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- Classroom experiences 9
- Cultural reflections 9
- Multicultural literature 8
- Behind-the-book stories 6
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- Discussion guide 4
- English learner resources 4
- Literacy reflections 4
- Either the Beginning or the End of the World 3
- Joseph's Big Ride 2
- Literary process 2
- Author interviews 1
- Collaboration essays 1
- Go Home 1
- Reflections on storytelling 1
- The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup 1
- The Good Braider 1
Seeing Haiti through a young girl’s eyes
I visited the Amiko Youth Program in Manchester, where twelve multilingual learners gathered to read Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings in English and Kreyòl. The children drew their own portraits, explored Haiti through the eyes of a young girl, and discovered what it means to see a home country “deep in your bones.”
Immigrants, kids and flan
Here’s a Behind the Book essay about my picture book “Luis Paints the World.” The book is timely again. It’s a story about a big brother’s deployment to war through the eyes of his little brother who finds a way to mark the days.
How visiting authors can be part of welcoming diverse kids
Librarians and writers are natural partners. A visiting author can do more than talk about books: with the right preparation, props, visuals, movement and invitations to participate, an author visit can help English learners feel welcomed and give every child a chance to bring their own language and experience to the story.
Immensity: A reading with immigrant writers
“Writing united us. But could we actually pull off a reading?” Poets and immigrant writers gathered in Portsmouth to write about memory, immigration, home, family and imagination. “We fit together like water, each in its own way.” Eventually, the poems moved from the page to the stage.
‘I hope I will learn to dance a different dance I’ve never danced before’
Students at Broken Ground School learned Nepali, Bollywood and hip-hop dances, then wrote about what it felt like to move. “Happy,” “excited,” “silly,” “joyful” and “floating” became words for the experience. Dance opened a door to poetry, friendship and imagination.
A story from the house of extravagant colors
“Welcome to our house of extravagant colors / in our classroom on Lake Street.” Thirty-five international students welcomed poet Juan Felipe Herrera with songs, stories and poetry. In this classroom, many languages and many voices came together.
Juan takes his turn: JabberWalking with Juan Felipe Herrera
Juan Felipe Herrera calls a poem a “burble” and urges writers to hurry, hurry, hurry—to write down whatever they see, hear, taste and love. “JabberWalking” invites writers to loosen up, write in any language and follow their words wherever they lead.
‘Joseph’s Big Ride’ in 3 languages at Broken Ground School
At Broken Ground School, “Joseph’s Big Ride” got a magnificent launch with families from around the world. It was read in three languages: English, Nepali, and Kinyarwanda. With ice cream sundaes, a painted Joseph and Whoosh, and a gym full of families, a story written in English became something much bigger.