Pride Month Highlight: Edie Windsor

June is Pride Month! In celebration, we’re highlighting our profile of Edith “Edie” Windsor, a computer programmer and pioneering LGBTQ+ activist best known for her role in the landmark Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor, that helped lead towards the eventual legalization of gay marriage in the United States.

Learn more about Edie Windsor on Hidden Voices

Thea Spyer (left) sitting with her arm around Edie Windsor (right) outside on some rocks with bare trees in the background.

Caribbean American Heritage Month Highlight: Helen Rodríguez-Trías

In celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month in June, we’re highlighting our profile of Helen Rodríguez-Trías, a doctor and activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s health movement by advocating for the rights and freedoms of Puerto Rican women and other marginalized communities throughout her career.

Learn more about Helen Rodríguez-Trías on Hidden Voices

Black and white photograph of Helen Rodríguez-Trías in a lab coat in front of a blue background.

What We're Reading

June is Immigrant Heritage Month! Celebrated each year since 2014, this month honors the legacy and contributions of immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of a better life over the course of centuries. This includes the over 40% of American citizens who can trace their ancestry back to immigrants who passed through Ellis Island in New York.

These book recommendations highlight the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the individuals and their families who came from all across the world throughout different eras of history to make invaluable contributions to our nation, our state, and our city. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Colorful illustration of a diverse group of people surrounded by butterflies. Text above reads 'You Belong' in different languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, French, Russian, and Bangla.

Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)

  • America, My New Home, by Monica Funning; illustrated by Ken Condon
  • Areli is a Dreamer: A True Story, by Areli Morales; illustrated by Luisa Uribe
  • Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story, by Lesléa Newman; illustrated by Amy June Bates
  • Home is in Between, by Mitali Perkins; illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
  • Maribel's Year, by Michelle Sterling; illustrated by Sarah Gonzales
  • Watch Me, by Doyin Richards; illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Elementary (Grades 3–5)

  • First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great, by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace; illustrated by Agata Nowicka
  • Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
  • Land of the Cranes, by Aida Salazar
  • A Long Pitch Home, by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
  • One Good Thing About America, by Ruth Freeman
  • Sugar in Milk, by Thrity Umrigar; illustrated by Khoa Le

Middle School (Grades 6–8)

  • Dear America: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen (Young Readers' Edition), by Jose Antonio Vargas
  • Everything Sad is Untrue, by Daniel Nayeri
  • Illegal, by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin; illustrated by Giovanni Rigano
  • Santiago's Road Home, by Alexandra Diaz
  • Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy, by Jonathan Hill
  • Tethered to Other Stars, by Eliza Stone Leahy

Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)

  • Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha
  • Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card, by Sara Saedi
  • The Cat I Never Named, by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
  • Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, edited by Adi Alsaid
  • Living Beyond Borders, by Margarita Longoria
  • Sanctuary, by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

You can find these books and many more on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library. Sora provides free access to thousands of e-books and audiobooks for NYCPS students. You can explore additional recommendations in the “Immigration: The Voices of Immigrants in America” Collection on Sora! For further resources and answers to frequently asked questions, please also check out our Immigrant Families webpage. 

Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS

NYCPS students spent the month of May learning about and celebrating sustainability in our schools and city! First, students celebrated our final Climate Action Day of the year on May 21, 2025, which was all about ways to protect and conserve water. Then, school teams spent a day at Governor’s Island for the Youth Climate Summit, where they learned about environmental justice, met students and organizations who are passionate about sustainability, and created a climate action plan for their schools. Check out some of our favorite moments! 

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Six students stand at a blue table to work on a sustainability activity. They are wearing rain gear and ponchos.
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A student wearing rain gear is painting at a table.
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A student pours dirty water through a handmade water filter in a classroom.
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Three students sit on the floor of a classroom looking at a screen that shows a map of New York City's Waterways with the title 'Freshwater' displayed in blue.
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Five people holding up handwritten signs that show their climate action plans.
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Six students stand at a blue table to work on a sustainability activity. They are wearing rain gear and ponchos.
A student wearing rain gear is painting at a table.
A student pours dirty water through a handmade water filter in a classroom.
Three students sit on the floor of a classroom looking at a screen that shows a map of New York City's Waterways with the title 'Freshwater' displayed in blue.
Five people holding up handwritten signs that show their climate action plans.