Listening plays a vital role in communication and it’s an essential skill that students need to function effectively in the workplace; and life in general.

Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, created a film that chronicled the stories of nine girls in the developing world, allowing viewers to witness how education can break the cycle of poverty.   Now, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone deftly uses new research to illuminate the dramatic facts behind the film in a

Saugatuck Elementary School in Westport, CT, kicked off their second annual One Book, One School initiative by choosing Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Appleblossom The Possum this Spring.  Sloan’s story follows a family of adorable marsupials as they make their way into the world, and learn life lessons that are applicable to all students along the way, serving as

Check out these authors’ all-time favorites, very first reading memories, books that made them cry and changed them forever and more—and all because they discovered them at the local library.

We never said Yes. We weren’t even talking about next year’s book. Weeks still stood between us and summer vacation and we were busy with activities to wrap up our current adventure. Typically we discuss books for our school-wide reading initiative for the better part of a year. But when people ask us how we

In a new Ted Talk entitled “Solving Illegal Immigration [For Real],” decorated journalist and author Sonia Nazario suggests an alternative method to naturalization or heavy border policing to stem the flow of undocumented individuals into the United States. Nazario boasts a long and impressive writing career, during which she has shown immense dedication to featuring

The Invisible Boy Promotes Kindness in Kentucky’s One Book One Frankfort for Children Project by Trudy Ludwig, author of The Invisible Boy (Knopf Books for Young Readers, October 2013) It’s one thing for an author to write a story that she has a strong need to share. It’s quite another for her to experience in person

Since its publication five years ago, R. J. Palacio’s Wonder has spread kindness in classrooms and communities across the country and inspired the Choose Kind anti-bullying initiative. Now educators can introduce the importance of choosing kind to younger readers with the publication of We’re All Wonders, a gorgeous picture book featuring Auggie and Daisy on

by DONNA GEPHART, author of Lily and Dunkin (Delacorte Press, May 2016)   I’m not going to sugarcoat this. The statistic is grim and the stories behind it heartbreaking. Forty-three percent of transgender young people try to kill themselves. Why? Here’s one story: Because her parents isolated her from supportive friends and adults, refused to accept

It has been 13  years since Betty Birney began writing about the sensitive, talkative, and perceptive hamster who makes his home in Mrs. Brisbane’s Room 26. Since then, she has visited schools across the country and around the world, and the love for our furry friend is palpable. When Betty set out to write The

With hate rhetoric and hate crimes blasting their way across social media, an all-school or community reads can serve as a powerful antidote to these polarizing fearful times. Books slow us down. Books let us find the humanity of those on the other side of any sort of human-made divide. Teachers know this. Librarians know

Dion Graham has become a familiar voice to both adults and children for his riveting reads of important and beloved books. Hear why he loves “falling into a story” and listen to clips from his recent recordings including RUSA Listen List and Carnegie Medal Winner, EVICTED by Matthew Desmond.