Happy New Year, everyone!

We made it. Weather, COVID, Winter in general.. Life! Whew, a lot is going on.

If a good story/book helps invigorate you (or your class, or a lesson, or a book club) we thought we’d share a few we really enjoyed this past year. These are Gabby specific so if you don’t like the vibe- please blame Gabby’s taste only :).

Board Book:

We Are Little Feminists: Families : I love this book for so many reasons. It has pictures of real people which is fun starting pretty early for littles, and then it is the kind of board book that has longevity for the conversations you get to have while reading it. Also the queer and multigenerational rep in this one just delights my heart and I love it. A great gift if you have any babies in your lives.

Picture Books

The Tree in Me - the art alone is wow, the poetic nature of it all is totally Corinna. I know I have shared this one before, I just love her style.

Milo Imagines the World - no surprise he has nailed another one. Matt de la Pena is just excellent at telling a story and creating classroom perfect picture books.

If You come to Earth - so many uses for this one and visually stunning!

Bodies are Cool - so inclusive and great graphics/art/ celebratory!

Someone Builds The Dream - a nice one for communal moments.

Swashby and the Sea - the art and story are perfect for the classroom. So many ways to use this in a mini-lesson and the granddaughter/grandma are simply fabulous.

My Rainbow - so brown, queer and loving. This one likely won’t get the press it deserves but it provides such sweet and important acceptance and rep.

Julian at the Wedding (sequel to Julian is a Mermaid and just as celebratory queer and brown as the first one!)

Fauja Singh Keeps Going- inspiring, true (!!), and so cool. This one has interviews online with the other and lots of extension activity options. I can see this going with New Year goal setting or upcoming middle of the year assessments or conferences.

Bad Guys series. “Bad” animals (ie wold, shark piranha etc.) go on adventures together and run amuck. I used this with my early readers and it is funny (we actually laugh a lot!) and can still hold up for slightly older readers who are struggling and doesn’t feel too babyish (a constant struggle to find good fits like this)!! It is also coming out as a movie soon so if you want the buy in that way- this is a quick read that you can start with them, have them take over independently, enjoy some laughs, and then also get excited about watching on TV.

Unsettled, by Reem Faruqi - it’s just excellent!

Any Day With You (great Filipino rep, granddaughter and grandfather relationship)

From the Front Desk of Zoe Washington, we both loved this one! Great characters, fun story.

Star Fish by Lisa Fipps, body conversations and really sincere, sharp, and well written.

Snapdragon- I just love this graphic novel and I will put it here at least this one last time! Such a quirky queer world!

Chlorine Sky - STUNNING. Relationship navigations (friendships) and done so well. Perfect young YA, if you ask me.

To Night Owl from Dogfish- this is on the border of old MG or young YA. This would be a read aloud dream of mine. Especially if I could read it aloud co-teaching with Nina and we could be the two different MCs!

Happily Ever Afters - for a teacher MC fun break.

Instructions for Dancing - It’s Nicola Yoon, with some magic surrealism in the mix. There’s dancing and love.

Adult

Nothing Personal, James Baldwin

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Comfortable with Uncertainty, Pema Chodron

Piranesi - so bizarre but stuck with me and worth the adventure if you are up for it!

Favorite Audiobooks:

All the Lonely People (prepare your heart for this one, but the characters are lovely and the reader does all of their voices so well).

A Swim in the Pond in the Rain (such a great cast reading this one, Russian short stories with musings on how it all works. You’ll feel like you’re in an exclusive lit. class with this one in the best way).

Favorite adult pandemic time musings:

The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Greene - he’s so hilarious and sincere. I actually like his writing best this way as opposed to his YA.

Intimations, Zadie Smith - she nailed this anthology, I thought. She’s one smart cookie.

Currently reading (if you’re interested:

We Do This Til We Free Us

A Song of Frutas

Detransition, Baby

Hail Mary (finished this last night, technically :). I liked it better than The Martian and enjoyed a teacher MC.

That’s all from us! Take care of yourselves! May you have a good story companion/ cast of characters with you as you chug along.