English Middle Grades Bodies summary I have a couple of books for that that can help tackle conversations with topics surrounding those awkward puberty years. Thinking back on being that age makes me cringe. Too many hormones, no one knows what’s happening and we have ALL the feelings about it. If you’re scrambling to find…
Author: lockehardy
Anti-Racist educator and consultant dedicated to examining and working against white supremacy culture. I live in the hills of Western Massachusetts and have a Masters in Gender & Cultural Studies from Simmons University in Boston, MA. I an passionate about bringing anti-bias and social justice narratives to children of any age!
Best Books of 2021
It’s finally here! The list I’ve been working away on with 14 other judges for the last four months! You might have been seeing the #Bookstagang_BestOf2021 hashtag on my IG posts for the last few months, and this is why! Over 400 books were submitted by roughly 50 publishers and then voted on by the…
Unraveling Bias: How Prejudice Has Shaped Children for Generations and Why It’s Time to Break the Cycle
English YA & Up Implicit Bias Culture Society Oppression Christia Spears Brown, PhD & Foreward by Soraya Chemaly summary As soon as I saw the announcement for this book, I furiously sent an email begging for an ARC. Christia Spears Brown has written one of my favorite books about gender stereotypes, Parenting Beyond Pink and…
Yummy: A History of Dessert
English MG & Up History Desserts Graphic Novel Victoria Grace Elliott summary Snickerdoodle lovers rejoice, for I have a new recipe for you. And it’s inside this fantastic new graphic novel, Yummy: A History of Desserts. I know, you’re thinking, ‘But Coco, how did a graphic novel get inside your brain like this?’ And I…
Sometimes We’re Scared: Little Moar and the Moon & The Bee
English & Inuktitut 4+ Social Emotional Learning Indigenous Voices Fear Inuktitut Roselynn Akulukjuk & Jazmine Gubbe; Becky Han & Tindur Peturs summary I wanted to pair these two stories together today because they both deal with overcoming fear, and the scariness lives outdoors! Each story also sprinkles in Inuktitut words and phrases, and is published…
New Native Kitchen
English 5+ Cooking Indigenous Food Ways Diné Chefs Freddie Bitsoie & James O. Fraioli summary When I got the list of books that would be forthcoming because of the amazing opportunity to be a member of the #AbramsDinnerParty this year, New Native Kitchen was the one I was anticipating the most (Filipinx is a close…
Two Haida-Centered Stories
English & Haida 4+ Haida Culture & Family Indigenous Voices First Nations Intergenerational Stories Memories Sara Florence Davidson, Robert Davidson, Janine Gibbons summary Today I have a pair of books for you by the same trio of creators, and they’re based on author artist Robert Davidson’s memories of learning Haida culture and traditions. Robert’s daughter…
The Grandmaster’s Daughter
English & Korean 4+ Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Korean Creators Perseverance Respect Dan-ah Kim summary The Grandmaster’s Daughter is a sweet and simple story that shows incidental representation of girls with black belts and tells the reader a bit more about the martial arts practice. Every morning, Sunny can be seen outside of the…
Learning About Africa: 2 Reads
English 5+ African Culture & Identity Historical Figures African Countries summary Can you recall what you learned about Africa when you were in school? I can. We learned all of the countries and then had a test where we had to fill in a map in 7th grade. That’s it. We didn’t learn about historical…
Climate Justice for the Whole Family
English All Ages summary I’ve been described as a “militant recycler” before, a title that I wear proudly. But recycling is just the bare minimum of what we should be doing for our earth. Climate justice is for the whole family, and citizens need to hold corporations accountable as well as politicians to ensure that…