I can't believe we're less than two weeks out from #NCTE25 already! Looking forward to leading a session on early chapter books this year. Who else will be in Denver? And what sessions are you doing?!

🤓Fun Fact Friday 🤓 Our Opening Keynote speaker, Jillian Heise, is on the 2026 Caldecott Committee and the Founder of Classroom Book A Day! Don't miss her presentation at MASL 52! #MASL52 #GrowingTogether #ClassroomBookADay www.mimasl.org/masl-52-conf... @heisereads.bsky.social

Started a new book today. #Dragonborn #VacationRead #HeiseReads

MASL 52 Teaser....We'll be Growing Together with Jillian Heise (@heisereads.bsky.social) as our Opening Keynote Speaker in Grand Rapids this December!

Weekend mindfulness task accomplished.✅ Lego wildflower bouquet from the niblings.💕 Headed to my library tomorrow.💐

Current commute audiobook read. "The Small and the Mighty is the encouragement we all need in an age of doomscrolling and division." Being reminded of our common humanity & inspired by the hope of it all from America's Government Teacher™️ @sharonsaysso. ❤️🤍💙

For the start of #BlackHistoryMonth, resharing this Virtual Picture Book Read Aloud Library - a Google Slideshow covering 233 titles, in 7 categories, with book covers linking directly to copyright-compliant video read alouds of recommended picture books. heisereads.com/bhm2024-ralib/

So maybe it’s time to retire the whole sad books vs funny books discussion. The idea that stories have to be one or the other is a false dichotomy. Let’s share stories that let our kids know it’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to laugh. And it’s okay to do both at the same time.

1. Did you know that Girl Scouts has, for a long time, accepted trans girls and nonbinary scouts? Trans kids are under attack. Every year, I make a thread of trans and nonbinary girl scouts you can get your cookies from. Lets get our cookies from them this year in solidarity!

May I also suggest Simone by Viet Thanh Nguyen & Minnie Phan It beautifully ties together a child’s evacuation from a wildfire and her mother’s escape from a flood as a child in Viet Nam.

The devastation from wildfires can be hard to fathom. These books can help young people process what's happening. 📙They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them 📗What to Bring 📘I Am the Storm 📕Wildfire! Thoughts with those on the front lines fighting to save.🙏🏻

The last book I read in 2024 & the first book I'll finish in 2025.📚 The Games Gods Play is a perfect vacation read (for adults)! It's giving Lore meets Fourth Wing meets Hunger Games vibes & I'm loving the banter and sass and all the allusions to Greek mythology.

When everyone you know who has read it raves about it, you have to dig through your TBR stack to find the copy you know you set aside because it's from a favorite middle grade author. Tucked Jasmine Warga's A STRANGE THING HAPPENED IN CHERRY HALL into my carry-on so I can read it in one sitting.

Fascinating article if you're interested in more critical readings of picture books! www.anisfield-wolf.org/resources/wh...

'Tis the season to read a good book!📚 When you're cleaning out your home reading room to prep for the Caldecott Committee year, so you get to be the jolly elf delivering stacks of joy in the form of picture books to all of the classroom teachers in your building. (And this was just for one floor...)

What a delightful new Santa story for Christmas time read alouds from Joanna Ho & Thai My Phuong!🎄 A CITY FULL OF SANTAS is adorable!🎅 Thank you @harperkids.bsky.social for the review copy! ❤️ #WNDB #ClassroomBookADay

We had way more than Just One Flake this week, so it was ironic this was the book I grabbed to preview for January's snow themed lesson planning.❄️ It's a delightful picture book from @100scopenotes.bsky.social for the winter season! #ClassroomBookADay

A new favorite! So much joy discovering UNFLAPPABLE in my TBR stack! Love the message it sends through these birds' determination (plus the hilarious peanut gallery worms). Share this read aloud for themes around STEAM, perseverance, & supporting friends. #ClassroomBookADay

We need to keep talking about how weird it is for people to think they should have a say in reading choices for anyone's kids but their own. You're not in charge of what other people's children eat or wear or when they go to bed. Why on earth would you get to choose what they read?

When I was teaching 7th grade a student’s dad came up to me in the grocery store once & told me he was worried about his son. “He keeps…” He paused here, and sighed. “…reading graphic novels all the time. What should I do?” My answer? “Get him more graphic novels.” #LetKidsReadWhatTheyLove

I talk to a lot of aspiring picture book writers who have spent YEARS working on their first book. And revision is great! It's essential! But you know what's really the key to picture book success? Write something new. Then do that again. (thread)

Grabbed a new ARC off the TBR stack for today's in-flight reading. Chose based on what sounded good & one I thought my nieces might like to read when I'm done. So far, THE ROSE BARGAIN has been a great choice - very readable - perfect for a plane!

Books. When buying books for gifts this holiday season, please don't buy from Amazon. Please shop at your local independent bookstore/bookseller. Ask for recommendations. If they don't have a particular book in stock, ask them to order it. Support creatives, local businesses, and your community.

Avoided the Milwaukee snow & made it to Boston with @jennyseiler.bsky.social for #NCTE24! Ready for four days of focusing on "heart, hope, & humanity" through books and literacy.💜 And already looking forward to visiting her in her city next year as we "dream boldly" in Denver!🏔️

Looking forward to #NCTE24! I'm too busy to make a pretty graphic right now, so these screenshots from the scheduling app will have to do. 😂 Saturday 8:15am Building Empathetic Viewpoints Through Picture Books author panel.

What's everyone up to today? I'm currently looking through sessions for #NCTE24 & figuring out which ones are going to be best for me to attend to keep centering heart, hope, & humanity in my work.

Agreed. This book needs a place in all collections and in conversations with young people.

CHARLIE AND MOUSE GET STUCK (IN NOVEMBER 2024) Illustration: Emily Hughes ** “Mouse!” called Charlie. “Where are you?” “I am here!” Mouse called back. “I am in the dog bed. And I am STUCK.” Charlie found Mouse. “You cannot be STUCK,” said Charlie. “It is time to set the table for dinner.”

Do You Even Know Me? is one of those picture books that has stuck with me the most of all the titles I read this year. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to check it out! 📚👍🏻 #ClassroomBookADay

It's Time for the Sibert Smackdown! Introduce students to great nonfiction titles that may win the ALA Youth Media Award's Sibert Medal. tinyurl.com/y7ka7dp8 #edusky #kidlit #kidslovenonfiction

I am beyond honored to share that I will be a member of the 2026 Caldecott Award Committee!🥇🥈 How this affects things you'll see from me: I will not be able to post about or make recommendations for any picture books published in 2025 until after the announcement of the winners in January 2026.

What are you reading aloud for Native American Heritage Month? So many great options for #ClassroomBookADay!

If you share books about any Christian or U.S. holidays, you should also be sharing books about holidays from the many cultures & beliefs of the global majority. Diwali is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year” & “is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians."

If you're looking for ways to help kids process the latest news, these books can help. Being sensitive to whether it's the right time to use them of course as you know your kids best to determine what social emotional needs they may or may not have right now. #ClassroomBookADay

Reminder for Pre-K through 3rd grade teachers who have not already received their free books, fill out the form on PLP's site today! And if you've already gotten yours, share the link with colleagues who haven't! Let's Read with Pride this school year! www.prideandlessprejudice.org/free-books

DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME? by Reem Faruqi & Ani Bushry is one of my top picture book recommendations this year. It's so, so good for so many themes. I want every librarian to have this book in their school & every teacher to read it to their students! #ClassroomBookADay #WNDB

To support teachers in updating their read alouds, if they request an older classic, I pull more contemporary titles to choose from as well. It's a little push I can give for more current & inclusive representation. Title list: heisereads.com/namebooks-2024 #ClassroomBookADay #WNDB

I'm still fully in the midst of our summer break in WI, but I know many of you are already or soon to be headed back, so sharing some newer recommendations for your back-to-school #ClassroomBookADay read alouds. What newer titles would you recommend? #WNDB #LibraryLife

Looking for some read alouds to share the #Olympics excitement? Try some of these! #ClassroomBookADay #WNDB #LibraryLife #HeiseReads

Need a picture book author or illustrator study this spring? Look beyond the typical recommendations you might be given & try one of these 79 creators chosen through a more inclusive lens! Get the list at heisereads.com/aistudy-2024/ #LibraryLife #WNDB #ClassroomBookADay

#ReadAcrossAmerica is coming up & I have a new set of pic books for READing ACROSS the Diverse Regions of AMERICA! 5 titles for each of 5 regions + 5 more for a nationwide view. Post heisereads.com/raa-2024 Slides bit.ly/heiseRAA2024 #WNDB #ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife

2024 Updates! Black History Month & Beyond Virtual Picture Book Read Aloud Library. 233 titles from Black creators, in 7 categories. Covers link to copyright abiding read aloud videos. Embedded: heisereads.com/bhm2024-ralib Slides Link: bit.ly/heisebhm2024 #WNDB #ClassroomBookADay

Lunar New Year is coming up on 2/10. Year of the Dragon - so I included some titles perfect for understanding differences between eastern & western dragons 🐲 in my pic book read aloud recs (incl. one of the newest Caldecott Honor books). #WNDB #ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife

We're 12 days out from the ALA Youth Media Awards announcement. Working on slides for library classes next week & compiled my list of titles with illustrations I loved from the picture books I read last year. Here's hoping some of my 23 hopefuls get a shiny sticker on the 22nd!🥇🥈 #ClassroomBookADay

One of my fav recent MG books is out today!❤️ Get THE MISFITS: A ROYAL CONUNDRUM for the reader in your life who loves a spy/heist story or has ever felt like they don't fit in. Exciting plot + full of heart, this start to a new series is a winner. Pair w/ CITY SPIES in reader's advisory stacks.

'Tis the season 🎄

It's my birthday month!🎂 To celebrate, I'm offering my #ClassroomBookADay Bundle at a percentage discount equal to my upcoming age.🥳 You get a complete, editable custom database with 1,460 titles + pre-sized book covers of all of those recommendations from 2014-2023. ko-fi.com/heisereads/l...

Looking for a Twitter/X Alternative? Try Bluesky. tinyurl.com/258ryxbx @debbieohi.com @mcusolito.bsky.social @drtlovesbooks.bsky.social @brianlarossa.com @becalzada.bsky.social @heisereads.bsky.social

📚End of November SALE📚 🌟50% off #ClassroomBookADay resources through 11/30!🌟 Get the editable database of all 1,460 picture book titles recommended from 2014-2023 & the editable slideshow of pre-sized book covers for all of those books for half off at ko-fi.com/heisereads/shop

Sitting in my first session @ #NCTE23 seeing that, once again, some presenters don't know it's their responsibility to ensure inclusive representation in book recommendations. There's no excuse, in the year 2023, to have multiple slides with only books by white authors. Sigh...