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Mrs. Baldino from Maplewood NJ is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Diversify our Classroom Library

My students need l diverse books so they can see themselves in books. Students need to be able to relate to the characters in fiction stories.

  • $592 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

My Students

My school district, South Orange-Maplewood is a diverse school district allowing me the opportunity to teach a variety of learners. Within my district, my school, Jefferson Elementary is a 3rd-5th grade elementary school that offers my children a positive learning experience. My classroom in an inclusion classroom, including a total of 23 special education and general education students.

I strive to create a safe, welcoming learning environment in which students feel at home and are available for learning at all times.

My Project

Adding these diverse books to my classroom library will allow the children in my class to see themselves in characters. It will allow them the opportunity to relate to characters and make friends with characters in these books. "When children see themselves and their families reflected in their early childhood setting, they feel affirmed and that they belong." (Derman-Sparks and Edwards 2009, 13)

"Jess Lifshitz says, "The faces that greet our students from our bookshelves can be as powerful as the ones that greet them at the door." The books added to the library will include characters with different family structures, race, houses, gender variations and physical abilities.

Giving my children the chance to see themselves in characters will add more of an opportunity to create a warm, welcoming environment in my classroom.

Mrs. Baldino
Grades 3-5

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Baldino is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Clubhouse Mysteries Super Sleuth Collection: The Buried Bones Mystery; Lost in the Tunnel of Time; Shadows of Caesar's Creek; The Space Mission ... Animal Show; Stars and Sparks on Stage • Amazon Business $25.19 1 $25.19
Lulu Boxed Set #1-6 • Amazon Business $17.48 1 $17.48
In Our Mothers' House • Amazon Business $15.34 1 $15.34
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match / Marisol McDonald no combina • Amazon Business $14.75 1 $14.75
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah • Amazon Business $14.54 1 $14.54
The Word Collector • Amazon Business $14.53 1 $14.53
Eight Days: A Story of Haiti • Amazon Business $14.49 1 $14.49
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World • Amazon Business $14.39 1 $14.39
The Other Side • Amazon Business $14.16 1 $14.16
Jacob's New Dress • Amazon Business $13.89 1 $13.89
Stella Brings the Family • Amazon Business $13.53 1 $13.53
She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History • Amazon Business $13.49 1 $13.49
Donovan's Big Day • Amazon Business $13.19 1 $13.19
I Am Enough • Amazon Business $13.10 1 $13.10
10,000 Dresses • Amazon Business $12.70 1 $12.70
Love • Amazon Business $11.77 1 $11.77
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History • Amazon Business $11.68 1 $11.68
Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds • Amazon Business $10.99 1 $10.99
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music • Amazon Business $10.44 1 $10.44
Two Naomis • Amazon Business $9.85 1 $9.85
I Am Yoga • Amazon Business $9.46 1 $9.46
Bird • Amazon Business $8.90 1 $8.90
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #1) • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
El Deafo • Amazon Business $7.65 1 $7.65
Invisible Emmie • Amazon Business $7.61 1 $7.61
Too Many Tamales • Amazon Business $7.19 1 $7.19
The Great Shelby Holmes • Amazon Business $7.10 1 $7.10
A Boy Called Bat • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
Trouble Next Door: The Carver Chronicles, Book Four • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
Calvin Coconut: Dog Heaven • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
The Case of the Stinky Socks (Milo and Jazz Mysteries) • Amazon Business $6.95 1 $6.95
Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart • Amazon Business $6.86 1 $6.86
Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet • Amazon Business $6.64 1 $6.64
As Brave As You • Amazon Business $6.63 1 $6.63
George • Amazon Business $6.25 1 $6.25
How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay (The Tia Lola Stories) • Amazon Business $6.21 1 $6.21
My Name Is Brain Brian (Apple Paperbacks) • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
Pa Lia's First Day: A Jackson Friends Book • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
Barfing in the Backseat #12: How I Survived My Family Road Trip (Hank Zipzer) • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
My Name Is Maria Isabel • Amazon Business $5.70 1 $5.70
Children of the Longhouse • Amazon Business $5.69 1 $5.69
Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me! #13 (Hank Zipzer) • Amazon Business $5.40 1 $5.40
Skateboard Party: The Carver Chronicles, Book Two • Amazon Business $5.28 1 $5.28
Nikki and Deja: Nikki and Deja, Book One • Amazon Business $5.15 1 $5.15
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix-Up • Amazon Business $4.34 1 $4.34
Keena Ford and the Second-Grade Mix-Up • Amazon Business $4.34 1 $4.34
A Tale of Two Tails #15 (Hank Zipzer) • Amazon Business $3.72 1 $3.72
The Secret Recipe (Sofia Martinez) • Amazon Business $3.00 1 $3.00
The Case of the Buried Bones (Milo and Jazz Mysteries) (The Milo and Jazz Mysteries) • Amazon Business $2.94 1 $2.94

Materials cost

$465.43

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.98

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$502.41

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$88.66

Total project goal

$591.07

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $591.07

7 Donors

-$581.01

Donations toward project cost

-$502.41

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$78.60

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$10.06

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Baldino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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