Dear Stitó:s Families,

I feel like our summer holiday was sufficiently long enough that I am really looking forward to seeing our students back in the Learning Commons. I know I've said this often, but I do feel so fortunate that I get to spend time learning about our students' interests and finding amazing books to share with them. September is time to ignite, re-ignite or continue to ignite our students' curiousities and provide them with countless opportunities to not only get lost in the pages of a book, but hopefully also find themselves.

I like to create a monthly newsletter for families to keep you informed of new books, opportunities and events that are happening in the Learning Commons throughout the school year. You can find the newsletter on our school website each month. Please reach out if you are ever have any questions, requests, suggestions or are looking for some book recommendations.

Here's to a fabulous new school year! 😊

Lorisse Humphries

One Day,..., Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Here's a great story with very little text. The stories tell so much more in the illustrations! "One day. . . I went to school. I came home. The end." says our storyteller- a girl with a busy imagination and a thirst for adventure. The art tells a fuller tale of calamity on the way to school and an unpredictably happy ending. The genius of this picture book is that each illustration captures multiple, unexpected, and funny storylines as the narrator tells her shorter-than-ever stories, ending with, "One day. . . I wanted to write a book".

A Not So Perfect Start, Trudy Ludwig

This is the first in a new series about building caring classrooms and introduces Thea, who is determined to have a PERFECT first week of school… until things don’t quite go according to plan. I love that the focus is on mistakes, disappointment, and learning how to manage when things don’t turn out the way we hope. Trudy Ludwig is the author of The Invisible Boy, a touching story that looks at a boy who feels left out. I have a feeling this book is going to be amazing too. (‎Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 2026)

Owl By Myself, Pete Oswald

Follow an adorable little owl through his morning routine as he tries to do everything “owl” by himself, from cleaning his room and brushing his teeth to packing his backpack for school (with perhaps a few too many stuffies!). Definitely geared to Kindergarten, but what a fun way to encourage young children to start doing more things independently. The illustrations are hilarious, especially when what Owl says he’s doing and what we see don’t quite match! Families may recognize the art as Pete Oswald is also the illustrator for John Jory's food group picture book series (ie/ The Bad Seed). (Random House Studio, August, 2026)