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March 3: I like Orca Books Publishers and this looks like another great title.
The ritual of sitting shiva is a seven-day period of mourning for the death of a family member observed in Jewish homes. I don't know much about this tradition, so this book could be a way to introduce this to students.

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The Secret Pocket, Peggy Janicki (2023). Orca Books. 

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The Secret Pocket, Peggy Janicki (2023). Orca Books. 

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March 3: The true story of how Indigenous girls at a Canadian residential school sewed secret pockets into their dresses to hide food and survive.

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Can You Believe it? How to Spot Fake News & Find the Facts, Joyce Grant (2022). Kids Can Press (Canadian)

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Can You Believe it? How to Spot Fake News & Find the Facts, Joyce Grant (2022). Kids Can Press (Canadian)

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This looks like a great non-fiction title for the elementary classroom on such an important topic. Critical media literacy is part of our Language Arts Curriculum and should be integrated across the curriculum, not just in stand-alone media literacy units.

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March 3: This was just recommended to me by a librarian. It's not a children's book, but looks like a great teacher resource. It contains tips and resources to facilitate developmentally appropriate conversations on diversity. It is from the U.S. context, which could be a limitation in that we need to translate suggestions into our own contexts.

Description: This book includes 45 complete lessons plans around children's books: prompts and recommended stopping points for conversation; suggestions for inspiring discussion and scaffolding deep thinking.

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Graphic Novel (Fiction) --El Deafo, by Cece Bell

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Graphic Novel (Fiction) --El Deafo, by Cece Bell

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Feb. 7 - When looking at which graphic novels to read next, I realized that even though I know a lot about it through student work in Teacher Ed., I still haven't actually read this wonderful book, myself. It was published in 2014.

The main character, Cece shows us what it is like to navigate being deaf in a world where most of us take hearing for granted. I like seeing a girl depicted as superhero. This book could be used in the classroom to open conversations on difference. The illustrations are as engaging as the story!

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Feb. 7 - Graphic novels for younger readers have been proliferating the past few years. Thank goodness! They offer visual support and a layer of interest that many of our students need and enjoy. I would like to read more titles in this genre. I plan to share this with teacher candidates to introduce global perspectives into the curriculum.

Omar Mohamed's graphic memoir (published in 2020) tells about his often painful memories growing up in the Kenyan refugee camp, Dadaab, after he and his brother leave Somalia because of war.  He describes his daily life in the camp.  Victoria Jamieson is the illustrator, and judging by the cover, this looks like a gorgeous book. There is also a backmatter section that includes photos and an epilogue.

There is an official trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/111ztD-2QaU

Read Aloud on YouTube (by chapter):
https://youtu.be/vbPZnzLkCiM

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Feb 5 - I am trying to branch out from my love of picture books. This is a wonderful book, which is a simple novel consisting of a series of free-verse poems.

Description: "Love That Dog shows how one boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack's point of view, and with classic poetry included in the back matter, this novel is perfect for kids and teachers, too.

Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, won't stop giving her class poetry assignments—and Jack can't avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns that he does have something to say."

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The Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, brings readers a story with enormous heart. Love That Dog shows how one boy...

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Emmanuel's Dream, Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls

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Emmanuel's Dream, Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls

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Jan 27: As you may notice, this book is mentioned in the Deliman (2021) reading for this week, on picturebooks and critical inquiry. I don't have the hard copy, so viewed this reading on YouTube (Sankofa Read Aloud). Kids love true stories, and this is an inspiring one about about a boy with a deformed leg, who cycles 400 miles across Ghana in 2001 to share a positive message.

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Our Little Kitchen, Jillian Tamaki (Canadian!)

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Our Little Kitchen, Jillian Tamaki (Canadian!)

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Jan 17: A group of neighbours come together to prepare a meal for their community. There is a busy garden, a chaotic kitchen, and a friendly community meal. "Our Little Kitchen is a celebration of full bellies and people looking out for one another." (Anansi Press). The illustrations are wonderful! Tamaki is from Toronto.

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What are your words? A book about pronouns (2021). Author: Katherine Locke. Illustrator: Anne Passchier

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What are your words? A book about pronouns (2021). Author: Katherine Locke. Illustrator: Anne Passchier

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Jan 15: This picture book is K-3. The author and illustrator are non-binary creators. The story introduces pronouns, what they are, and why they are important. Ari and his family walk around their neighbourhood. They meet neighbours and friends, many of whom use a variety of pronouns. Ari introduces everyone. People in the neighbourhood are diverse: they have different abilities, gender presentations, and skin tones. This is a very sweet, inclusive book! I highly recommend this title, which could be used to open discussions about pronouns with kids, parents, and colleagues. 5/5