Cultural Studies

Guest Blogger: Julius Lester

April 16, 2009 in Guest Author Blog Posts

One of the burdens carried by children's literature is the expectation that it is supposed to be didactic, that it is supposed to teach a lesson. "What lesson do you want children to take away from your book?" is a question I get all the time about my children's books. Yet, I have never been asked that question about any of my books for adults.

Colorful is beautiful

March 30, 2009 in Timely Topics

The first book by Ashley Bryan that I can remember picking up is Sing to the Sun: Poems and Pictures (HarperCollins, 1992). I was immediately attracted to the bold, colorful artwork. The positive images with their playfulness — and lots…

Staff picks for March

March 4, 2009 in Timely Topics

We hope you enjoy our staff picks, which are our most recent favorite multimedia resources on TeachingBooks. Do you have a recent favorite resource or a resource you love to use again and again? Post a comment to let other…

George Washington Carver:
Environmentalist, Artist, & Educator

February 17, 2009 in Timely Topics

I recently spoke with author Tonya Bolden to record her introducing and reading a passage from her book George Washington Carver. Listen to this Book Reading with students as an introduction to George Washington Carver. You will be sure…

Digging deeper

January 19, 2009 in Timely Topics

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is one of my favorite holidays. I get to celebrate a human being who facilitated some amazing social movement in his lifetime. Thankfully, those of us who work with young people can use the award-winning…

Colorful folktales

January 1, 2009 in Timely Topics

When I was a kid, my dad was involved in a project to help retain and transmit Anansi the Spider stories of Liberia, where my parents had served in the Peace Corps. I remember him having a pile of type-written…

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