Becoming Critically Literate

  Description from the publisher: " Discover both the past   and  present day's fight to vote with Quetta Little as she learns the power of casting your vote in this ideal picture book from acclaimed author Leah Henderson and illustrator Keisha Morris. The perfect companion for any young reader during election year! It’s Election Day, and Quetta, her mother, and her grandmother embark on their journey to cast their vote. Trekking through their vibrant neighborhood, they meet obstacle after obstacle before—and after—reaching their voting station. Unwilling to give up, Quetta’s mother and grandmother teach her about the importance of voting and those who fought for their right—and Quetta comes to discover the power of raising her voice. With warm illustrations, engaging text, and insightful timeline,  Your Voice, Your Vote  will inspire readers to embrace this civic duty in the face of today’s continued fight for voting rights." Text Features:  Realistic fict...

Description from the publisher: "Based in part on a 100-year-old family journal, Rosemary Wells brings to life a story that the diary’s fragile pages tell. It’s the story of a wooden rocking chair handmade in about 1825 by her great-great-grandfather, an immigrant Jewish boy who made his way to America from Germany in the early 1800s. In 1807, Sam Siegbert is born in southern Germany. Sam’s favorite pastime is carpentry, much to his father’s displeasure. His mother says he has a gift from God in his hands. After moving to America, he builds a wooden chair with the word  WILLKOMMEN  on the back. The chair’s back panel was later marked with  welcome s by four generations of the family in four different languages. After the family lost track of the old chair, the author created a new life for it among new owners from other corners of the world. All the families who loved the chair came to America, escaping religious conformity, natural disasters, tyrannies, war, and supersti...

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...