Be a Bridge

  • Interest Level: Preschool - Grade 3
  • Reading Level: Grade 2

In this upbeat picture book, acclaimed authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters bring key themes from their earlier collaborations (Can I Touch Your Hair? and Dictionary for a Better World) to a young audience.

Rhyming verse describes different ways in which readers can “be a bridge,” from welcoming a new student and listening respectfully when someone else is talking to standing up to a bully and comforting a classmate who is upset.

Nabila Adani’s cheerful illustrations depict a diverse group of students, including young versions of Charles and Irene. Scan a Page Plus QR code at the end of the book to download a Bridge Builder Pledge. An ideal book to share with students in the fall to set the tone for the whole school year!

Format Your Price Add
978-1-7284-2338-8
$14.99
978-1-7284-6824-2
$24.99
978-1-7284-8790-8
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978-1-7284-8789-2
$6.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Preschool - Grade 3
Reading Level Grade 2
Genre Picture Books
Category Diverse Books: Celebrating Differences , Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: B Self-Management, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: D Relationship Skills, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2022
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 32
Publication Date 2022-08-02
Text Type Fiction
BISACS JUV039220, JUV074000, JUV035000
Dewey [E]
Dimensions 9.75 x 9.75
Lexile 610
Guided Reading Level L
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Original artwork, Page Plus™, and Reviewed

Author: Irene Latham

Irene Latham is the author of more than a dozen current and forthcoming works of poetry, fiction, and picture books. Her work includes Charlotte Huck Honor Book and ALA Notable Children’s Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship (co-written with Charles Waters) and the Caldecott Honor Book The Cat Man of Aleppo(co-written by Karim Shamsi-Basha). In 2016 she won the ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Visit her at www.irenelatham.com.

Author: Charles Waters

Charles Waters is a children’s poet, actor, and co-author of Charlotte Huck Honor Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. His novel in verse, Mascot (co-written with Traci Sorell) was recognized as a Charlotte Huck Honor Book and a 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including One Minute Till Bedtime and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Charles performs his one-person show as well as conducts poetry performance and writing workshops for elementary and middle school audiences. He lives in Georgia.

Illustrator: Nabila Adani

Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia and enjoys illustrating different cultures around the world. She originally studied Industrial Product Design in Bandung Institute of Technology earning her degree in 2013, yet found her way into illustration later in life. She briefly worked as product designer in Japan and Indonesia before moving to the United States with her family. Now, living back in Jakarta she enjoys illustrating and telling stories for children worldwide.

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Awards

  • South Carolina Book Award Nominee, Nominated, 2024

Reviews

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

“[A] great book to start the school year, to help create rules for the classroom, or to start discussions about connecting to others.”—Children’s Literature

Publishers Weekly

“Latham and Waters reteam for this rhyming exploration of how children can learn to be a “bridge,” building key connections through kindness."—Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

“A charming and welcome read bound to help cultivate a kinder next generation.”—Kirkus Reviews