My first-grade students enjoyed this read-aloud! ( )

Rhyming

To always want more, more, more can be a downfall. ( )

This book is frequently banned based on Yertle’s story and Mack demanding that the turtles on the bottom of the tower have rights just like those at the top. By many, this book is seen as too political. However, reading with a modern eye, I think that story two, Gertrude McFuzz would be just as, if not more problematic. Gertrude is not happy with who they are. They want a second feather just like someone else has. And she gets a doc to give it to her. But then she regrets it in the end. I know this story is meant to show that children are perfect the way they are, but at the same time it could be seen as anti-trans, or as transition regret. This book is a product of it’s time. This book shouldn’t be banned, but maybe it should just be left in the area of nostalgia. ( )

Anna Wang, an 11-year-old Chinese American girl, learned how to be a big sister when her parents adopted a baby from a Chinese orphanage. Now Anna (who is learning to speak Chinese) has the opportunity to travel to China with her teacher who is adopting a little girl from the same orphanage. The trip becomes an occasion to explore her own identity.