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Jesus Loves Us and Our Favorite Colors

A sweet coloring book for Christian children and their families.

In this coloring book, children learn about their favorite colors while also receiving a message about faith.

A simple rhyming poem about a teddy bear’s family, with an additional Christian element that will appeal to religious families, Benoit-Roy’s book leads children through a series of cute illustrations outlined in black, with prompts to help them choose the correct colors for the bears’ favorite objects. While the book is simple enough for a child to read alone, the structure of introducing family members would also make it a fun book to read with siblings, parents or cousins. The teddy bear narrating the book is cute and cuddly, and his extended family is representative enough that most children will be able to see themselves in the story. The objects children can color—from favorite bikes to purple hats to Grandpa’s gray hair—are unexpected and interesting, and the hints about how to color each object, given in just a splash of color on the different objects, will help guide children who are learning their colors, without dictating so much that he or she would feel stifled or frustrated. Aside from basics like red and blue, color suggestions include pink for a bike; gold, instead of yellow, for honey; and gray hair. Of course, kids are free to color as they wish, but the gentle instructions won’t be off-putting. The faith element is present throughout the book, without becoming so overpowering as to be preachy for small children who might just want to look at a cute picture and color it.

A sweet coloring book for Christian children and their families.

Pub Date: May 8, 2013

ISBN: 978-1482312072

Page Count: 28

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: July 22, 2013

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TRANS CHILDREN IN TODAY'S SCHOOLS

Essential guidance on proactively navigating the challenges of gender-diverse student bodies.

A comprehensive look at gender-diverse youth in the classroom.

As the transgender student population continues to become more widely visible, navigation tools have become critical for educators and parents alike, notes Key, a veteran gender diversity educator. While written with parents of trans+ children in mind, the book is primarily directed at teachers, administrators, and school staff who directly impact students’ lives on a daily basis. Key shows readers what is involved when a child considers a gender transition process, and he confronts the challenges of gender inclusion, which may be a new topic for some readers. Particularly striking are the stories from parents of trans+ students who are managing the stages of their own apprehension alongside those of their child. Key incorporates learning points on gender vernacular and fighting community stigmatization. Personal anecdotes and timely discussions from school educators complement instructive illustrations and Q&A sections that answer sensitive questions regarding sports participation, bathroom choices, and changing areas. In an encouraging, consistently positive manner, Key addresses the overt political and/or cultural resistance that proliferates within heated debates and public forum discussions, and he asserts that accurate information is the best way to educate and collaborate. He stresses the importance of delivering practical, real-world discussion tools and assistance to parents and educators of trans+ children, who often find themselves without resources, advice, answers, or support to fortify what can often be an overwhelmingly complex experience. Key’s checklists of suggestions successfully bridge the gap between trans+ kids, adults, and school educators with strategically supportive approaches and behaviors. Authoritative yet written in pleasant, straightforward language, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding what it clearly means (and doesn’t mean) to be transgender while ensuring that every student has access to an optimal learning environment free from discrimination.

Essential guidance on proactively navigating the challenges of gender-diverse student bodies.

Pub Date: June 27, 2023

ISBN: 9780190886547

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023

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THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY

An instructive history with a disturbing coda: If you want to learn about evolution, go to college.

Fox News commentator Jarrett’s account of the iconic 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial turns out to be a satisfying traditional history that celebrates the good guys.

Although widely derided, the flurry of post–World War I state laws forbidding public schools from teaching evolution enjoyed a great deal of popular support. Concerned about the effect on academic freedom, the American Civil Liberties Union ran a news release seeking a volunteer to test the newly enacted Tennessee law. The trial took place in the small town of Dayton only because local boosters believed it “would put [the town] on the map.” They persuaded high school teacher John Scopes to offer himself as defendant. News of the case made headlines, and a mass of journalists descended on the city along with celebrities, including William Jennings Bryan and legendary lawyer Clarence Darrow. With a churchgoing jury and biased judge who began the proceedings by declaiming the first chapter of Genesis, the outcome was never in doubt, but Jarrett remains firmly for the defense, praising Darrow’s and colleagues’ arguments in favor of First Amendment freedoms and opposing religious bigotry and government interference in education. To Darrow’s frustration, the judge ruled that the trial was solely to determine whether Scopes broke the law, so he refused to allow the defense to call scientists and theologians to inform the jury that evolution was not equivalent to atheism. After several frustrating days, Darrow grew discouraged, and many reporters left before he hit the jackpot cross-examining Bryan, who had volunteered to prove the literal truth of everything in the Bible and did a terrible job. Despite an upbeat conclusion, Jarrett admits that there is less in Darrow’s triumph than meets the eye. Disbelief in evolution remains common, so school boards (and publishers anxious to sell them science textbooks) treat the subject with kid gloves.

An instructive history with a disturbing coda: If you want to learn about evolution, go to college.

Pub Date: May 30, 2023

ISBN: 9781982198572

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Threshold Editions/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 1, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

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