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The First Blade of Sweetgrass

Picture books and novels by Indigenous authors ABOUT Indigenous people are some of my favorite books to share with students all year long.  The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story by Suzanne Greenlaw, citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and her husband, Gabriel Frey, citizen of the Passamaquoddy Nation, is one… Continue reading The First Blade of Sweetgrass

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I Do Not Like Yolanda

After a week of displaying welcome back to school and other feel good titles on my picture book easel, I put out I Do Not Like Yolanda by Zoey Abbott.  I just let it sit there, unread, staring out into the classroom watching students.  Each day I would head toward the easel, which also has… Continue reading I Do Not Like Yolanda

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The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

Teaching remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging and frustrating, but one thing has remained steadfast—my belief in the power of books to connect. This belief was reconfirmed when I read the picture book, The Arabic Quilt, to my third graders during our morning Classroom Book-a-day. Together, Aya Khalil and illustrator Anait Semirdzhyan tell… Continue reading The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

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Birdsong

Birdsong, by Julie Flett is a beautiful tale of multigenerational friendship and life changes told through the eyes of a child.  The illustrations, also by Flett, enable the reader to feel the tenderness between the characters and to experience their journey of friendship and art, together, through the seasons.   Julie Flett is a Cree Métis… Continue reading Birdsong

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Going Up by Sherry Lee

Going Up by Sherry Lee reviewed by Susan Kennedy As we are going back to school in whatever form that is taking, hopefully we are returning to writing. I love writing with students and hearing them storytell their narrative plans. Returning to school this fall, I hope we'll start with some narratives: small moments, memoirs,… Continue reading Going Up by Sherry Lee

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Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson

Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson An advance copy of this book made it into my hands from our local independent bookstore last spring.  I immediately loved it!  Always on the lookout for a book that fits the complexity we hope for our upper elementary readers without being too mature for them, Some… Continue reading Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson

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A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang illustrated by Seo Kim

"I started my picture with a teardrop. And then I made it splatter like sunshine." At the beginning of October this caught my attention while Twitter browsing: Completely intrigued, I kept reading. And, in true If You Give a Mouse a Cookie form, was led to this: https://lernerbooks.blog/2019/10/a-map-into-the-world-the-story-behind-the-book.html Then this: https://lernerbooks.blog/2019/10/art-director-notes-a-map-into-the-world.html So, I requested A… Continue reading A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang illustrated by Seo Kim

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The King of Kindergarten

The King of Kindergarten “It’s time to start kindergarten, and you know what, kid? You got this! It’s your time to shine and be the King of Kindergarten!”  The King of Kindergarten joyfully written by Derrick Barnes and artfully illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton should be every kindergarten teacher's read during the sparkling-with-opportunity first few minutes… Continue reading The King of Kindergarten