Author: Ganit and Adir Levy
Illustrator: Mat Sadler
From the Book Jacket: Danny is a real-life superhero in training, learning about his most important super power of all "THE POWER TO CHOOSE." In this book, YOU decide how the story will end by making choices for Danny. You'll have a blast trying to reach all nine endings!
Why It's On My Bookshelf: What Should Danny Do has been so popular this past year it has gone out of stock on Amazon a few times. I finally have a copy of my own! I have wanted to explore decision making with my students and this is just the book to help us. A line that is emphasized in the book is "THE POWER TO CHOOSE.' I love this so much. Although kids are going to make mistakes in their thought processes I like reinforcing the idea of helping children remember to take the time to think about the outcome of their choices. This is also a great story for teaching kids about responsibility. I think that goes hand in hand with decision making.
There are nine different stories in the book. When you reach an ending, you can start over and make different choices to see how his day changes. This is not a book you just read through. Children will learn best from it by reading multiple versions of the story picking both positive and negative choices for Danny.
Get this one!
A Link to This Series:
Author: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrator: Ebony Glenn
From the Book Jacket: In Mommy's Khimar a young girl plays dress-up with her mother's head scarves, feeling her mother's love with each one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty of a diverse and welcoming community in this portrait of a young Muslim American girl's life.
Author: Hena Khan
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
From the Book Jacket: Grandma's hijab under her chin. Auntie pins hers up with a whimsical brooch. Jenna puts a sun hat over hers when she hikes. Iman wears a sports hijab for tae kwon do. As a young girl observes the women in her life and how each covers her hair a different way, she dreams of the possibilities in her own future and how she might express her personality through her hijab. Under My Hijab provides a friendly introduction to hijabs for all readers, and celebrate the Muslim women and girls who choose to wear them.
Why They Are On My Bookshelf: Both of these books have provided an avenue for my daughter and I to talk about the diversity within her school. My daughter understands hijabs are not just about the way they are worn but the reasons for wearing them. I'm so grateful that picture books like this exist for children to access and to shine a light on why some Muslim women choose to wear them. I highly recommend these books as they are so IMPORTANT right now. I'm hoping to incorporate them in my school counseling lessons.
A Link to These Books:
Author: Helaine Becker
Illustrator: Dow Phumiruk
From the Book Jacket: You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 moon landing. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home?
As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps to the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink - everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe.
From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the story of a groundbreaking American woman who non only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives and made enormous contributions to history.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've been using more and more biographies the past couple years when I'm teaching kids growth mindset. Counting on Katherine was a great story to share with the kids. Our students are really inspired by true stories and they learned a lot about the life of Katherine Johnson. This is about a woman who never gave up her dreams. If you loved the movie Hidden Figures - I highly recommend this book. You will learn even more about the obstacles she overcame and her DETERMINATION.
A Link to This Book:
