Grace Enriquez

Speaking not just to the creative spirit, but also the heart and soul within all of us, How to Make a Bird is a manual for infusing that part of us that makes something truly spectacular.

The post Elevating Procedural Writing and the Creative Spirit in How to Make a Bird appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

A remarkable middle grade novel that chronicles the refugee experience beyond the physical journey itself, Boy, Everywhere is not just a valuable addition to social studies and ELA units, but a gripping text for independent, small group, and whole class reading as well.

The post A Search for Identity and Home in Boy, Everywhere appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

As you and your students celebrate the end of a school year like no other, we share a collection of links designed to keep you and the children and young adults in your life happily reading over the summer vacation. First, though, we begin with links to the books that we blogged about over the last year that have won recent awards and honors in the field of children’s and young adult literature.

The post 2021 Spring Awards & Summer Reading Lists appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

Laxmi’s Mooch is simply a delightful book that supports conversations about identity, physical attributes, and self-affirmation for all.

The post Learning About and Loving Our Bodies: Laxmi’s Mooch appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

As an example of the diverse range of poetry celebrated throughout our world, and as a thought-provoking book to share at any time of the year, The One Thing You’d Save will entice your own students to consider what matters most to them and how the beauty of poetry can communicate that with others.

The post Assessing What Matters Most in The One Thing You’d Save appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

As the world waits with anticipation about returning to the routines of pre-COVID days, Most Days is a gentle reminder across content areas that the “here and now” still carries tremendous value and fascination.

The post Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary with Most Days appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

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.

The post Healing and Hope through Storytelling: The 2021 Newbery and APALA Award Winner When You Trap a Tiger appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

Each year, the announcement of the American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards gives us occasion to celebrate the many awards in the field of children’s and young adult literature. Below you will find links to the 2021 ALA award-winning, honor books, and authors that we blogged about, as well as links to other books we blogged about in the past that have won some of the most prestigious awards and honors in the field for 2020.

The post 2020-2021 Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.

The power of the single word holds center stage in this creative collaboration by renowned children’s poets Irene Latham and Charles Waters. In Dictionary for a Better World, Latham and Waters spotlight words that work to promote understanding, empathy, equity, peace, and social justice.

The post Explore the Power of a Single Word in Dictionary for a Better World appeared first on The Classroom Bookshelf.