Books of the Month 2025-2026
September
Students have a classroom community with their teacher and peers, but they also have an extended family to support them throughout their school. This community is made up of helpers such as administrators, librarians, counselors, speech pathologists, secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers, and more. This family that extends outside the home and classroom is a whole community where students can feel safe, included, and loved. With its heartfelt message and colorfully whimsical illustrations, Our School Is a Family is a book that will help build and strengthen that school community.
Classes read the BOM and discussed how students wanted to feel in their classrooms as well as in the whole school! Together students brainstormed ways we could all help each other feel things like "happy", "respected", and "appreciated." We then created a school-wide charter!
October
Strictly No Elephants is a children's book about a boy and his pet elephant who are excluded from the local Pet Club because of the elephant, leading them to start their own inclusive club where "All Are Welcome," teaching powerful lessons about friendship, kindness, and inclusion for all types of pets and people. The story follows the duo as they face rejection and then find others, like a girl with a skunk, who are also left out, inspiring them to create a space for everyone, highlighting empathy and the joy of belonging.
December
The existence of so many variations of the same core story (a downtrodden protagonist, a magical transformation, and a triumphant ending) highlights universal human themes such as hope, resilience, justice, and the triumph of good over evil. The specific cultural details, however, adapt the story to local values and traditions. Multicultural Cinderella stories are found in hundreds of variations across the globe, each reflecting its unique cultural context, and they are important because they validate diverse identities, foster empathy, and promote a broader understanding of shared human experiences.
February
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld is a children's book using the classic optical illusion to show how perspective changes reality, featuring two arguing narrators debating if an ambiguous illustration is a duck or a rabbit, with details like bills/ears, eating bread/carrots, and sounds (quack/sniff) shifting depending on viewpoint, ultimately showing both can be right and sparking discussion on different perspectives, even introducing other illusions like an anteater/brachiosaurus.
March
Taco Falls Apart is a kids' book about a taco who gets overwhelmed by the pressure to be perfect, causing him to crack and spill his toppings. The story teaches children that negative thoughts can take over and that unhelpful self-talk can make you feel bad. Guided by his food friends, Taco learns the "Think-Feel-Do" cycle, realizing that shifting his thoughts from "never" to focusing on strengths helps him feel strong, manage anxiety, and learn it's okay to have tough days while still being worthy.
May
Have you ever felt like you didn’t really fit in? Camo knows what that feels like. Born To Stand Out is a color-filled story about friendship, confidence and finding your "true colors". Camo the chameleon is used to blending in, but he doesn't really feel like he belongs. Whatever his friends do, Camo does too. But teasing is not always fun and bow ties can be uncomfortable. So, one day he tries doing something different. Camo discovers how good it feels to be true to himself. Camo also finds that when he is confident in who he is, he inspires others to do the same, and the world becomes a more colorful place! This beautiful hardcover book is filled with bright illustrations, a fun story, a powerful message and some fun facts about real chameleons
June