#CyberPD - 160 Books about Identity for K-12

Kindergarten

1. Ashley, Bryan. (1992). Cleversticks. Illustrated by Derek Brazell. New York: HarperCollins.
2. Bridges, Shirin Yim. (2013). Ruby's Wish. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
3. Campbell, Nicola I. (2017). A Day with Yayah. Illustrated by Julie Flett. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books.
4. Cheng, Andrea. (2003). Grandfather Counts. Illustrated by Ange Zheng. New York: Lee and Low Books.
5. Choi, Yangsook. (2003). The Name Jar. New York: Dragonfly Books.
6. Cornwall, Gala. (2017). Jabari Jumps. Somerset, MA: Candlewick
7. Crews, Donald. (1998). Bigmama’s. New York: Greenwillow.
8. Croza, Laurel. (2014). From There to Here. Illustrated by Matt James. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
9. Croza, Laurel. (2011). I Know Here. Illustrated by Matt James. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
10. Flett, Julie. (2014). Wild Berries. Vancouver, BC: Simply Read Books.
11. Forman, Ruth. (2014). Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon. Illustrated by Cbabi Bayoc. New York: Lee & Low Books. 
12. Johnson, Angela. (2004). Violet's Music. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. New York: Dial Books.
13. Krishnaswami, Uma. (2015). Bright Sky, Starry City. Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
14. Love, Jessica. (2018). Julián Is a Mermaid. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
15. Martinez-Neal, Juana. (2018). Alma and How She Got Her Name. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
16. McGhee, Holly M. (2017). Come With Me. Illustrated by Pascal Lemaître. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.
17. Mora, Pat. (1994). Pablo’s Tree. Illustrated by Cecily Lang. New York: Lee and Low Books.
18. Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. (2015). I Used To Be Afraid. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
19. Spires, Ashley. (2017). The Thing Lou Couldn't Do. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press.
20. Vandever, Daniel W. (2017). Fall in Line, Holden! Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.  

1st - 2nd Grade

1. Argueta, Jorge. (2007). Alfredito Flies Home. Illustrated by Luis Garay. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
2. Atkins Jeannine. (2000). Aani and the Tree Huggers. Illustrated by Venantius J. Pinto. New York: Lee and Low Books.
3. Barber, Barbara E. (2013). Allie's Basketball Dream. Illustrated by Darryl Ligasan. New York: Lee and Low Books.
4. Buitrago, Jairo. (2018). On the Other Side of the Garden. Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng. Translated from Spanish by Elisa Amado.Toronto, ON:  Groundwood Books.
5. Castaneda, Omar S. (1995). Abuela’s Weave. Illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez. New York: Lee and Low Books.
6. de la Peña, Matt. (2015). Last Stop on Market Street. Illustrated by Christian Robinson. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.
7. Dole, Maura. (2013). Drum, Chavi, Drum! / ¡Toca, Chavi, Toca! Illustrated by Tonel. New York: Lee and Low Books.
8. Dorros, Arthur. (1997). Abuela. New York: Puffin.
9. Faruqi, Reem. (2015). Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story. Illustrated by Lea Lyon. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
10. Figueredo, D.H. (). Un mundo nuevo. Illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez. New York: Lee and Low Books.
11. Figueredo, D.H. (). When this World was New. Illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez. New York: Lee and Low Books.
12. Heelan, Jamee Riggio. (2002). Can You Hear a Rainbow? The Story of a Deaf Boy Named Chris. Illustrated by Nicola Simmonds. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.
13. Krishnaswami, Uma. (2016). Chachaji's Cup. Illustrated by Soumya Sitaraman. New York: Lee and Low Books.
14. Love, Jessica. (2018). Julián Is a Mermaid. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
15. Martinez-Neal, Juana. (2018). Alma and How She Got Her Name. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
16. McKissack, Patricia. (2008). Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers. 
17. Ringgold, Faith. (1996). Tar Beach. New York: Dragonfly Books.
18. Schimel, Lawrence. (2011). Let’s Go See Papa. Illustrated by Alba Marina Rivera. Translated by Elisa Amado. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
19. Shulevitz, Uri. (2008). How I Learned Geography.  New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 
20. Smith, Cynthia Leitich. (2000). Jingle Dancer. Illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu and Cornelius Van Wright. New York: HarperCollins.
21. Stewart, Sarah. (2007). The Gardener. Illustrated by David Small. New York: SquareFish.
22. Tamaki, Jillian. (2018). They Say Blue. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. (Starred Reviews by Booklist, School Library Journal & Publisher's Weekly)
23. Velasquez, Eric. (2004). Grandma’s Records. New York: Bloomsbury.
24. Watts, Jeri Hanel. (). Keepers. Illustrated by Felicia Marshall. New York: Lee and Low Books.
25. Williams, Laura. (2017). The Can Man. Illustrated by Craig Orback. New York: Lee & Low Books.
26. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). The Day You Begin. Illustrated by Rafael López. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
27. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2013). This Is the Rope: A Story From the Great Migration. Illustrated by James Ransome. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
28. Woodson, Jacquline. (2018). The Day You Begin. Illustrated by Rafael López. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
29. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2012). Each Kindness. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
30. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2001). The Other Side. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

3rd - 4th Grade

1. Addasi, Maha. (2010). Time to Pray. Arabic translation by Nuhu Albitar. Illustrated by Ned Gannon. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press. (Bilingual text: English & Arabic).
2. Alarcón, Francisco. (2017). Family Poems for Every Day of the Week/Poemas familiares para cada día de la semana. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. New York: Lee & Low Books.
3. Argueta, Jorge. (2016). Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds. Illustrated by Alfonso Ruano. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
4. Baratz-Logsted, Lauren. (2018). I Love You, Michael Collins. New York: Square Fish.
5. Bell, Cece. (2012). EL Deafo. New York: Harry N. Abrams. 
6. lume, Judy. (2007). Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Puffin.
7. Coy, John. (2001). Night Driving. Illustrated by Peter McCarthy. New York: Henry Holt.
8. Danticat, Edwidge. (2015). Mama's Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation. Illustrated by Leslie Staub. New York: Dial.
9.  De Arias, Patricia. (2018). Marwan’s Journey. Illustrated by  Laura Borràs. Minedition.
10. DiCamillo, Kate. (2015). Because of Winn Dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
11. Gardiner, John Reynolds. (2010). Stone Fox. New York: Harper Trophy.
12. Gifaldi, David. (2008). Listening for Crickets. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
13. Henkes, Kevin. (2015). The Year of Billy Miller. New York: Greenwillow.
14. Littlechild, George. (2003). This Land Is My Land. New York: Children's Book Press/Imprint of Lee & Low.
15. MacLachlan, Patricia. (1993). Journey. New York: Yearling.
16. Medina, Meg. (2008). Milagros: Girl from Away.  New York: Henry Holt.
17. Newman, Lesléa. (2018). Sparkle Boy. Illustrated by Maria Mola. New York: Lee and Low Books.
18. Otheguy, Emma (2017). Martí's Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad. Illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. New York: Lee & Low Books.
19. Perez, L. King (2014). First Day in the Grapes. Illustrated by Robert Casilla. New York: Lee and Low Books.
20. Russell, Barbara Timberlake. (2004). The Remembering Stone. Illustrated by Claire B. Cotts. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

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5th - 6th Grade

1. Anzaldúa, Gloria. (1997). Friends From the Other side/Amigos del otro lado. Illustrated by Consuelo Méndez. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.
2. Barnes, Derrick. (2017). Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. Brooklyn, NY: Denene Millner Books.Coy, John. (2003). Strong to the Hoop. Illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart. NY: Lee & Low.
3. DiCamillo, Kate. (2018). Raymie Nightingale. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 
4. Draper, Sharon. (2012). Out of My Mind. New York: Atheneum.
5. Ellis, Deborah. (2015). The Breadwinner. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. 
6. Ellis, Deborah. (2015). Parvana's Jounrey. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. 
7. Ellis, Deborah. (2015). Mud City. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. 
8. Engle, Margarita. (2017). Forest People. New York: Atheneum Books. 
9. Greder, Armin. (2018). Mediterranean. Crows Nest CSW: Allen & Inwin.
10. Greder, Armin. (2008). The Island. Crows Nest CSW: Allen & Inwin.
11. Grimes. Nikki. 2006. The Road to Paris. New Yorl: Putnam.
12. Hunt, Lynda Mullaly. (2017). Fish in a Tree. New York: Puffin Books.
13. Jackson, Linda Williams. (2017). Midnight Without a Moon. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
14. Joseph, Lynn. (2001). The Color of My Words.  New York: HarperCollins.
15. Kelly, Erin Entrada. (2017). Hello, Universe. New York: Greenwillow Books.
16. Krishnaswami, Uma. (2013). The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. New York: Atheneum.
17. Legrand, Claire. (2016). Some Kind of Happiness. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
18. Lord, Cynthia. (2014). Rules. New York: Scholastic.
19. Moore, David Barclay. (2017). The Stars Beneath Our Feet. New York: Knopf.
20. Ness, Patrick. (2013). A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
21. O’Connor, Barbara. (2017). Wish. New York: Square Fish.
22. Palacio R. J. (2012). Wonder. New York: Knopf.
23. Pennypacker, Sara. (2016). Pax. New York: Balzer + Bray.
24. Pérez, Amada Irma. (2013). My Diary from Here to There/Mi Diaro De Aqui Hasta Alla. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. New York: Lee & Low Books.
25. Pérez, Celia C. (2018). The First Rule of Punk. New York: Viking Books. 
26. Reynolds, Jason. (2017). As Brave as You. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
27. Reynolds, Jason. (2018). Lu. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
28. Reynolds, Jason. (2018). Sunny. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
29. Reynolds, Jason. (2017). Patina. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
30. Reynolds, Jason. (2016). Ghosts. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
31. Rhodes, Jewell Parker. (2018). Ghost Boys. 
32. Rhodes, Jewell Parker. (2018). Towers Falling. New York: Little, Brown.
33. Ryan, Pam Muñoz. (2002). Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic.
34. Shea, Peggy Dietz. (2006). The Carpet Boy’s Gift. Illustrated by Leane Morin. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House, Publisher.
35. Saeed, Aisha. (2017). Amal Unbound. New York:  Nancy Paulsen Books.
36. Saeed, Aisha. (2016). Written in the Stars. New York: Speak.
37. Sheth, Kashmira. (2010). Boys without Names. New York: Balzer & Bray. 
38. Sís, Peter. (2007). The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
39. Sloan, Holly Goldberg. (2015). Counting by 7s. New York:  Puffin.
40. Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2011). One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad. 
41. Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2015). P.S. Be Eleven. New York: Amistad. 
42. Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2016). Gone Crazy in Alabama. New York: Amistad. 
43. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). Harbor Me. New York:  Nancy Paulsen Books.
44. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2016). Brown Girl Dreaming. New York:  Puffin Books.
45. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2010). Locomotion. New York:  Puffin Books.

7th - 9th Grade

1. Abawi, Atia. (2018). A Land of Permanent Goodbyes. New York: Philomel Books. 
2. Ahmed, Samira. (2019). Internement. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 
3. Ahmed, Samira. (2018). Love, Hate and Other Filters. New York: Soho Teen.
4. Alexander, Kwame. (2018). Swing. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
5. Alexander, Kwame. (2018). Rebound. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
6. Alexander, Kwame. (2016). Booked. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
7. Alexander, Kwame. (2014). The Crossover. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers.
8. Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2011). Speak. New York: Square Fish.
9. Carlson, Lori Marie (Ed). (2008). Voices in the First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity. Illustrated by Flavio Morais. Photographs by Manuel Rivera-Ortiz. New York: Atheneum.
10. Cisneros, Sandra.(1991). The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage.
11. Cisneros, Sandra. (1994). La casa en Mango Street. New York: Vintage.
12. Flake, Sharon. (2007). The Skin I'm In. New York:  Hyperion Book.
13. Gaiman Neil. (2013). The Ocean at the End of the Lane. New York: William Morrow.
14. Hansberry, Lorraine. (2004). A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage.
15. Hesse, Monika. (2017). Girl in the Blue Coat. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Reader.
16. Liu, Ken. (2016).  The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories . New York: Saga Press.
17. Medina, Meg. (2014). Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
18. Mora, Pat. (2000). My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults. Illustrated by Anthony Accardo. Minneapolis, MN: Perfection Learning.
19. Richard, Wayne, (2012). Sofas. (Digital Storytelling). Center for Digital Storytelling. 
20. Sánchez,  Erika L. (2017). I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. New York: Knopf.
21. Watson, Renée. (2017). Piecing Me Together. New York: Bloomsbury.
22. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). Harbor Me. New York:  Nancy Paulsen Books.
23. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2016). Brown Girl Dreaming. New York:  Puffin Books.
24. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2010). After Tupac and D Foster. New York: Puffin.
25. Yoon, Nicola. (2016). The Sun is Also a Star. New York: Delacorte Press. 

10th Grade +

1. Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2011). Speak. New York: Square Fish.
2. Carlson, Lori Marie (Ed). (2008). Voices in the First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity. Illustrated by Flavio Morais. Photographs by Manuel Rivera-Ortiz. New York: Atheneum.
3. Chopin, Kate. (1899/1993). The Awakening. New York: Dover Publications. 
4. Esquivel, Laura. (1995). Like Water for Chocolate. New York: Anchor.
5. Esquivel, Laura. (2001. Como agua para chocolate. New York: Vintage.
6. Glasgow, Kathleen. (2016). Girl in Pieces. New York: Delacorte Press.
7. Liu, Ken. (2016).  The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories . New York: Saga Press.
8. Miller, Kei. (2014) The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion. Carcanet Press Ltd.. Kindle Edition.
9. Mora, Pat. (2000). My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults. Illustrated by Anthony Accardo. Minneapolis, MN: Perfection Learning.
10. Myers, Walter Dean. (2004). Monster. New York: Amistad.
11. Reynolds, Jason. (2017). Long Way Down. New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
12. Reynolds, Jason. (2017). All American Boys. New York: New York: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books.
13. Richard, Wayne, (2012). Sofas. (Digital Storytelling). Center for Digital Storytelling. 
14. Satrapi, Marjane. (2004). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon. 
15. Sepetys, Ruta. (2017). Salt to the Sea. New York: Penguin Books.
16. Stone, Nic. (2018). Dear Martin. New York:  Ember. 
17. Sánchez,  Erika L. (2017). I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. New York: Knopf.
18. Whaley, John Corey. (2017). Highly Illogical Behavior. New York: Dial Books.
19. Yang, Gene Luen. (2008). American Born Chinese. New York: Square Fish.
20. Yoon, Nicola. (2016). The Sun is Also a Star. New York: Delacorte Press. 
21. Yoon, Nicola. (2015). Everything, Everything. New York: Delacorte Press. 

Bzzz: 40+ Children's Books about Bees

Books About Bees

1. Allen, Judy. (2004). Are You a Bee? Illustrated by Tudor Humphries. Boston, MA: Kingfisher.
2. Barton, Bethany. (2017). Give Bees a Chance. New York: Viking Books for Young Readers.
3. Buchmann, Stephen & Diana Cohn. (2012). The Bee Tree. Illustrated by Paul Mirocha. El Paso, TX: Cinco Punta Press. (1090L)
4. Cheng, Andrea. (2017). Bees in the City. Illustrated by Sarah McMenemy. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
5. Cheng, Andrea. (2015). When Bees Fly Home.  Illustrated by  Joline McFadden . Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
6. Chrustowski, Rick. (2015). Bee Dance. New York: Henry Holt and Company. (440L)
7. Cole, Joanna. (1998). The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. New York: Scholastic. (520L)
8. Douran, Yvon. (2016). Bumble The Bee. Illustrated by Tony Neal. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 
9. Esbaum, Jill. (2017). Explore My World: Honey Bees. Washington DC: National Geographic. (650L)
10. Florian, Douglas. (2012). UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings. New York: Beach Lane Books.
11. Formento, Alison. (2012). These Bees Count! (These Things Count!). Illustrated by Sarah Snow. Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman & Company. (950L)
12. Franco, Betsy. (2008). Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails: Patterns & Shapes . . . Naturally. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. (1080L)
13. Galvin, Laura Gates. (2000). Bumblebee at Apple Tree Lane - a Smithsonian's Backyard Book . Illustrated by Kristin Kest.  Washington DC: Smithsonian.
14. Gerber, Carole. (2013). Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices. Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
15. Gibbons, Gail. (2000). The Honey Makers. New York: HarperCollins. (770L)
16. Gray, Rita. (2015). Flowers Are Calling. Illustrated by Kenard Pak. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers. (570L)
17. Hall, Kristen. (2018). The Honeybee. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 
18. Haworth, Katie. (2016). Little Honeybee. Illustrated by Jane Ormes. Somerville, MA: Big Picture Press.
19. Huber, Raymond. (2015). Flight of the Honey Bee. Illustrated by Brian Lovelock. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. (840L)
20. Heiligman, Deborah. (2017). Jump Into Science: Honeybees. Illustrated by Carla Golembe. Washington DC: National Geographic.
21. Jay, Allison. (2017). Bee & Me. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
22. Kalman, Bobbie. (2010). What Is Pollination? (Big Science Ideas). Minneapolis, MN: Crabtree Publishing. (830L)
23. Krebs, Laura. (2009). The Bee Man. Illustrated by Valeria Cis. New York: Barefoot Books. (1080L) 
24. Laminack, Lester. (2018). The King of Bees. Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers. (600L)
25. Marsh, Laura. (2016). National Geographic Readers: Bees. Washington DC: National Geographic.
26. Micucci, Charles. (1997). The Life and Times of the Honeybee. New York: HMH Books for Young Readers. (910L)
27. Milner, Charlotte. (2018). The Bee Book. New York: DK Publishing. 
28. Milton, Joyce. (2003). Honeybees. Illustrated by Pete Mueller. New York: Penguin. 
29. Mortensen, Lori. (2009). In the Trees, Honey Bees! Illustrated by Cris Arbo. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications.
30. Nargi, Lela. (2011). The Honeybee Man. Illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker. New York: Schwartz & Wade.
31. Nye, Emily. (2016). Honeybees (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2). Illustrated by  Tom Leonard. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers. (360L)
32. Polacco, Patricia. (1998). The Bee Tree. New York: Puffin. (680L)
33. Raskin, Ben. (2018). Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies: A Family Guide to Our Garden Heroes and Helpers. Boulder, CO: Roost Books.
34. Rice, Dona Herweck. (2011). A Bee's Life (TIME FOR KIDS® Nonfiction Readers). Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials. (260L)
35. Rockwell, Anne. (2005). Honey in a Hive: Let’s Read an Find Out Science 2. New York: HarperCollins. (880L)
36. Rotner, Shelley. (2010). The Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing? Illustrated by Anne Woodhull. New York: Holiday House. (950L)
37. Sayre, April Pulley. (2006). The Bumblebee Queen. Illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. (670L)
38. Slade, Suzanne. (2010). What If There Were No Bees?: A Book About the Grassland Ecosystem. Illustrated by Carole Schwartz. New York: Picture Window Books. (890L)
39. Teckentrup, Britta. (2017). Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book.  New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers.
40. Unstead, Sue. (2016). DK Readers Level 2: Amazing Bees. New York: DK Publishing. (720L)
41. Wallace, Karen. (1999). DK Readers: Busy, Buzzy Bee (Level 1: Beginning to Read).  New York: DK Children. (300L)
42. Woolf, Alex. (2016) You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Bees! Illustrated by David Antram. New York: Franklin Watts. (920L)
43. Yuly, Toni. (2017). Thank You, Bees. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

#PB10for10: Feeling Welcomed and Included - Picture Books That Celebrate Friendship, Love and Human Kindness

This collection of picture books highlights possibilities and inclusion.  Given the tenor of the country, I wanted to forward recent picture books that are aesthetic, welcoming, and inclusive. These are books that I am currently including a newly design units of study for grades K-2.

from  Calef Brown, We Go Together: A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse

 We Go Together: A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse

Brown, Calef. (2013). We Go Together: A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.


A collection of brief verse and bold illustrations that highlight situations where being together is a cause for celebration. This poetry collection celebrates friendship by highlighting small, concrete ways friends act. From removing splinters to remembering how one likes tea--the actions of friendship are displayed.

I include poems from this collection from a shared reading unit in grade 2. Vocabulary is very quirky (well it is a poetry text after all), precise, playful, and inspiring. What a jewel this collection is.

 We Go Together: A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse

hooks, bell.  (2004). Skin Again. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. New York: Jump at the Sun.

I have long loved this collaboration between intellectual, feminist bell hooks and children's book illustrator Chris Raschka. The book they make here is bold, brief, language-rich and image grand.

The text opens across two double-page spreads with these words:

The skin

I'm in

is just a

covering.

It cannot

tell my story.

The next character we meet expands on initial thought by explaining that "you have to come inside/and open your heart way wide" in order to know the other person. hooks tells us and Raschka shows us that we are comprised of hopes, dreams, histories, stories, and possibilities. The skin we're in? It's one small way to see us, but it isn't all of us. To know the me?  You need to come inside.

A wild rush of color, movement, song, and praise. I open a new unit for grade 2, Celebrating One Another: Seeing Within with this joyful book.

Hill, Margaret Bateson. (1998). Shota and the Star Quilt. Illustrated by Christine Fowler.  Consulting by Gloria Runs Close to Lodge and Lakota Text by Philomine Lakota. Slough, England: Zero To Ten.

In this contemporary story about a young girl, Shota and her friend and neighbor, Esther, we learn how members of a community take action when their home, an apartment building where they and their families and others live, is being threatened by redevelopment. Shota's family shares Lakota traditions and this helps her to begin to change the outcome through a quilt she and the neighbors make.

A unusual story that blends quilt making, Lakota traditions and inclusion as ways to make change. This book is included in a grade 2 unit about Community

Leannah, Michael. (2017). Most People. Illustrated by Jennifer E. Morris. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.

from Most People.

This lovely picture book counters the odd narrative that there are bad people lurking to harm us.  Rather it forwards the narrative that most people are very, very, very good people. Through concrete situations, the writer and illustrator convey how the average person is really very good.

The authors don't simply repeat that most people are good. Rather, they also explain that there are people in the world who may do "bad" things, but even then there is a seed within each of those that wants to be nurtured and to become good. This book is not about being perfect. Rather, it's about being vulnerable.

This book lends itself to emulation. I can easily imagine an oversized book young children make, Most Students or Most Children. Books to help remind us on those days that feel a bit too grey, that most everyone wants to be loved and to love.

The text is circular in that we begin in the morning in the kitchen of a family and we end on the roof of their apartment where we can now see the whole city at night where most people are very very kind.

from Most People.

This text is also included in the new kindergarten unit, Starting the School Year: Being Welcomed at School.

Mora, Pat and Libby Martinez. (2014). I Pledge Allegiance. Illustrated by Patrice Barton. New York: Alfred K. Knopf.

This narrative picture book tells the story of the authors' aunt and great aunt who became a naturalized citizen. Two complimentary narratives happen in the text: the narrator, Libby, is asked to lead her class in the Pledge of Allegiance. Meanwhile, Lobo, Libby's great aunt, along with her mom go to the swearing in ceremony where Lobo will also recite the Pledge on her way to becoming a United States citizen.

The authors' note is very moving. It explains that Ygnacia Delgado came to El Paso, Texas during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Hard working, Lobo became a US citizen in her 70s. In the story, Libby asks Lobo why she wants to become a citizen. She answers,

"Mi querida, I was born in Mexico and went to school there, but the United States has been my home for many years. I am proud to be from Mexico and to speak Spanish and English. Many people are proud of the places where they were born or where they grew up. But a long time ago, when I was a young girl, my father wanted a safer place for us to grow up, and we came to the United States. The American flag--red, white, and blue--wrapped itself around me to protect me...The flag made me feel like this. Safe and warm."

I include this text in a new grade1 unit, American Cultures.

O'Brien, Anne Sibley. (2018).  I'm New Here.  Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

In this brief narrative, three children hailing from Guatemala, Korea and Somalia arrive at the same school. Each child helps the reader to better understand how challenging it is to not only be new to school but to also be new to the customs, language, and traditions of a place. Early in the story, Maria, from Guatemala, says:

"Back home I knew the language. My friends and I talked all day long. Our voices flowed like water between us like birds. Here there are new words. I can't understand them. The sounds are strange to my ears."

Each of the three children explain in delicate and yet somehow very precise language how wide the gulf is between home and here.

This text is one to read aloud early in the year to help build empathy. I include it as the first text in a unit, Newcomers, for first graders and pair it with O'Brien's new release, Someone New.

O'Brien, Anne Sibley. (2018). Someone New. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.


Someone New is a companion picture book to I'm New Here as it focuses on the children who are receiving the new children into their class and shows us how to welcome newcomers. It provides the reader with insights into how children approach newcomers and some of the fears they have doing so.


One child noticing Jin sitting by himself thinks, "The new boy looks frustrated. I remember what it was like when I first got here. Everyone else was connected like pieces in a puzzle. I was the different piece that didn't fit in. I want to share my comic, but he can't read or write. I don't know how to figure out this puzzle. I wish I had a superpower to help him."

 The children feel uncomfortable:













Through play, writing, comic drawing, and art-making the children connect. I suspect there's a lesson in that for all us as we think about what we privilege at school an what most constitutes learning.

Penfold, Alexadra. (2018). All Are Welcome. Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufmann. New York: Knopf.

At this school, all are welcome to come in and learn and be part of the community. Simple text and complicated illustrations  show how the school is comprised by those who live in the neighborhood. This neighborhood is diverse and we see that exemplified in the illustrations and the written text.

No melting pot metaphor here. Rather this is a mosaic. The book closes with five words: You have a place here.

This text is included in the kindergarten unit, Starting the School Year: Being Welcomed at School.

   

Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). The Day You Begin. Illustrated by Rafael López. New York: Penguin.

Note: Spanish version of the text, El Día En Que Descubres Quién Eres, will be released August 28, 2018, as well.

Full disclosure: I haven't read this book yet. I have read all that I can via previews and reviews of the text. It will be published at the end of this month (August 28, 2018).  Told through a letter, the language I have been able to read is rich and the illustrations created by Rafael López are inviting.  Is there anything that Woodson writes that isn't superb?

Here are a few of the opening pages.

López's art has a magical realism feel to it. Stunning,

Depending on how complex the language and images are, I plan to include it in the grade 1 unit, Newcomers or a grade 2 unit. This line: “No one understands the way words curl from your mouth," seems to fit in well with the unit I have designed for Newcomers.

Woodson, Jacqueline. (2012). Each Kindness. Illustrated E. B. Lewis. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.

This picture book tells the story of a young girl, Chloe and what she learns about the power of kindness when she is mean to a poor, newcomer to school, Maya.  Not surprising, the language sings as it makes the reader hurt in places by revealing vulnerabilities and truths. Haven't we all been Chloe who regrets her actions and realizes there is nothing she can now do to change what she has done?

E.B. Lewis's watercolors are brilliant and extend the story so that we feel the ripple of kindness and its absence.

This text is included in a grade 2 unit, Kindness.

Wait by Galway Kinnell

Invincible (M.A.Reilly, 2016)

Wait

Galway Kinnell, 1927 - 2014

Wait, for now.
Distrust everything if you have to.
But trust the hours. Haven’t they
carried you everywhere, up to now?
Personal events will become interesting again.
Hair will become interesting.
Pain will become interesting.
Buds that open out of season will become interesting.
Second-hand gloves will become lovely again;
their memories are what give them
the need for other hands. The desolation
of lovers is the same: that enormous emptiness
carved out of such tiny beings as we are
asks to be filled; the need
for the new love is faithfulness to the old.

Wait.
Don’t go too early.
You’re tired. But everyone’s tired.
But no one is tired enough.
Only wait a little and listen:
music of hair,
music of pain,
music of looms weaving our loves again.
Be there to hear it, it will be the only time,
most of all to hear your whole existence,
rehearsed by the sorrows, play itself into total exhaustion

Beginning School Year Resources for Kindergarten: Individual Letter Books

Individual Letter Books from The Measured Mom site

I. Individual Letter Books

I love using individual letter books in primary classrooms, especially kindergarten. I have a collection of letter books culled across many years of teaching.  Finding commercial books can be challenging and expensive.

 I was delighted to find at The Measured Mom site a collection of letter books that can be printed.  This is a dynamite resource.  Students can learn book handling skills by reading these books and they also are excellent for supporting oral language growth, knowledge development, and cross checking behavior for more advanced readers.

One way I might make use of the free books from Measured Mom is to use her books as a template and create my own set of books that more closely match the knowledge I am interested in helping children acquire. It would also allow me to differentiate more familiar objects for students who are struggling to learn the alphabet.

Intruder in the House

And Full of Sleep (M.A. Reilly, mixed media)

I.

At 6:10 a.m. on Saturday I awoke, sat up and looked in the mirror opposite my bed. Standing there nearly 6 feet tall was a white man. I turned towards the door and a man,  perhaps in his early 20s, was looking at me. He was not walking into my bedroom when I woke. He was already standing there, no more than four feet from the edge of my bed. This is not fiction, although at that moment it felt like a dream.

I want to say that I reacted, but at first I didn’t do anything but stare. It was as if the sleep still surrounded me. As I became more alert, I started asking him what he was doing in my house. Year of teaching high school seemed to kick in and if this situation wasn’t so extreme, so terrifying, the sound of my measured voice might have seemed reasonable. I asked, “What are you doing here?” I don’t recall what he said as I was scrambling to stand up, keeping the bed between us. I raised my voice, now yelling,  “Get out of my house. What are you doing here? Get the hell out.”

I remember bits of what he said: I was sleeping in the white car outside.
My car? What were you doing in my car?
I came in.
Get out.
My friends. I thought this was my frend’s house.
“Get out of my house now,” I say and I can hear that I am screaming.

He turns and leaves the room. I hear him walking back down the stairs. I follow as I want to make sure he’s out. When I get down the stairs I can see he didn’t go out the front door and it remains locked. I wondered, how did he get in my house? The stairs that lead to the bottom level and the garage are lit. I see he’s at the bottom of the stair in front of the door to the garage.

“This is how I came in,”  he says. “The garage was open.”
From the top of the stairs, I watch as he walks into the garage and I follow a moment later. One of the garage doors is wide open and the lights are on.

He’s walking up my driveway as I close the garage door and lock the basement door. I run back upstairs in time to watch him walk pass my car that is never parked outside my home on the street. All week I have parked there as the driveway is being resurfaced.

It isn’t until then that I think of calling the police. I remember the guy mentioned friends. This is when I first sense real terror. ‘Oh my God. I may not be alone,’ I think. I quickly call 911 and end up repeating information to a second dispatcher as my call gets rerouted to the local police. Meanwhile, the guy who broke in is walking away.

II.

I just can't stay inside, so I grab a raincoat and step outside, relieved when a police car pulls up. As I am describing the guy, a second police car arrives. One of the officers tells me to remain outside and asks if there is anyone else in the house or any dogs.

“No one. No dogs.”

They go inside, closing the door behind them. I stand outside shoeless in summer pajamas and a raincoat. My sense of time is spotty. The officers could have been in my home for 5 minutes or 20. When they open the door I go back inside.

They want me to look around and see if anything is disturbed or missing. We walk through rooms. Everything is familiar. Right where I left it,
Nothing looks missing. I had described my pocketbook to one of the police officers as they were going in to my nopphouse and he hands it to me. Check to see if anything has been. Taken.
I look and again, nothing was taken.

I look and see that nothing has been disturbed. "Why did he come up three flights of stairs? What did he want?" I ask.

"What do you remember?" the older officer asks. I have already told the younger officer some of these details.

"He was a white man, about 5’11”. I'm guessing he was in his late teens or early twenties.  He had straight dirty blonde or it might have been light brown bang that swept across his face."
"Which way was it parted?" the officer asks.
"On the left side. His face was long, thin, angular. His eyes were even. My bedroom was dark. I was asleep. So I’m guessing he was wearing muted colors cause nothing bright stood out. It;s not like he was wearing an orange shirt."

"Was he wearing jeans?"

"I don’t know if he had jeans on. I don't remember seeing legs. So I guess he had some kind of dark pants on.  I think he must have had a hat on or a hood pulled up as I don’t recall seeing his hair, other than the sweep of bangs across his face.

"Like Justin Bieber?"

"Yeah. I didn't get a sense that he had long hair. Just the bang part. He was thin. He was a thin and  in his early 20s."

"How far was he from your bed? Would you say he was six or seven feet? By the doorway?
"No, he was in my bedroom. At most, he was four feet from my bed. He was all the way in the room."

"Did he seem drunk?"

"No, not really. He wasn't slurring or having trouble standing up. But he did seem dull, not really with it. Like maybe he was drugged or had significant diminished capacity. He didn't say a lot or at least what I can remember."

III.

Let's take a look at your car. Did you eave it like this? the cop asks. I look inside my car and see that there is an old iPod on the driver's seat, and papers on the floor.  The seat is reclined.

"No. I never drive around with the passenger seat laid all the way back. He said he was sleeping in the car. I guess he was."

"It looks like he was rummaging through the glove box."

"I keep my insurance card in an envelope in the glove box. It's never just lying in the floor. My car smells sour. Can you smell that? It smells like old beer."

"Do you keep your garage opener here?" the officer asked pointing to the clip on the window visor.

"Yes, I always do. My car is normally locked in my garage. I didn't think someone could use it to get in my house."

"I guess that's how he got in. Did you leave the car open?"

"I might have. I came home after 9 last night and it was pouring rain.  I had my hands full and came directly into the house. I remember getting my key out while I was sitting in the car, so it is unlikely that I would have had my car key out or that I had a free hand to touch the door handle and lock the car."

"Okay. We'll be in touch when we learn more."


IV.

A few hours later another officer came by and asked a lot of the same questions.  So far, I know nothing more than what I did hours earlier. Some guy broke into my house, climbed three flights of stairs and was standing a few feet from my bed when I woke up.  I wonder how many nights it will be before I turn out the lights.

V.
Last night I locked up the house, climbed the stairs, and went to sleep. This story has a place in my history, but it will never define my history.

I slept fine.

Over attention to safety is too problematic.

#CyberPD - Week one

Desert Panels (M.A. Reilly)

I.

I am out west.
In the desert.

It’s bloody hot and I sometimes feel beautifully lost in this large, large unfolding span of sand and mountains, hills and rocks, settled beneath big, sloping skies.

Every thing shifts in time.

II.

Nevada is cruel in ways that hold my attention.

I read the opening chapters from Sara Ahmad’s Being the Change on the plane, the drone of engines sounding. Ive clocked 22,000 steps since landing and I began to wonder if the desert isn’t an apt metaphor for this reading, this text I am composing alongside her words.

Embrace other.
Become (other)wise.
Dwell in unfamiliar geographies.

To be the change requires rubbing up against ambiguity and knowing it is not a small matter to unknow what have been truths, to be vulnerable with others.