Ramadan begins tomorrow, and I find myself reaching for stories that help children understand the world with curiosity and care. One of those stories is “Ramadan for Everyone: A Muslim Community Story” by Aya Khalil. Aya has always written beautifully about identity. Her books gently affirm roots, culture, and belonging without ever feeling heavy handed. In this story, she opens a window into how Muslims around the world observe Ramadan. Through sisterhood, faith, and simple

I did not expect a desert adventure to feel this tender. “Sundust” by Zeke Peña, a 2026 Caldecott Honor book, is more than a fantasy picture book. It is a quiet story about a brother and sister stepping beyond the wall of their neighborhood and into the desert together. I keep going back to their bond. The way they explore side by side. The way they wonder out loud. The way they question the sun together. There is something deeply comforting about siblings discovering the wor

I love when books become bridges. Today our classroom was filled with red, laughter, and meaningful conversations about Lunar New Year. Stories like these help children see themselves and see each other. Representation matters. Joy matters. Stories matter.

Today’s gem of a book is The King of Bees by Lester L. Laminack, illustrated by Jim LaMarche is one of those. A little boy.
An aunt who keeps bees.
And a deep desire to learn how to “bee speak.” This is a beautiful blend of science and heart. My class immediately noticed the calm, steady way Henry’s aunt teaches him. They shared how she never rushes and never panics. Patience, trust, and respect for nature became our big takeaways from this story. Through lyrical language and

I Am So Happy You’re Here by Mychal Threets illustrated by Lorraine Nam I was one of the many educators fortunate enough to attend NCTE in Denver and listen to Mychal Threets speak about his journey as a librarian. His words were heartfelt, sincere, and deeply human. To now hold “I Am So Happy You’re Here” in my hands feels like a continuation of that same message. This book is a joyful reminder of what libraries are meant to be. Safe. Welcoming. Inclusive. A place where ever

How do you explain love to a child? When I finished reading My Love for You Is Always to my Grade 3s, the room filled with a collective “awww.” That moment alone felt like a quiet review in itself. This is such a heartwarming picture book about the love between a mother and child. Love is hard to define, and the mother in this story knows that too. Instead, she shows it through moments, feelings, and the everyday act of preparing a meal. The food, the smells, the warmth, the

My Sister and the Apple by Jordan Scott and Jamal Saeed is a quiet, reflective story rooted in childhood imagination and lived experience.
It follows a child who rescues a beloved apple tree seedling when war forces his family to flee their home, blending innocence with themes of struggle, resilience, and determination. The story does not take sides. Instead, it invites readers to notice the emotional weight of displacement while holding space for hope and new beginnings. The

Finally arrived and already loved I know my class kids are going to connect deeply with this book. A powerful, thoughtful story that opens gentle conversations about what we don’t always see.

I love books that does far more than support a unit. Reading “Dounia and the Magic Seed” by Marya Zarif with my class has been a deeply grounding and eye opening experience. It became a space for real conversations, not just about migration, but about humanity. As part of our inquiry into migration, we have been exploring push and pull factors. What pushes people to leave their homes. What pulls them towards a new place. This story gave my young students the language and emot

As a Muslim, I have always loved cats. Dogs, not so much. I grew up in a traditional family where dogs were something to fear, often labelled as haram, and kept at a distance. Over the years, through reading, learning, and reflecting, I have come to better understand what Islam actually teaches about dogs, with far more nuance, compassion, and humanity than I once knew. This picture book gently mirrors that journey for me. “Street Puppy, Masjid Cat” tells the story of an unli

I have used “Lubna and Pebble” for many years as a read aloud in Grades 1 to 3. It has always been a text I returned to for its quiet tenderness. It was through Sarah Cordova’s new book, “The Power of Picture Books in Student Identity”, that I began to teach with this story more intentionally, particularly through the lens of refugee and immigrant identity. During book club on Friday, my Grade 3 students used this book as a mentor text to write about their own challenges. Wha

A couple of weeks ago, I read “Broken” by X. Fang.
 It is one of those books I kept thinking about while doing other things. While setting up my classroom. While watching my students work. While noticing how quick we are to hide cracks. Today, I came across another book that felt connected in a way I did not expect. “Perfect” by Waka T. Brown, illustrated by Yuko Jones, introduces children to kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. What I appreciate

This book is such a tender ode to siblings, especially sisters. Together We Are Sunshine follows three sisters through an imaginative outdoor adventure, told through the eyes of the middle sister, Haala. The looking up to an older sister. The quiet frustration with a younger one. The very real in-between feelings that come with being a middle child. As they kiss the sun, dance with the wind, and listen for the secrets of the world around them, something shifts. Annoyance soft

Some stories meet you exactly where your memories live. “Broken” by X. Fang did that for me. At the heart of this book is a truth I hold close. Every patch and every repair tells a story. Mei Mei’s mistake. The guilt. The fear of disappointing someone you love. Her journey toward honesty and forgiveness felt deeply real and tender. This story brought me back to my first year teaching Grade 1 and our class pet, Coco the monkey. Coco went home with every child, collecting stori

This nonfiction read aloud sparked instant intrigue in my classroom. “I’m Trying to Love Farts”by Bethany Barton uses humour to deliver real science, and my students leaned all the way in. What stayed with me most was the language. Children confidently using new words like flatulence, asking thoughtful questions, and explaining ideas with precision. A reminder that curiosity, humour, and strong informational texts can deepen vocabulary and understanding in powerful ways.

Today was the last day of school for the term. We ended with a lovely read aloud, which was just right for the season. The Gift of Words by Peter H Reynolds. Jerome, a word collector, moves around his neighbourhood in search of hopeful words. Holiday words. Words of joy. But instead he finds noise. Commercialised messages. Headlines that dim the spirit. So he does what word collectors do best. He returns to the words that matter. The words that heal and lift. The words that i

I feel so privileged to have a copy of “Sparkles for Sunny”, and even more grateful that I had the chance to meet Sylvia Chen at the NCTE conference in Denver. Our conversation stays with me. She shared the heart behind her characters and the tender dilemmas young children navigate. Listening to her speak about Sunny felt like being invited into the quiet heartbeat of the story. It was an honour. What better way to end the term than with a read aloud of Sparkles for Sunny. I

Every Christmas I find myself reaching for the same book, “Saturdays and Tea Cakes” by Lester Laminack, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. It has become my quiet tradition. It is the one story that still slows me down and reminds me what matters. Today, with the term winding down and after yesterday’s cookies and desserts, I read it again to my class. Watching their faces as the imagery took over reminded me why I return to this book year after year. Lester writes with such care

Read Aloud Tuesday with “Catnap” by Brian Lies
Today’s read aloud took us on the funniest chase across time and art. This gorgeous picture book follows a curious cat who ends up lost inside ten famous masterpieces while chasing a mouse (or maybe a few). My favourite part as an adult reader is the section at the back where Brian Lies walks us through how he recreated each artwork. It feels like a tiny behind the scenes tour of his creative process. Many of my students are loya

Today my students and I revisited this beautiful picture book “The Girl Who Thought in Pictures “as part of our biography writing unit. Many of them have chosen to research Dr Temple Grandin and I could not be more proud of the conversations happening in our classroom. This book opens an important doorway for young writers. It helps them understand that a biography is more than a collection of facts. It is a story of courage, creativity, and the many ways a mind can work. Dr