THE DAY YOU BEGIN is a fun story that packs a powerful message. Woodson explains that the day you truly begin living is the day that you realize that even though you may be different from everyone else, once you find the courage to share your story, the world will create the space or you that you deserve.

Grade Level: Kindergarten (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.) and no one there is quite like you. There are many reasons to feel different.

In the poem, Reading, by Jacqueline Woodson, we learn about a girl who loves to take her time, reading a book over and over, to savour the story. Jacqueline Woodson, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, is one of America's most respected children's poets.

She explores issues of gender, class and race as well as family and history. She is known for using these common themes in ground-breaking ways.