Kids learn a lot from school, the people they’re often with, and the world around them, but also through books. Children are easily influenced, and what they read can have a big impact on them, perhaps even more so than the people they’re around. Of course, it’s important that they read at all, but what’s even more important is what they read. There are many influential and important children’s books, and many of them were written by educators, who usually worked with the age group they wrote for. I have five books below written by such educators that you can learn about.
Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe by Kate Messner and Margaret E. Powell and Illustrated by Erin K. Robinson
Ann Lowe, born in 1898 and grew up in Alabama, became the first nationally known Black fashion designer with her groundbreaking work. She was highly sought after by influential people, her designs were often featured on the red carpet, and she attended weddings of high-profile figures such as John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier. Despite the rampant racism at the time, Lowe never compromised on her work or herself, and she has become a powerful role model and inspiration.
When Fishes Flew: The Story of Elena’s War by Michael Morpurgo
An Australian-Greek girl named Nandi makes an incredible discovery at her ancestors’ home in Ithaca. Through an extraordinary friendship with a flying fish, she learns that her Auntie Elena was an unsung hero in World War II and that she fell in love as well. But then her aunt goes missing, and Nandi sets off on a journey to find her. Along the way, she realizes that her aunt was — and still is — an even better hero than she had thought.
Hello, Little One: A Monarch Butterfly Story by Zeena M. Pliska and Illustrated by Fiona Halliday
In this charming story, a caterpillar crawls along countless leaves, eating and waiting, all by itself in a large world. Suddenly, Orange, a monarch butterfly, appears and is beautiful and graceful as it floats and flits around the caterpillar. This is a charming, moving story about intergenerational friendships between a little caterpillar that is captivated by a majestic butterfly and how they learn and understand the world through the other’s eyes.
Collaboration Station by Shannon Olsen and Illustrated by Sandie Sonke
This colorful book teaches children that at school, it’s important to work together, whether it’s in pairs, little groups, or with the whole class. It seeks to guide young students on sharing ideas, working through issues, helping others succeed, and more through clear guidelines, cooperative strategies, and images that stimulate their imagination. Working well with others is an important life skill, and teaching students at an early age helps them not only prepare for working with others in the future but also helps them actually want to cooperate.
We Belong by Laura Purdie Salas and Illustrated by Carlos Vélez Aguilera
Using charming rhymes and bright pictures of various children playing together, this book encourages us to celebrate our differences as well as others’, and that we should accept our diversity together. Regardless of whether you’re short or tall or quiet or loud, our physical and nonphysical differences make us unique, and there’s no need to change who we are just because we’re a little different.
Whether stories are inspirational, educational, entertaining, or all three, children should read books that challenge and expand their ideas. Happy reading!
Click here for an article on picture books that promote representation.
Check out our Mini Bookworms shelf on Bookstr’s Bookshop page.
