"They Will Ask Us" explores the questions, the well-meaning and the not, that people will bring to others around their identities. It uses figurative language to embrace the message of self-acceptance and empathy. I had the incredible pleasure to engage with Author Lexa Duno-Andreu in an interview. I love all my interviews with authors, but this one I had some deep questions for because of how I personally connected with the book. Check out the interview!
Back to School with Colorful Pages: Diverse Books About Starting School
Happy Back-to-School Time! I have put together a series of book lists that I think are perfect for the first couple months of school! We will be releasing each list throughout the beginning of the school year. In this list of “Books About Starting School”, we have diverse books about starting school. I feature books that are mostly by Authors of Color and perfect for any classroom. Like usual, there are some ideas about what you can do with the books or why they are good for this topic.
5 Books Featuring Our Black Boys
All of us need to think about: What are you doing to specifically uplift our Black boys that live in our communities? We are listing 5 Books Featuring Our Black Boys for every classroom, library, and home to enjoy!
Embracing the Sikh Community: “A Lion’s Mane”
After visiting the Khalsa Gurmat Center and learning more about the Sikh community, I wanted to recommend "A Lion's Mane" again because of the importance it holds to dispel prejudice and empower students.
An Interview with Samuel Narh: Strong Identity, Diverse Books, & “Maisie’s Scrapbook”
I was also able to interview Samuel about his background, his experiences as an author, and Maisie’s Scrapbook. I hope you enjoy the ideas and thoughts of this great author as much as I have.
Colorful Pages Lesson Plan: “Grace for President”
We have created a Colorful Pages Lesson Plan surrounding Kelly DiPucchio's book for Grades 2-4. The lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards for all three of those grades and can be easily aligned to your state's social studies standards. In this lesson, students discuss and research the question, “What is the US Presidential Election?” using Grace for President and a KWL (Know-Wonder/Want-Learn) Chart.
5 Multicultural Books About Family
Learn about five multicultural books that can help you talk to your students and children about families. These five books explore different identities and family composition!
An Interview with Lee Cataluna: Ordinary ‘Ohana and Real Inspiration
Meet Lee Cataluna, author of "Ordinary 'Ohana", a diverse picture book depicting a Hawaiian family. Read our interview to hear about her inspiration for the book, see early mockups of the illustrations, and learn more about this brilliant author!
5 Multicultural Books for Social Emotional Learning
"However, while creating my SEL lessons, I always run into the same problem/question: Where are all the SEL books with children of color??? This problem runs deeper than I can get into for a Fast Five Friday article, but, through this article, I hope that I can help temporarily alleviate the problem by showcasing you all some good and colorful books."
Closing the Racial Justice Gap in Literacy
There is a Racial Justice Gap in our nation! Learn two steps to start to close the gap.