Black Lives Matter Protest

Black Lives Matter Protest

“My hope for all readers is that they will shut the book and run out and protest. That’s what I always expect people to do. They seldom do it.” Barbara Ehrenreich   We have plenty of books about addressing racism on our website.  But right now, we encourage everyone who possibly can to put on a face […]

Stand Against Racism 2020

Stand Against Racism 2020

Today is the YWCA’s National 2020 Stand Against Racism Day. This year their theme is civic engagement, and they have put together a rich collection of actions you can take without leaving your home. Our Civic Duty Suppression of voting rights, dampening census completion, and hindering political participation for people of color are three ways […]

Mighty Girl – A TPN Website Review

Mighty Girl – A TPN Website Review

This is International Women’s History Month, and if you are looking for great children’s resources on women’s contributions to history, you can’t beat Mighty Girl. Mighty Girl co-founders Carolyn Danckaert and Aaron Smith are on a mission to provide recommended books, toys, music, and movies that will inspire an empower young girls. One of the […]

Freedom Summer -A TPN Book Review

Freedom Summer -A TPN Book Review

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles Illustrated by Jerome Lagarique Segregation, Friendship, Empathy Racism isn’t about people far away from us. It is about individuals close to all of us. Following the lifting of segregation in 1964, two boys, one white, one black, who are good friends plan to go swimming in the town pool. They […]

If a Bus Could Talk – A TPN Book Review

If a Bus Could Talk – A TPN Book Review

 If A Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold       If a Bus Could Talk is a creative retelling of the story of Rosa Parks suitable for upper elementary students. The story, which is a work of art, touches on many events in black history and would provide an excellent springboard to an indepth study of […]

TPN Black History & Civil Rights Activities

TPN Black History & Civil Rights Activities

~ Books and activities that address black history and the civil rights movement ~ Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack  Slavery -Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper  -Slavery UE/M -Day of Tears by Julius Lester  -Slavery -Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis  -Slavery -Freedom Summer […]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A Book for Young Children

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A Book for Young Children

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Author Linda Lowery  Illustrator Hetty Mitchell This title fits these categories: Racial awareness: Shows diverse people living their lives in realistic ways. Racial pride: Provides strong, positive role model for children Racial issue: Shows historical or contemporary inequality based on race. Activism Shows ways we can make a difference. Acceptable grade levels Preschool through 3rd […]

Martin Luther King Day 2020

Martin Luther King Day 2020

Martin Luther King Day celebrates the life of a man who made a major mark on history and has inspired the words and thoughts of many. What will you do in his memory today? “It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”  […]

Where the Angels Lived – A TPN Book Review

Where the Angels Lived – A TPN Book Review

~Does the Past Foreshadow the Future? ~ The choice to remember, and why and how to remember are explored in the memoir Where Angels Lived by Margaret McMullen as she discovers her lost Jewish relatives in Hungary.  The family’s traits, both physical and behavioral, become evidence linking the past to the present. The historical past […]

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Numerous Indigenous Peoples’ activities and resources to use in your classrooms and at home with your own children to expand your knowledge of Native Americans and their cultures.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Books & Activities

Hispanic Heritage Month: Books & Activities

~ What is Hispanic Heritage Month? ~ Established by President Lyndon Johnson, National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th and ends on October 15th. During this month, we celebrate the achievements of American citizens who came from or whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. September 15th was […]

Free Peace Activity Ideas for Parents and Teachers

Free Peace Activity Ideas for Parents and Teachers

~ Let Us Teach Peace ~ Check out these teacher-tested classroom and family-friendly activities that promote peaceful personal relationships, an understanding of the futility of war, and ways to world peace. Click on the title for the full lesson plan -Build a Peace Wall – Combine your ideas for peace with everyone else’s to make […]