FICTION Oliver Jeffers writes and illustrates an unforgettable story of Floyd who goes out to fly his kite and inevitably gets it stuck in a tree. Floyd puts his creativity and determination to work. Watch an animated version of the story or read the book.

FICTION Written in verse, Singing with Elephants by Margarita Engle tells the tale of young Oriol who has recently moved from Cuba to Santa Barbara, California. Oriol faces teasing for her appearance and accent at school and finds comfort in helping care for the animals at her parents' vet clinic.  Oriol makes friends with Latin American Nobel Prize-winning poet Gabriel Mistral and begins to find her voice on the page. Oriol befriends a pair of baby elephants who may be in grave danger. Will Oriol take a risk to stand up for the innocent creatures? 

POEM Read this poem by Tupac Shakur. 

Click here to listen to Stacey's Extraordinary Words

FICTION This picture book is written by voting rights activist and advocate Stacey Abrams. The book tells the story of young Stacey who loves words more than anything and immerses herself in learning everything about them. In the story, Stacey is chosen to compete in a spelling bee. Her excitement about participating is replaced by fear of failure. Read the story to find what she learns about perseverance and herself in the process. The illustrations are by Kitt Thomas. 

NONFICTION Here is a short article available through Britannica School that gives a brief introduction to the persistence and dedication of Stacey Abrams.  

NONFICTION This text is about the life and contributions of Mary Golda Ross. Ms. Ross was the first Native American female aerospace engineer to work at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation working on secret aeronautics projects. She was also a math teacher and dedicated supporter of women and Native people in science, math, and engineering throughout her life.  

VIDEO A short film that chronicles the life and accomplishments of Mary Golda Ross. 

TEXT & VIDEO Jess Keating's biographical picture book and video reading illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns, describes the life of Eugenie Clark and how she originally discovered her passion for life in the oceans as a child on her visits to the aquarium. 

ARTICLE This short nonfiction article introduces us to the life of Eugenie Clark and her discoveries about fish and a brief description of some of her work with sharks. 

PODCAST DorkTales Hidden Heroes Podcast highlights the life and accomplishments of renowned scientist Eugenie Clark and her work expanding the way we explore and study the ocean. 

Click here to listen to Emmanuel's Dream

NONFICTION This picture book written by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls, tells the true story of Emmanual Ofosu Yeboah. As a child, Emmanuel was discriminated against because one of his legs was not fully formed when he was born. Despite the difference, mistreatment from others, and lack of laws to protect people with disabilities in his home country at the time, Emmanuel set a goal to ride a bicycle across Ghana. Emmanuel has since created an educational fund for the disabled, won awards, been the subject of the film, Emmanuel's Gift, and more.  

ARTICLE Here is a short biography about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah with more details about his work as an activist and author.