Literacy Now

A pastor at my church, Steve Treichler, recently shared, “People do that which is fun.” Though he was instructing on leadership-building qualities and how to get community members to engage, the same pithy insight applies in the classroom: If you want your students to be engaged, make it fun. Effective teachers know good writing instruction must include explicit, academic tasks, but if personalization and fun are absent from writing, we will quickly lose our students. Having fun not only increases engagement, it builds relational bonds, crafts memories, produces more resilient children, and, ultimately, results in kids enjoying school and learning. 

As a current first grade teacher who has taught a range of elementary grades, I recognize that teachers today are faced with more pressure than ever. When faced with a shortage of time and a heavy load of standards, unfortunately, writing is often cut first for the sake of time. There is too much at stake if we lose budding, creative, unique writers and thinkers to a diet of only academic, serious writing, or cut it out altogether. In the name of joy, I make a case here to elevate practices of writing for authentic audiences, playing with words, and celebrating together.

Involving Others

Writing is an inherently social activity contrary to the mental image of a student writing independently at their desk. Partner writing, sharing published writing, and authentic audiences are an easy onramp to engage students in social, joyful, purposeful writing. Sharing writing builds teamwork and the writing community by allowing students to listen and learn from each other, take risks, give feedback, and exchange praise.

Each year, I compile finished writing projects into class books that are available in the classroom library, which thereafter brings weeks of enjoying friends’ writing, all while fostering connections as classmates. Around each Valentine’s Day, I introduce letter writing to authentic audiences, which includes sending letters to people around school. This links writing to a meaningful purpose: To connect with those you care about. Writing a thank-you note to a cafeteria worker or setting up a classroom mailbox for letters to classmates goes a long way toward building students’ writing agency and excitement that their writing has the potential to brighten someone’s day. 

Writing as Play

Beyond summaries, paragraphs, and essays, students need opportunities to laugh, make mistakes in a silly way, and stretch creative muscles in writing if we ever expect them to return on their own. Using mentor texts as a model for playful ideas is a surefire way to prime the pump of joy and creativity in young writers. After reading some excerpts from books like Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky or If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, students get carried away in their own story creations modeled after a wonderful, out-of-the-box structure. A colleague even created an “If You Take a Mouse to School” home-to-school class book bag with a notebook and mouse stuffed animal (pictured above) to send home to families for the chance to continue the mouse’s adventure outside of the writing block by creating their own pages.

From tying in games like Telestrations, where a small group alternates drawing and writing sentences, during indoor recess, to writing nonfiction facts as riddles to guess the object, to using silly words from a word bank to make poems, there are many simple writing activities that leverage fun. These are powerful, low-prep experiences that model to students we do not only write for academic purposes, but because writing allows us to think in new ways, bonds us together, and makes us laugh. Ultimately, we write because we enjoy it.

Celebrating

Finally, one of the best ways to create a culture of writers and ensure joy is to celebrate! Writers need to know that their work and thinking are celebrated, and worthy of shared delight. Often in my classroom, I elevate sharing at the end of a unit by the practice of the author’s chair, zhuzhed up with a red curtain projected on my screen. Intermediate elementary students love the prop of a microphone. After particularly satisfying journeys through the writing process, our class celebrates with a publishing party, complete with apple juice and popcorn to cheers each writer after they share in a small group of three to four peers. This celebratory sharing can also be modified to fit in a couple students at a time during morning meeting or closing circle, followed by finger snaps of recognition.

Young writers deserve to experience joy, choice, and delight in writing if we expect them to share their thoughts beyond academic contexts and develop as thinkers and word lovers. Though writing does give us the skills to summarize and convey the main ideas of what we learn, to sever the craft from personal expression and reflection is doing a disservice. Students are academic learners, but they are also thinkers and feelers who must experience writing socially and joyfully if we ever expect them to write with their authentic voices throughout their lives. And isn’t the goal for children to use writing to tell someone they care, to bring about change in their communities, and to inspire joy no matter where life takes them?

As a teacher who faces the Tetris puzzle of fitting in all of the academic demands, I urge teachers not to neglect the necessity of writing for fun. With some brainstorming, we can take simple steps to craft our students’ attitudes about writing to be social, playful, and celebratory in ways that keep young writers eagerly picking up their pencils with a smile.

The April/May/June 2025 issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine, underscores the importance of representation in children’s picturebooks.

Our guest editor for this edition, Angie Zapata, is an associate professor of language and literacies education at the University of Missouri. She is also a children’s literature researcher and teacher educator, whose extensive work focuses on the promise and possibilities of diverse literature in K–12 language arts classrooms.

“Given what can seem like competing agendas for literacy and literature learning in classrooms, it feels appropriate to center picturebooks in the hands of readers as a viable pathway toward helping students reclaim their reading lives,” she wrote in her opening note to readers.  

Read on to learn more about the issue, how Zapata approached its curation, and what she hopes readers take away from it.

Tell us how you developed your vision for this issue. What were your goals? How did you choose your authors and topics?

Thanks so much for this opportunity to center better representation in children’s picturebooks in schools. My commitment to cultivating a better sense of belonging in the classroom through children’s visual storyworlds in picturebooks is both a professional and personal endeavor. I aimed to gather both US bound and international voices as well as established and fresh voices in the field who could provide interdisciplinary pathways into an issue that has plagued our field for so long. I really aimed to amplify too often overlooked pathways into our work as picturebooks curators in schools and provided directly implications for practice.  

You’ve worked with preservice elementary school teachers and have a background in connecting research to practice. How does that experience inform your views on representation in children’s literature?

That bridge to practice remains essential. As a field we have a rich resource of critical content analyses and reviews of picturebooks that feature diverse sociocultural representation, Building upon that research, we must also grow our empirical body of research that examines how these books are shared in the classroom, how children read and respond, how teachers thoughtfully build collections and mediate students’ literature, experiences and the implications of this critical classroom work for students’ identities, positive school experiences, self-efficacy, and learning. What new literature practices and theories of practice and learning can emerge from deeper study of how these texts live in classrooms among teachers and their students? In today’s sociopolitical climate that incites fear and resistance to any kind of diverse representation in picturebooks, highlighting the everyday ways we lovingly, thoughtfully, and ethically share these texts and how student respond are critical. 

To add, I am deeply inspired and motivated by the teachers and students who have welcomed me into their spaces as they read and respond to linguistically diverse picturebooks. The opportunity to offer direct implications for classroom practice with picturebooks featuring diverse representation through this issue of Literacy Today is exciting as I am reminded of my time in their classroom and am inspired once again by what is possible with picturebooks and how much we must learn, both theoretically and pedagogically in picturebook classrooms. 

Your opening letter mentions the importance of access to diverse stories for students. What do you think are the most pressing considerations for educators looking to select and share quality diverse picturebooks?

First, I have found that entering this process with great humility makes a significant difference in the opportunity to grow. It can be overwhelming and even off-putting to try and navigate the pressures of identifying and sharing a text with diverse representation, especially if you are not of the community represented. But the payoff of entering that process humbly and with willingness to learn pays off tenfold, especially for your classroom of students.

I also highly encourage educators to choose to share picturebooks with better representation because they want to and because they believe in the power of picturebooks to both affirm and grow students’ understanding of themselves and the world around them. I think when we observe these texts integrated in the classroom without the humility and critical lens needed, the opportunity for students to engage in the storyworlds are not as robust as they could be and that the reading falls flat. As picturebook curators who embrace the awesome responsibility of building thoughtful collections for students, we as educators can share and model that commitment of learning about new titles and processes to build collections.

To add, that kind of work is best done with a similarly interested colleagues, including voices that are different than your own. I would therefore also suggest finding fellow picturebook enthusiasts who are similarly interested in growing as a picturebooks curators. If you don’t have any in your setting, how can national organizations like ILA help you find your learning partners virtually?

What are some of the biggest misconceptions educators have about picturebooks, and how does this issue of Literacy Today aim to address them?

I think there has long been assumption of picturebooks as easy to read, simple narratives that don’t demand much preparation on our end when shared as read alouds. For example, how often have we quickly pulled a book off the shelf for a quick read aloud and then just as quickly realized we should have taken more time to thoughtfully prepare for the reading event? I hope this issue reawakens our habits of ‘slowing down’ with picturebooks readers to savor the richness of visual storyworlds.

Time to ‘slow look’ visual storyworld, as Dr. Pantaleo reminds us in her essay, is essential practice, and I believe it to be even more so with picturebook collection that feature a diversity of lives, languages, and literacies. There is so much to uncover in the visual designs and choices made by the illustrator and the intellectual demand of reconciling both the illustrated and print narrative is significant. Time to do the work of being a picturebooks reader is so important. It can feel radical to claim the need for more time for picturebooks in today’s reading achievement climate, but the depth and opportunity to model and practice meaning making with print and illustration is tremendous.

Monica Kleekamp’s article, “Humanizing Neurodivergence,” presents guiding tenants that educators can use when selecting stories that humanize neurodivergent characters and is “nuanced in its presentation of a character’s lived experiences.” Why did you find this an important topic to feature?

Dr. Kleekamp truly helps us slow down and prioritize the neurodivergent experience from the perspective of those who live with these abilities. Too often, picturebooks have been written from the perspective of caregivers and siblings. Although important, collectively these perspectives have not allowed us to consider subtleties of a neurodivergent experience. Dr. Kleekamp wisely helps us widen our lens when selecting and sharing these texts and provides practical guidance that humanizes the communities featured.

Jon Wargo’s article, “History Out Loud,” states that children’s picturebook biographies about famous LGBTQ+ figures can help “amplify and strengthen messages of [intersectional] justice.” What stood out about this topic that inspired you to include it in this issue?

I always appreciate Dr. Wargo’s expertise and passion for centering LGBTQ+ perspectives through children’s literature. In today’s sociopolitical climate that continues to demonize LGBTQ+ experiences in literature, we are failing to recognize the wide and limiting reach such a stance imposes on our society. There is such an opportunity through nonfiction picturebooks to both humanize and reveal the significant contributions of LGBTQ+ figures, and contextualize both historical and contemporary moments to learn from. 

Mengying Xue’s article, “Seeing the World From Different Perspectives,” examine postmodern wordless picturebooks that allow young readers an opportunity to engage with “complex topics and social issues from unexpected viewpoints.” Can you expand a little upon your choice to include this discussion?

I believe postmodern picturebooks offer an exciting initial entry point for nurturing picturebook readers in the classroom and can be an incredible bridge for readers trying to do the work of navigating multiple perspectives in one narrative. This is a foundational experience as readers and as citizens in a national and global society. I’ve observed four-year-olds do this with great ease and weave their own narratives with the perspectives they encounter to create new imaginaries. What might it mean to scaffold students into the work of navigating multiple perspectives through wordless picturebooks first? I appreciate Dr. Xue taking time to reconnect us to this genre.

What do you hope readers will take away from this issue of Literacy Today, and how do you envision it sparking further conversations about representation in picturebooks?

I do hope readers of this issue will feel reinvigorated in their practice as classroom picturebook curators and feel supported when choosing to share picturebooks with diverse representation. Too often, the onus is on the individual teacher to do it all and to figure out how to teach by themselves or have to teach mandated scripted curriculum. I hope interested readers do not feel alone in their commitment for a better world and feel motivated to reach out and grow their picturebook practice. I hope this issue inspires readers to connect with one another and dig deep into any of the articles to directly impact students’ positive reading experiences in schools.

Angie Zapata, an ILA member since 2002, is an associate professor of language and literacies education at the University of Missouri. Through collaborative inquiry partnerships with K–12 practicing teachers, her research highlights teacher and student interactions with picture books featuring diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic representation, as well as how translingual and transmodal literacies are produced through those literature-based experiences. 

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Empowering Future Teachers: How Fairytales Foster Cultural Competence

Literacy Today magazine: Reflecting Every Reader

Fairytales have always been part of the American classroom. These stories not only foster cultural awareness, but they can also be a tool to prepare preservice teachers to create inclusive classrooms by embedding translanguaging in writing. Strategically using fairytale writing as a tool in a teacher preparation program enhances a culturally sustained pedagogy by allowing preservice teachers to connect with diverse cultural stories and validate the linguistic repertoire of multilingual learners.

However, to fully realize this potential, teachers must be equipped to recognize and address the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of their students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 80% of teachers in 2020 were white while the student population was increasingly diverse—culturally and linguistically—a population that teachers do not reflect. This disparity highlights the urgent need for teacher preparation programs to prioritize cultural competency and equip future educators to effectively weave students' cultural background into their teaching for truly culturally sustained pedagogy.

In the arts integration course I teach, preservice teachers learn about the various arts that can be integrated into the curriculum. I find that literary art in the form of creating fairytale adaptations can open the door to preservice teachers becoming culturally competent. Even though individual fairytales are unique to their specific culture, the similarities they have serve as a bridge that helps preservice teachers understand culture and language, and writing fairytale adaptations requires both a deep knowledge the originating culture and the activation of developing the same translanguaging practices that multilingual students use as part of their linguistic repertoire.

Getting started

I begin my literary arts module by asking who knows the story of the three little pigs or Cinderella, which of course many students do. When I show my students The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone, the preservice teachers recognize it, but when I show them The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, few students do. Further, when I introduce The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell, The Three Little Tamales by Eric A. Kimmel, and The Three Little Gators by Helen Ketteman, no one has heard of these adaptations. This makes a perfect opportunity to teach how to design and facilitate culturally relevant learning that brings real-world experiences into educational spaces.

We start by comparing and analyzing the mentor texts based on their story elements and writing style. I task my students to find other fairytales and their adaptations. Some of the more common ones include Cinderella by James Marshall and adaptations such as Yeh Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie, Isabella: A Cinderella Fairytale of Latina Princess (Puerto Rican Princess) by King Ki'el, and Sindi: A Zulu Cinderella by Desaeay Mnyandu. For Little Red Riding Hood by James Marshall, students have selected Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood and Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young as adaptations.

Comparing and analyzing mentor texts

Now that we have a few to choose from, my students compare and analyze these mentor texts, identifying things like the target audience and any writing techniques such as dialogue between characters that represent a blend of home language and English used by the author to enhance a culturally sustained pedagogy. We create five-column charts to easily see the similarities and differences of each fairytale adaptation. By comparing and analyzing story elements, preservice teachers can begin to see how authors have reframed traditional fairytales with a cultural lens.

In addition, writing techniques are analyzed to identify how the author has embedded translanguaging (e.g., “Tío José and Tía Lupe owned a taqueria” and “He built his casita out of cornstalks”) and cognate words (e.g., tortilla and tamale) as seen in The Three Little Tamales. This analysis also gives preservice teachers awareness of the multi-dialectal nature of language in American society and the social constructs of different dialects, including the learner's natural way of talking, as demonstrated in The Three Little Gators when the author writes, “It’s time you young ‘uns set out on your own.”

Writing an original fairytale adaptation

After preservice teachers have gained a deeper understanding of how authors' adaptations create an inclusive learning space for all readers, they write their own fairytale adaptation. Regardless of their demographic, I have my students research a culture different from their own. This critically reflective practice helps preservice teachers engage in the use of story elements and how character development, setting, problem, and solution align to that specific culture while staying true to the plot of the fairytale. A key component of this lesson is the appropriate use of translanguaging, cognate words, and the dialects of how learners speak in the final assignment.

Writing fairytale adaptations gives preservice teachers awareness of their own cultural biases and assumptions, and the opportunity to demonstrate cultural inclusivity and responsiveness when teaching fairytales to elementary students. This prepares future teachers to understand how to use writing methods in order to be culturally competent and empathetic educators while developing a culturally sustained pedagogy. 

Ivonne Miranda has been an urban educator for 23 years. She is currently assistant professor, supervisor of field experiences and student teaching, and director of the graduate program at Cedar Crest College Education Department. She has the Celebrate Literacy Award from the Keystone State Literacy Association Central Eastern Region for her work with pre-service teachers publishing diverse children's literature, and has also been published in Literacy Today.

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Boosting Literacy Skills With Word Games: Fun Puzzles for the Classroom

Literacy Today magazine: Reflecting Every Reader

In June 2020, conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic caused ILA to pause the popular Choices reading program. When it was clear that the ongoing disruptions to in-person schooling and necessary safety precautions once buildings reopened would make it near impossible to resume the project, the International Literacy Association (ILA) made the difficult decision to let it go.

Retiring Choices, however, was not an option. ILA was determined to rehome the reading lists—which launched in 1974 with Children’s Choices and later expanded to include Young Adults’ Choices and Teachers’ Choices—with an organization that would honor the spirit of the program and produce lists with the respect and care they deserved. The obvious choice: The Children’s Book Council (CBC). For years, CBC cosponsored the Children’s Choices list, and in 2019 it also began cosponsoring its counterpart for young adults.

In June 2021, a year after announcing the COVID pause, ILA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) granting CBC full permission to give the Choices project a second life.

CBC Executive Director Carl Lennertz said his organization’s top goal was “to maintain the success and qualities of ILA’s Choices programs and build on the reach of the programs by expanding participation while developing sustainable processes.”

Fast forward to May 2022, when—after months of gathering feedback from the Choices volunteer network and other key stakeholders—CBC relaunched the project as the Favorites Lists.

Like Choices, the Favorites Lists are curated by readers themselves. CBC recruited 80 review teams spanning schools, public libraries, and independent bookstores across the United States. Through a revamped process, the organization was able to put 1,500 books—roughly 100 copies of each publisher-submitted title—into the hands of readers across the country.

The first annotated collection of Children’s Favorites, Young Adult Favorites, and Teacher Favorites Lists are set to publish in May 2023. 

Lennertz says that CBC feels “a great debt of gratitude” for ILA and the decades invested in the three Choices lists, which Lennertz characterizes as a “go-to resource for educators, librarians, and caregivers.”

The feeling is mutual. “We are thrilled that the Children’s Book Council will carry on the Choices tradition,” says ILA Executive Director Nicola Wedderburn. “We feel confident that the new Favorites Lists will continue to identify high-quality, engaging books that foster a love of reading in people of all ages.”

To learn more about the CBC’s Favorites Lists, visit https://www.cbcbooks.org/readers/reader-resources/favorites-lists/.

Looking for a way to turn the winter blahs into a vibrant celebration of every child’s creativity? Crayola Creativity Week 2023, which starts on January 23, is exactly what you are looking for! But you don’t need to wait until the 23rd to get started. Visit the Crayola Creativity Week website for resources, activities, and giveaways­­––all available with a free registration­­––as well as to see the calendar of events and list of celebrity creators who are part of the 2023 Crayola Creativity Week lineup.

Crayola Creativity Week is about more than just free stuff to use in your classroom. It’s a seven-day celebration of children’s innate creative mind-sets. With activities and events geared toward a specific daily theme and a livestreamed special assembly on Friday, January 27, Crayola Creativity Week provides everything both educators and children’s families and caregivers need to keep students engaged and innovating all week long! Each day focuses on a creative theme and a special children’s book, and includes unique celebrity-led video activities, curriculum-connected resources, and all kinds of activities to unleash every child’s original ideas.

Let’s take a look at what’s in store for your students.

Here’s the lineup!

• Monday, January 23: Endless Possibilities
  Crayola Creativity Week launches with guest appearances from NASA space explorers, who are part of the team making the Artemis mission possible, and illustrator, Shane Tolentino. NASA astronauts will read the book You Are Going, and Tolentino will lead an art activity. Students will be captivated by the awesome possibilities of a STEAM career at NASA.
• Tuesday, January 24: Building Dreams and Community
  Actress and singer Ali Stroker––who was the first wheelchair-using actor to appear on Broadway and win a Tony––and illustrator Gillian Reid share they spotlight on Tuesday as the share their  book Ali and the Sea Stars and inspire students to put on a play, illustrate dramatic facial expressions, and reach for stars. Their special message? Go after your dreams with the help of a supportive community.
• Wednesday, January 25: Dancing with Traditions
  Author Ria Thundercloud and illustrator Kalila Fuller get the day moving with their book Finding My Dance. Thundercloud's story will inspire young creatives to connect culture, identity, and self-expression. Fuller will show learners how to draw and illustrate nature-inspired patterns and dance poses. It’s art. It’s music and dance. It’s creativity in motion.
• Thursday, January 26: Language and Laughter
  Giggles and guffaws are center stage with comedian and Impractical Jokers star James “Murr” Murray and comedy writer Carsen Smith. Laughter is the main course of the day as these two celebrity creators share their book Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer. Students will get the inside story on creating illustrated idioms and collaborating to create improv art.
• Friday, January 27: Keys to Kindness
  Cast members from the new movie musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile will read the book that inspired the film: The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber. Winslow Fegley, the 13-year-old actor and artist who stars as Josh Primm in the film, will make a special appearance to encourage children to embrace change by cooking up creative solutions and illustrating the keys to kindness that can lead us to unexpected and wondrous friendships.
• Friday, January 27: Crayola Creativity Week Livestreamed Assembly Event
  For kids, teachers, families, and everyone around the world who loves to create, this livestreamed event is headlined by special messages from Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion figure skater Nathan Chen and 13-year-old actress Lyric Hurd who plays Trudy in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. And to keep the creative momentum moving, this event includes the premiere of the new dance along from KIDZ BOP.
• Saturday, January 28: Self-Confidence and Student Voice
  Have fun with the whole family as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, cofounder of the legendary hip-hop group Run DMC, will inspire kids to use their voices to build confidence and express themselves. Illustrator Tristan Tait will lead a draw-along for kids of all ages, creating doodles to help us learn to express our best selves.
• Sunday, January 29: Weathering Emotions
  TODAY Show cohost and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer and illustrator Rosie Butcher share their book Misty the Cloud. Kids will learn about words that can describe both the weather and human emotions such as sunny, stormy, turbulent, and calm. Art activities are part of the day’s forecast as the whole family creates cloud characters based on science and use layered art materials to create a weather scene.

Participation is free, flexible, and filled with fun!

Teachers, librarians, and families can access complete details and register online at www.crayola.com/creativityweek. Last year, for the inaugural Creativity Week celebration, more than 12,500 schools, classrooms, libraries, and homes participated in the inaugural 2022 Crayola Creativity Week , reaching more than 2 million students and 115,000 educators in all 50 U.S. states and 26 countries around the world. Educators’ experiences are exemplified by these quotes: “Students enjoyed expressing their ideas through illustration! The power of the imagination is priceless!” and “Wow! My students really understood yesterday’s challenge. It seems we may have some future authors and illustrators in our class!” We hope you will join and enjoy the festive fun in 2023 and make this year even better!

To help educators plan their own Creativity Week celebration and activities, Crayola has made curriculum-aligned activities, video resources, and standards alignments available on the Creativity Week website. Detailed FAQs can help answer any questions participating educators may have and help secure buy-in from administrators and school or district leaders. Participate every day or just tune in on select days for specific themes––whatever works best for your students and schedules.

Share your own and your students’ experiences and activities­­––and follow along to see what other classes are doing––by using the hashtag #crayolacreativityweek on social media.  Artwork and projects created by students in grades pre-K–12 and shared along with the #crayolacreativityweek tag might end up on Crayola’s Student Gallery!

Use Creativity Week to turn the last week of January into a celebration of reading, writing, drawing, dancing, dreaming, singing, and acting. Let students explore new career connections, new ways to innovate, and new ways to express and receive real kindness. It’s a colorful way to encourage every child’s aspirations, curiosity, and ability to solve problems. And that’s how beautiful possibilities begin.

Let’s get creative!