Earlier in March, our schools celebrated the annual Read Across America Day, a true festival of reading.

At PBE, Leilah Austin and her fifth-graders read “We Are Water Protectors,” a beautiful picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade.

The book tells the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against the Dakota Access Pipeline, explaining what environmental hazards it would cause. She protests against the pipeline not only for herse

“Water is life. It is sacred,” says the girl.

Ms. Austin read the book to her virtual-learning class, showing them the intricately drawn pictures on each page. After she read it, the students discussed the book’s meaning and talked about what they can do to protect the earth and water. They enthusiastically gave some suggestions: turning off the water when they are brushing their teeth, using a reusable water bottle, turning off lights when they are not needed and taking shorter showers.