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Traditional Literature

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.

January 11, 2022 by Mary Ann Cappiello

Exploring Language, Leadership, Love, and More: Teaching Ideas for The Beatryce Prophecy

This hopeful story of language, leadership, and love has so much to offer readers as an independent read, a whole class read aloud, or a book club exploration. Our weary, virus-laden world needs the goodness and joy this book conjures. “What does, then, change the world?....Love, and also stories” (p. 247).

February 9, 2021 by Grace Enriquez

Healing and Hope through Storytelling: The 2021 Newbery and APALA Award Winner When You Trap a Tiger

Part magical realism, part folktale, part contemporary realistic fiction, Tae Keller’s Newbery and APALA Award winning novel weaves a coming-of-age tale that is heartrending, haunting, and hopeful.

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The Night Diary

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

Brown Girl Dreaming

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

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

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More Recent Posts

2018 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award: La Princesa and the Pea

March 12, 2018 by Erika Thulin Dawes

2018 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Winner La Princesa and the Pea Written by Susan Middleton Elya and Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2017 ISBN 978-0-399-25156-6 Grades PK – 4   Book Review This retelling of the classic tale “The Princess and the Pea” has South American flair and a unique […]

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

October 30, 2017 by Grace Enriquez

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again Written and illustrated by Dan Santat Published by Roaring Brook Press; 2017 ISBN # 978-1-62672-682-6   Grades PreK and up   Book Review   “Life begins when you get back up” – so says the blurb on the back cover of Caldecott Medal winner Dan […]

Snow White

October 31, 2016 by Mary Ann Cappiello

Snow White Written and Illustrated by Matt Phelan Published by Candlewick Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7233-1 Grades 4-8 Book Review The Roaring 20s and Art Deco New York City meet the Great Depression in Matt Phelan’s new graphic novel Snow White. Phelan introduces the climax of the novel at the very beginning, revealing to readers a […]

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Starry River of the Sky

January 21, 2013 by Grace Enriquez

Starry River of the SkyWritten by Grace LinPublished by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012ISBN # 9780316125956Grades 3 and up Book Review No one in the Village of Clear Sky seems concerned that the moon has been absent from the sky for some time, but it’s the first thing Rendi notices when he finds […]

Peaceweaver

March 19, 2012 by Mary Ann Cappiello

Peaceweaver By Rebecca Barnhouse Random House, 2012 ISBN 978-0-375-86766-8 Grades 6-8 Book Review      As a companion to The Coming of the Dragon, a retelling of the “Beowulf” epic poem, Rebecca Barnhouse once again invites middle grade readers into the world of Scandinavia’s legends and Britain’s early medieval period. A medievalist, Barnhouse brings to life […]

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