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book list, humor, social-emotional

Book List: Bedtime Books

Seth Harris

The Going To Bed Book (Little Simon)
Written & Illustrated by Sandra Boynton

For ages: 2-5
The first books a child likely receives are thick, sturdy board books designed to stand up to teething toddlers and grasping hands. The Going To Bed Book is a bedtime routine delivered as a rhyming story for our littlest ones. Boynton’s illustrations are expressive and straightforward, with animal characters going about the steps of preparing for bed. We see them taking a bath, putting on pajamas, brushing their teeth, etc. The Going To Bed Book would make an excellent first bedtime book for any child. It will help reinforce the routine we work to instill in our children while giving them a sweetly written story before nodding off for the night.

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fantasy, middle grade

Middle Grade Must-Read – The Beatryce Prophecy

Seth Harris

The Beatryce Prophecy (Candlewick)
Written by Kate DiCamillo
Illustrations by Sophie Blackall

Kate DiCamillo published her first book in 2000 when I was out of the intended age range. This was the first of her books I’ve ever read, and I was profoundly impressed. DiCamillo’s name had come across my radar for the last twenty years through her breakout hit Because of Winn-Dixie and later The Tale of Despereaux. Despite seeing her name and these titles so often, I never thought to pick them up and give them a read. I think this mainly because the students I was around didn’t really gravitate towards her work unprompted. My reticence to read her work was also due to the adage of judging a book by its cover. The covers didn’t appeal to my personal tastes, so I passed them by. Wow, I was missing a great writer!

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author spotlight

Author Spotlight: Arnold Lobel

Seth Harris

The war on LGBTQ+ people in America feels horrific right now. It seemed like we were past all this; with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage in 2015, queer community members and allies breathed a sigh of relief. A massive step in the right direction. Just a few decades earlier, it was an act of self-destruction for many to come out and be open with their sexuality. One of those people was author, Arnold Lobel. As we see LGBTQ+ people and their allies labeled as “groomers” and “pedophiles” by the right-wing, it is crucial to remember how vital queer voices have been for children. Lobel was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1933, where he faced intense bullying in his neighborhood. One of his favorite escapes from the torment was his local library, where books helped Lobel lose himself in other worlds. 

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animals, book list

Book List: Nighttime Animals

Seth Harris

Nighttime is a fascinating thing for many children. It happens when they are asleep, and we all remember wondering what happened when the lights went out. Children are also fascinated with animals, watching them in their natural habitats and seeing how they survive. Nighttime animals are some of the most interesting and show us that even though the sun has gone down, much is happening under the cover of night.

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biography, culture, disabilities, family, spotlight

Spotlight: The Electric Slide and Kai/All the Way to the Top

Seth Harris

The Electric Slide and Kai (Lee & Low Books)
Written by Kelly J. Baptist
Illustrated by Darnell Johnson

For ages: 5-8
Dancing is a fun part of any wedding, and you want to join the rest of the family and friends on the dance floor to celebrate. Kai hears Aunt Nina is getting married and wants to sharpen up his moves. Everyone in the family has a dancing nickname except for Kai, and he hopes this year it will change. He gets help from his family members, and they happily aid him. However, when the wedding day comes, Kai gets scared during the reception and slips away. Uncle Troy, Nina’s new husband, tells Kai he’s nervous about getting a dance nickname, too, and they hype each other up.

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author spotlight, humor

Author Spotlight – Adam Rubin

Seth Harris

Adam Rubin has a very distinct sense of humor. He’s been writing and publishing children’s books for 14 years and always infuses his texts with that trademark silliness. Before becoming a New York Times bestselling author, Rubin worked in ad agencies as a creative for a decade. Everything changed when Rubin was introduced to illustrator Daniel Salmieri by a college friend. The two men had a shared sense of humor and decided to collaborate. The result was their first of nine books together, Those Darn Squirrels. They would make two more Squirrels books and followed that with one of their biggest hits, Dragons Love Tacos. Rubin kept working in advertising until 2015 when he made enough from book sales to be a full-time writer. There is a strong influence from the classic newspaper comic strip The Far Side in Rubin and Salmieri, an off-beat weirdness that makes for addictive reading. Now he devotes himself to writing new books and traveling around the country to bookstores and schools to meet his readers. Below are three books I highly recommend if you are looking for something tremendously silly to share with your students.

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afro-caribbean, fantasy, middle grade

Middle Grade Must-Reads: Josephine Against the Sea

Seth Harris

Josephine Against the Sea (Scholastic Inc)
Written by Shakira Bourne

This first book in a new middle-grade fantasy series begins with the genuine world conflict of watching your widowed parent start a new relationship. Eleven-year-old Josephine is not ready to see her father move on from her late mother quite yet, which distresses her immensely. Once her mom died, life seemed to get so much more complicated. She lives in Barbados, her dad is a fisherman, and Josephine passionately wants to play cricket on a real team. Everything changes when Maris comes into their lives, a beautiful & mysterious woman who wants dad all to herself. Josephine suspects her potential new stepmother is more than she seems on the surface and begins researching Caribbean folklore to determine what she is up against.

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book list, race, social studies, social-emotional

Book List: Race in America

Seth Harris

I have been increasingly ashamed of the various state legislatures around America who have chosen to devote their energy to eliminating meaningful classroom instruction for people of color. Framed as “Critical Race Theory,” which is a legal theory, not an elementary school concept, these racists intend to hide the truth and promote white supremacy. While activism in some corners has been successful, sadly, in other spots, the majority seem to be clamoring for censorship. Not talking about race as an educator is to do a disservice to your students. Part of me is pleased I walked away from teaching in Tennessee when I did, but I can’t help but feel deeply saddened by the students who will have their history hidden from them. If you are a teacher who refuses to hide the truth, these books provide a fantastic jumping-off point.

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animals, black history, history, spotlight

Spotlight: Saving the Day/There’s a Lion in the Forest

Seth Harris

Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan’s Life-Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Written by Karyn Parsons
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

For ages: 4-8
Our world is full of inventions we use every day but rarely think much about. The traffic light is a crucial technology that has helped save countless lives. It was invented by Black American Garrett Morgan, whose story is told in verse in this brand-new children’s book. Morgan was born to a farming family in 1870s Kentucky, where he seems to be underfoot while the adults and big kids do essential work. The young man’s strength comes in the form of mechanical genius, breaking down and rebuilding all sorts of devices to understand how they work. For example, after studying with a tutor, Morgan invents the zigzag stitch after breaking apart a sewing machine. 

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author spotlight, wordless

Author Spotlight: David Wiesner

Seth Harris

My first encounter with David Wiesner’s books was stumbling across a copy of The Three Pigs by accident. I was so happy with the playful direction the story went, breaking beyond the simplicity of the original fairy tale and becoming something that would truly stretch my students’ imaginations. More on that book below. Wiesner has been illustrating books since 1980, collaborating with writer Gloria Skurzynski on Honest Andrew. His first work as a writer would come seven years later with Loathsome Dragon, a retelling co-written with his wife, Kim Khang. The following year would see his first solo effort, Free Fall. Since then, Wiesner has written & illustrated eleven additional books, his most recent being Robot Baby (2020). Below are four of his books I highly recommend.

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