#cbadSpotlight December 2020 - February 2021 Titles

Last year, for the 5 year anniversary of #ClassroomBookADay, the concept evolved a bit to include curated monthly recommendations to support deeper book knowledge, support of BIPoC book creators, and common books for educators to discuss. If you missed the first round this year, and to learn a bit more, visit the original post here.

*In order to be able to be responsive and sensitive to the times we are in, this year I will be releasing titles three months at a time.* I hope you find titles you are excited about, some new to you, and ones that will support your efforts with your students this fall! 

Here are the next three months of the 2020-2021 #cbadSpotlight selections!

#NCTE20 Sessions & Slides From My NCTE 2020 Convention

If you missed any of my sessions during the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Virtual Convention, you have 60 days to access them through the platform if you were registered. 

My sessions are listed below along with links to slides or videos of my portion if possible to share now.

A #ClassroomBookADay Video Chat with Anna Kim about Danbi Leads the School Parade

Somehow this entire year has gotten away from me since March 13. So I'm working to catch up on a few posts with things I haven't shared yet. Because even if they happened over a month ago, they are still relevant. 

To kick off the new school year, I partnered with Penguin Classroom to do a #ClassroomBookADay Facebook Live celebrating DANBI LEADS THE SCHOOL PARADE
by chatting with author/illustrator Anna Kim
about her absolutely gorgeous and touching debut picture book. 

I completely adored Danbi the instant I read her story, so much so that I chose it as a #cbadSpotlight pick for September 2020. It is a perfect back-to-school book since it takes place on Danbi's first day at a new school in America, but it is also a universal story about being accepted as the new kid, especially one learning a new culture. 

If you have not yet read it, don't wait to order your copy at Bookshop to support independent bookstores! Enjoy this video of my chat the gracious Anna.

Danbi ClassroomBookaDay Event from Penguin Classroom on Vimeo.

A Video Chat with Minh Lê & Dan Santat about LIFT

Somehow this entire year has gotten away from me since March 13. So I'm working to catch up on a few posts with things I haven't shared yet. Because even if they happened a few months ago, they are still relevant. 

Back in the first month of staying at home, before we all had Zoom fatigue, I had the honor of talking with
Minh Lê & Dan Santat about their newest collaboration, LIFT. 

This is an author & illustrator pair who are not only amazing at their work, but also a lot of fun to chat with. And LIFT is a beautifully done picture book about the ways we see the world, family, and the power of imagination.

If you have not yet read it, don't wait to order your copy through Bookshop to support independent bookstores! And enjoy this video of my chat with Minh & Dan. 

Minh Lê, Dan Santat, & Jillian Heise discuss LIFT from LB School on Vimeo.

#ClassroomBookADay Recommendations: Surprise Endings Picture Books

I'm excited to be partnering with Follett for a second year of monthly book lists! Each month of this school year I will be sharing a themed list of 20 recommended picture book titles for #CLASSROOMBOOKADAY read alouds in partnership with Follett Classroom. Each booklist is accompanied by a blog post explaining more in depth my thoughts in creating the list and why I chose those specific titles.

One of the great parts of this partnership is that my recommendation lists are also being saved in Titlewave which allows them to be easily found and shared with librarians for purchasing for school libraries!

My December list is full of some of the most fun kinds of picture books - those with Shocking/Surprising Endings or Plot Twists! 

[Please visit this link to read the accompanying blog post]

You can also find all of my posts & lists I've done with Follett at my landing page bit.ly/heisefollett.

And you can shop this list & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!