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October 02, 2013

October: National Diversity Awareness Month

Children are taught that the United States is a “melting pot” where people of all cultures, races, religions, disabilities, and socio-economic groups contribute to society.  What they also need to know is that a diverse population includes all ages, genders and sexual orientations.   The best way to help children and teens become aware of diversity is to encourage them to read books with all types of characters.  Perhaps it’s a novel like Racing the Moon by Alan Armstrong where a girl aspires to be an astronaut.  They may gain empathy for those with disabilities after reading books like Wonder by R. J. Palacio.  And with the current national debate about immigration reform, readers need to better understand the plight of today’s immigrant.  Here are a few programming ideas for school and public libraries for National Diversity Awareness Month.

  • Ask readers to find out from their parents or older family members their country of origin.  Then have them seek books about that culture.  Are there family traditions that reflect that culture?  Why is it important to maintain these family traditions?
  • Sponsor a panel discussion of religious leaders in the community.  Have them focus on the aspects of their religion that are universal, and the theology that is different.
  • Invite a “new American” to speak to a group of children and teens.  Ask them to address the following questions:  Why did they come to the United States?  What has been their most difficult adjustment?  Have they encountered any cultural prejudices?  What do they miss about their homeland?  What advice do they give to immigrants seeking to make the United States their home?
  • Identify community organizations that help those from diverse populations.  Visit the website of these organizations and read their mission statement.  Maybe it’s a Senior Action Center, a Kroc Center, YMCA, YWCA, a literacy group, or community health organizations.  Then read a picture book or novel with a main character that might enjoy the services of one of these organizations. Suggestions from Random House include:

 

All Ages

Song and Dance Man (picture book) by Karen Ackerman & illus. by Stephen Gammell

Stitchin’ and Pullin’ (picture book) by Patricia McKissack  & illus. by Cozbi A. Cabrera

Alida’s Song (middle grade) by Gary Paulsen

Jake (middle grade) by Audrey Couloumbis

Gingersnap (middle Grade) by Patricia Reilly Giff

Lily’s Crossing (middle grade) by Patricia Reilly Giff

 

Socio-economic Groups

 Faith, Hope and Ivy June (middle grade) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The Mighty Miss Malone (middle grade) by Christopher Paul Curtis

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (young adult) by Gary D. Schmidt

 

Disabilities, Disorders or Learning Differences

Annie and Helen (picture book) by Deborah Hopkinson & illus. by Raul Colon

All the Way Home (middle grade) by Patricia Reilly Giff

Beholding Bee (middle grade) by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Navigating Early (middle grade) by Clare Vanderpoole

Wonder (middle grade) by R. J. Palacio

Black Box (young adult) by Julie Schumacher

Small Steps (young adult) by Louis Sachar

Unraveling (young adult) by Elizabeth Norris

 

Genders

Harriet the Spy (middle grade) by Louise Fitzhugh

Hokey Pokey (middle grade) by Jerry Spinelli

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies (middle grade) by Mick Cochrane

Heart of a Shepherd (middle grade) by Rosanne Parry

Racing the Moon (middle grade) by Alan Armstrong

Lord of the Deep (young adult) by Graham Salisbury

The Chocolate War (young adult) by Robert Cormier

 

Nationalities and Cultures

Cuba 15 (middle grade) by Nancy Osa

How Tia Lola Came to Stay (middle grade) by Julia Alvarez

Return to Sender (middle grade) by Julia Alvarez

Enrique’s Journey (middle grade) by Sonia Nazario

Burning (young adult) by Elana K. Arnold

Mexican WhiteBoy (young adult) by Matt De La Paña

 

Racial

 Tar Beach (picture book) by Faith Ringgold

Bud, Not Buddy (middle grade) by Christopher Paul Curtis

Burning Up  (young adult) by Caroline B. Cooney

 

Religions

Sunday is for God (picture book) by Michael McGowan & illus. by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher

Amen, L. A. (young adult) by cherle Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld

Days of Little Texas (young adult) by R. A. Nelson

Growing Up Muslim (middle grade – young adult) by Sumbul Au-Karamall

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life (young adult) by Dana Reinhardt

Intentions (young adult) by Deborah Helllgram

Kindred (young adult) by Tammar Stein


Sexual Orientations

Boy Meets Boy (young adult) by David Levithan

Happy Families (young adult) by Tanita S. Davis

Two Boys Kissing (young adult) by David Levithan

 

 


September 23, 2013

Banned Books Week 2013

“[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.”

—Judy Blume

This week marks the 31st annual Banned Books Week, the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. The initiative was originally launched in 1982, and, since then, over 11,300 books have been challenged in schools, bookstores, and libraries. Would it come as a surprise to know that of the ten most challenged titles of 2012, five of them are children’s books?

      1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
        Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
      2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
        Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
      3. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
        Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
      4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
        Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
      5. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
        Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
      6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
        Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
      7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
        Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
      8. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
        Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
      9. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
        Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
      10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
        Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate the right to read in your classrooms and libraries, be sure to download the below poster!

(Download)


September 06, 2013

Class Trips and the Common Core

Over on SLJ, library Joy Fleishhacker has compiled a fantastic list of books that would help in enhancing a number of different class trips, all of which can be used to support Common Core Standards through a number of different avenues. For instance, introducing vocabulary related to the location you and your class will be visiting, or as a means of inspiring a post-trip creative or research project.  What ties them all together? As she explains, these books “encapsulate the magic of a field-trip experience and expand the learning–and enjoyment–well beyond the designated outing.”

Several of our titles were included in her original list (noted with an asterisk), but we’d like to expand upon her recommendations with a few more.

Farm Forays

The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara,  illus. by G. Brian Karas

Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84744-8; lib. ed. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95744-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98783-0.

K-Gr 2–Mr.Tiffin’s students mull over a brainteaser while touring Hill’s Orchard: “Show me a little red house with no windows and no door, but with a star inside.” Gathering bushels of apple facts throughout the day, the children make guesses galore, but only the quietly observant class daydreamer gets to the riddle’s core. Personality-packed artwork spices up this winning tale.


 

An Edible Alphabet: 26 Reasons to Love the Farm  by Carol Watterson, illus. by Michela Sorrentino

Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-58246-421-3.

Gr 1-4–Bursting with wordplay and whimsy, this exuberantly illustrated A-to-Z provides a bounty of intriguing facts and helps readers make the connection between food and farm. Letters are accompanied by alliterative snippets (“Blueberries, Beets, and Beans”) while smaller-size text introduces the featured plants, animals, or agricultural process. A captivating read-aloud or invigorating idea-starter for creative projects.

 

Though they don’t involve class trips, we’d also recommend the following titles for introducing your students to life on farms: It’s Milking Time, Our Farm, and Chicks!

 

Museum Meanderings

Time Flies by Eric Rohmann

Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-517-59598-5; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-517-88555-0.

PreS-Gr 4–In this wordless picture book, a bird flies into a museum’s dinosaur hall during a storm-charged night. Suddenly, time slips away–the walls disappear, the gigantic skeletons become fully fleshed-out behemoths roaming a prehistoric landscape, and the bird is placed in peril. This gorgeously illustrated flight of fancy can inspire creative endeavors or paleontological research.

 

For more museum tales, be sure to check out: The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum, Arthur Lost in the Museum, and The Sixty-Eight Rooms.

 

Is this a strategy you’ve tried in your classrooms?


Althea Gibson
September 04, 2013

Althea Gibson

On August 23rd, the United States Postal Service revealed the latest addition to their Black Heritage stamp series, Althea Gibson. The gorgeous stamp was revealed on the grounds of the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York, last Friday and was illustrated by none other award-winning artist Kadir Nelson (who illustrated Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech in breathtaking detail).

Gibson was the first African American athlete of either gender to win a Grand Slam title, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Nationals (the predecessor of the U.S. Open) in 1956, and turned around and won Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals again in 1958. In total, she won eleven Grand Slam tournaments, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.  As her time on the tennis court coincided with the American civil rights movement, and she so effectively broke down color barriers, she was often compared to another sports legend, Jackie Robinson.  as the first African-American of either gender to win Wimbledon coincided with the American civil rights movement.

As if all of that isn’t impressive enough, she was a professional singer, appeared on countless television shows, worked as a sports commentator, and later became a professional golf player and the first African American woman to join the LPGA.

If you’d like to learn more about Gibson’s incredible life, or if you’d like to bring her into your classroom discussions of the civil rights movement, be sure to find Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson. (And check out our guide for incorporating this title, as well as other picture book biographies, into your lesson plans!)


September 02, 2013

September: Self-Improvement Month

by Pat Scales

September is Self-Improvement Month, and while the month long observance may have really been intended for adults, it’s also a good time for children and teens to think about ways they can improve.  Maybe it’s making a pledge to work harder it school.  It could be a focus on improving behavior.  And it never hurts for anyone to conquer something out of their comfort zone or acquire a new skill.  Here are things that a school or public library can try to encourage readers to focus on self-improvement:

  • Have readers learn a new skill and share it with others. Introduce books where a main character learns a new skill.  Then have them compare the skill they learned to that of the main character in the books.  Suggestions from Random House include:

I Can Draw It Myself, By Me, Myself (PB) by Dr. Seuss

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle (PB) by Chris Raschka

Rosie Sprout’s Time to Shine (PB) by Allison Wortche & illus. by Patrice Barton

Stitchin and Pullin:  A Gee’s Bend Quilt (PB) by Patricia C. McKissack & illus. by Cozbi A. Cabera

Magic Tricks from the Tree House (New Independent Readers) by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce & illus. by Sal Murdocca

Tae Kwon Do! (Step into Reading 1) by Terry Pierce & illus. by Todd Bonita

Super Surprise (Middle Grade) by Patricia Reilly Giff

When You Reach Me (Middle Grade) by Rebecca Stead

Whittington (Middle Grade) by Alan Armstrong

Catwalk (YA) by Deborah Gregory

Lemonade Mouth (YA) by Mark Peter Hughes

Nightjohn (YA) by Gary Paulsen

How to Build a House (YA) by Dana Reinhardt

The Book Thief (YA) by Marcus Zusak

Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers (YA) by Walter Hoving & illus. by Joe Eula

  • Introduce readers to books where the main character tackles life experiences out of their comfort zone. Suggestions from Random House include:

Bears Beware (New Independent Readers) by Patricia Reilly Giff

The Mighty Miss Malone (Middle Grade) by Christopher Paul Curtiz

Wonder (Middle Grade) by R.J. Palacio

Hattie Big Sky (YA) by Kirby Larson

Hattie Ever After (YA) by Kirby Larson

  • Perhaps a reader chooses to make a change in behavior.  Book talk books where a main character improves their behavior either consciously and through the help of others.   Titles from Random House include:

Confessions of a Former Bully (PB) by Trudy Ludwig & illus. by Beth Adams

Liar and Spy (middle grade) by Rebecca Stead

The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (middle grade) by Christopher Paul Curtis

Small Steps (YA) by Louis Sachar

Revolution (YA) by Jennifer Donnelly

  • The national focus on good health may inspire a reader to set a goal for a healthy lifestyle.  Display books about diet, exercise, rest, etc.  A suggestion from Random House:

Be Healthy! It’s a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great (Middle Grade) by Mavis Jukes & Lillan Wai-Yin & illus. by Debra Ziss

  • Academic success should always be a personal goal. Students may be encouraged by the characters in the following novels:

 Darnell Rock Reporting (Middle Grade) by Walter Dean Myers

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen (Middle Grade) by Donna Gephart

The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History (middle grade) by Adam Selzer

  • The success of others is always inspiring.  Introduce books about people, whether real or fictional, who offer such inspiration.  Here are a few suggestions from Random House:

 Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child (PB) by Jessie Hartland

Brush of the Gods (PB) by Lenore Look & illus. by Mello So

Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson (PB) by Sue Stauffacher & illus. by Greg Couch

The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss (PB) by Kathleen Krull & illus. by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher

Song and Dance Man (PB) by Karen Ackerman & illus. by Stephen Gammell

  •  Reading always contributes to self-improvement.  Suggest that library patrons read at least one book a week in September.  Here are some reader favorites:

 Tomas and the Library Lady (PB) by Pat Mora & illus. by Raul Colon

Crow (Middle Grade) by Barbara Wright

Harriet the Spy (Middle Grade) by Louise Fitzhugh

Navigating Early (Middle Grade) by Clare Vanderpool

Scat (Middle Grade) by Carl Hiaasen

Mexican WhiteBoy (YA) by Matt de la Pena

Tiger Eyes (YA) by Judy Blume

  •  At the end of the month have readers write about how they accomplished the goals they set at the beginning of the month.
  •  Sponsor a Look What I Achieved! event at the end of the month.


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