SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
    • What We Believe
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Announcements
    • Upcoming Presentations
    • Contact The Classroom Bookshelf
  • Book Lists
    • Awards
    • Best of Lists
    • Summer Reading
  • Fiction
    • Novels
    • Fiction Picture Books
    • Fiction Chapter Books
    • Fantasy
    • Comics & Graphic Novels
    • Historical Fiction
    • Traditional Literature
  • Nonfiction
    • Biography & Memoirs
    • Nonfiction Picture Books
    • Nonfiction Chapter Books
    • Fictionalized Biography
  • Poetry
    • Poetry Picture Books
  • Picture Books
    • Fiction Picture Books
    • Nonfiction Picture Books
    • Poetry Picture Books
  • Classroom & Curricular Ideas

Picture Books

April 19, 2022 by Denise Davila

Teaching Ideas for Youth Climate Activism: The Tantrum That Saved the World

Written primarily in rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter, The Tantrum that Saved the World centers on a young child who decides to do something about climate change. Just in time for Earth Day, in the classroom this engaging picture book offers an action plan to help students, families, and communities to work together in preserving the planet for future generations.

March 28, 2022 by Grace Enriquez

Retelling Fairy Tales for Contemporary Times: Beauty Woke

The remarkable power of words to hurt and to heal is echoed throughout Beauty Woke, the vibrant and uplifting picture book by author NoNieqa Ramos and illustrator Paola Escobar.

March 21, 2022 by Erika Thulin Dawes

Beauty Abounds in Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas

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.

Popular Posts

Banned Book Week: Skirting Skippyjon for Latinx Kid Lit

New Kid by Jerry Craft is a Middle School Must-Read

Fry Bread, A Native American Family Story: A Love Letter to Indigenous Nations and Communities

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

The Night Diary

Flying Lessons and Other Stories

The Year We Learned to Fly: Teaching Ideas for the Highly-Anticipated Companion to The Day You Begin

Brown Girl Dreaming

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

What We Believe Matters Most When Selecting Books

One Woman’s Legacy: Teaching Ideas for One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University

Retelling Fairy Tales for Contemporary Times: Beauty Woke

Beauty Abounds in Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Three Creepy and Kooky Books for 'Wednesday' Fans | Read-Alikes

School Librarians Explore Possibilities of ChatGPT

Standout Comics and Graphic Novels by Black Creators | Stellar Panels

Black Librarianship: Stories of Impact and Connection

Fuel Up for the Fight: Resources to Push Back on Censorship Efforts

More Recent Posts

The Year We Learned to Fly: Teaching Ideas for the Highly-Anticipated Companion to The Day You Begin

March 14, 2022 by Katie Cunningham

A luminous companion to The Day You Begin, Woodson and López’s latest picturebook collaboration will remind children that they have the courage and capacity to “fly” past their most difficult times.

The Crisis in Ukraine: How War Changed Rondo

March 7, 2022 by Denise Davila

How War Changed RondoWritten by Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy LesivTranslated by Oksana LushchevskaPublished in 2021 by Enchanted Lion BooksISBN 978-1592703678 At The Classroom Bookshelf, we have been thinking about the ways in which we talk about the war in Ukraine with our students. We imagine that you, too, are thinking about how you can talk […]

Past and Present Merge to Lift Us in Bryan Collier’s We Shall Overcome

February 7, 2022 by Erika Thulin Dawes

Weaving past and present together through image and anthem, master illustrator Bryan Collier gifts us the inspiring message of the protest song “We Shall Overcome” in the form of a picturebook. Immersed in Collier’s deeply symbolic collages, readers accompany a young Black girl wearing a bright yellow dress as she leaves her home, goes to school, and gathers with friends to paint a mural near a street with bright yellow lettering that reads ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The illustrations fuse past events with the present narrative; historical figures and monuments are represented by Collier in black and white, while the present is represented in bright colors. This moving picturebook invites us all to reflect on the contributions of the freedom fighters who have come before us, and on all of our roles and responsibilities in sustaining the continuing journey toward freedom.

ADVERTISEMENT

Delicious Family Memories: May Your Life be Deliciosa

January 31, 2022 by Denise Davila

Written by Michael GenhartIllustrated by Loris LoraPublished by Cameron + Company, 2021ISBN # 978-1951836221Grades PreK – 3 Book ReviewWhat kinds of food do you associate with family celebrations and holidays? In this visually appetizing Pura Belpré honor book, author Michael Genhart and illustrator Loris Lora welcome readers to a Mexican American family home inspired by […]

Life’s Simple Problems Are Solved with the Help of Steadfast Friends in Amos McGee Misses the Bus: Teaching Ideas for this Much-Awaited Sequel

January 18, 2022 by Katie Cunningham

After over a decade, the much-awaited sequel to the Caldecott-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee has arrived–and at just the right time. The return of fastidious zookeeper Amos and the beloved animals he cares for feels like coming home to an old friend.

Promoting Peace with Poetry and Art

December 14, 2021 by Erika Thulin Dawes

What is peace? The answer to this question is both individual and collective, and both simple and complex. In their inviting new picture book poem, Baptiste and Miranda Paul explore the concept of peace, moving readers from concrete to abstract. The rhyming text and warmly whimsical illustrations invite readers young and old to consider the roles they can play in creating peace and the benefits that all can enjoy.

An Ode to Dads and Daughters: Dad Bakes

November 29, 2021 by Denise Davila

Dad BakesWritten and Illustrated by Katie YamasakiPublished by Norton Young Readers, October 2021ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1324015413Grades PreK and Up Dad Bakes is for “[a]ll of the families impacted by incarceration who I’ve painted with through the years” writes muralist and book creator Katie Yamasaki. Illustrated in bright, saturated colors, this tender story begins with four muralistic […]

Read More Posts »

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

ADVERTISEMENT

Trending on the SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Gerald McBoing Boing by Dr. Seuss

by Betsy Bird

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

100 Scope Notes

2023 Books from Pura Belpré Winners

by Travis Jonker

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Holiday House and Pixel + Ink Showcase: New titles from the second half of 2023

by Amanda MacGregor

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023