English 4+ Poetry Social Change Empowerment Music Amanda Gorman & Loren Long summary Change Sings joined the bookshelf ranks yesterday, and woah buddy it’s incredible. Amanda Gorman graced the inaugural stage and blew all of our minds with her powerful words, and she’s here to do it again with her picture book. Filled with hope…
Category: Poetry
Two Books Honoring the Immigration & Refugee Experience
English 5+ Immigration Military Occupation Poetry CW: Violence, gunfire, occupation summary I’ve always lived in the same country, but that’s certainly not everyone’s experience. It’s not even all of my family’s experience. I have two books for you today that pay homage to the international refugee experience. With all of the abominable happenings in Afghanistan,…
Glow
english Infant & Up Black Boy Joy Poetry Board Books Ruth Forman & Geneva Bowers summary The sequel to Curls is here!! This sweet and poetic board book follows a young boy coming home from playing, taking a bath, and snuggling into bed. The language is beautiful, and the illustrations joyful, comfortable, and warm. Under…
America My Love, America My Heart
english 4-8 years Patriotism Society Culture Racism Social-Emotional Learning Poetry Daria Peoples-Riley summary I have a lot of complicated feelings about America. I have complicated feelings about benefiting from a history of colonization and global imperialism, and a feeling of responsibility to in some small way dismantle the systemic oppression that built this land into…
Red, White, and Whole
English MG & Up Bicultural Kids Indian Culture Parents Cancer CW: Parent Death Rajani LaRocca Summary: This beautiful novel in verse set in 1983 is narrated by Reha, whose parents moved from Bangalore. Reha is sometimes frustrated that she can’t do the “typical American” teen thing, and feels like her mother in particular doesn’t understand…
Off to See the Sea
Written & Illustrated by: Nikki Grimes & Elizabeth Zunon For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Black Protagonists Own Voices Imagination Family Summary: In this followup story by the pair that brought you Bedtime for Sweet Creatures (winner of the #bookstagang_bestof2020 Future Classics category!) now brings Off to See the Sea, another installment of…
Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou
Written by: Bethany Hegedus, forward by Colin Johnson Illustrated by: Tonya Engel For ages: 7-10 years Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Figure, Writer, Activism, Activist. Summary: This is an incredible and lyrical retelling of Maya Angelou’s life, I was hooked instantly upon opening the book. The poetic words take the reader through the life of Maya from a young…
Taking Time
Written & Illustrated by: Jo Loring-Fisher For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Poetry, Mindfulness, Childhood, Observation, Global Community, Social-Emotional Learning. Summary: This sweet poem celebrates mindfulness as the reader sees what children all over the world are taking a moment to do. The beginning of the book also helpfully has a map with the countries labeled that the…
Firebird
Written by: Misty Copeland with Charisse Jones Illustrated by: Christopher Myers For ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Trailblazers, POC-Centric Narratives, Poetry, Ballet, Historical Figure, Historical Events, Art, Growing Up, Hard Work, Inspiration. Summary: This book is a beautiful conversation between trailblazing ballerina Misty Copeland and a young hopeful. Lyrical text and flowing illustrations help capture the long…
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
Written by: Nadia L. Hohn Illustrated by: Eugenie Fernandes For ages: 4-8 years Language: English & Jamaican/Caribbean Patois Topics Covered: Historical Figure, POC-Centric Narratives, Poetry, Global Community, Trailblazer, Black Culture & Identity, Jamaica, Language, Literacy. Summary: Louise is a young girl living in Kingston, Jamaica. She loves words and writing poetry, but the words get stuck when she tries to speak. Louise gains inspiration…