Today I'm excited to be coming to you from Wisconsin;
check out this doorway to greatness that found me.
What a blessing it has been to be in my home state on three author visits; click {here} to read all about it and see some pictures of those treasured KEY moments. Since I'll be here to speak at the Character Conference next week, I decided to just stay and hang out on the family farm and spend some quality time with my siblings and parents. Here's a slide from my session called Building Equity By The Book:
In that session, I'll be giving away a copy of today's PPBF.
Title: Abdul's Story
Author: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrator: Tiffany Rose
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster For Young Readers
Birth date: March 29, 2022
Themes: writing, confidence, growth mindset
Brief synopsis: Abdul has a great imagination and his friends love listening to his stories, but when it comes to writing his ideas down? Well, now that's a different story.
Opening sentence: Abdul loved to tell stories.
Resources:
Listen to the author read her story {here}.
Read a Q&A with the author {here}.
Learn more through this Kirkus review.
Why I like this book: I connect with Abdul's Story on quite a few levels; first, he's a lefty, like me (though they changed my handedness when I was young). Second, Abdul erases holes in his paper, just like our son Jacob did. Third, he never saw himself in stories, a need that I'm tackling in my Equity sessions. And finally, Abdul is a storyteller who thinks he can't because of the mistakes he's making. Kids who struggle with dyslexia may see themselves in the text because Abdul has letter reversals and the letters move around on him. I love the way this author weaves a solution into the story, by bringing an author to visit the school to help boost Abdul's courage and confidence. When I'm on author visits, I always tell the students that writing is really just talking on paper, to help them understand that there's not a magic formula for getting your stories down. The author who visits in this story does something similar to encourage, equip and empower Abdul. As a bonus, there are cultural connections that will serve as mirrors for Muslim children as well as windows for those of us who want to know more about them.
Compare and contrast this title with Your Name Is A Song,
another gem by this same inspiring author.
I'm super excited to showcase this newcomer and I highly recommend that you check it out. Then head to Susanna Hill's blog now for today's other PPBF picks and a fantastic giveaway opportunity. Good luck!
I'm so pleased to see more books out for kids who have trouble with reading/writing. The last books I reviewed had kids who were storytellers and they learned to use a tape recorder to record their stories -- which also led to them learning to write. Great choice!
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