Be a Bridge

In this upbeat picture book, acclaimed authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters bring key themes from their earlier collaborations (Can I Touch Your Hair? and Dictionary for a Better World) to a young audience.

Rhyming verse describes different ways in which readers can "be a bridge," from welcoming a new student and listening respectfully when someone else is talking to standing up to a bully and comforting a classmate who is upset.

Nabila Adani's cheerful illustrations depict a diverse group of students, including young versions of Charles and Irene. Scan a Page Plus QR code at the end of the book to download a Bridge Builder Pledge. An ideal book to share with students in the fall to set the tone for the whole school year!

“"Every moment of your day is an opportunity to connect with someone else . . . to build a bridge! Follow a beautifully diverse classroom of young children through their day at school and see how they connect to others in different ways. It can mean giving a friend some space, inviting them to play, or standing up to others on their behalf. At the end of the day, we see that we are not the only bridges and together we can make a difference. This books feels whole and complete, as though the author and illustrator devotedly worked together to create the perfect book for preschool and early elementary school students. This picture book combines detailed illustrations of a classroom of students with rhythmic verses about how these students can become bridges of connection. Each page is a new idea that is simplistic but thought-provoking for young students, and the illustrations effectively convey what the verse suggests. The illustrator incorporates much diversity in their art. This would make a great book to start the school year, to help create rules for the classroom, or to start discussions about connecting to others. Includes great suggestions for fun activities to go with this book, as well as a list of additional resources. Reviewer Rating: 5"--Children's Literature”

"[A] great book to start the school year, to help create rules for the classroom, or to start discussions about connecting to others."—Children's Literature

Irene Latham is the author of more than a dozen current and forthcoming works of poetry, fiction, and picture books. Her work includes Charlotte Huck Honor Book and ALA Notable Children's Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship (co-written with Charles Waters) and the Caldecott Honor Book The Cat Man of Aleppo(co-written by Karim Shamsi-Basha). In 2016 she won the ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Visit her at Charles Waters is a children's poet, author, anthologist and actor based in Georgia. His book Mascot (co-written with Traci Sorell) has received an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor. His other books (co-written with Irene Latham) include: African Town (winner of the 2023 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction), Dictionary For A Better World: Poems, Quotes and Anecdotes from A—Z, Be A Bridge, and the Charlotte Huck Honor book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship. You can visit him at: Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia and enjoys illustrating different cultures around the world. She originally studied Industrial Product Design in Bandung Institute of Technology earning her degree in 2013, yet found her way into illustration later in life. She briefly worked as product designer in Japan and Indonesia before moving to the United States with her family. Now, living back in Jakarta she enjoys illustrating and telling stories for children worldwide.

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