Our Little Kitchen

english 5-10 years community community kitchen sustainability food security food access volunteering Jillian Tamaki summary Our Little Kitchen is a bustling and energetic book about a community meal preparation, based off of author/artist Jillian Tamaki’s experiences working at a kitchen in Brooklyn. Plumes of cooking steam billow out of pots, reminding me of cooking scenes…

Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution

Written & Illustrated By: KaeLyn Rich For Ages: YA Middle grades & up Language: English Topics Covered: Feminism, Activism, Community Organizing, Education, Critical Thinking, Growing Up, Social-Emotional Learning, Grassroots Change. Summary: Spoiler: this book is AMAZING! It was perfect for this week’s edition of #sweetsandsocialjustice for which I made apple berry galette. Why, do you…

Mrs. Bibi’s Elephant

Written & Illustrated by: Reza Dalvand For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: Community Involvement, Friendship, Pets, Family, Chosen Family, Empathy, Economics, Social-Emotional Learning.  Summary: Mrs. Bibi has a pet elephant, and they spend all of their time together.  The elephant loved playing with the children in the streets, and drinking tea with Mrs. Bibi, listening to stories.  The others…

Pies From Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Summary: Georgia Gilmore is both a mother of 6 and a cook at a lunch counter during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  She is inspired to do more fundraising for the boycott, and for the community organizing and activism surrounding segregation.  Georgia spearheaded efforts of local women who cooked secretly in their homes and then sold it…

Arthur and the Golden Rope [Feb 4 2020]

Written & Illustrated by: Joe Todd-Stanton  For ages: 5-9 years Language: English Topics Covered: Adventure, Mythology, Natural World, Supernatural, Magic. Summary: This is one of the Brownstone’s Mythical Collection books, and we really like the way that it’s set up like a comic book.  Arthur is a young boy with a penchant for strange objects and spends a lot of time in…

Common Threads: Adam’s Day at the Market

Written by: Huda Essa Illustrated by: Mercè Tous For ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Global Community, Family, Diversity, Kindness, Clothing, Islam, Culture & Traditions.  Summary: Adam and his parents go to the outdoor market one day, and he sees a bright blue jay.  Following it, Adam doesn’t realize he’s left his parents behind until he tugs…

The Boy Who Grew A Forest

Written by: Sophia Gholz Illustrated by: Kayla Harren For ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Environmental Activism, Nature, Historical Figure, Trailblazer, POC-Centric Narratives, Global Community, India, Natural World, Growing Up, Hard Work, Community Involvement, Independent Thought.  Summary: The next intention we are taking into 2020 is Environmental Conscientiousness.  We’re always looking for ways to reduce our single-use plastics, recycle…

Make Trouble (Young Readers Edition)

Written by: Cecile Richards with Lauren Peterson Cover Art by: Eugenia Mello For ages: Young Adults Language: English  Topics Covered: Trailblazer, Politics, Women in Politics, Activism, Feminism, Bodily Autonomy, Memoir/Biography, Political Activism, Family, Planned Parenthood, Inspiration, Growing Up, Community Involvement.  Summary: For our first skill to take into the new year we’ve chosen: Activism! This is what we want to embody most throughout…

What are we taking into 2020? Books for a new decade.

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone!  Taking this leap into a whole new decade has got us thinking about intentions.  What can we take into the year that will help us be the best we can be?  What are the skills that will allow us to embody the characteristics of a good activist, ally, friend, and…

Bird Count

Written by: Susan Edwards Richmond Illustrated by: Stephanie Fizer Coleman For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Nature, STEM, Birds, Girls Outdoors, POC-Centric Narratives, Environmental Activism, Culture & Traditions, Friendship, Community Involvement. Summary: We love this book for so many reasons!  The plot follows a real-life bird counting event that takes place all over the USA on Christmas Day….