100 Scope Notes
Erika Thulin Dawes, May 28, 2019 | Picture Books
A warm day, a welcoming playground, and a bright smile - the quintessential ingredients for childhood play and budding friendships. David’s Soman’s innovative new picture book is not only a joyous counting romp, it is also a wonderful invitation to discuss how to make a friend, how to be inclusive in play, and how to build community.
Katie Cunningham, December 6, 2021 | Book Reviews, Fiction, Fiction Picture Books
This entry features two picturebooks by acclaimed picturebook creators who have crafted stories where things fall from the sky, events occur, and for some characters, lessons are learned.
Mary Ann Cappiello, November 26, 2018 | Nonfiction
Last week, Erika and I wrote a post about the Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck Book Award announcements at the NCTE Annual Convention. The Orbis Pictus Award was the first stand-alone award for children’s nonfiction, established by NCTE in 1989 and first awarded in 1990. You can learn more about the award on the NCTE […]
Katie Cunningham, June 13, 2016 | Announcements, Summer Reading
We are thrilled to announce that The Classroom Bookshelf is joining the School Library Journal Blog Network. SLJ is the world’s largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens. The SLJ blogs have long been some of our favorite sources of information on children’s and young adult literature, apps, technology, and informational […]
Grace Enriquez, November 9, 2015 | Historical Fiction, Picture Books
In the New World: A Family in Two Centuries Written by Christa Holtei; Illustrated by Gerda Raidt Published by Charlesbridge, 2015 ISBN # 978-1-58089-630-6 Grades K and up Book Review Immigration stories have been told before in picture books, so when the invitation to “take a closer look at an immigrant family’s journey” (p. 7) […]
Erika Thulin Dawes, May 24, 2021 | Announcements, Book Reviews, Nonfiction Picture Books
“Animals play. And we play too: kimêtawânaw mîna.” This special similarity between humans and the world of animal species is the focus of Cree-Métis author and illustrator Julie Flett’s latest picturebook. Incorporating a patterned text and playful alliteration, Flett introduces the movements of several animal species and then, through illustration, draws parallels to human play.
Erika Thulin Dawes, September 3, 2019 | Fiction, Fiction Chapter Books
Because of the Rabbit Written by Cynthia Lord Published in 2019 by Scholastic ISBN 978-0-545-91424-6 Grades 3 – 6 Book Review It’s the start of the school year and Emma is facing more changes than the average rising fifth grader. Emma, her parents, and her older brother Owen live in northern Maine, where Emma’s father […]
Erika Thulin Dawes, April 12, 2022 | Poetry Picture Books, Uncategorized
What is a wonder walk, you wonder? For the two children featured in Micha Archer’s Caldecott Honor winning picturebook it is a journey of inquiry through the wonders of the world around them, a ramble through fields, forests, valley, and shoreline. Perfect for Earth Day celebrations, Wonder Walkers is a wondrous poetic tribute to the relationship between young explorers, their curiosity and questions, and nature.
Mary Ann Cappiello, April 4, 2022 | Biography & Memoirs, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Picture Books
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University is a gorgeous introduction into the medieval Islamic world, the thriving city of Fez, and the ongoing cultural and scientific discoveries and exchanges of the Islamic Golden Age. It also demonstrates the power of one woman’s determination to bring education to girls and women, an action that has transformed lives and reverberated over 1,200 years.
Erika Thulin Dawes, March 21, 2022 | Biography & Memoirs, Nonfiction, Picture Books
In a picture book as vivid and colorful as the art it celebrates, author Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrator Loveis Wise collaborate to introduce young readers to the life and work of Alma Woodsey Thomas. Alma was the first Black woman to have a solo art exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art and she created the first artwork by a Black woman to be displayed as part of the White House’s permanent collection. While highlighting her accomplishments, the narrative emphasizes Alma’s early appreciation of the beauty of nature, the joy she found in making art, and her commitment to providing art education to underserved children in Washington, DC.
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Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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