February’s Free Activities and Downloads
For some, February might feel like that cold, slow month between the winter holidays and the start of spring (even if it is only 28 days!) but for us, we love how much there is to celebrate in February. Starting first with Black History Month, and coupled with Random Acts of Kindness Day, February gives us so many opportunities to learn, to honor Black excellence and to practice kindness.
In the spirit of sharing and growing together, we’ve re-elevated our summer reading lists (and supporting discussion guides) that feature great books for kids ages 6-12, all written by or featuring Black authors and main characters. And, we’ve developed some brand new free printables to help make practicing kindness even easier, and more fun!
FOR THE FREE PRINTABLES, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!
If you’d like more adventures like these, check out the full Adventures in Kindness book for more!
READING LIST FOR AGES 6-8
The Day You Begin, By Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López
National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it. Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael López's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America, By Emily Easton and illustrated by Ziyue Chen
Change takes courage. Introduce your young activist to America's most influential protesters in this lushly illustrated picture book. Stand beside contemporary groundbreakers like Colin Kaepernick and transgender teen Jazz Jennings, and march in the footsteps of historical revolutionaries such as Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This moving text opens with a foreword from a Parkland shooting survivor and is perfect for those not quite ready for Little Leaders and She Persisted. This book provides a great introduction into the long history of how people have used their voice to work for change.
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist By Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. This moving picture book proves you’re never too little to make a difference. When nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham’s segregation laws, she volunteered to get arrested, even though it meant she would have to go to jail. This is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, By Duncan Tonatiuh
Available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Almost 10 years before Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, was denied enrollment to a “Whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Latinx community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters By Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
Available in Paperback at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped hundreds of slaves escape the South on the Underground Railroad. The lives of ten Black women activists are featured in an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in-even when it feels like no one is listening.
SUMMER READING LIST FOR AGES 9-12
Look Both Ways By Jason Reynolds
Available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, by Jason Reynolds (Long Way Down, As Brave as You), is a set of 10 interconnected short stories set in the context of kids walking home from school. It doesn't follow a conventional structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Each story can stand alone; together they add up to a bigger picture. This book, which was named a 2020 Coretta Scott King (Author) Honor Book. could be a good match for readers who get impatient with long chapter books, and also for advanced readers who can appreciate the literary qualities. There are many potentially distressing descriptions of bullying. A group of kids whose families have lost financial footing due to a parent's cancer form an entrepreneurial "gang" to steal change. One girl is grieving the death of her older sister.
New Kid By Jerry Kraft
Available at Barnes at Noble Booksellers
Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft. This middle grade graphic novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
This Book is Anti-Racist By Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurelia Durand
Available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
Gain a deeper understanding of your anti-racist self as you progress through 20 chapters that spark introspection, reveal the origins of racism that we are still experiencing, and give you the courage and power to undo it. Each chapter builds on the previous one as you learn more about yourself and racial oppression. 20 activities get you thinking and help you grow with the knowledge. All you need is a pen and paper.
Author Tiffany Jewell, an anti-bias, anti-racist educator and activist, builds solidarity beginning with the language she chooses—using gender neutral words to honor everyone who reads the book. Illustrator Aurélia Durand brings the stories and characters to life with kaleidoscopic vibrancy.
This book is written for EVERYONE who lives in this racialized society—including the young person who doesn’t know how to speak up to the racist adults in their life, the kid who has lost themself at times trying to fit into the dominant culture, the children who have been harmed (physically and emotionally) because no one stood up for them or they couldn’t stand up for themselves, and also for their families, teachers, and administrators.
It All Comes Down to This By Karen English
Available at Barnes and Noble Booksellers
A powerful middle grade coming-of-age novel set in a slowly integrating upper middle class Los Angeles neighborhood in the summer of 1965, from a Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning author.
It’s 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she’s the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. There’s also her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought. Leavened with gentle humor, this story is perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia.
Free Printables!
Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 17th, but every day is a chance to perform kind acts. We’ve developed two fun printables to help practice kindness every day. Click each image below to download the printable!
Random Acts of Kindness Bingo!
Complete your kindness bingo board and share it back with us to win a prize!
Daily Acts of Kindness Habit Tracker
Make kindness a daily practice with this fun habit tracker!
