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The World’s Loneliest Elephant by Ralph Fletcher

The World's Loneliest Elephant: Based on the True Story of Kaavan and His RescueBy: Ralph FletcherIllustrated by Naoko Stoop The World's Loneliest Elephant, written by Ralph Fletcher and illustrated by Naoko Stoop, is a beautiful narrative nonfiction story. The book spans the life of a bull elephant named Kaavan, who came to live a rather… Continue reading The World’s Loneliest Elephant by Ralph Fletcher

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The Tale of the Mandarin Duck By Bette Midler and Photos by Michiko Kakutani

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

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Not Little By Maya Myers Pictures By Hyewon Yum

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

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Little People, Big Dreams: Greta Thunberg By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

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

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Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose By Lauren Tarshis and Illustrated by Lisa Bronson Mezoff

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

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Listen Written by Gabi Synder and Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

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

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Trying, Written by Kobi Yamada and Illustrated by Elise Hurst

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

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Pip and Egg by Alex Latimer and David Litchfield

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

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When Grandfather Flew by Patricia MacLachlan

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

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My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness By Georgia Heard

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

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Dreams for a Daughter by Carole Boston Weatherford

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

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Little People, Big Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr.

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.