Figurative Language – Unleashing Readers

Fighting For Justice: Alice Piper Speaks Up by Sage Andrew Romero and Loralee Sepsey, Illustrated by Morgan Thompson

June 17, 2026June 17, 2026 by Kellee

Alice Piper Speaks Up
(Fighting for Justice #3)
Authors: Sage Andrew Romero and Loralee Sepsey
Illustrator: Morgan Thompson
Published June 2nd, 2026 by Heyday Books
Instagram: @heydaybooks | Facebook: Heyday Books

Summary: Volume 3 in the acclaimed Fighting for Justice Series for young readers: the story of a Native teenager’s history-making fight for equal education.

Alice Piper just wanted to go to public school. The year was 1923, and Alice, a Native Paiute (Nuwuvi) teenager in California, dreamed about learning from teachers, making new friends, and being respected for who she was. So when the school board refused to let her and six other Native students attend, she decided to speak up, and she sued for her right to an equal education. Alice Piper Speaks Up, the first book dedicated to this major champion of civil rights, features new research into Alice’s life and court case. Each chapter begins with lyrical verse and full-color illustrations that invite readers into Alice’s story. Paired with the poems are visually engaging sections filled with keyword definitions, historical context, timelines, primary sources, and questions that help readers relate Alice’s experience to their own lives. The text connects Alice’s case to larger themes about education, Native rights, and movements for school desegregation across the United States. The third book in Heyday’s widely acclaimed Fighting for Justice series, Alice Piper Speaks Up shows how one teen’s action resonates throughout America’s history, even now.

About the Creators:

Sage Andrew Romero is from the Tovowahamatu Numu (Big Pine Paiute) and Tuah-Tahi (Taos Pueblo) tribes. The founder and director of the AkaMya Culture Group, a nonprofit dedicated to cultural revitalization, he lives in Big Pine, California. For more info, see nama.media/sage-andrew-romero.

Loralee Sepsey is a writer and a member of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley. Based in Santa Ana, California, she lives with her husband and their two cats. To learn more, visit her website: loraleesepsey.com.

Morgan Thompson is a Cherokee (Cherokee Nation) artist with a love for Indigenous stories. When she’s not working, she enjoys a bit of stomp dancing or some beading on the side. Visit skadoodlin.com.

Instagram Sage Andrew Romero: @digitalndn | Morgan Thompson: @skadoodlin
FacebookSage Andrew Romero: Sage Andrew Romero

Review and Educators’ Tools for Navigation: Integration of education is taught in history classes but primarily focuses on Brown v. Board of Education and it isn’t often shared that there were fights all over the country from different marginalized communities to have the right to an equal education. This book focuses on a fight 30 years before Brown v. Board of Education, when Alice Piper, a 15 year-old Paiute student, along with six other children, sued the Big Pine School District stating that they had the right to attend Big Pin School based on the 14th amendment, AND THEY WON!

This book is MADE for teaching. The creators and publisher of this book know what they are doing. Through the authors’ beautiful free verse intertwined with emotions and onomatopoeia, we experience Alice’s story along with her. Then intertwined between chapters, the nonfiction spreads tie it all together with more history and information. By combining a biography-in-verse with nonfiction information that has vocabulary, timelines, discussion questions, and photographs makes it so the book is so easily cross-curricular as well as supportive of so many language arts standards, both literary and informational.

(And I am so curious about the other two books in the series! Because if they are formatted in similar ways, this series would be perfect for literature circles where each group read a different Fighting for Justice book then shares what they learned about their activist with their classmates.)

And I love that the book ends with “Speaking Up for What’s Right: From Alice’s Day to Ours” to truly connect it all together. Really adds that extra bit to the book.

Oh, and did you know that Alice Piper Day is June 2 in California; this information is featured in the book also and is definitely a person deserving of her own day!

Discussion Questions: There are many discussion questions found scattered throughout the book, including:

What does it mean to be respected for who you are, and to respect other for who they are?
When was a timea family member or elder taught you an important skill?
How would you feel if your government decided to change your family’s name?
Some traditional Paiute names are non-lexical. Can you think of some non-lexical names commonly used today?

Flagged Passages & Spreads:

Chaptier 1: Preparing Tüba

Alice is sweaty,
sticky, and ready
to grind.

It’s almost fall in Payahuunadü
and the summer heat still lingers.
Alice, a few months into thirteen,
is helping her family prepare
the season’s first batch of pine nuts–
tüba–
into today’s meal.

Alice’s mother, Annie, places
winnowing baskets on the ground.
Alice’s sisters, Ola and Mamie,
toss handfuls of tüba inside.
The hard shells make a clickety-clack
against the willow reeds.

Chapter 4: A Day at the Day School

“Wake up, Alice,
it’s time for school.”

Alice rubs the sleep out of her eyes
and blinks at her mother.
It’s cold and so dark
that she can still see the stars
in the morning sky.

Alice has a long journey
from Soha-witü–
Fish Lake Valley–
to the Indian day school in Tovowahamatu,
almost forty miles away.

Early mornings are normal for Alice,
and if she wants to learn
as much as she can,
the day must start early.

Read This If You Love: History, Activism

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media (@blue_slip_media | @blue-slip-media) for providing a copy for review!**

Educators’ Guide for Dream by Barbara O’Connor

February 11, 2026 by Kellee

Dream
Author: Barbara O’Connor
Published: August 26, 2025 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Summary: Dream follows a small town girl with big aspirations of becoming a songwriter. Turns out anything is possible with your best friends and an adorable pup by your side!

The sky is the limit.

Idalee Lovett is content with her life in small-town Colby, North Carolina, living in her family’s huge house with rooms for rent. But she has big dreams, just like her mama. While Mama is on tour for the summer with her cover band, Lovey Lovett and the Junkyard Dogs, Idalee decides to hone her craft as a songwriter—since her truest wish is to hear her country songs on the radio one day.

When the local radio station announces a songwriting contest with the winning song being recorded by an up-and-coming singer, Idalee is determined to win. It would definitely be possible if only she could buy the shiny blue guitar in Asheville’s music shop. Idalee doesn’t have much money, but she knows exactly how to get it—the long-lost treasure her late granddaddy hid somewhere in their house. With the help of her friends Odell, Howard, Charlie, and an adorable little dog named Wishbone, Idalee is going to search in every nook and cranny until she finds it. But little does she know, the biggest treasure of all is only discovered when you believe in yourself with your whole heart.

In this standalone companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Wish, nothing is impossible as Idalee learns the power of chasing your dreams one guitar strum at a time.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Dream:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

You can learn more about Dream on its MacKids page.

Recommended For:

Educators’ Guide for A Universe of Wishes Edited by Dhonielle Clayton

October 29, 2025 by Kellee

A Universe of Wishes
Editor: Dhonielle Clayton
Authors: Tara Sim, Natalie C. Parker, Libba Bray, Anna-Marie Mclemore, Kwame Mbalia, V.E. Schwab, Rebecca Roadhouse, Nic Stone, Jenni Balch, Dhonielle Clayton, Mark Oshiro, Samira Ahmed, Tessa Gratton, Zoraida Cordova, Tochi Onyebuchi
Published: December 8th, 2020 by Random House Children’s Books

Summary: From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes a young adult fantasy short story collection featuring some of the best children’s authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Libba Bray (The Diviners), V. E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic), Natalie C. Parker (Seafire), and many more. Edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles).

In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for We Need Diverse Books for A Universe of Wishes:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

You can learn more about A Universe of Wishes on We Need Diverse Book’s page.

Recommended For:

Educators’ Guide for Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

September 24, 2025 by Kellee

Ferris
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Published: April 1st, 2025 by Candlewick Press

Summary: It’s the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris’s mother’s chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris’s grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans—wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons? As Charisse likes to say, “Every good story is a love story,” and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages: emotionally resonant and healing, showing the two-time Newbery Medalist at her most playful, universal, and profound.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Ferris:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

You can learn more about Ferris on its publisher’s page.

Recommended For:

Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by Kellee

Drawn Onward
Author: Daniel Nayeri
Illustrator: Matt Rockefeller
Published October 8th, 2024 by HarperCollins Children’s Books

Summary: In this enthralling and emotional palindrome picture book by Daniel Nayeri and Matt Rockefeller, a young boy grieving the loss of his mother embarks on a lushly fantastical adventure that illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.

All alone

He was not so brave…

His heart needed to know

The answer.

This lyrical, heartfelt story a young boy who’s lost all hope braves the dark forest to ask, “Mom, were you glad you were mom?” Gorgeously illustrated, Drawn Onward gently guides readers through the depths of grief and provides comfort and hope to those who seek answers when it feels like all is lost.

Praise:

⭐“Magnificently illuminated, video game–like spreads by Rockefeller feature stone ruins, menacing dragons, and ornaments that give the pages a book-of-hours feel. Printz Medalist Nayeri, meanwhile, distills an experience of grief, imparting the importance of seeking time alone to relive moments of shared love.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

⭐“A touching triumph of artful collaboration between wordsmithing and world building. Nayeri’s text is sparse but heartrending, sparking large questions that drive readers forward and allowing Rockefeller ample space to construct an evocative fantasy world.” — Booklist (starred review)

⭐“A grieving young boy goes on an impossible adventure and returns, healed. The illustrations are so filled with detail that they demand repeat visits, which will prompt little ones and their grown-ups to delve into the ellipses and explore both text and subtext further.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Creators:

Daniel Nayeri likes to read things backward even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. He is the author of Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story), winner of the Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award. He loves letter-unit palindromes, like “toot” and “God’s dog,” and word-unit palindromes, like “Never say never” and “Fall leaves after leaves fall,” and if he didn’t say how much he likes and loves his wife and son, he wouldn’t be Daniel Nayeri.

Matt Rockefeller is a visual storyteller inspired by adventuring in the mountains, interpretive dancing with friends, and pondering the many wonders of the universe. In addition to drawing and writing comics, he creates artwork for TV and film animation. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family including a little dog that may or may not be a fox.

Review and Educators’ Tools for Navigation: This sparsely-worded text has so much to say. It has so many beautiful layers that readers can dive into. Nayeri’s storytelling is clear, even with little text, and Rockefeller’s illustrations are reminiscent of video games and epics. Drawn Onward is perfect for lessons on visual literacy as the text gives some guidance to the reader but the story is most clear through images. Students could could even write their own narrative to add to the images! And I also would love to hear a conversation of readers discussing the symbolism and theme of the book.

Discussion Questions:

What is the theme of the story?
Why do you think the author chose to title the book a palindrome?
How was the story symbolic of a palindrome?
What do you think the forest symbolized? The sword? The dragon? The dark? Did you notice any other symbols?
What strategies did the illustrator use to portray the narrative and emotions through the images?
How does this book reflect a hero’s journey?
How does the tone and mood of the book change from beginning to middle to end?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Journey by Aaron Becker, Zelda

Recommended For:

**Thank you to HarperCollins for providing a copy for review!**

The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging by Diana Farid, Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

October 1, 2024 by Kellee

The Light of Home: A Story of Family, Creativity, and Belonging
Author: Diana Farid
Illustrator: Hoda Hadadi
Published September 17th, 2024 by Orchard Books

Summary: A universal story about displacement, migration, and the many ways we find home, from the talented author-illustrator team of Diana Farid and Hoda Hadadi.

Nur has always loved her home by the sea, where water glimmers along a straight horizon.

But when Nur and her family are forced to leave, they begin a long journey to an unfamiliar place. Here the horizon curves and twists, and the moonlight no longer glitters across the water. For Nur, nothing in this new place feels like home.

Then one day, Nur’s mother brings her a new set of paintbrushes. Nur’s brushstrokes help her connect the place she’s lost to this new horizon, and she finds home again through her own creativity and heart.

The Light of Home will resonate with anyone who has ever had to leave a place they’ve loved.

From author, poet, and physician Diana Farid and artist Hoda Hadadi comes this introspective story about belonging and the power of creativity. For readers of Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers and Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim’s Where Are You From?

About the Creators:

Diana Farid is an award-winning author and poet. Her picture book, When You Breathe, was a National Council of Teachers of English Notable poetry book. Her novel in verse, Wave, was the 2022 Cybils Award winner for poetry novel and a School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book. She is also a physician and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University. To learn more, visit dianafarid.com.

Hoda Hadadi is a children’s books illustrator living and working in Tehran, Iran. She has illustrated more than forty books for children and has won numerous international prizes, including the New Horizons Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Grand Prix of Belgrade.

Instagram
Diana Farid: @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hodahadadi_artpage
Orchard Books/Scholastic: @scholastic
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook
Diana Farid: N/A
Hoda Hadadi: Hoda Hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: Scholastic
Blue Slip Media: Blue Slip Media

Twitter/X:
Diana Farid: @_artelixir
Hoda Hadadi: @hoda_hadadi
Orchard Books/Scholastic: @Scholastic
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

LinkedIn:
Diana F

Review: Farid’s picture book puts the reader right in the middle of a family’s flee as refugees from their home and all their possessions. With the introduction of the characters’ lives and loves starting the book, the reader will feel the sadness and longing that Nur feels. It helps the reader feel the urgency and the fear. It helps build empathy for those put in the situation of being displaced.

But that is only one important aspect of the book. The book also highlights the importance and therapeutic properties of art, which is proven and so powerful. Nur uses art to help heal her feeling of loss and being lost.

Farid and Hadadi were the perfect duo for this book because Farid’s lyrical text blends beautifully with Hadadi’s collages to create a beauty of a picture book.

Discussion Questions:

Before Nur’s family must flee, how did Nur and her family feel about their home?
What are some reasons why families may be displaced?
Why is it so hard for Nur to adjust to her new home?
How is Nur’s new home different than her home by the sea?
How does Nur work through her emotions?
What are some ways that help you work through big emotions?
What figurative language does the author use? How does it add to the imagery of the story?
How do the illustrations add to the story?
Why do you think the author wrote Nur’s story?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Picture books that take on big issues in an approachable way

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

My Towering Tree by Janna Matthies, Illustrated by Ashley Wolff

September 10, 2024 by Kellee

My Towering Tree
Author: Janna Matthies
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Published August 27th, 2024 by Beach Lane Books

Summary: Discover all the joyful moments and adventures waiting right outside your door in this mindful rhyming picture book celebration of backyard nature.

In my yard’s a towering tree. It reaches high to cover me. I lie beneath the towering tree and think my thoughts, and breathe, and be. There is much to do and so much to see beneath the branches of a towering tree! Step inside a leafy backyard world where squirrels are zipping, bees are buzzing, the sun is shining, and a curious, creative child is noticing and absorbing it all. This tribute to the wonderful worlds that exist in a backyard invites readers to stop, take a breath, and appreciate the natural world around them.

“This book is sure to delight . . . beautifully written rhymes blend perfectly; the pacing is ideal for reading aloud. A strong addition to the shelves and an accessible title to add to nature lessons or even story hours about mindfulness, with its emphasis on simplicity and an appreciation of nature.” – School Library Journal

“A gentle appreciation of the nature around us, from the ground to the sky.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators:

Janna Matthies is a picture book author and early elementary music teacher in Indianapolis. Her books include Here We Come!; God’s Always Loving You; Two Is Enough, which made the 2016 Bank Street list and New York Times Book Review; The Goodbye Cancer Garden; Peter, the Knight with Asthma; and Monster Trucks. Janna is a longtime volunteer with the Indiana SCBWI and provides editorial services to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for picture books supporting their Teddy Bear Concert Series. When she’s not writing or making music, Janna can be found digging in the garden, swimming laps, walking Juneau the howling Husky, or keeping up with her husband and three mostly-grown kids.

Ashley Wolff lives in Vermont and is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including the modern classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Only the Cat Saw; Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?; Baby Bear Counts One; and Baby Bear Sees Blue. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.

Review: In a world where everyone, even kids, are usually GO GO GO, it is important to remind how important stopping, relaxing, focusing on nature, breathing, and appreciating. Matthies’s lyrical, meditative words mixed with Wolff’s full page, colorful, and captivating illustrations lend to readers wanting to find the beauty in the world around them.

Tools for Navigation: Towering Tree is reminiscent of “The House that Jack Built,” so it would be a great way to talk about variations/retellings and allusions of nursery rhymes. It also has a great rhyming pattern that can be analyzed also.

The book also lends to taking kids outside then having them draw and journal about what they see in their backyard or a park.

Discussion Questions: