Hands up if your young readers are taking part in our Summer Reading Challenge?!

We hope they’ve found some new favourite reads in the process and are having fun tracking their progress with our bookworm or reading tracker.

Here’s what’s inside this week’s newsletter:

🎁 We’re keeping the free printables rolling with this super cute activity that allows kids to put their critique hat on and tell us how they really feel about a book they’ve read

📚 Whether by plane, train, bus, or car, this week’s book recs are all about summer travel, near and far

☀️ A reminder about our Community Sponsorship Program (we are so happy to hear you are just as excited as we are about this new initiative!)

🖤 A sneak peek at the last four profiles in The Roots Pack — our first published collection featuring some amazing Black Canadians

Let’s get into it.

It’s time for young readers to put their critiquing to the test with this week’s free Book Review printable. Why not choose one of the books in this week’s book recs and let us know what you think! Snap a pic of your child’s review and use the hashtag #reppedandrooted to be featured on our socials.

Summer Reading Book Review

137KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

We’re keeping the teasers going with our next set of profile silhouettes. Think you know the first four shared in last week’s newsletter? Let’s see how you do with our final amazing Black Canadians!

We’ll be sharing more about The Roots Pack as we get closer to the printers. We promise it will be worth the wait!

While you wait for The Roots Pack to drop, check out this video featuring journalist, activist, trailblazer, and author, Carrie Best. Maybe she’ll inspire young readers to write their own stories and to stand up for what’s right!

In our last newsletter, we shared about the Community Sponsorship Program, which will help get more books into the hands of our young readers. We were SO excited for the positive feedback we received and already have our first TWO sponsorships lined up! If you know of a business, organization, group, or individual, who would like to get involved with this meaningful program, feel free to share this information with them. We’ve downloaded the specifics as a PDF below. Sharing is caring!

Community Sponsorship Program Information

256KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Thanks for joining the Repped & Rooted fam. It means so much!

Happy reading!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to keep the content coming.

Happy summer!

We hope you enjoyed our last newsletter and that our Summer Reading Challenge has young readers excited about diving into the wonderful world of books this sunny season!

Here’s what’s inside this week’s newsletter:

🎁 A free Reading Bingo printable your child fills in all summer long — complete a square=colour the picture

📚 Book recommendations to get kids excited about spending time with family, getting outside, and exploring the great outdoors

☀️ A special announcement about our Community Sponsorship Program

🖤 A sneak peek at the first four profiles in The Roots Pack — our first published collection featuring some amazing Black Canadians

Let’s get into it.

Summer Reading Bingo, anyone?

Read a book about nature? How about a book with a blue cover? Try to colour in all of the squares before the summer is over. Think you’re up for the challenge?

Summer Reading Bingo

557KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Make it DIY!

Make your own bingo sheet and challenge your friends and family to complete it during the summer months!

The Roots Pack

We’ve been hinting that something big is coming and we can’t wait to share our first published collection with you! The Roots Pack will feature eight amazing Black Canadians who blazed a trail and changed the game. Check out a sneak peek at the first four profiles. How many can you guess right?

Community Sponsorship Program

One of our main goals is to get as many books as we can into the hands of young readers. The Community Sponsorship Program will hopefully help us do just that. We’re starting close to home in our province of Nova Scotia by creating culturally-relevant books for the kids in our communities.

Know a business or organization who may be interested in sponsoring a community? Simply forward them this email. Sharing is caring!

We’ll be sharing more about this amazing program as the weeks progress, with the goal of having as many sponsors as possible before the next school year begins.

Happy reading!

Subscribe now

Happy summer!

We’re kicking off the sunny season doing what we love to do: read!

To set you off on the right page, check out the info below:

• The Summer Reading Challenge is for young readers, aged 4 to 10.

• There is no registration required. Just make sure you’re subscribed to Repped & Rooted on Substack.

• While we’re kicking things off June 21, participants can join the Challenge throughout the summer.

• There are two trackers to download below. Kids can choose one, or do both.

• If a child completely fills in a tracker, just print off another and keep going!

• The Challenge ends September 1, 2026. We’ll be sending out a form closer to that time where you can include a pic of your child’s tracker. The draw will be random.

Keep an eye on our socials (@reppedandrooted), and your inbox, as we share more printables throughout the summer to keep kids busy and to get them thinking about what they’ve read. We’ll also be sharing book recs as part of our bi-weekly Shelf Spotlights, so your kids never run out of inspiration for their next great read!

Happy reading,
Your Repped & Rooted fam

Summer Reading Challenge Tracker

355KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Summer Reading Challenge Bookworm

3.91MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Here’s what’s inside:

🎁 A free Father’s Day printable your child fills in as a gift for Dad — questions, drawings, and memories he’ll hold onto forever

📚 Book recommendations featuring diverse families and incredible father figures — perfect for reading aloud this weekend

☀️ Everything you need to know about the Repped & Rooted Summer Reading Challenge — launching June 21

🖤 A sneak peek at the Roots Pack — 8 Black Canadian history books for children coming soon

🎤 And a video celebrating the remarkable Portia White — a Nova Scotia legend whose voice changed the world, and whose father is a legend in his own right.

Let’s get into it.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison

• Celebrates the beauty of natural hair

• Promotes self-confidence

We Are Family by Patricia Hegarty and Ryan Wheatcroft

• Diverse families

• Getting through ups and downs together

Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw

• Reading aloud with family

• Celebration and wonder of books

Tuesday is Daddy’s Day by Elliot Kreloff

• Co-parenting

• LGBTQ+

You Made Me a Dad by Laurenne Sala and Mike Malbrough

• Bond between father and child

• Biracial family

Back Home by Arlene Elizabeth Casimir and Ken Daley

• Importance of history and heritage

• Magic and power of storytelling

A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng

• Diverse families

• Pride in unique family structures

Daddy Speaks Love by Leah Henderson and E.B. Lewis

• Activism and social justice

• Bond between father and child

Father’s Day can also be a difficult day. This Big Heart by Lindsay Ruck and Bria Miller is for anyone who has lost a loved one and reminds us that we feel so much because we love so much.

DIY Gift Sorted

Skip the mug and socks this year and have kids create a keepsake for Dad that comes from the heart (and also keeps them busy for a few minutes!).

All About Dad worksheet

2.6MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Portia White - breaking barriers around the world

Portia White was a trailblazer who broke down barriers as a contralto, performing on stages around the world. And in keeping with the Father’s Day theme, her father, William A. White, was a well-known minister and army chaplain. Gather round with your littles and check out this video celebrating the amazing story of Portia White!

Click Play button — it will open the newsletter in your browser and just scroll down to the video to watch.

Portia White is one of eight trailblazers who will be featured in The Roots Pack - our first published book collection celebrating Black history and heritage! Any guesses who else will be featured in this series?

Repped & Rooted Summer Reading Challenge

We are SO excited to launch the Repped & Rooted Summer Reading Challenge on June 21!

Here’s what you need to know:

How do we participate?

If you’re a Repped & Rooted subscriber, then you’re in! A Summer Reading Tracker will land in your inbox on June 21 (the first day of summer!)

Does it matter what kids read?

Nope! From board books to graphic novels, we want kids to find books that excite them and keep them interested all summer long. Our biweekly newsletter will always have a shelf spotlight to help inspire a child’s next great read.

How do we track their progress?

We’ll be sending you two trackers. Kids can pick to use one, or use both; just make sure you fill out the form (which will land in your inbox in August) by September 1, and include a pic of a tracker so we have your information for the draw.

What do we win?!

Great question. We don’t want to give it all away, but there’s a pretty good chance books will be part of your prize bundle. And so much more!

We’re SO excited you’ve joined the Repped & Rooted fam!

P.S: If you like what you see (and read) then help us spread the love by sharing our link (reppedandrooted.com) with your friends and family. Every subscription keeps us creating!

Happy reading!

It’s happening. I’m taking the leap and diving into the world of self-publishing. So why now?

This year has been full of some not-so-welcome surprises. The province of Nova Scotia cut a whole bunch of things that basically are the make-up of me. Publishing, culture, arts…all slashed. So when my publisher had to make the difficult decision to delay the publication of my next book and I made the difficult decision to remove myself fully from an organization that had a will they/won’t they let me go situation, I knew I had to stop depending on others to fund my passions and take it into my own hands. So that’s the why. Now, here’s the how.

The great news is, I have multiple manuscripts on my laptop and content just waiting to be launched when courage strikes.

So, here we go. From book packs with educational kits and fun activities, to the most whimsical and silly, (not to mention beautifully illustrated) children’s picture books, I’m wrapping it all up under Repped & Rooted.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m determined. I love literature. And I hope that passion shines through in every product dropped. You ready?

Subscribe now

Viola’s story reminds us of the importance of taking a stand, of doing what’s right, and of using your voice to make a difference. Beyond her unexpected path as a civil rights icon, Viola was also a hard-working entrepreneur who sold her own hair and beauty products that catered to Black women.

Viola Desmond is one of eight amazing individuals who will be featured in a new book pack for young readers. These easy readers will include access to 8 corresponding videos (like the one above), activity kits, and a teacher/parent guide to inspire kids to go beyond the book and think about what they’ve read.

Be sure to hit that free subscription button to know when the packs drop and to stay updated on the process!

Subscribe now

Repped (or representation): emphasizes the importance of kids seeing themselves in the books they read, the videos they watch, and the activities they do.

Rooted: a strong foundation starts with knowing your history and your heritage. We’re putting a spotlight on the people who paved the way and provided the roots for future generations to not only grow, but to flourish.

These two pillars hold up everything that comes out of Repped & Rooted. So now that you know the name, here’s what you can expect:

• Book packs celebrating trailblazers and gamechangers

• Educational content for kids that goes beyond the pages of books sent to your inbox every two weeks

• Videos to encourage conversation and to provide inspiration

• Activity packs

• Shelf spotlights offering diverse book recommendations

• Teacher guides for the classroom

So hit that free subscription button and join our community! As a thank you, you’ll receive a Black history crossword to download to get you excited for the content to come.

Subscribe now