#ClassroomBookADay Recommendations: Celebrating the Arts: Music & Dance

January 2022
As we look ahead into a new calendar year, one thing I hope for is more opportunities to feel the beauty of humanity in the face of so much prolonged loss and collective trauma of the global pandemic. A way I know to do that is through appreciation of the fine arts. Not only can music and dance celebrate and honor life and cultures and communities, but they can also be an escape from heavy things or a support for heavy things. And at a time when “learning loss” is so heavily emphasized in our schools, taking time to remind young people about the value of artistic endeavors and the importance of finding ways to be mindful and present can be a benefit to all in our schools. One of the benefits of #ClassroomBookADay is that it provides a structure for bringing in these topics that we know can benefit students without having to adjust lesson plans or curriculum units or get approval. Let’s all work to find ways to bring joy and peace into our classrooms, and to the young people we get to serve, by reminding them of the human connection we can make through the arts. I hope these twenty picture books help you foster that in your own classrooms.

I was thrilled to be able to interview the author & illustrator of one of my most anticipated new books on this month’s list! Publishing in February, Powwow Day, written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight, is a fantastic addition to the authentic picture books by Indigenous creators available today. Check out the video to hear what they had to say about how this book came to be and their hopes for it.

Follett Classroom has partnered with me to spread the #ClassroomBookADay message. As part of that, my themed picture book recommendation lists are housed in Titlewave, one of my favorite free databases for looking up all things related to book information! Don’t have your free account? Grab it today.