Books We Love

No picture book is perfect, but some children’s books offer such great opportunities for conversations and reflection with young children that we want to share them!

julián is a mermaid

With minimal text and stunning illustrations, this book gracefully explores issues of self-expression, gender-expression and identity, visibility, fear of rejection, and familial love and support. Author Jessica Love beautifully captures the wonder and worry of a child who wants to explore their interests but also knows that their exploration might not be accepted by others. The moment of tension as Julián’s abuela finds them wearing make-up and dressed as a mermaid is powerful, and equally powerful was the moment during a read-aloud when some of our students did not pick up on the tension! Because we talk openly about gender identity and expression, and challenge stereotypes when we see them, we notice how often the community at our school knows more about gender than many of the authors, scientists, and even teachers sometimes! As we listened to audio of the 1969 moon landing, we noticed, “Hey, we know more about gender than even the astronauts who went to the moon!” They couldn’t imagine then that anyone but a white man might go into space, but we know better, and can imagine more too! -Suzanne

don’t touch my hair

Consent is a fundamental part of our school community. We guide and model consent throughout the day, as part a broader message about accepting power that is offered, rather than taking power by force. We practice asking for consent when offering hugs, before helping someone with a mitten or a puzzle piece, and on birthdays when we ask, “Would you like us to sing to you, sign to you, or just watch you blow out the candles?” A student recently surprised us on his birthday by saying, “I would like to sing to myself.” And he did! Sharee Miller’s energetic illustrations and simple text show very plainly how the child at the center of the book experiences people’s interest in their hair, and while the text of the book does not specifically mention race, the illustrations make it clear that most of the people reaching out to touch their hair are white. We have conversations with children and their families about race, consent, and the ways implicit bias can make white people prone to feelings of entitlement to access to bodies, and to exotifying hair and skin that has not been well represented in their majority-white families, workplaces, and communities. -Suzanne

Hello, Little One: A Monarch Butterfly Story

Every year we are incredibly fortunate to see the Monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed right in our play spaces. We often get to see their incredible transformation so up close we can practically hear their wings unfold. It is magical and beyond beautiful. There are millions of books out there that show the bug's cycle of life but this one is written by a kindergarten teacher whose goal is to elevate the voices of children while working on social justice and climate change issues. I only ish the illustrator had fact checked which way the butterflies hang as their wings harden. No book is perfect! -Erin