Planting the Seeds of Inclusion in Young Minds
By RemedyBloxA Boy and a Jaguar
Alan Rabinowitz and Cátia Chien
$19.99 $18.59Based on author Alan Rabinowitz‘s true life story, “A Boy and A Jaguar” is a moving and empowering story about a young boy who wonders if his teachers think he is “broken” after he is removed from a regular class due to his stutter. The boy however talks fluently when he speaks to animals, and promises the caged jaguar at the Bronx Zoo that he will be a voice for the animals – a promise he keeps as he grows up to become an influential and respected zoologist. The School Library Journal calls it “a fierce testament to the fierce beauty of jaguars and the human spirit.”
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Afua Hirsch
$21.99 $20.45From Afua Hirsch - co-presenter of Samuel L. Jackson's major BBC TV series Enslaved - the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals the uncomfortable truth about race and identity in Britain today. You're British. Your parents are British. Your partner, your children and most of your friends are British. So why do people keep asking where you're from? We are a nation in denial about our imperial past and the racism that plagues our present. Brit(ish) is Afua Hirsch's personal and provocative exploration of how this came to be - and an urgent call for change.
El Deafo: A Graphic Novel
Cece Bell
$15.99 $14.87Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
$8.99 $8.36Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.
King for a Day
Rukhsana Khan and Christiane Krömer
$10.95 $10.18“King for a Day” is a beautiful and empowering story from multiple-award winning Canadian author, Rukhasna Khan. Set in Lahore, Pakistan, the arrival of spring also heralds Basant and the annual kite-flying contest: an eagerly anticipated event in the city’s calendar. Young Malik is determined to win the competition but in his way, is the town bully. This is a beautiful story that touches on multiple universal themes: tradition, craft, kindness and dedication. The fact that Malik uses a wheelchair does not impede his ambition, talent and spirit. A must read.
Mascot
Antony John
$9.99 $9.29Noah lost his father and the use of his legs in a tragic accident. Now, he uses a wheelchair to get around and feels that everyone is treating him differently. He dislikes going to physical therapy, and is tired and angry that he does not have the same kind of control over his body as he used to. He misses the things he used to be able to and is afraid that he will never be the same person he was before. “Mascot” is a wonderfully-written and poignant universal story of loss, change, community and inner strength.
Roll with It (Reprint)
Jamie Sumner
$7.99 $7.43“Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams. She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.” An unexpected move threatens to upend her dreams. “Roll With It” is an upbeat and delightful story of a precocious and feisty young woman with a plan.
Special People Special Ways
Arlene Maguire and Sheila Bailey
$14.95 $13.90Arlene Maguire’s delightful rhymes combine with Sheila Bailey’s rich watercolor illustrations to take the reader on a journey of discovery. Each page portrays positive images of children with various disabilities. Winner of an iParenting Media Award and 2009 Preferred Choice Award by Creative Child Magazine, this book illustrates that beyond our physical limitations is a world of unique gifts for each of us to share. Teachers and parents love to read this book aloud to promote understanding and tolerance at school and at home. The detailed artwork attracts children of all ages.
The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
$16.00 $14.89Toni Morrison's heartbreaking novel tells the story of Pecola, an African-American girl who prays every night for the blue eyes of her white counterparts. The book explores issues on society's obsession with beauty and conformity while asking questions about race, class and gender.
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin
Julia Finley Mosca and Daniel Rieley
$10.99 $10.22If you've ever felt different, if you've ever been low, if you don’t quite fit in, there's a name you should know… Meet Dr. Temple Grandin―one of the world's quirkiest science heroes! When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe. In hardcover, The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin was the first book in the educational Amazing Scientists series about the inspirational lives of amazing scientists. In addition to the illustrated rhyming tale, you'll find a complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of events, and even a note from Temple herself!
The Real Boy
Anne Ursu and Erin McGuire
$10.99 $10.22For fans of the more fantastical – “The Real Boy” is the story of Oscar, a young assistant in a shop owned by the town’s most powerful magician, where he works quietly in the shadows. Oscar is different from most people, something which he is reminded of often by the people in town – leading him to think that he is not a real boy. Among other peculiarities, he avoids eye contact and has difficulty deciphering non-verbal clues. Although it is not specifically named in the book, author Anne Ursu confirms that Oscar has autism. His world is turned upside down when a mysterious illness begins affecting the children in town. Brilliant and moving, “The Real Boy is an unforgettable story of transformation and belonging—a spellbinding tale of the way in which the power we all wield, great and small, lies in the choices we make.”
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism
Robin Diangelo
$16.00 $14.89In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.