The Tiny Activist: Sunday Shoutout

April 2, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

I’m so excited to be this week’s Sunday Spotlight for The Tiny Activist, a website and social media project run by two teachers that are dedicated to creating welcoming, engaging, and transformative educational experiences for every child. Each week, the team behind The Tiny Activist features another educator or activist working to help children become […]

Women in STEM display for Women’s History Month

March 25, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Our library’s little 🤚🏽🤚🏿🤚🏻🤚🏾🤚🏼 can’t get enough of these gorgeous Women in STEM posters from Women You Should Know. I find readers touching the faces and tracing the words countless times a day (especially Mae Jemison, who, along with Leland Melvin, has reached beyond rockstar status in our world). Did you know that Rosalind Franklin was integral […]

For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story

March 21, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” 🌍 For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story has my readers feeling two of my favorite things: curious and grateful. Grateful for our beautiful school, the freedom to learn and read, and a safe place to live and play. And so curious […]

Quest: How can we level the playing field for children in Charlottesville?

March 19, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Not all children in Charlottesville have the same opportunities, and they ALL deserve the chance to read and play. We’ll be spending the trimester building Little Free Libraries, working with Bennett’s Village to help make an all-abilities playground a reality, and scheming up other ways to make Charlottesville a safe, welcoming, and fun place for […]

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

March 15, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Happy birthday, Ruth Bader Ginsburg! It just so happens that we’ve been reading about Ruth’s incredible life and impact this week as part of our ongoing conversations about Women’s History Month. Can your first graders spot RBG’s dissent collar in a crowd? Thanks to I Dissent, mine can! This brilliant picture book walks us through […]

Celebrating Strong Women: Resources for Women’s History Month

March 14, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

For the first time this year, I put the work into bringing Black History Month to life in my library. It was such a wonderful month of questions, discussions, explorations, and growth! It changed the way that I look at displays and celebrations in my space, and the deep thinking they can inspire. As […]

Fitz’s Faves Jr: M’s review of I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79

March 12, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011, by Lauren Tarshis I gave this book five strs because the main characters are a boy named Marcus and his father. They lived in Pompeii in the year 99 AD whenMount Vesuvius erupted. It covered the city in ashes. Marcus and his father are slaves. Marcus goes to clean […]

I love my hair! / Amo mi cabello!

March 7, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

I love my hair! / ¡Amo mi cabello! Señora Roth (@senorarothspanish) and I teamed up last week for a special bilingual story time with Sandra Cisneros’ book, Hairs / Pelitos. We were inspired by second grade students sharing stories about their identity with kindergarten readers – books like I am Enough and I Love My Hair […]

Black History is American History: A Month of Daily Facts

February 28, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

I’ve been so amazed at the incredible displays and pieces of art that educators have shared from their schools and libraries to celebrate Black History Month! I mean, come on – this is stunning! Unfortunately for my readers, I’m not much of an artist, which puts many of these beautiful pieces outside of my grasp. […]