How did Nashville Public Library tackle racism in classic children’s literature? What they didn’t do… They did not take books like The Story of Little Black Sambo, Little House on the Prairie, Five Chinese Brothers and The Thanksgiving Story off the shelves and throw them in the trash, which was Lindsey Patrick’s (Regional Manager) first impulse. Acknowledging the issues that her lens as a white woman would bring to the work, she invited Klem-Mari Cajigas (the Family Literacy Coordinator and a Puerto Rican woman) to help her take some steps. They didn’t want to censor these and other problematic books, essentially shoving our racist and sexist history under the rug. And they knew that the crucial starting point was to listen to and respect the opinions of people from marginalized communities. They created a Racist Children’s Book Task Force with a diverse group of people from different library departments. There was…
Tag: children’s books
Let’s Talk About Diversity… with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Those of you familiar with my ALSC posts will recognize a definite trend, but in case you’re late to the party or somehow stumbled here by mistake and have decided to stick around awhile, I’ll catch you up: I’m passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusivity – especially when it comes to children’s literature. So once a month, an author/illustrator who shares that passion stops by my library to booktalk diverse reads they love. This year, I’ve posted lists from Melissa Iwai and Isabel Roxas, and I’ve heard from a lot of you who are interested in seeing more.
Apply for the Bookapalooza Program by 2/1
Every year, the ALSC office receives almost 3,000 newly published books, videos, audio books, and recordings from children’s trade publishers. The materials are primarily for children age birth through fourteen and are submitted to ALSC award and media evaluation selection committees for award and notables consideration. After each ALA Midwinter Meeting in January, these materials (published in the preceding year) need to be removed from the ALSC office to make room for a new year of publications.
Celebrating Mothers and Diversity
Happy Mother’s Day! Did you enjoy celebrating Día ? Don’t forget to share any pictures that you might have taken. I hope that you had a wonderful time observing Día at your library with local families and friends. Now that April 30th has come and gone, don’t think your opportunity to incorporate diversity into your programming and collection has passed! Día celebrates children and books while also encouraging families and children to connect with multicultural books, cultures and languages. To honor the special ladies we all treasure today, I’ve put together some of my favorite books about mothers that can expose children to different cultures and languages. Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse (Chronicle Books, 1998) is a great choice for a multicultural Mother’s Day read. This story tells of an Inuit mother and daughter and is set in the majestic wilderness of Alaska. The child seeks to…
Multicultural Holiday Books
It’s that time of year again, when we gather around our families and friends to observe the various winter holidays. Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas are important holidays that are marked during the month of December. The Public Awareness Committee makes a special effort to promote programs and books that celebrate multiculturalism through promotion of El día de los niños/ El día de los libros, commonly known as Día, and below you will find some of my favorite multicultural holiday picture books. What better way to honor and educate others about these festivities than with a fun holiday book? Little ones and adults alike are sure to enjoy sharing these stories. Any of these titles would make a great gift as well! Hanukkah Bear by Eric A. Kimmel; Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Holiday House, 2013. Old Bear is mistaken to be the rabbi by Bubba Brayna on the first night of…
Notable Children’s Books – 2013 Discussion List
The 2013 Notable Children’s Books Committee, chaired by Wendy Woodfill, has been hard at work all year reading, re-reading, & evaluating books published in the 2012 calendar year to arrive at a list of nominated titles. Notable Children’s Books 2013 — Nominated Titles (Some titles were discussed in June at the Annual Conference and will be briefly reviewed after Midwinter discussions are complete.) FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS AND FICTION VERSE NOVELS) Abirached, Zeina. A Game For Swallows: to die, to leave, to return. Illus. by the author. Lerner/Graphic Universe Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. HarperCollins Children’s Books Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone. Henry Holt and Company Bauer, Joan. Almost Home. Viking Children’s Books Bauer, Marion Dane. Little Dog, Lost. Illus. by Jennifer Bell. Atheneum Books for Young Readers Bell, Juliet. Kepler’s Dream. G. P. Putnam’s Sons Burg, Shana. Laugh With the Moon. Delacorte…