29 Comments

These are great! We too are reading Annie & the Wild Animals. And I totally agree about the heavy-handedness; it's everywhere, and so annoying. I'm off to tentatively google a picture of those snakes...

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I had to smile at your intro. When I get like this, I too am so sure I’ve permanently lost all ability to function at my previous level. It’s especially true when I have a cold. My brain convinces me I’ll never have energy again. Then, one day I wake up with restored energy levels and all I can do is shake my head at myself.

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This is such a thoughtful post. I'm saving it to come back to again and again. Enjoy your mini break! Looking forward to more book recs in the Spring.

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I loved Flora and Ulysses! Hope you all enjoy it too!

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Jan 23Liked by Sarah Miller

Wilfred,by Ryan Huggins, it’s a favorite in our house!

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Jan 23Liked by Sarah Miller

Rabbits Snow Dance and Tracks in the Snow - both from your winter list - will be my Mystery Reader picks on Friday. My kinder twins love the rhythm of both!

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Jan 23Liked by Sarah Miller

There are so many good books in this one! Me First (I need to pull this one out immediately to read to the boys again), Jabari Jumps, The Paper Boy. Thank you for reminding me of these reads. Enjoy your time away to rest and come back with new creative energy.

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Jan 24Liked by Sarah Miller

Happy Hibernation and Hiatus!

In the service category, our favorites that mostly relate to food insecurity are Last Stop on Market Street, Maddie's Fridge, and Our Little Kitchen. Maddie's Fridge makes me choke up every time I read it.

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I want to sit down and read them ALL! Thanks for posting these great books.

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The didactic books drive me crazy!!!

We recently read Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and it so sweet and wonderful. It's about a young Muslim boy building his courage to pray in public, especially at school

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Whether the morals are heavy-handed or more entwined with compelling narrative as are the books on your list, it can be valuable to recognize that any story can never be completely values-neutral. Every story contains a certain worldview and is imbued with certain values (and if it didn't, why read it?). So it's a matter of choosing stories that impart the values and worldviews you hope to give your child, the values that you believe are necessary to having a good life. And as your child gets older, and chooses their own books, it's a matter of encouraging them to think critically about the values and worldviews presented to them, and which ones they want to adopt for themselves.

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May 6Liked by Sarah Miller

Hey Sarah!! Would any of these be specifically good for a child in preschool who is struggling to regulate emotions! We are dealing with hitting at preschool and want to help at home with some books. But it’s hard to talk about and I can’t find many suggestions!

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