December: In Review
Look Back & Move Forward – Hopefully Not at the Same Time
By Vivian Kirkfield
December! Do you like to look back and take stock of what you’ve accomplished during the previous eleven months? Perhaps you are busy creating a list of goals for the coming year. I’m a fan of doing both! It’s a habit from childhood, when my parents and teachers encouraged me to hope and dream and make plans of what might be.
Believing that we have the right to hope and dream is something many kids don’t have today. And honestly, if you don’t have hopes and dreams, you probably aren’t going to be working towards making them a reality. But how can we empower kids to dream?
I just returned from the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) conference in Columbus, Ohio. Several of our Kid Lit for Growing Minds members were there, presenting on panels and signing their books.
I listened to keynote speakers like Jacqueline Woodson, Tom Hanks, and Angie Thomas, and I attended many of the sessions presented by authors and illustrators, teachers and librarians. They spoke about banned books and creating safe spaces for student voices. They encouraged us to read picture books to older students to introduce tough topics and to incorporate children’s voices if there is pushback on books they want to share in the classroom that the kids want to read. And they said that books can save lives and change lives and that writing is a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
As a children’s author and former teacher, those words rang true! But how do we inspire students to make their voices heard? How do we encourage them to express their thoughts and tell their stories?
Jackie Woodson suggests that students keep a writer’s notebook and lean into their passions when they have a writing assignment. I love this idea! It aligns with how I find topics to write about and what keeps me focused and willing to revise over and over and over. Providing kids with a wide array of reading material…picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and yes, even comic books (and perhaps especially comic books for some), can ignite a spark of curiosity…which can lead to a desire to learn more about someone or something mentioned in a book…which leads to…all manner of positive possibilities for our young people.
In addition, meeting an author or illustrator via a virtual or in-person school visit can awaken the storyteller that lives inside every child. Many of our Kid Lit for Growing Minds members participate in WRAD (World Read-Aloud Day). Is your class on the WRAD schedule yet?
World Read Aloud Day for 2024 is Wed., Feb. 7. Many of your favorite authors and illustrators will be volunteering to virtually visit with classrooms throughout the day. Check out the list of authors available for virtual visits. Many of us Kid Lit for Growing Minds creators are on the list!
Kidlit Creator Profile
Tina Cho is the author of four picture books-- Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle 2019), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World ( Harvest House 2020), and The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House Aug. 2020). Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, released from Harper Alley in 2023. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two teenagers reside in Iowa, where Tina also teaches kindergarten. To connect with Tina and learn more about her books, visit her at tinamcho.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.
Pre-order GOD’S LITTLE ASTRONOMER, by Tina Cho, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns, published by Waterbrook, Penguin Random House's Christian Imprint, releases Feb. 20, 2024
NEW for the Classroom!
Handouts from NCTE 2023
Women in STEM handouts for study by Teresa Robeson
Design thinking approach to climate by Jeanette Bradley
No World Too Big Elementary and Middle Grade Character Analysis by Keila Dawson
Bookish News
Coming soon pre-order links!
PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World by Vivian Kirkfield, illustrated by Alison Jay, published by Calkins Creek/Astra, releases Feb. 20, 2024.
YUMBO GUMBO, a Charlesbridge Storytelling Math book, by Keila Dawson, illustrated by Katie Crumpton, releases Feb. 20, 2024
LOG LIFE: A TINY HABITATS BOOK: by Amy Hevron, published by Beach Lane Books, releases Feb. 20, 2024
Book announcements
CLOUDS IN SPACE: NEBULAE, STARDUST, AND US: by Teresa Robeson, illustrated by Diana Renžina, published by MITKids Press/Candlewick; releases August 20, 2024, also available for preorder at Barnes & Noble, Target, and Amazon! For other options, please visit the Penguin Random House distribution page.
RAINBOW ALLIES: THE TRUE STORY OF KIDS WHO STOOD AGAINST HATE, by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Izzy Evans, published by Beaming Books, releases July 7, 2024
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December Book Bundle Giveaway
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TWO BICYCLES IN BEIJING - Teresa Robeson (Author) Junyi Wu (Illustrator)
FRANZ’S PHANTASMAGORICAL MACHINE - Beth Anderson (Author) Caroline Hamel (Illustrator)