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Read or listen to stories about awesome women and girls - fiction or biographies. Share what you learned with someone in your home.

Check out the Elementary Resource Portal for links to PebbleGo, World Book Kids, and other reliable resources for biographies: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQdGPFdPdWsaO4-vNqBkGuLBXHVpiBcO0cD8sHJByb9ncK9pqFodhLotvA7t3zkIvjPl0C3sSN3vnXs/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g9111e41f9e_0_44

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New Storyteller Thursday: Read, listen to, or watch a video read aloud from a new author whose life experiences are different from yours.

This week: Read or listen to a book by or about a person who has worked for equal rights for women and/or nonbinary people.

Resources:
https://socialjusticebooks.org/womens-history-month-book-every-day/

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/childrens-books-to-celebrate-womens-history-month

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In honor of Women's History Month, each day Social Justice Books is featuring a children's book we recommend to highlight grassroots women's history in the United States.
Find many more titles for children check out the booklist: women's history and women's lives. By Carole Boston Weatherford, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)
We begin the month with Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement about the life of Fannie Lou Hamer. Beautifully written and illustrated, it is one of the too few books about a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement that is not about King, Parks, or Lewis.
By Phillip M. Hoose
Today is the anniversary of the day (March 2, 1955) when in Montgomery, Alabama, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman. This was nine months before Rosa Parks took the same action. Colvin was motivated by what she had been learning in school about African-American history (note this event follows Black History Month) and the U.S. Constitution. Parks knew Colvin from the NAACP Youth Council and was inspired in part to take her action by Colvin. Read more about Colvin in this upper elementary/middle school book and find more resources from Teaching for Change for teaching outside the textbook about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

We also recommend Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement. This picture book biography powerfully tells the story of the murder of Emmett Till and how his mother channeled her grief into acts of resistance against white supremacy.
By Duncan Tonatiuh
This book tells the story of Sylvia Mendez, who was the central figure in the Mendez v. Westminster school desegregation case in California that preceded Brown v. Board of Education. Author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh (we LOVE all his books) tells the story of how Mexican-born Gonzalo Mendez and Puerto Rican Felicitas Mendez challenged the separate and unequal school system in California. The award-winning book highlights the story of parent organizing. Winner of the Pura Belpre Award and the Américas Book Award.
By Katheryn Russell-Brown, Illustrated by Eric Velasquez
This book tells the story of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to the New York state assembly, the first Black woman in Congress, and the first woman and first African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties. Chisholm was an outspoken voice for laws that that helped women, children, students, poor people, farm workers, Native people, and others who were often ignored.

Another book for children about a trailblazing politician is What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton, illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Jordan was the first African American congresswoman to come from the deep South and in 1966, became the first woman ever elected to the Texas Senate.
By Sharice Davids with Nancy K. Mays
This picture book autobiography depicts the life of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas. As Debbie Reese writes in her review, "The article has key words and definitions, realistic steps for you to take with your students as you begin to fill that silent space, and links to resources to help you. Affirming Indigenous Sovereignty (the article) and Sharice's Big Voice can be your starting place to make a difference in what your students learn about Native peoples."

The book's artwork is beautifully illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, an Ojibwe Woodland artist.

What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration, written by Alaska Native Alexis Bunten and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt, Diné (Navajo) of the Kiiyaa'áanii Clan. The book follows Deb Haaland as she becomes the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.

Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich by Annie Boochever with Roy Peratrovich Jr. about Native Alaskans fighting for their civil rights in the 1940s. Read a review by Debbie Reese.

Find more books about Native Americans.
By Gretchen Woelfle, Alix Delinois (Illustrator)
Today marks the anniversary of the horrific SCOTUS ruling in Dred [and Harriet] Scott v. Sandford in 1857 that "Any person descended from Africans, whether slave or free, is not a citizen of the United States, according to the Constitution." (Harriet Scott filed her own case for freedom that was eventually combined with her husband's.) We do not know of a good children's book about Harriet and Dred Scott, so today we highlight Mumbet's Declaration of Independence.

Readers are introduced to Mumbet, a Black woman enslaved in Massachusetts at the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Knowing that the promise of freedom and equality should belong to her as well, Mumbet successfully brought a lawsuit against her owners to be free and chose the name Elizabeth Freeman. We highly recommend Mumbet's Declaration of Independence and we suggest reading it to students of all ages before introducing the Dred Scott decision. It shows that people were appealing to the courts for justice throughout the history of slavery and later Jim Crow - and in some all too rare cases (such as Mumbet's) the courts ruled as they should have - and in others (Dred Scott, Plessy, and many more) the rulings defied the laws of humanity and in fact international human rights laws. Read examples of how teachers used the book in a middle and upper elementary classroom here.

March 6 is Student Activists Day for the Black Lives Matter at School Year of Purpose.
By Lynda Blackmon Lowery, Elspeth Leacock, Susan Buckley
On this anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma (March 7, 1965), we share this book about Lynda Blackmon Lowery, who was jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday in her fight for voting rights. Her story shines a light on young people, local people, and women, too often left out of the master narrative about the Civil Rights Movement. We also recommend Selma, Lord, Se lma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights Days narrated by Sheyann Webb and Rachel West who were 8 and 9 years old at the time. For these books and more on the history of the Selma to Montgomery Marches visit our recommended booklist for teaching about Selma.

To learn about more women in the Civil Rights Movement, read Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC.‬
By Kate Schatz, Miriam Klein Stahl (Illustrator)
On this International Women's Day, we feature Rad American Women A-Z. Written for middle grade, it includes illustrations and short bios of women from each letter of the alphabet from Angela Davis to Zora Neale Hurston. Featured women include blacklisted musical prodigy Hazel Scott, Mexican-American journalist Jovita Idar and transgender performance artist Kate Bornstein. We need children's picture books about each of the women featured in this book, as well.

See related books Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women and Rad Women Worldwide: Artists, Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History.

We also recommend Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Stephen Alcorn (illustrator). Through the stories of ten freedom fighters, including Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm, this book inspires the reader to be courageous and determined in the face of oppression and fear.
By Winifred Conkling
Today marks the anniversary of the 1841 Supreme Court ruling in the Amistad case. Less known is the Pearl incident when in 1848, 77 people in Washington, D.C., made a brave and carefully planned escape from slavery. Tragically, they were apprehended. However, the Pearl became a key event in the fight for the abolition of slavery. We highly recommend this book for middle school to adult. There is also a middle school book on the Amistad, Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad.
By Amy Nathan, Sarah K. Evans (With)
The book of the day is about Pfc. Sarah Louise Keys. On Aug. 1, 1952, Keys traveled from Fort Dix, New Jersey, to her family's home in Washington, North Carolina. During a stop to change drivers, she was told to relinquish her seat to a white Marine and move to the back of the bus. Keys refused to move, was arrested, and eventually, her case was brought before the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Never heard of her? Keys and biographer Amy Nathan tried to share her story, but the publishers said they weren't interested because they already had a book on Rosa Parks, or that Sarah Louise Keys Evans wasn't famous so nobody would be interested. So, Nathan published it herself. This means it gets none of the promotion nor distribution of a commercially published book.

We ask everyone to help spread the word about Take a Seat. And write a letter in the ‪#‎StepUpScholastic‬ campaign. Let them know that our children want to read stories about people who aren't famous, but should be.
By Mary Cronk Farrell
This beautiful book about early 20th-century labor organizer Fannie Sellins begins with her murder by sheriff's deputies, in broad daylight, at the age of 47. No one is prosecuted. Mary Cronk Farrell then jumps back 20 years to trace Sellins' life organizing garment and mine workers. Full of photos and primary documents, Fannie Never Flinched puts Sellins' story in the context of the struggles of workers and the labor movement during the "Gilded Age." As Farrell, a skilled and engaging nonfiction writer, explains in the author's note, during the research for the book she realized that the murder of Sellins is part of a much larger pattern of violence against working people.‬
By Jo Ann Allen Boyce, Debbie Levy
This dramatic story is told by one of the 12 students - Jo Ann Allen Boyce (in collaboration with children's book author Debbie Levy), who desegregated their high school in Clinton, Tennessee, one year before the more well-known Little Rock Nine. To tell the powerful story, the authors use free verse interspersed with quotes from newspapers, white supremacist protest signs, preachers' sermons, and other primary documents from the time. Read a review.

The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield. Lessons on Brown v. Board of Education should not begin with the 1954 Supreme Court decision but, instead, with the decades of activism that led to the historic ruling. And there is no better way to hook students than with the school walkout led by 15-year-old Barbara Rose Johns in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1951.

How Do You Spell Unfair?, the true story of young spelling champion MacNolia Cox, by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison.

March 12 is the anniversary of the Capitol Crawl in 1990, one the most influential protests of the disability rights movement. There is a children's picture book about 8-year-old activist Jennifer Keelan-Chafins who participated in that event.
By Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, Celina Marroquin (Editor)
This book for elementary age children is about Emma Tenayuca, born in born in San Antonio, Texas in 1916. Through her work as an educator, speaker, and labor organizer, Tenayuca became known as "La Pasionaria." From 1934-48, she supported almost every strike in the city, writing leaflets, visiting homes of strikers, and joining them on picket lines.
By Jeanne Theoharis, Adapted by Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert
Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known Americans today, but much of what is known and taught about her is incomplete, distorted, and just plain wrong. Adapted for young people from the NAACP Image Award-winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert shatter the myths that Parks was meek, accidental, tired, or middle class. They reveal a lifelong freedom fighter whose activism began two decades before her historic stand that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and continued for 40 years after.

For younger readers, we recommend Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier. Rosa is one of the very few children's books on the Montgomery Bus Boycott to place the roles of Rosa Parks and Dr. King in the context of a movement with a long history and led by women.

More resources for teaching about Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott are available at our Civil Rights Teaching website.
By Dee Romito
This beautifully illustrated picture book highlights a hidden figure of the civil rights movement who fueled the bus boycotts. It tells the story of Georgia Gilmore and the Club from Nowhere - a grassroots project of maids, service workers, and cooks who provided food and funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Georgia Gilmore was an excellent cook and baker who used her skills to fight injustice. When the citywide boycott began, Gilmore supported the cause using her remarkable culinary ability and creative thinking, along with other women, they sold their food, using proceeds to support many aspects of the boycott.
By Walter Dean Myers, Bonnie Christensen (Illustrator)
Born into slavery during the Civil War, Ida B. Wells fought hard to better the lives of African Americans and women. "I'd rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it has done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I have said." This book follows her life from her schooling, raising her siblings after the death of her parents, to her rise to national fame as a journalist, speaker, and anti-lynching activist. In 1881, Wells refused to move from the ladies' coach on a train, was forcibly removed, then sued the railroad. In 1892 she organized one of the first economic boycotts after three Black men, who owned a grocery store, were murdered by a mob of white men. "This is what opened my eyes to what lynching really was. An excuse to get rid of Negroes who were acquiring wealth and property." Wells fought for the right of women to vote and at the 1913 suffragette march at Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, she sternly refused to march in the separate colored section.

Another great children's book about Ida B. Wells is Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader. This is her true story, as told by her great-granddaughter Michelle Duster and brought to life by Coretta Scott King Award Honoree artist Laura Freeman.
By Connie C. Miller, Steve Erwin (Illustrator), Charles Barnett, III (Illustrator)
For Saint Patrick's Day, the Woman's History Month Book of the Day is the graphic novel, "Mother Jones: Labor Leader." Mary Harris "Mother" Jones learned firsthand about injustice when she was a young girl living in Cork County, Ireland. As the potato blight starved the poor, their landlords exported grain and meat-food that could have prevented those deaths. Learn more.

Her family immigrated to North America in the 1850s. After her husband and four children died from yellow fever, Mother Jones dedicated her life to workers' rights. Jones earned the label "the most dangerous woman in America" by using new organizing strategies that involved women and children in strikes. She organized miners' wives into teams armed with mops and brooms to guard the mines against scabs and staged parades with children carrying signs that read, "We Want to Go to School and Not to the Mines."

We also recommend On Our Way to Oyster Bay: Mother Jones and Her March for Children's Rights. "Troubled by all she had seen, Mother Jones wanted to end child labor. But what could she do? Why, organize a children's march and bring the message right to President Theodore Roosevelt at his summer home in Oyster Bay, of course!" Written by Monica Kulling, with illustrations by Felicita Sala, this nonfiction picture book uses an entertaining story about fictitious characters to bring a real event in history to life.
By Eloise Greenfield, Daniel Minter (Illustrator)
This unique picture book begins with an essay on the history of midwives, written in prose that is accessible to young readers and accompanied by archival photographs. The book then switches to poetry and stunningly beautiful illustrations - with vignettes from lives of midwives during slavery, emancipation, and today. Greenfield closes with a poem about Miss Rovenia Mayo of Parmele, North Carolina, the midwife who "caught" her when she was born.
By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston
Born in California, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was seven years old when her family was forced into the Manzanar internment camp near the Sierra Nevada mountains in Nevada, along with more than 11,000 other Japanese Americans. The memoir describes the Wakatsuki family's strategies for surviving internment and the harmful effects it had on their family.
By Margarita Engle
Today's Women's History Month Book of the Day, in English and Spanish, is about the life of legendary nurse Rosa la Bayamesa during Cuba's long fight for independence in the 19th century. The book includes the seldom told story of the reconcentration camps that led to the death of 400,000 Cubans. Too often, popular knowledge of Cuba begins and ends with name recognition of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Fidel Castro. Spanning the years 1850-1899, Engle's poems tell the story of Cuba's Wars for Independence. Our thanks to Margarita Engle for this and many more invaluable books for elementary and middle school on Cuba, including Drum Dream Girl.
By Janet Halfmann, London Ladd (illustrator)
Lilly Ann Granderson was an enslaved woman born around 1821. After her mother's death, she was sent to Kentucky where the plantation owners' children often played school with Granderson. As a result, she learned to read and went on to teach others in secrecy. After the plantation owner's death, she was sold to a cotton plantation in Natchez, Mississippi, where it was illegal for people who were enslaved to learn to read. Undeterred, Granderson expanded her education efforts.
By Annette Bay Pimentel
In this book, children are taken on Pura Belpré's journey of how she came to be a transformational figure in the library system by pioneering bilingual storytelling and making library services accessible to the Latinx community.
By Erica Armstrong Dunbar & Kathleen Van Cleve
"This book, the young readers' version of Erica Armstrong Dunbar's Never Caught - a 2017 National Book Award finalist in nonfiction - is a welcome, compelling corrective to the whitewashed version of Revolutionary-era history...a story in which the Anglo men were heroes, the black people were nameless, and slavery was simply, unquestionably, The Way Things Were." - Anndee Hochman, Broadstreetreview.com

Born into slavery, Ona Judge made a courageous (and dangerous) escape from the most powerful couple in the country, George and Martha Washington. This is her bold and brave story.
By Ilyasah Shabazz and Renee Watson
In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty's house doesn't quite feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can't shake the feeling that her mother doesn't want her. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.
By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Jade Johnson (Illustrator)
Introduce students to the activism of Clara Luper, an African American high school teacher who organized lunch counter sit-ins for her students to protest segregation in 1958. The narrative functions as a history lesson and as a guide for when and how to challenge injustice (now and with nonviolent direct action). The author does not shy away from describing the humiliating abuse the children suffered during the sit-in. The artist shows images of Black children covered in food while white patrons yell, throw, and shake their fists. The art is simple but stunning.
By Andrea L. Rogers
On this day, the anniversary of the day in 1839 when the Cherokee came to the end of the forced death march from their ancestral home to the Oklahoma Territory, we share Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story. Written by a Cherokee citizen and featuring nonfiction support material, this story explores the tragedy of forced removals following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Facing horrors such as internment, violence, disease, and harsh weather, Mary perseveres and helps keep her family and friends together until they can reach the new Cherokee nation in Indian Territory.
By Vanessa Nakate
In today's book, A Bigger Picture, Vanessa Nakate shares her story as a young Ugandan woman who sees that her community bears disproportionate consequences to the climate crisis. At the same time, she sees that activists from African nations and the global south are not being heard in the same way as activists from white nations are heard. Inspired by Sweden's Greta Thunberg, in 2019 Nakate became Uganda's first Fridays for Future protestor, awakening to her personal power and summoning within herself a commanding political voice.
By Michelle Markel, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)
The book of the day is about Clara Lemlich, born March 28, 1886 in Ukraine who said:

I have listened to all the speakers, and I have no further patience for talk. I am a working girl, one of those striking against intolerable conditions. I am tired of listening to speakers who talk in generalities. What we are here for is to decide whether or not to strike. I make a motion that we go out in a general strike.

Read about Clara Lemlich at Women and the American Story via the New York Historical Society. The profile begins,

Clara Lemlich Shavelson was born in 1886 in Gorodok, Ukraine. She did not receive a formal education because there were no Jewish schools for girls. But Clara did not let this stop her. She borrowed books from neighbors and hid them in her attic. She was fascinated with Karl Marx and communism. By the time she was a teenager, Clara had formed her own beliefs about the challenges of working-class people.

When Clara was 17, her parents decided to move to America and escape the violence against Jews spreading in Europe. Within two weeks of arriving on New York's Lower East Side, Clara was working in a garment factory. Because her father found it hard to find a permanent job, Clara was often the primary breadwinner for her family. Continue reading.
By Leah Henderson, George Doutsiopoulos (Illustrator)
Mamie "Peanut" Johnson was a talented baseball player, but she wasn't welcome in the segregated All-American Girls Pro Baseball League due to the color of her skin. In 1953, she signed to play ball for the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns, becoming the first female pitcher to play on a men's professional team. During the three years she pitched for the Clowns, her record was an impressive 33-8. But more importantly, she broke ground for other female athletes and for women everywhere.

Three women played Negro league baseball (women never played in the white major leagues). You can read about Marcenia Lyle Toni Stone, the first woman to play in the Negro leagues, in Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard.
By Nancy Churnin, Felicia Marshall (Illustrator)
Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gauguin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington, DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all races can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured.

Another wonderful children's book about an artist is Art from Her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter by Kathy Whitehead. Born in 1886 in Louisiana, Clementine Hunter picked cotton on the Melrose Plantation and was a talented artist. She was the first African American artist to have a solo exhibition at the Delgado Museum (now the New Orleans Museum of Art). The book describes how a friend brought Hunter into one of her own exhibits when the gallery was closed because as an African American, Hunter was not allowed to enter.
By Terry Catasús Jennings, Rosita Stevens-Holsey, and Ashanti Fortson (Illustrator)
Pauli Murray was a trailblazer who spent her life fighting for civil rights and women's rights. Writer, lawyer, activist, priest, Pauli was a champion for justice. Her life is immortalized in this riveting biography told in verse.

In searching for the daily title to feature, our Teaching for Change staff face the stark reminder of how many stories remain untold. Last year we were overjoyed to see Carole Boston Weatherford's book on Fannie Lou Hamer. But where are the children's books on Ella Baker, Yuri Kochiyama, Berta Caceras, and countless other women who can inspire and inform our next generation?

The lack of representation is profound. There are a five children's books on Wangari Maathai and one each on Isatou Ceesay and Miriam Makeba, but not one we could find of any other woman of note from contemporary Africa. There is not one children's books about a Central American historic figure (female or male) - despite a large number of children coming to the U.S. from Central America. This is why we are collaborating on the #StepUpScholastic campaign. As one of the largest publishers and distributors of children's books, they need to fill these gaps.

Share our Women's History, Women's Lives list, then visit the #StepUpScholastic campaign to send a message today.

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In honor of Women's History Month, each day Social Justice Books is featuring a children's book we recommend to highlight grassroots women's history in the United States. Find many more titles for children check out the booklist: women's history and women's lives.

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Celebrate storytelling by sharing a family or friends story on the Wines Storycatchers site.

Prompt of the week: What is a story that you and your family or you and your friends enjoy reading or telling together?

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Family story share: Do you prefer the movie/show or the book? Find a story that you can watch and read together and discuss together afterward.

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Sundays are perfect for poetry. Write a poem about something you see in your home or outside your home. Illustrate it and share it with someone special.

Check out some poems for kids from the American Academy of Poets here: https://poets.org/poems-kids

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The following selections of poems are curated around specific themes and are appropriate for young readers.

Find poetry lesson plans, essays about teaching, a glossary of poetry terms, and other educator resources on our Materials for Teachers page. Visit our Poetry for Teens page to find more selections of poems tailored to a high school audience. Encourage students to participate in the Dear Poet project. And, celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day virtually on April 30.

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Poems for Kids - The following selections of poems are curated around specific themes and are appropriate fo

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Ask an elder: Write or call an older relative, friend, or neighbor to ask them to share a favorite childhood story with you.

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Celebrate storytelling by sharing a family story on the Wines Storycatchers site.

Prompt of the week: Ask a grown up - What is a story that you remember reading when you were in elementary school and why do you think it stuck with you?

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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Check out last week's Wines Storycatchers site and listen to the stories shared by Wines community members. Share what you heard with someone who lives wih you.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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New Storyteller Thursday: Read, listen to, or watch a video read aloud from a new author whose life experiences are different from yours.

This week: Read or listen to a book by a storyteller whose skin color is different from yours.

Check out this list of anti-racist children's books:

https://www.theconsciouskid.org/antiracist-childrens-books

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I Am Enough by Grace Byers, illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo

This gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another comes from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo. We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always will, from powerhouse rising star author Tami Charles and esteemed, award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier. Discover this poignant, timely, and emotionally stirring picture book, an ode to Black and Brown children everywhere that is full of hope, assurance, and love. Tami Charles pens a poetic, lyrical text that is part love letter, part anthem, assuring readers that they always have, and always will, matter. This powerful, rhythmic lullaby reassures readers that their matter and their worth is never diminished, no matter the circumstance: through the joy and wonder of their first steps and first laughter, through the hardship of adolescent struggles and the pain and heartbreak of current events, they always have, and always will, matter. Accompanied by illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, All Because You Matter empowers readers with pride, joy, and comfort, reminding them of their roots and strengthening them for the days to come. This book will be released in October 2020. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Sing a Song: How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Keith Mallett

Just in time for the 120th anniversary of the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing"--this stirring book celebrates the Black National Anthem and how it inspired five generations of a family.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

In Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers, one of them the principal of a segregated, all-black school, wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" so his students could sing it for a tribute to Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1900. From that moment on, the song has provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Mothers and fathers passed it on to their children who sang it to their children and grandchildren. It has been sung during major moments of the Civil Rights Movement and at family gatherings and college graduations. Inspired by this song's enduring significance, Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett tell a story about the generations of families who gained hope and strength from the song's inspiring words. Ages 4-8.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho

This lyrical, stunning picture book tells a story about learning to love and celebrate your Asian-shaped eyes, in the spirit of Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, and is a celebration of diversity.

A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.

Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages.

When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling and Aaron Asis

In an evocative picture book brimming with the scents, tastes, and traditions that define a young girl’s summer with her grandmother, debut author Michelle Sterling and illustrator Aaron Asis come together to celebrate the gentle bonds of familial love that span oceans and generations.

For one young girl, summer is the season of no school, of days spent at the pool, and of picking golden limes off the trees. But summer doesn’t start until her lola—her grandmother from the Philippines—comes for her annual visit.

Summer is special. For her lola fills the house with the aroma of mango jam, funny stories of baking mishaps, and her quiet sweet singing in Tagalog. And in turn, her granddaughter brings Lola to the beach, to view fireworks at the park, and to catch fish at their lake.

When Lola visits, the whole family gathers to cook and eat and share in their happiness of another season spent together. Yet as summer transitions to fall, her lola must return home—but not without a surprise for her granddaughter to preserve their special summer a bit longer. Ages 4-8.

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

In 1994, Yuyi Morales left her home in Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn’t come empty-handed. She brought her strength, her work, her passion, her hopes and dreams. . . and her stories. Caldecott Honor artist and six-time Pura Belpré winner Yuyi Morales’s gorgeous picture book Dreamers is about making a home in a new place. Yuyi and her son Kelly’s passage was not easy, and Yuyi spoke no English whatsoever at the time. But together, they found an unexpected, unbelievable place: the public library. There, book by book, they untangled the language of this strange new land, and learned to make their home within it. Dreamers is a celebration of what migrantes bring with them when they leave their homes. It’s a story about family. And it’s a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Beautiful and powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless. The lyrical text is complemented by sumptuously detailed illustrations, rich in symbolism. Also included are a brief autobiographical essay about Yuyi’s own experience, a list of books that inspired her (and still do), and a description of the beautiful images, textures, and mementos she used to create this book. A parallel Spanish-language edition, Soñadores, is also available. Ages 4–8.

Teaching Guide

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

What’s in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be. If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López

A heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone. There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway. Ages 4–8.

Teaching Guide

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

This poem is a love letter to Black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more. Ages 6–9.

Teaching Guide

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

An important book for all ages, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of forty trailblazing Black women in American history. Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of Black history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash. Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things — bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn’t always accept them. The leaders in this book may be little, but they all did something big and amazing, inspiring generations to come. Ages 8–11.

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

In luminous paintings and arresting poems, two of children’s literature’s top African-American scholars track Arturo Schomburg’s quest to correct history. Where is our historian to give us our side? Arturo asked. Amid the scholars, poets, authors, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance stood an Afro–Puerto Rican named Arturo Schomburg. This law clerk’s life’s passion was to collect books, letters, music, and art from Africa and the African diaspora and bring to light the achievements of people of African descent through the ages. When Schomburg’s collection became so big it began to overflow his house, he turned to the New York Public Library, where he created and curated a collection that was the cornerstone of a new Negro Division. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world. Ages 9–12.

My Papi Has A Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there. With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Your Name Is A Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpré Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.
Fry bread is food.
It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.
Fry bread is time.
It brings families together for meals and new memories.
Fry bread is nation.
It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.
Fry bread is us.
It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference. Ages 4-8.

This book was selected for this list by critical Indigenous scholar Dr. Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature.

Teaching Guide

It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad

From beloved team Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad comes a stunning picture book biography that portrays the most moving moments in the life of Gyo Fujikawa, a groundbreaking Japanese American hero in the fight for racial diversity in picture books. Equal parts picture book biography, inspiring story, and a look at racial diversity in America, It Began with a Page is a gem for any book lover, librarian, or child who dares to dream big.

Growing up in California, Gyo Fujikawa always knew that she wanted to be an artist. She was raised among strong women, including her mother and teachers, who encouraged her to fight for what she believed in. During World War II, Gyo’s family was forced to abandon everything and was taken to an internment camp in Arkansas. Far away from home, Gyo worked as an illustrator in New York while her innocent family was imprisoned. Seeing the diversity around her and feeling pangs from her own childhood, Gyo became determined to show all types of children in the pages of her books. There had to be a world where they saw themselves represented. Gyo’s book Babies was initially rejected by her publisher, but after she insisted, they finally relented, and Babies went on to sell almost two million copies. Gyo’s books paved the way for publishers, teachers, and readers to see what we can be when we welcome others into our world. Ages 4-8.

Get to know celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—in the first picture book about her life—as she proves that disagreeing does not make you disagreeable!

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements. Written by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jamey Christoph

His white teacher tells her all-Black class, “You’ll all wind up porters and waiters”. What did she know? Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first Black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was poor and looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed. His success as a fashion photographer landed him a job working for the government. In Washington DC, Gordon went looking for a subject, but what he found was segregation. He and others were treated differently because of the color of their skin. Gordon wanted to take a stand against the racism he observed. With his camera in hand, he found a way. Told through lyrical verse and atmospheric art, this is the story of how, with a single photograph, a self-taught artist got America to take notice. Ages 4–8.

Hold On to Your Music: The Inspiring True Story of the Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, illustrated by Sonia Possentini

Discover the inspiring illustrated true story about one girl's escape from the Holocaust to become a concert pianist against all odds, made popular by the beloved novel The Children of Willesden Lane.

In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But when enemy forces threatened the city—particularly the Jewish people that lived there—Lisa's parents were forced to make a difficult decision. They chose to send Lisa to London for safety through the Kindertransport—a rescue effort that relocated Jewish children. As Lisa yearned to be reunited with her family while living in a home for refugee children on Willesden Lane, her music became a beacon of hope for those around her.

A true story of courage, survival, and determination, this compelling tribute to a gifted young girl has already touched the lives of many around the world. Originally published in 2017 for older readers, The Children of Willesden Lane has sold hundreds of thousands of copies globally; now this picture book retelling will inspire a new generation. Ages 4-8.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui

A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. As a young boy, Bao and his father awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam. Thi Bui's striking, evocative art paired with Phi's expertly crafted prose has earned this powerful picture book six starred reviews and numerous awards. Ages 6-8.

Teaching Guide

Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez, illustrated by Jaime Kim

This resonant picture book tells the story of one girl who constantly gets asked a simple question that doesn’t have a simple answer. A great conversation starter in the home or classroom. When a girl is asked where she’s from—where she’s really from—none of her answers seems to be the right one. Unsure about how to reply, she turns to her loving abuelo for help. He doesn’t give her the response she expects. She gets an even better one.

Where am I from?

You’re from hurricanes and dark storms, and a tiny singing frog that calls the island people home when the sun goes to sleep....

With themes of self-acceptance, identity, and home, this powerful, lyrical picture book will resonate with readers young and old, from all backgrounds and of all colors—especially anyone who ever felt that they don’t belong. A Spanish-language edition, ¿De dónde eres?, is also available. Ages 3-8.

Teaching Guide

Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Walking many miles to school in the dusty road, young Coretta knew, too well, the unfairness of life in the segregated south. A yearning for equality began to grow. Together with Martin Luther King, Jr., she gave birth to a vision and a journey — with dreams of freedom for all. This extraordinary union of poetic text by Ntozake Shange and monumental artwork by Kadir Nelson captures the movement for civil rights in the United States and honors one of its most powerful inspirations, Coretta Scott. Ages 4–8.

The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer by Marcie Wessels and Beatriz Castro

Play the Wii, Nintendo, X-Box, and PlayStation? Meet the Jewish inventor whose work made them all possible: Ralph Baer, creator of the first home video game system!

Today, the video game industry keeps growing, with ever more platforms available to fans. But how did the very first system come about? This picture-book biography of Ralph Baer, whose family fled Nazi Germany for the US, introduces kids to a great inventor AND the birth of the first home console. Using wartime technology, Baer thought outside the box and transformed the television into a vehicle for gaming; Baer's invention, the Odyssey, is a precursor to the Atari gaming system. Today, interactive systems like Wii and PlayStation are descendants of Ralph’s innovative “Brown Box,” making this award-winning inventor the true “Father of Video Games.” Ages 4-8.

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering. She wanted to be an astronaut. Her white teacher doesn't believe in her ability to dream big and tells her to consider a different profession. Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination. Ages 3-8.

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly

A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school--and two sisters on one's first day of hijab--by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad. With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It's the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it's her older sister Asiya's first day of hijab--a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong. Paired with Hatem Aly's beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S.K. Ali bring readers an uplifting, universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond between siblings, and of being proud of who you are. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac

Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain: We are still here!

Too often, Native American history is treated as a finished chapter instead of relevant and ongoing. This companion book to the award-winning We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga offers readers everything they never learned in school about Native American people's past, present, and future. Precise, lyrical writing presents topics including: forced assimilation (such as boarding schools), land allotment and Native tribal reorganization, termination (the US government not recognizing tribes as nations), Native urban relocation (from reservations), self-determination (tribal self-empowerment), Native civil rights, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), religious freedom, economic development (including casino development), Native language revival efforts, cultural persistence, and nationhood. Ages 7-10.

Missing Daddy by Mariame Kaba, illustrated by bria royal

A father and daughter's love cannot be broken even when prison bars separate them.

“This book is a crucial tool for parents, educators, and anyone who cares about the well-being of children who, through no fault of their own, are forced to bear the consequences of our country’s obsession with incarceration. For children who desperately miss their parents, feel confused, or are teased at school, this book can go a long way in letting them know that they are not alone and in normalizing their experiences.” —Eve L. Ewing

A little girl who misses her father because he's away in prison shares how his absence affects different parts of her life. Her greatest excitement is the days when she gets to visit her beloved father. With gorgeous illustrations throughout, this book illuminates the heartaches of dealing with missing a parent. Ages 4-8.

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. I am / a nonstop ball of energy. / Powerful and full of light. / I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader.
The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He’s got big plans, and no doubt he’ll see them through–as he’s creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he’s afraid, because he’s so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you–and shows you–who they are. There are superheroes in our midst! Ages 3-7.

Teaching Guide

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mother’s hug gets a little tighter. Everyone notices.

A fresh cut makes boys fly.

This rhythmic, read-aloud title is an unbridled celebration of the self-esteem, confidence, and swagger boys feel when they leave the barber’s chair—a tradition that places on their heads a figurative crown, beaming with jewels, that confirms their brilliance and worth and helps them not only love and accept themselves but also take a giant step toward caring how they present themselves to the world. The fresh cuts. That’s where it all begins.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the beautiful, raw, assured humanity of Black boys and how they see themselves when they approve of their reflections in the mirror. Ages 4-8.

Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison

An important book for readers of all ages, this beautifully illustrated and engagingly written volume brings to life true stories of Black men in history. Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include writer James Baldwin, artist Aaron Douglas, filmmaker Oscar Devereaux Micheaux, lawman Bass Reeves, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, and musician Prince. The legends in Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History span centuries and continents, but each one has blazed a trail for generations to come. Ages 8-12.

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption―a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and vibrantly illustrated by Michaela Goade.

Water is the first medicine.
It affects and connects us all . . .

When a snake threatens to destroy the Earth
And poison her people’s water, one young water protector
Takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

It's up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters, from Academy-Award winning director and former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison. Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy. Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair -- and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere. Ages 4-8.

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles and Erika Meza

A picture book debut by an award-winning author about a boy’s life on the U.S.-Mexico border, visiting his favorite places on The Other Side with his father, spending time with family and friends, and sharing in the responsibility of community care.

Early one Saturday morning, a boy prepares for a trip to The Other Side/El Otro Lado. It’s close–just down the street from his school–and it’s a twin of where he lives. To get there, his father drives their truck along the Rio Grande and over a bridge, where they’re greeted by a giant statue of an eagle. Their outings always include a meal at their favorite restaurant, a visit with Tío Mateo at his jewelry store, a cold treat from the paletero, and a pharmacy pickup. On their final and most important stop, they check in with friends seeking asylum and drop off much-needed supplies.

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles, with stunning watercolor illustrations by Erika Meza, is the loving story of a father and son’s weekend ritual, a demonstration of community care, and a tribute to the fluidity, complexity, and vibrancy of life on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Available in English and Spanish. Ages 4-8.

Teachers Guide

The Whispering Town by Jennifer Elvgren, illustrated by Fabio Santomauro

The story of neighbors in a small Danish fishing village who, during the Holocaust, shelter a Jewish family waiting to be ferried to safety in Sweden. It is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to Sweden. The soldiers patrolling their street are growing suspicious, so Carl and his mama must make their way to the harbor despite a cloudy sky with no moon to guide them. Worried about their safety, Anett devises a clever plan for their safe passage to the harbor. Based on a true story. Ages 7–11.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty. Ages 4-8.

When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Julie Flett

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother’s garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of resilience, empowerment and strength. Ages 4–8.

This book was selected for this list by critical Indigenous scholar Dr. Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature.

Teaching Guide

When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.

Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning—from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.

When Aidan Became a Brother is a heartwarming book that will resonate with transgender children, reassure any child concerned about becoming an older sibling, and celebrate the many transitions a family can experience. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

The true story of the young Jewish immigrant who led the largest strike of women workers in U.S. history.

This picture book biography about Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich tackles topics like activism and the U.S. garment industry. The art, by Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, beautifully incorporates stitching and fabric. A bibliography and an author's note on the garment industry are included.

When Clara arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast.

But that didn't stop Clara. She went to night school, spent hours studying English, and helped support her family by sewing in a shirtwaist factory.

Clara never quit, and she never accepted that girls should be treated poorly and paid little. Fed up with the mistreatment of her fellow laborers, Clara led the largest walkout of women workers the country had seen.

From her short time in America, Clara learned that everyone deserved a fair chance. That you had to stand together and fight for what you wanted. And, most importantly, that you could do anything you put your mind to.

This picture book biography about the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s and the timeless fight for equality and justice should not be missed. Ages 4-8.

Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family’s new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that Black travelers weren’t treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to Black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws. Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth’s family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome Black travelers. With this guidebook — and the kindness of strangers — Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma’s house in Alabama. Ruth’s story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact. Ages 7–11.

Teaching Guide

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Almost 10 years before Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, was denied enrollment to a “whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Latinx community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California. Ages 6–9.

Teaching Guide

I Can Write the World by Joshunda Sanders and Charly Palmer

ight-year-old Ava Murray wants to know why there’s a difference between the warm, friendly Bronx neighborhood filled with music and art in which she lives and the Bronx she sees in news stories on TV and on the Internet. When her mother explains that the power of stories lies in the hands of those who write them, Ava decides to become a journalist.

I Can Write the World follows Ava as she explores her vibrant South Bronx neighborhood - buildings whose walls boast gorgeous murals of historical figures as well as intricate, colorful street art, the dozens of different languages and dialects coming from the mouths of passersby, the many types of music coming out of neighbors’ windows and passing cars. In reporting how the music and art and culture of her neighborhood reflect the diversity of the people of New York City, Ava shows the world as she sees it, revealing to children the power of their own voice. Ages 5-8.

Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Lea Lyon

Lailah is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won’t understand why she doesn’t join them in the lunchroom.

Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs. Ages 5-8.

Teaching Guide

Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat, illustrated by Leslie Staub

A touching tale of parent-child separation and immigration, from a National Book Award finalist.

After Saya's mother is sent to an immigration detention center, Saya finds comfort in listening to her mother's warm greeting on their answering machine. To ease the distance between them while she’s in jail, Mama begins sending Saya bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on cassette tape. Moved by her mother's tales and her father's attempts to reunite their family, Saya writes a story of her own—one that just might bring her mother home for good.

With stirring illustrations, this tender tale shows the human side of immigration and imprisonment—and shows how every child has the power to make a difference. Ages 5-8.

Teaching Guide

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar

An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature.

When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy.

Brought to colorful life by Paola Escobar’s elegant and exuberant illustrations and Anika Aldamuy Denise’s lyrical text, this gorgeous book is perfect for the pioneers in your life.

Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.

A Spanish-language edition, Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré: bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos, is also available.

Teaching Guide

Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat

When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picture book about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come. Ages 3-6.

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. Award-winning poet, writer, and activist Nikki Giovanni's evocative text combines with Bryan Collier's striking cut-paper images to retell the story of this historic event from a wholly unique and original perspective. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what about when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious that American kids will like her. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she tells the class that she will choose a name by the following week. Her new classmates are fascinated by this no-name girl and decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. But while Unhei practices being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, one of her classmates comes to her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its special meaning. On the day of her name choosing, the name jar has mysteriously disappeared. Encouraged by her new friends, Unhei chooses her own Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it—Yoon-Hey. Ages 3-7.

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman

Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award–nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four Black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers! Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good. They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so when being Black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world. In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career. Ages 4-8.

Teaching Guide

Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Laura Freeman

Philip Freelon's grandfather was an acclaimed painter of the Harlem Renaissance. His father was a successful businessman who attended the 1963 March on Washington. When Phil decided to attend architecture school, he created his own focus on African American and Islamic designers. He later chose not to build casinos or prisons, instead concentrating on schools, libraries, and museums--buildings that connect people with heritage and fill hearts with joy. And in 2009, Phil's team won a commission that let him use his personal history in service to the country's: the extraordinary Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon celebrates a contemporary black STEAM role model, a man whose quiet work enabled the creation of an iconic building reflecting America's past and future. With a stirring text by Kelly Starling Lyons, vibrant pictures by Laura Freeman, and an afterword from Philip Freelon himself, it is sure to inspire the next generation of dreamers and builders. Ages 5-10.

Teaching Guide

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea by Meena Harris

INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY FROM THE CHILDHOOD OF VICE PRESIDENT–ELECT KAMALA HARRIS!

A beautiful, empowering picture book about two sisters who work with their community to effect change, inspired by a true story from the childhood of the author’s aunt, Kamala Harris, and mother, lawyer and policy expert Maya Harris.

One day, Kamala and Maya had an idea. A big idea: They would turn their empty apartment courtyard into a playground!

This is the uplifting tale of how the author’s aunt and mother first learned to persevere in the face of disappointment and turned a dream into reality. This is a story of children’s ability to make a difference and of a community coming together to transform their neighborhood. Ages 4-8.

Activity Guide.

We Are Grateful, Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac

The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah. Ages 3–7.

This book was selected for this list by critical Indigenous scholar Dr. Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature.

Teaching Guide

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children's books to support conversations on race, racism, and resistance - the conscious kid

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What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from - and who she may one day be. If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six!

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Stop by the Ann Arbor District Library after school to stock up on great stories to share all weekend.

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Black Lives Matter: Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Our Community new & ongoing initiatives >

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Family story share: Write stories together and send them in the mail to friends or relatives who don't live near you. Don't forget to include illustrations.

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Learn more about Deaf culture and ways that Deaf people share stories, including American Sign Language. Watch a video readaloud of a story in ASL.

Check out this collection of stories on Deaf history in Epic:
https://www.getepic.com/collection/8510751/deaf-history-month

And check out this playlist of ASL stories from the Rochester School for the Deaf: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnKKNloGw0tUhTCs4kBzYgMFKV2pUsQ86

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Deaf History Month Book Collection on Epic

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View the Deaf History Month collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Celebrate by reading a recipe to make a pie for your family and friends.

Check out the Food Network's Ultimate Pi Day Pie recipe here: https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/recipes/2016/03/the-ultimate-pi-day-pie

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The Ultimate Pi Day Pie from Food Network

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March 15: Check out Wines Storycatchers day

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March 15: Check out Wines Storycatchers day

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Check out last week's Wines Storycatchers site and listen to the stories shared by Wines community members. Share what you heard with someone who lives wih you.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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Celebrate storytelling by sharing a family story on the Wines Storycatchers site.

Prompt of the week: What is your favorite book and why?

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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March 17: St. Patrick's Day and New Storyteller Thursday

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March 17: St. Patrick's Day and New Storyteller Thursday

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New Storyteller Thursday: Read, listen to, or watch a video read aloud from a new author whose life experiences are different from yours.

This week: Read or listen to a book by a storyteller who was not born in the United States.

Check out this lists of books set in countries outside the U.S.:

https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/booklists/?booklistId=10

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ccbcbooksearch_booklists] Can't find what you're looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes subject access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff. Finding CCBC-recommended books video tutorial.

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Stop by the Ann Arbor District Library after school to stock up on great stories to share all weekend.

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Black Lives Matter: Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Our Community new & ongoing initiatives >

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Family story share: Read aloud to one another and don't forget to read with expression (costumes and props optional but encouraged).

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Listen to audiobooks about Spring.

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March 21: After school picnic and spring sports

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March 21: After school picnic and spring sports

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Have an after school picnic to celebrate spring and bring a ball to play your favorite spring sport. Listen to or read stories about your favorite team, sport, or athlete.

Check out this list of books for kids who love sports:

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/sports/childrens-books-sports.html

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If your family loves sports, use the palpable excitement around the competition and athletes' jaw-dropping abilities to get kids engaged in reading with books about sports.

With books about all-star athletes - such as Serena and Venus Williams and Muhammad Ali - as well as fiction featuring the thrill of competition and the importance of committment, perserverance, and teamwork, you're sure to find something to tempt any sports-lover.

Shop books about sports below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
For more book and reading ideas, sign up for our Scholastic Parents newsletter.

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If your family loves sports, use the palpable excitement around the competition and athletes' jaw-dropping abilities to get kids engaged in reading with books about sports. With books about all-star athletes - such as Serena and Venus Williams and Muhammad Ali - as well as fiction featuring the thrill of competition and the importance of committment, perserverance, and teamwork, you're sure to find something to tempt any sports-lover.

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Read or listen to stories about Indigenous water protectors and others who are working to take care of our planet.

Check out these eco-reading resources from the Cooperative Children's Book Center:

https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/booklists/?booklistId=11

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Celebrate storytelling by sharing a family story on the Wines Storycatchers site.

Prompt of the week: If I wrote a story, it would be about...

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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New Storyteller Thursday: Read, listen to, or watch a video read aloud from a new author whose life experiences are different from yours.

This week: Read or listen to a book by a storyteller who inspires you to make the world better.

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Book Character Dress Up Day: Dress up as your favorite character from any book.

Join Dr. DeYoung for a special Zoom Readaloud to conclude this year's celebration of storytelling!

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Family story share: What were some of your favorite ways to celebrate stories together this month?