish someone had handed me as a child. When my pre-ordered copy finally arrived, my almost nine year old daughter, Wren, got to the book before I even had a chance. At first, I wasn’t sure if the book would be appropriate, but… Continue reading Starfish by Lisa Fipps

My Thoughts Are Like Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness By Georgia Heard Last month, I taught my distance learning first graders a unit on writing poetry. When thinking about where to begin, I went back to my roots, where I really learned about poetry myself. Over ten years ago, when I was a third grade teacher,… Continue reading My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness By Georgia Heard

Dreams for a DaughterBy Carole Boston WeatherfordIllustrated by Brian Pinkney  It’s hard not to think of my three daughters and the women they will become during Women’s History Month. I feel so fortunate to be living in a time where there are so many strong women to serve as examples and role models for my… Continue reading Dreams for a Daughter by Carole Boston Weatherford

The Old Truck By Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey In a world where anything old is easily discarded for a new or improved version, The Old Truck by the Pumphrey brothers is a breath of fresh air. This is a simply told story of a truck that worked "long" on a farm and then "grew… Continue reading The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

Little People, Big Dreams Martin Luther King Jr. Written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara Illustrated by Mai Ly Degnan  This past weekend, I took home a stack of books about Martin Luther King Jr., determined to think about and plan a read aloud for our whole school. Our Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Committee at our… Continue reading Little People, Big Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr.

A New Green Day By Antoinette Portis   Around Thanksgiving, I introduced the idea that our writing can be a gift to my virtual first grade learners. We talked about how we can share our words, wrap them up, and think about people that we share these gifts with. They began writing cards with notes of… Continue reading A New Green Day By Antoinette Portis

At some point during quarantine last spring, my then second grade daughter asked if I could help her find pictures of Misty Copeland for her information chapter book she was working on. As I helped her Google images, I was simultaneously skimming captions to figure out “who is Misty Copeland?” I was admittedly clueless. The… Continue reading Bunheads, by Misty Copeland

Red Shoes Written by Karen English Illustrated by Ebony Glenn Karen English, a Coretta Scott King honoree, recently published a new picture book called, Red Shoes. You may know Karen English as the author of the chapter book series Nikkie and Deja and The Carver Chronicles.  Red Shoes begins as the story of Malika whose… Continue reading Red Shoes, By Karen English

Growing up, my best friend was a big fan of Halloween. Every year, she and her family hosted a big Halloween party, complete with costumes, games, and a trip to a nearby haunted house. I vividly remember standing outside of the haunted house entrance with my friend’s mom, crying as she tried to convince me… Continue reading The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence

Your Name is a Song, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Luisa Uribe, caught my eye months ago as lucky ARC readers shared their love for this beautiful book. When my pre-ordered copy arrived, right on time, I resisted the urge to jump right in, ripping the package open at the mailbox and getting… Continue reading Your Name is a Song