Month: September 2019

Did you know that National Diversity Day is this Friday, October 4, 2019? First established in 2005, National Diversity Day “is a day to celebrate and embrace who we are, despite our differences… A day to reflect on and learn about different cultures and ideologies. A day to vow acceptance and tolerance…” (from the National Diversity Day website). Today, I bring you a stunning book to read with your children this Friday, this week, or any time this year to help recognize and celebrate these differences. Using beautiful illustrations and easy-to-read verse, Sheila Hamanaka embraces and celebrates diversity in All the Colors of the Earth. Continue reading “All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka” →

Don’t you just love when you can read a book with small children and they can learn an important lesson, and then you can read the same book with children more than a handful of years older, and they find powerful messages as well. The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson is one of these multi-aged gems. If you haven’t read The Other Side, you need to know about it! It’s beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated, with a timeless message of acceptance and friendship. Continue reading “The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson” →

Did you know that many of Patricia Polacco’s books are drawn from events from her childhood, a childhood spent in a large extended family full of immigrants? When you read Polacco’s work, you understand how deeply important her family and its history is to her. You can tell that she embraces differences and diversity and appreciates intergenerational relationships. One of her over 115 children’s books, Chicken Sunday is one of my favorites from Polacco, and one that exemplifies her embrace of others, alike or different, young or old. Continue reading “Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco” →

When I was a teacher, helping my students understand the beautiful diversity of our country, as well as the long journey and many changes already behind us (and more still to come…) was hugely important to me. In my last classroom, we spent most of the second half of the year digging deep into the lives of Americans who fought for change, for equality, for better lives. We learned about Blacks, Hispanic, Asian-Americans, and immigrants. We learned about women, children, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and more. We learned about so many people who worked so hard so that future generations could have better lives.

And, now as a parent, I try to continue that work in my own house, finding age-appropriate ways to teach our girls about the diversity around us, where our country has been, and where they might help our country go. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise and illustrated by Paola Escobar is a perfect read for this endeavor! Continue reading “Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise” →

You might recognize Oliver Jeffers’s name from my recommendation of his book Stuck a few months ago. When Penguin Random House asked me if I’d like to share his newest book, The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable, I jumped at the opportunity, because Jeffers writes and illustrates amazing books. And The Fate of Fausto, while targeting a different age range (in my opinion) than Stuck and many of Jeffers’s other books, didn’t disappoint! Continue reading “The Fate of Fausto: A Painted Fable by Oliver Jeffers” →

I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up in a family of readers, but my maternal and paternal grandmothers may take the cakes… One was actually a school librarian, and the other (who is 91!) still ravenously reads just about every book that has been published, it seems! Fortunately, our girls are lucky enough to know their 91-year-old great-grandmother, and even more fortunately, she loves to gift them books. When our older daughter turned 6 this past May, she received Sisters: Venus and Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter from her great-grandmother, and it was an instant hit! Continue reading “Sisters: Venus and Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter” →

If you’ve been following along for any amount of time, then you know how much we absolutely love the book Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller. Why do we love it? It actually gives children examples of how they can be kind to others… As adults, we so often tell children that they need to “be kind,” and we expect them to understand what kind behavior is. And the reality is that they often need explicit teaching and examples before they can truly understand this command. What Does It Mean to Be Kind? is another example of a great book that defines “be kind” for children, allowing them to take this command and act on it! Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be Kind? by Rana DiOrio” →