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I’m Alyssa, an elementary school teacher and a mother, and one of my greatest passions within these roles is fostering a love of reading and critical thinking through high-quality, inclusive children’s books. I hold a Master’s degree in Literacy Education with a focus on children’s literature. My goal is to make it easier for you to not only find the best kids’ books out there, but also know how to best utilize them in your home or classroom. We want our children to be readers, lifelong learners, dreamers, doers, and all-around amazing humans too. Let me show you how children’s books can help transform lives—including yours!

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Tonight marks the end of Ramadan and, soon, the be

Tonight marks the end of Ramadan and, soon, the beginning of the celebrations for Eid al-Fitr. Across the globe, more than a billion and a half Muslims have been observing Ramadan. Tonight, as a family, we will also re-read THE GIFT OF RAMADAN by Rabiah York Lumbard and illustrated by Laura K. Horton, which we received from @littlefeministbookclub when Ramadan began. It is such a lovely book where the main character, Sophia, learns that there are many ways to celebrate Ramadan and that the heart of Ramadan is about filling oneself with all that is good, true, and beautiful.

I am so proud to partner with @littlefeministbookclub because, as you know, I am EXTREMELY discerning about the books I bring into my home and classroom. Yet, I wholeheartedly trust this female-run book club that sends quarterly themed book boxes. Why? Their company focuses on equality and empathy for EVERYONE, since they operate on the belief that feminism is intersectional. They are focused on antiracist principles and promote #ownvoices stories that include respectful and accurate representations of diverse bodies and families and beliefs.

How It Works: Four times a year they send a timely and thoughtfully designed book box to your home based on your child’s age (there are clubs for 0-2 Years Old, 2-4 Years Old, 4-7 Years Old, and 7-9 Years Old). They also send discussion questions and activities to allow the book (and its important themes) to truly come alive at home.

Why I Love It: In addition to appreciating the critical book selection, I so appreciate the well-designed activities and questions. One of the things that I loved about the one I received is that there are discussion questions on BOTH sides of the bookmark for various ages, so if you have multiple kids or want to challenge a child’s thinking, this is just perfect.

Why You Should Sign Up: This month, Little Feminist Book Club is sending out books centered around a theme of Celebrating Black & Trans Joy…an essential theme for the entire year, but also just in time for Pride Month soon. I can’t wait to see what books they pick!

Check out my stories to learn more or use the code CHILDRENSLITWORLD to save 15% off your order.

Happy International Women’s Day! I am constantly

Happy International Women’s Day! I am constantly inspired by so many phenomenal women in this space, and I wanted to give a shout out to just some of my favorites who have shared some of THEIR favorite stories of phenomenal women. Swipe ⬅️ to see them all (I’ll post them in my Stories as well), and in the comments, tag some women that continue to inspire, support, or encourage you too.

1: @girlsreadtheworld
2: @ihaveabook4that
3: @jillianstarrteaching
4: @lettersfrom4th
5: @mrschavezreads
6: @toddlers.who.read
7: @kidlitismagic

IF I RAN THE ZOO by Dr. Seuss Rating: Not Recommen

IF I RAN THE ZOO by Dr. Seuss Rating: Not Recommended 🛑

TW: harmful imagery based on racial stereotypes

Here is the story of Gerald McGrew who, when visiting a zoo, finds that the exotic animals are "not good enough". He says that if he ran the zoo, he would let all of the current animals free and find new, more bizarre and exotic ones or, as it states “beasts of a much more un-usual kind” that will make people talk and gawk.

These “exotic” lands, while “fictional,” are clearly based on sweeping generalities of the “Orient,” Middle East, and Africa (even mentioned by name), and depict some of Seuss’ most egregious examples in terms of depicting people of color through racist caricatures and stereotypes.

Slide 2: The few Asian characters in his books that are not wearing conical hats are shown here carrying Gerald on their heads. They are described as “helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant” from “countries no one can spell.” In addition to being depicted as subservient (literally beneath him), Gerald is also shown holding a gun (illustrating dominance).

Slide 3: Most of Seuss’ illustrations of characters wearing turbans are exotified by being shown riding exotic animals such as camels, elephants, and zebras. In this book, they are also dehumanized when Gerald says that he is going to put a person of color wearing a turban on display in a zoo. He says, “A Mulligatawny is fine for my zoo/And so is a chieftain. I’ll bring one back too. This theme harkens back to human zoos, or ethnological expositions, that often emphasized the supposed inferiority of people of color and the “superiority” of Western society. There is a long history of people of color, such as Saartjie (Sarah) Baartman or Chang and Eng Bunker.

Slide 4: Gerald also visits “the African Island of Yerka” to “bring back a tizzle-topped Tufted Mazurka” shown sitting on a perch carried by two African men. Suggesting a kinship with the animal, the two Africans have tufts on their heads that resemble that of the bird. Their faces come straight out of Seuss’ early problematic cartoons, and the traditional association of apes/monkeys with Blacks in comics and political cartoons is abundantly clear.

This Just In‼️: Six Dr. Seuss books, including

This Just In‼️: Six Dr. Seuss books, including will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments below because I would love to discuss. Are there any books that you would add to this list? I think it should also be noted that one of the books that won’t be published (The Cat’s Quizzer) was published in 1976—decades after books like The Sneetches and The Lorax.

The books that will no longer be published are shown in order of their publication date and include: And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (1937), McElligot’s Pool (1947), If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953), On Beyond Zebra (1955), and The Cat’s Quizzer (1976).

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that preserves and protects the author's legacy, made the announcement today on the late author and illustrator's birthday.

Explaining the decision to stop the publication of the six books, the company said: “These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” The company did not offer specific examples.

“Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises' catalog represents and supports all communities m and families….Dr. Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process. We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalog of titles.”

Yet, Dr. Seuss still remains incredibly popular, earning an estimated $33 million before taxes in 2020, up from just $9.5 million five years ago, the company said. Forbes listed him No. 2 on its highest-paid dead celebrities of 2020.

So, what are your thoughts? Since the company did not offer any specific examples, I’m wondering if anyone has any insight on any of these books beyond And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street (see my last post) or If I Ran the Zoo. Why these books and not others, do you think? Should they have taken other actions in addition to this? Do you think this will have any effect on the use of his books?

Link to article in Stories.

It’s Read Across America week! Which means, acco

It’s Read Across America week! Which means, according to the NEA, celebrating a nation of diverse readers. NEA moved away from associating Read Across America week with Dr. Seuss, and if you haven’t also done the same…what exactly are you waiting for?! I’ll share some of my favorite Read Across America Week resources in my stories, because there are SO many wonderful options that don’t include Dr. Seuss! However, if you know somebody who STILL wants to explore Dr. Seuss, I’m going to be bringing up some KEY points you should consider sharing and passing on in order to raise awareness.

Up first is Dr. Seuss’ first book “And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street” which was published in 1937. In this, a Chinese man is drawn with chopsticks and a bowl of rice in his hands, bright yellow skin, slanted eyes, a long black braid, and a conical hat. The text beneath him reads, “a Chinaman who eats with sticks.” In 1978, Dr. Seuss (Theodor S. Geisel) revised the Chinese character in question. The late author once said, "I had a gentleman with a pigtail. I colored him yellow and called him a 'Chinaman.' That's the way things were 50 years ago. In later editions, I refer to him as a 'Chinese man.' I have taken the color out of the gentleman and removed the pigtail and now he looks like an Irishman."

Does he though?! Really?! The revised character retains the bowl of rice, chopsticks, conical hat, and slanted eyes. Both versions of the “Chinese” man depict him in shoes with an elevated wood base traditional of Japanese footwear called geta. There was a mural of this revised version at The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum. In 2017, three authors (Mike Curato, Mo Willems, and Lisa Yee) were invited to attend and read there, but decided to write a letter in solidarity noting that the “selected art is a jarring racial stereotype of a Chinese man, who is depicted with chopsticks, a pointed hat, and slanted slit eyes.” They said that the caricature of “the Chinaman” was “deeply hurtful, and have concerns about children’s exposure to it.” Agreed. In response, the mural was removed…but the book remains without any warning as to the stereotypical (and harmful) illustration.

This bookshelf was in my classroom last year (I mi

This bookshelf was in my classroom last year (I miss school! 😭). See any favorites that you used this month or new books you’d like to use soon? Here’s the good news. Our Black History books don’t need to be put away, because this work is going to continue well into the rest of the school year and every day. Keep centering conversations on equity and justice. Keep sharing stories of Black joy and excellence that your kids might not know. Keep books like these out all year! On another note, please also don’t put books like these in a separate “Black History” bin/box or create a “diverse” bin/box. Integrate them into your class and home library by including them throughout. Keep stories of famous Black women available for Women’s History Month too! I’ll include some of my favorite resources to explore for March in my Stories as well.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln used to work on

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln used to work on a Mississippi riverboat? Did you also know that four of our nation’s first five presidents enslaved people? If you’re looking for a book to dig in and discuss past presidents (including difficult but accurate truths), then I have the perfect book and discussion questions for you here! Swipe ⬅️ to see. It’s even available for you on @epic4educators and @epic4kids if you have a subscription (if you don’t….get on that already!). There is a LOT to unpack and discuss in this book, and I hope it’s useful for you and your students so that you can easily #diginanddiscusslit (yes, longest hashtag ever, but it works).

I’ve already posted about my love for THE NEXT PRESIDENT by author Kate Messner @katemessner (gorgeously illustrated by Adam Rex) but it's completely worth sharing it again in more depth. This book explores the lives of presidents before they came into office and is an inspiring read for kids. I love how the book is framed in terms of delving into how many future presidents were alive during various presidential inaugurations and what those future presidents were doing at the time. In this way, there are concise snippets about every (yes, EVERY) president except Joe Biden (the book is currently being updated). It’s well-researched with an extensive bibliography and there is much to learn and dissect. I was inspired by a post by the brilliant Dr. Debbie Reese (@dreese_nambe) on her website American Indians in Children’s Literature where she discussed this book and brought up SEVERAL interesting points. I’ve created some discussion questions you can use to unpack and dissect this text critically with your students in a similar way, but please know that most of these questions are based on her work and I will link to her post in my Stories. I HIGHLY encourage you to read it (and this book with your students/kids).

So, let me know, was any of this surprising to you at all?

Racism is too insidious, too ingrained, and too da

Racism is too insidious, too ingrained, and too damaging to be given a pass if we ever hope to eliminate it.

In countries throughout Asia, people ring in the Lunar New Year with cultural traditions as diverse as Asian people themselves. From China to Vietnam to Malaysia to South Korea—and in communities of people of Asian descent around the world—families gather to celebrate, pay homage to ancestors, and welcome in the blessings of a new year.

This year, however, such celebrations in the U.S. are impacted not only by the upheaval of the ongoing pandemic, but by fear in the wake of skyrocketing violence against people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Hate crimes against Asian-Americans and Pacific-Islanders (AAPI) have been highlighted by advocacy groups since early in the pandemic, but have not received the broad media coverage they deserve. Unfortunately, it's taken vicious attacks on elders in the AAPI community to get the nation's attention.

We have to do better. I have to do better. The very least I can do is learn and unlearn as much as I can. I’ll be sharing more posts in my Stories that I’ve been reflecting on and learning from. I’ll be discussing what I learn with my students and I’ll be using my platform to speak out when I must. I also want to take the time to acknowledge that I stand with AAPI folx and I hope that those who celebrate Lunar New Year today are able to feel joy and warmth and comfort.

Happy Lunar New Year! To bring in the year of the

Happy Lunar New Year! To bring in the year of the 🐂 ox, here are some books to help you celebrate. Have you read any of these? What is your Chinese zodiac sign? I’m a tiger. 🐯

P.S. If you call this holiday Chinese New Year, please consider shifting your language to prevent erasure of other groups who also celebrate. There is already significant underrepresentation of other cultural elements in children’s literature. I will amplify some more information about this in my Stories today.

Books Shown:
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim
Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee
New Clothes for New Year’s Day by Hyun-Joo Bae
A New Year’s Reunion by Li-Qiong Yu
The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang
PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year by Virginia Loh-Hagan
The Race for the Chinese Zodiac by Gabrielle Wang
The Next New Year by Janet S. Wong
Ten Mice for Tet! by Cynthia Weill and Pegi Deitz Shea

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