Recommended: A Day with Yayah

Recommended: A Day with Yayah

As a grandmother and longtime teacher of young children, I'm delighted to share my enthusiasm for  A Day with Yayah, a 2018  Crocod...
NOT RECOMMENDED! Jill Lepore's THESE TRUTHS: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

NOT RECOMMENDED! Jill Lepore's THESE TRUTHS: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Jill Lepore's These Truths: A History of the United States came out this year (2018). Published by W. W. Norton and Company, teachers wi...
Congratulations to Traci Sorell for Orbis Pictus Honor Award!

Congratulations to Traci Sorell for Orbis Pictus Honor Award!

Some terrific news today (November 17), from the 2018 conference of the National Council of Teachers of English! Traci Sorell's We Are G...
Recommended! DACTYL HILL SQUAD by Daniel José Older

Recommended! DACTYL HILL SQUAD by Daniel José Older

Some time back, I learned that Daniel José Older was working on a series that would blend history and fantasy. The first book in the series-...
Debbie--have you seen THE RANSOM OF MERCY CARTER by Caroline Cooney?

Debbie--have you seen THE RANSOM OF MERCY CARTER by Caroline Cooney?

A reader wrote to ask if I've reviewed The Ransom of Mercy Carter  by Caroline Cooney. It was published in 2001 by Random House. Here...
Open Letter: "Trail of Lightning is an Appropriation of Diné Cultural Beliefs."  Does the Letter from the Diné Writer's Collective Mark a Turning Point?

Open Letter: "Trail of Lightning is an Appropriation of Diné Cultural Beliefs." Does the Letter from the Diné Writer's Collective Mark a Turning Point?

On November 5, 2018, Indian Country Today published Trail of Lightning is an appropriation of Diné cultural beliefs . It is from the Diné Wr...
NOT RECOMMENDED: The Oregon Trail - The Race to Chimney Rock

NOT RECOMMENDED: The Oregon Trail - The Race to Chimney Rock

A few days ago, people started sharing the books that Amazon has listed as "Best Children's Books of 2018." In the ages 6-8 ca...
NOT RECOMMENDED: DR. CARBLES IS LOSING HIS MARBLES by Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot

NOT RECOMMENDED: DR. CARBLES IS LOSING HIS MARBLES by Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot

Published by HarperCollins in 2008, Dan Gutman and Jim Paillot's Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles! gets a Not Recommended label right ...
At last! A writer incorporates a critical take on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE! The writer? Emma Donoghue.

At last! A writer incorporates a critical take on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE! The writer? Emma Donoghue.

That's a long title for a blog post, but that's what I want people to see right now. In 2017, Arthur A. Levine (an imprint of Schola...
Native Trailblazers, or In Search of “500 Brave Native Americans”

Native Trailblazers, or In Search of “500 Brave Native Americans”

Grandson Will, age 8, sings along to Pete Seeger at the top of his lungs: “’Tis advertised in Boston, New York, and Buffalo. 500 brave Nativ...
Highly Recommended: WHEN WE PLAY OUR DRUMS, THEY SING by Richard Van Camp + LUCY & LOLA by Monique Gray Smith

Highly Recommended: WHEN WE PLAY OUR DRUMS, THEY SING by Richard Van Camp + LUCY & LOLA by Monique Gray Smith

When We Play Our Drums, They Sing  by Richard Van Camp and Lucy & Lola by Monique Gray Smith are two outstanding books... in one. Here...
Apple, Echo, and the Importance of “More Than One Book"

Apple, Echo, and the Importance of “More Than One Book"

Two Native high school girls, two unique stories  about not fitting in, and about trying to make sense of Indigenous heritage/ancestry when ...