Jonathan Auxier continues to provide evidence as to why he is one of today’s best storytellers. Sweep is a book that readers of all ages are going to lose themselves in. I found myself setting my alarm 15 minutes early, just so I could read another chapter before school.
I think that EVERY SINGLE TEACHER needs to read Sara K. Ahmed’s Being The Change. It is having a huge impact on my students.
Purchase the book through Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780325099705
If you’d rather purchase the video from Amazon you can find an affiliate link for that here:
Book description (from the publisher):
Topics such as race, gender, politics, religion, and sexuality are part of our students’ lives, yet when these subjects are brought up at school teachers often struggle with how to respond. How do we create learning conditions where kids can ask the questions they want to ask, muddle through how to say the things they are thinking, and have tough conversations? How can we be proactive and take steps to engaging in the types of conversations where risk is high but the payoff could be even greater?
Being the Change is based on the idea that people can develop skills and habits to serve them in the comprehension of social issues. Sara K. Ahmed identifies and unpacks the skills of social comprehension, providing teachers with tools and activities that help students make sense of themselves and the world as they navigate relevant topics in today’s society.
Each chapter includes clear, transferrable lessons and practical strategies that help students learn about a targeted social comprehension concept. From exploring identity and diversity to understanding and addressing biases and microagressions, Sara demonstrates how to address real issues honestly in the classroom while honoring and empowering students.
Dealing with social issues is uncomfortable and often messy, but you can build habitats of trust where kids and adults can make their thinking visible and cultivate empathy; where expression, identity, and social literacy matter. There is no magic formula for making the world a better place. It happens in the moments we embrace discomfort and have candid conversations.
Ryan T. Higgins’s Bruce is becoming one of the most beloved characters in my fifth grade classroom. Santa Bruce does not disappoint. Readers are in for a treat when they read about Bruce being mistaken for Santa, and all the shenanigans that he has to deal with.
Disney Book Group is partnering with me for a giveaway! Details on how to enter in the video.
My friend Travis Jonker wrote a book that is illustrated by the amazing Mark Pett. The Very Last Castle is one of my favorite 2018 picture books to read aloud to kids. You MUST check it out!
Thirty Minutes Over Oregon is a fascinating 2018 nonfiction picture book about a Japanese pilot bombing the continental United States during World War II. I had no idea that this ever happened, and I think kids will be fascinated by the story.
Purchase the book through Indie Bound:https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780544430761
If you’d rather purchase the video from Amazon you can find an affiliate link for that here:
Book description (from the publisher):
In this important and moving true story of reconciliation after war, beautifully illustrated in watercolor, a Japanese pilot bombs the continental U.S. during WWII—the only enemy ever to do so—and comes back 20 years later to apologize.
The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drew the United States into World War II in 1941. But few are aware that several months later, the Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita dropped bombs in the woods outside a small town in coastal Oregon. This is the story of those bombings, and what came after, when Fujita returned to Oregon twenty years later, this time to apologize.
This remarkable true story, beautifully illustrated in watercolor, is an important and moving account of reconciliation after war.
Check out my 2018 Middle Grade Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWhViM7BR0enfqBNMcZ_Jxpf
Check out my 2018 Picture Book Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWileOTtdP8cBQoFjI0ZtLwJ
Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids:
The Creativity Project edited by Colby Sharp (ME!)
Places to find me:
Website: http://www.mrcolbysharp.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/colbysharp
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/colbysharp
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If This Were a Story is a magical middle grade novel that is going to be loved by so many middle grade readers. I’m so glad I decided to read it.
Purchase the book through Indie Bound:https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534420618
If you’d rather purchase the video from Amazon you can find an affiliate link for that here:
Book description (from the publisher):
In the tradition of Crenshaw and The Thing About Jellyfish, ten-year-old Hannah copes with the bullies at school and troubles at home through the power of stories in this sweet and sincere debut.
Tenacious. That means strong-willed. My mother calls me that.
I wish I felt the same way.
If this were a story, I would discover I was a direct descendent of a famous soldier who won countless battles and protected hundreds of people. This resilience running through my veins wouldn’t be damaged by the notes; it would fight off bullies and prevent my parents from yelling at each other.
But this is not a story. This is real life. My life as ten-year-old Hannah Geller, who is the only girl in fifth grade to have little red bumps on her face, is unable to let the sad thoughts escape her mind, and leaves heads-up pennies wherever she can to spread good luck.
And who also finds magic in the most unlikely of places.
Check out my 2018 Middle Grade Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWhViM7BR0enfqBNMcZ_Jxpf
Check out my 2018 Picture Book Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWileOTtdP8cBQoFjI0ZtLwJ
Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids:
The Creativity Project edited by Colby Sharp (ME!)
Places to find me:
Website: http://www.mrcolbysharp.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/colbysharp
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/colbysharp
I started a newsletter! Click below to sign up.
Thanks for watching. Please me know if I can help you in any way.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez is magical. I hope that all kids get a chance to experience this book with their classmates. Please check out my video book talk below. Giveaway details can be found in the video.
Purchase the book through Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399246531
If you’d rather purchase the video from Amazon you can find an affiliate link for that here:
Book description (from the publisher):
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
Check out my 2018 Middle Grade Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWhViM7BR0enfqBNMcZ_Jxpf
Check out my 2018 Picture Book Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM5ylqxs3RWileOTtdP8cBQoFjI0ZtLwJ
Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids:
The Creativity Project edited by Colby Sharp (ME!)
Places to find me:
Website: http://www.mrcolbysharp.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/colbysharp
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/colbysharp
Have you subscribed to my newsletter? Click below to sign up.
Thanks for watching. Please me know if I can help you in any way.
Classroom libraries are vital in the growth of readers. In this video I share a tour of my classroom library, explain how I organize my books, and I talk about how I label each book basket.
Check out more classroom library videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
I believe that author visits are an amazing way to inspired kids as readers and writers. In this video I share a story about seeing one of my former students at a book store, and how our conversation quickly turned towards her favorite day of elementary school.
Check out the video below to hear the rest of the story!
Setting up a classroom for a new school year always takes more time than I think it will. I blame the books. I had an awesome time getting my room set up for the upcoming school year.
I wrote a book about book access with my good friend Donalyn Miller. If you’d like to pre-order the book just click on the image of the cover below.
