Grade Level: Elementary 3–5
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Deep Dive: Eid
Eid is a joyful Islamic festival celebrated by over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, marking moments of gratitude, reflection, and togetherness. It includes two major observances, Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, honoring devotion and sacrifice, both beginning with communal prayers and shared festivities.
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Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams: The Woman Who Rescued a Generation of Children and Founded the World’s Largest Children’s Library
A Jewish woman who had fled from the Nazis, was determined to restore a sense of childhood to German children after World War II. She collected 4,000 children’s books that would eventually become the International Youth Library in Munich, now with over 600,000 items.
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Botticelli’s Apprentice
Husted wrote and illustrated an inspiring, and well-researched fiction graphic novel that reveals information about women and social stereotypes during the Renaissance, as witnessed through the day to day life of Botecelli’s female apprentice, Mella.
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A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa
At the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas, she drew what she saw—bayous, guard towers, and the barbed wire that separated her from her old life.That same barbed wire would inspire Ruth’s art for decades.
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Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman
Sharice Davids was one of the first Indigenous women elected to Congress. This book teaches everyone that they can work to overcome obsticales and be heard.
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Carlotta’s Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History
Carlotta was the youngest member of the Little Rock 9. This is her story about integrating an all white school.
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And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories
“There is a line in Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon in which a character exclaims “And she was loved” in an expression of resistance against the anti-Blackness she experiences. In this poetic paean to the late author, Pinkney employs the same line as a motif to express deep reverence and affection for Morrison’s life…
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Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams
Paul R. Williams an orphaned Black boy growing up in America in the early 1900s, experienced prejudice, and dreamed of building his own home, he began drawing sketches of his dream home, defying the odds and breaking down the wall of racism as a popular Black architect in the 1920s – 1970s.
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Deep Dive: Tết Nguyên Đán
Commonly called Tết, Tết Nguyên Đán is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. It’s the most important Vietnamese holiday and is celebrated between late January and mid February, marking the beginning of the lunar new year. As a time to celebrate with family and honor ancestors, Tết is a festive affair filled with wishes for health…
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Deep Dive: Lunar New Year
Families all over the world in countries such as China, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and more celebrate the Lunar New Year. To prepare for an auspicious year, families clean the house, feast, hang lanterns, and more! Read on to learn more about this very important tradition – specifically, the Year of…
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A Kid Like Me
Ethan doesn’t want to stand out, he just wants to fit in. fitting in is tough when you have an old cell phone, broken backpack, and thrift shop clothing.
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Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School
Mamie wanted to go to school, but Chinese children weren’t allowed. She showed up anyway. When she was turned away at the schoolhouse door, her parents sued the San Francisco school board and the case made it all the way to the California Supreme Court, which ruled that children of Chinese heritage had the right…