Two new picture books with expertly crafted illustrations encourage young readers to venture off the path.

In Susanna Mattiangeli’s The Hideout, a young girl named Hannah decides to live in the park. Topping off her orange hair with a raccoon hat, Hannah sets up a shelter amid the dense foliage. She’s not alone, though. After finding an Odd Furry Creature, she shares her secret hideout, making them each a bed out of leaves and matching capes out of feathers.

Together, they relish their time in the wild, eating biscuit cookies, roasting pigeons on the campfire and collecting caterpillars, sticks and other bits. But what does this Odd Furry Creature even look like? Illustrator Felicita Sala’s intriguing watercolor and colored pencil illustrations slowly reveal its unusual features, from its talon fingers to its fluffy blue tail. Sala also conveys the differences between the quiet and increasingly overgrown vines of the hideout and the bustling activity in the rest of the park.

Although Hannah enjoys her undisturbed time with the Odd Furry Creature, she also realizes that time spent with dogs, balloons and people is also important. She leads her new companion out of the thicket and into the brightly lit park, but when an adult calls to her again, the story ends with Hannah back in her bedroom. With a fine blend of imagination and friendship, Hannah’s adventure is reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are.

Once there was a river that flowed through a forest. But it didn’t know it was a river until Bear came along. When Bear’s tree-trunk perch snaps, it sends Bear floating down the river on the log, but he doesn’t know it’s the start of an adventure until Froggy hops on him. Thus begins Richard T. Morris’s uproarious Bear Came Along. The fun continues as Bear and Froggy are joined by the Turtles, Beaver, the Raccoons and Duck. Encouraged by the river’s twists and turns—and Beaver’s captain skills—they don’t know to be cautious until a waterfall comes along.

As the woodland animals hold onto one another, they survive the fall, enjoy the ride and realize that although they sometimes live separately, they all rely on one another. Illustrator LeUyen Pham’s watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations show the animals’ exaggerated expressions, which add to the hilarity and tension leading up to the waterfall, and the details in the patterned landscape offer an enriched reading experience.

The opening endpapers offer a black-and-white panoramic view of the story ahead. As children turn the pages, they’ll notice more and more colors as each animal arrives. The final scene and endpapers burst with colors as nature thrives together. Many humans will find plenty to learn about friendship and community from these spirited animals.

I recently bought a house. After 12 years of moving around a total of 13 times, when I finally moved into my new house, I had the process down to a science. Always focused on the details of the move, I was never emotional about leaving one dwelling and moving to another. Filled with frequent change, the 20s and 30s are naturally transient times in the lives of many adults, and we can forget how emotionally hard moving can be for young children. Moving houses, cities or states means that a child’s sense of place, routine and familiar touchstones are significantly altered.

The following three picture books validate feelings children experience during the moving process. Offering affirmation and encouragement, these are excellent vehicles for opening up classroom discussion about life changes—moving or otherwise—with your students.

Home Is a Window by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Chris Sasaki

Using simple and lyrical prose, author Stephanie Parsley Ledyard reflects on what it is that turns a house into a home as a girl prepares to move. “Home is a window, a doorway, a rug, a basket for your shoes . . . a table, with something good, and the people gathered there,” her young protagonist explains. But what happens when you must leave the safety and comfort of your home? As the girl discovers, home is more than just a physical dwelling. It’s the people, shared experiences and seemingly trivial routines that make a home. With understated perceptiveness and vivid language, this is a powerful book that is sure to prompt discussion about the qualities that turn a physical structure (house or classroom) into a home.

• Five Senses Poetry
  The little girl discusses both tangible and intangible things that are “home.” Discuss the differences between tangible and intangible. As a class, reread the book and chart the tangible and intangible items on a piece of chart paper. Briefly review the five senses, and draw a picture (for younger grades) or write the sense next to each thing listed on the chart (long quiet = sound, lamplight = sight). Give students a graphic organizer with a box for each of the five senses. Allow time for children to quietly reflect on their own home and the tangible and intangible things that make it special. Give students another five senses graphic organizer for them to fill out when they are home. Encourage them to spend time intentionally noticing the sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes of their home. How does home make them feel? Students will use their graphic organizers to write their own “Home is . . . ” poem.
   
• Urban and Suburban Art
  As a class, look at the front and back endpapers. The front endpapers and title page show a distinctly urban city block, and the back endpapers show a more suburban neighborhood. Ask students to tell you what they notice about each endpaper, and jot down their observations into a T-chart graphic organizer. Discuss similarities and differences between living on a bustling city block and living in a suburban neighborhood. What are the pros and cons of each? What are the sounds, sights and smells of each? Provide 11” x 14” sheets of paper, colored and patterned paper cut into various sizes of squares, rectangles and triangles, and oil pastels or markers. Students will use the paper and pastels to create an urban or suburban block. On the back of their paper encourage them to write the sights, sounds and smells that they imagine in their picture.
   
• Text Sets: Home
  Extend the idea of “home” by reading more books with home at their heart. Read aloud This Is Our House by Hyewon Yum, Home by Carson Ellis, A House Is a House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman, Let’s Go Home: The Wonderful Things About a House by Cynthia Rylant and Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett. For nonfiction books about houses, read If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche and House and Homes by Ann Morris. As I was reading these books aloud, students kept shouting wait, go back! so they could study the illustration details.

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler

As her family drives away from their old home, a girl looks at a photo album and nostalgically reminisces about the house, friends, school and town that she is leaving behind. Instead of wallowing, she remembers that “some days are full of things you’d rather not do. Like plunging into a pool all by yourself, hoping you’ll swim and not sink. Or standing alone, in front of a crowd, searching for one friendly face.” By the time her family arrives at their new seacoast home, the girl has a renewed sense of confidence. Warm and vivid mixed-media illustrations reflect the girl’s emotional journey, further emphasizing the idea of bravery in the face of uncertainty and change.

• Simile Illustrations
  The text begins with several strong “Brave as . . . ” similes. Teach or review the simile, and remind students how writers use similes to add depth and richness to their stories. Allow time for students to brainstorm their own similes. When students have written 3 – 4 similes, let them choose their favorite. Pass out watercolor paper, and tell each student to write his or her brave simile on the top, and then illustrate it using watercolors. Combine the simile illustrations into a class Brave book.
   
• Art: Expressing Emotion Through Color
  Beginning with deep blues and golds and ending in a full-color palette, Wheeler’s illustrations expertly use color to reflect the young girl’s emotional journey. Show students different colors and shades, and give them time to discuss what feelings and thoughts they associate with these colors. Read Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss or The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock. Provide various forms of colored art materials. Play classical music, and give students time to use color to create a piece of artwork that reflects their feelings.

A New Home by Tania de Rigil

Written in dual narration, a young girl and young boy share their hesitations and fears about moving cities. The girl is moving from Mexico City to New York City, and the boy is making the opposite transition. As each child reflects on what he or she loves about their current city, it becomes obvious that the two cities are more alike than different. The illustrations extend the text, offering readers insight into each city’s cultural traditions and landmarks. Tackling both big-life concepts—fear and sadness that accompany moving—as well as geographic and cultural concepts, it’s an excellent read-aloud that will provide a solid foundation for further classroom learning.

• Reflective Writing
  Tell students to pretend that they have just gotten the news that their family is moving to another country. Ask them to list the things that they will miss about their current neighborhood or city. Younger students may need help with the names of landmarks or buildings. Remind students to consider the climate, people and culture of their current city. Older students can take their lists and craft them into a piece of reflective writing, a love letter to their current neighborhood and city.
   
• City Similarities
  Create a three-column chart, and label the columns “Experience,” “New York City” and “Mexico City.” Reread the book aloud while taking pauses to fill in the chart. With each experience (after-school snacks, sporting events, etc.), write down the specifics for each city. The chart will show students that although the specifics are not the same, the cities and cultures are more alike than different. The back of the book has excellent information about the places in each city. Use Google Earth to visit a few of these landmarks.
   
• Cross-Cultural Pen Pals
  Connect your students with the world! Use an established site to register your students with an international pen pal. Communicating virtually via email is a quick option, but snail mail is my preference. Writing to their international pen pals is exciting for students and provides a real-world opportunity to practice letter writing and communication skills. Connecting with an international school via Mystery Skype is another activity that brings the world to your classroom. Prepare a list of questions beforehand. Afterward, create a City Similarities chart (see above), highlighting the ways the other students’ lives in the other country are similar to life in the United States.

Around the world, fairy tales have been passed down for centuries. They’re used to share traditions, reflect culture, teach lessons and entertain. The old stories are timeless; newcomers simply add beauty and breadth to this beloved genre. Two new picture books, The Great Gran Plan and Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf, prove there are still clever, undiscovered ways to find your happily ever after.

The Great Gran Plan, written by Elli Woollard and brilliantly illustrated by Steven Lenton, begins when the smart pig (the bricklayer) discovers the bad wolf’s granny-guzzling to-do list and hops in his van to save Little Red Riding Hood’s grandma. However, our unlikely hero becomes bogged down by his search for supplies, gets caught in a case of mistaken identity, and may need some rescuing of his own.

The Great Gran Plan boasts fairies and poison apples, glass slippers and wishing wells. References to countless fairy tales are craftily tucked into each page, and readers will have a blast discovering the Three Bears’ “Just Right” store (where everything comes in three sizes) and “Peep’s Bo-tique” (staffed by a helpful sheep named “Baarb”). Lenton’s imaginative images will have readers inspecting every page for sneaky details in a hysterical who’s-who of fairy-tale land. Keep an eye on the cat, who ends up a little worse for wear every time the pig gets in the van. Bonus points if you spot Captain Hook.

Woollard’s narration rhymes and rolls with alliteration and assonance, building momentum and hilarity and making it an ideal read-together. Full of beloved characters and witty predicaments, The Great Gran Plan will become a delightful new bookshelf favorite.

While wolves usually play the bad guy, recent fairy tales have recast the big, bad dude as misunderstood, misrepresented or maligned. Written by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Ilaria Campana, Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf turns this familiar fairy tale on its head with an intelligent and literary twist.

Wilson and Campana’s book has all the familiar tropes: a sneaky wolf in spectacles, a missing Grandma and a strong woodsman. But Wilson’s Red is brave, bright, well read and has no desire to be eaten. Wilson’s narration is laid-back, humorous and an effortless read-aloud. Readers will laugh when the granny-impersonating wolf loses his cool with an “Oh, forget it!” and gasp when the woodsman charges in, ax ready. Campana’s illustrations are vibrant and sharp with a cartoony feel that will appeal to children.

Much less grim than the original (nobody gets eaten or attacked with the ax), Little Red Reading Hood and the Misread Wolf invites us into a timeless world that has just the right amount of spooky. It’s a classic tale with modern sensibility that gives new life to a very old story.

Tips for Teachers is a monthly column in which experienced teacher and children’s librarian Emmie Stuart shares book recommendations and a corresponding teaching guide for fellow elementary school teachers. 

The U.S. National Park Service has been on the forefront of my mind lately. On National Trails Day, celebrated nationwide on the first Saturday in June, I’m spending a couple of hours volunteering at a national park an hour away from my home. Next fall, my second graders and I are going to spend six weeks immersed in a unit that investigates the NPS’s rich history, beauty and scientific wonders. Planning the unit has been a joy but has also doubled the size of my travel bucket list. And signaling the beginning of summer, in the past 48 hours alone, four of my rising fourth-grade students have sent me pictures proudly showing off their “Every Kid in a Park” pass.

Highlighting public parks, family adventures and the joy that accompanies spending time in the great outdoors, these three books will ignite a contagious classroom curiosity and sense of adventure.

You Are Home by Evan Turk

Truly an ode, Evan Turk’s words and artwork showcase the beauty—grandiose and minute—that is found in the country’s national parks. From full-page spreads highlighting the majesty of well-known parks (Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde) to spreads zooming in on animals or plants found in lesser-known parks (Biscayne Bay, Great Sand Dunes), it immerses children in colors, textures, and perspectives found in the natural world. The lyrical prose touches on various aspect of the parks, ultimately reminding readers that the parks belong to everyone and upon visiting, “you are home.” The majestic artwork, historical note, labeled map and intimate second person narration make it a memorable and inspiring read-aloud.

• National Park Art
  One cannot help but to be struck by Turk’s richly colored pastel illustrations conveying the grandeur of the parks. Visit Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, and show your students Turk’s early sketches and behind-the-scenes photographs. Give each student a 12 x 18 piece of black construction paper. Provide gem- and natural-hued construction paper and oil or chalk pastels. Print out several photographs from various national parks. Let each student choose a photograph, and use it to inspire his/her park artwork. Hang the photographs and completed artwork to create a wall of majesty.
   
• Individual Park Research
  There are 58 national parks. Look at a U.S. map of the park locations. Each park has its own website. Let each student choose a national park. Tell them that they have one week to become the classroom expert on their chosen park. Keeping in mind students’ age and abilities, create a project rubric outlining the information that students need to know. This project was a fantastic way to introduce beginning research skills to my second-grade classes.
   
• Further Reading
  Expand the project by reading more books celebrating our country’s National Park Service. Start with Barb Rosenstock’s The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks, and then over the next few weeks read Jason Chin’s Grand Canyon, Annette Bay Pimentel’s Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook Up the National Park Service and David Domeniconi’s M Is for Majestic: A National Parks Alphabet.

Camp Tiger by Susan Choi, illustrated by John Rocco

As his family heads to Mountain Pond for their annual summer camping trip, the young narrator explains, “As soon as we get back from camping, we go back to school. My brother is starting fourth grade and I am starting first grade. I don’t want to be a first grader.” They are setting up their campsite when a tiger emerges from the woods, approaches the family and inquires about an extra tent. The tiger and little boy form an immediate bond, and together they engage in a myriad of outdoor adventures. Initially trepidatious, the little boy gains self-confidence and boldness with each new experience. Without a trace of didacticism, Choi weaves a fantastical and sensitive story that will resonate not only with children’s imaginative and inquisitive natures but their feelings and fears as well.

• Plan a Camping Trip
  As a class, make a list of local campgrounds. Use a state map or Google Earth to pinpoint their locations. With younger students, brainstorm a list of supplies that they will need pack for a weekend camping in the woods, and then help them draft a weekend schedule. Remind them to consider the weather when deciding what to pack. Gather around a classroom “fire” and teach them a few campfire songs. Let older students work with partners to create an entire camping itinerary. Give them a loose budget and encourage them to research tents, stoves, food, backpacks, sleeping bags and other camping essentials. What will they make for their meals? How and where will they store their food? Do they need to make campsite reservations or buy a camping license? What are they going to do during the day? Some students may want to plan a camping trip in another part of the country. Students will create a multimedia presentation communicating the details of their camping trip.
   
• Sensory Creative Writing
  When the boy buries his face in the tiger’s fur, he observes, “He smells like sunshine and pine needles.” Gather several natural materials and essential oils. I used lavender, rose petals, fresh pine shavings, rosemary, orange peel, cloves, eucalyptus, peppermint, basil, sage, fresh moss and spruce. Make a few different combinations, and put them into individual mesh bags. Numerically label the bags. Using a graphic organizer, students will smell the bags and then journal or simply list words or memories that the scent of each bag evokes. After they have smelled every bag, students can choose their favorite scent and use it to drive a creative writing piece.
   
• Growing Older
  Reread the sentence “All summer, things my mom used to do for me—like make my bed in the morning or fold up my clothes—have become things that I have to do myself.” Ah, so important! Ask children to start brainstorming things that their mom and dad for them. Make a class list on chart paper. Lead a discussion that will give children an opportunity to reflect on these things and which things they can start doing independently. Encourage them to pick one or more of the jobs and try to do it by themselves. When a child successfully completes a task, write his or her name next to the respective task on the class chart. I had initially intended to do this reflection activity with just my younger grades, but I think it was probably more important for upper elementary-age students.
   
• Book Flight
  Read aloud Judith Kerr’s classic, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Compare and contrast the two stories. Similarities and differences abound!

If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Patrick Corrigan

Opening with the directive encouragement, “Imagine serving as a park ranger for U.S. National Parks!” this nonfiction first-person narrative informs children of the many duties and delights that come with territory when one chooses the career of park ranger. Touching on various aspects of the job, including an educational path and the history of the NPS, the text and illustrations work together showcasing the various tasks (including designing exhibits, giving costumed tours and updating the park website) that can be part of a park ranger’s job responsibilities. Giving a human element to the national parks and conveying a significant amount of information through succinct and approachable text, it’s an ideal and effective read-aloud.

• Environmental Stewardship
  One of the most important responsibilities of park rangers is to “protect the land, the plants, the buildings, and the wild animals in my park.” Write the phrase “environmental stewardship” on the board, and unpack the root words with children until the class has collectively created a definition explaining the concept. Discuss what would happen if people do not take care of the parks and wildlands. On a piece of chart paper, write the question, “How can we be good stewards of the environment, and what can we do to encourage others to do the same?” Read the Leave No Trace Seven Principles to the class. Ask students if they can think of areas in their daily lives that need stewardship. Discuss practical ways that the students can be good stewards of these areas, and then let them design posters or brochures that remind others to do the same.
   
• Junior Ranger Program
  The National Park System has a wonderful Junior Ranger program with various downloadable booklets that let children learn about different aspects (fishing, archeology, historic preservation, biology, etc.) of national parks. Order physical books or download and print PDF versions, and let students choose a book that interests them. After they have completed the activities, they can send or email their completed booklet and earn a Junior Ranger badge or patch. This activity is an excellent option for early finishers. Let students work on the books in spare time throughout the entire year, and keep track of the number of badges and patches earned by your class.
   
• Connect with a Park Ranger
  Reach out to local parks and inquire if a park ranger can come visit your classroom. Invite students to prepare questions and choose one or two students to lead the interview. Another option is to schedule a Skype session with a park ranger that works in a National Park that is in a different part of the country.

We often describe grief as a loss—an empty space where someone beloved once sat and ate and laughed. It’s a difficult concept to understand, especially for children, who may not be able to express how they feel.

Two new books, My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon and Maybe Tomorrow?, creatively turn grief into a physical presence, helping mourners connect to and cope with unimaginable heartache.

My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon by Angie Lucas paints the sudden death of a mother as an uninvited, expansive dragon. The dragon pops in on movie night, tags along at the beach, demands birthday cake and cannot be bribed, tricked or forgotten away. It even turns away loving friends. Sometimes it takes a day off, but it always returns to the boy. How can he live with this dragon?

Grief is complex and confusing, but Lucas writes with sincerity and a child’s voice. Cleverly turning loss into a visible character, Lucas gives words to those sadness and anger: The dragon has “stupid, tiny arms” and “weighed a ton.” Acknowledging the dragon gives children permission to feel. It’s alright to be angry at a dragon eating your dinner. It’s normal to feel lost at school when you’ve got a dragon sitting on your head. It’s even fine to take comfort in that same dragon at times.

Muted colors and softly lined illustrations create a familiar, safe world for this difficult journey. Illustrator Birgitta Sif’s boot-wearing dragon isn’t frightening or menacing, it’s just always present—wearing a sun hat, reading a book, listening to music. With her gentle illustrations, Sif shows readers that it’s OK to be sad or mad.

People of any age who grieve know how difficult it is to talk about death; it’s doubly hard for children. My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon helps open that door.

In Maybe Tomorrow? by Charlotte Agell, grief doesn’t walk or fly like a dragon. It sits there, dense and quiet. With it, Elba the elephant feels dense and quiet as well. It’s hard to do things with the block around, and pulling it takes a lot of energy, just as missing her friend Little Bird takes all of her time. But cheerful, kind Norris is willing to share the weight.

Author Agell writes with a gentle, patient voice, creating a story that is both personal and universal. Elba’s sadness is simple and sincere, her thoughts shared by grief-stricken of all ages. Like the best kind of friends and counselors, Norris is persistent and curious, but not pushy or intrusive. Through Norris, Agell encourages grieving readers to share their sorrow in their own time and way.

Illustrator Ana Ramírez González infuses each page with soft color and cheer, a hopeful backdrop for Elba’s shadowy block. Norris’ butterflies frolic in every scene, flowers dot the ground, and even the rainstorm seems soft. Most impressively and with relatively few paint strokes, Ramírez González creates two eminently relatable characters. Elba’s sorrow is tangible, but so is the empathy in Norris’ eyes. This is a book that readers will hold close.

As Elba and Norris become friends, Elba’s block shrinks in size, and she begins to tell her story, letting readers know that grief may linger, but it’s also OK to be happy again. Sweetly illustrated and compassionate, Maybe Tomorrow? is the friend we all need in the difficult days.

Encouraging and engaging, My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon and Maybe Tomorrow? imaginatively tackle loss and grief. Anyone—child or adult—who shares space with a dragon or a weighty block will find solace in these compassionate books.

Tips for Teachers is a monthly column in which experienced teacher and children’s librarian Emmie Stuart shares book recommendations and a corresponding teaching guide for fellow elementary school teachers.

Think fast! What do Eloise, Knuffle Bunny, Lyle and Little Elliot have in common? How about some of the most memorable fictional families: Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family sisters, Elizabeth Enright’s scrappy and enterprising Melendy siblings and Karina Yan Glaser’s endearing Vanderbeeker clan. Each of these beloved characters and families lives a story that has (in the words of Frank Sinatra) “New York, New York . . . right through the very heart of it.” And it’s at the heart of the following books.

Offering small glimpses into the city’s bustling urban energy, dazzling lights and diverse neighborhoods, these books show students that, contrary to popular belief, they are not the center of the universe. That honor belongs to New York City.

Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island by Jennifer Thermes

Over the past four centuries, the island of Manhattan has experienced much transition, unrest, urban growth and dynamic shifts in both societal and city structure. Beginning with the Lenape, the island’s native inhabitants, Thermes records, explains and illustrates significant events and decisions that have shaped the island in its 400-year history. We learn about Henry Hudson’s arrival in 1609, the British occupation during the American Revolution, the significant Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, immigration, the Gilded Age, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and more.

The detailed, watercolor-and-pencil maps, timelines and rich explanatory text demand a slow and thoughtful reading experience. Carve out a few class periods to enjoy savoring and studying it with students.

• Urban Planning

  At the beginning of the 19th century, city commissioners realized, “The city was branching out in all directions. It needed a plan.” John Randel Jr. and his team spent more than a decade planning, pounding and laying the grid for the city.

  Most children will be unfamiliar with the concept of urban planning. The American Planning Association has an excellent downloadable curriculum that provides educators with resources for teaching the basic concepts of urban planning.

  For younger students, use the organization’s Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt. Activities vary from taking rubbings of significant city buildings to riding public transportation to interviewing an older member of the community. Use a local copy shop to print an oversize city map and hang it in the classroom. For older students, read sections of David Macauley’s City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction.
   

• Neighborhood Deep Dive

  As the book progresses, the neighborhoods on the island maps increase. According to the NYC Department of City Planning, the island of Manhattan has 53 distinct neighborhoods (see page 4 of this guide).

  Let each student choose a specific neighborhood to research. Using their research, they must write a “Six Hours in [fill-in neighborhood]” presentation. They can choose the significant landmarks, key historical facts, cultural hot spots, top-rated restaurants, local parks and libraries and other information they think is important in understanding the culture of the neighborhood.
   

• Classroom City Timeline

  Change and transformation are inevitable, and as evidenced on the island of Manhattan, natural disasters, political conflict, economic fluctuations and new transportation and technologies deeply influence how and why cities develop.

  Spend a few weeks unpacking the history of your city with students. Invite a city or community historian into your classroom to discuss the city’s history. Remind students to listen for the key historical events that were responsible for shaping the city. Request resources from your local or state museum. Encourage students to interview neighbors or other longtime members of the community.

  As more history is uncovered, begin to gather the notes and photographs in one central area. Using long butcher paper, create a classroom city timeline. Fill in a few of the events and dates that were discussed in class, and then invite students to continue to add events as they uncover them in personal research.

  Keep the timeline up all year, and watch how it continues to grow as students become more interested and invested.

I Can Write the World written by Joshunda Sanders, illustrated by Charly Palmer

Living in South Bronx, 8-year-old Ava wonders why the TV news images and stories depicting her neighborhood don’t reflect or match her feelings and experiences. “Sometimes the way the world sees us is different from how we see ourselves,” her mother explains. Ava decides to take matters into her own hands and sets out to become a journalist who will report the stories that accurately reflect her vibrant, creative and loving neighborhood.

Palmer’s vibrant brushstroke illustrations pulse with movement and emotion mirroring the characters, cultures and stories that make up the South Bronx. Not only does Ava’s gentle first-person perspective provide a child’s personal insight into a NYC neighborhood, but it also shows students that that they, too, hold the power to seek out and tell stories.

• Sensory Language

  Written in lyrical prose, I Can Write the World is filled with rich, descriptive language. Read it aloud a second time, but this time ask students to close their eyes and focus on the sensory details. Afterward, create a class graphic organizer and fill it in with the sights, sounds, smells, and textures that Ava describes.

  Take students outside. For two minutes, they must focus on the sounds, sights, smells and textures around them. Once back inside the classroom, ask them to write words, phrases and sentences to describe their experience. Ask them to do the same thing as soon as they wake up the next morning. What are the sounds, sights, smells, tastes and textures of their morning routine? I use this activity as a calming and centering exercise on field trips. Minutes spent focusing and noticing helps students foster disciplines and habits of the mind.
   

• Music and Art of the Bronx

  For her first story, Ava asks her mother to tell her “more about the art you and your Classmates made.” As they tour the neighborhood, Ava learns about Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc and the music the neighbors brought when they moved from Puerto Rico, Haiti and Jamaica. The sounds of their homeland (salsa, reggae, etc.) influence modern-day hip-hop. Listen to the various types of music that are celebrated in the Bronx.

  Graffiti is another form of art that has shaped the Bronx neighborhood. While listening to the various forms of music, provide paint, pastels, sharpies, and markers and let children create their own graffiti inspired art. For further reading, check out When the Beat Was Born by Laban Carrick Hill and The Roots of Rap by Carole Boston Weatherford.
   

• Media Literacy

  Seize the opportunity to discuss journalism, media literacy and bias reporting. It’s a hard topic, but Ava’s experience provides an excellent entry into the tricky subject. For older students, discuss conservative, liberal and middle-of-the-road reporting. Give them a working media literacy vocabulary by teaching them the meaning of the following words: bias, evidence, exaggeration, slant and claim.

  Read a short news article together. Let the students identify nouns, verbs, adjectives or phrases that appear biased. How could this article be rewritten or reframed?
   

Nelly Takes New York written by Allison Pataki and Marya Myers, illustrated by Kristi Valiant

For Nelly, New York City is home. Each morning, she is awakened by the city’s familiar sounds: the rumble of the subway, the rat-tat-tats of a street musician and the opening rattle of a store front gate. One morning as Nelly watches Mr. Patel, owner of the local corner cart, juggle bagels, he comments, “The Big Apple is tons of fun!” And so, Nelly and her dog, Bagel, set off on a mission to find this “big apple.” Their quest takes them all over the city, and they visit several NYC landmarks and neighborhoods before realizing “The Big Apple isn’t something you can hold or eat. The Big Apple is all of us—the Big Apple IS New York City.”

The accessible story and simple overview of a city provide a strong foundation for students familiarizing them with the terms and places they will need for further NYC study.

• Experience Nelly’s Journey

  Prior to reading it aloud, tell students, “Some words in this book are going to look different from all the other words. Be on the lookout for words that are extra dark (this is called bold text) and in a different typeface.”

  As you read, keep a visual running list of the bold words. At the conclusion of the book, ask students to discuss the words on the list. (They are significant NYC neighborhoods and landmarks.)

  Use Google Earth (I created a tour prior to the lesson) to trace Nelly’s NYC journey. Show students Nelly’s bird’s eye view by using a 360 photo spherefrom the top of the Empire State Building.
   

• City Nicknames and Branding

  Ask students to articulate the Nelly’s big apple and “Big Apple” confusion. Briefly tell the story behind the city’s nickname, emphasizing how it was used in the early 1970s as a marketing campaign to revive city tourism. Use this to launch a discussion about city nicknames and city branding.

  Show students the tourism home pages and magazine advertisements of several big cities, and then let them take on the role of a marketing director. Provide pencils, oversize paper and colorful drawing materials, and invite them to design a magazine ad or airport poster that encourages people to visit their hometown or city.

Celebrate all four seasons with these three new picture books that transport readers through the seasons and showcase the glories of Mother Nature.

Kim Norman’s Come Next Season captures the magic of a year spent outdoors on a journey from one summer to another. A brother and sister narrate the tale, anticipating the joys of each season—eating blueberries in the summer, filling their pockets with pecans in the fall, sledding with their dog in the winter and visiting “cheeping chicks” in the spring. The use of vivid figurative language animates their reveries, such as when they “scissor” their legs to warm up their bedsheets in winter and “roar like hungry bears” while jumping into piles of fall leaves. The well-paced text, with its gentle rhythms and perfect page turns, reveals the change of each season with a graceful and subtle fanfare. 

Daniel Miyares illustrates the children reveling in a screen-free, outdoor world. Vivid purples, yellows and reds are on display, but the bright, warm blues steal the show. The story comes full circle, opening with a visit to a lake and ending with a return visit. Both moments feature the girl leaping exuberantly into the water, but the latter visit includes a new puppy for a new year. 

A larger group of children plays outdoors through the seasons in Rebecca Grabill’s A Year With Mama Earth, illustrated by Rebecca Green. Both author and illustrator grew up in Michigan, and they base their words and art on those experiences. 

Children play and explore outside, from one autumn to the next, near a home in the woods. Toying with the notion of nature as “Mama Earth,” Grabill personifies objects in nature in evocative, lyrical language, such as pumpkin seeds that play peekaboo under fall leaves, oaks that are “stubborn,” geese that take vacations, sugar maples that sing sweet songs and rain that dances. Grabill describes Mama Earth with bustling verbs. She “tightens night’s reins,” “dresses holly shrubs in icicles,” “sings a lullaby to the fat black bear,” “bakes the ground dry as toast” and “gathers icy diamonds in her skirt.” Green’s richly colored illustrations depict a wide range of woodland creatures—from bees and squirrels to cardinals and deer. In a closing author’s note, Grabill likens Mama Earth to a “gentle, fun-loving” parent full of surprises and calls for readers to slow down and listen to nature speaking. 

Author-illustrator Eliza Wheeler’s Home in the Woods, narrated by 6-year-old Marvel, is a trip back in time to Depression-era Wisconsin. The book follows Marvel and her seven siblings from summer to spring as their family looks for a home after the death of their father. With each passing season, they are able to make the most out of having little. They create a home out of a shack in the woods, make a garden out of a “blanket of rotting leaves,” pitch in to do chores, fill their cellar with their garden harvests, hunt for food during the winter months and, working as a team, manage to thrive. 

Wheeler often singles out objects in the children’s lives in her lush, detailed spreads. Her language is rich—there are “crystal rains,” berries that are “sweet jewels of blue and red” and “ruby leaves”—and she uses repetition to great effect. An author’s note reveals that the story is based on her grandmother’s experiences. It’s a story, she writes, about finding “inventive ways to work together.”