So many historically based picture books now focus on lesser-known events or individuals. When those books fill in gaps of knowledge and connect to other events that we do know, they can broaden students’ understanding of a moment in time… Read More ›
primary sources
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall
Earlier this month I co-hosted a webinar on behalf of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) for librarians. In addition to highlighting the amazing collection that the NPG had to offer, we focused on how students could analyze and learn from… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: An Interview with Don Tate, Author and Illustrator of William Still and His Freedom Stories
In one of my last trips of the year, I had the opportunity to join Don Tate and others at the Historical Society of Philadelphia last January to learn about Tate’s upcoming book, William Still and His Freedom Stories. We… Read More ›
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: Learning & Discerning in 2020 & Beyond
As this post “goes to press,” we stand poised at a threshold. The 2020 Presidential Election is nigh. Each election is a tipping point, and this one is no exception. In a year rife with strange days, the possibility of… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine by Linda Elovitz Marshall and Lisa Anchin
Historically based picture books, while often having some type of connection to our own lives, may not always seem timely. That certainly wasn’t the case with Linda Elovitz Marshall’s new book, The Polio Pioneer. The book explores Dr. Salk’s life… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Mara Rockliff, Author of Jefferson Measures a Moose
There are some fascinating historically based picture books that focus on a largely unknown moment of a well-known person’s life. The best of those highlights an aspect of that person’s character that helps the reader look at that individual differently… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers’ Rights by Deborah Hopkinson and Kristy Caldwell
Many historically based picture books give insight into the life of an individual. Some also highlight how one person can influence the thinking of a nation. Such is the case with the book Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers’… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison
I had read Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison’s picture book, Let the Children March, several times since it was released in 2018. The book, based on the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, is an amazing pairing of powerful words and illustrations. It… Read More ›
It’s Time for a Permanent Change in Reading Habits
If there is any aspect of reading librarians excel at, it’s the curated list. Over the last two weeks – as protests around the country and the world intensify – librarians in New York City shared countless lists on anti-racist… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: All the Way to the Top by Annette Bay Pimentel and Nabi H. Ali
The first time I read All the Way to the Top: How One Girls’ Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything, I felt admiration for Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, the young girl whose story is told in the book by Annette Bay… Read More ›