The true story of Fauja Singh, who broke world records to become the first one hundred-year-old to run a marathon, shares valuable lessons on the source of his grit, determination to overcome obstacles, and commitment to positive representation of the Sikh community. Every step forward is a victory. Fauja Singh was born determined. He was also born with legs that wouldn't allow him to play cricket with his friends or carry him to school miles from his village in Punjab. But that didn't stop him. Working on his family's farm, Fauja grew stronger to meet his own full potential. He never stopped striving. At the age of 81, after a lifetime of making his body, mind, and heart stronger, Fauja decided to run his first marathon. He went on to break records all around the world and became the first person over 100 to complete the grueling long-distance race. With exuberant text by Simran Jeet Singh and exhilarating illustrations by Baljinder Kaur, the true story of Fauja Singh reminds us that it's both where we start and how we finish that make our journeys unforgettable.

A National Bestseller “I love this book… It is rich in wisdom, religious and personal, and it is absolutely charming.” —Anne Lamott, author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow An inspiring approach to a happier, more fulfilling life through Sikh teachings on love and service. As a boy growing up in South Texas, Simran Jeet Singh and his brothers confronted racism daily: at school, in their neighborhood, playing sports, and later in college and beyond. Despite the prejudice and hate he faced, this self-described “turban-wearing, brown-skinned, beard-loving Sikh” refused to give in to negativity. Instead, Singh delved deep into the Sikh teachings that he grew up with and embraced the lessons to seek the good in every person and situation and to find positive ways to direct his energy. These Sikh tenets of love and service to others have empowered him to forge a life of connection and a commitment to justice that have made him a national figure in the areas of equity, inclusion, and social justice. The Light We Give lays out how we can learn to integrate ethical living to achieve personal happiness and a happier life. It speaks to those who are inspired to take on positive change but don’t know where to begin. To those who crave the chance to be empathetic but are afraid of looking vulnerable. To those who seek the courage to confront hatred with love and compassion. Singh reaches beyond his comfort zone to practice this deeper form of living and explores how everyone can learn the insights and skills that have kept him engaged and led him to commit to activism without becoming consumed by anger, self-pity, or burnout. Part memoir, part spiritual journey, The Light We Give is a transformative book of hope that shows how each of us can turn away from fear and uncertainty and move toward renewal and positive change.

Kamal's Kes is a body-positive picture book, rooted in dismantling standards of beauty that harm the mental health of young persons. With such few representations of body hair in picture books, cultural conditioning sends the message of feeling ashamed of natural hair. This Own Voices story offers young girls an empowering choice when it comes to their developing body hair. Kamal will have to confront her deepest thoughts to reimagine what beautiful means to her.

The boy who became Saint Yared grew up in the ancient kingdom of Axum. According to legend, he struggled as a student, just as this story shows, but eventually triumphed and went on to invent Ethiopia's system of musical notation. His work drew on local traditions and the church concept of the Holy Trinity, while his hymns had four parts based on the four seasons of the year, winter, summer, spring, and autumn. Hundreds of years before European composers developed a seven-note system of writing music, Yared wrote music using dashes, curves, and dots to represent ten different notes. Ready Set Go Books, an Open Hearts Big Dreams Project, is focused on increasing the literacy rate in Ethiopia through giving readers books with stories in their heart languages, full of colorful illustrations with Ethiopian settings and details. Profits from books sales will be used to create, print, and distribute more Ready Set Go Books to kids in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country. Ethiopia's population is 44% children, ages 0-14 (43 million out of 97 million total). Only 5.5% of children attend pre-school or kindergarten, and the adult literacy rate is 49%. Our books are based on wise Ethiopian sayings that often rhyme in Amharic. If an adult says the first half, many children can chant the second half. Sometimes the meaning of these sayings is clear. Sometimes it has to be puzzled out and argued over. But sayings and idioms and proverbs help people express truths and beliefs in unusual ways. Open Hearts Big Dreams Fund (OHBD) is a 501(3)(c) not for profit organization that believes the chance to dream big dreams should not depend on where in the world you are born. Our focus is to support nonprofit organizations and their programs that provide literacy, K-12 education, and leadership as well as that support the parents and communities where the kids live, in Ethiopia

In Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8, Molly Ness, supported by current research and personal experiences, demonstrates the sobering effect an absence of read alouds in classrooms has on preK–8 students’ comprehension skills. She provides intentional directions on planning and implementing a read-aloud routine that supports young learners’ literacy development, content-area knowledge, social-emotional learning, and academic achievement. This book will help you: Understand the role of read alouds in the science of reading Develop understanding of the three-step planning process for a read aloud See current read aloud research and trends among elementary, middle, and high school teachers Gain tips targeted for each age group’s social-emotional learning and cognition Capture the importance of read alouds in all content areas Create a read aloud plan for social studies, the sciences, mathematics, physical education, the arts, and electives with hands-on tools Contents: Foreword by Natalie Wexler Introduction Chapter 1: Plan the Read Aloud Chapter 2: Apply the Read Aloud Plan to Diverse Texts Chapter 3: Use Age-Appropriate Read Aloud Strategies Chapter 4: Customize Read Alouds for Various Content Areas Epilogue Appendix A: Read Aloud Planning Template Appendix B: Planning Template for Content-Area Read Alouds Appendix C: Resources for Content-Area Read Alouds Appendix D: Resources for Choosing Read Aloud Titles Appendix E: Lists of Children’s Book Awards Appendix F: Further Reading Appendix G: Children’s Books Cited References and Resources Index

The joyful path from rich read-aloud experiences toward supporting young readers’ independence. When young readers join their voices together in shared reading, their literacy skills and confidence soar. Shared reading surrounds students with the language of stories and the delight of learning in community. In Shake Up Shared Reading, veteran teacher Maria Walther offers teachers a simple but robust scaffolding for moving from teacher-led demonstration of read aloud to student-led discovery of literacy skills—across the bridge of shared reading. This easily adaptable structure features short, targeted bursts of shared reading that are connected to and planned as a follow-up to a read-aloud experience. The resource includes: Read-aloud experiences drawn from 50 recently published works of children’s literature from varied voices, that provide the foundation for the short, intensive shared reading interactions that follow. 100 short, laser-focused bursts of shared reading, two for each title, that invite students to dig deeper, with a precise aim in mind—perfect for a variety of learning contexts including virtual settings. Key vocabulary, kid-friendly definitions, along with a Nudge Toward Independence section for each shared reading interaction help teachers connect shared reading to guided reading lessons and students’ independent literacy learning. A companion website offering reproducibles and a Learning Target Chart that gives an at-a-glance view of every read aloud learning target and shared reading focus, along related titles and additional links. Let the power of a read aloud and shared reading lead your students to read, talk, ponder, and react on the way to becoming joyful, independent readers.

Whim is a sudden desire or idea. Hobby is something through which a person can express that particular idea in various ways. The idea, incorporating the expression of a person’s desire leads to the output of a hobby. Having a hobby is beneficial in so many ways. Hobbies are great stress relievers. They encourage one to take a break and also help in improving one’s career. A pastime activity, enriches one's self. Whimsicalities is an anthology which includes 40 writings about hobbies. This anthology is compiled by Ms. Samyuktha V and is presented by Ms. Gayathri V. Take a look at the thoughts of the co-authors about hobbies and enjoy the read!