We Read

To understand and lessen the fear of the other.

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The We Read loves picture books and drinking espresso.

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  • In and Out Community

    “Lailah thought of telling Anna that she was fasting, but she didn’t think anyone at Sunnyvale Elementary School knew about Ramadan.” What a powerful thought to think. This was Lailah’s first time participating in the Muslim fasting of Ramadan. Lailah’s Muslim community opens this fast to Lailah because she is old enough to participate in this act of worship and thanksgiving. This is a significant moment in her young life; however, within the school community, Lailah was unsure whether anyone would understand how important Ramadan is to her. Lailah decides to ask her librarian for support. The result is creative and inclusive. Lailah brings her Muslim religion to the classroom. Picture books like Lailah’s Lunchbox are instructive tools that help educate young people that there are communities that, while some may not attend, others can learn from. Ramadan is expected to start at sundown on February 17, 2026, and conclude on March 19, 2026. Ramadan Mubarak!

    A live reading of Lailah’s Lunchbox is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, 2026, at First Baptist Church. All are welcome.

  • Potter Maria!

    Shaped by her Hands Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman & Barbara Gonzales

    Maria Povika Martinez was a potter, a teacher, and a Tewa Native person. Living and working north of Santa Fe, Maria and her husband unearthed the unique process of creating black pottery.

    “The Great Spirit gave me (hands) that work…but not for myself, for all Tewa people.” Maria Povika Martinez

    Maria knew the importance of passing traditions on to the next generation. She traveled far from home to educate people on the craftwork of black pottery. This book enlightens us on Native People’s culture, arts, and traditions.

  • Women. Children. Horse. Book. WPA

    Packhorse Librarians →→Reading

    Books by Horseback: A Librarian’s Brave Journey to Deliver Books to Children

    If Books by Horseback was a function: x = smart women, turn the crank, and y = a generation of people are educated. Boy, do we need X right now. Established during the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project (WPA) was a woman and horse-led venture. Librarians and horses might seem like an unusual pairing; however, they successfully galloped together to bring books to isolated people in the Appalachian Mountains.

    The WPA employed millions of job seekers, and overall, it was a valuable job program for Americans (except for the racial prejudice and wartime panic of the 1942 Japanese internment camps, which were built & staffed by the agency). The families, the librarians, and the horses delivered books and recipes to kids and the unemployed. This program taught Americans to read; therefore, the women were integral to ensuring a literate generation.

    In Books by Horseback, we meet Edith, a pack librarian, and Dan, her loyal horse. Edith and Dan traverse dangerous terrain in harsh weather to deliver books to forgotten families. This book promotes reading, nature, women, bravery, social empowerment, and the recognition of systemic inequities. This book is an excellent way to start the new year off.

  • Healing Through Dance: The Jingle Dress Tradition 🔔

    Today is Powwow Day, and River can’t participate in the Jingle Dress Dance. Toward the end of WWI, the flu pandemic killed many people; the response from the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe people was to create a healing dance called the Jingle Dress Dance (during COVID-19, the dance was shared through the internet from home to home). As a dancer moves, the jingles or bells emit the sound of metal on metal, like hearing loose change rustling in one’s pocket.

    The Jingle Dress Dance is an active form of prayer—a healing prayer. River said, “I will dance again.” River’s family and friends understand that River needs healing from a long illness. Her friend, Dawn, represents River as a proxy for healing. It is Dawn’s sacred duty to step in for her friend who cannot perform the dance. The dance is also a competition; however, “girls don’t dance for the judge.”

    The author, Traci Sorell, weaves a spiritual tale. She gives insight into a dance that heals, brings community together, remembers ancestors, and honors the Creator. A rare book that really should be shared across the earth, with one foot on the ground and the other in the air.

    Traci Sorell’s, Powwow Day.

  • Transgender & You.

    Transgender & You.

    When Aidan Became a Brother is a Stonewall Book Award winner. Check out this innovative and engaging book on transgender children. This is a thoughtful picture book that depicts a black family and their transgender boy as they prepare to welcome the new baby. Live reading Sunday, November 16, 2025

  • Refugee in the Big City!

    Refugee in the Big City!

    Refugees come from all over the planet. Paddington is a heartfelt story about a bear looking for a home in the big city. This story is an easy way to talk about immigration with your little ones. Paddington at his core is a unique character. How do you see refugees seeking asylum? Do you see the real person or a bear?

  • STEM by a Woman

    Why do I like The Leaf Detective, by Heather Lang? Margaret Lowman deduced how to get to the top of a rainforest tree with ingenuity and intellect. She had no mentors. A male professor excluded her from becoming a field biologist. No one had studied the treetops. No one could stop her from exploring the leaves of the rainforest and the bugs that feasted on them. In nature Meg understood that protection was reciprocal: trees take care of their unhealthy, nutrient-deprived kin. Meg understood that trees even go to therapy.

    The Leaf Detective takes shade under a coffee plant.

    Margaret leapt into action, inventing the slingshot and harness, as well as the canopy walkways, to help heal and protect humanity. These canopy walkways provide the local population with opportunities for tourism and conservation. How could being 150 feet in the air change your perspective? This book will help people appreciate the rainforest and Margaret Lowman’s breakthrough research.

  • ☕ Time, Temperature & Turbulence

    




    The Rev. Dr. John E. Fisk will read next month’s book, “When Aidan Became a Brother.”
    




    The next WeRead is returning to base at FBC in November, where we will read “When Aidan Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukof. The uncomfortable temperature will read 596 unbanned books. The honorable judgment freed the books to fly anywhere. We, the People, now understand that the Captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. Please STAND UP and move freely about your world. Thank you for listening to unbanned books.
    

    


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    Turtle & Tyranny
    



    

    

    

    



    

    Are you Engaged in Community?
    




    




    The public is welcome to come and listen to: Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss, the book will be read by the Rev. Dr. John E. Fisk. Enjoy a cozy community and a wee coffee as we dive into an engaging story about tyranny. Don’t miss out on this enriching experience!
    




    Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 11 A.M. 
    First Baptist Church 
    Downstairs in Fellowship Hall
    118 S. Main Street, Attleboro, MA 02703
    

    


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    A US Story!
    



    

    

    

    



    

    

    




    




    

    




    Until Someone Listens: A Story About Borders, Family, and One Girl’s Mission is from the perspective of a little girl in which the US deports her mom back to the other side of the river. Estela explores the painful removal of her mother. With the support of her Dad, a US Marine, and her sister; Estela stands up for what is right. Estela carries hope in her wings like the colibri (hummingbird) in hopes for a bright future with her entire familia (family). 
    




    At First Baptist Church in Attleboro we had a successful live reading of this empowering story!