Government > Housing and Community Development > Planning and Community Development Division > We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk > Equity Walk Books Walking and Talking

Equity Walk Books Walking and Talking

Walking and Talking

What does it mean to “walk in someone else’s shoes?”Are you kind? Are you curious? Are you creative? Do you respect others? Do you respect yourself? What makes you feel included? What is an affirmation?

Resources for Students, grades K-2

When Aidan Became a Brother, by Kyle Lukoff
A transgender boy is expecting a sibling and adjusting to changes.
Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora
A tribute to the author’s Nigerian grandmother, this picture book shows how food brings disparate people together to become a community.
How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine, by Amy Guglielmo
A narrative picture book biography about Temple Grandin, a professor of Animal Science, inventor, and autism advocate and spokesperson.
Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood, by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell
Based on a true story of transforming a neighborhood with community building and art.
Maddi’s Fridge, by Lois Brandt
Helping a friend with food insecurity. This is a common situation but is not a story often told and here it is told without judgment or condescension but with trust and empathy.
Wolf in the Snow, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell.
In this wordless book – winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal – a young girl is on her way home from school when a snow storm hits. As she trudges homeward, trying not to lose her way, she finds a lost wolf cub and decides to help him find his pack.
The Amazing Bone, written and illustrated by William Steig.
A plucky pig named Pearl finds a talking bone who helps save her life when a hungry fox decides Pearl would make a great meal.
You Matter, written and illustrated by Christian Robinson.
In this brightly-illustrated picture book featuring an array of children from diverse backgrounds, Robinson sings the worth of each person and their connection to each other.

Resources for Students, grades 3-5

We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, by Traci Sorell
Beginning in the fall with the Cherokee New Year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences.
I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness, by Kerascoët
A wordless picture book about empathy and community.
Bud, Not Buddy, written by Christopher Paul Curtis.
When his mother dies, ten-year-old Bud is considered an orphan. But Bud believes that his father is still alive and sets out on a journey to find him.
Stepping Stones, written and illustrated by Lucy Knisley.
Knisley tells the story of Jen, a city girl who moves to a farm with her mother after her parents divorce. It’s hard enough learning to do various farm chores, but Jen also needs to deal with her mother’s boyfriend and his two daughters, who visit on weekends.

Resources for Students, 6-8

George, by Alex Gino
One of the first great #ownvoices transgender middle grade chapter books, George is about a transgender girl who is forbidden from playing Charlotte in the school play of Charlotte’s Web.
The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Wartime historical fiction set in the U.K. deals with ability, abuse, vulnerability.
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings, A Memoir, written by Margarita Engle.
In this award-winning autobiography-in-verse, Engle writes about growing up bicultural, torn between her Cuban heritage and her life in Los Angles.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, written by Jacqueline Kelly.
Set in the year 1899, Kelly’s Newbery Honor-winning tale depicts the struggle of 12-year-old Calpurnia (Callie for short) against the societal strictures that limit the role of women.

Resources for Parents

The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion, and Connection, by Brené Brown
Brené applies her research and teaching of self acceptance to parenting.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Extrovertedness is a culturally bound quality. There are gifts to be found in the introverted and it is important to be sensitive when dealing with introverted children.
Raising Race Conscious Children
NAEYC Equity Resources: Living the Statement
An Educator’s Guide to This Moment
Montgomery County Schools Equity Initiatives Unit