Author Archives

Tom Bober is a school librarian at RM Captain Elementary, 2018 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress, and author of the upcoming book Elementary Educator's Guide to Primary Sources: Strategies for Teaching. He writes the Picture Books and Primary Sources posts for AASL’s KQ blog and has written articles for several publications. Tom also presents at conferences, runs workshops, and gives webinars to promote the use primary sources in student learning. He began his career as an elementary classroom teacher, was also an educational technologist, and has spent the last nine years as a school librarian.

• Pairing Picture Books and Primary Source: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

  By Tom Bober on 11/29/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Since it came out earlier this year, many people have read Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper’s Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. I waited. The Tulsa race massacre was something I had recently learned about. How could what I knew… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Kate’s Light: Kate Walker at Robbins Reef Lighthouse by Elizabeth Spires and Emily Arnold McCully

  By Tom Bober on 11/09/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Maybe I’m a sucker for a good lighthouse story after sitting on the 2019 Caldecott Committee where Sophie Blackall won for Hello Lighthouse. But more likely, I’m drawn to an intriguing story. That was what I found when I opened… Read More ›

• AASL Conference Friday General Session: A Conversation with Administrators

  By Tom Bober on 10/22/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  I attended the Friday’s General Session “A Conversation with Administrators” during the AASL National Conference. What do administrators at all levels need and expect from their school librarians? How can administrators not only support but empower school librarians as leaders?… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard and Keith Mallett

  By Tom Bober on 09/23/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Recently I was listening to a podcast where one of the speakers shared that she didn’t want to read one more children’s book about George Washington. She quickly changed her statement to say that she would be open to it… Read More ›

• Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Opening the Road Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book by Keila V. Dawson and Alleanna Harris

  By Tom Bober on 08/19/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Over three years ago, I wrote about Victor Hugo’s Green Book in a KQ post based on a historical fiction picture book. I thought Hugo’s story was amazing then. That is one reason I was so excited to read Keila… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Horse Power: How Horses Changed the World by Jennifer Thermes

  By Tom Bober on 07/20/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  One of my favorite units with my first-grade students is the Long Ago and Today unit. Students compare and contrast several aspects of culture and civilization in the U.S. from today and different moments in history. Technology, communication, and transportation… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices by Lindsay H. Metcalf

  By Tom Bober on 05/26/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Occasionally a historically based picture book slips by me. Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices was one such books. But then the author, Lindsay Metcalf, spoke at our state conference. When she shared her book, one librarian after… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D.J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier by Rob Sanders and Nabi Ali

  By Tom Bober on 04/26/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  Often when students learn about large topics like the Civil War, teachers work to help students see the human side of the event. It can personalize an abstract larger-than-life event, given an entry point to put themselves in someone else’s… Read More ›

• Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball

  By Tom Bober on 03/23/2021 • ( 0 )

  

  There are several broad topics in elementary, middle, and high school that may lead to student research. When those happen, I’m a supporter of students being able to select an aspect of the topic they research. That choice can be… Read More ›

• Picture Books and Primary Sources: Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten Larson and Tracy Subisak

  By Tom Bober on 02/18/2021 • ( 1 )

  

  Often I suggest we bring historically based picture books into student learning to explore history. So many titles are rich entry points for moments and individuals from the past. Another approach though is to use these narratives to explore the… Read More ›