Teacher Books

Welcome to Grandma Teacher

Beverly Gonzalez, 2011 California Teacher of the Year, brings nearly 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, coach, staff developer, and principal. 

With deep roots in literacy, phonics, and instructional design, Bev is known for making learning fun, clear, kind, and doable. 

Her mission is simple: To help children and teachers believe "I CAN!"

Read Aloud Books

I am Important


I Am Important! is a gentle, movement-based affirmation book designed to help children build confidence, self-awareness, and joy.

Through playful rhymes and simple movements, children are invited to explore positive traits such as being brilliant, observant, vibrant, kind, and courageous. Each page encourages children to move their bodies, reflect on their feelings, and connect with affirmations that remind them of their inherent worth.

Perfect for classrooms, homes, and read-aloud settings. I Am Important! supports social-emotional growth while celebrating each child's unique value in a warm, engaging way.

BUY "I Am Important!"

Beatitudes - Daily Intentions for Kids

Every child deserves time to pause, reflect, and choose how they show up in the world. 

Beatitudes: Daily Intentions for Kids is a gentle, intention-based book designed to help children develop self-awareness, kindness, and thoughtful decision-making.

Each page invites children to consider a simple daily intention and connect it with a meaningful action - supporting personal growth in a calm, accessible way.

Perfect for classrooms, morning meetings, counseling, and quiet reflection, this book helps children:
*  Practice kindness and respect
*  Build self-awareness and empathy
*  Develop calm focus and mindful choices
*  Learn that intentions shape actions

BUY "Beatitudes"

Wrapping Paper

Wrapping Paper is a thoughtful, story-based book that encourages children to look beyond appearances and value character, kindness, and understanding.

On their own, the students come to understand that our skin is just wrapping paper.
The real gift is who we are on the inside.

BUY "Wrapping Paper"

Teacher Books

Shine by Beverly Gonzalez

What happens when a classroom becomes a place where every child is truly seen?

In Shine!, a caring teacher guides her students through everyday classroom moments that reveal something powerful:
each person has gifts that deserve to be noticed, valued, and shared.

Through classroom conversations, thoughtful questions, and meaningful interactions, students become aware that shining means being authentically yourself.

Written with upper elementary teachers in mind, Shine! is a classroom-centered story that highlights a classroom community of diverse learners who recognize their own light, see it in others, and learn what it means to belong.

BUY "Shine"

The Joyful Gardener
For teachers who have ever wondered,
"Did I make a difference?"
In The Joyful Gardener, Bev Gonzalez reflects on nearly three decades in education — inviting educators to look back on their classrooms with fresh eyes and step forward with renewed steadiness.

Using the metaphor of a garden, she explores the quiet work of tending young lives — where growth is not always visible and influence often blooms long after we leave the room.

Through personal stories — some humorous, some vulnerable — this book offers permission to:

•Revisit difficult seasons with new understanding
•Recognize the impact yo may have missed
•Reinterpret classroom memories through a gentler lens
•Move forward with courage and hope

This is not a how-to manual. It is a companion.

If you have ever questioned whether what you did truly mattered, The Joyful Gardener will help you see that it did.

BUY "The Joyful Gardener"