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Wonderful world of mythology
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Hi Reader, My teen has loved Greek mythology for a long time. Many of the fantasy series he's enjoyed have characters who are living out aspects of Greek, West African, and Indian mythology. So when it was time to think of electives for his first year of high school, I asked how he'd feel about a world mythology class. He was all for it, but unfortunately I couldn't find a curriculum for world mythology. (Only Greek mythology stuff was available.) That meant I spent a lot of time pouring through books: picture books, illustrated chapter books, encyclopedias, graphic novels, and collections of tales for older readers. My newest blog post is a big roundup of books for diving deep into world mythology. There are titles for kids ages 6 through teens. You'll find global collections plus books that explore specific cultures in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Head to the post to discover my favorite titles, including: 🌏 a strikingly-illustrated global encyclopedia of gods, monsters, and heroes that we checked out and returned from the library at least 5 different times! 🕷️ a new Anansi the spider picture book that considers the trickster's role in the making of kente cloth 🧜🏾♀️a beautifully illustrated anthology of Caribbean and West African myths (this one is my personal favorite!) 😨 a scary (but not too scary) collection of Inuit folktales about monsters 🪔a graphic novel retelling of the Hindu epic the Ramayana which centers a woman's perspective of the gods' actions.
At the end of each year, I create blog posts of my favorite picture books and chapter books published that year. This year I started a little early! Take a look at my Bookshop.org list of my favorite children's books of 2026 - so far. (affiliate link) You can save 15% on the titles on this list when you use code BOOKS15 at checkout (ends October 17). If you pair this with the free shipping that Bookshop is offering on all orders today and tomorrow for their Anti-Prime Days, that's a great deal! The free shipping, which ends Wednesday night, applies to everything, not just the books on my favorites of 2026 list. If you're new to Bookshop.org, ordering from them supports independent bookstores (and when you use my link it also supports my business.) Happy reading, Rebekah Rebekah Gienapp (she/her/hers) | rebekahgienapp.com | Connect on Instagram | Coffees for Gaza | Knit 4 Justice |
Raising antiracist kids
Are you a parent, caregiver, or educator who wants to help children become brave justice seekers? Subscribe for practical tips, children's book recommendations, and resources for antiracist families and classrooms.
Hi Reader, Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about changes to my language that I was working on in my effort to be an antiracist parent. One of the language shifts I focused on was abandoning the phrases "good schools" and "bad schools." Kids do pick up on these labels, even if they only hear adults use them when talking to other adults. From there, they form ideas about the children who attend these schools and the neighborhoods the schools are located in. Today, I want to expand on...
Hi Reader, About a month ago, a newsletter reader asked me if I could recommend any books for her preschooler about the history of residential schools for Indigenous children. This is a topic I'd been thinking about addressing, and her email prompted me to pull together a blog post of books about this painful history in both Canada and the United States. You may not be familiar with the residential school era (usually called the boarding school era in the U.S.). This was a period of over 100...
Hi Reader, Because Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month starts in the middle of a calendar month, it can be easy to miss. This celebration of heritage, culture, and history begins on September 15th and ends on October 15th. (The beginning date was chosen because several Latin American countries celebrate their independence days on September 15th, 16th, and 18th.) As always, I believe that reading books together is one of the best ways to participate in this celebration. I've updated and expanded...