The Darkest Dark: in overcoming fears we become free to reach dreams about who we want to be

/
The Darkest Dark: in overcoming fears we become free to reach dreams about who we want to be

ages 4 to 10 years
Chris Hadfield (astronaut, musician, author, celebrity crush for stem-loving women around the world) has said: "Every single thing that you learn really just gives you more comfort.”

He was talking about taking the opportunity to learn any skill, any idea, at any time—embracing the notion that knowledge is power and that with knowledge comes freedom. And one of the freedoms most everyone seeks for their children is freedom from fear, real or imagined. The Darkest Dark is about just that: overcoming fear. It's also a love story, a promise, an inspiration.

It's the story of a boy, his love for space, and how that love overcomes his deepest fear: fear of the dark.

Read More

an empowering story of friendship, fairness and a vote for hope

/
an empowering story of friendship, fairness and a vote for hope

ages 6 to grownup
It seems almost dystopian that there was a time when Aboriginal people were not counted in the population statistics. And when the laws and powers that were held by each State government resulted in segregation and broad discrimination...

Read More

5 Anzac Day favourites to honour one of Australia's most important days

/
5 Anzac Day favourites to honour one of Australia's most important days

ANZAC Day is named after the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in World War 1—the 25th of April 1915. In Australia and New Zealand the day is commemorated each year and has become one of our most important national days. It’s a day replete with stories of valour, courage, kindness, and good natured shenanigans.

These five are by no means the only lovely books to read around Anzac Day but they are exceptional.

Read More

how friendship and courage bring hope to a community

/
how friendship and courage bring hope to a community

ages 12 years and up
Hotaka is the tale of the town of Omori-wan, one of the Japanese villages devastated by the 2011 Tsunami and the people who are trying to learn to live after everything is swept away—it's told through the eyes of a young boy, Hotaka....

Read More

a rare story about an internally displaced family that is, at once, sobering and uplifting

/
a rare story about an internally displaced family that is, at once, sobering and uplifting

ages 6 to 12 years
The civil war in Lebanon ran for about 15 years and even though it officially ended almost thirty years ago (in 1990), the IDMC says that there were still about 12,000 displaced people in Lebanon in 2015. This book tells the story of Sami, who is ten years old and has lived with the troubles of the Lebanon Civil War all his life...

Read More

one book each—about inspiring women and fascinating science

/
one book each—about inspiring women and fascinating science

The movie Hidden Figures is just wonderful—funny, frustrating, uplifting, beautiful—the full cinematic experience!  But the book covers so much more (naturally). Here’s a clip of author Margot Lee Shetterly talking to one of Dorothy Vaughn’s* grandchildren. She talks about the movie and the other parts of the book.Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition is wonderful too—

Read More