I am always looking for books to read and recommend for the Read Aloud Project. During my search, I have discovered amazing books, authors, and publishers. Recently, I looked into the new children’s books releases of 2020 and found several books about justice and courage. I wanted to make a list of these new books to share with parents and caregivers to give them some ideas on what books they should look into reading next to the children in their lives. By reading a book, parents and caregivers are able to connect with their children and start important conversations with them. Here is a list of five books that were published in 2020:

Luci Soars by Lulu Delacre

Luci was born without a shadow. Mamá says no one notices. But Luci does. And sometimes others do too. Sometimes they stare, sometimes they tease Luci, and sometimes they make her cry. But when Luci learns to look at what makes her different as a strength, she realizes she has more power than she ever thought. And that her differences can even be a superpower.

The Read Aloud Project was created by Priscilla Weddle and Marie Benner-Rhoades to provide homeschooling resources in peace and justice during the pandemic. July’s theme was own voices, which refers to books written by authors from marginalized or underrepresented groups about their own experiences/from their own perspectives. If you are interested in recording a video for the project, please email Priscilla at [email protected]. Here are the books that were read for the project in July:

JULY BOOKS

Shin-chi’s Canoe by Nicola Campbell

Summary: This book tells the story of two children’s experience at residential school. Shi-shi-etko is about to return for her second year, but this time her six-year-old brother, Shin-chi, is going, too.
As they begin their journey in the back of a cattle truck, Shi-shi-etko tells her brother all the things he must remember: the trees, the mountains, the rivers, and the salmon. Shin-chi knows he will not see his family again until the sockeye salmon return in the summertime. When they arrive at school, Shi-shi-etko gives him a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from their father.
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