John Schu – Mom Read It

This is a Story, by John Schu/Illustrated by Lauren Castillo, (March 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536204520

Ages 4-8

Children’s librarian, literacy advocate, and author John Schu follows up last year’s This is a School with a moving tale of how stories connect communities. Beginning with a word on a page, Schu takes readers to the library, where a child and librarian connect over a book, creating a reader. Readers read together, dream together, and grow together: all because of a story, which helps us make sense of the world around us. Castillo uses ink, watercolor, and pastels to create warm images of a diverse group of readers and creates a welcoming, comfortable space a place where people can come together: the library. The choices for favorite children’s books throughout the book can be found in the acknowledgements, and would make for a great reader’s advisory list or display. Choosing to put the library at the heart of a community is a powerful statement. An excellent choice for collections and a first choice for class visit readalouds.

This is a Story has a starred review from School Library Journal. Candlewick offers a downloadable teacher’s guide on the book detail page on the publisher’s website.

This is a School, by John Schu/Illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison, (March 2022, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536204582

Ages 4-8

I know, kids are ready to run out the door by now, and you may be thinking, “End of school year storytime? WHAT?” But bear with me, because John Schu’s This is a School is a beautifully crafted look at a community, and how a school is the beating heart of a community. Using brief, definitive sentences, John Schu tells the story: “This is a kid. / This is a kid in a class. / This is a class in a hall. / This is a hall in a school – / WELCOME!” Using repetition, he invites readers to look and listen as he goes through a school day, where children ask and learn, share and help, hope and heal, fail and try; with alternating spreads, we see what happens in the school day, and how it contributes to communities growing, celebrating, transforming. An inclusive group of families and cheerful mixed media artwork present a thriving urban community. What a wonderful way to send learners off into their communities for summer break, and an equally sterling way to welcome them back.

John Schu is a former classroom teacher and school librarian, a former Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs, and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University. His blog, Mr. Schu Reads, is an excellent resource for anyone who loves kidlit. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter.

Veronica Miller Jamison is an illustrator and textile designer who trained as a fashion designer. She is the illustrator of Suzanne Slade’s A Computer Called Katherine. Find more of her illustration work at her website.

This is a School has a starred review from Booklist.

Tag: John Schu

It begins with a word, it creates a community: This is a Story, by John Schu & Lauren Castillo

End of School Year storytime: This is a School