The Year in Books that Grew Minds and Hearts

Looking back over the last twelve months of books that my students and I have read together, there are those stories which stand out for the conversations they inspired -- conversations that grow hearts and minds. These are the books that my students still talk about and still ask for, books that get referenced in conversations. These are the books whose influence can be seen in how the students look at and think about the world around them and their place in it.

Here are the top fifteen from this year:

15. It Takes a Village




14. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya*

13. A Poem for Peter

12. Smoot


11. Give Me Back My Book!

10. Each Kindness


9. The Only Fish in the Sea


8. Little Fox in the Forest

7. We're All Wonders


6. Come With Me


5. Why Am I Me?


4. Book of Mistakes

3. Her Right Foot


2. Wolf in the Snow*

1. After the Fall


There are many books that the students and I read each year that I don't have the time to blog about. These books would rise to the top regardless because of the conversations they engendered.

*Some blog posts never got posted, but will soon!