Bana is a tall bushy tree that grows in Syria according to Bana Alabed, the author of My Name is Bana. This book is a meditation on what it means to be strong and resilient in the face of hardship and change. Children should not be expected to endure the things that many refugee children … More Lessons From a Tree
Millions of people around the world are celebrating Ramadan right now. This holiday, which depends on the phases of the moon for its date each year is the centerpiece of Moon’s Ramdan by Natasha Khan Kazi about the moon and the way its phases are seen equally around the world. Each page of the story … More Moon’s Ramadan
I love to make kids think in new ways. My school is currently doing a March Madness activity by voting on a variety of picture books in all different genres, both old favorites and newly published works. As part of that series, my media lesson this week is a comparison of two of the nonfiction … More Comparing Nonfiction Picture Books
March is finally here! For those of us in the northern United States, hope is in sight. We have braved the long winter, and while there is still snow on the ground, in March my thoughts turn to the preparation of our school garden for planting. The book Rooftop Garden by Danna Smith is a … More Rooftop Garden
As a school librarian in a K-3 elementary, it is always a challenge to come up with new ways to raise excitement for reading. This year I decided to resurrect an idea that I haven’t used for a couple decades, but with a new twist. In the past, I have done a “March Madness” type … More Giving Reading Month a Twist
I love to connect familiar stories to new ideas to get students to think creatively. Little Red Riding Hood and the Dragon by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Joy Ang is the perfect book to make that connection. My only regret is that I did not own it before Lunar New Year, then I could … More A Strong New Twist on an Old Story
Lift by Minh Lê and Dan Santat is my favorite kind of book to read to students. First of all, it is both large and gorgeous, which means kids will look at it even if there is no document camera to show the page. (Don’t get me started on my love/hate relationship with document cameras.) … More Lift
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long is a dream of a book for a STEAM teacher. The book describes how houses, bridges, and even books are made by a team of people working together. We see the end products but seldom do we think of all the people involved in bringing … More Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
A new book in the Yasmin series came out recently called Yasmin the Doctor. Yasmin is one of my favorite characters because she is willing to try all sorts of things. She has already been a zookeeper, a librarian, a fashion designer, a builder, and many other things. She is the perfect role model for … More Career Day Plan
One of my favorite Christmas read-alouds is The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie de Paola. I love it because it hits so many learning objectives as well as including Christmas traditions from Mexico, some of which are still practiced today. The Legend of the Poinsettia is obviously folk literature that lends itself very well … More STEAM for a Holiday Classic
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