October is National Bullying Prevention Month! Founded in 2006, it aims to educate communities across the U.S. and raise awareness about the devastating effects of bullying – from school avoidance and loss of self-esteem to anxiety, depression, and even … Read More

    UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2022! It’s Banned Books Week‘s 40th anniversary! Launched in 1982 to create awareness of the harm of censorship, it celebrates the freedom to read and express ideas. Each year, many diverse children’s & YA books are … Read More

  UPDATED NOVEMBER 2024! Talking to children and teenagers about racism and discrimination is as necessary (now more than ever!) as it is uncomfortable for most parents and educators (especially white ones). Necessary because racial bias in children starts as … Read More

    STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) has been an important part of the school curriculum for many years now. More recently, art has been added in order to emphasize the importance of creative thinking, and so STEM became … Read More

    “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” Dalai Lama XIV   UPDATED NOVEMBER 2018! Kindness and empathy are two of the most important social skills we can teach our children. Now more than ever, … Read More

    Shark Lady The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist written by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens   Shark Lady is a beautiful new picture book release that tells the inspiring story … Read More

    Earlier this month, uncontrollable wildfires raged through our small South African town for several days, resulting in huge devastation and trauma for humans as well as animals. In amongst all the chaos, the whole community rallied together to … Read More

    Recently I came across a wonderful UK initiative called Make a Noise in Libraries. It was started by RNIB, a charity for people with sight loss, and aims at making libraries more accessible and inclusive for visually impaired … Read More

    Over and Under the Pond written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal   “Over the pond we slide, splashing through lily pads, sweeping through reeds. The water’s a mirror, reflecting the sky. Sunshine and clouds – … Read More

    After the more serious topics of my two previous lists (5 Multicultural Picture Books about Mental Illness & 9 Multicultural Children’s Books about Autism), I thought it’s time for something more lighthearted, so I went on a search for … Read More