My friends at Groundwood Books, a marvelous publishing house based in Canada, have a new program that I'd like to tell you about. The Groundwood Newsletters are designed to provide educators, librarians, and parents with strategies, tips and information to accompany fiction and non-fiction Groundwood books.
Each newsletter is centered on a single topic, theme or genre with a list of recommended titles that will encourage young readers to explore and engage with the theme. The series will include lots of great resources such as reading, writing, arts and media responses; a spotlight feature on a Groundwood author/illustrator; a curated book list with brief annotations; and additional links to the Groundwood website for more book information and/or teacher guides. They are written specifically for teachers by a well-known academic and children’s lit specialist. The series of five newsletters will be distributed once a month but late subscribers will have access to any of the newsletters already delivered.
The theme for the January Newsletter was Exploring Acceptance, Belonging, and Community through Picture Books. The Groundwood picture book titles featured in the newsletter focused on such matters as race and ethnicity, gender identity, the immigrant experience and bullying. When listening to these
books being read aloud, or when reading these books independently, students can be inspired to
confront intolerance and foster a sense of inclusion. In this way, the titles encourage students to
think about acceptance, belonging and community.
You can sign up for the newsletters HERE
