Happy Picture Book 10 for 10 Day!

I feel like it's New Year's Eve and the excitement is building for new beginnings but in the world of teaching the excitement is building for discovering new books from friends, colleagues, and strangers.  Cathy from Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community and I know three things about your list today without even looking at it.  One, it's hard to only share ten books.  Two, the books you are sharing today make your teaching life better.  And three, you love fostering readers!

Today is our 5th annual picture book event:  #pb10for10.  You can join by linking your blog post here or at  Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community.  Cathy and I will then add your post to our 2014 picture book jog.

It is often a little challenging to link all of the posts to the Jog from both of our blogs without duplicating information.  For this reason, we have a few requests if you're joining the event to make it easier for us to collect picture book lists:

• If you'd like to have your blog linked to the conversation, just comment with the link (cut and paste your post address in the comments) for your picture book list here OR at Reflect and Refine: Building a Learning Community.  
• You are welcome to comment on both blogs (comments are always appreciated), but to simplify our work in creating this year's jog as a resource, please ONLY LEAVE YOUR LINK ON ONE OF OUR BLOGS.  This will help us to keep from duplicating posts in the jog. 
• You can also mention us in a link on Twitter using the event hashtag #pb10for10.  However, we cannot guarantee that tweeted links will be added to the jog.  (It gets a little crazy out there!) 
• If you don't have a blog, but would like to join, there are lots of ways to participate. 
• If this is your 5th year, please mention this when you leave your link.

Today I am sharing a list of 10 books I've put together about schools with a focus on global literature.  I took a class this past spring and it expanded my thinking about picture books and showing our students the world is more than what they see and live day to day.  Authors Barbara A. Lehman, Evelyn B. Freeman and Patricia L. Scharer define global literature in Reading Globally K-8, “In sum, our definition of global literature focuses on books that are international either by topic or origin of publication or author.”  The authors honor and recognize it is closely related to multicultural literature, where the literature is comparing cultural groups within the United States.

This is the Way We Go to School, A Book About Children Around the World

EdithBaer

This book highlights the various ways students get to school in different countries.  It really makes readers process the idea of everyone doesn’t ride a yellow school bus.

The Sandwich Swap

Queen Rania Al Abdullah with Kelly DiPuchhio

Salma and Lilly are best friends at school until one day they are honest with each other and admit they think their sandwiches are weird and gross.  They solve their differences by trying each others food and plan a special lunch event for the whole school.

Once Upon a Time

NikiDaly

Sarie doesn’t mind the hot sun in the South Africa but worries about being at school and learning how to read.  The reader follows Sarie’s journey and how she does learn to read.

A School Like Mine: A Unique Celebration of Schools Around the World

Unicef

This book takes readers to schools around the world celebrating similarities and differences.

Bread Bread Bread

AnnMorris

A photo essay about bread found all over the world.  A great companion book to go with The Sandwich Swap.

Off to Class, Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World

SusanHughes

A collection of stories about unusual schools all around the world that focus on schools set in an unusual environmental setting, traveling schools, and resourceful ways to make a school.  Touching stories to cause empathy and perspective thinking.

Tomas and the Library Lady

PatMora

Based on a true story, a immigrant farm worker shares the journey his family takes to farm for money and how he learned to read by spending time with the library lady.  In return, he taught her about Spanish and gained the gift of becoming a reader.

My Librarian is a Camel, How Books Are brought to Children around the World

Margriet Ruurs

Libraries are not always in a room lined with bookshelves.  This book is a collection of stories about libraries all over the world.  They are in traveling trucks, libraries deliver books through the mail, and some libraries are on boats.

My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World

Margriet Ruurs

A collection of stories told with beautiful photography to show readers schools are different.  Sometimes students go to school on a boat, in a tree house built in a forest, or via a webcam from another country.

The Librarian of Basra, A True Story from Iraq

Jeanette Winter

This story is based on true events from Basra, Iraq when their city was invaded during the war.  Alia Muhammad Baker was the head librarian and had the foresight to remove books from the library before it was eventually burned.  She moved the library to her house to keep them safe.

We are so glad you have stopped by and joined our conversation and sharing today.  Please try to comment on several blogs today to grow and foster our community.  There are a couple of quick ways to discover blogs sharing picture books today;  google picture book 10 for 10 or use the hashtag #pb10for10.  By sharing the link to your post today here or with Cathy, it will be added to our Jog the Web summary for Picture Book 10 for 10 Day, 2014!