Figurative Language – Unleashing Readers

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:

How is The Towering Tree like “The House that Jack Built”?
What type of rhyming pattern does this story have?
What do you see in your background/in a park when you sit under a tree?
Why is it important to remember the beauty of nature?
Why is it important to slow down sometimes, instead of go go going?
If you had a garden, what would you put in it?
What do you think the author’s purpose was for this book?
How does the backyard in the book compare/contrast to your backyard?
What word play can you find in the book? Figurative language?
What descriptive language did the author use that helped describe the scene?
How do the illustrations add to the story?

Flagged Spreads:

Read This If You Love: Nature, Rhyming picture books

Recommended For:

**Thank you to the author for providing a copy for review!**

Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage by Bethanie Murguia

July 18, 2024 by Ricki

Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage
Author: Bethanie Murguia
Expected Published: July 23, 2024 by Roaring Brook Press

Summary: Discover a new young graphic novel series full of humor and heart about a lovable dog, her favorite human, and their pawsome pack in this unforgettable friendship story perfect for fans of PAWCASSO and ANIMAL RESCUE FRIENDS.

Thunder the dog likes to take naps by the sunny window, sniff around for hidden treats, play fetch, and get cuddles from her favorite human, Sage.

Though Thunder wants to be good for Sage, she’s having a ruff time stopping herself from doing things she knows are wrong – like barking, digging, and chasing suspicious furballs around the yard. She’s shocked when her inner Wolf appears one day and reveals the truth behind these irresistible impulses. It’s all because dogs are really wolves! (That is, they’re descended from them.) The big question Will Thunder choose to be a loyal pet to Sage, or embrace the wild animal within?

For fans of PAWS and KATIE THE CATSITTER, and anyone who has ever pondered the secret life of their cherished four-legged sidekick, meet Thunder and Sage ―and get ready to feel ALL THE WAGS!

Review: I absolutely adored this charming graphic novel and can’t wait to share it with kids! It’s tells the story of a girl Sage and her pup Thunder. They have an amazing relationship until an imaginary wolf starts trying to convince Thunder to be more wolflike (destroying things, howling, running away). Thunder isn’t so sure that he wants to be wolfy because he is happy being a dog in Sage’s family. There are great themes in this book, and it was fun to read as an adult, too! I loved the ways in which the author shared more about how dogs have evolved into wolves through an engaging story! I highly recommend this one!

Tools for Navigation: So many kids are huge dog lovers, and this book will surely captivate thousands of readers. Teachers might have students read this book alongside a history of the domestication of dogs.

Discussion Questions:

How does Thunder emulated wolves? How is Thunder different?
What internal conflict is Thunder experiencing?
What did you learn from this book?

Flagged Spread:

Read This If You Love: Books about dogs, graphic novels, humor

Recommended For:

Cross-Curricular Educators’ Guide for Above the Trenches by Nathan Hale

July 16, 2024 by Kellee

Above the Trenches (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales #12): A WWI Flying Ace Tale
Author & Illustrator: Nathan Hale
Published: November 14th, 2023 by Abrams Fanfare

Summary: In Above the Trenches, author-illustrator Nathan Hale takes to the skies with the flying aces of World War I to reveal another Hazardous Tale in American history in the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series.

“Yippee! We’re going back to World War One!” said nobody ever—except maybe the Hangman.

When the Great War began in 1914, America had plans to stay out of it. But some young men were so eager to fight, they joined the French Foreign Legion. From deep in the mud and blood of the Western Front, these young volunteers looked to the sky and saw the future—the airplane.

The first American pilots to fight in World War One flew for the French military. France created a squadron of volunteer Americans called the Lafayette Escadrille (named after the great Marquis de Lafayette).

This book is about that volunteer How they got into the French military. How they learned to fly. How they fought—and died. And how these American pilots would go down in history with other legendary flying aces like the Red Baron and his Flying Circus.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all—if you dare!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the cross-curricular educators’ guide I created for Abrams for Above the Trenches:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

You can learn more about Above the Trenches on Abrams’s page.

Recommended For: