Hi Reader, As families and educators head toward the end of the school year, it's easy to forget two important heritage celebrations that take place in May. May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month AND it's also Jewish American Heritage Month. I know you've got a lot on your plate, so I've created book lists that will make it easy for you to get what you need at the library or the bookstore: Children's books for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (I just added several new picture books and middle grade books to this list.) Also if you missed my kid-friendly video series on birthright citizenship, there's an important tie-in to Chinese American history in video #3. 20 children's books starring Jewish characters (includes both chapter books and picture books) Happy reading, Rebekah P.S. This week, I'm headed to Chicago for the National Convening on Children's Racial Learning, coordinated by EmbraceRace. I cannot wait to share with you what I've learned when I return! |
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Hi Reader, How inclusive and accurate was the history you learned in school? I often tell people that going to majority-Black public schools, I learned more Black history than many students did in the early 1990s. But I don't remember learning anything about Asian American history. Because of this knowledge gap, I learned so much reading Sarah-Sooling Blackburn's book for kids ages 8 - 12, Exclusion and the Chinese American Story (affiliate link). I share some of what I learned from the book...
Hi Reader, When I started my business nine years ago, it never occurred to me that one day I’d need to explain to kids what birthright citizenship is and its history. I talked frequently about immigrant rights and the need for reforms that provided undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. Still, I assumed it would always be taken for granted that children born in the United States are citizens. After all, it’s in the constitution! Yet, here we are. On day 1 of his second term, President...
Hi Reader, I'm excited to share not only a new blog post this week, but also a free download that will help you take a look at your children's book collection and how you can strengthen it. But first, a bit of a personal update. Last week, my city of Memphis experienced record rainfalls - 14 inches of rain in 4 days. On Thursday, our sump pump failed and our basement flooded. We spent more than I thought was possible getting it replaced, only for even heavier rains to arrive on Saturday. Our...