Meet Jillian

*Views expressed within these pages are personal & are not endorsed by, nor representative of, an employer.*

Jillian Heise {Hi-Z} is a National Board Certified Teacher with one Masters degree in Reading/Language Arts + another Masters in Library & Information Science. She has been an elementary Library Media Specialist in southeastern Wisconsin since 2017. Prior to that, she taught 7th & 8th grade ELA in the Milwaukee area for eleven years with an additional year out of the classroom as a literacy consultant. As founder of #ClassroomBookADay (inspired by Donalyn Miller’s #bookaday) in 2014, Jillian is a passionate advocate for the value of read alouds and the power of shared stories to build classroom community and student engagement. She dedicates her practice to the right to read, ABAR teaching, and supporting all students by honoring their identities and lived experiences through access to inclusive literature. Jillian served as the Chair of the Wisconsin State Reading Association’s Children’s Literature Committee for eight years and was a member of the 2026 Caldecott Committee. She also presents at conferences and provides professional development workshops to share her literacy expertise and picture book knowledge to inspire other educators. You can find Jillian online at Heise Reads & Recommends and @heisereads.