Hello, all!
In February we’ve turned to upcoming holidays and other celebrations as a means of shaping our emphases. Perhaps you’re thinking about these holidays and other celebrations right now and are pondering how to fit them into your classroom. For Valentine’s Day, for instance, we were inspired to think about a more nuanced way to approach the holiday — one that moves us beyond candy hearts and red-tinted art projects. Our focus is going to be on love as a broader concept — love of self, of community, and of world. It’s a theme that seems more appropriate than ever given all of the negative sentiments and outright hatred circulating among at the moment.
And in recognition of Black History Month, we start February by looking specifically at a love of culture and history that celebrates the peoples of Africa in their home countries and as they disperse throughout the African diaspora. Stay tuned in particular for updates from Colleen about the Children’s Africana Book Award (CABA), which highlights exemplary children’s and YA literature; for Alice’s range of children’s books that think expansively about love and offer a multitude of opportunities to pause, reflect, and appreciate; and Alin’s collection of current resources from around the web.
We hope you enjoy these materials! Chime in at any point if you think of a book we’ve missed or a resource that would be useful to your fellow educators.
Hasta el próximo,
Keira
Vamos a Leer 