Becoming Critically Literate

  Publisher's Description: " Molly and her mom don’t always have enough food, so one Saturday they visit their local food pantry. Molly’s happy to get food to eat until she sees her classmate Caitlin, who’s embarrassed to be at the food pantry. Can Molly help Caitlin realize that everyone needs help sometimes?" Text Features:  Informational picture book. Additional back matter about the topic of food insecurity. Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   BEFORE reading: discuss what students might know already about food pantries (what are they? where are they? who goes to them? why do people go to food pantries?) DURING reading: ask students to listen out for reasons why people go to the food pantry and how they feel about it.  AFTER reading:       Discuss with students what feelings they noticed different characters having and why they think they were experiencing those feelings. For example: What did Caitlin feel when she saw Molly? W...

  Description from the publisher (Reycraft Books):  " An orange horse is desperate to find his long-lost brother, but the only clue he has is one half of an old photo. The horse decides to advertise, but the answers he gets leave him feeling hopeless. Then, one day, the orange horse meets a brown horse and they immediately become good friends. Coincidentally, the brown horse also has one half of an old photo. Could he be the long-lost brother the orange horse has been searching for?" Text Features:  Fictional picture book Some bolded keywords (salient nouns and emotional vocabulary) Explores an expansive concept of family (and is great for introducing the concept of "chosen/found" family and what it means to really belong) Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   BEFORE reading discussion ideas: What do you think the Orange Horse's family might look like? Why do you think that? Do you look like the people in your family? Why or why not? Why might som...

  Description from the publisher: "Visit a truly special street bursting with joy, hope, and dreams. Inspired by the neighborhood where they grew up as cousins, this gorgeous picture book from an award-winning illustrator and critically acclaimed author is the perfect gift or keepsake for every generation.   Welcome to Dream Street--the best street in the world!  Jump rope with Azaria--can you Double Dutch one leg at a time?  Dream big with Ede and Tari, who wish to create a picture book together one day. Say hello with Mr. Sidney, a retired mail carrier who greets everyone with the words, " Don't wait to have a great day. Create one!"  On Dream Street, love between generations rules, everyone is special, and the warmth of the neighborhood shines.   A magical story from the critically acclaimed author of  Nana Akua Goes to School  and a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winning illustrator. Illuminating this vivid cast of characters are...

  From the publisher: "Why are our skin colors different? What makes skin brown? Why are grown-ups mean to each other?  Five-year-olds have a lot of questions about skin color. And they're not always easy to answer.    With Different Differenter, Jyoti Gupta uses simple, age-appropriate explanations and 14 fun activities to help elementary schoolers discover answers to questions that often originate with skin color and lead up to cultural, ethnic, racial, and class- or caste-based differences. “Dismantling colorism is central to dismantling racism,” says Jyoti. “So why doesn’t every child know a key word like melanin?”    Drawing on her experience as a racial-literacy educator, mediamaker, and activist, Jyoti helps her readers understand the factual information about skin color and its related concepts that is missing from everyday conversations. She also gives her readers creative, play-based tools to challenge colorist narratives and cultivate healthy rel...

From the Publisher: "My Shadow is Pink is a beautifully written rhyming story that touches on the subjects of gender identity, self acceptance, equality and diversity. Inspired by the author's own little boy, 'Shadow's' main character likes princesses, fairies and things 'not for boys'... he soon learns (through the support of his dad) that everyone has a shadow that they sometimes feel they need to hide. This is an important book for a new generation of children (and adults alike) which exemplifies the concepts of unconditional love, respect and positive parenting. Creates opportunity for open discussion and learning. Highlights current themes of gender identity." Text Features:  Rhyming verse Print features (interesting use of font to emphasize key words and phrase Metaphor (shadow as "inner-most you") Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   Before reading, discuss the book's title and cover. What do you think this book wil...

  From The Publisher: "When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. Compassionate parents everywhere will instantly recognize a father's ability to reconnect a child with the world around him. Poet Jordan Scott writes movingly in this powerful and ultimately uplifting book, based on his own experience, and masterfully illustrated by Greenaway Medalist Sydney Smith. A book for any child who feels lost, lonely, or unable to fit in." Text Features:  Figurative Language ("the P in pinetree grows roots inside my mouth and tangles my tongue", "the M in moon dusts my lips with a magic that makes me only mumble", "I feel a storm in my belly; my eyes fill with rain"...and of course "I talk like a river") Author's Note (great for exploring the author's inspiration for writing this book and his hopes f...

From the Publisher: "Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can. At first, she’s embarras sed. Why can’t her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family’s time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress. Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author’s note in the back shares Andrea’s childhood experience with her parents." Text Features:  Figurative Language ("mom's eyes are...