The Four Cs: Calendars, Culture, Community, and Citizenship

I think it’s fair to say that schools are as close as we get to an engine of amalgamation in our communities. Public schools in particular have a mandate to serve, support, and educate every child from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade within their district borders. In fact, they may serve students as young as two and as old as twenty-one.

During the time that students are in the care of educators, there are unspoken expectations about the skills they will take with them:

• They will be able to live in community, i.e. have a sense of connection and shared interests

• They will be respectful of people and cultures different from their own

• They will be good citizens in a local and global sense: 

  • they follow the law/rules

  • they are involved in the democratic process, 

  • find ways to help the community, 

  • are informed about local, national, and international issues, 

  • are responsible and accountable for their actions

  • are environmentally aware

That is a lot to ask of our schools and communities, but there is a tool that schools have used for years that is a simple entrée to building the Four Cs: the humble school calendar. 

The school calendar is the foundation of any educational institution. For public and private schools, it’s a compact way to show the first and last days of school; delineate terms; and highlight staff workdays and in-service days, conference days, and make-up days that can be a buffer in case of unforeseen closures. It often displays prom, homecoming, and graduation dates. Most importantly for some kids, the calendar tells them when it’s vacation. 

School calendars provide students with temporal boundaries for at least 12 years of their lives. Additionally, they provide a framework to help families plan important activities in the school year. Educators use them to track their planning to use each school day to benefit the students in their classes, theirclass’ progress in meeting academic and maturation goals, and their own professional goals.

More importantly, I’d advocate that school calendars reflect unique cultural aspects in the school community/neighborhood and offer ways to support the cultures that connect when kids come to school.

Teacher-librarians in particular use calendars to highlight cultural activities important to the students they serve. They often build their lessons to reflect days of remembrance and holidays, and calendars support the educational and student development goals of the school simultaneously. The calendar below reflects many of the themes that teacher-librarians use to build programming because the celebrations included in a calendar are a built-in hook for kids and build on what teachers are doing in their classes.

Why is this important? Lory Walker Peroff’s article "Helping Classmates to Get Along" in the October 24 edition of Edutopia states,

Schools are one of the places where students can learn to be good neighbors. Unlike our friends we can’t choose our neighbors. Like a neighborhood, a classroom comprises a variety of personalities, interests, and ability levels that all need to coexist peacefully in a small walled community. Schools are in a unique position to teach young people the value of community and equip them with the skills to be good neighbors. Being a good neighbor is a timeless skill that will continue to be helpful outside the classroom and throughout a student’s life.1

Schools are all about being good neighbors. Good neighbors are interested in and invest in the community by being respectful, trustworthy, and helpful. Educators embody these traits and help their students learn to be good neighbors, too. Educators help students learn to include everyone in their classes, to be a good listener, be empathetic, be curious, be helpful, and to learn what they and their classmates have to offer. This leads to better relationships in the classroom and better friendships as well. In order to live in a civil, culturally rich society, we need to acknowledge and celebrate all the people who have found homes in our neighborhoods.

Teacher-librarians determine what materials they purchase to reflect who comes to their school. Their partnerships with other teachers and librarians validate the citizenship and courtesy skills kids are learning. Their role in promoting and celebrating the joy of learning is a unique one in schools, and it promotes a different kind of relationship with students than they have with their classroom teachers. Students often feel that teacher-librarians are more approachable, even when the rules of behavior and courtesy are the same. Not only do kids notice if another adult follows the same rules they are expected to follow in the classroom, but they also notice when an adult respectfully solicits their advice on what to include in a resource that serves the whole school.

Teacher-librarians are champions of community and provide resources for helping students to explore and learn about how others live, and why they live that way. The materials they purchase and promote have the power to expand children’s horizons. Using a calendar to underpin library lessons reveals a deliberate choice to honor and support curiosity about other cultures and create an atmosphere that is courteous and kind. 

Now, that’s citizenship in action.

The reader-reviewers of Puget Sound Council for Review of Children’s and Young Adult Literature invite you to take a look at titles that reflect on the Four Cs and READ THIS BOOK!

Title: Crow Helps a Friend written and illustrated by Andrea Fritz

ISBN: 9781459836242

Grade Level: PreK-1

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Anne Dame, Teacher-Librarian at Einstein Middle School

Review: A Coast Salish tale of a crow and a duck. They are playing in the tree where Duck makes his home, but as they play, catastrophe strikes and the tree breaks. The two must then work together to find Duck a new home. Words from the Hul'q'umi'num’ language are included, as well as a glossary and pronunciation guide. The illustrations are a combination of digital art and traditional Coast Salish techniques and are bold and vibrant, adding to the enjoyment of this simple story of friendship and helping one another. Includes notes on how to create Coast Salish art and how to avoid cultural appropriation.

Title: Obioma Plays Football written by Chika Unigwe, illustrated by Chinyere Okoroafor

ISBN: 9781913175375

Grade Level: PreK-1

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Tanya Kamila, Teacher-Librarian at Stevens Elementary School

Review: A fun, sweet story of Obioma, a confident, fun-loving eight-year-old who uses a wheelchair. We follow Obioma through everyday life and learn that she loves sports and oranges and is a bit of a rebel (her love of oranges lands her in a bit of trouble as she talks her best friend into sneaking onto the forbidden school orange farm to get more). Obioma learns her family is moving to a new city, where it ends up she faces sexism and ableism, especially from the boys who won't let her play on the football team. She is befriended by another young girl and, through their play, demonstrates her athleticism, leading to the eventual formation of an additional team. The plot feels a little choppy but the overall story and message of inclusion and everyday childhood angst triumphs. Kids will relate well both to the consequences and challenges Obioma faces and won't help but feel her disappointments as well. The illustrations are a stunning, bold palette of ink and watercolor. Particularly of note: Obioma's wheelchair is white, always there, yet the use of color and shading draws the reader's attention more to surrounding action—a clever means to aid the story in demonstrating the common threads of childhood no matter who and where you are.

Title: Sari-Sari Summers written and illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao

ISBN: 9781536226140

Grade Level: K-3

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Craig Seasholes, retired Teacher-Librarian, Seattle

Review: Nora loves spending summers in the Philippines when she gets to stay with her lola, or grandmother, who manages a small grocery store on a busy street. When a heat wave comes, it is Nora who comes up with the sweet idea of picking those juicy-juicy mangoes from the tree outside and creating a frozen treat to sell to the passers-by. With a sprinkling of Tagalog mixed in for good measure, this debut author-illustrator has created something for kids who still don't often see themselves in picture books. Recommended for anyone who loves mangoes (as I do) or knows students who spend time away from home with older relatives, this is indeed a warmly illustrated, endearing tale. With a "mango ice candy" recipe inside the back cover, this book would make a delightful read-and-eat treat for youngsters just before summer sets in. Yum!

Title: La Mariachi written by Isable Estrada and illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda

ISBN: 9781534111912

Grade Level: K-3

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Jodi Purcell, Teacher-Librarian, James Baldwin Elementary

Review: Tuchi, an imaginative young Latina, dreams of being a mariachi, playing a guitar to traditional western Mexican music. Her prayers seem to be answered when her teacher announces he’s creating a mariachi group. But, he explains, “I did not mean you, Tuchi. Mariachi is only for boys.” She hears similar defeating voices from her neighbors and classmates. Then she finds her grandmother’s guitarron in storage, and her nana soon tells her, “It’s time things changed.” They practice and practice. The bright cartoonish digital art would be inappropriate for anything that didn’t have a happy ending! I enjoyed the creative way the author describes music, and the two pages of back matter include a glossary and a review of mariachi instruments.

Title: Invincible: Fathers and Mothers of Black America written by Wade Hudson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

ISBN: 9781635925098

Grade Level: 3-5

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Merilyn Tucker, retired Teacher-librarian, St. Joseph’s School

Review: This is a difficult book to categorize, both for age levels (perhaps 3rd through 8th?) and genre. The watercolors by E.B. Lewis emphasize the gravity and enormity of the topic that Wade Hudson writes about: the indomitable spirit of the first Black Americans in our country's history. The book can be enjoyed on one level for the story it tells, written in bold font on the first few pages. Then, the history lesson really begins. Hudson lays out a timeline, starting with 1738, sharing lesser-known facts about the African American community. He gives examples of Jupiter Hammon, poet; all the African churches established in the 1770s, and not just the AME; Prince Hall and the African Lodge Freemasons in 1784. The list goes on and is so enlightening! The Author's Note and Journey to Community further the book's message and must be read to truly inform the reader. The Artist's Note adds even more context by explaining the repeated motif of the Sakofa bird and its relation to the people of Ghana. Every part of this book has to be read, I believe, for the reader to feel the impact of the author's and illustrator's message. This could be used as a starting point for research for middle grades.

Title: Lost inside my Head: The story of a boy who couldn’t help being different written and illustrated by Vigg

ISBN: 9781459835948

Grade Level: 3-5

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Deborah Fournier, Teacher-Librarian at Hilltop Elementary

Review: This lovely picture book gives us a glimpse inside a neurodivergent brain. From the first page of the book, Vigg begs readers for an empathetic view of the main character. The young person attempts to keep focused during a school day, fails, and tries to explain the complicated map of the house in his head. Each room has a purpose and a function, but the child continues to be caught up in his thoughts. When the teacher moves the child's seat, a two-page spread explains the continuous stream of distractions he has from his view out the window. Sleep-deprived, exhausted and deflated, the main character resolves to find his light and his voice. A beautiful book to read aloud with upper elementary students and build empathy for the neurodivergent community.

Title: Breaking to the Beat! written by Linda J. Acevedo, illustrated by Frank Morrison

ISBN: 9781643796390

Grade Level: 4-6

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Reviewer: Deborah Fournier, Teacher-Librarian at Hilltop Elementary

Review: This fictional story is also a history lesson in how breaking, or break dancing, came to life in the Bronx, NY, in the 1970s. The dynamic art style and movement on the page replicates the graffiti of the times. This book tells the story of Puerto Rican Manolo AKA Kid Flex. Latino and African American communities struggled with poverty at the time. Breaking was an outlet for the community. The dance form gained notoriety in the 1980s and Kid Flex’s crew, The Borinquen Breakers, performed around the world.

Title: Alone: The journeys of three young refugees written by Tom Paul, illustrated by Melaine Baillairge

ISBN: 9781773069272

Grade Level: 4-6

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Reviewer: Sreymom Serey, Teacher-Librarian at Cascade Elementary

Review: Alone is a nonfiction book written and laid out almost like a graphic novel. It tells the stories of three teens who faced a crisis and had to leave their countries for the safety of Canada as refugees. They all embark on a terrifying journey filled with fear, uncertainty, and obstacles alone. The book conveys their perseverance with simple storytelling and illustrations that will make young readers turn the pages. This is a must read for young readers to better understand the ordeal refugees go through to feel safe and stay alive, even if it means leaving everything you know and love behind. The struggles and sacrifices of refugees can be easily understood by young readers through this well-written book.

Title: No Place like Home written by James Bird

ISBN: 9781250877628

Grade Level: 5-8

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Reviewer: Eve Datisman, retired Teacher-Librarian, Port Angeles, volunteer cataloger for North Olympic History Center

Review: Twelve-year-old Ojibwe Opin has been living in his family’s Ford Pinto for some time with his mother and impulsive older brother, Emjay, who often disappears during rest stops along their route across California to Los Angeles. Gathering left-behind grub from fast food restaurants, slipping into empty hotel rooms to shower, and crossing their fingers for space at a local shelter are just a few of the things they must do to survive if they hope to make it to their destination before social services puts the brothers in foster care. Despite the promise of stability in L.A., the feeling of home is always just out of reach until Opin adopts a stray dog that he believes completes their family. When he realizes that shelters don’t take pets, he fears that his family is about to fall apart. Writing from his own experience (see author’s note), Bird crafts a big-hearted story of growing up through hardship, told in language rich with metaphor and poetry. Back matter includes a playlist of the songs that fuel the characters' journey, as well as a glossary of Anishinaabemowin terms.

Title: Imagine a Garden: Stories of courage changing the world, written by Rina Sign, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

ISBN: 9781771647137

Grade Level: 5-8

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Merilyn Tucker, retired Teacher-librarian, St. Joseph’s School

Review: Each of the poems in this book is about a real person who has made a positive difference in response to a negative event in the world. The people featured are a mother in Ramallah (especially poignant now) who plants flowers in spent grenades; a ballet dancer who teaches dance in the slums of Rio; an engineer in India who teaches children under a subway bridge; a man who "coaches" soccer to boys in the township, trying to keep them in school; an Anishinaabe activist speaking out for clean drinking water; an artist in Mexico City who melts down weapons to create art and musical instruments for children; and Mama Maria who fed Syrian refugees from her home on the island of Samos in Greece. The free-verse poems are each two pages in length and tell the succinct story of what the subject of the poem accomplished. The mention of violence and weapons means that this book is best read to or in the hands of an older audience. The cut-paper art is a lovely accompaniment. The fact that the artist is based in Tehran makes me worry for her and want to know more about her.

Title: Claro de Luna (The Moonlit Vine) written by Elizabet Santiago,

ISBN: 9781643795805

Grade Level: 7-9

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Erin O’Connor, Teacher-Librarian Kellogg Middle School

Review: This is the Spanish version of The Moonlit Vine. This review refers to the English version. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a story told in the past and the future, in alternating chapters. It begins in 1496 in present day Haiti with Anacaona, a leader of the Taíno Indigenous people of Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico giving her daughter symbolic gifts and telling her to keep their culture alive after her husband is killed by Columbus and the Spaniards who are attempting to take over. Then the story goes to present day where a 14-year-old Puerto Rican girl named Taína (Ty) is having struggles in her school and in her neighborhood. When her grandmother reveals to her that she is descended from royalty in 1500s Puerto Rico and hands her the same artifacts that Anacaona gave to her daughter in 1496, Ty comes into her own, and things start to change for the better. I thought that this article interviewing the author of the book was very interesting and gave more insight into the story.

Title: Accountable-The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account written by Daskha Slater

ISBN: 9780374314347

Grade Level: 6-12

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Reviewer: Erin O’Connor, Teacher-Librarian Kellogg Middle School

Review: This book was a finalist on the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction list. Written by Dashka Slater, who wrote “The 57 Bus” (another excellent YA nonfiction book), it's the true story of a group of kids in a city north of Berkeley, CA, who made the mistake of creating a private Instagram account to share blatantly racist memes with each other. The strange thing is that some of the kids were kids of Color, and they had friends of all races. Some of their Black friends even showed up in the account as the butt of their jokes. Once word got out about the account, the students at the school who were impacted were enraged, and the domino effect was huge. It's a story that includes interesting information about institutional racism and the ways in which white supremacy impacts the citizens of the United States. It's also a wake-up call as to how jokes can go way too far and how social media can harm a community.

Title: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester written by Maya MacGregor

ISBN: 9781662620423

Grade Level: 7-12

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Reviewer: Eve Datisman, retired Teacher-Librarian, Port Angeles, volunteer cataloger for North Olympic History Center

Review: In this debut novel, 18-year-old Sam Sylvester is trying to make a new life for themselves in Oregon after surviving a harrowing hate crime in their Montana hometown. Despite unwavering support from their father and burgeoning friendships at their new school, Sam can’t shake the feeling that they won’t live to be 19, the threshold between childhood and adulthood, like the dead children whose stories Sam collects and honors. Sam’s autism means that they often have obsessive thoughts and living in the house where a teenage boy named Billy supposedly died of anaphylactic shock 30 years ago is sometimes triggering. Sam and their friend Shep are drawn together and are determined to solve the cold case. However, the person who has gotten away with murder for the last three decades is equally determined to stop them, no matter what it takes. Heavy themes of early death, trauma, and violence are inextricably woven into the history of both the town and various characters, exhibiting myriad paths toward healing and justice. The central mystery is gripping and fast-paced, but the book gives all the characters’ motivations and backstories, making even the tertiary characters feel lived-in enough to be believable. Equal parts delicate and devastating.

Title: 16 & Pregnant written by Lala Thomas

ISBN: 9781665917278

Grade Level: 9-12/YA

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Kris Maraveller, Teacher- Librarian, Meadowdale High School

Review: Friends Erykah and Kelly, two Black teens from Nevada, have big goals: Erykah wants to go to business school and Kelly wants to be valedictorian and earn a basketball scholarship. When Erykah gets pregnant, Kelly does her best to support her friend. Erykah’s unreliable boyfriend and her mom think she has gotten an abortion, but she could not go through with it. Initially, she lies about getting an abortion and hides her intense morning sickness, but eventually, her lie is exposed. Kelly then gets pregnant, does not tell her boyfriend, and opts to go through with an abortion. Told in alternating viewpoints and using teen slang, this MTV-inspired debut novel takes readers through Erykah’s reality of being a poor, young, pregnant teen going through a difficult pregnancy and Kelly’s visit to the abortion clinic. The girls’ friendship and family relationships are tested by the choices each makes, making for a relatable and authentic portrayal of what it is like to be 16 and pregnant.

Title: How The Boogeyman Became a Poet written by Tony Keith

ISBN: 9780063296008

Grade Level:9-12/YA

Recommendation: Recommended

Reviewer: Eve Datisman, retired Teacher-Librarian, Port Angeles, volunteer cataloger for North Olympic History Center

Review: This memoir in verse portrays Tony Keith as he reflects on his senior year of high school in 1999 and his first year of college as he struggles to figure out who he is. He’s trying to figure out what he would like for his future and how to square that with his sexuality. In the last few months of school, Tony doesn’t think he has the grades to go to college but knows everyone around him expects him to. He also knows he’s living a lie because he has a girlfriend, Blu, and is maintaining an image of a “cool, straight Black teen.” The performance he puts on he calls “the Boogeyman,” who has been shadowing him since he was six. The Boogeyman shows up to remind Tony that he’s about to get caught at any moment and be exposed. Tony’s solace is his poetry. It helps him navigate the loneliness he feels whether in high school or college and eventually, it helps him open some doors for himself and his powerful words. These two years show his searing honesty and deft wordplay, and create a vivid impression of this enormously talented and multifaceted writer and performer. Pages of his notebooks are reproduced in the book. This will especially speak to young people who are dealing with similar educational, familial, and interpersonal pressures. An emotionally honest and self-reflective debut. Discussion guide and read-alikes from Follett, starred review in Booklist

Also Recommended: listed by grade level

Grade Level: PreK-1

• Black Girls written by Dominique Furukawa , illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones , ISBN: 9780063205314, Grade Level PreK-1

• We belong to the Drum written by Sandra Lamouche, illustrated by Azby Whitecalf, ISBN: 9781459834385, Grade Level PreK 1

• I Heard written by J Nailah Avery, illustrated by Steffi Walthall, ISBN: 9781623543822

Grade Level: K-3

• Okra Stew: A Gullah Geechee family celebration, written and Illustrated by Natalie Daise, ISBN 9781250849663, Grade Level: K-3

• Juneteenth written and illustrated by Van G. Garrett, ISBN: 9780358574323, Grade Level K-3

• The heart never forgets written and illustrated by Hayden Goodman, ISBN: 9781665913058, Grade Level K-3

• Abuelo, the sea and me, written and illustrated by Ismee Williams, ISBN: 9781250848772, Grade Level K-3

Grade Level K-6

• Empty and Me: A tale of friendship and loss written in Persian and English by Azam Mahdavi, ISBN: 9781643796222, Grade Level K-6

Grade Level 5-8

• She Can STEM: 50 trailblazing women in science from ancient history to today, ISBN 9780760386064, Grade Level 5-8

• Tethered to other stars, written by Elisa Stone Leahy, ISBN: 9780063255487, Grade Level 5-8

Grade Level 6-12

• Kin: Rooted in Hope writing by Carol Boston Weatherford, ISBN: 9781665913621, Grade Level 6-12

• Monstrous-A transracial Adoption, written by Sarah Meyer, ISBN: 9781250268808, Grade Level 6-12

• Lunar New Year Love Story, written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Leuyen Pham, ISBN: 9781250908261, Grade Level 6-12

Grade Level 9-12/YA

• Imogen, Obviously written by Becky Albertelli, ISBN: 9780063045873, Grade Level 9-12

• Becoming a Queen written by Dan Clay, ISBN: 9781250843098, Grade Level 9-12

• I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp, written by Anthony DelCol, Grade Level 9+

• Gloria Buenrostro Is Not my Girlfriend, written by Brandon Hoang, ISBN: 9780374388577, Grade Level 9-12

• A land of books : Dreams of young Mexihcah word painters writing and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, ISBN: 9781419749421, Grade Level All

• Sometimes I cry written by Jess Townes, illustrated by Daniel Miyares, ISBN: 9780374308254, Grade Level All

Eve Datisman is the cataloger at the North Olympic History Center, where she is currently conducting an historic newspaper inventory. She finds this fascinating, and she’s learning more about the flowery style of boosterism reportage of the early 1890s than is good for her. It’s a constant fight to reduce and clarify her verbiage. She’s not sure she’s winning.