BLOGS > AUGUST 4, 2021
BY JILLIAN HEISE
In May, when students in the United States will likely be celebrating the end of another school year, many of whom might engage with graduation celebrations, I thought it would also be nice to look at various types of celebrations around the world for all kinds of reasons and during all kinds of seasons.
One of the tenets of my goals with #ClassroomBookADay is not only to read aloud a picture book every day of the school year in order to increase the volume of complete, shared texts we can reference as a class, but also to work toward representing as much inclusiveness as I can through the picture books I choose to share.
If you have been following my blog series over these last two school years with Follett, I hope you have noticed that there is an effort in every single book list to include viewpoints of the global majority through characters and creators and topics. As we consider Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s seminal piece from 1990, it is vital to consider how students in all of our schools can get both windows into experiences of those unlike their own and the sliding doors to walk through into those experiences, as well as the mirrors that reflect their own lived experiences.
Some of the picture books you will find in this recommendation list will be ones that include celebrations from a variety of cultures in one book: Jewish holidays throughout the year, celebrations with light, and other thematic connections to incorporate multiple holidays or celebrations.
I especially appreciate the back matter in these picture books because they provide another avenue for students (and their teachers!) to learn about celebrations from multiple cultures in just one book. It creates an instant text pairing for students to compare!
Other selections on this list focus on just one cultural celebration: Diwali, Yule, Ramadan, Lunar New Year, Holi, New Year’s Day, Raksha Bandhan, Dia de los Muertos, Juneteenth, an Ojibwe powwow, and more.
In considering the topic of celebrations for this last book list of this school year, I hope you will find many kinds of representations that will work for your classroom – both as windows and mirrors (shout-out to Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop...every time!) – and that it will encourage you to continue to strive to provide the most inclusive representation you can in your #ClassroomBookADay and curriculum choices.
View the full list on Titlewave.
Jillian Heise
Jillian Heise, NBCT and MLIS, is currently a K-5 Library Media Teacher in southeastern Wisconsin. She previously taught Grades 7 and 8 ELA in the Milwaukee area for 11 years. Jillian is the founder of #ClassroomBookADay and dedicated to supporting all student identities and lived experiences through access to inclusive literature. She brings her literacy expertise and knowledge of kidlit to her role as Chair of the USRA Children's Literature Committee. You can find Jillian online at Heise Reads & Recommends and @heisereads.
Preview the hottest Summer 2025 eGalleys!
March 21, 2025
Follett partnered with Capstone and NetGalley* to provide digital access to upcoming fiction titles through August 15, 2025. Get early access to these up-and-coming books you won’t want to miss for summer – then preorder the titles you love on...
Read more
Keep students learning all year long with 20 must-read titles!
March 21, 2025
Shannon McClintock Miller, a well-known teacher librarian, selected 20 Learn All Year Long titles from Capstone Publishing as must-reads for young readers. With a variety of topics and subject matters, there’s something every student will be motivated to read and engage...
Read more
What We're Reading - March 2025 Edition
March 3, 2025
Each month, What We’re Reading features reflections on current reads from Follett Content team members. It’s a blog where our collective lifelong love of reading takes center stage! This month, we’re highlighting three incredible individuals who support our new school services, working...
Read more
You've Been Book'd! Choice Boards from Shannon McClintock Miller
March 1, 2025
We love the Choice Boards Teacher Librarian Shannon McClintock Miller creates! If you missed any, explore Shannon’s curated collections below and discover new favorites for your students on a variety of topics.School Library MonthPoetry MonthRandom Acts of Kindness DayBlack History...
Read more
10 Tips for Using Titlewave to Enhance Your Library Program
February 24, 2025
Need some inspiration for getting the most out of Titlewave®? Shannon McClintock Miller, district teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School in Iowa, shares how she uses Titlewave and its tools to run a winning library program and get the best...
Read more
February 14, 2025
Steve Gagnon, DLS, and Ashley Healey, LMS, are the dynamic duo of Stratham Memorial School’s newly rolled out Learning Commons Program. With a combined 45 years in education, they’ve seen the evolution of Makerspace culture and have dabbled with a...
Read more