March 21 is World Poetry Day, and March 22 is World Water Day.
Celebrate both by sharing Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube! The publisher, Lee & Low Books, has also made an excellent educator’s guide available.
Illustration by Meilo So from Water Rolls, Water Rises.
International Women’s Day means different things to different people, but the global focus on equality and celebration is clear. It was started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900’s and continues to be a powerful platform globally that unifies tenacity and drives action for gender parity, while celebrating the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women.
"The men of the household are adored, feared, and revered, but it is the women who hold things together; their worries, quarrels, prayers, recipes, gardens and fierce love for the children lend House of Houses its rich texture."—The New York Times Book Review
Now in its 20th year, The National Education Association’s Read Across America is a year-round program that focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.
To help celebrate the 20th anniversary, NEA has created Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers, a downloadable resource calendar.
Fierce with Reality, a culturally diverse literary collection on aging, has been reissued by the editor, Margaret Cruikshank. The anthology highlights writings by women from late l9th century American literature to the present, and includes an essay by Pat.
Ranging from ancient Chinese poetry to Mary Oliver and Alice Walker, the anthology includes fiction, philosophical essays, personal essays, humor, analyses of ageism, and folktales from Asia and Iraq. Many facets of aging are explored, revealing the challenges and complexities of late-life experiences, and demonstrating that aging is both individual and social/cultural.
Kyle writes:
I recently had an amazing conversation with Andrea Davis Pinkney, the author of A Poem for Peter and other award-winning books. She shared this with me:
“When kids see a child that looks like them on the cover of a book, they see that they are important. But when they don’t see themselves reflected, they don’t get to know that they matter. When they don’t see themselves depicted, they don’t get to see that they count. And I think that’s the importance of diversity: kids see what they see, and they don’t see what they don’t see.”
Andrea’s words echo what we hear from the educators First Book serves: 90% of First Book educators say their students would be more enthusiastic readers if they had access to books with characters, stories, and images that reflect their lives.
When children read more, the greater the likelihood that they will succeed in school, and subsequently, in life. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity in children’s books is staggering.
First Book’s Stories for All Project™ addresses the lack of inclusivity in children’s books by providing kids in need with books representing diverse characters, voices and life circumstances. Promoting understanding and empathy through stories helps children see and celebrate their similarities and differences.
You can help children be seen. Donate to First Book today to help create an empathetic and inclusive generation. When you donate, tell us where you want Stories for All Project™ to be distributed. Open up a world of possibilities for kids in your community.
