In the Welcoming Library’s Reader Survey, more readers appear to be seeing commonalities rather than differences. Asked if, “Did you see any similarities between the family in the book and your own family?” readers answered:
Does connecting with a character on the page actually make us more willing to connect with a person like the character in the world? What evidence is there that a project like the Welcoming Library can make a difference? “Research, led by psychologists Lindsey Cameron in England, Cristina Stefanile in Italy, and Krista Aronson in… Read more »
Many schools that have hosted the Welcoming Library have reworked the way they study immigration. Ellis Island is now joined by modern immigration from the Sudan, Syria, and Central America thanks to exposure to these picture books and companion materials. “4th grade teachers had the opportunity to look at all the books and choose which… Read more »
Greeley Middle School in Cumberland, Maine built the book display on a cart (brilliant!) to allow the principal to roll the Welcoming Library into a new classroom each morning. “14 classrooms each had the library for a day and teachers gave students dedicated time to browse and read.” —A Welcoming Library School Ambassador
“I heard lots of discussion about what immigration is, personal stories, and ‘wow, I never thought of that…’ Teachers liked the discussions questions very much.” —A Welcoming Library School Ambassador
“We put up large interior posters with the covers of the books and if a person read one in the library they put a sticker next to the title. We arranged the bean bag chairs near the display so that more people would plunk down there. We also had a set of 18 posters in… Read more »
The I’m Your Neighbor team was honored to partner with Louise El Yaafouri of Refugee Classroom on an extensive guide to help you teach and share the acclaimed middle grade novel, Nowhere Boy. While visiting her family in Saida, Lebanon, Louise added ELL and Enrichment Modifications, Teaching Resources on the Syrian War, and more to… Read more »
“One second grade class was so in love with Dreamers that they spent the whole day with it, the teacher found other books to study by Yuyi Morales, and convinced all the other teachers in her grade that I should come and read this book to their class. We had excellent discussions every time!”—Welcoming Library… Read more »
“A fourth grade GT class had been reading Long Walk to Water, and the teacher asked me to share something about Sudan. I read My Name is Sangoel. Students had plenty of thoughtful things to say and were quite concerned about the global refugee crisis. I was able to talk to them about local efforts… Read more »
“I just read Dreamers (Holiday House) to a second grade class. The teacher and students were amazed and inspired by this book. Teacher said it was the best read aloud they had read in a long time. I’ve been reading other stories in different classes, all with very positive feedback. “ —Welcoming Library School Ambassador… Read more »