March and April Selections for “One School, One Book Project”

Here are the One School, One Book Project book selections for March and April.

March‘s Theme: A Celebration of Women’s History Month!

ICT 1st-5th | ASD Middle School

Malala’s Magic Pencil

by Malala Yousafzai, illustrated by Kerascoët

Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai’s first picture book, inspired by her own childhood.

Malala’s first picture book will inspire young readers everywhere to find the magic all around them.

As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.

This beautifully illustrated volume tells Malala’s story for a younger audience and shows them the worldview that allowed Malala to hold on to hope even in the most difficult of times.

ICT PreK & K | ASD Elementary

Drum Dream Girl

by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael López

Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.

April is Autism Awareness month!  

In the spirit of our community’s awareness, all grades at both sites will enjoy this wonderful book by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Purple Wong

ALL GRADES ICT & ASD

Benny Doesn’t Like to be Hugged

by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Purple Wong

A little girl uses rhyming verse to describe the unique traits of her autistic friend. Benny likes trains and cupcakes without sprinkles, but he can also be fussy sometimes. The narrator doesn’t mind, however, because “true friends accept each other just the way they are.” A gentle story encouraging children to appreciate and accept our differences.

In other news, we are always actively looking for new people to join the committee. It is our hope that the committee will reflect the diversity we celebrate in our school community. Please write us at clovejoy@gmail.com with suggestions for books, enrichment activities, to share your feedback or get involved.