Curating resources & sharing stories to empower teacher & student ownership, wonder, and daring.
Not only is Valentine’s day a great time to celebrate a holiday in the classroom, but it can also be a great segway into learning more about feelings. Here are a few picture books to use in the classroom during this time.
Announcing our 2021 Christmas book list! This is one of my favorite posts each year to write. It’s so fun to look over our holiday books and choose a handful to share with you each year. Here’s what I’ve gathered for this season-
The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert: This is a longer picture book, but worth the read! Such a cute Christmas story.
Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margret Rey
The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear: This is one I know I’ve put on a winter or Christmas list before, but it’s too good to not include again!
A Simple Christmas on the Farm by Phyllis Alsdurf
What Christmas and holiday books are you reading this year?
Happy 4th of July weekend! What a great weekend to talk with students about the Revolutionary War and our Founding Fathers. While it’s important to learn about these, there is also a lack of educational information about our Founding Mothers and the women of the revolution. Here are some of the kids’ books that bring out the stories of these women.
Founding Mother’s: Remembering the Ladies
They Called Her Molly Pitcher
Who Was Betsy Ross?
Who Was Abigail Adams?
From A Small Seed- The Story of Eliza Hamilton
Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution
This Land Is Your Land– Not a book about the women of the revolution, but still a moving book worth the read!
How do you teach about the founding mothers and fathers of our country in your classroom?
I am a day late on Three Kings’ Day, I apologize! I was hoping to get this article up on January 6th, the day the holiday is celebrated. However, a mental health day was much needed, so therefore this post is a day late. However, I still feel it is an important one and should not be put off another year! So here it is! Picture books to read for Three Kings Day.
Celebrate Christmas and Three Kings’ Day with Pablo and Carlitos
The Story of the Three Wise Kings
Hurray for Three Kings’ Day!
What other books do you like to read to your class about Three Kings’ Day? Is this a holiday that is represented or celebrated in your classroom?
This is part of a series on writing booklists about holidays beyond Christmas. To read more about it, you can see it here.
Kwanzaa has officially started! Kwanzaa is from December 26th- January 1st. Here are some of the picture books I was drawn to that you can read during the holiday and can teach you and your students more about it!
The Seven Days Of Kwanzaa is a spin-off of the popular 12 Day of Christmas but adapted for Kwanzaa. The rhyming keeps listeners engaged!
Kevin’s Kwanzaa I was instantly drawn to this book because of the bright pictures! A cute book following the Kwanzaa celebration of Kevin’s family.
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa A book about a cute little rabbit family celebrating Kwanzaa.
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story is a fun story about a family using the seven principles of Kwanzaa to come together.
What other books do you like to read to your students regarding Kwanzaa!?
This is part of a series on writing booklists about holidays beyond Christmas. To read more about it, you can see it here.
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is still a few months away, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be added to our list of holiday picture books! These books were fun to look up and discover new titles. The Chinese culture has so much to offer and learn about, so let’s dive into my top favorites!
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas
What books are you reading for Chinese New Year?
This is part of a series on writing booklists about holidays beyond Christmas. To read more about it, you can see it here.
Happy first day of Los Posadas! This holiday celebrates the journey Mary and Joseph made to give birth to the baby Jesus, celebrated in Mexico and parts of the United States. Here are some fun picture books to read during this holiday!
Uno, Dos, Tres, Posada! This book is fun because it incorporates Spanish and English and teaches someone who is not familiar with Los Posadas what the holiday entails.
A Pinata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas A cute spin on the Twelve Days of Christmas from a Latino perspective celebrating Los Posadas.
The Legend of the Poinsettia This book is longer, but a great one for learning about poinsettias and why they are significant to Los Posadas.
Nine Days to Christmas: I really love the simplicity of the illustrations in this book. It’s another great one to learn more about Los Posadas!
What are some of your favorite Los Posadas picture books to read?
Cover photo from tuscon.com