English & Spanish All ages Bilingual Books Literacy Family Rhyme Traditions Jean Ciborowski Fahey & Simone Shin summary What better to celebrate National Book Lovers Day than a story that is all about instilling a love of reading? Te Haré Propio Libreo/I’ll Build You a Bookcase released in April, and I think it’s the most…
Tag: literacy
Early Literacy & Empowerment
English 4 and up Literacy Letter Identification Emergent Readers Diverse Bookshelves Phonemic Awareness Cards: Diveation Book: Colette Hiller & Tor Freeman Summary: It’s no secret that kids learn better when they feel happy, seen, and empowered. When I was a classroom teacher, we had a literacy curriculum we followed to help students learn and sound…
Bread for Words: A Frederick Douglass Story & Black History Flashcards
English 6 years and up Historical Figures Enslavement Activism Trailblazers Literacy Shana Keller & Kayla Stark Cards provided by ABC Me Flashcards created by Leilani Brooks & Stevi Meredith Summary: I feel pretty confident that everyone recognizes the name Frederick Douglass, but how much do we know about his early life? Today I chose to…
#Read5WithUs for World Read Aloud Day
Have you heard of the Million Word Gap? The million word gap addresses the disparity between children that are read to at a young age, and children that are not. In fact, a 2014 NAEYC article states that “Children’s vocabulary skills are linked to their economic backgrounds. By 3 years of age, there is a 30 million…
The ABC’S of Black History
English 5 years and up Historical Figures Activism Black Culture & Identity Trailblazers Rhyming & Literacy Black Joy Rio Cortez & Lauren Semmer As soon as I saw this book, I had an inkling it would be phenomenal. I don’t think I was prepared for just how beautiful it is. Alphabet books can be…
Reading Beauty
Written by: Deborah Underwood Illustrated by: Meg Hunt For ages: 3-6 years Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Literacy, Fairy Tale, Problem-Solving, Feminist, Independent Thought, Kindness, Family, Love, Pets, Space, Rhyming. Summary: This is the next book from the pair that brought you Interstellar Cinderella, which we loved very much! Both of us are so excited to get this one, we’ve been waiting…
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…
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
Written by: Traci Sorell Illustrated by: Frané Lessac For ages: 3-7 years Language: Cherokee, Romanized Cherokee, English. Topics Covered: Own Voices, Indigenous Voices, Cherokee Nation, Culture & Traditions, Love, Appreciation, Kindness, Family, Nature, Vocabulary, Literacy. Summary: For our next trait we’re taking with us into 2020: Gratefulness and Appreciation! We honor and cherish the experiences we’ve had in the past and look…
Inclusion Alphabet
Written & Illustrated by: Kathryn Jenkins For ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Literacy, Inclusion, Neurodiversity, Disability, Friendship, Vocabulary, Family, Love, Global Community, Social-Emotional Learning & Development. Summary: For our second skill to take into 2020 we’ve chosen Inclusion! Our planet is a wonderful, weird, diverse place. It becomes better when we include and advocate for everyone, especially…
Schomburg: The Man Who Built A Library
Written by: Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by: Eric Velasquez For ages: 8-12 years old, or a confident reading level. Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Fiction, Historic Figures, Literacy, Trailblazers, Afro-Puerto Rican Figures, Professional Life, Schomburg Library. Summary: This book was sent to us by Candlewick Press, but all opinions are our own! This book is hefty! It is crammed with information about…