Welcome to the Golden Library’s website. Here you will find the story of the project’s development, the list of books used in the classrooms, and resources for combating book bans.

My hope is that this project is one that can be replicated in any school with the desire to do so. The specific books I used are listed, but this collection was compiled using books already at Brickton Montessori and through generous donations of the community. At the heart of it is what this project’s goal was, to build community. There are over 26 languages spoken at this school, and the traditions, cultures, and lived experience of every member of the community is represented in these books.

What I have found is that by asking guiding open ended questions about these concepts deeper thought was inspired not only in the school’s children but in their parents and the community as a whole. As such I created introductions, examples, and questions for each topic which Brickton’s Development Coordinator Jamie Kendall turned into beautiful introduction pages. These pages were placed at the front of the baskets as the first thing seen by the students. This resource was used by classroom teachers to guide thoughtful conversations that extended far beyond the reading of the books as children took these concepts home, and families took them out into the world.

My personal community donated books, often expressing excitement about being able to participate and provide stories that resembled their own and that they wished had been available to them earlier in life. I am grateful to Brickton Montessori for the opportunity to create this project that has now grown beyond me and is firmly instilled in the community and will continue with many thanks to the teachers, staff and administration of Brickton who have embraced this project and made it part of each school year.

I have also found these books useful in my day to day life as teachers and friends have mentioned looking for good children’s books and I have been able to provide them with the list of picture books that I used. This list does not only have use in the classroom it is also useful for anyone with children in their lives.