Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1449741
C U L T I V A T E A L O V E of reading in your students! Here are a few of the teach- er-recommended books from CTA's California Reads program. See the full list at cta.org/careads. (Members get a 20 percent discount when you buy through the CTA website or Ink Spell Books, inkspellbooks.com.) I Promise (pre-K , kindergarten), by NBA superstar LeBron James and illustrated by Nina Mata, tells the story of a kid from Akron, Ohio, who is dedicated to uplifting youth everywhere. Young LeBron knows the key to a better future is to excel in school, do your best, and keep your family close. With rhyming text, the picture book reminds us that tomorrow's success starts with the promises we make to ourselves and our com- munity today. Write to Me: Letters From Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind (grades 1-2), by Cynthia Grady and illustrated by Amiko Hirao, is a true story about Japanese American children who corresponded with their school librarian Clara Breed while imprisoned in World War II internment camps. Before her students are sent away from San Diego, Breed gives them books and asks them to write her letters. Through three years of internment, the children share their stories, provide feedback on books, and create a record of their experiences. Breed sends more books, seeds, soap and craft supplies. She also writes magazine articles about the treatment of Japanese American families and letters requesting a library and school for the chil- dren. When the war ends, she welcomes her students home. A good book to tie in to the Day of Remembrance on Feb. 19, commemorating the 1942 signing of Executive Order 9066, which required all Americans of Japanese ancestry to be interned. Firekeeper's Daughter (grades 9-12), by Angeline Boulley, is a young adult thriller about Native teen Daunis Fontaine. She has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug, she must draw on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. Complications ensue, and Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman). Read Across America — Every Day NEA celebrates reading with an annual calendar of books, authors and teaching resources that promote diversity and inclusion. In February, for example, middle school students will enjoy Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney. First-person narrators chronicle a Black family 's challenges and triumphs from 1927 to 1968 while struggling as sharecroppers, living under Jim Crow, and fighting for civil rights. Find the calendar at nea.org/readacrossamerica. The Stories They Tell 10 cta.org In the Know N E W S & N O T E S