In this hopeful story inspired by real events that took place during the holiday season in Billings, Montana, a community chooses to stand up to hurtful behavior and join together to advance kindness, friendship, acceptance, and love.
Social-Emotional Learning
Circle Round
by Anne Sibley O’Brien, illustrated by Hanna Cha; Charlesbridge, 2021.
Gather up and Circle Round this vibrant and joyful picture book celebrating inclusion, kindness, friendship, similarities and differences, numbers, shapes, and more–all with merely 38 words!
What’s Silly Hair Day With No Hair?
by Norene Paulson, illustrated by Camila Carrossine; Albert Whitman, 2021.
When her school plans a Silly Hair Day, Bea, a strong and confident girl with alopecia (an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss) navigates her feelings and manages to increase awareness of the ways in which actions and activities can unintentionally present barriers to inclusion. This gentle, affirming story is a recommended read-aloud that offers an excellent opening for discussion and can help set the stage for a welcoming classroom environment.
Upstander
by James Preller; Feiwel and Friends, 2021.
Upstander by James Preller is a moving story that authentically captures the nuances of contemporary family relationships and how they can be both tested and strengthened by individual members’ actions and thoughts, as well as their wills, weaknesses, and wishes. The story of how Mary struggles, copes, and ultimately grows from her experiences facing her brother Jonny’s substance use and her own school-related conflicts is at once heart wrenching and heartening.
Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero
by Megan Hoyt, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno; Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins, 2021.
Ideal for older elementary-grade students, Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero introduces readers to an Italian cycling champion and unsung hero who secretly helped hundreds of Jews and others escape persecution during World War II. Witness Bartali’s acts of heroism that reached far beyond his celebrity to include selflessness, humility, courage, and deep compassion.
The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship
by Judy Bradbury, illustrated by Gabriella Vagnoli; City of Light Publishing, 2021.
In the first book in the Cayuga Island Kids chapter book series, readers meet five resourceful friends who live on a residential island. Though the story is fictional, The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship is loosely based on one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries of the Great Lakes: the sinking of the never-recovered sailing vessel, the Griffon, in the 1600s. Readers encounter history, science, mystery, research skills, social-emotional themes, humor, friendship, and a really cute dog.